You guys are gloriously awesome! Over one hundred thousand views!
I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. To be honest this chapter was a rather large struggle. Not only that, but I had a bit of a writer's block. I'm past it for now, and I'm kinda satisfied with how this chapter turned out. In addition, there is a new poll up on my profile. It's to see if Kin will survive. But please remember that even if she does survive, she is not going to be paired up with Naruto.
AU changes: No major AU changes this chapter.
MachFarcon does not own Naruto.
And without any more delay, here's the next chapter. Chapter 18: Value
Jiraiya walked with purpose towards the Hyuga Clan compound. But as the self-proclaimed pervert walked past a side street, he couldn't help but notice the welcoming sign of the Konoha Hot Springs. Jiraiya hesitated, glancing back towards the road that led to the Clan districts. The white-haired ninja then looked back at the Hot Springs. Jiraiya's face hardened into determination. He wouldn't miss this chance. There was beautiful women to peep at. Naruto would understand.
Naruto calmly strolled towards the Hyuga Clan compound, the calmness of his demeanor betraying none of the thoughts that raced within. Today had been the last day Team Eight would train together for the remainder of the time before the Chunin exams. Unlike the preliminaries, the opponents they would face in the finals knew of the strength of Team Eight. And they would prepare for it. Sakura would go train with Anko. Hinata's father was taking a leave of absence from his role as Head of the Hyuga Clan to teach her personally.
And while Naruto was glad that Kurenai-Sensei wanted to help him, they both knew that the Genjutsu mistress was not the best option to teach him for the month. Sadly all of the others that normally would teach the blonde were either teaching their own students or on a mission. Had Naruto more carefully considered the timing, he would have been suspicious that a mission required both Yugao and Hayate...
The blonde Uzumaki had opted to take the long way home, giving him more time to think. His route would wake him around the edge of the clan district, past the Konoha Hot Springs, circling training ground twenty-five, and then come in the back entrance to the Hyuga compound. As the blonde Uzumaki was starting to seriously consider attempting another go at his parent's house - maybe he could stand the pain this time - his sensitive ears picked up the faint sound of perverted giggling coming from further in the Hot Springs.
Naruto investigated the sound. The blonde frowned as he looked up at the large sign in front of him. The sign read, in bright red lettering, Female Hot Spring Section. No Males Allowed Beyond This Point. The Last Uzumaki peered past the sign, wondering if his hearing was mistaken. The giggles sounded out. "Nope." Naruto decided, "Those noises are definitely coming from this area." A frown crossed Naruto's face as he tried to understand the situation. "But why is male laughter coming from this direction? Only girls are allowed in there."
The Last Uzumaki was now faced with a quandary. He wanted to investigate the giggles, but he was a man, and the sign said "females only". Then again, Naruto considered, perhaps the sign meant the Hot Springs themselves. He wasn't planning on going into one of the hot springs. With his mental debate solved, Naruto headed into the Female Hot Springs, utilizing all of his stealth skills to remain unnoticed. After all, technically, he wasn't supposed to be here...
Naruto closed in on the source of the sounds. The source of the perverted giggles should be just around the corner of the wooden fence in front of him. The Last Uzumaki held his breathe and eased his head past the fence corner. Whatever he had expect was not this. A white-haired man sat with his face pressed to the fence, a large perverted grin firmly on his face. The small trickle of blood that dripped from the man's nose didn't stop the giggles that erupted from him every few minutes.
Naruto tilted his head at the sight. What was the man doing? And now that the blonde thought about it, the white-haired man looked rather familiar. Naruto ghosted around the fence, never taking his eyes off of the strange man. As the blonde grew closer, he noticed a paper with seals on it stuck on the wooden fence. Temporally forgetting about the white-haired pervert, Naruto moved closer to the paper to examine the seals.
It was a flat barrier of some kind, specifically designed to block something. Naruto's eyes traced over the combined pattern of the seal, carefully puzzling out what it was designed to block. Ignoring the next round of giggles only a few feet from him, the blonde continued to study the seal. His eyes widened slightly as he figured out what the barrier was supposed to block. It blocked sound, but only from this side. It allowed sounds to flow through the barrier from the opposite side of the barrier. And if he wasn't mistaken, that grouping of seals allowed for it to pull ambient chakra from the surrounding area to power the barrier. A quick swipe over one of his sealing scrolls allowed Naruto to start coping down the new seals and seal patterns in his notebook.
Jiraiya slowly became aware of the presence of someone only a few short feet from him, the haze that he fell into when he was peeping at women slowly fading. The slightest of subtle glances to the side informed the legendary pervert that the person was male. A fellow pervert perhaps? The white-haired man turned to fully face his fellow man, only to freeze in surprise. The person had blonde hair and bore more than a passing resemblance to Minato, his old student. He couldn't help the slightest of gasps that escaped from his mouth as the Toad Sannin realized who was standing beside him. It was Naruto Uzumaki, his godson.
Naruto, having heard the gasp, turned to face the white-haired ninja. Jiraiya couldn't help but notice that his godson's eyes were happy, as he turned to face him. The white-haired Sannin was shocked when Naruto froze in recognition. The blonde Uzumaki's face instantly went emotionless, the happy look in his eyes disappearing like a shutter had slammed shut. "Oh." Naruto's voice held traces of something other than surprise, "It's you." The Last Uzumaki spike his chakra and disappeared in a Shunshin, the sound echoing around the fenced in area.. Jiraiya openly gaped at the sudden disappearance of the blonde. The Toad Sannin stood up, all thoughts of women banished from his mind. He had to find his godson.
Naruto stumbled out of his overpowered Shunshin and made two staggered steps before slamming to his knees. The pain from his small numerous wounds caused by overpowering the fast movement technique were easily ignored when compared to the complete chaotic storm that was his emotions. The blonde's eyes squeezed shut to halt the tears that threatened to spill down his face, from the sheer force of his frothing emotions. Choking sadness; "Why didn't Jiraiya come visit me when he knew who I was?". Rage; "Where was he for all these years?" Inadequacy; "Wasn't I good enough to be remembered?". Fear; "What if the village was right? What if I am worthless? If even my own godfather didn't want to spend time with me?" Countless renditions of those thoughts and emotions warred within the Last Uzumaki, threatening to swallow him whole.
Slowly, thoughts of his precious people and their words began to return to him. Remembering how they said that he was worth something, that he mattered. The faces of his precious people flashed before him. Sakura-Chan; "...You are worth the effort of me helping you!" Hinata-Chan; "I believe in you Naruto-Kun!" Haku-Chan; " You are worth every moment I have!" Kurenai-Sensei; "I'm proud of you!" Kakashi-Sensei; "Because I believe in you." Those words and many others gave Naruto hope, strength, courage.
In a moment of crystal-clear realization, Naruto understood something. It didn't matter if he was worth anything. His precious people, the ones he trusted above all else, believed in him; that he was worth something. And because of that, Naruto had to believe as wall; needed to believe that he was worth something. That he mattered. Thoughts and feelings of fear and inadequacy began to fade. leaving only the lingering feelings of sadness and rage frothing deep inside.
The Last Uzumaki's eyes opened, reveling dark blue eyes that glared at the metal training posts in front of him. As Naruto stood and flexed his chakra, he was unaware of how dark his blue eyes had gotten. And if one would look very deeply into his eyes, one would spot tiny flecks of glowing violet shimmering deep within. A flare of darker blue chakra flared around Naruto's hands. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but for now, he had training to do.
Jiraiya headed towards the training ground he felt his godson's chakra emitting from. The Toad Sannin had been more aware of chakra signatures ever since he had trained at Mount Myoboku. The white-haired Sannin had to meditate to take advantage of his training. As soon as his godson had left, the Toad Sage had started to meditate, seeking out his godson's chakra. And he had found him, in one of the training grounds on the opposite side of the village. Jiraiya had instantly headed towards his grandson's location.
Jiraiya arrived at the training field, only to stop and stare in shock and surprise. His godson had just destroyed a metal training dummy with a single strike. Naruto's hands glowed with dark blue chakra, the chakra itself seemingly rebelling at being constrained to the blonde's hands. And the dummy itself had been blown apart, countless shards of metal flying outwards from its back. As Naruto took a deep breath and stepped back, Jiraiya moved to greet his godson formally, who looked like such a blend of Minato and Kushina that the white-haired ninja couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.
"Naruto!" Jiraiya greeted his godson warmly, "I finally found you." The white-haired ninja grinned, "I don't know why you left such a glorious place as the Hot Springs to come train, but that's all right." Taking Naruto's silence as a sign to continue, "I mean, I didn't even recognize you. You've grown alot from the last picture I have of you." The continued silence from the blonde was starting to be unnerving. "Not that's a bad thing or anything."
"Tell me." Naruto finally spoke, "How much do you know about my childhood?" The blonde's voice was emotionless, almost empty. "How much did you care to know?"
"W-What?" Jiraiya stammered, not understanding. "What do you mean?" The white-haired ninja took a deep breath, his mind racing to figure out the hidden meaning behind Naruto's words. "I mean I know what Hiruzen has told me. A few of the villagers didn't like you, but you have your own place and are able to take care of yourself."
"Ah." Naruto nodded. "I see." The blonde fully turned to face Jiraiya, his eyes hard. "Tell me Godfather, did you check up on me even once? Did you see if I was alright with your own eyes?" Something dark bled into the Last Uzumaki's tone. "Tell me, godfather. Justify it." A terrible, bitter humorless smile crossed his face. "Tell me it was worth it." Dark blue eyes speared Jiraiya. "Do it. Tell me!"
It was in that instant, looking at that terrible smile on his godson's face that Jiraiya understood. He had seen the young with eyes as old as Naruto's, and each time the story was the same. His godson hadn't been taken care of. Hiruzen had promised! Jiraiya shook his head. "But that is no excuse. I could have check up on him. But I didn't." Outwardly, Jiraiya's continence slumped. "There is no excuse. No justification."
"Then you are not my godfather." Naruto's words were spoken without emotion, but they still tore a hole through Jiraiya's heart. The blonde turned and began to walk away, seeking to leave the area where his "godfather" was. Jiraiya's voice, filled with regret and sadness stopped him.
"I-I know that. But isn't there something I can do for you?" Jiraiya asked desperately, grasping at straws, seeking to make up for his failure. "I could train you! Make you strong."
Naruto halted, turning around with a moment of contemplation. "You would train me?" Jiraiya nodded vigorously. "Then I will accept. But know this," Naruto's voice dropped back into it's terrible emotionless state, "You will be teaching me as only my sensei, not as my godfather; Never as my godfather."
Jiraiya nodded, hiding how much his godson's words were tearing him apart. "We can start tomorrow morning at six."
Naruto inclined his head slightly. "I will see you then." When the blonde turned to leave, Jiraiya made no attempt to stop him. It was, after all, not his right. He had lost that right long ago, when he chose not to check up on his godson. After staring at nothing for the longest time, Jiraiya mastered himself, his eyes hardening. Hiruzen had much to explain, and Jiraiya wasn't going to take no for an answer...
Naruto let out a deep sigh as he opened the front door to his home, his anger having bled away, leaving only sadness. The blonde headed towards the living room, too caught up in his thoughts to notice the slight din of conversation coming from his destination. "Why Jiraiya? Why did you leave me here? What could be more important than protecting?"
"Naruto-Sama!" Haku's voice broke him from his thoughts. "What happened?" It wasn't even a moment later when Sakura and Hinata also were casting worried looks in their Naruto-Kun's direction.
Naruto sighed, giving up on trying to make sense of Jiraiya's actions. He would focus on what he had learned, what he knew. "After I left the training field, I took the long way to the Hyuga Compound..."
Sakura hugged Naruto tightly as he ended his story, the pinkette fighting back furious tears of her own as conflicting emotions boiled within her. Naruto had realized, perhaps for the first time, that he was worth something. It was still a small step, but to her, it marked the first step of many. On the other hand, Sakura wanted nothing more than to go out and find Jiraiya. When she found him, she would beat him into the ground, throw him into a new area, and beat him down again. And again and again!
Hinata, unlike Sakura, made no attempt to hide her tears. Emotions flashed through her like a lightning flashes. Happiness, for Naruto-Kun was starting to learn how much he was worth. Anger, for Jiraiya had never even once checked up on her Naruto-Kun. A small part of the normally gentle Hyuga wanted nothing more than to track the white-haired ninja down and show him why it was pure folly to anger an Hyuga...
Haku felt her tears cool as they slid down her cheeks. Naruto-Sama was beginning to understand what she saw in him. Someday, the ice-user prayed, Naruto would truly realize just how radiant he was. But buried underneath her happiness, a burning hot indignation smoldered. How dare Jiraiya attempt to wash away what he had done; what he allowed to happen to Naruto-Sama! If she could, the ice user would turn the neglectful man into a target for her senbon...
Naruto had never felt so cared for in his life, surrounded by the three people he cared about the most. The care, and some unidentifiable emotion, flowed into him. And in that moment, in their arms, the blonde Uzumaki couldn't help but believe that he was worth something. That he was worth enough to have someone care about. That someone cared without an exterior motivation. That they simply cared for him, Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto blinked rapidly, holding back the awed tears that wanted to drip down his face.
Neji Hyuga stared up at the sterile white ceiling of the hospital room. It had been three days since his defeat at the hands of the supposed "weakling" Hinata. She had matched his every blow. She had questioned him, questioned Fate. The most certainly not weak Hyuga heiress had added elemental chakra to her attacks and easily defeated Neji. But it was not his defeat that shook the Hyuga ninja. No, it was Hinata's words.
"...If you swear loyalty to Naruto-Kun and I, we will free you from your caged seal."
Those words haunted Neji, and if he was honest with himself, they frightened a small part of him. The thought of actively defying Fate, the one thing he had taken comfort in since his father had died, was almost terrifying. But yet...the idea that he could be free of the Caged Seal scratched at the back of his mind, refusing to leave. And as he had laid there for three days recovering, that idea grew. There was no harm in hearing what they had to say, Neji ultimately decided. After all, he justified it to himself, it wasn't like the Uzumaki could perform something no Hyuga could...
Sarutobi was filling out the last form for the evening when the door to his office swung open with a loud bang! The old ninja's head snapped up, his body tensing for a fight as he readied the pen for a deadly throw. The Third felt himself pale slightly as Jiraiya strode into the room, each step measured; as if keeping each step helped the Toad Sannin calm. "Tell me," Jiraiya's voice was low, but all the more ominous for it, "What was the one thing I asked you to do all those years ago?"
For the first time in a very long time, Hiruzen felt a small spark of fear. The Jiraiya standing in front of him wasn't Jiraiya the Super-Pervert, a man who could laugh off almost any attack by a raging woman. Nor was it Jiraiya the Seal-Master, a man who could create seals almost beyond comprehension. No, this was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. One of the three legendary Sannin. Ninja capable of taking down entire attack groups single-handedly. Kage-level strength was evident with every pulse of the white-haired ninja's chakra.
And Hiruzen had never seen this side of Jiraiya outside of battle. "What do you mean?" Hiruzen was beginning to recover. He was, after all, known as the God of Shinobi for a reason.
"You swore that Naruto would grow up safe!" Jiraiya's heated words took any fight out of Hiruzen. "You promised Minato that he would grow up loved!" Jiraiya's anger turned towards himself. "I promised I would take care of him!" All the heat left the white-haired Sannin. "And I failed. Failed Naruto. Failed Minato. Failed Kushina. Failed them in the thing that mattered most."
"No," Hiruzen corrected quietly, for once looking as old as he felt in that moment, "We failed."
Jiraiya's despondent eyes raised to meet Hiruzen's. "What," His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, "Did Naruto had to go through?"
Hiruzen felt a strange sense of irony, but all he could manage was the smallest of bitter smiles. "Do you really wish to know?"
Jiraiya nodded. "It is my duty as his godfather. Even if I can never claim that right, I will never shirk my duty again."
Hiruzen sighed, glancing away towards the window that showed the setting sun, the long shadows of evening reaching out. "All I know for certain is that Naruto was attacked at least once. It was serious enough to land him in the hospital." Not seeing the slow-burning anger begin to simmer on Jiraiya's face, the aged ninja's continued, his many years of training allowing his voice to be calm, despite the shame he felt welling up inside.
"Naruto has also been denied access to many stores. The few stores that allowed him in over charged him many times over. I suspect that it was much worse than that though. Naruto does not trust me enough to tell me." Hiruzen gave a short, humorless bark of laughter. "Not that I blame him."
"Goddammit!" Jiraiya snarled. "And I'm guessing that there's no evidence that they left linking them to the attacks on my godson?" At Hiruzen's nod, Jiraiya swore again. After pacing for a few moments, The Toad Sage turned to his old teacher, leveling a finger in Hiruzen's direction. "Well, they're not going to get away with anything like that again. Naruto has accepted my offer of training, and that means that I can...defend him from any threat while I'm training." Jiraiya's face was innocent, but his eyes were hard. "It would be simple self-defense."
The Toad Sannin turned to the Third Hokage. "And what will you do to correct your mistakes? You owe Naruto."
Hiruzen let a grim, satisfied smirk appear on his face, it's appearance contrasting the grandfatherly image he maintained most of the time. "I will watch out for Naruto on the council front. Perhaps if pressed, one of them will confess to something. Of course," Hiruzen's expression now matched Jiraiya's, "As the Hokage I will not be able to accuse someone without proof; But," Hiruzen's smirk grew even more innocent, "I am getting old. Sometimes I say things in front of others that I should not. Things such as names and addresses."
Jiraiya nodded. "Message received." The white-haired Sannin moved out, shutting the door much quietly then when he had entered. Jiraiya knew he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, for he had to plan a training regimen for his godson. He would have just over three weeks with Naruto, and the white-haired ninja would take advantage of every minute he had with his godson.
Sasuke Uchiha glared up at the ceiling above himself. The black haired Uchiha had once again trained himself to the point of bodily exhaustion, but his mind was not weary. Sasuke boasted he feared nothing; But here, alone in the empty Uchiha Clan compound, there was something that always put him on edge. Sometimes, after a particularly exhausting day, the Last Uchiha could almost swear he saw a ghostly white figure out of the corner of his eye. When he had turned to face it, there was nothing there. Just dust and echoes.
The black-haired ninja never told anyone about what he saw. He knew what happened to shinobi who were deemed too mentally unstable; he could not afford to be removed from the ninja ranks. Sasuke was fairly certain that seeing things that were not there would be taken as a sign of his mental state. And he would not allow anything to stop him from his goal.
Sasuke raised a shaking hand slowly towards the ceiling, despite the limb feeling like it weighed several hundred pounds. The Last Uchiha glared at his slightly twitching hand, mentally willing it to stop. It had been twitching ever since he had started lightning chakra training with Kakashi. Unlike most elemental training, Kakashi was teaching Sasuke how to convert his chakra directly into lightning chakra. If the black-haired ninja had to guess his teacher's motive behind the exhausting training, he guessed that Kakashi would be teaching him the legendary Chidori, one of Kakashi's feared signature moves.
The Chidori's cutting power was legendary, capable of punching through most surfaces easily. But it wasn't a technique designed for a prolonged dual. No, it was an assassination technique. And that suited Sasuke just fine. His ambition was kill his brother. Only then would the whispers of the murdered Uchiha abate.
The Last Uchiha once again wondered what to do about his rival, Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke had been shocked and surprised when he learned the blonde was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. But Sasuke wasn't worried. He had seen the hand-seals that made up the Five Pronged Seal with his Sharingan. The Last Uchiha played how the chakra flowed when Orochimaru had formed the technique; each hand sign permanently ingrained in his mind.
"Just you wait until we meet in the finals. The Demon Fox will not help you." A smirk crossed Sasuke's face. "And then I will beat you; leave you bloody and broken. Then..." A unsettling gleam flashed in the Last Uchiha's eyes, "I will come for you...Brother."
Jiraiya waited on the edge of the training field. Judging by the dimness of the predawn light, the white-haired ninja guessed that it was about five thirty to five forty-five in the morning. The Toad Sannin soon felt Naruto's chakra signature heading his way, the blonde Uzumaki making no attempt to hide his presence. As Naruto drew closer, Jiraiya noticed something. A person's chakra was an indicator their inner most thoughts and feelings. And his godson's chakra was no longer harsh and angry. It was happy, and perhaps peaceful. No, that wasn't it. His chakra was content.
Naruto walked onto training ground twenty-two feeling more content and rested than ever. Last night had been perhaps one of the best nights he had ever had. Given how tired everyone was after his explanation of what had happened as well as the long hug his three most precious people had given him, the tired and emotionally drained teenagers had decided to all crash in the living room for the night.
In the morning Naruto had awoken to the pleasant realization that he had no nightmares. He was starting to think the presence of his precious people kept them away. If she knew what he was thinking Hinata would have never broken him out of his thoughts. Given that she did not know his thoughts, the blue-haired Hyuga had been most displeased when finding out that Jiraiya would be taking away her Naruto-Kun for most of each day leading up to the final phase of the Chunin exams. Sakura and Haku had also been displeased. They had quickly assured their Naruto-Kun that they were not mad at him, only his...teacher.
"Ah. Naruto-K...Naruto-San," Jiraiya hastily covered up his almost verbal miss-step, "I was thinking that we could spar to see how strong you are. Once I know that, I should be able to maximize your training." Jiraiya almost expected, and would not have blamed him, for Naruto to become worried at the thought of fighting one of the Sannin. After all, Naruto had fought one of them in the Forest of Death and had been defeated.
However, Jiraiya wasn't at the Forest of Death. He didn't see Naruto in his fight against Orochimaru. Naruto had never feared the Snake Sannin, despite knowing how outclassed he was. For Naruto had lived for so long simply surviving that fighting for his life was something he was intimately aware of.
Out loud, Naruto tilted his head, wanting to make sure Jiraiya understood what he was getting into before the blonde surrendered himself to his instincts. "Are you sure you want me to go all out? To use everything I have? Because you don't want me to."
The Toad Sannin raised one eyebrow. "You really think you're that good?"
Naruto shook his head. "You don't understand. I have moves that you can't use for sparring. They only have one purpose...and it's not a nice one." The Last Uzumaki walked over to one of the trees and stopped in front of it. Chakra flared. He reached forward and touched the bark of the tree. The tree jerked as its base detonated.. Lethal shards of twisted wood exploded outwards, slicing into the other trees nearby. The tree, lacking most of its lower trunk, fell backwards with a resounding crash.
Naruto glanced at Jiraiya, who was standing with a look of utter shock. "Now do you understand?" The white-haired ninja nodded, his eyes still staring at the blasted trunk of the tree. A moment later the Toad Sannin shook himself from his shocked state.
"Well..." Jiraiya coughed, his equilibrium returning. "...How about we don't use that move while we are sparring. I don't know if even Tsunade-Hime could have put me back together if I got hit with that." The Toad Sannin tilted his head. "I don't recognize the move though. Where did you learn it?"
Naruto managed to grin proudly for a moment before ducking his head slightly. "I created it myself."
"Damn." Jiraiya whistled appreciatively, inwardly realizing similar Naruto was to Minato. Minato would often create things to solve his problems, but he would never realize just how much of an accomplishment it was until someone, usually Kushina, would tell him.
"Well," The white-haired ninja dropped into a combat stance, "You can tell me all about it once we finish our spar."
Naruto grinned, he always liked spars. And if he was honest with himself, he wanted to strike out at Jiraiya ever since he met him. The blonde dropped into his favorite unarmed stance. Granted, he never really used a stance, preferring to simply flow from one attack to another, but Jiraiya didn't know that. Not yet anyway. He would learn soon enough.
"Whenever you are ready." Jiraiya called out. Not even two seconds later Naruto's hands blurred into action, forming the seals for a water technique he learned from Sakura. A wide wall of water rushed towards Jiraiya. The Toad Sannin easily dodged to the side of the water jutsu, only to instantly come under attack by a veritable army of clones.
It was easy at first to dodge the clones attacks, but soon they started learning, adapting to the Toad Sannin's fighting style. Jiraiya snapped his hand forwards to destroy one clone, only for the clone beside it to grab his extended fist. The white-haired ninja's instincts allowed him to dodge the fist that still another clone swung at him. A sudden blow from behind jolted the Toad Sannin forward, where he had to dodge the rapid strikes from five grim faced clones. "So you want to push me?" Jiraiya's body burst into motion, several fast and powerful strikes creating an opening.
The white-haired Sannin's hand curled towards his palm slightly. A ball of rapidly spinning visible chakra formed. It was the legendary Rasengan. Jiraiya swung the spinning ball of chakra forward, the clones instantly dispelling them as the attack touched them. Within a few moments, all of the clones had been dispelled. Jiraiya held the Fourth's legendary move calmly as he waited for Naruto, the original one, to make a move. "Is that all you got?" He taunted teasingly, a small grin forming on his face.
Naruto smirked in return, the expression drawing a sense of caution from the Toad Sannin. "You know," Naruto began, confidence oozing from his tone, "It's all right that you killed my clones." Seeing Jiraiya's confused look Naruto elaborated. "I never expected the clones to take you down. All they needed to do was have you use your fighting style." Naruto's smirk grew slightly, as if he knew some secret. "And just before you destroyed the last one, I figured your style out." Naruto flexed his hands and charged his chakra. He disappeared in a blur of speed.
It was only Jiraiya instincts that saved him as Naruto appeared on the white-haired Sannin's left side, his right fist already heading towards Jiraiya's skull. The white-haired Sannin dodged to the right. A slight grin ghosted across the Last Uzumaki's face as his left palm flowed forwards the face of the white-haired ninja. Jiraiya blocked the hand with his own arm only to stagger back as Naruto's fist slammed into his mid-section.
Naruto pumped a massive amount of chakra into his left palm, and then instantly converted it to wind chakra. A single thought unleashed it.
Jiraiya leapt backwards, his hands frantically weaving through the hand signs for a mud wall. The experienced ninja landed and instantly slammed his hand on the ground, a sturdy wall erupting from the ground in front of him. Jiraiya took cover and weathered the wind storm. Suddenly the wind dissipated, and Jiraiya didn't have time to blink before Naruto blurred around the side of the Toad Sannin's mud wall. Jiraiya reacted by pure instinct. A Rasengan formed in an instant. He swung.
The white-haired ninja could only watch in horror as his Rasengan connected with his godson's left shoulder, instantly shattering the bones in Naruto's arm. But the Last Uzumaki was not stopped by such an attack. He allowed the momentum of the Rasengan's force to spin him to the right, adding to the force of his punch. Jiraiya's head snapped to the side, a massive bruise instantly forming. The white-haired Sannin stumbled back, his eyes wide as his mouth bled slightly.
Naruto glanced at his ruined shoulder. He concentrated, ten clones forming a scant few seconds later, each clone immediately taking up defensive stances around their creator. Confident he had a few seconds, Naruto closed his eyes and delved into himself, seeking out the Kyubi's chakra. Jiraiya's shouts stopped the blonde before he could reach out and touch the surprisingly close chakra of the demon fox.
"We are just sparring! There's no need for that!" Jiraiya was relieved to see Naruto stop channeling the demon fox's chakra. Seeing that the sparring match was over, Jiraiya dropped his stance and massaged his aching jaw, feeling the abused flesh already start to blacken in a bruise. "You've got quite the arm." he complimented Naruto. A moment later his hand drifted to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment as he apologized. "I'm sorry for hitting you with the Rasengan. It was an accident."
Naruto shrugged, fighting the urge to wince in pain as he did so. "It's all right. I've had worse." The blonde poked his shoulder, attempting to see what bones he would have to see about healing later, given that Jiraiya didn't want him using the Kyubi's chakra. He missed the dark look pass over Jiraiya's face at his words. By the time Naruto looked back up, the white-haired Sannin had already mastered his emotions once again.
"Well, Naruto-San," Jiraiya began, "I have figured out your training regimen." A wide, almost sadistic small covered his face. "It's going to be hellish. Are you sure you want me to train you?"
Naruto met his gaze without flinching. "Bring it."
Hinata strode purposefully towards the Records Building for Clan Holdings. It was a building that housed a copy of every single public record of every Konoha Clan's financial dealings. Ever since Naruto-Kun had discovered his parents home, the blue-haired Hyuga had wondered what had happened to her Naruto-Kun's inheritance. Naruto-Kun himself didn't understand the importance of such a thing, but that was probably due to the fact that he simply couldn't comprehend having enough things that you could afford to pass it on to someone else. Hinata on the other hand, knew exactly what it meant. And she was determined to find out what bank held Naruto-Kun's inheritance.
The Records Building was a tall, imposing building that invoked a sense of ancientness, as if it had always been there and would remain so, even as the earth around it fell to ruin. Dull white pillars supported it's large stone overhang. The ornate door had every clan's symbol carved in it, each one somehow seeming the focus of the imagery. Hinata, however, paid little mind to such things. She was on a mission, and failure was not an option.
"Lady Hinata." One of the two guards bowed, "We were not expecting you." The guard straightened up. "How may we help you today?"
Hinata smiled graciously, her mask firmly in place. "I am just going to check a few records on my clan holdings. I know my way around, so you do not need to accompany me."
The guard glanced at his companion who shrugged. What harm could a single girl do? "If you say so..." The guard answered, feeling bolstered by his companion's lack of reaction. "...Just don't do anything bad."
"All right." Hinata smiled sweetly as she passed the guards. The moment she step through the archway her mask fell away. The Hyuga kunoichi's eyes swept the book lined hallways, searching for the letter "U". After searching for several minutes - the four main clans' records took up quite a bit of room - Hinata found the section she was looking for. The Uzumaki section. Eyeing the several dozen tomes, the blue-haired ninja quickly realized she needed to enlist some help...and she knew exactly who to ask.
Jiraiya froze, his mind not truly comprehending his godson's words. "I-I'm s-sorry. Could you repeat t-that? T-The part about y-your living arrangements."
Naruto gave the white-haired man an odd look, but complied, seeing no harm in Jiraiya's request. "I said I live with Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, and Haku-Chan at my apartment." The white-haired Sannin made no attempt to stifle the perverted giggle that erupted from him as he thought of all of the...things Naruto could get up to in an apartment alone with three girls.
The Last Uzumaki tilted his head, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Wait a second." Realization crystallized in his mind. "You're some kind of pervert aren't you?"
"Of course not!" Jiraiya sounded offended for a brief moment before letting a huge, slightly disturbing grin appear on his face. "I'm not some normal pervert! I'm a Super-Pervert!" The self-proclaimed Super-Pervert basked in the imaginary applause of the crowd as his godson goggled at him in shock. "Tell me Naruto," The white-haired Sannin locked eyes with the surprised blonde, the intensity of his expression taking Naruto aback, "Do you follow the great path of the pervert?"
"What?" Naruto stared dumbly at the white-haired Sannin, not comprehending his question. "Why would I be a pervert?" The blonde Uzumaki asked, puzzled. From what he had seen, Kakashi was a pervert, and the grey-haired ninja seemed to be reading those orange books all the time. And Naruto didn't have time to read; he had to get stronger to protect his precious people.
Jiraiya sighed. "Damn." Naruto had the genes of Minato all right. It was too bad. Unless..."Naruto." Jiraiya casually asked, taking care to keep any hint of his motives hidden from his tone, "What do you think of your three girls?" Spotting Naruto's confused expression, Jiraiya sprung his trap. "Do you like them?"
Naruto instantly went red. "Uh..." The Last Uzumaki scrambled for an answer, not wanting his secret to be revealed. Not being able to come up with anything, Naruto played an old card, one that he hadn't had to use in years, seemingly endless obliviousness. "Of course I like them! They are my precious people!" Naruto prayed the white-haired ninja would buy it.
The Toad Sannin withheld a chuckle at Naruto's face. The blonde really need to learn how to control his facial reactions. Then again, Naruto was Kushina's son, he might not be able to help himself. Out loud, however, Jiraiya nodded, seemingly accepting the blonde's answer. "Ah. Perhaps I was mistaken then." Jiraiya paused, giving the impression that the current conversation had been dropped. "Oh, before I forget, if any of your girls want to have 'private training with you'..." Jiraiya suppressed the giggle that threatened to erupt - he couldn't bring any suspicion to his plan - "Please let me know so I can re-schedule our training." Naruto agreed, missing the sub-text. Jiraiya grinned inwardly. "Oh, I'll make so many Icha-Icha books off of this!"
Hinata strode past the two guards at her clan's compound, her mind paying only the slightest attention to her surroundings. Most of her was still back at the Records Building, attempting to discern the best ways to read through all of the papers and data. The blue-haired kunoichi had carefully counted the number of thick tomes that hosed the records of the Uzumaki. There was seven of them, holding perhaps ten-thousand pages each. Given the amount of time left before the Chunin finals - and thus the amount of time until Naruto-Kun became the Head of the Uzumaki clan - was measured in mere weeks, Hinata knew she didn't have the time to read through every book herself. Sakura-Chan would be able to come up with a way to cut down on the time needed.
But first, Hinata needed to know what information they needed to look for, to see if the village had done anything to her Naruto-Kun's inheritance. She wouldn't put it past the village to take away that from him to, if they could get away with it. Thus, Hinata was going to look in her own clan's books, away from the prying eyes of those who wouldn't understand.
So occupied with her self-imposed mission that it was understandable that Hinata was surprised when someone addressed her directly. "Hinata-Sama, may I have a word with you?" Startled, Hinata focused on her immediate surroundings and noticed Neji was standing several feet away from her, having apparently been the one to call out to her. Seeing that the blue-haired kunoichi was now focusing on him, Neji continued. "I request that we talk about what you said to me during our match." Pausing, he realized that he should clarify. "Specifically the part near the end."
Understanding bloomed in Hinata's eyes. "We may. My family's koi pond should be private enough." Receiving a nod from the black-haired Hyuga, Hinata led the way towards the koi pond in relative silence. Neji stayed silent while Hinata murmured greetings to the various clan members they past. Inwardly he marveled at how perfect Hinata-Sama's mask was, with no one that the passed being any wiser that Hinata was plotting to potentially remove the Caged Bird Seal, one of the only things keeping the Branch Family separate from the Main Branch.
"So what questions did you have?" Hinata asked gracefully, her expression curious. After all, Neji was her first choice in selecting a spy within the Branch Family's ranks. The blue-haired girl remembered a time long ago when Neji wasn't a cold believer of 'Fate'; back before his father had died. But familiarity wasn't the only reason Hinata had chosen him. Neji was regarded as a prodigy in the clan. He had taught himself the Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms all without any formal assistance.
Neji was quiet for a long moment, his mind racing with all of the questions he had. Now that he was here with Hinata, he was at a loss of where to begin. "Could you do it?" The question whispered out, Neji being unable to hide the slight hope in his tone.
Hinata shook her head. "I cannot." Neji's eyes dimmed. "However," Neji glanced back up, "Naruto-Kun is very, very good with seals." "He is, after all, an Uzumaki." She added inwardly. "If he could study the seal closely, I know he could find a way to remove it. "
Hope warred with ingrained fatalism. "But how? The seal is supposed to be irremovable by anyone once applied."
"They are not Naruto-Kun." Came the simple reply, full of so much calm confidence that he couldn't help but believe.
"What would you ask of me?"
Hinata fought the urge to smile in satisfaction. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on channeling her chakra to her eyes. A moment later she opened them, ignoring Neji's shocked and surprised expression. The Hyuga kunoichi swept the area, checking for anything that could overhear them. After triple-checking the surrounding areas, Hinata closed her eyes and retracted her chakra from her eyes.
"We can speak without being heard." Hinata turned to Neji, who couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated. For he was not speaking with Hinata Hyuga, the gentle girl of the clan. Nor was he speaking with Hinata Hyuga, the graceful eldest daughter of the Head of the Hyuga Clan. He was speaking with Hinata Hyuga, of Team Eight. The Team that had easily destroyed all competition in the Chunin exams. The Team that had, if the rumors were to be believed, faced down several a A-Rank missing ninja and won.
"What I want you to do is swear loyalty to Naruto-Kun and myself. This loyalty will be first, above the clan or even the village." Neji's eyes widened.
"W-What?"
"I did not miss-speak. You heard correctly." Hinata's cold eyes shifted away from his own. "I will give you one week to consider." Hinata gracefully stood and walked out, determined to complete her original mission, the one she had imposed upon herself before Neji side-tracked her. Behind her, Neji stared out over the still pond, it's calm surface the direct opposite of his thoughts and emotions.
Sakura blinked the stinging sweat away from her eyes as she once again began to focus her chakra, attempting to compress it into a thin blade. The technique she was attempting to learn was called a Chakra Scalpel. Many, if not all, certified medical ninja had to learn the technique. It was perfect for the precise cuts that was often required to when it was necessary to operate on a patient. Not only that, but it had the side benefit of being completely sterile the moment it was formed. The Chakra Scalpel, along with the other medical ninja techniques allowed a med-nin to literally perform surgery on a battlefield.
That was what a normal medic ninja used the technique for. Sakura, however, had something else in mind for the jutsu. She would master the Chakra Scalpel and combine it with her chakra enhanced strength, creating her own style of combat. The power to kill and heal would be in her hands. Naruto-Kun would not die, not on her watch. And while she couldn't kill Jiraiya, given that he was protected as a ninja of the village, there was nothing to say that she couldn't...test her skill level on some non-vital areas.
The pinkette felt anger once again boil in her veins at the thought of the treatment the village gave Naruto-Kun and still treated him for that matter. If only there was another place that they could go that would protect them like the village walls did. Sakura shook her head, redoubling her focus on the chakra construct. After all, defending a teammate was self-defense...and if her blade slipped, well, sometimes accidents happened...
Had Sakura been paying more attention to the color of her barely forming Chakra Scalpel, she would have noticed that the faintest of red chakra tainted the blade like a ghost whispering in the wind.
Haku's eyes narrowed as she examined the ice ball in front of her, her expression morphing into a determined one. She could instantly freeze a ball of water about the size of a medium sized ball, but any more than that took more chakra then was economical. Granted, she had more chakra to spare then she ever had in her life, but that was no excuse. Naruto-Sama's enemies were many, and there would be more in the future. The ice-user would rather not fight, but the choice between protecting Naruto-Sama and pacifism was no choice at all.
The black-haired teenager wove her hands through the hand signs for a modified water bullet. It would mold the water, but then simply hold the water in a spherical shape. It was perhaps not the most useful technique in combat, but it was perfect for the training Haku was practicing. The Ice-user raised a seemingly delicate hand towards the water ball. Brown eyes hardened. Cold chakra spiked. With a echoing snap, the ball froze. A second later it slammed into the ground and rolled to rest next to the dozen other balls like it. Haku began to form the hand signs again. She could not; would not stand idle while Naruto-Sama was in danger. She would stand beside her Naruto-Sama forever.
Naruto grunted as he headed back home. Having a broken arm was really annoying. Normally Naruto would have just healed the injury with the Kyubi's chakra, but Jiraiya had forbidden him from using the demon fox's chakra. When Naruto had protested, the Toad Sannin had explained that healing himself with the Kyubi's chakra was dangerous on several levels. The first and for most, was that the Kyubi's chakra was caustic, and one miscalculation could cause serious injury or death to those around him. Secondly, the nine-tail's chakra was easily picked up by any sensor ninja worth their salt and given how many foreign ninja around, it wasn't wise to reveal such a powerful ability if he didn't have to.
Jiraiya's reasoning was logical and understandable. However, the white-haired Sannin failed to remember one thing. Back when he was training Minato, many years ago, the white-haired ninja had sent the young Namikaze home with a similar injury. Fortunately for Minato, Kushina Uzumaki had crossed paths with the blonde. She had helped him home, making sure his injury was not further increased.
Unfortunately for Jiraiya, the moment Kushina made sure Minato was safe, he was only her best friend after all, the fiery redhead had tracked down the white-haired Sannin and attempted to break all of his limbs as punishment for hurting Minato...
Naruto opened the door and stepped though, taking extra care to avoid bumping his shoulder. Had the blonde not been so used to pain he would have certainly cried out in pain as his broken shoulder shifted as he closed the door with his opposite hand. Naruto merely grunted, the slight sound his only acknowledgement of the rather terrible injury. Ironically, for all of the times he had been hurt, the Last Uzumaki was a very poor judge of injuries. To him it hurt or it did not; it bled or it did not; it was broken or it was not.
"Sakura-Chan! Haku-Chan!" Naruto called out as he walked down the hallway, being mindful to avoid shifting his arm. He was fairly certain that the pieces of his shoulder should not be making the grinding noise they did when they brushed together. Not to mention the sharp pain that raced down his arm every time they did so. "Sakura-Chan and Haku-Chan should be able to heal me up!" Naruto reasoned, knowing that they were skilled in medical techniques.
"Naruto-Kun!" Three distressed voices cried in worry and concern. Seeming to teleport across the room, the three girls instantly surrounded their Naruto-Kun. Each girl, despite not speaking a word, knew exactly what was required. The veins around Hinata's distraught eyes bulged as her bloodline activated, seeking out any threats. Haku concentrated her chakra, a light mist blanketing the area, ready to shield the ones closest to her. Sakura's hand glowed green, instantly categorizing and analyzing her Naruto-Kun's injury.
"Left shoulder has been shattered, seemingly by a single blow." The pink-haired medical nin's words were more for the benefit of those around her then herself. "Bones slightly healed rapidly, most likely by the Kyubi's chakra." Anger tinted her words. "This injury happened several hours ago." Relief stained her tone. "I will be able to heal this painlessly." The medic ninja glanced straight at Naruto, her concern and professional manner allowing her to successfully ignore her close proximity to the blonde.
"Hold still Naruto-Kun. You will be all better shortly." Sakura's eyes narrowed as she concentrated, carefully guiding her chakra to the broken shoulder and arm. A small jab of her chakra numbed the area. Slowly the pinkette guided the bits of bone back together, fusing each piece back into its place. It was like a jigsaw puzzle in a way, only infinitely more important to get each piece in its proper spot. Time ceased to be meaningless to Sakura, her only focus on making Naruto-Kun better.
Her bright green eyes watched intently as she carefully - she could make no mistakes; - nothing but perfection would be acceptable - Sakura allowed herself to blink as she guided the last few pieces together. Now that all of the pieces were in place, Sakura fought the urge to surge her chakra, knowing that it would be more harmful then helpful to try to force the healing. It took two lifetimes, but the bruised muscle and ligaments faded, leaving unblemished skin behind. The pinkette let her arms drop to her side, making sure not to let the slight weariness show. It wouldn't do for Naruto-Kun to think he would have to hide his injuries.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Haku spoke up. "Naruto-Sama," Her voice almost trembled, an unidentifiable emotion filling her. The Ice user couldn't tell if it was anger, shared pain, distress, or a potent mix of them. "How did you get hurt?"
"Oh," Naruto idly dismissed, "Jiraiya and I were sparring and he hit me with a Rasengan." He grinned. "But then I got to punch him in the face, so it was all right." The blonde Uzumaki flexed his arm, feeling no stiffness or lingering pain. "You did great Sakura-Chan!" Naruto wrapped the surprised and blushing girl in his arms. "I don't know what I would have done without you." Sakura's cheeks flared even hotter.
"W-Well," The pink-haired girl stammered, "You are very special to me, Naruto-Kun." Sakura glanced down and took a deep breath. "This was one of the moments Ino told me about! A moment perfect to confess my feelings towards Naruto-Kun!" Sakura's tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips. "N-Naruto-Kun I-..."
"Well then!" Hinata hurriedly interrupted, not wanting her rival to get ahead, "It's a good thing Naruto-Kun is all better." Her pale eyes turned slightly worried. "Still, I would feel much better if you stayed here for the night, Naruto-Kun." Seeing Naruto about to protest, she gave the Last Uzumaki her best pout. "Please Naruto-Kun?"
"But I feel fine." Naruto protested, inwardly congratulating himself on being able to not show how cute he thought Hinata-Chan was at that moment.
In desperation, Hinata glanced over at Sakura and Haku, silently communicating with her eyes. A few moments of furious non-verbal communication later it was decided. Haku stepped forward, her soft brown eyes locking with Naruto's. "Naruto-Sama," her voice was soft, almost irresistible, "We are very worried about you." The slightest pout creased her lips. "It will be only tonight." Her face slipped into a pleading expression. "Please?"
Naruto hung his head. "Ok." He couldn't resist the look Haku-Chan had given him. Haku instantly smiled, her expression morphing into one of happiness. The Ice-user lead her Naruto-Sama off to the dinner table, intent on making him his favorite ramen. As she lead Naruto away, Haku glanced back over her shoulder towards a serious looking Hinata and Sakura. She nodded once towards them, receiving a nod in return.
As soon as the blonde Uzumaki and Haku were out of sight, Sakura turned to Hinata. "Let's go." The two kunoichi quickly left their home and headed of the training ground. "Hinata-Chan," Sakura spoke as she scanned the training ground for her target, "Do you see him?"
The Hyuga shook her head, her eyes still scanning the area. "I do not see Jiraiya, even with the aid of my Byakugan." Hinata's eyes narrowed as she considered what she was going to do when she found the white-haired Sannin. After all, not only did he abandon Naruto-Kun for thirteen years, but he then strolled back into Naruto's life expecting to fit right in. He even broken Naruto-Kun's arm and wouldn't let Naruto-Kun heal it! When she found that white-haired ninja, Hinata promised herself, she would let him know exactly what he had done wrong, with both her words and her...actions.
So what did you guys think? Drop a review and let me know.
To my reviewers:
mac10m1: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scenes. I hope you enjoy the one in this chapter as well.
Thorndsword: You are correct. However, if a clan dies out completely, there really isn't a reason for the village not to appropriate their wealth. Given that the Third announced that Kushina and Minato were dead, and as far as anyone knows they had no children, the village felt justified in absorbing their wealth. However, given that Naruto isn't dead, I wonder what the council will do when they find out that Naruto is a legitimate Uzumaki...
Kit: Heh. Well, Jiraiya has started training Naruto. As for the council, you'll just have to wait and see.
kunt-destroyer420: Thanks. Eventually Naruto will learn that the Third's actions, or inaction as the case may be, caused him to lose what it rightfully his. What happens when that does though you'll just have to wait to see. I think you will enjoy Naruto's reaction to Jiraiya this chapter.
Vanishing Raptor: I'm glad you liked the battles. I wanted to show that given how close to Naruto everyone is, they are far above their fellow Genin. Yeah, I'm liking Hinata quite a bit more then Cannon Hinata. I enjoyed writing Hiruzen's council scene. What did you think of Naruto's interaction with Jiraiya? I tried to capture Naruto's feelings, but I'm not sure if I succeeded.
Guest: Thanks!
Animaman: I'm courious of what you thought of Sasuke's scene in this chapter. And yeah, the council really is going to get the final wake-up call during the finals. As far as the assets go, it's mainly the money and valuables. The other stuff is sitting in a very special house. And who said the village was the one to burn down the house? And while I can't confirm Naruto will get a weapon, Kushina did have some personal swords she created seals on herself...As far as the council section goes, it was originally going to be in this chapter, but it grew into something quite large, so it will be going into chapter 19. Yeah, Jiraiya has to do some really fast talking to avoid a potential beat down by Hinata, Sakura, and Haku. As far as Kin goes, I put up a poll to see if she will survive. As far as Ino goes, you'll just have to see. Sadly Danzo's motives are still in the dark.
bloodbrother 18: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the fights. To shed a bit more light on the Naruto House scene, Naruto was hallucinating. The house is currently destroyed. Why was he hallucinating? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out.
Necrotic Knight: I wanted to bring another element from another nation to the Chunin exams, exposing Team Eight to the world at large. I'm trying my best to create a unique story while still keeping cannon events in place, given that nothing has happened to stop them. Chapter 19 will highlight the council's meetings, both past and present.
drannakka: Well, while Naruto perhaps didn't beat down Jiraiya, given that Naruto isn't the person that would just snap, Naruto did ask Jiraiya some very important questions that Jiraiya couldn't answer. As far as the girls go, heh. Next chapter should feature that as well. I'm curious of what you thought of the Naruto and Jiraiya conversation. Awesome descriptions of the three girls by the way.
bobsage: Well, to tell you the truth it took quite a bit of thought before I settled on what had happened to Naruto's inheritance. Given that the village is a military village, it makes sense that it would absorb the assets of a dead clan given that the clan doesn't need them anymore. And given that they believe that Kushina and Minato never had a child, they saw no reason to not take it. You are correct that normally the Hokage can't interfere in clan stuff. However given that the Uzumaki clan is supposedly dead, the village was able to absorb their assets. However, I wonder what is going to happen when they learn that the Uzumaki clan is not dead...
gilmaxter: Here's the next chapter!
Guest: I try my best to write each character as if they were a real person. I'm glad that it's coming across as believable.
Chewie Cookies: Well, the house caught a rather bad case of explosion. You'll find out why in future chapters.
Rosenkruz: Well, I'm fairly certain they are going to try.
LordTicky: Thanks! The conversation between Jiraiya is both sad, awesome, and funny at different points.
SeanHicks4: Yeah, Jiraiya really can't just laugh this one off.
loganhunter2: Yeah, while Ino isn't going to be with Naruto, that doesn't mean she will get thrown to the wayside of character growth and development. And I'm curious of what you think of Naruto's conversation with Jiraiya.
ejasm07: Thanks! Naruto's inheritance is, ironically enough, the only time the village has accidentally taken something away from him. As far as the migraines go, you'll be finding out about them soon enough. Probably during the Chunin finals.
dksamuri: Well, I have a person I know personally who asked that I keep my chapters around 9k, given that they aren't the fastest of readers. Also given that 9k gives me room to write without either cutting a scene off (usually) but isn't so long that the chapter drags on forever.
ThatCrazyBrit94: Here's the next update!
Waldo Santiago: Yeah, Jiraiya doesn't come out unscathed this chapter.
Anarky'sMeanBeast: Well, while Jiraiya didn't get physically beat into the dirt this chapter, emotionally he got torn apart. And yeah, Tsunade believes Naruto is dead. Granted, she really should have checked to make sure, but she believes he is dead. And yeah, Jiraiya isn't going to make it out unscathed.
icefox: Thanks! I always try my best to make sure all of the characters "feel" believable and grounded. Here's the next update.
God's Angel of Music: Well, you are right. Naruto did have a Sub-Human Complex. But he is slowly climbing out of that hole and into Self-Worth. You'll see the start of it this chapter.
Kairan1979: Well, while it would make sense from a statistical standpoint to send the most powerful ninja to take down the rogue ANBU, I tried to keep things, as much as I can, run like a military village. And as such, you don't risk your leader on fights were he could die. Given that all it would take was one stray kunai to kill the Hokage, I felt that he simply won't go on a mission that had such a high risk.
Kairan1979: Well, Danzo's motives are simple yet ridiculously complex. Any more would be spoiling it. And yeah, the revelations aren't yet over for Naruto. I'm honestly not sure what Naruto will do once he finds out that his inheritance has been taken, given that it was something left for him by his parents. And yeah, Jiraiya has basically failed when it comes to being a godfather. Yeah, the finals are going to be very interesting this time around.
KEVIN: Thanks! As far as the girls go, Haku is a possibility. Kurenai is already spoken for, and Anko has her eyes on someone else.
Kalel201125: Here's the next chapter!