Hello to the next chapter, I promised this would come and here it is. I know some of you were hoping for an earlier update, and were a bit put off by the new story I posted in my caffeine sleep deprived induced hysteria that resulted in 5 chapters that I don't quite remember typing to be honest. But seeing it's success and only just a day in, I guess I did something good, or I have the beginnngs of a loya following, so I thank you for either which one it is, or even both f that's the case.
To answer a question or two to reviews, No their will not be any use of stats or celestial mini games for their celestial weapons, because to be honest, in a story line setting like this I'm not sure I see the point to either. Not just for naruto but any of the characters, since I may go he route of my sentimental connection to weapons like the brotherhood or the like. Just depends how I develop it, but stats aren't going to happen for sure, since they are a massive headache to me.
You'll see a small smidgen of rikku's opinion to konoha in here, plus something you might not see coming for this story at least.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy x or Naruto.
Naruto was fully aware of where they would be appearing at from the travel back to his birth world, the temple that started all of this, that ended up with him coming to spira. What he didn't expect was for the main chamber of the fayth to look so nice when before it was decrepit and falling to pieces. Rikku for her part experienced the travel much better than naruto did the first time, not passing out. However there was the age difference and the fact that she possessed active chakra, the natural energy of this world which smoothed the travel and allowed her to ease into the natural laws of this world.
Rikku looked around the chamber, noticing that it reminded her somewhere of the temples of Yevon back in spira, however that was a stark contrast. There as no useless stone decorations that served no purpose. The gray stone of the room was stacked and smoothed over in the circular domed chamber, and banners lined the room, as did torches, though from them burned not yellow and orange blades, but blues, whites and purples, cool and bright colors. The effect was a lit chamber that was easier on the eyes that illuminated all details. On the walls though was stone statues embedded into the walls, covered by clear domes of crystal, each glowed and represented a figure and as rikku remembered how naruto described it, these were the Fayth Statues. Each one was bordered by a banner to either said, and a short stepped alter placed on the ground before them. In the center of the room, where they stood, was a raised dais.
From each statue the glow increased, and like before the forms of the fayth, the souls of the aeons, took form and stepped onto the alters, stepping down and walking toward the center of the room, stepping onto the raised dais and giving them a look. "Welcome back Naruto, and a pleasure to meet you, Rikku." The smallest of the group of spectre like beings spoke, the puple vested fayth stepped forward of them. "I believe you already know who we are, as naruto I believe has described us in great detail to you." he stated, and the girl just nodded. But as she looked between all of the fayth gathered, her focus came to the woman with braided hair wearing a shawl over her body, her eyes becoming fixed. She marveled a moment at her, almost imagining if she ever grow to be as beautiful as her. Shiva for her part, smiled tenderly and turned to bahamut.
"Bahamut, if I may. You've given the boy a token, I would wish to give the girl one as well." She spoke, talking to the de facto leader of the fayth. The boy form of the fayth looked to her and then rikku, before giving a nod and a smile. Shiva turned back to rikku, stepping forward, and waving her hand. Magic shimmered around the girl, before taking the form of a shawl identical to shiva's own, though the corners were fixed with silver charms identical to the silver ornament of her hair. "My token to you Rikku, a shawl of my own making. Like naruto's it will grow to fit with you, and offer you special abilities to aid you."
"What kind of special abilities?" She asked, but piped up when she realized what she asked and how it sounded. "Sorry!"
"It's no trouble." She said with an honest smile. "Like naruto vest, the token grows with you, offers some protection from damage of all types, and gives a slight enhancement to your overall abilities. Our tokens take after our own abilities, But perhaps those would be better fit for you to discover for yourselves." She stated with a smile, watching the two inspect their garments more closely.
"Thank you, lady shiva." She spoke, bowing and the fayth just smile, using a hand to touch her chin and bring hr up from a bow.
"You two, have no need to bow to us, for you will be doing us a far greater service, than we could ever do for you. So please, stand proud and strong." She spoke, and rikku nodded, still in awe of her and her beauty, as well as her power. Grabbing the shawl, she pulled it around herself, letting the shawl wrap around her neck comfortably and it cloaked over her body, the fabric felt cooler than the room did, and wondered if this was how naruto managed to stay cool in the desert despite the heat.
"Now, you are back here only temporarily, you must see that your business is attended to quickly naruto. We will need you back here. However there are things we must inform you of. First, your hokage is aware of your actions that night. However, he understands and is more than willing to welcome you back, and has much to speak with you. He is waiting in the main chamber near the front of the temple. As for what we need to speak of, you've learned of a great deal of spira, but there is more to learn. More to know. " Bahamut spoke, but was cut off.
"Yeah yeah, they got all that, but why not let me do the talking, since it concerns me most of all, yeah?" Asked a gruff voice and the two blondes turned to see jecht, though he was obviously in some discomfort. "Hey boy, I see you grew up alright, and got some good swimming and blitzing skills, that's good. And even got yourself a girl before your stones dropped, imagine that." He laughed weakly, while naruto and rikku bouth spluttered embarrassed, and angry, at the older man and fayth. "Relax kids. Just calling it like I see it. But anyway, as for the reason why I want to talk to you. It's baout the truth of all this, about the fayth, yevon, sin...all of it." He stated, sitting down and bidding them to do the same, and when they were, he started in with the war between the two great cities with Machina and Summoner.
The conversation lasted for an hour, as he explained the war, the final battle, the result, sin, why it was there, and how it persisted, the truth to yevon's existence, and on to the current, as he explained how he journeyed with braska after coming to spira, and the finaly battle. Taking of that, he spoke of the final aeon, it's origin, and what really happens in that battle. Jecht held nothing back, as he revealed his existence as the current sin, and his weaknes as him fighting the influence of sin as it starts to wake, hence how the fayth knew sin's dormancy was coming to an end soon. To say Rikku and naruto were floored by this was an understatement, they might as well have been buried.
"So what you're saying is. That for a thouand years, yevon has pretty much been sending summoners to die, knowing that it's not the actual solution, just a stop gap. That they could have been working on an actual method to defeat sin, and yet they haven't?" Rikku asked in a small voice.
"Fraid' so. The men in power put themselves farthest away from danger and aren't keen to letting go of that power. That's one of the reason why the maesters of yevon have been so content to allowing the process to go on. Power, control, and personal safety, at the expense of spira's future, all for their cowardice." Jecht stated, watching as rikku curled inward on herself, sobbing slightly, while naruto looked at the floor, his eyes shadows over, but his fists laying on his knees were held tight, shaking, as he tried to reign in his anger.
"B'but, yunie, she's going to die for that, for them!? I cant let her die, couldn't before, and I won't now especially!" Rikku cried out, emotionally rocked with the news and knowing that her cousin was being used the way she was. Just another reason to hate yevon, ad by extension now, the maesters. Tears were treaming from her eyes, thinking of her dying like that, but a hand on her shoulder pulled her eyes to her left and saw the resolute determination in naruto's gaze.
"And she won't. Not if we've anything to say about it. That's why I was brought to spira remember, to help end it all, along with their chosen. To bring an end to their dreaming." He said, looking to jecht, who smiled with a nod.
"Right you are boy. My son tidus is being watched by auron right now. Remember what I said about the jecht shot mark 3 and the shoopuf incident?" He asked, getting a nod in return. "Good. Both of you ask about them in reference to me, knowing me, when you meet him when you get back to spira. Chances are, I won't be here when it's time to return. So this will have to be my good bye to you two, until we meet at the end. I hope you can end it all, the fayth have had it hard, and I don't want to kill the world I've come to care for almost as much as I do my family. Hear me?" He asked.
"Yeah, we do old man. Just sit tight and we'll find tidus and do whatever we have to t make sure it stops for good." Rikku spoke, getting her composure back as she filled with confidence, taking naruto's hand int her own, appreciating the comfort it brought to her.
"You heard her. Just find a nice spot in the water to float for a good long while and leave the rest to us till we come find ya. Alright?" Naruto followed her up, smirking at the last of the final aeons.
"I'll do what I can. No promises though. But I need to rest, I'll have to focus on staying in control as long as I can. Stay safe and get strong you two." Jecht spoke, standing up, rubbing both their heads. The two took a minute to really burn the image of the man into their heads, seeing as this may be the last time they'll see him as his right minded self, since the next time, they'll have to know him as sin. "Bahamut, I leave the rest to you." He spoke, and stepped back to his statue, where he faded into it, and the glowing of it faded to a dull light.
Standing, the two looked to the other fayth and then to each other. "So what happens now?" Rikku asked.
"You leave until it's time to return. However you'll need a way we can reach you, and this should be sufficient." Bahamut spoke, waving his hand. The two noticed a senation on their left hands, and looked down to see a glimmer of magic around their ring fingers, as it formed into a silver band with a single diamond set into the band. "Those rings will glow and pulse when you need to return to the temple. Just as well, they'll help you two out as you can use them to locate the other should you ever get lost." He tated, thugh smiled as they looked at the rings with smiles, before they dropped and looked back up to him and the other fayth who were grinning widely at them.
"You didn't-"
"Don't say i-"
"Well since you two were so close anyway, we figure why not give you two the rings you need for it anyway, it looked like you were about to progress on the boat before I showed up anyway." Bahamut smiled, letting two kunai pass through him harmless as he chuckled and the other fayth laughed in response to the overheated embarrassed angry expressions their additional chosen now wore. Rikku as trying hard to pull her ring off while naruto was trying to get his fingerless glove to stretch to cover it, but to no avail on either account. They glared at the fayth who waved and decided that was the time to fade away. They ground their teeth and retrieved their kunai, before getting their things together and heading out of the Chamber of the Fayth.
Like the fayth chamber, the rest of the temple had been renovated and it looked stunning, instead of creepy like it used to be. The Hymn could be heard loud and clear, crisp in every piercing in each note sung. Right now it was shiva who was singing, somehow they just knew it to be so, and her melodic punctuation of the hymn bristled as it traveled through them with such energy. The two kept moving, remembering the path to take, before they came out to the main chamber, that was by far the lagest, and held large braziers of the same spectral flames of blues, purples and white, that illuminated the room brightly, set against the wall between banners that tretched down from the high ceiling. They stood in a doorway at the top of a flight of stairs that was the tallest standing position of the room itself, and down at the bottom in the center was a raised dais, whre upon it was a wooden table and chairs, and at the head of the table opposite to them, sat the hokage.
Naruto felt a wave of emotions when he connected eyes with the old man, but one of the strongest was guilt. At not having told the man what he was intending to do, that he had betrayed him in his eyes, and left the only grandfather figure in his life behind without nowing. He knew the fayth had told him that he had accepted his reasons, but the weight was still there of his decision. Rikku grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze, looking at him, and he nodded, offering a small smile, before he started to move down the stairs. The old man didn't look that worse for wear, actually he seemed better, his shoulders were broad and straight, not nearly as slumped or burdened as he remembered them being, his posture straight, head held high, and gaze confident.
To his left was a man naruto recognized by silver gravity defying hair and smell alone as Inu, one of his ardent anbu guards who actually protected him, not just watched him. He wre what he remembered to be the standard of Shinobi garb for most full time active duty chunin and jonin of the village, but he had one eyes covered with his forehead protector, the rest of his face was masked. The other he didn't recognice at all, he wore green garments of standard shinobi fashion one might pick up, a red vest and wooden geta. His forehead protector had the kanji for oil, and had long white hair, while his face had two red lines down from the eyes. The three older men were watching as they came down, and took a seat at the table, sitting beside each other at the other end, of the short table, but furthest away.
Hiruzen smiled, pleased to see naruto again after 5 years, though it was different, seeing him changed so much from the little boy he remembered before he left. "Welcome back Naruto. I would get started, but would you mind introducing your friend for us?" He asked with a kind smile.
"Oh, right. This is Rikku, of the AL Bhed people, Daughter of Leader Cid, Leader of the Al Bhed, that I have been living with in Home on Bikanel island of Spira." He spoke, giving Rikku a formal introduction. She rolled her eyes and gave a mock bow, before she snickered and naruto smacked her shoulder lightly. Hiruzen chuckled, glad to see the boy was still in there and could still have fun.
"A pleasure to meet you Rikku. Though I must confess, I was only expecting naruto, i had not expected another to come with him, but I'm sure we can work with this to accomodate. Now allow me to introduce you to Jiraiya of the Sannin, the toad sage and Seal master of konoha. And this is-"
"Inu." Naruto commented, making the three men choke on air and rikku to gasp.
"You mean that Inu, of your anbu?" She asked, and naruto nodded.
"Naruto. How did you know that?" Hiruzen asked, a little put off by that.
"Well, the gravity defying shiny silver hair and he has the same exact smell as him." He said matter of fact, getting the three men's attention, especially said man's.
"Smell? You mean you can differentiate scent?" He asked, intrigued and naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I can also hear incredibly well and other things like that. Why do you think I relaxd more and went out more often when you, hebi, weasel and ryu were on guard. Cause I knew you were there. I stayed inside or out of sight when my other guards were active since they didn't give a damn." He said, making the three men blink owlishly, discovering some rather jaw dropping information about the blonde.
"That's...good to know. Naruto, in the future I may help you to develop that more so you can track with it. Sound good?" The man spoke and the boy nodded.
"Right. Well his actual name is Kakashi Hatake, also known as the copy cat ninja." He spoke, finishing the introductions.
"Nice to meet you both. Though not to be rude, but what does this have to do with me coming back jiji, not that I don't appreciate you comng or people to see me. But I didn't think it'd matter or you would be so..thrilled, to have me back after I just left like I did." He spoke honestly and directly, taking the bandage route with this.
"Well, I was a bit saddened that you left the way you did yes, but I don't blame you for it. Not in the slightest, didn't even reprimand weasel for allowing it to happen either. He made a good call in hindsight, for your health mentally and physically. Though it did allow me the chance to get things started and done since you were out of danger when you left." He spoke, alluding to the reasons why they were there. "Naruto, I want to come clean with you, on various things. You've been through a great deal and I do not wish t hold secrets from you, not when you're already carrying a burden of your own choosing and unaware of others that you carry without knowing." The old man stated, jiraiya giving a cautionary glance to the hokage. "No jiraiya, he has to know. It's been far too long with him not knowing as it is anyway." He stated.
"This has to do with the reason why Naruto is hated, isn't it?" Rikku asked, shifting in her chair just that little closer to naruto than she was before, something all but naruto really took note of.
"Yes it does. Naruto, are you ready to learn of these secrets? I ask that, while one is yours to tell who you are comfortable with, the other does not leave this room, as it will bring more enemies than you are ready to deal with right now, and hence why you weren't told of t before. Understand?" He asked.
"Yeah jiji I understand."
"Good, but first, not to be rude, but what of her, do you wish her to now as well?" He asked, seeking permission to speak his secrets to her as well, and silently probing for information about her and her relationship with naruto.
"Yeah jiji, I do. I trust her to have my back more than any other person living or dead." He stated, giving a ide grin and Rikku just smiled slightly embarrassed.
"Alright then." The aged hokage spoke, nodding and taking a breath. "It started with the day of your birth naruto..." He started, and went on to explain the events of his person, his parentage, the release of the kyuubi from his mother, the attack of a intruder during the birth accoording to the evidence, even the report of the kyuubi's eye being super imposed with a sharigan, not a thing was left out. The two greatest secrets of naruto's life, his status as the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and the son of the fourth hokage the yellow flash. During the entire time, narut's expression slowly fell, before he was finally looking down with his eyes shadowed, like with jecht his right hand gripping the table tightly, while rikku had hold of the other one under the table. The talk wasn't dreadfully long, but hiruzen was careful to not glaze over a single detail for naruto. Once he was finished, he was silent, as he waited for a response.
The room was assaulted then with the sound of splintering wood, as his grip started to break the wood in his grasp, and despite the pain of wood splinters digging into his flash, his grip only tightened as the pain gave him something to feel and concentrate on that was stable, while his mind was a flurry of emotions. "So my father, sealed the kyuubi into me, and my parents died protecting me from it's claws, and his final wish was for the village to see me as a hero, but instead they all but exile me and torture me, just so I can be the outlet for their grief and pain. WHAT ABOUT MY GRIEF AND PAIN!?" Narut suddenly yelled, his anger baring down as he smashed through the rest of the table, and they knew it to be anger without doubt.
The red eyes, thick whiskers, wild hair, enlarged canines, claws and feral look said as much. But the tears streaming from his eyes belayed the threat of that anger, and just showed how much he was hurting. While jiraiya was tense and defensive, ready to jump, Kakashi was looking down shamefully along with hiruzen. However they saw rikku move closer to naruto, bring up the hand she was holding, and they noticed tat he was even holding it tightly, but rather it was the reverse, rikku was holding his hand tightly, in contrast to what his other hand did to the table. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him as he sobbed, trying to hold back his tears as memories he always remembered, could never forget, surfaced with the knew knowledge he had, makig the pain fresh. She held him close, despite her own tears, she was the one calming him down.
"Shhh, you're okay. You're fine. You're here where no one can hurt you now. I won't let anyone hurt you. Shh, it's okay, it's okay." She just repeated those words, holding him, the same way he'd hold her and whisper to her when she couldn't sleep through the lightning and thunder. They ignored the three men as they worked through naruto's twister of emotions, unaware the men had fund the glint of rings on their fingers, of identical look and quality and on which hand and finger they sat. They looked to each others, but for the moment, didn't dare to comment in light of the tense emotions flying around the room. It took a good ten minutes, with a whispered conversation between the two blondes, but eventually narut calmed down, his traits returning to normal, and he caught his breath again, cleaning his face with a cloth, as did rikku.
Once they were calmed, they sat there as naruto picked the splinters out of his hand, not even caring that his ring was on display as he did so. "Please tell me that was the biggest bomb you have to drop on us and there aren't any more like those coming up?" Rikku asked, wanting a head's up for naruto's sake, still glancing at naruto who was just numbly picking out splinters, not even flinching at the pain he should be feeling.
"Well...there might be one more." He spke, getting the two blondes attentions, also kakashi's and jiraiya's. "It's weasel." Hiruzen started, not sure how to say this.
"Has something happened to itachi?" Naruto and rikku asked at the same time, again, shocking the men. "how-" He started, but naruto cut him off. "He put a letter into my scrolls and gave me some stuff to help me. Telling me how he helped me and looked out for when I left the village." He clarified for the hokage, who nodded.
"I see. Well if you know his identity, then it makes this easier to start out." He spoke, sighing. "Itachi is a missing nin Naruto. He defected from the village after massacring his entire clan, the uchiha, leaving only a few survivors." He spoke, taking the bandage route himself this time.
Naruto just started blankly at him a moment before shaking his head. "I don't believe it. He was one fot he four I trusted to have my back. How can he go from dedicated caring guard that would help me escape, to clan killer?" He asked, looking to the other men, while rikku appeared distraught. Not even a day bac and the bad news was flying at naruto like shit thrown from a djose monkey.
"That's classified naruto, the only thing I will tell you is that all is not as it seems, and don't believe everything you see or hear at first sight." He spoke, giving naruto the wiggle room to dig on his own and to make other theories of his own, rather than believe that itachi went mad. He knew his 4 anbu guard were special to naruto, especially itachi now considering what he did for him, so he had given naruto this much to at least settle some of his nerves. The two blondes sat there and processed the information. "Now naruto, that is the last of the relative bad news, the rest is either indifferent, or good, alright?" He spoke, asking for permission to continue.
"Thank the fucking Sands for that. Naruto's life was a shit storm enough before he escaped and came to spira, he doesn't need to come back to another shit storm on the first day back." Rikku mouthed off, dropping all pretense of formality in lieu of direct words to convey just how she was feeling.
"Watch your tongue young lady. Naruto's life wasn't that bad." Jiraiya spoke, and rikku turned her eyes to the man.
"Not that bad? Not that bad? Oh yeah sure, Picking your meal out of the garbage tins isn't that bad, not at all, especially not when you have to because no store will accept the money you have!" She shouted, her anger now fully earned. "And who the fuck are you to even say that anyway!" She cursed the man. Normally she wasn't once for cursing, not in the slightest, but this... this more than earned it, she'd wager even her meek cousin yuna would be cursing were she in her position.
"His godfather that's who. Where do you think even part of that money he had comes from?" He stated, and the two other men at the table, just face palmed. Jiraiya really knew how to put his foot in his mouth in a way only he could, down the throat to the ankle.
"Godfather?" Naruto asked numbly, looking up from his recently cleanly picked hand up the white haired man.
"Yes brat, I'm your god father. I was your father's sensei, just like your father was kakashi's sensei." He stated, jabbing a thumb to said man and hiruzen just srunched his face up at that one.
"Jiaiya, I thought we agreed to discuss this with him slowly so as not to shellshock all at once with this?" Kakashi spoke, not even denying the man's words and losing his own restraint on that what he said now. What was the pont of subtlety this far in?
"What's the point, Sensei obviously just wants to get it all out there and I have better things to do than just lollygag around here explaining things. While we're at it, let's tell him of his godmother as well." He said, sounding quite Irate.
"I had god parents Jiji?" He asked, emphasizing had in that sentence.
"Yes naruto." He said with a sighing, glaring at jiraiya. "Despite the lact of tact, we did intend to tell you, but only after you processed your secrets and burdens. Since I felt those were the heavier ones to start with. Your godmother is tsunade of the sannin, she was your mother's sensei when she led a genin team of her own. She was supposed to have come back to oversee your birth, but she never came, and then the attack happened. Tsunade is your distant cousin through family lines naruto, however we do not know about her disposition, as we haven't been able to find her since years before you were born even when she left the village. I don't know why." He said, shooting a glare at jiraiya who was about to shoot off at the mouth again.
"But...if I had godparents, or people close to my family, even distant cousns, why wasn't I adopted." He said, a small glance at jiraiya, but a distant, long look at kakashi.
"I was barred from adopting you naruto by the council at the time. I tried, believe I tried, even went under a henge to try and do it." He said, looking down at the table. "I was still in anbu at the time, and after the attack, whenever I got near you, the council would force me into s-rank missions that would keep me away or pretty much insure injury. That's why I became one of your full time guards instead. It was the only legal way I had to stay as close to you and watch over you that I had." He said, his single eye crestfallen.
Naruto was silent as he took a moment to think that through, before he nodded. "I forgive you." He said, and kakashi flinched, expecting some kind of yell, but certainly not forgiveness, so it took him a moment to recognize the words and looked at naruto. "You did your best with what you were able to. And because of you and the three others, I wasn't afraid to walk the streets when you were guarding me. Thank you." Naruto said quietly, still a bit drained from the emotional hurricane he was still going through. Kakashi stared wide eyed at naruto, before bowing his head low, whispering his own words.
Jiraiya was about to speak, but a swift kick to the shin from Hiruzen stopped that. After this was over with, they were going to have a long discussion about a number of things. Ever since he started his new programs and had ordered jiraiya to train handlers for his spy network as well as more seal users, thus cutting into his research and writing time, he'd become very easy to irritate and anger. His lifestyle he had before as a wandering spymaster and author, which his spy network did more of the work for him, had come to an abrupt end and he had to do things as hiruzen deemed necessary. Though when said sannin asked of tsunade, they needed to find her first, and that was hard enough as it was, besides, they had enough medical personal and her old materials to start improving the medical skills of the village with her at first anyway. Not only that, but havig both sannin in the village could be problematic, as jiraiya would nag on tsunade and so of the two, he'd rather have jiraiya in the village where his skills and resources were needed now, while tsunade could wait while they handled what they could until they did need her.
"So one who's put in the effort to be with him as much as he could. One unknown. and One Asshole. Noted." Rikku said. "Moving on to then?" She asked, ready to get to some better news.
Hiruzen nodded, but now decided this needed to be taken care of. "Jiraiya, return to the village. I'll call for you when you're needed, until then, see to your duties and the rest of your time is your's obviously." He said, and watched as the toad sage got up without needing to be told twice and left. Hiruzen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I apolgize for that. I thought that would go far better, and he'd actually be...well better, than you saw. Though I don't apologize for him or his behavior, just that it happened." He said, trying to placate the tension.
"I'd have thought a godfather would have been better than that too. We take family seriously, even sworn family, among the Al bhed. Hence why we see naruto as family despite not sharing our blood, or even worldly ties." Rikku said, reminding naruto he did have family who honestly did care about him. Naruto nodded slowly, still down, but a weak smile to rikku showed her words reached him. "Seriously, for all of the what, half hour, that I've seen you, kakashi may as well be his godfather, uncle or even older brother, with how honest he was and the effort he put in to be their for naruto." Rikku said, taking up the vocal front for naruto, since he was too drained emotionally to even really speak for himself right now.
"I-..thank you." Kakashi said, bowing his head again.
"Don't thank me, your own effort proves that point enough for itself to earn that." She said, nodding to the man, before turning to hiruzen. "So, good news? Please?" She asked, really wanting some sunshine in this conversation.
"Right. Well, with naruto gone, the council could not hold him over my head to get their way anymore. So I was able to enact a large number of reforms and new directives that brught the village back under my control and out from the civilian council's control. Which I've all but removed." He stated, and naruto looked up, some energy returning to his face for the first time since it left him. "And it was naruto who inspired me to do it in the first place." He stated, now earning a confused look.
"What do you mean jiji?" He asked, now a little more involved.
"That night you came to me abut your education being spotty, I had an idea regarding your future as a genin and the standards of our current genin. Used to be that before the kyuubi attack, we had higher standards, but after the attack, we were short a large force of ninja. So the civilian council suggested an idea to lower the standards so civilians could enter the academy and graduate to swell our ranks and replenish our reserves of ninja, while the jonin sensei would handle the slack in teaching them the rest. This worked to a degree, but the quality of our genin suffered, and more genin died while out on missions, than they did in previous years. So I instituted a reform to bring the standards back up to where they were before and riased the bar further. Our genin need to be well prepared for their futures as ninja, with no illusions. You see naruto, the learning scrolls I gave you is all the curriculum material I included in the new academy reform, piece for piece. I was hoping you'd excel in learning what I gave you so that you'd be better prepared for what's ahead." The hokage spoke, much to a bewildered naruto.
"I did that?" He asked, and sarutobi nodded.
"Not just that, but if I was going to reform the academy, where the future of the village itself rests, then I needed to start reforming the village. Draining the pond of the scum and disease if you will. You just happened to leave at the perfect time where the council couldn't threaten to hurt you to make me reconsider doing it. So I actually have t thank you in a way." He said, smiling to his surrogate grandson, though he wondered if he would still allow him to see im as such.
"Wow... you do awesome things without even being there to do them." Rikku hummed, playfully smacking naruto's arm, getting a smile out of him as more of his energy came back to him. He was at least happier thinking his actions helped jiji.
"So, what happens now?" Naruto asked, feeling better now, he was still in a daze a bit over al the information, but he could deal with it slowly and he wasn't in immediate danger of shutting down.
"Well now I'd like for you to come back to the village if you will. You are still a civiliana nd legal adult, while rikku has no ties to the village, you could go anywhere, but I would prefer if you did come back and gave konoha a chance. Perhaps become a shinobi. The offer is open to rikku as well, if she can adapt what skills she does have to meet the needs of a kunoichi." He said, and both blondes were guarded, and hiruzen wondered if he pushed too hard.
"One thing old man... If I do come back and rikku comes, Me and her are a package deal, no separating us in the slightest, even if we're bleeding, dying or dead. Got it?" Naruto pointed, suddenly resolute where before he'd been ready to break. the change was so sudden it seemed like a coin flip.
"Um, yes." The old man started.
"No Hokage-sama, I want your word as a man and as hokage on this." Naruto spoke, his eyes level witht he wizened hokage's.
"You have my word naruto that I'll not separate you two in the slightest, bleeding, dying or dead even." He said, and saw naruto relax, and rikku ease down in her seat, she'd been nervous over that herself. "hough if we ae to keep you two together as ninja, I'll need to know of what skills she does possess." he stated.
"That's easy. She's already a kunoichi. She was my learning and training partner for all the learning material you gave me, every step of the way, and then some as we learned of the things spira had to offer as well for additional training. We finished the scrolls mothers ago, plus the extra stuff I managed to get." He said, pulling out his storage scroll, and unsealing his learning scroll from it, tossing it over to hiruzen.
"truly? You mean you finished within just four years what should be a five year program with other training included beyond that?" He asked of the two, not quite believing his ears since the curriculum he had drawn up was meant to be the most difficult one for the academy as of yet to produce high quality genin.
"Well if you don't believe us you could just test us to see for yourself." Rikku said, sporting a grin, eager to get something like this started since she knew it'd pick up naruto's spirits n problem. Sarutobi picked up on this and nodded.
"Very well. Kakashi, would you mind putting them through the paces?" He asked, smiling as kakashi rose up. Hiruzen lifted to the table, taking it and the chairs to the side of the room to free up the space, despite the large size of the chamber.
"I think I can do that." He said, stretching a bit. The two stepped forward, nodding, as they took a stance identical to one another. The stance wasn't the standard academy style basic in the scroll, though it was similar, so obviously this had other influences in it. A moment later both Naruto and rikku rushed off with impressive speed, closing the gap with kakashi as they went in from the front, before breaking off sharply to come in from both sides, rikku coming in hide, while naruto went in low and middle. Rikku's jump kicked was evaded by back stepping as was narutos low kick and lariat. But where the man as back stepping, naruto stayd still to allow rikku to use him as a spring platform for another aerial attack, while naruto pushed forward for another lock attack to keep the man off balanced and no solid footing to launch his own attack from.
Kakashi was impressed with the silent teamwork and trust, and that wasn't to mention the level they were performing at. Physically, this was definitely above the new standards of the genin to be graduating now. When he back stepped again, with ill footing, the two withdrew kunai and shuriken, throwing at him and kakashi had to book it out of their to avoid the throw weapons, going to their left and getting into a better footing. He's have to watch for that, but already they were on him again, this time even faster, and started a combination of blows, taking turns for one to close in and perform their moves, and before a counter could be made, the other would dart in to take advantage and give no time to make the counter or recover.
Hiruzen himself was flabbergasted that the two could perform so well, it was like they were a well oiled machine, a team that spent years together. Though he had to rethink his shock, after everything he heard today regarding the two, seeing how they reacted for one another, and the rings, this much actually should have been obvious. "Ninjutsu." He called out just enough to be heard and immediately the two backed off and ran through hand signs, before releasing their jutsu, not bothering to call them out to give prior warning. Naruto fired a stream of fire from his mouth, while rikku did the same with wind, the effect was immediate as the fire blazed with harsh intensity and greater heat and power. Kakashi substituted with a chair just in time to avoid it, and honestly, he nearly bit the bullet for underestimating them on that one.
"Genjutsu." The hokage went on, and naruto grimaced, kakashi found his target, immediately casting one on naruto, however for naruto to dispel it with a pulse of chakra, but ducked as rikku had finished the handseals for her own and counter casting on kakashi, who'd been using naruto's back to avoid being a target till she was ready. The effect, while a low level genjutsu, was that it caught the silver haired jonin flat footed in a genjutsu, and he had to take a moment to dispel it once he recomposed himself from justu casting his own. However when he came out of it, he saw naruto and rikku both airborne with knives drawn, one to either side of him with their blades on a path to meet either side of his neck.
He used the metal plates on the back of gloves to intercept the blows and they had some weight behind the attacks for sure. the two retreated their blades as they fell to the ground, but instead of landing and standing, they landed into a roll backwards and jump, getting their feet under them a fair distance away with a thrown kunai each to prevent the jonin from closing the distance to their recovering positions.
That was when things started to go a bit different. For starters they both made a handseal that had no right knowing that produce a solid clone each, where naruto's clones turned into a large shuriken that he grabbed and spun at high speeds in his han by the center ring, rikku's clone moved forward with her to attack kakashi, and he confrmed it was solid. Thoguh he heard the whizzing of the shuriken and dodged in to feel his top hairs get sliced, much to the two men's shock, but as the shuriken passed by, it droped the transformation and became naruto again, who threw several kunai at him, while rikku and clone handled the sides, and the original naruto came in from the front, trapping the jonin. Kakashi substituted with another chair, but that left the clone and kunai, but naruto substituted with his own clone and dispelled it, along with it's clone kunai before it could hit either rikku.
"Enough." Hiruzen called, honestly impressed. "Alright, I more than believe you on that points displayed. But what of the others, like your academics, and the optional skills." He asked. "And I'd like to know how you learned the Kage bunshin naruto. I don't you picked it up from watching a couple of jonin use it in a fight."
"Well, I suck at genjutsu pretty much, but I make up for it in fuinjutsu." He said, before smiling sheepishly. "Well that's the thing jiji. It's not the only jutsu I know that I probably shouldn't...or rather jutsu we shouldn't know." He said, as rikku came forward with a smile after dispersing her clone. They held their hands out and formed identical spheres of spiraling power. "While you was getting the scrolls for me, I may or may not have opened the vault and copied a few jutsu from the scroll of seals." He said, retaining his sheepish smile, as hiruzn bout had a heart attack and kakashi face palmed.
"h-how did you get in naruto?" the old man asked.
"Well, you don't know this. But this isn't a single thing I forget. Ever, so long as it's from when I can remember, like my earliest memory was when I was two." He said, still not fond of those memories and now hiruzen could understand with perfect clarity just how bad naruto had it. He couldn't forget a single bad experience he had from that point. It was no wonder he left like he did. "You unlcked the vault a few years before that night in front of me, probably thought I wouldn't remember." He said and the old man sighed, then blinked before narrowing his eyes.
"And weasel didn't do a damn thing to stop you either...the sneak." He said, feeling like he'd been praked for several years coming. "So what other jutsu did you take naruto." He asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.
"Kage bunshin, Kage weapon, rasengan, the 2nd and 4th hiraishin-"
"Show me." Kakashi said and naruto sighed.
"Haven't been able to get them to work, they're beyond my level of fuinjutsu to even comprehend, much less use. But I was able to study them to enhance my understanding of fuinjutsu that I did have and enhance our use and understanding of shunshin and kawarimi better, and make my own band of storage seals. The other thing s the advanced henge that was in there, that we reeveloped into the transformation you just saw. The Kaihen." He said, and the two blondes flowed though the handseals, and transformed into their opposing gender, before stepping forward. Naruto put her hair into hiruzen's hand, and let him pull slightly, much to his surprise. "Fully real, functions and all. We...or rather rikku checked." He said, looking over to the now transformed boy who stuck his tongue out at her, before they dropped the kaihen. "We use it to transform into birds mostly for flying around to relax or scout, having had more uses for it besides that for a while."
"Don't forget the anbu stuff itachi left us. like those aerial maneuvers and ground recovers." Rikku said.
"Yes I saw that, while itachi broke that rule, it's a mute point for him now. though I will say you performed it excellently. Yet despite all of that, you two don't seem the least bit tired." Kakashi pointed out.
"Well that's what happens when you master your breathing to the point that you can maintain intense physical exertion on one breath for 8 minutes and 17 seconds. Above or below water, while wearing weights." Rikku stated casually, arms behind her head, and both men gaped. "We have a sport in spira that's played completely underwater and on one breath, for two 5 minutes rounds a game with a single break. Not only that, but their are fiends, monsters, in our world and in the ocean, so you have to be able t fight and not carry heavy breathing equipment, if you want to be in the ocean for any reason what so ever."
"I see...seems you two can be labeled as overqualified. However graduation and team assignments aren't for six months, so what will we do with you two till then?" He thought, just trying to comprehend the absurdity of all he had witnessed and heard. Could he really call these two genin?
"Actually hokage-same, there is something they will need to work on, though I doubt the academy will fix it." He spoke, getting the two pre-teens attention. "their teamwork. Together they work impossibly well together. However if they were to separate, I can already see their individual performance may well suffer. It's not something ill against them, but I think they've worked together so well for so long from the start of their training, they haven't had much chance to develop individually." He stated, and the hokage thought on this point, reviewing what he saw and couldn't help but agree.
"Right, that is a fair point. Though against others their age, this won't be a problem, against someone stronger who uses divide and conquer tactics, this could be devastating. However you are right, the academy won't be able to fix this potential flaw since we want teamwork. So this is what will happen. I want the two of you to attend the academy, going through the steps, if you've indeed learned everything as you've shown, then this will be simple review for you. After the academy though, kakashi will pick you up to take you to a training ground to work on your additional training to fix this and see about where you can advance your skills further. Agreed?" He spoke.
"Hai jiji." Both blondes said with cheeky grins at the same time, and the old man just chuckled.
"Naruto, will you two be alright sharing your old apartment together?" He asked.
"Yeah sure, I see no problem. rikku?" He asked, looking to her.
"Its fine with me. Wouldn't really be comfortable living away from him anyway." She said, thinking nothing of the question since they practically lived together anyway.
"Good. your key then. It's been recently fixed and cleaned, new paint, fixtures, furnishings and all. I've taken care of the landlord as well. You'll have no issues from him. Your account is still open, and the payments have been continuing to be made even while you were gone, so the interest has built up. I'm sure you'll find a good use for the money." He said, smiling when he did a few head calculations to realize just what he may have sitting in his name at the bank. "Today is saturday, so you'll have the rest of today and tomorrow to get settled in before you're to report to the academy by 9 am. Understood?" He finished and they nodded. "Good. Now I hope to see you soon naruto. I have to go make sure no one is causing trouble while I've been away. Kakashi if you would?" he asked.
"Of course. See you back in the village hokage-sama." The jonin nodded his head as the old man shunshin'd out of the temple. Leaving the three to their own devices. "So. Once last surprise naruto. And I think you'll enjoy this one the most." He said with an eyesmile as he started to lead the way out of the temple with the two blondes following, wondering just what the man had in store for them.
SO I hope this is a good chapter. Might have been a bit of an info dump, ad not everything was revealed quite yet, and of course we have the set up happening and other things going on. Not exactly happy with it, but I wrote it to try and set up better fr the next chapter that will hopefully cover more time and progress with less focus on a psecific moment so the story can keep moving. this is my self criticism, though if yu see anywher their can be improvement, besides my shoddy grammar or typing skills, let me know.