Here's a new chapter! To be honest, I enjoyed writing this one. It's the start of the spiral out of cannon territory, as many of the characters will change because of it.
I originally intended to publish this over the thanksgiving holiday, but I had to re-write portions of it due to how Kakashi wasn't turning out how I intended him to be. More on that below. This chapter has a bit of a mood swing as far as chapter mood goes, so let me know if it was too much of a swing from one direction to another. Also, since I had to create Haku's personality from pretty much just a few lines of dialog, I'm not sure if I pulled off her personality well. If some of you awesome people could let me know how I did, it would be awesome!
Kakashi, as far as cannon goes, is very frustrating. He on the one hand, completely ignores Naruto for the longest time. On the other, he is secretly helping him out behind the scenes. Since we aren't really given a good reason why he does this in cannon, I decided to make a change to his personality. I felt that he, like Hiruzen, simply goes by what he has been told. However, unlike Hiruzen, once he is confronted with the truth of Naruto's past, he will change to help Naruto. Since we technically don't know why Kakashi does what he does, I'm marking this as an AU change.
Reponses to your awesome reviews are at the bottom.
MachFarcon does not own Naruto.
And here's the next installment of Harold of the End: Chapter 7: A Predator Among Men
The crushing, choking presence of the terrible killing intent was what brought everything to a screeching halt. All eyes were on the Uzumaki, as a shroud of dark, blood red chakra slowly engulfed him. It slowly bubbled from his skin, forming the recognizable shape of a fox outside of his own. The blonde's hair grew spikier, his nails grew into sharp claws, his eyes began to glow a baleful red. Naruto's gums bled briefly as his teeth grew into small fangs. He hunched over onto all fours, reminding all those present of a some great animal. The dark red chakra cloak fully enveloped the blonde. The air went still. And suddenly, a tail, made of pure red chakra, burst from the cloak! Malicious killing intent crushed the army of thugs. And everyone knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a predator had awakened.
As the jinchuriki slowly looked up to glare at the army of thugs, they took several steps back. Many of them lost control of their bodily functions. Several of the thugs died instantly as their weakened hearts failed them. They were the lucky ones. It seemed like a moment that stretched on forever, the predator gazing at his prey.
"killkillkillmaimmaimmaimkillkillkill" These thoughts echoed in Naruto's skull, whispers of death and annihilation. Naruto obeyed.
There was a red blur and then the first thug died. Naruto ripped his clawed hand out of the thug's chest, blood fountaining as the human fell. Then the Uzumaki blurred. What happened next could only be described as a slaughter, a massacre. The thugs died as Naruto smashed, tore, pierced, and slashed his way through the mob. Blood began to flow like water, painting the scene in horrifying red. Naruto would blur from one target to the next, never making the same attack in a row. He slashed one target, opening them up from hip bone to shoulder, only to snap the next one's neck. From there, he tore off a screaming thugs arm, only to hurl the next person into several of his friends, only to savagely pounce on the entire group. The tail of the cloak was not idle. It smashed, pierced, and tore it's way though the thugs that tried to kill the monster in their midst. Screams echoed across the expanse of the bridge.
Several of the thugs got in a lucky strike. But their elation at hitting the demon soon faded into pure terror as they watched the wounds they inflicted heal within seconds. Then, they died as the enraged blonde tore them apart, sometimes with their own weapons. Some thugs tried to escape, but there was no running from their crimes. The glowing red tail would lash out, grab the fleeing criminal, and drag them screaming back into the massacre. Soon the remaining thugs formed a back-to-back circle. They wouldn't let the monster get them! As the blonde stalked towards them, terror rose in their hearts. Horror turned their blood to ice. And then, one of them broke. He charged the jinchuriki, screaming incoherently. His headless body tumbled to the ground a moment later. Then, the blonde charged.
The last thug slammed into the ground with a sloshing thud. Gato stared at the demon that was slowly approaching him with undisguised terror. Each foot fall seemed to echo across the water, bringing new waves of fear with every step. Gato was paralyzed, horror chaining him to the ground. Naruto approached. "DIE!" The blonde growled, his voice a predatory snarl. Gato had no chance to react before Naruto slammed his hand into the businessman's abdomen. Gato screamed as the caustic red chakra began to slowly eat away inside. As Gato's screams fell into whimpers, the jinchuriki brutally ripped his hand out. Gato fell to his knees, staring numbly at the smoking hole in his stomach. Naruto grabbed the top of Gato's head, his claws slightly digging in. Gato's eyes watered as he felt the warm blood trickle down his face. The Uzumaki's hand began to glow. His hand twitched. Gato's head exploded.
A moment after the business man's headless body slumped over, the chakra cloak slowly receded, pulling back inside Naruto's skin. Naruto slowly became aware of the world around him. The red mist that had covered his mind faded. As the blackness swallowed him, he managed to catch one glimpse of the utter carnage surrounding him.
Kakashi let out a pained gasp of relief. His students had been knocked out by the sudden blast of killing intent from Naruto. He hoped they had been rendered unconscious before they could get more than a glimpse of Naruto's jinchuriki status. He clutched the bleeding wound in his stomach as he watched all of the carnage committed by the blonde with grim expression. "Has the seal broke?" He wondered frantically, mentally preparing himself to fight the seemingly crazed blonde. His eyes widened as he saw the eternally cheerful blonde coldly execute the business man Gato. As he watched the chakra cloak fade from Naruto, he could only watch helplessly as the blonde fell backwards, towards the blood-soaked bridge. Suddenly, at the last second, Kurenai was there, saving Naruto from splashing into the defiled ground. Kakashi let out a slightly wheezing sigh of relief. He knew that he would have been no match for Naruto with his wounds. Zabuza had been good, very good. The Jonin doubted he would have won, or even survived, without his implanted Sharingan.
Kurenai clutched her student to her chest, ignoring the stench of blood and gore around her. She cursed herself for taking so long in fighting her opponent. Had she been faster, Naruto wouldn't have been driven to take such drastic measures to keep his friends safe. She stood up, carrying the blonde in her arms. He was surprisingly light for his size. She headed towards the rest of her team.
Haku watched the red-eyed woman holding Naruto approach. The woman seemed to be holding the blonde tenderly, so Haku let her approach without a fight. Haku went back to her previous job of caring for the two girls that Naruto-Kun cared so much about in an effort to expunge some of the tremendous guilt building inside. It was all her fault they were hurt like this! And if she hadn't hurt them, Naruto wouldn't have had to use that terrible chakra!
Kurenai wirily approached the black-haired girl. She recognized her as the fake hunter-nin from before, but the girl seemed to be...remorseful of her actions. After Kurenai carefully laid Naruto on the ground next to the rest of his team, making sure to keep a watchful eye on the black-haired girl, the red-eyed Jonin spoke. "I don't know what your intentions are, but thank-you for healing my team."
Haku nodded. "It was the least I could do after I caused this mess!" She shook her head sadly. "A tool shouldn't make such terrible mistakes." The ice-user suddenly gave a start. "Zabuza-Sama!" She looked around wildly, attempting to find her beloved master. Spying a familiar body in the distance, she gave a cry of worry and rushed to investigate.
Zabuza chuckled to himself as he looked up at the blue sky above him. It was ironic, he mused, that he was going to die here, alone, because he ordered his tool, Haku, away from his side. He chuckled again. It seemed like the old adage, that you only realized what something meant to you after it was gone, was true after all. He sighed. Hatake good, he admitted, very good. A bit dull around the edges, but strong enough it seemed. He silently cursed Hatake's eye. That damn Sharingan made it so hard to get a good shot in. But the Uzumaki was a surprise. He had thought they had all died out years ago. Granted, the young ninja was a blonde instead of a red-head, but there could be no mistaking that chakra signature. Plus that instinct to protect at all costs was classic Uzumaki behavior. A gasp of horrified shock brought him out of his musings.
"Zabuza-Sama! You're hurt!" Haku's scared and horrified voice cried. "L-Let me heal you! I-I can make you better!" The black-haired girl tried to frantically stop the flow of blood from the gaping hole in his chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her hands glowed a bright green, attempting to halt the inevitable.
"Stop." Zabuza's voice halted Haku's panicked ministrations. "You can't stop the inevitable. I'm dying. Nothing can change that now. Instead, listen!"
"O-Of c-c-course, Z-Zabuza-S-Sama!" Haku cried, attempting to stifle the flow of the tears pouring down her face. Zabuza brought a slightly shaking hand up to her tear-streaked face.
"Haku." He began, his dark voice softer then she had ever heard it, "I want you to listen to me. I was a hypocrite. All these years I spoke of the flaws of the ninja system. How they just used and abused you until you're all used up! But here I am, doing the same thing. I treated you like a tool, not a person!" He paused to giving a hacking cough, Haku flinching with every heave. "So what I want you to do is live your life. Live it how you want to!"
"But I want to serve you!" Haku cried, her tears renewing their course down her pretty face. She looked so distraught and lost that Zabuza's heart, the one he believed he killed off years ago, broke.
"Look" He said awkwardly, "If you really want someone to serve, then serve the Uzumaki." He struggled to lift his broken blade to his chest. Eventually succeeding, he gave another hacking cough, his eyes watering. "It's just the dust." He told himself.
"Now go!" Zabuza ordered roughly, blood beginning to fill his throat. "And don't look back!" Haku heaved herself up and slowly staggered away from Zabuza, her beloved Zabuza-Sama. When she heard Zabuza gasp one last time before going silent, knees buckled. Her keening sobs of anguish echoed across the water.
Kakashi kept an eye on the sobbing girl as his hands blurred in the recognizable hand signs for the mystic palm healing technique. He withheld a groan of exhaustion as he felt his already significantly exhausted chakra supplies take another drain as he healed himself. While the large cuts he had taken weren't instantly life threatening, they decreased his level of combat readiness significantly enough that it was worth the extra risk of using chakra to heal it. Once he finished healing himself, he risked a quick glance back at his team of students. They all seemed to be fine, but he sure that they, or at least Shino, would have some very difficult questions for him soon enough. He quietly bemoaned the fact that he hadn't gotten a Genin that would just accept everything on good faith.
A quick look to him that Kurenai's female ninja, Hanuro-San and Hyuga-San, had awoken up. It appeared that the female Jonin was having quite a bit of trouble with convincing them that Naruto was fine. He felt his mouth twitch into a bittersweet smile as he was reminded of his Genin team, a long, long time ago. He felt his mood take a downturn as he remember what happened to his Genin team. He sighed and resumed his vigil on the ice user. He knew firsthand how lethal a situation could be if someone panicked.
Naruto slowly became aware of water. He was laying it. His eyes snapped open as he bolted awake. He looked around, carefully listening for any dangerous sounds. It appeared that he was in some kind of sewer. Pipes ran along the walls, pumping some pulsing liquid around the sewer. "How did I get here?" He wondered. Naruto slowly stood and wondered over to the pipes to investigate them. There were two pipes on the wall. One blue, the other red. The blue pipe glowed with a welcoming glow, somehow feeling...like a well-worn pair of shoes. It was comfortable, feeling like a calm day after training.
By contrast, the red pipe felt like raw power; like nothing was impossible; no feat too great. But beneath that, lurked danger. It contained the deepest malice he had ever felt. If the blue pipe felt like a pair of shoes, then the red felt like the sharpest knife. It was simultaneously alluring and terrifying.
Naruto slowly backed away from the pipes and continued to look around. The massive sewer seemed to stretch on infinitely in both directions. With nothing better to do, Naruto picked a direction with a shrug and headed off. After traveling for what seemed like a lifetime, he spied a opening in the distance. Having grown tired of the endless sewers, Naruto headed towards the opening. It suddenly opened up into a massive cavern. Craning his head after he entered, he could barely see the ceiling way above him. He became aware of a massive cage on the far end of the cavern. So massive, in fact, that Naruto had no idea how he had missed it when he had first arrived. He slowly approached the cage door.
As Naruto grew closer, he quickly realized that the cage didn't have a lock on it. Instead, the two massive doors seemed to be held by some large paper with seals on it. Naruto took another step forward to look closer at the seal. A giant eye opened inside the cage. A rumbling deep chuckle echoed throughout the chamber, as if the largest lungs Naruto could ever conceive of had found something amusing. Naruto took a step back as the eye moved upwards, as if the massive creature that was the eye's owner was slowly standing up. Then, the creature walked forward. And Naruto Uzumaki was the first person to behold the Kyubi no Yoko in twelve years.
"So my container finally manages to find his way to me." The Kyubi stated, it's voice booming throughout the chamber.
Naruto stood his ground. "So you're the Kyubi, huh?" He said, craning his head upwards to look at the fox's face. "Well, what do you want? Why am I here?" Naruto called up at the giant fox.
The Kyubi chuckled. "Ah. So curious as always. But to answer your question, you are here because you fell unconscious after you experienced a massive surge of my chakra. You called upon my chakra when you wanted to kill all of those...humans." The Kyubi made no effort to hide it's disgust for the thugs.
"So I killed them all?" Naruto questioned. The fight was slightly blurry, and he wasn't sure he had gotten them all...
"Yes. You destroyed them all. " The fox confirmed. "Do you feel bad about killing them." The Kyubi half-asked, half-stated.
Naruto looked down, slowly shifting though his feelings on the matter. "No." He finally answered. "They wanted to hurt my friends. My precious people." He looked back up at the Kyubi. "And I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt them!"
"Heh heh heh." The Kyubi chuckled, Naruto's declaration reminding it of something else, someone else. The memory was just out of reach. The fox shrugged. It could figure it out later. "While you are in here, I am making some...modifications to you." Naruto's eyes widened. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad or too noticeable. I'm just slightly increasing your healing rate and your senses. And also..." It paused, letting the tension build, "You now have night vision!"
"Wow!" Naruto breathed, thinking of all of the new ways he could train now. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Why are you doing this?"
"It's quite simple. When one day, when your little ninja village goes one step too far, you'll need the extra power to kill them all." The Kyubi chuckled darkly. "And I'll have a front row seat to watch it all!" It let out another dark chuckle before turning serious. "And you can use it to train and protect your friends. Especially the Hinata-girl and the Sakura-girl." Seeing Naruto's nod, it continued. "However, since I all I have to work with is the left over chakra from when you drew on it. So I have to keep it low key, to avoid that grey haired...ninja from finding the changes I'm making. If I am interrupted, it could end...badly. For you. And him. But I don't care about him."
"So I just...wait?" Naruto questioned, not being happy at being stuck inside his own mind when he could be doing better things. The Kyubi nodded. Naruto, for a lack of anything better to do, started training. He carefully ignored the face that training in here really wouldn't actually benefit him.
Sakura turned over again in her bed. She gave an annoyed huff. Falling to sleep wasn't easy tonight. Not with her best friend laying unconscious in the next room. And especially since Haku had declared herself a servant of Naruto's... Sakura remembered the conversation that had taken place only a few hours ago...
Haku eventually stopped crying, her sobs petering out into choked gasps. She took a few deep breathes. She slowly stood up, being careful to not look back. It was Zabuza-Sama's last request...Haku fought back the fresh wave of tears that threatened to erupt. She wiped her face. It was time to find her new master.
Sakura hovered over Kurenai's shoulder as she examined Naruto. Part of her was curious about the technique Kurenai had used to check on the blonde, but that part was suppressed by her overwhelming worry for Naruto. "He's going to be fine." Kurenai finally decided. "He's just exhausted. He just needs rest." Sakura and Hinata made no effort to hide their sighs of immense relief. As the Jonin took the unconscious blonde up to his room, the sound of the front door opening peaked their attention. Sakura and Hinata turned around, only to instantly drop into combat stances. It was the ice girl who had hurt Naruto!
"Please!" The black-haired girl spoke, raising her hands, looking both lost and determined, "I mean you no harm!"
"Yeah right!" Sakura shot back, determined to not let Naruto-Kun be hurt again. "Why should I believe you? You attacked us, and hurt Naruto-Kun!"
"I am very sorry for attacking you," The girl replied, looking very remorseful. "And I never meant to hurt Naruto-Sama! He dove in the way of the attack meant to disable you!"
"Naruto-Sama?" Sakura questioned, a funny feeling boiling in her stomach, "Why do you call him Naruto-Sama?"
" Because he is my new master." Came the girl's reply, her tone indicating her complete acceptance of her role. Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock at the girl's words.
"What is your name?" Hinata spoke up, keeping her tone professional. Hinata, unlike Sakura, was well aware of what the black-haired girl had just declared.
"My name is Haku." She replied. After a moment, she implored, "Please! Just let me see Naruto-Sama! I need to know he is all right!"
Hinata and Sakura shared a glance. "All right. You can see Naruto-Kun." As Haku's face lit up, Sakura quickly added, "But you have to disarm yourself first. And it's only a quick look! Then you have to stay down here, under watch, until Naruto-Kun wakes up!"
Haku nodded. She would agree to do almost anything to see Naruto-Sama. She quickly disarmed herself of the few senbon and supplies she had. Sakura marched her up the stairs, being careful to watch for any sudden movements. When Haku passed a confused Kurenai, she looked over to Hinata, who mouthed "I'll explain later." Kurenai nodded, and continued down the stairs.
Sakura led Haku to Naruto's room. As Haku carefully opened the door, she spotted Naruto laying in the bed. "Naruto-Sama." She whispered in an almost reverent tone. Sakura's and Hinata's eyes narrowed at her tone. Even if Haku didn't want to hurt their Naruto-Kun, her tone was far too familiar for their liking.
Haku analyzed her Naruto-Sama. He was all right! She let out a sigh of relief. She turned to Naruto-Sama's precious people. "Thank-you for letting me see Naruto-Sama." She bowed in thanks. "Where would you like me to stay until Naruto-Sama wakes?"
Sakura abruptly sat up. "I'll just check on him real quick! Then I'll go back to bed and sleep!" She reasoned to herself. Sneaking over to the door's entrance with all of the fabled ninja stealth she had been trained in, Sakura cracked the door open and peeked out. The way seemed clear.
She carefully opened the door, being mindful to do it with exaggerated slowness, and slipped out. She quickly moved to Naruto's door, keeping an eye on the handle. It wouldn't do for him to wake up and open it! As she drew up next to the door, she suddenly became aware of the presence of someone else moving closer to her. Sakura, with her heart suddenly thundering, snapped her head in the direction of the person in question. Hinata-Chan stood few feet away, seemingly surprised to see Sakura as she was to see her.
"What are you doing?" Sakura hissed quietly, taking extra care to keep her voice down.
"I'm here to check on Naruto-Kun!" Hinata shot back, also taking care to keep her voice down. "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to check on Naruto-Kun too!" Sakura said defensively. She paused then forcefully decided, "Well, I'm still going to check on Naruto-Kun!" And with that, she quickly, but quietly, turned the door handle. It turned with an almost soundless rasping noise. Sakura eased the door open and stepped into the room. She was vaguely aware of Hinata moving into the room behind her, as she moved to Naruto's bedside.
It would have seemed that Naruto was sleeping peacefully, had it not been for the slight paleness of his skin. As Sakura looked down at the boy she felt great affection for, she honestly couldn't remember why she had to go back into her room to sleep. There was two chairs in the room, and the both seemed quite comfortable...Even more so, Sakura decided, when you placed the chair next to the bedside. The slight scraping sounds told her that Hinata had the same idea. As Sakura watched Naruto shift slightly in his unconscious state, she felt the overwhelming urge to lay her head down. "It'll be only a minute." Sakura assured herself as she laid her head onto the side of the bed. She became instantly aware of the comforting heat produced by the blonde. Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy...
Kakashi ghosted into Naruto's room. He paused as he observed the two girls latched onto the blonde's legs. He successfully supressed the perverted giggle that threatened to erupt when he spied how close they were clutching Naruto's leg. He shook his head. Now was not the time to wonder if the blonde Uzumaki would be recreating any scenes in Icha Icha. He resumed his silent movement over to the bed. He quickly lifted Naruto's shirt, hyperaware of how exactly this would look to anyone who looked in the room. He quickly glanced down at the seal on Naruto's stomach. While he freely admitted that he wasn't a seal-master by any means, he did know enough about seals to know that the fourth's seal was intact. He started to lower the shirt once again when a scar located on very bottom of Naruto's stomach caught his eye. He leaned closer to examine it.
"Kunai wound. Looks to be a few years old. It's a straight cut, so it couldn't have been gained while training. So then how did he get it?" Kakashi dropped the shirt out of shock when he suddenly remembered the report of when Naruto had been hospitalized because of a 'training accident'. All of the pieces fell into place with horrifying clarity. Naruto hadn't had a training accident. He had been tortured. In the village. Kakashi felt rage start to bubble up inside. He ruthlessly suppressed it. He resolved to talk to Kurenai in the morning. Kakashi owed Naruto's parents far, far too much to let their son be hurt without reprisal. Kakashi ghosted back out of the room, only to pause at the threshold. He glanced back at the two girls. They had forgotten to bring any sort of blanket with them. He felt a slight smile twitch at his lips.
Naruto gradually awoke. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, he felt something soft wrapped around each leg. He slowly opened his eyes to avoid startling whatever was holding onto him. He glanced down, only to pause in befuddlement. Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan were sleeping in chairs beside the bed. Each had chosen a side of the bed. They had wrapped their arms around his leg in their sleep. Naruto considered why they were here. "Perhaps their blankets weren't warm enough?" He wondered, spying a blanket wrapped around them. Naruto glanced out the window, only to suppress a gasp of surprise. It was still dark outside. But he could see just fine. "Thanks, Kyubi!" He grinned. "He could do so much more training now!"
Naruto's grin faded as he realized his predicament. He couldn't go train with Sakura and Hinata wrapped around him. But he wouldn't, couldn't, dream of awakening them from their sleep. He scrunched his forehead up in thought, discarding several ideas before finding one that he deemed the most likely to succeed. Naruto carefully brought his hands up in the cross-sign, concentrating with all his might in creating just one clone. An almost silent poof noise heralded the arrival of the clone. Sakura shifted in her sleep, tightening her grip on Naruto's leg. Naruto and his clone held their breath, not daring to move. After what seemed like hours, Sakura's breath evened out in sleep once again.
Naruto nodded to his clone. His clone nodded back. Naruto quickly replaced himself with his clone using the replacement technique. Both the clone and Naruto carefully watched the girls for signs of awakening. But they slept on, oblivious, to both Naruto's and his clone's relief. Naruto snuck over to the window and stealthily opened it. He slipped out to train. The clone Naruto carefully leaned back and settled in to sleep. He was, after all, supposed to be sleeping anyway...
Naruto later that morning strolled into Tazuna's house. He estimated it was about eight or nine in the morning. As he walked into the living room, he suddenly stopped when he spotted someone familiar. "Haku-Chan!" He happily greeted, "I didn't expect to see you after the bridge!"
"Naruto-Sama!" Haku quickly moved over to the happy blonde. "I, Sakura-San, and Hinata-San were worried when your clone said you were out training! What if you weren't fully recovered?" Her eyes filled with worried tears, "I couldn't bear it something happened to you too, Naruto-Sama!"
Naruto blinked. "Naruto-Sama?" "Haku-Chan, what do you mean when you say 'Naruto-Sama'?" The completely confused blonde asked.
"I have chosen you as my new master, Naruto-Sama!" Haku sounded slightly desperate, as if this moment was one of the most important moments in her life. Naruto was still befuddled.
He voiced his confusion. "But why me? There are a lot stronger people then me. And more skilled." He just didn't understand. Why him?
Haku's bottom lip trembled as she desperately tried to convince the blonde why he was the one she had chosen. "Naruto-Sama! I chose you because you believe in getting strong for your precious people! And you protect them!" Tears spilled down her face as she begged Naruto, "Please! Just let me serve you! That's what tools do! Please!"
Naruto, not knowing how to deal with a crying girl in the slightest, agreed. "All right! I'll be your master if you will stop crying!" He awkwardly patted Haku's shoulder, attempting to comfort her as she slowly stopped crying. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Haku-Chan, where are you going to stay when we get back to Konoha?"
"With Naruto-Sama of course." Came the matter-of-fact reply.
"WHAT!" Sakura shouted, as she came into the room, having just heard Haku's reply. "You're a girl! You can't stay with him!" It was practically unthinkable to her, that this...girl, Haku, would stay with Naruto-Kun before her!
"I am Naruto-Sama's servent. Where else would I stay?" Haku turned to question the pink-haired girl, "I am not part of your shinobi. I haven't ever been a ninja of a village before, so I'm a civilian."
Sakura made a scoffing sound, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah right! You can't have been that good without some training from a ninja village." Haku mirrored Sakura's stance.
"On the contrary, Sakura-San, my former master, Zabuza-Sama, was an excellent teacher." Her eyes hardened. "Were it not for the fact that you are on Naruto-Sama's team, I wouldn't even be considering giving you Zabuza-Sama's water technique scrolls!"
Naruto glanced between the two girls. They had originally been talking about Haku-Chan staying in his apartment, but now they were talking about training. Or that's what he guessed what they were talking about. The conversation was a little bit hard to understand.
"Naruto-Kun," Sakura turned to the blonde, "How many bedrooms do you have in your apartment?"
"Just one." The still confused blonde replied. Sakura sent a triumphant look at Haku. "See! You can't stay there! There's only one bed!" Sakura's triumph only lasted for a moment before she realized the potential implications of having only one bed for two people...
"W-What I mean..." She stammered, her cheeks flaring up with heat at the thought of being alone with Naruto in the same bed, "I-I m-mean it's just not proper!"
"Perhaps Naruto-Kun could get a bigger apartment?" Kurenai's voice interjected, having been drawn into the room by all the noise. She had an amused smile on her face as she had watched the drama unfold. "Naruto-Kun," She spoke, gaining the blonde's attention, "Would it be possible for you to get a bigger apartment?"
"Hmmm..." Naruto thought out loud, "Maybe. It would depend on how much my rent would be. And if it changes depending on what missions I take."
Kurenai blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean by 'your rent changes depending on what missions you take'?"
"Well," Naruto explained, "Ever since I took that C-Ranked mission last month, my rent raised by a lot. So I don't really have any extra money." His tone indicated that he didn't see why it was so odd that his rent amount fluctuated.
Kurenai's eyes widened as she realized the implications of Naruto's statement. She quickly grew angry, not noticing that Sakura, Hinata, and Haku were also growing angry as they too realized what Naruto's statement meant. "Naruto-Kun." Kurenai's voice not betraying any of her outrage, "When we get back to Konoha, I'll personally help you find a better place to live."
"Kurenai-Sensei," Hinata spoke up, her voice was a cold, controlled tone. "There is a place on the Hyuga grounds that would work suitably for Naruto-Kun's needs. I believe that it has several bedrooms among other rooms."
Kurenai sent a sly, teasing smirk at the Hyuga. "Perhaps four bedrooms?"
"Perhaps." Hinata allowed, the faintest of blushes dusting her cheeks. "But I shall have to talk to my father about it." Her demeanor visibly shrank as she considered talking to her father. Naruto's eyes narrowed as a ghost of a thought occurred to him.
"Hinata-Chan," He began carefully, not wanting to make Hinata-Chan cry, "Is your father the one who told you that you were weak?"
Hinata froze. She didn't want to answer the question, but she could never deny her Naruto-Kun anything. "Y-Yes." She whispered out, ashamed.
"Then I'm going to have a...talk with your father." Naruto's voice was eerily calm.
"Naruto-Kun," Kurenai began carefully, "Are you sure that's wise? Hinata-Chan's father is the head of the Hyuga clan!"
"Oh I know." Naruto replied, his tone still calm, "And that's what I'm counting on. You see," A smirk slowly began to play on his lips, "They can see chakra. And I have a particularly special chakra."
Kurenai shook her head helplessly. She couldn't stop Naruto from this course, nor did he seem to be dissuadable. Naruto's smirk slowly vanished as his happy, carefree nature slowly came back. "So don't worry! I'll take care of it!" Naruto grinned.
It was just over a week later when the two teams from Konoha prepared to leave the village. Naruto had used his shadow clone technique to create a veritable army of clones to speed the bridge process along. Without having to worry about keeping Chakra in reserve, Naruto had been able to create over a thousand clones to aid in the effort.
With so many workers, the bridge was completed within six days. On the seventh day, the ninja prepared to head out. As the Konoha nin left the area, the citizens of Wave lined the streets to wish them thankful good-byes. Never had Sakura and Hinata been so thankful for Naruto's obliviousness as several girls and women made suggestive offers to the blonde as he passed. Thankfully, they soon left the village and headed back the way they came. Kakashi, perhaps sensing his team's mood, suggested that the two teams go their separate ways back towards Konoha. Kurenai had almost instantly accepted.
Six days later Team Eight arrived back in Konoha. The team quickly split up. Kurenai headed to the Hokage's tower to give her report, Sakura headed to see her parents, Naruto and Hinata headed towards the Hyuga compound. Haku had informed the group that she was going to buy supplies and food for Naruto's new apartment. When Naruto had protested, she had calmly informed him that she would do her part for the new place. Naruto, not seeing a fault in her logic, had eventually relented.
The large gates of the Hyuga compound loomed over the pair of Genins. The two gate guards bowed to Hinata as she passed. They had attempted to stop Naruto from entering the compound, but a few strong words from Hinata had stayed their hands. As Naruto and Hinata searched for Hinata's father, Hiashi, they were told that he was in a meeting with the Hyuga elder council.
"Good." Naruto replied, the calm slipping back into his voice. He turned to Hinata and requested, "Hinata-Chan, please stay here. I have to talk to the Hyuga elders alone." Hinata opened her mouth to protest, before she closed it and nodded, choosing to believe in her Naruto-Kun.
Hiashi Hyuga resisted the urge to rub his temples as the Hyuga elders debated on some trivial issue. He withheld a sigh. Hinata, his daughter, was supposed to arrive today. While he had dismissed her as weak and unworthy of becoming the future head of the clan, he was starting to wonder if he shouldn't have dismissed her so quickly. She had grown considerably in the last two months. He grimaced to himself as he imagined the elders reactions if they knew that his daughter used non-Hyuga techniques. The sudden crash as the door to the meeting room slammed open startled him. He looked up to see the Uzumaki boy standing in the doorway with a expressionless face.
"Who are you boy?" One of the elders questioned, his tone conveying his thought of Naruto's clan-less status.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto stated in an eerily calm tone, "And you are all going to listen to me." The flabbergasted silence allowed Naruto to stalk into the center of the room. "Now, " His voice gaining their attention once more, "Turn on your Byakugan!"
"Who are you to tell us anything?" One of the elders spat, he started to rise to call a guard when Naruto's killing intent froze the occupants of the room.
"I won't ask again." Something in Naruto's voice made disobeying his order seem impossible."Turn on your Byakugan!" Seeing the council close their eyes to activate their bloodline, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on bringing that other chakra to the surface. He idly wondered what the seal looked like to the all seeing eye of the Hyuga...
A startled gasp from the head elder told him that they had seen the Kyubi's chakra. "You're using the demon fox's chakra! But you didn't have it before!" The elder paled as he realized, "T-Then that must mean you are a..." Naruto's cold smirk confirmed their fears.
"Now listen to me." Naruto's cold voice took on a slightly deadly edge. "I don't care what you think about me. But Hinata-Chan is my friend! And I will not allow anyone to hurt her." The stunned silence Naruto left in his wake as he exited the meeting room was almost stifling.
After a what seemed like a lifetime, one of the elders broke the silence. "So the Uzumaki is a jinchuriki. I would have never guessed this!" He paused, looking over at the other elders. "What should we do? A jinchuriki is said to be a powerful ally or a terrifying enemy." He didn't need to say that the Hyuga could ill-afford provoking such a opponent.
"Perhaps," One of the other elders started slowly, "We could use this to our advantage. No other clan seems to know of the Uzumaki's status. If we could somehow tie the jinchuriki to the clan..." The other elders looked thoughtful before the head elder spoke to a concerned Hiashi. "Hiashi, it seems that your daughter, Hinata, is close to the Uzumaki. I believe she should be encouraged to spend more time with him."
Hiashi nodded. "It seems that we were misled by the village. I will do my part in making amends with the Uzumaki. I will speak to my daughter." Hiashi rose to find his daughter.
"Hiashi." One of the elders reminded. "Remember the jinchuriki's words! Do not allow yourself to be harsh towards Hinata! We cannot afford to anger the Uzumaki!"
Hiashi bowed to the elder council and headed off to find his oldest daughter. They had much to talk about...
As he neared the location he had been informed Hinata was waiting at, he soon heard two raised voices. One he recognized was Ko Hyuga, Hinata's guard. The other, Hiashi realized with surprise, was Hinata. As he neared the two, he made out Hinata's outraged words.
"...And you dare to stand here and say that I should stay away from Naruto-Kun? Just because of rumors you heard from the foolish villagers? You know nothing!" Hinata's raised tone was simultaneously angry and condescending.
"That's enough Hinata." Hiashi spoke firmly as he walked up to the pair. He turned to address the stunned guard opposite Hinata. "Ko. Go see the elders. Tell them I sent you to learn the Uzumaki's secret." Ko quickly bowed and left, not wanting to be near the still angered Hinata.
"Hinata." Hiashi began, skillfully keeping any emotion out of his tone, "It has come to the attention of the elder council and I that we were misled when it comes to the Uzumaki. We now know the truth." Seeing he had his daughters undivided attention, he continued. "We now know that Naruto Uzumaki is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi. And as such, we wish to help him however we can."
Hinata's eyes narrowed. "How dare they try to manipulate Naruto-Kun!" As she opened her mouth to lambast her father, a sudden thought occurred to her. What if she used this to help Naruto-Kun? "Father," Hinata spoke after a few moments, "I have a request. Naruto-Kun has recently obtained a servant. And since he does not have enough room for two people to live at his current apartment, I formally request that he be allowed to use the abandoned house outside of the compound. " Seeing Hiashi agree, she forged on. "Naruto-Kun requested that his rates do not change depending on what mission he completes."
"What do you mean?" Hiashi questioned, not understanding what his daughter meant.
"Naruto-Kun said that his rates fluctuate depending on what mission he goes on." Hinata hid a satisfied smirk as she watched Hiashi's eyes widen as he realized what her statement implied.
"Daughter," Hiashi began, his tone having traces of eagerness, "I shall get the keys to the house. Wait here for me." Hiashi moved to get the keys with as much speed as his station allowed. Had he looked back, he would have seen Hinata's the calculating look as she considered how to further use her clan to help her Naruto-Kun.
"Mom!" Sakura shouted as she opened the door, "I'm home!"
"Sakura!" Mebuki called back, "I'm in the kitchen! Come in and tell me how your mission went!" Sakura quickly moved to the kitchen. After Sakura was seated at the small kitchen table, Mebuki set a freshly baked dumpling in front of her daughter. As Sakura finished with the delicious treat, Mebuki requested, "Now, tell me all about your mission!"
Taking a deep breath, Sakura began the recounting of the mission. It was well into the evening before she finished. Mebuki wrapped Sakura in a warm hug. "I'm so proud of you! You fought someone more powerful then you, but you didn't leave your teammate! You stayed and fought alongside your team!" She exclaimed proudly.
"But mom!" Sakura sadly refuted, "I lost!"
"That doesn't matter dear." Mebuki replied firmly. "What matters is that you tried your absolute best, and that you came home safe!" After watching Sakura carefully to make sure she understood, she stood up, and casually asked, "So Naruto-Kun huh?"
She spied Sakura's cheeks light up in a fierce blush. "M-Mom!" Sakura stammered, "It's nothing like that!"
Mebuki raised her eyebrow. "Oh really? Then why are you blushing?" Sakura muttered something inaudible. "I'm sorry dear. You need to speak up! I can't hear you!" Mebuki said in a sing-song voice, clearly enjoying her daughters discomfort.
"Fine!" Sakura burst out, "I said I like Naruto-Kun!"
"Like or like like?" Mebuki questioned.
Sakura blushed again. "Like like." Mebuki grinned.
"I was wondering when you would figure it out dear."
"You knew?" A shocked Sakura asked.
"Dear, everyone except Naruto-Kun knows." Mebuki giggled slightly as she watched her daughter cover her face with a groan. "Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"
Sakura lifted her head hesitantly. "Well, since you asked...I was thinking maybe I could...moveinwithNaruto-Kunasafriendsthing?" She finished in a rush.
Mebuki blinked. "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that slower?"
Sakura's cheeks flared again. "Could I move in with Naruto-Kun as a friends thing?" Seeing her mother open her mouth, she quickly added, "We'll have separate rooms. Naruto is moving to a bigger house!"
"I'll have to talk to your father about this." Mebuki answered after a few minutes of thought.
"Really?" Sakura questioned, surprised that her mother was even open to the idea.
Mebuki nodded. "This is important to your dear, so it is important to us too." Sakura felt a hopeful smile cross her face. She might be able to be closer to Naruto-Kun soon!
"Is your report correct?" The Hokage of Konoha questioned Kakashi. The grey haired ninja nodded. The Hokage leaned his chair back in thought. After a few moments of silence, he asked Kakashi, "Do you believe this...Haku is a threat to the village?" Kakashi shook his head.
"Haku-San isn't a threat to anyone who follows the village's code." Kakashi answered carefully, before adding, "She expressed interest in staying a civilian. All she wants to do is serve Naruto." He added, his calculated words successfully distracting Hiruzen. Hizuzen giggled slightly to himself in a perverted manner as he imagined how pretty black-haired girl might...serve Naruto...
The Hokage shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "When Naruto succumbed to the demon fox's chakra, he only attacked the thugs correct?" Kakashi nodded. "And would you say that he stopped using the demon fox's cloak after he ran out of enemies, or would you say it was because he couldn't handle the strain?"
Inside Kakashi there was a war going on. The Jonin Hatake wanted to reply that the jinchuriki couldn't handle the strain. While Kakashi, the man with so many regrets, wanted to reply that Naruto had run out of enemies. After a moment of quiet, Kakashi spoke. "Naruto ran out of threats. He stopped using the Kyubi's chakra at that point without issue."
The Hokage nodded. "That will be all, Jonin Kakashi. Please send in Jonin Kurenai." Kakashi bowed before heading to the door. As he indicated to Kurenai that she was requested, he reflected that his heart was a little lighter, as if the heavy burden on it was lessened with his careful lie. "Not a lie." He mentally corrected himself, "It was just the truth worded differently. Naruto never was in danger of releasing the Kyubi." Kakashi nodded to himself before his eyes hardened. He had several shop workers he needed to...speak to about their treatment of Naruto...
As Hiruzen listened to Kurenai's report, he wondered if he somehow had went wrong all those years ago. "Naruto grew up into a fine ninja." He justified to himself. After Kurenai finished, he asked, "So do you believe Naruto is a danger to our village?"
"Permission to speak freely?" Kurenai requested.
"Granted."
"Naruto isn't a danger to anyone who doesn't attack his friends." Kurenai began, her voice becoming more passionate as she continued, "But not for the village's lack of trying! The village has tried to starve him! They raised prices so he couldn't buy the supplies he needed! They overcharge him for everything! They even change the rates of his rent so he can't save money! And I'll bet that they have done even worse!" Kurenai angrily reported.
Hiruzen was startled. "Surely it isn't that bad!" He attempted to deny Kurenai's claims. But the female Jonin would have none of it.
"If you don't see what's happening in your village, perhaps you don't want to look?" With those sobering words, Kurenai left, leaving the stunned Hokage behind her. After a few timeless moments, Hiruzen sighed. He wondered if he was wrong to leave Naruto to fend for himself. "No. The village couldn't have been as bad as Kurenai-San thinks." Hiruzen decided. But still...it wouldn't hurt to have her claims looked into would it?
To my reviewers:
Cuervo Blanco: You are correct. Naruto does have several deep psychological issues. Naruto doesn't have any self-worth. He has self-preservation instincts as well as a bit of self esteem, but he doesn't really have any self-worth. And as such, he views himself as disposable when compared to those he deems "precious people". His lack of self-worth is partially responsible for his obliviousness. He simply can't even begin to imagine that someone would want him in that way. It's going to be a long, hard road for those who care about him to help him out. And you may be right. It's possible that this threesome won't work out in the end. I haven't made the pairing(s) official yet, so It's completely possible that he will only end up with one.
THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: I'm glad you enjoyed Naruto's move! It's a different type of damage vs. the rasengan, (concussive vs. drilling) so the rasengan will be still useful later. And I'm always open to read new ideas. I can't promise that I will use any of them, but I will read what you send.
Vanishing Raptor: I'm glad you think so! It always bugged me how measured character development slowly fell to the wayside as the series went on. Personally as a writer, I feel that it's the characters that drive the plot, not the other way around. There is quite a bit of character development for a number of characters in this chapter, so let me know what you think!
Scarllete: Thanks! Naruto's Jinchuriki status is a tricky thing. If everyone knew he was a Jinchuriki, there wouldn't be too much of an issue. But considering that most of the village thinks he's the Kyubi itself...It's going to cause quite a few issues. More so for Sakura then Hinata. Hinata has the political might of the Hyuga behind her, while Sakura doesn't. But having a big clan has its own issues. So to answer your question directly, yes, Naruto's Jinchuriki status will cause a number of issues with his relationships with Sakura and Hinata.
Kit: Naruto might be the best in the world, but Hiruzen prefers to live in his own world, realizing that he would have to answer for all of his decisions if he left it. So while he is wrong, his position is understandable. Doesn't make it right. And don't worry. The Third won't be able to keep his current world-view for much longer.
Animaman: Honestly, I don't plan on making it a harem. If you look at every place outside of Konoha, you'll find at least several females that want Naruto on one level or another. As far as Ino goes, she better start shaping up or she's going to get left behind. Eventually she is going to get a wakeup call, but how harsh it is depends on how the rest of her team interacts with Team Eight and Naruto. Naruto has a way of forcing you to change, for good or ill. And Hiruzen is starting on the path to learn what exactly the village has done to Naruto. But I can't guarantee his reaction is going to be "good." Although, I will say, there are certain laws that have definitely been violated by the village.
drannakka: It's not a elemental version of Tsunade's super strength. From what I understand of Tsunade's technique, she enhances her muscles a split-second before she hits, greatly increasing their power. Naruto is doing the opposite, he is coating the limb with too much unstable chakra before he hits, and then simply forcing the unstable blast in one direction. While the end result looks the same, think of it as Tsunade's technique is the result of having perfect chakra control; while Naruto's is the result of having truly immense chakra reserves and a healing factor. And in a early draft of this chapter, Naruto got Kubikiribocho. However, at this time, I felt that Naruto was too much of a hands-on type of fighter, and he wouldn't, as a character, fight much with a blade. That could change as he matures though. As time goes on, all of the team members of Team Eight will teach each other all of the jutsus they know. And you are correct, increasing their reserves is going to be a top priority of the team, since they believe, correct or not, that if they had more chakra they might have been able to change the outcome of this chapter.
midnightscar17: I honestly can't say I've heard anything about that. And as far as narusaku goes, I honestly don't know. I try not to force characters into definite pairings this early on. So I guess we'll just have to see.
bloodbrother 18: I'm glad you like it! I too have often felt like the scenes are often forced. I mean, once Naruto isn't screaming all the time like in cannon, he really wouldn't randomly flip out on his client's grandson. I honestly don't know if Haku will end up with Naruto. There's a chance, granted it's a small one, but still a chance. Haku is an interesting character. She is much more mature and grown up then Sakura or Hinata, but at the same time she has this servant complex. So she looks at things from a slightly different angle then most people. But I can safely say that she will be attempting to help Naruto with his emotions and how he views himself. And a happy belated Thanksgiving to you too!
Fyreyes: Thanks for the critique! To be honest, I didn't even notice that I overused the exclamation mark until you pointed it out. While I will probably continue to use them a bit too much, I toned down on them quite a bit in this chapter. So thanks again for the advice!
Guest: I honestly don't know. It's too early for me to know that.
Carolyn12: Yeah...It doesn't end well for Gato at all. Not one bit.
So what did you think? Drop a review to let me know what you thought or if you have questions about the chapter and/or the Harold of the End Universe!