You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the people who took the time to vote in the poll.
So it looks like almost everyone who voted wanted Kin to live. So she'll be surviving for now. But now there is a new poll out. Someone asked if I have to respond to each review after each chapter, so what I propose is this: I created a new poll and put it on my profile page. It's to see how you guys, my awesome readers, want things to go from here as far as review feedback goes.
The first option is Full Response. It's basically what I'm currently doing. The second is that I'll respond to any direct questions, but not just normal non-question reviews. The third option is that I won't be responding to any reviews, but I'll try my best to respond to any PM questions that are thrown my way. Please vote to let me know what you prefer!
AU changes: There is quite a bit this chapter, but most of it is still related to a previous change so I won't be spoiling that here. The only other AU change I can think of is the council meeting itself. Since technically we don't know alot about how the council operates, I'm marking that section as an AU change.
MachFarcon doesn't own Naruto.
And here you guys go. Chapter 19: Boundaries
Jiraiya was many things. He was a Sannin, a Toad Sage, a spy master, a seal master, and his personal favorite, a super pervert. But all of those things had one thing in common. Problem solving; Taking apart a problem, figuring out it's weakness, and then building a strategy. It was his skill as a spy master that the white haired Sannin deployed now. The Toad Sannin huddled on the branch overlooking the training ground and suppressed the urge to shiver. He was hiding behind a special cloaking jutsu. It was one of his finest achievements, revolutionizing spy craft. It allowed the caster to be rendered invisible to the naked eye and caused chakra based detection bloodlines and techniques to harmlessly miss him. It mimicked the chakra and area around him, quite literally making the white haired ninja invisible.
However, the technique required constant concentration as well as a steady chakra flow. And the larger the area one wanted to cloak, the more chakra it required. Spotting the look on the pink-haired kunoichi of Team Eight, Jiraiya swallowed and increased his chakra output to the cloak. The moment he chose to hide behind the invisibility cloak was the moment that his choice was set. If he lost the technique now, it would be that much harder to fight with his chakra reduced. Not to mention that hurting any of the most important people in his godson's life would permanently turn Naruto against him.
Jiraiya carefully shifted to a slightly more comfortable position. He would wait them out.
Sakura carefully swept the training ground, unable to shake the feeling that her...target was close by. Not for the first time the pinkette wished that she had the enhanced senses of Naruto-Kun. But Naruto-Kun wasn't here. He couldn't be here. After Hinata-Chan and herself found the perverted so-called "godfather" of Naruto-Kun, they would beat him bloody. Then, when he was at their mercy, they would conscript him into spying for them. Over the last few months the two kunoichi of Team Eight had started noticing a change in the populous of the village. Unlike before, where the villagers would mutter curses in a whispered tones at their Naruto-Kun, the civilians now either engaged in hushed conversations as he passed or would avert their eyes. Something was brewing in the city, and the two kunoichi were determined to find out what it was.
Neji would be their spy in the Hyuga clan; for many main branch members disliked or outright hated Naruto. Hinata, Sakura, and to a lesser extent, Haku were all watching for members of the other clans they could conscript. But if they could gain Jiraiya, the spy master, on their side...
Haku watched Naruto-Sama draw the design of his latest project with interest. The blonde Uzumaki had once attempted to explain how seals worked, but his understanding of seals was almost...instinctive. He couldn't truly explain a seal to someone who wasn't a Uzumaki, someone who could view and read seals as easily as he could. Still, it was nothing short of amazing to watch the laser-like focus of the Last Uzumaki as he crafted a new sealing array for the tent. He had gotten several ideas from Jiraiya's technique. The man - not his godfather, never his godfather - was a seal master if nothing else. Currently Naruto was attempting to incorporate the ambient area chakra drain from the Toad Sannin's sound barrier. So intent on his work was he that he missed Haku's face light up a dark red as she wondered, for only the briefest of moments, what it would be like to have Naruto-Sama's focus completely on her.
Hiruzen strode quickly towards the council meeting chamber, where a meeting was about to take place. And apparently he had not been invited. His mind still puzzling over the event that had just happened a few minutes ago, when Danzo had entered his office...
"Hiruzen." Danzo greeted, his voice as emotionless as always."I'm surprised that you are still here, given that the council meeting is going to start in fifteen minutes."
"What council meeting?" Hiruzen demanded, suspicion creeping into his tone, "I was not informed of any meeting."
"Oh." Danzo dismissed, "I'm sure they just forgot to inform you." The bandaged man watched Hiruzen stand up and ready himself for the meeting, heading out the door a scant two minutes later. As the office door closed, Danzo allowed himself the indulgence of the smallest of satisfied smiles for the briefest of seconds.
Hiruzen walked quickly - not running, a Hokage did not run to a meeting - up to the large doors, and calmly placed his hand on the right door. "Naruto-Kun, even now you are rubbing off on me." He mused with a smirk. A pulse of chakra to his limb gave it enough strength to throw the door open with a flick of his wrist. The deafening BOOM sound that the door made when it rebounded off of the wall echoed in the chamber, startling those inside.
"I'm sorry." Hiruzen apologized, his voice not sounding apologetic in the slightest, "My hand slipped." All eyes followed the powerful ninja as he walked over to his chair and seated himself. "Now then," The Third Hokage casually let his battle scarred hands rest in front of him, "What are we discussing?" The Hokage smiled, the gesture lacking any humor. "Today is Thursday, so it is not our weekly meeting. It is not Tuesday, so it is not our financial meeting. Nor is it Monday, our day to discuss Shinobi and civilian affairs."
One of the civilians looked torn between his newly acquired fear of Hiruzen and his indignation at the topic that was about to be discussed. A quick glance told Hiruzen several important things. First, his advisors were not present. Secondly, and more importantly, the Hyuga Clan head and the Aburame Clan Head were also not among those seated. "More of those that were not informed about the meeting?" Hiruzen thought to himself, a frown crossing his face. Hiruzen was many things, many of which he would readily admit. But stupid wasn't one of them.
Hiashi Hyuga, the Head of the Hyuga Clan, was close to Naruto. Shibi Aburame, Head of the Aburame Clan, was not easily swayed; He preferred logic over emotional responses. And for his advisors, well, they were the Hokage's advisors. All of the missing people, including himself, had one thing in common. They were all connected to Naruto Uzumaki in some fashion. Hiashi was the most obvious, as were the advisors; given that the Hokage himself was not invited. Shibi was a bit of a puzzle, but then again, if one was about to have secret meetings in the council chambers, it would not be wise to have someone who would realize just how problematic it could become.
A second glance told Hiruzen that Inoichi Yamanaka, the Head of the Yamanaka Clan, and Shikaku Nara, Head of the Nara Clan were relived at the sight of him. Tsume Inuzuka, the female Head of the Inuzuka Clan, looked less...angry now that he had arrived. "Ah, Hokage-Sama," Shikaku inclined his head in Hiruzen's direction, "We were told that you were not going to attend this meeting."
Hiruzen inclined his head. "Oh? And who told you that?"
Shikaku leaned back, seemingly bored. "Oh, I suppose it wasn't officially stated." The Head of the Nara clan laced his hands behind his head, seemingly content to stare at the ceiling "It was implied though." He added as an afterthought.
Hiruzen nodded in understanding. "Oh, I'm sure it was just..." He paused just long enough to put many of those present on edge, "...a mistake." The Third leaned back and encompassed all of those seated at the table. "Now then. What is this meeting about?"
"W-Well," One of the civilians spoke up, managing to sound both indignant and rather slightly afraid, "We were just discussing the uh..." He scrambled for the words to describe the situation, "...new potential Chunin." He paused, his eyes frantically glancing around, "For uh...marketing reasons." The civilian sat back, feeling slightly satisfied with his recovery.
Hiruzen stifled a rather loud snort. As if that would honestly fool him. It was fairly obvious what their real motive was. Mentally, he engrained the name of the speaker into his mind; After all, sometime he spoke peoples name out loud...
The Hokage was about to open his mouth when Inoichi sat up, his eyes gleaming with some suddenly understood knowledge. He leaned over and whispered something into his old teammate's ear. Whatever it was, it caused the normally lazy Nara to suddenly drop his hands and lock eyes with Inoichi. The two members of the last generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho Team seemed to silently communicate with each other. Shikaku's uncommonly intense behavior prompted the other people seated at the table to glance uncertainly at each other.
Hiruzen once again marveled at Inoichi's skill with his clan's jutsu. Inoichi was most likely using a special Yamanaka Clan technique to communicate telepathically with Shikaku. "I wonder what you two have found so interesting." The Third wondered, knowing that Shikaku's raw intellect and Inoichi's skill in his clan's techniques were a potent combo, both on the battlefield and in the council chamber.
After a few moments of mental deliberation, Shikaku leaned back slightly, his mind racing to put together a plan. Dozens of plans were created, analyzed, and discarded within moments. Eventually, the Nara Clan Head spoke, his voice calm and deliberate. "I suppose it is a good thing we are having this meeting then. After all, there is seven Genin from Konoha competing for the Chunin rank. It is good that this council wants to...help them."
Inoichi nodded at his teammate's words. "Indeed. Even my Princess made it to the final phase." Normally a one would get mocked for calling his daughter 'Princess' but given that Inoichi could probably turn the average ninja into a vegetable with nothing more than a few hand gestures, everyone wisely kept quiet.
"Of course," Shikaku continued, shifting the attention back to himself, "There are several Genin who will most likely gain the rank of Chunin regardless of how the final phase turns out." Shikaku withheld a smirk at the thought of the reactions from his next words. "Genin such as the members of now fabled Team Eight."
Inoichi nodded, his face betraying nothing but pride. "My Princess has spoken often of Team Eight's skill." The blonde let his eyes drift to the side, all those present following his look. "I believe Team Eight is quite skilled myself, now that I saw them in action." The Yamanaka's eyes pierced the civilian he was currently looking at. "Don't you agree, Rodo-San?"
The aforementioned Rodo froze, sweat starting to appear on his brow. "I-I agree. Team Eight did well."
One of the heads of a smaller clan nodded. "Hinata-San did her clan proud. Sakura-San did very well despite not having the advantages of a bloodline." Murmurs of agreement echoed in the chamber. Tsume was one of the few who did not join in, preferring to narrow her eyes at a suspiciously silent Shikaku. The Inuzuka Clan Head, unlike many present, had fought alongside the Ino-Shika-Cho trio during the Third Ninja War. Often times Inoichi or Choza would stay out front, drawing the attention of the enemy while Shikaku stood back, waiting for that split second when all eyes were away from him to strike. Their tactics had not changed when they had entered the political arena.
So it was no surprise when Shikaku's voice lanced across the room, his tone calm but carrying an undertone of something deadly. "Aren't you forgetting someone? Namely Naruto Uzumaki?" Stunned silence hushed the room. Tsume blinked, shocked. Wasn't Naruto Uzumaki that blonde pup who had easily defeated his opponent in the preliminaries? Still, all of this subtle talk was starting to annoy her. Why couldn't they just come out and say what they were hinting at?
The Inuzuka Matron quickly lost her remaining patience at the continued silence that blanketed the Hall. The loud bang that echoed when she slammed her hands on the table startled many of those lost in their own panicked thoughts. "What the hell do you mean? Stop playing around!" Tsume was nothing if blunt. "What does it matter if they didn't mention that Naruto pup?"
Shikaku fought the urge to grin like a shark that had scented water. "I love it when a plan comes together." Out loud, the Nara Clan Head simply glanced over at Tsume. "Because it's quite simple. They failed to mention Naruto Uzumaki because they don't want him to succeed. The very thought of such an event is almost inconceivable." Shikaku then answered Tsume's unanswered question. "Of course, as to why they feel that way is something I can't say, given that a certain law prevents me from doing so."
Tsume set back down, putting her brain to use to decode the message that she had just been given. It wasn't that the Inuzuka Matron was stupid; it was simply that she, like many of her clan members, preferred to solve everything with brawn and instinct. However, now she had to figure out what Shikaku meant. The answer was nagging at her, much like a dog would gnaw on a bone.
Sakura made a frustrated noise in the back her throat. "Damn it!" Sakura muttered angrily, as she swept yet another section of the training ground. The pinkette felt annoyance and frustration building up within her. Lacking a proper target, the kunoichi's arm snapped outward, smashing into the nearest tree with a chakra enhanced punch. The tree shuddered, barely maintaining its upright position. Not satisfied with the lack of destruction, Sakura lashed out again, this time the tree trunk producing an audible crack. It began to lean backwards, and the pink-haired member of Team Eight snapped a kick forward, placing the blow precisely to the side of the part of the tree trunk that stubbornly held the tree from falling.
With a echoing snap the tree free-fell to the ground, the resounding crash as it hit the ground seeming impossibly loud. Suddenly Hinata was beside her, and glaring at something in the center of the tangled branches. "I know you are there." Hinata's voice was firm in her conviction, "I saw you once the tree moved. You can't hide from us now...Jiraiya."
The branches shifted, a figure slowly emerging from the cocoon of its leafy embrace. "Hello there!" Jiraiya the Toad Sannin smiled, directing his most charming smile at the two kunoichi, "My name is Jiraiya. I don't believe we have met." The white-haired Sannin excluded an aura of suggestiveness. "I would have remembered meeting such beautiful ladies as yourselves." Jiraiya had won over many women, both shinobi and civilian with his words. Having long since mastered the art of seduction, it was all but instinct at this point to the spy master to distract and subdue every female that could cause an issue.
Unfortunately for Jiraiya, his half-calculated seduction hit the wall of Sakura's and Hinata's righteous fury and any sway the white haired Sannin had promptly dissipated. Hinata's eyes flashed white. Sakura held up her hand, concentrating her chakra, drawing in all of the moisture in the air. Static began to crackle ever so slightly as Hinata began to focus her chakra.
Jiraiya felt his hair stand on end. "Well shit." The white haired Sannin concluded. The Toad Sannin, being very well acquainted with feminine fury, deployed his most effective technique. Jiraiya turned and sprinted off, his arms and legs pumping in a blur. A roar of rage behind him informed the Sannin that the two Kunoichi of Team Eight had taken up the chase, like wolves after a wounded deer. "Well fuck."
"You make an...interesting point, Shikaku." Hiruzen firmly stated. "However," The Third cast a warning glance at the far-too-intelligent-for-his-own-good Nara, "What I am more interested in at the moment is why you took it upon yourselves to not invite me to this meeting." A stunned quiet settled over most of the room. It was broken only by the door slowly opening, and the sharp tap of Danzo's cane echoed as he entered the room precisely on time.
Hiruzen's eyes glanced to each council member, taking note of the ones that flinched with every sound the cane made. Were those the ones who conspired against the village? Then again, the meek did not make bold strategies. Unless their meekness was nothing more than a mask, given how wearing a mask to hide your true intentions was normal.
But what about those who didn't twitch at the sound? Were they the ones who also didn't pause at the thought of betraying the village? But when was strength of will a damning attribute? Hiruzen almost scowled, his well maintained mask hiding his frustration. Outwardly, the Hokage simply waited for Danzo to slowly find his seat.
"Now then," Hiruzen watched all of the gazes turn back to him, "What are we talking about tonight?"
It was quiet for a few moments as those present carefully considered their options. Eventually one brave soul spoke up. "W-We called this meeting to discuss our growing concerns with Naruto Uzumaki's increasing strength." The civilian took a deep, fortifying breath before continuing. "He is growing stronger each day! Soon we will not be able to contain him if he attempts to destroy the village!"
"Is that so?" The Third's voice was mild, but that mildness failed to veil the iron beneath his calm words. "And why would he attempt to destroy the village?" Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. "Is it because you did your best to destroy him first?" The Professor's gaze speared the suddenly cowed Head of Civilian Housing. "Or is it perhaps that you have hounded and tormented him for so long and now..." Hiruzen's killing intent threatened to break free of the Third's tightly held control, "...And now you fear what you may have created?"
Old, potent chakra broke free. "Let me make one thing absolutely clear." A fire ignited behind the Third's eyes as his killing intent lanced across the room like a weapon. "Naruto Uzumaki is a ninja of this village. I will not tolerate any more discrimination towards Naruto." The civilian visibly flinched as the Third's terrible gaze settled on him. "Any attacks on Naruto Uzumaki will be met with the full extent of the law." The chakra loomed. "And I will punish those responsible with the full power of the Hokage."
A different, slightly frightened silence choked the chamber. Hiruzen sighed, retracting his chakra back into himself. "I was trying to be polite when we spoke of this before...But," Hiruzen's eyes hardened. "Since you did not listen, I had to tell you directly." The cold feeling of raw killing intent wafted across the room. "Consider this your final warning."
"Now then." Hiruzen's posture and expression slipped back into his normal professional state. "Since we are all here, let us discuss how we are going to market the final Chunin exam..."
"Did you see what room he went into?" Sakura asked her companion without taking her eyes off of the distant hotel.
"He has just entered Room Two-Twelve." Hinata reported to her fellow kunoichi, as she continued to watch the white-haired ninja from a distance. "I can see several more outfits that match the one he is currently wearing in the closet. This is the room he is staying in." Hinata closed her eyes and retracted her chakra from her eyes. "Now that we know where he lives, we can create a plan of attack."
Sakura nodded, doing her best to ignore the part of her that wanted to storm into Jiraiya's room and attempt to beat him into the ground right this instant. "Yes. Haku-Chan will also want to join us." The pink-haired girl hesitated before continuing. "Couldn't we just beat him down and leave him there? Do we really have to deal with him?"
Hinata gave on her closest friend an amused smile. "While I do not particularly want to deal with him either, his skills as a spy master are too useful to ignore." Hinata's eyes hardened. "He owes Naruto-Kun that much."
Sakura huffed before sighing. "I know." Her face twisted up into a frown. "Why couldn't this be simple? Just go in, beat up the perverted man, and leave." The pink-haired kunoichi tilted her head to the side as she just realized something. "This is how life is going to be once Naruto-Kun becomes Head of his clan isn't it? We won't have the option of just beating everyone into the ground."
Hinata solemnly nodded. "Yes. We will have to think of the political ramifications of things before we act." She turned to fully face the oddly quiet Sakura. "You aren't thinking of giving up on becoming Naruto-Kun's wife are you?"
"W-What?" Sakura blinked, returning to the present situation. "You wish! In the end Naruto-Kun and I will be..." Sakrua gulped, her face turning bright red, "...as close as two people can be."
Hinata turned back to gaze outwards, a satisfied smile touching her lips. "Good. I won't want my rival to give up so easily."
Sakura snorted, sounding very much like her normal self. "You wish. I'm not out of the game yet."
Naruto leaned back, feeling satisfied with how his current seal was working. It was a special seal that, when applied to a surface, bent both sight and sound around the object. It was a vastly more advanced version of his current seal that lined the walls of Team Eight's mission tent. Currently he still had much to do. He had to figure out a way to render the seals, and thus whatever the seal was hiding, invisible to chakra related senses. It wouldn't do, after all, for a sensor ninja to discover them as they slept...
Naruto glanced at the clock. It had been nearly three hours since Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan had left the house. He wondered idly what they were doing out so late, but it was only an idle curiosity. After all, he knew that they could take care of themselves. Not only that, but he trusted them. If they felt that they needed to do something without him, Naruto was sure that they had a good reason. Besides, it had been awhile since he and Haku-Chan relaxed together. The blonde Uzumaki enjoyed the vast amount of training they had done, but he had missed these quiet nights, just basking in the peaceful silence with his favorite people.
Jiraiya chuckled to himself as he reviewed tomorrow's lesson for Naruto. He had to hand it to the two kunoichi of Team Eight. They were good, really good, for their age and rank. But still, they weren't good enough to escape his chakra senses. He could sense them now, standing on the edges of his passive awareness, watching the hotel he was staying at. But...the white-haired pervert let a large smile cover his face. Naruto sure knew how to pick them. For a moment the white-haired Sannin considered caution, memories of Kushina flashing through his mind. More specifically, all of the times that Jiraiya had attempted to "help" Minato with women...
"Nah." Jiraiya dismissed, "I'm sure that they'll just chase me like they did today." The Toad Sannin paused, considering. "Perhaps I can use this to help Naruto. Maybe if I slow down a bit they will train so they can catch me..." His plan decided, Jiraiya turned back to his notes. "I almost forgot!" The self-proclaimed pervert exclaimed as his eyes widened. He quickly held up his hands in a familiar cross sign, a moment later a clone of Jiraiya stepping out of the white smoke. The clone quickly grabbed the offered notebook and began to quickly write down the events of today. The first book in the series called "Icha Icha: The Fox, The Blossom, The Ice Queen, and The Princess" was about to be born!
"Well, then." Shikaku casually commented to the Hokage as the last council member filtered out of the room, "It looks like I won't be invited to another one of these..." The Nara paused just long enough to maximize the joke, "Utterly fascinating meetings."
Hiruzen chuckled warmly. "It appears so." Hiruzen glanced sideways at the Nara Clan Head. "I'm sure you already know this, but all council meetings are considered private and should not be discussed with anyone outside of the council room."
Shikaku didn't allow the smirk to cross his face. "Of course. I would never say any words to anyone."
Neji let out a heavy sigh, having come no closer to finding the answer to Hinata-Sama's question. Did he really want to be free of the Caged Bird Seal? Yes. More than anything, yes. Could he defy Fate to do it? He didn't know. Fate was something he lived with, put his trust in. It brought peace to the world, made sense of the actions that took his father away. For the first time in many years, Neji asked himself "What would Father do?" The answers did not come, nor did restfulness that night.
The sun was just about to peek over the horizon the next morning when Naruto awoke, the images of his nightmares already fading. The blonde grinned to himself as he hopped out of bed. While he would have preferred to have woken up several hours ago to train, the Last Uzumaki couldn't deny that having a full nights rest - a full one compared to his normal sleeping time - had felt rather enjoyable. It was almost as nice as when he slept beside Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan during missions. Naruto shook his head at his own thoughts as he entered the master bathroom. As if Hinata-Chan or Sakura-Chan would want to sleep beside him when it wasn't cold out.
Still, Naruto acknowledged, it had been very...nice to sleep beside them, despite his body misinterpreting the situation. Naruto grimaced as he thought of how it was getting harder and harder to hide his body's reactions to Sakura-Chan's, Hinata-Chan's, and Haku-Chan's beauty. Eventually it would come to light, and Naruto hoped that they wouldn't think too badly of him on that day. Still, the blonde Uzumaki resolved, he would do everything in his power to keep it a secret. Above all else, he never wanted any of his most precious people to feel awkward or embarrassed by something he did. Naruto's expression flashed back to a happy one as he remembered that he was going to attempt to enter his parents house again. Perhaps he could withstand the pain today, given that he would be expecting it. After all, pain wasn't as bad when you knew it was coming.
Shino quietly walked towards his clan's clinic. It had been four days since the Chunin exams and he had been training with his father each day, the latter having abstained from his Clan duties in order to train Shino. However, three days ago the sound kunoichi Kin Tsuchi had recovered significantly enough to be released from the hospital. She had shown signs that she was afraid to return to her Genin team, but the hospital staff had assumed that it was a simple fear of chastisement. That was not the case. Shino took a brief moment to remember how he had found Kin later that evening...
It had been a long day, Shino reflected as he moved back towards his clan's compound. Father had sparred with him for several hours before immediately moving on to a lesson. Despite the toughness of the training, Shino enjoyed the work. Perhaps, he had mused to himself, Naruto-San was rubbing off on him. If he was, the bug-user then considered, it would not be a bad thing. Naruto-San was a good...friend.
The whispered feelings from one of his scout bugs caused Shino's eyes to widen slightly behind his sunglasses. The Aburame quickly moved to the scout bug's location. As he grew close, he began to smell the sharp iron smell of wet blood. Soon the now hurrying bug-user reached the alley where the source of the scent was located at. Shino readied himself, his chakra and bugs tensing to be instantly called upon if necessary. He peered down the darkened alley.
The body of a broken and bleeding young black-haired girl was slumped against the wall of the alley, perhaps thirty feet from the main road. Shino, despite realizing that this could have been a trap, hurried to the girl. When he dropped to his knees to get a closer look at her wounds, Shino had been startled to realize that it was the sound kunoichi who had been defeated by Ino-San in the preliminaries. A flicker of thought and chakra had one of his short-range scout bugs landing on her shoulder. It took only moments for the bug to relay the information that it had gathered.
The girl, Kin-San if memory served, was near death. She was on the verge of bleeding out and judging from the trail of blood leading farther into the alley, had dragged herself to this location from elsewhere. Shino, lacking the ability to treat her wounds, had carefully picked up the unconscious kunoichi. A quick assessment gave Shino the information that his clan's clinic was closer then the hospital by a large margin. Not only that, but given the state of her wounds, he was willing to bet that they had been inflicted by someone closer to her. A teammate perhaps? Either way, Shino wasn't about to let her be attacked again while she lay helpless in the hospital.
As Shino hurried - running might injure her more - to the clan's compound, he tried to figure out why he cared enough to help her. After a moments of contemplation, the best he could come up with was that he just couldn't leave her out there, alone to die. It just...wouldn't be right. Not when he had the power to help, to protect.
When he had arrived at the Aburame Clan Clinic, Kin had been quickly taken away from his arms and rushed into surgery. During that time his Father and Mother had questioned him on why he had brought the girl to the clan's clinic. Shino had given the same response as he had given himself. His father had given him a long look, searching for something. After a few moments Father had nodded and left, going to take care of what duties he had as the Head of the Clan. Shino's mother on the other hand, had questioned Shino in more detail about the girl.
Mother had been strange. She had all but demanded where Shino had known the girl from. When Shino had admitted that she had attacked him in the Forest of Death during the Second Phase of the Chunin Exams, she had frowned. But as Shino described Kin-San's rather ingenious attack - it was still ingenious despite the fact that it had failed - his Mother had started to smile. When Shino asked about why she was smiling, his Mother had simply replied, "It's nothing to worry about dear. It's just the idle thoughts of a mother."
Shino, having never been a mother, quickly consulted the Queen Bug inside of him. When it failed to produce any worth-while answers, he had accepted his mother's explanation. Soon after the clan's medic ninja had entered the room to inform Shino that Kin-San was currently resting from the surgery.
Kin had woken up nearly a day later. When Shino had finished his training for the day, he had walked towards the clinic, reasoning that it was normal to check up on someone he had brought in. As he neared the clinic, he could hear the shouts of a confused and panicking Kin-San. Shino had hurried to the door to the clinic.
Inside the clinic was an amusing sight, were it not for the serious situation. Kin, having apparently just woken up, was attempting to break out of her bed restraints. As she frantically pulled on the leather straps, she failed to notice that her bandages were beginning to darken with fresh blood. The medic nin, who had never been trained to deal with an unruly patient, quickly conscripted Shino to calm the sound kunoichi down before leaving to get more help...
"What are you doing?" Shino's monotone voice managed to still convey his confusion towards the situation. Why was she trying to escape? She was simply damaging her body more.
"Why do you think?!" Kin snapped, her panicked eyes betraying her tough tone. "I heard all about your clan! How you eat people with your bugs!" Noticing the medic-nin had left, the black-haired girl renewed her frantic pulling to free herself.
Shino was at a loss. Why did she think they ate people? It was true that they did have several bug species that ate flesh, but that was reserved for only the most dire of situations. The bug-user racked his brain for an idea, any idea on how to calm the girl down. What would Naruto-San do? Shino unzipped his coat collar exposing his lower face. Noticing the kunoichi redouble her efforts, Shino pressed onwards and carefully removed his sunglasses. He exposed his brown eyes to the light of day for the first time in quite some time.
"Kin-San," Shino did his best to mimic Naruto's earnest and honest expression, "I will not let anything happen to you. I was the one who brought you here to be fixed." As poor as the imitation sounded to his ears, it was apparently enough for the sound kunoichi. Pausing in her struggles, Kin turned her head to fully take in her supposed rescuer. After her eyes carefully glanced over his exposed face - Shino fought the urge to cover himself back up -, the black-haired girl slumped back, exhausted from her panicked motions.
"R-Really?" Kin's voice was quiet, hesitant. It was almost as if his words were too good to be true. As if she couldn't bring herself to believe them, but still desperately wanting them to be true.
Still channeling Naruto, Shino nodded. "I will protect you." Shino had been confused and worried when tears began to fall from Kin-San's cheeks. Shino suddenly remembered Naruto's advice on the different types of tears. "What type of tears are you crying?"
Shino's perfectly logical question - or at least it was logical to him - seemed to utterly confuse Kin. "W-What?" Kin's watery and still slightly scared voice tugged at some unknown part of him. Ignoring it, Shino explained his question in more detail.
"My friend, Naruto-San, explained to me that there are several types of tears. There are tears of pain, tears of sadness, tears of shared sadness, and tears of happiness." Shino peered slightly closer to Kin. "What types of tears are you crying?"
Kin wiped at her cheeks and eyes quickly. "I wasn't crying! I just had some dust in my eyes." Her brown - so brown they looked almost black - eyes challenged Shino to contradict her. After all, she had shown enough weakness in the last few days. Even now, she fought against the urge to cry, to sob at all that she had lost. Her own teammates had betrayed her, tried to kill her. And if they hadn't been so shitty at their job, they would have succeeded. And that was to say nothing of what Orochimaru-Sama would do when he found her.
But the sound kunoichi was a survivor. She had to be, having been a young pretty girl surrounded by male ninja. And right now, with only one card left to play, Kin hated what she was about to do. "D-Do you really mean you will protect me?" Kin had always despised kunoichi who had acted like fan girls, but she really didn't want to die. And she really, really didn't want to ever meet Orochimaru-Sama again...
Shino nodded. "I will protect you."
Kin smirked inwardly, shoving her fears down with a sense of accomplishment at how easy it was to manipulate the Aburame. It gave her a feeling of power, that she had some control over her own life.
Shino still didn't know why, but he often found himself spending his free time with Kin-San, who was slowly regaining her strength. She was...different, Shino ended up on deciding. The sound kunoichi gave off an aura of untouchable overconfidence most of the time, but sometimes, in rare quiet moments, she would retreat into herself, faint traces of a scared girl rising to the surface. But those moments were far and few between. As soon as the black-haired kunoichi realized what she was doing, she would throw back on her mask of overconfidence.
It was a rather convincing mask, Shino had to admit, but he had seen far better. Naruto-San had the greatest mask of all, or perhaps it was more accurate to say he had many masks. There was the mask of ignorance, although it was seldom used these days; the mask of happiness, Naruto-San's impossibly wide smiles that covered his face; the mask of anger, terrible anger that could cause even the most powerful of ninja to feel fear; and his mask of confidence. Shino still wasn't sure what mask Naruto-San wore was his real face and what was a mere act. If he had to truly guess, the Aburame would have said that Naruto-San's true self was a mixture of all of the masks.
Still, above all else, Naruto-San was his friend. Shino shook his head as he reached for the door knob to the clinic. It wouldn't do, after all, to have Kin-San ask more uncomfortable questions...
Naruto felt the muscles in his body unconsciously start to tense as he closed in on the barrier that protected his parents home. The blonde attempted to force himself to relax, but all those years of feeling pain caused an unstoppable pre-learned reaction that was slow to dissipate. Sighing, the blonde Uzumaki accepted that his reaction was unavoidable and thus the best option would be to ignore it. It had worked before, and there was no reason to believe that it wouldn't work now.
The Last Uzumaki closed his eyes and concentrated. A moment later ten clones sprang into existence, each of their faces set in determined expressions, knowing their job. To retrieve their creator if he falls unconscious or unresponsive. Naruto glanced at his grim faced clones, only for one to break it's expression to give it's creator a confident grin and a thumbs-up. The clone next to it turned and frowned at the not-so-serious clone. The happy clone rubbed it's neck sheepishly before snapping back to the grim expression that mirrored it's brethren.
Naruto took heaved a deep breath and gathered himself, steeling his nerves for the journey in front of him. The Last Uzumaki stepped forward, feeling the slight resistance of the barrier as he past though it. Naruto made it twenty steps before the headache started to creep on the back of his skull. Naruto ignored it, allowing his consciousness to drift around the pain with practiced skill. Knowing that the view off to the right would most certainly lead to crippling pain, the blonde Uzumaki kept his gaze firmly on the path that led to the houses' front door.
It took only ten more steps to evolve the headache to a searing throb. Ten more and the surrounding area started to flicker between what was and what was not. Twenty steps farther in and sounds and light from nowhere and everywhere started to filter in, each sound indistinct and just out of reach.
Naruto staggered towards the door frame that flickered between a shattered wooden frame and a welcoming open door. The Last Uzumaki staggered up the deceptive stone steps, only for his foot to catch on the top piece, the shattered stone biting into the blonde's ankle, drawing a steady stream of blood. Naruto lashed outwards with his hands, attempting to arrest his fall. His hands bled as he gripped the shattered remains of the wooden door frame; the splintered surface helping ground him into the here and now.
The blonde Uzumaki's foot felt like it weighed ten-thousand pounds as he stepped one small step into his parents home. His back foot dragged as it slid into the floor. A sudden small surged of the Kyubi's chakra stopped the bleeding and pushed back the pounding in his head. Even though it was but a moment's respite, it was all Naruto needed to recharge his unstoppable will.
The Last Uzumaki took a step forward. His leg trembled, but his foot was firm. Naruto glanced around, feeling strangely numb as he took in the home that flickered between the lighted undestroyed home and the much more real fire-charred building. Suddenly he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face it and saw two swords resting elegantly on their stand. A new wave of pain suffused his mind. But Naruto had a goal and he would not be dissuaded; pain would not stop him; suffering would not bind him.
After what seemed like a thousand lifetimes, Naruto staggered in front of the small table that the stand that held the two swords rested on. Naruto reached out, blind to the warm sticky wetness that was dripping out of his nose at a steady pace. As his hands grew close, the Last Uzumaki's vision flickered, arms much slimer than his own stretching forward. Hands much more delicate and feminine then his own brushed the handles of the swords, an aching sense of familiarity whispering though him. The Last Uzumaki's hands close around the sword's, his vision flickering rapidly from his own hands to the other more thinner hands. Pain threatened to swallow him whole, but he couldn't give up now; wouldn't give up now; refused to give up now.
With a strangled grunt he pulled the infinitely heavy swords from their resting place, the accumulated dust of the last thirteen years floating though the air. Clutching the swords the blonde staggered towards the exit, his vision now swimming, shifting with every step he took. He felt his body jerk with every step he took, his body swaying from side to side, threatening to topple over. He made it all the way into the yard before his legs refused to move, and Naruto tumbled forward into the painless dark.
Haku prided herself on being the more rational one of the three women that stayed at Naruto-Sama's home. However, that calm rationality was shattered into ten-thousand pieces when she saw the pale white face of her Naruto-Sama being carried by several of his clones. Dimly she noted that one of the clones was carrying two sheathed swords, but the ice-user was much more worried about her master then any weapon.
The ice-user quickly moved to her Naruto-Sama's side, worry clearly painted across her face. What had happened to Naruto-Sama? The shocked and equally worried cries that Sakura and Hinata let as they rushed to their Naruto-Kun's side shook the ice-user out of her stunned state.
"Sakura-Chan!" Haku ordered, "What is wrong with him?" Her now fierce brown eyes swung towards Hinata. "Hinata-Chan! What is between us and our home?" The temperature dropped ten degrees as the ice-user allowed her chakra to manifest as she prepared to defend her master.
"There is no one between us and home." Hinata reported as she continued to watch the entire area with her bloodline. "Sakura-Chan?"
"He can be moved." The pink-haired medical kunoichi reported a moment later, her hand still glowing green. "He does not have any internal injuries that would be increased by travel." She glanced at her two fellow kunoichi. "I can examine him closer once we reach home."
It only took the three a scant ten minutes to reach the house that they shared with their precious cargo. "Lay him on the bed!" Sakura, now in her element, ordered. "Find out what the clones know." The pinkette glanced sharply at the other two girls before closing the door to examine her patient without interruption.
"Uh..." The lead clone glanced back between the two stern faced Kunoichi slowly walking towards him, "I found him like that." Noticing that they didn't even pause in stride, it tried again. "We even washed all the blood off his face!" The clone smiled, proud that it was able to help Hinata-Chan, Sakura-Chan, and Haku-Chan.
"Tell us everything." Hinata urged the clone.
"Well..." The clone began, "Boss created us before he entered the barrier..."
Consciousness filtered slowly into Naruto, his dreams dissipating like mist in the morning sun, disappearing in vapor passed his remembrance. The blonde cracked open his eyes and almost instantly scrunched them shut against the harsh spear of the sunlight. The slight headache that threatened to form ebbed away in an instant. "Thanks Kyubi." Naruto sent the grateful thought inwards towards the chakra demon.
The blonde Uzumaki was much more cautious in opening his eyes, carefully allowing them to adjust to the rays of the midday sun. Wait...Naruto paused, considering. Midday sun? The Last Uzumaki's eyes widened as he threw off the covers. "I am so late to training!"
The blonde raced down the steps only to skid to a stop as he entered the living room. Sakura looked up startled. Spotting her Naruto-Kun, her medical training took over. "Naruto-Kun, how are you feeling?" The book she was reading was carelessly set aside as she hopped up from the couch. "Are you feeling fine?" Her anxious tone was contrasted by her steady hand as she checked her Naruto-Kun for any lingering damage.
Naruto grinned at Sakura, happy that she cared about him. "I'm fine Sakura-Chan!" Naruto's sunny disposition informed the pink-haired girl that everything was fine. "But..." The blonde's expression turned pensive. "...I am so late for training."
Sakura giggled happily. If Naruto-Kun's words didn't show that he was feeling better, she didn't know what did. "You've been unconscious for three days." She informed the blonde between her happy bursts of energy. "We were so worried when we found out you had a brain hemorrhage! But we never lost faith that you would wake up."
"Three days?" Naruto blinked before focusing on the more important thing. "I'm sorry I worried you. I'll try not to do it again." Naruto's face set in determination. He would not worry those closest to him, not even for his parent's house.
Sakura could help but smile fondly at Naruto. "Well..." The pinkette smirked playfully before tossing a light punch to the blonde's shoulder, "...If you do, I'll just have to make sure you remember not to get hurt..." The smirk instantly fell from the pink-haired girl's face when her mind processed a very important detail: When she had hit Naruto's shoulder, her fist touched skin not cloth. For the first time since the Last Uzumaki had entered the room Sakura looked at him.
His shirtless sweaty chest glistened in the sunlight. Sakura's cheeks caught flame. Naruto's gaze caught her's, drawing the hypnotized girl into the infinite depths of his bright ocean-blue eyes. An irresistible force drew them together. Naruto caught sight of her pink lips and couldn't help but lean forward. The two drifted together...closer...closer...closer.
Bang!
The sound of the front door slamming snapped the two out of their stupor. Sakura and Naruto sprang apart as Hinata entered the room. "Naruto-Kun!" The Hyuga cried out happily, "You are alright!" The blonde Uzumaki found himself wrapped in a tight hug as Hinata expressed her joyfulness. "I was so worried."
Naruto smiled down at the blue-haired girl hugging him, happiness once again filling him at the thought that someone cared about him. "I'm fine, Hinata-Chan. I'm sorry for worrying you." He pulled her into a tight hug, wanting to reassure her that everything was perfect. He warmly glanced up to see Haku standing a few from him with joyful tears streaming down her face.
"Naruto-Sama was all right!"
The Last Uzumaki stared at the two sheathed Katanas his clone had brought with him. They were both new and yet strangely familiar, as if they were part of some forgotten dream. The sheaths for the two swords were beautiful in their simplicity, a deep red that enhanced the black and white blossoming vine that wound around the metal sheaths. The hilts themselves were the darkest black that criss-crossed with dark blood red. The weapons looked both impossibly elegant and terribly lethal. Naruto slowly reached out and picked up one of the swords, grasping the sheath with his left hand. He ignored the spike of sudden pain in his skull as he reached for the hilt.
Familiarity flickered as he grasped the hilt, forgotten instincts whispering. With a slow rasp the Last Uzumaki withdrew the sword, it's still shiny surface gleaming in the afternoon sun. The blade looked very sharp, almost impossibly so, and had the slightest curve to it. "You can use it to direct the enemy's blow so you don't have to use as much strength." Some part of him whispered.
His hand traced the intricate seals on the blade, somehow knowing what each did despite having never seen such seals from before. Tension and the urge to spar someone with his blades warred with Naruto's knowledge that he had missed three days of training. Giving an unnoticed regretful sigh, Naruto sheathed the sword with a practiced ease born of countless training sessions. The blonde Uzumaki strapped the two swords on his back with unconscious reflex, never noticing how he had the straps directly crossing his breastbone, making sure not to have the straps touch his pectorals.
Jiraiya let out a tired but content sigh as he slowly walked back to his room for the evening. As the white-haired ninja ambled towards his destination, he reflected back on the last week of training he had with his godson, Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto was, in a single word, unstoppable. You could knock him down a thousand times, and he would stand back up each time. Training that would have exhausted even the most seasoned of ninja did not stop him. The Toad Sannin was unsure how much of Naruto's strength was because of his status as the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, or because his heritage. Personally, Jiraiya suspected that Naruto's natural abilities were enhanced his heritage, rather than being only was the sum of his abilities. Not only that, but the blonde had somehow found his mother's swords. When Jiraiya had asked Naruto about them, he had gotten a cold look and been asked how that was any of his business.
The white haired ninja grimaced as he remembered today's events. Or more specifically, Jiraiya's decision to take Naruto away to train him in the art of summoning. The Toad Summoning Contract was something that Jiraiya cherished almost above all else. It was what enabled him to become strong enough to protect the ones he cared about. The white-haired ninja fought off the shame-filled memories of all the times that that strength wasn't enough. That he wasn't fast enough; wasn't brave enough; wasn't powerful enough; didn't...care enough.
Jiraiya shook his head violently, dispelling the memories. In order to train Naruto on how to summon the Toads, he had to take Naruto away for private training, far from the village. He had sent Naruto to his home to break the news to his - Jiraiya didn't suppress the perverted giggle - girl space friends. And knowing the three kunoichi, they would very unhappy that "their" Naruto-Kun would be taken away, even for a short period of time as two weeks.
Jiraiya shrugged as he opened the door to his hotel room. The white-haired Sannin closed the door and turned towards the bed only to freeze. A folded note sat on the bed with the words, in bold lettering, "We need to talk. You owe Naruto." Jiraiya fought against the accusing thoughts that screamed at him. "You failed! You are a failure! You didn't protect Naruto! You never even checked up on him, not even once!"
Jiraiya picked up the paper note with trembling hands, blankly staring at the seven words. Slowly he flipped it over to see more writing. "Training Ground Sixteen. Tonight." Jiraiya glanced at the darkening sky out his window. The Toad Sannin let the note fall to the ground. He had somewhere to be.
Sakura waited alongside Hinata and Haku. The pinkette allowed a small smirk cross her face as she remembered how the three of them had worked together to leave the note for Jiraiya. It had instructed him to meet them at Training Ground Sixteen, the very training ground the three were currently standing in. "He should have already seen the note." Hinata spoke, breaking the silence. "He should be arriving shortly."
A moment later Hinata spoke again. "Here he comes."
Jiraiya landed in the central clearing of Training Ground Sixteen. The run over had served to clear his mind. How much did they know? If they knew of Naruto's status as his godson, did that mean they knew of his heritage; who his parents were? And if they did, what did they want? Jiraiya blinked as he took in the three young kunoichi standing in front of him, emotionless masks hiding their thoughts. "Welcome." Sakura spoke, her tone unreadable. "We have much to discuss."
Jiraiya instantly switched to another mask. "Well...well. Had I known several beautiful girls would want to see me alone..." Jiraiya let a perverted giggle escape, "...I would have changed into a different outfit."
"Shut-up Pervert." Sakura snapped, shoving her anger at the white-haired Sannin deep inside. Now was not the time. "We have called you here because you are going to have to choose."
At Jiraiya's look of confusion Hinata stepped forward and spoke up. "What Sakura-Chan means is that you will have to choose." The Hyuga kunoichi blinked, her eyes glowing with her bloodline. "The village is hiding something. We want you to find out what it is." The blue-haired Kunoichi let her words linger for a moment before going for the kill. "It's related to Naruto-Kun. You swore to keep him safe, all those years ago."
Hinata's white eyes seared Jiraiya's soul. "Isn't it time you made the decision to become his godfather?"
"B-But...he doesn't want me to be his godfather." Jiraiya weakly replied.
"What does that matter?" Haku spoke for the first time since they had entered the clearing. "You either are his godfather, and thus will protect him with all of your skills and strength, or you are not." The ice-user locked eyes with Jiraiya. "So tell me: Are you Naruto-Sama's godfather?"
Jiraiya was quiet for a long time as he searched deep within himself. Could he trust himself with the responsibility of taking care of another? Was he worthy of being Naruto's godfather after everything he had done; had failed to prevent?
No, Jiraiya realized, he was not worthy. Suddenly, a quiet whisper of a thought ghosted through his mind. "What would Naruto do if he was in your situation?" Jiraiya pored every ounce of thought into answering that question. What would Naruto do?
"Naruto would not let something like he was not worthy stop him. He would push himself; training until he was strong enough; that he was worthy enough. Naruto would not let the past effect his future." A determined expression flowed onto Jiraiya's face. "And if Naruto would not let it stop him, how can I, his godfather, let it stop me?"
"Yes." Jiraiya met the eyes of the gathered kunoichi without hesitation, "I choose to be Naruto's godfather."
"And what are you going to do?" Sakura prompted.
"I am going to protect my godson."
Yugao withheld a quiet saddened sigh as she sat in the tent with Hayate, her lover sleeping soundly beside her. While she was grateful to have a mission with Hayate, the suspicious timing of the mission as well as its length led the purple-haired swordswoman to believe that it was a set-up to prevent her and Hayate from training him for the Chunin finals.
Thinking of Naruto brought a small smile to her face as she remembered all of the times she and Hayate trained the blonde. "Hayate-Kun would make a excellent father." A savage pain tore at her heart as she thought those words. Yugao scrunched her eyes shut furiously to prevent any helpless angry tears from falling. While she was still recovering from her injuries she had received during the mission to take down the traitorous ANBU, the medic nin had delivered the awful news.
The vicious sword swipe she had endured had cut deeply into her abdominal area. It had cut directly into her reproductive organs, scarring her uterus badly. The damage was so terrible that it was far beyond anyone at the hospital's skill to reverse. Yugao was now infertile.
The swordswoman had taken the new stoically, as befitting her status as a high-ranking kunoichi. However, when alone she had wept bitterly, all chances of training her own children now gone. Still, this mission would pay enough for them to live comfortably without having to take any missions. Yugao and Hayate planned on taking a few months off to train Naruto, who was perhaps the closest thing to a son either of them would have.
Feeling Hayate's bare arm shift beside her, Yugao quietly lay back down, wrapping her arms around the naked form of her lover. She didn't foresee their target, a ninja who liked to use poisonous gases in combat, being much of a challenge.
So what did you guys think? I enjoyed writing this chapter, but at times the room I write in can get very hot so I'm not sure if parts of this was a result of that.
To my reviewers:
HeraldoEndfan001: Well, first I want to say you have a rather awesome name. As far as Jiraiya goes, I originally had written an entire scene were Sakura, Hinata, and Haku beat the snot out of Jiraiya. However, when I looked over it, it didn't mesh well with the rest of the tone of this story. So I scrapped that idea and moved on (I still have it somewhere if you guys want to see it in some kinda of AU of an AU story). But as far as the second part, I think you'll enjoy what all goes down with that this chapter. As for Naruto's "fun times" at his parents' house, there is a rather large hint as to what is going on. If you are still confused, drop a PM over and I'll do my best to explain it in more detail.
Vanishing Raptor: Thanks! Emotions are weird, I try my best to convey them, I'm never quite certain since I know what I mean when I'm describing something. Yeah, You'll see more Hiruzen awesome this chapter. Granted, he is still keeping secrets, but it's a step in the right direction. And yeah, part of me wishes I could justify having Sakura, Hinata, and Haku beat Jiraiya down, but there is currently too big of a skill gap between them right now. And yeah, things are starting to heat up a bit (in more ways than one).
W01frunn3r: Thanks! Yeah, while Jiraiya got off free for now, I'm sure that they aren't going to forget about beating him down. As far as the inheritance goes, that whole thing should be happening next chapter since Hinata won't be accidently distracted by Naruto. As far as Naruto forgiving Jiraiya, I think that there is a much higher chance of being forgiven at some point in the future now that Jiraiya has accepted that responsibility that comes along with being a godfather.
loganhunter2: It's funny, when I set out to write this fic I didn't plan on it being dark, not exactly. I just took all of the elements in Cannon and played them straight. What happened, however, is exactly like you said, it's much darker then cannon. Jiraiya is an interesting character. In cannon we're never sure who the real Jiraiya is for the longest time. Is it the super pervert or the badass toad sage? I tried my best to capture that in Jiraiya's character in HotE. I'm honestly not sure what will happen when Jiraiya informs Naruto what he was doing for the last thirteen years. On the one hand, he was helping the village, on the other hand, he was a really terrible godfather. And yeah, Jiraiya is now going to investigate the village when he has time. And your approval, just like all of my readers, is an awesome feeling to know that people like what I write. Hinata is at a slightly strange place right now. She's still the simple girl that likes a boy, but she's also a person who knows wrongs have been committed against Naruto. So she is caught between those two ideas. And yeah, who said I give nice things like chakra boosts without a down side...
Animaman: Your first guess was right. Sasuke was awake and recorded Orochimaru placing the seal on Naruto with his Sharingan. And you are right, that would be a delicious irony. I'm not sure it will happen though, given that he is currently attempting to beat Naruto, who currently doesn't use guile to win. As far as the females go, well pretty much everyone goes to the final Chunin matches...I can safely tell you that the villagers didn't cause Naruto's parent's house to explode without spoiling anything. And yeah, I hope the Tsunade reacts a bit better than she did in cannon when she meets Naruto for the first time. And yeah, Hiruzen finally decided to stop hinting to the council that they should stop. Let me know what you thought of the council scenes. Originally I had that scene in place, but like a few other scenes, it just didn't fit the tone of the story or characters at that time.
Chewie Cookies: Yeah...the village should really just give back Naruto's inheritance...it will make things so much more easier for them...
KyoLover: To be honest, it was purposeful to a certain extent. I try to include moments of fridge logic in my story. To be more specific to this chapter, I've found that angry people tend to be more alike, especially if something was feeding that anger...
Illuminated: Yeah, I tried to convey that Jiraiya - despite his perverted outlook - is still a powerful ninja. And the funny thing about Naruto and the village is that the only thing keeping him in the village is the fact that his friends are currently staying in it. The village should really think about what they have created.
gixmaxter: Thanks! I hope you like this one as well.
LordTicky: Yeah, I really wanted to for the beat down scene to happen, but it didn't feel like it fit in the story given how lethal most attacks are in HotE. Unlike in Cannon, being frozen solid tends to kill you. Ah well, I never said it wasn't going to happen at some point. Just not right now.
Necrotic Knight: Thanks! I'm trying by best to only allow the characters to cause the story to deviate from cannon, rather than random events happening to force the change. And while it wasn't a revenge of a phyical kind, I suppose that you could consider what happened revenge in a way.
wolfboy2778: Well, luckily for Jiraiya cooler heads prevailed. So he didn't get beaten this time.
Guest: Thanks! Here's the next chapter.
DanteShindo: Yeah, Naruto's stance of training to protect is rubbing off on those closest to him. As far as the leaving the village thing goes...I honestly don't know. It really depends on what the village does when Naruto attempts to become head of the Uzumaki clan. I will say I have some drafts of some awesome stuff happening in the village and Naruto is there, so I'm not planning on having him leave the village.
bloodbrother 18: The five elements seal is known by a very select few. The only reason Sasuke knows it is because he saw it with his Sharingan. And it's not something easy to teach. Sasuke just knew how to do it because he saw it with his Sharingan. Personally I subscribe to the idea that the Sharingan can see every minute detail related to chakra stuff. That's what Sasuke's Sharingan saw. Kinda OP, but that's what the eyes can do in cannon if I interpreted them right.
Iceflame55: Why not all three? An cakestewsicle? But in all seriousness, I couldn't see any of the girls managing to beat down Jiraiya at their currently level of strength.
Anarky'sMeanBeast: Sorry to disappoint you for Jiraiya's continued survival. When I am writing Naruto, I try my best to write him how he would act, avoiding painting him with a good or evil light. Honestly, Cannon Naruto reacted basically the opposite of what he should have, psychologically speaking. I tried to write as realistic as I could, or at least as much as I could without changing the base character. I think Naruto did have DID for a little while, but the constant attention from those closest to him brought him out of that before it could really take hold. That said, there are different ways to get DID...
TheNiemand: I honestly didn't realize I was using it that much. But I'll try to add some verity to the way he views those closest to him.
drannakka: Yeah, Jiraiya didn't have the easiest time this chapter. The village mostly got just the money and various other public things from Naruto's inheritance. All of the family stuff was kept hidden in their home, a home that the village can't find. And yeah, Naruto's going to be asking some very uncomfortable questions at some point and the village better have a good answer...
Kairan1979: You're exactly right. Jiraiya is someone who was never really forced to grow up and take responsibility. He's just kinda done his own things to help others, so he didn't really understand why Naruto was upset at him. That was one thing I wanted to keep, because logically, Jiraiya is a very good teacher for Naruto. And yeah, Hiruzen is still worried about all of the damage Jiraiya or Naruto could cause if they found out the truth. And yeah, the village is going to find out how good of a spy master Jiraiya really is. I have several ideas where Sasuke is going to go, but any of them are possible currently.
dksamuri: Thanks!
HE-SpecOps: Well, had Hinata's idea not prevailed, they would have done their best. That said, they haven't forgotten what Jiraiya let happen to Naruto. As far as Cannon goes, there really wasn't a better teacher for Naruto. But expect things to take a sharp AU turn soon.
Master Warrior: Thanks man. That means a lot to me. It makes writing worth it, knowing that I was able to move my readers.
sagar hussain: Thanks!
anon: I was not taking anything during that time, or any time really. What exactly didn't you like if you don't mind me asking?
BingeReader97: I understand what you are saying. When I started responding to the reviewers it was just a few of them per chapter. Now that it has grown to more of them, it would feel rude to just stop. But never fear, We'll see what everyone thinks about removing the review answer section.
shadespace: Don't worry. This story is ultimately about Naruto. Honestly, once you move passed Naruto general/forced stupidity, the clones are the most over power thing ever. Given that I had no intention of artificially holding Naruto back, I had to change the clones to avoid Naruto becoming super over powered.
shadespace: Well, sometimes as long as no one else is showing interest people tend to keep things how they are. But when someone else moves in, they tend to start caring more. Ino helped Sakura in cannon yes, but at the time of Chapter 1 Sakura was already capable of standing on her own two feet. And it's less of Sakura changing Naruto and more of Sakura realizing what a great person Naruto was once you got past the parts that turned most people off. (Let's be honest: Screaming at the top of one's lungs does not generate friends.).
shadespace: I considered Ino, but at that time there was no reason, realistically speaking, to include her. She hadn't seen things like Sakura had, so she had no reason to be attracted to Naruto. Ino, or at least how I interpreted her character, was relieved when Sakura stopped pursuing Sasuke. By the time that she was curious of what was going on, the best she could find was that she was now hang out with Naruto. And given that the HotE universe is significantly darker then cannon, it's not hard to see that Naruto never became friends with Shikamaru. Shikamaru, in my personal opinion, might have noticed but not cared enough to investigate, given how much work that would have been.
Scotty-Sama: Thanks! And while I can't promise anything, I'll take your date/not-a-date idea into consideration. And you're not being annoying. I always like to hear different perspectives on HotE. As far as the romance thing goes, you got a bit of that this chapter. I'm not sure when the main romance arc will start, I'm trying to keep it as in character as possible.
Scotty-Sama: Yeah, Jiraiya isn't going to let Naruto back into the Chunin exams looking like he is now.
sagar hussain: Yeah, I really couldn't see it either. I tried to see it, but it didn't "feel" right. Granted, I'm sure Tsunade isn't going to be happy when she finds out Jiraiya knew that Naruto was alive...
timroy48: Thanks for taking the time to review! I tried to keep the relationship between Jiraiya and Naruto new yet in character so I'm glad I'm pulling that off. And yeah, that was one of the things that always bugged me in cannon. While Hiruzen didn't deal with the council (or in at least not a permanent way), he did give them his final warning. Now we'll just have to see if they heed it or now.
Edgar3t: Yeah, when you grow up being treated like Naruto was without losing yourself to anger, you tend to view yourself like that when you find people you care about. But Naruto is slowly learning his importance.
Arashi Uzukaze:Personally, I feel that learning everything via clones, while a viable strategy in a few stories, would lead to Naruto becoming very over powered very quickly in HotE. He's still plenty strong, so don't worry.