Tsunade looked over the mission report from Kakashi with a raised eyebrow, "So Sakura Haruno is finally getting her temper under control?" she asked, that had been a concern since before she even became Hokage.
Kakashi shrugged, "To a degree, she needs a violent outlet so I'd recommend we not take any missions lower than C rank." he answered, "I'd also like to request the opening of a new division of black ops, with myself as the commander." he added.
Tsunade frowned, "Explain yourself." she demanded, she had a feeling she knew where this was going.
"Those touched by the power of the Konton no Kami are not normal anymore, that much has become painfully obvious." Kakashi began, "They're easily mistaken for bakemono, hengeyokai, or some other manner of creature that goes bump in the night." he explained, "I say we live up to that reputation. It's only a matter of time before other shinobi are marked, and such a force would be useful not only against Otogakure, but anyone that Orochimaru manages to drag into war against us."
Tsunade continued to frown as she narrowed her eyes, "You want what is effectively a religious branch of the Anbu under your command?" she asked, phrasing it in an unflattering way to show the silver haired jonin that what he requested was going to raise some alarms.
"Essentially yes." Kakashi answered, rolling up his left sleeve to show his Anbu tattoo and an eight pointed star underneath it, "I noticed I got this after I finally accepted my students weren't normal." he explained, though he was underselling exactly how much he'd gone through mentally to reach that point.
Tsunade's eyes widened, "That's the same mark that was on Dosu Kinuta's corpse!" she exclaimed in alarm.
Kakashi nodded, "Aoki confirmed it's the symbol of Mi Haito no Konton." he explained and Tsunade looked thoughtful, "I'd like to suggest separate designations and ranks for Konton no Shinobi, Kontonnin for short." he requested, "That way when other ninja in our ranks are similarly marked, they have somewhere to go where what is happening can be explained more in depth." he added.
Tsunade sighed, "What would be the actual purpose of this Konton Gundan?" she asked, curious about the idea but concerned about the idea of producing such dangerous soldiers, the fact most of them would be so young only served to make her more cautious.
Kakashi considered the best way to put it, but finding no nice way of putting it he decided to be blunt, "Shock troops." he said plainly and the Godaime was taken aback by the idea, "Individually speaking even Sakura-chan is a B rank threat now, Sasuke-kun and Naru-chan are easily A rank and that's without getting into their Daemons." he explained, "Think of it as our own version of the Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu, but not limited to seven shinobi." he added.
Tsunade frowned, wondering when Kakashi had thought of the idea and why, "I'll think about it and get back to you when you return from your next mission. You won't be taking your team for this one." she decided after a moment, dismissing the jonin.
"Kin-chan! I'm home!" Naruto announced cheerfully, his captive kunoichi jumping in surprise as he barged into his apartment. The former Otonin had been enjoying one of Jiraiya's Icha Icha books, something that made the horned blonde smirk and the dark haired girl blush when she was caught reading it.
"What!?" Kin snapped, trying to hide her embarrassment with anger.
Naruto giggled, "Nothing, just wondering which part of the book has you so flustered." he answered, taking his swords out of his sash and setting them aside as Maemi followed him into the apartment and shut the door.
"Sakura-chan, why do you have a tail?" Mebuki asked her daughter with some alarm to her voice.
Sakura shrugged, "It helps me balance, I guess." she answered, missing the point of the question entirely, "Can we set up a shrine to the Meiyo no Kami?" she asked, looking in the fridge for something to eat now that she was finally home.
Mebuki frowned, still concerned about her daughter, "I suppose, but I meant how did you grow the tail?" she reiterated, not having a problem with the shrine idea.
"Meiyo no Kami." Sakura answered shortly, deciding she felt like eggs. Mebuki still looked very concerned, but she wasn't sure how to follow up the question.
Sasuke met the stare of Shikamaru with one of his own, "How and why do you have feathers on your head?" the Nara asked with a raised eyebrow, having run into the Uchiha by chance on his way to a team meeting the feathers replacing his headband was strange to understate things.
Sasuke just shrugged, "Kami did it." he answered vaguely, continuing home to get some rest. Shikamaru decided he couldn't be bothered pressing for information, but he also decided he was not going to bother telling Ino about this.
Naruto heard about the shrine to Slaanesh near the Hyuga compound and was on his way to check it out, insisting Kin come and see it with him. The kunoichi was at least curious, but she wasn't sure what to make of what they found there. It was a small and basic shrine, white wood with a wooden symbol of Slaanesh painted purple in the center of a torii, and a simple offering box. Maemi frowned at how basic it was, but she supposed it was better than nothing and the fact that someone besides Naruto had built it was another good sign.
Neji saw Naruto approaching and bowed to the younger genin, "Oh good, I'm glad you heard of this shrine." he said as a greeting, "Hinata-sama helped me get it up and going, there haven't been many offerings yet though, but when there are I intend to use them to expand and get decorations." he explained before he seemed to notice, "Did you-?" he struggled to find the words, "Are you wearing make up?" he asked
Naruto grinned cheerfully, "Not right now." he answered, "This shrine is just as nice as the one in Nami no Kuni," he assured with a laugh, "so you've fully accepted the glory of Slaanesh-kaasama?" he asked excitedly.
Neji nodded with a grin of his own, although not nearly as wide, "Yes! Although I do not presume to say the true name as a you are capable of, I'm glad you like it. I found a certain joy in crafting the shrine itself, but I don't think woodworking is for me." he said with a sigh, "I think I will continue to work on perfecting my Juken as my main art." he added with some resolve.
Naruto nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Watering my plants and seeing them grow is nice, but nothing really compares to mastering jutsu!" he agreed, "Don't forget to enjoy more simple pleasures too." he added with a grin as he pulled his kiseru out of his kimono.
Neji was surprised, "You smoke now?" he asked, not overly concerned but he hadn't expected the younger genin to take up such a habit.
Naruto nodded as he put the kiseru back, "It helps me relax." he confirmed, "Oh yeah, do you know any bars we can buy alcohol? We're supposed to be adults of the village but bartenders still treat me like a kid." he complained with a pout.
Neji decided not to point out why bartenders would treat a young teenager like a child, "There are shinobi bars, but they still generally only let you drink if your jonin sensei buys it for you, or another older ninja." he explained instead, wondering what that had to do with seeking pleasure.
Naruto pouted, "I wonder if I can convince Iruka-sensei..." he murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Hinata caught sight of the discussion and hurried over to greet Naruto, giving a slight glare to the long haired kunoichi next to him. The fact she now knew he preferred long hair did little to make the Hyuga girl think highly of the former Oto kunoichi, "Don't give me that look I didn't ask to be enslaved." Kin snapped, annoyed with the girls who liked Naruto disliking that she had the 'honor' of being his personal servant.
The idea of asking to be enslaved occurred to Hinata for a moment but she blushed and shook her head at it, "Um, Naruto-kun, do you want to get ramen together?" she asked, having the blonde show interest in her had done wonders for her self esteem and having rivals for his affection had been surprisingly good for her confidence.
Hinata frowned when Naruto seemed to be thinking about it, "I could go for Ichiraku..." he mused, "Yeah sure!" he decided with a sudden grin, "I'll just ask Iruka-sensei about taking me drinking another time." he decided with a nod, "Kin-chan you hungry?" he asked and Hinata's face dropped.
Kin sighed, "No, I'll just go home." she answered, not wanting to be glared at by the white eyed girl while trying to eat. Hinata brightened up immediately and eagerly took her place on Naruto's left as the longer haired girl left.
"You two have fun." Neji said as they left, the branch house Hyuga knew most Hyuga didn't actually approve of Hinata's interest in the effeminate blonde genin which was all the more reason he did. Although they also didn't approve of the shrine, surprisingly Hiashi had been oddly helpful about both things by rebuffing the elders complaints.
Hinata looked more closely at Naruto as they walked, she thought he had somehow gotten even prettier than when she last saw him. The thought of asking about it just made her tongue feel heavy and her face flush though, so she let it be and simply enjoyed his presence.
"Oh yeah, Hinata-chan, want to go to the hot springs together after we eat?" Naruto asked with a grin, his expression turning to surprise when she fainted. Thankfully he managed to catch her, "Hinata-chan? I guess I should take her to the hospital instead. Oh well." he said to himself as he lifted her up.
Shizune was surprised to see Naruto in the hospital, "What happened to her?" she asked, looking at the Hyuga in his arms with concern.
"Hinata-chan fainted for some reason." Naruto said obliviously, trying to remember why reminded him of something, "Oh yeah, what side of the hot springs should I use?" he asked.
Shizune raised an eyebrow, "Well, you're a-" she stopped, remembering his rather unique sexual condition, "Huh, I'm not actually sure." she confessed, frowning as she thought about it, "Come on, I'll give you both a check up." she decided, figuring that was the best way to determine how much it mattered.
"Tsuna-baachan!" Naruto called out as he entered her office as if he owned the place.
Tsunade sighed, "What now?" she asked, the blonde hadn't actually bothered her much yet but being Hokage was stressful for the woman who was used to just running around gambling and drinking without actual responsibilities.
Naruto frowned, "What side of the hot springs am I supposed to use?" he asked, "I tried asking Shizune-chan and she gave me a check up but she was just as confused as I am." he clarified.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Why was she confused?" the Godaime asked in a curious tone.
"She said I don't have a vagina, but I'm growing boobs, but I already knew that, and that my right testicle is an ovary but I still don't really get what that means except that it makes me a hermaphrodite." Naruto explained with a shrug.
Tsunade turned to Maemi, knowing this was the work of the Kajo no Kami and hoping for some kind of explanation, "Naruto-sama will probably grow a pussy at some point." the Muse said crassly with a vague shrug.
Tsunade considered it for a moment, "You were originally a male..." she grumbled, wondering why such a strange and complicated matter was her problem, finally she groaned, "I don't even care, just don't do anything indecent in the hot springs and you can use either side." she decided, waving him off.
Anko raised an eyebrow at the horned blonde entering the hot springs, it took her a moment and seeing Maemi next to him to remember that Naruto had horns and that she was looking at who she had thought was a boy so she grabbed him by the shoulder, "Are you using henge to sneak into the girls side of the hot springs?" she asked dangerously.
Naruto blinked owlishly, "I'm not under a henge." he answered with a grin, "I'm not trying to sneak either, Tsuna-baachan said I should use either side." he added with a firm nod.
"Naruto-sama is a hermaphrodite, so I figured he was better off on this side." Maemi spoke up, tugging his towel down to reveal his budding breasts to the women.
Anko thought she was being played for a moment so she grabbed the breasts to inspect them, "What the-? These are real!" she announced with surprise and a squeeze, then she flushed as Naruto made a very not-masculine moan from her touch and she quickly let go so the genin could readjust his towel.
Naruto was flushed from that too, but had a sly grin, "Wow! I didn't think my girl parts would get girls going too!" he teased with a laugh. None of the other women at the hot springs knew what to make of the situation, but the truth of the blonde apparently being both sexes and that he had been told by the Hokage to use either side of the hot springs was surprising. They all silently and unanimously decided that the strange little grey oni that followed him around was right, boys his own age at the hot springs did not need someone like Naruto prancing about naked.
"Why has Naruto been using the women's side of the hot springs!?" Jiraiya asked the Godaime Hokage frantically, he couldn't research the young blonde genin as even he thought that was weird. Mostly because he was the godfather of the young genin, but also he didn't need a reputation for going after those that much younger than him.
Tsunade glared at her white haired old teammate, "Why do you know?" she asked, raising an eyebrow that dared him to answer truthfully.
In his panic Jiraiya hadn't considered an answer to that and realized his mistake, "Kajo no Kami preaches denying myself no adventure?" he tried as his excuse.
Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Whatever, go do your actual job you damned lecher." she ordered, having Naruto's deity brought up as an excuse was flimsy but it served to take the wind out of her sails a bit.
Sakura scowled, her meditation exercises taught to her by Kakashi were working, but the looks she was getting for having a tail were grating on her frayed nerves. The thing was like the tail of a dog more than anything, she knew it was supposed to help her balance so she tried it out but it didn't feel like it was worth it. It was relatively muscular so she could probably hit someone with it, but it wasn't all that muscular or flexible. Genkei assured her it was a blessing and a boon, but it certainly didn't feel like it.
Naruto got bull horns, Sasuke got a beautiful crest of dark blue feathers, and she got the tail of a hound and a choker. It all served to make her angrier, then she heard Naruto was apparently allowed to use either side of the hot springs because he was a hermaphrodite. As far as Sakura was concerned the blonde was a pervert using his odd sexual condition to peep on women, but since the Godaime Hokage had given permission she couldn't do anything about it.
The pink haired kunoichi took some solace in the fact that Sasuke was at least nicer to her lately, sure it was usually her who ended up buying him food but she'd learned what kind of foods he liked. Genkei didn't approve, insisted Sasuke was just manipulating her. Sakura had dispelled her Imp for that, deciding the Malice needed some time out. Genkei was summoned the next day for training and still clearly didn't like Sasuke, but didn't bother speaking against Sakura's wishes, being dispelled by a punch to the head did wonders for his obedience.
Sasuke stared at the tablet that held the secrets of the Uchiha clan, hidden beneath a shrine he'd been repurposing into a shrine to Tzeentch. Aoki was being annoying again, insisting that there was a much more efficient and useful way to evolve his Sharingan into something even better than what any Uchiha before him had.
Sasuke didn't like the idea, but the Imp in his Juin insisted that the longer he waited the less viable it would become, warning him that if he became a cyclops before he could do it then it would become impossible. The fact that becoming a cyclops was considered a 'blessing' from Tzeentch concerned him, and he was curious about this new form of power.
Still, the idea of tearing out his own eyes and letting Aoki fuse them together before putting the resulting fusion back in his skull was not a pleasant thought. The fact it might let him keep up with Naruto's absurd growth and power, and maybe even surpass Itachi, was the only reason the young Uchiha was even considering it.
Tsunade looked over the genin of cell seven, having called them into her office to give them a mission. They had a B rank mission to protect someone doing a race in Cha no Kuni, normally a group of genin would not be chosen and she'd like to have Kakashi supervise the team but he was busy with his own mission.
"Hokage-sama, is it seriously okay for Naruto to be using the women's side of the hot springs?" Sakura asked, that had been bothering her, "I know he's a hermaphrodite, but it just seems perverted." the girl grumbled.
"That's not why I called you here." Tsunade pointed out with a raised eyebrow, "But yes, I told him to use either side." she confirmed and the young kunoichi frowned but didn't object further, the Godaime did notice the subtle shudders of suppressed rage though. She was glad Kakashi had finally taught the girl meditation exercises, Sakura would likely have become more of a bane than an asset if he hadn't, but she saw what he meant about the girl needing an outlet.
Sasuke seemed to be one of the things keeping her from flying off the handle inside the village, Tsunade considered commending him for it but decided she'd do it privately so as not to offend the easily agitated pink haired girl, "So why are we here?" the Uchiha asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Promotions?" Naruto asked eagerly with a wide grin.
"No," Tsunade answered bluntly and the blonde pouted, she was glad his emotional instability at least tended towards joyful, "you're being given a B rank mission assignment. Kakashi Hatake hasn't returned from his mission yet, so you'll have to make do without him." she explained, from what she had heard from Kakashi and mission reports it was hard to decide who should be team leader, "Sasuke-san will be acting team leader this time." she decided after a moment.
Sasuke smirked but Naruto groaned, "Aw come on, Tsuna-baachan, we'll never get the mission done going at his pace." he complained.
Tsunade sighed, "Sasuke Uchiha needs more practice taking charge, and you need more practice taking orders." she explained dryly, "Until you're chunin you three will take turns being in charge when you don't have your jonin sensei around." she added, dreading the mission that saw Sakura in charge.
Tsunade had explained that the three genin would be protecting the runner of the Wasabi clan in Cha no Kuni during a race they held against the Wagarashi clan involving a great shrine called the Todoroki Shrine, apparently there were rumors of the Wagarashi hiring shinobi to ensure their victory so they were being hired to keep things fair. Genkei seemed fine with this, mumbling something about punishing cheating cowards.
With the explanation out of the way and instructions that the boss of the Wasabi named Jirocho would explain in further detail team seven began their journey, leaving the village with supplies they'd need for a short mission out of the village. Before leaving Naruto gave Kin some allowance to make sure she didn't run out of food while he was gone, Maemi had been amused by the amount he'd given her and the former Oto kunoichi had been stunned for a moment before hastily pocketing it before the blonde could change his mind.
With his crest of feathers, Sasuke had taken to letting his hitai-ate hang loose around his neck until he could decide on a better place for it. Aside from that the three seemed to have finally settled on their usual outfits, Naruto enjoying the mix of light armor and traditional clothes, Sasuke enjoying the dark clothes fitting for a shinobi and the cloak useful for concealing hand signs, and finally Sakura just liked her red qipao combined with the armor. The kunoichi still wasn't comfortable letting her scarred mark of Khorne be visible, so her hitai-ate was worn over her forehead as was standard.
On the way there Naruto insisted on stopping at a tea house to get something to eat, Sasuke had agreed since spending some money on food was better than using rations or hunting and a tea house could be a useful source of information. Mostly the young Uchiha had agreed because he knew Sakura would argue with Naruto if he didn't, the pink haired girl seemed to dislike the blonde more than ever. He wondered how much of that was the influence of their Kami, but considering the girl still clearly had a crush on him and he didn't find her any more annoying than he had before he figured it was mostly just Sakura's new temper combined with her earlier dislike of the cheerful blonde.
Naruto ordered red bean soup since the tea house didn't have ramen, Sakura decided on dumplings, and Sasuke took a moment to debate with Aoki but eventually decided on onigiri. There was only one other person in the tea house, and they seemed intent on using a pocket knife to whittle something so the shinobi ignored him.
The blonde overheard the older boy muttering something about Konoha ninja, it sounded like he didn't really like them. This was confirmed when he stopped by their table on the way out, "Eating red bean soup on a nice day like this, the life of a ninja must be so carefree." he mused in a mocking tone.
"Fuck off or I'll kill you." Sakura said with a glare, struggling to keep her temper under control as the fire in her eyes lit up. The boy took a startled step back, clearly intimidated by the alarming killing intent from the girl.
"J-jeeze, calm down some." The boy said, the wooden needle he'd been whittling was in his mouth and he was dressed rather plainly with a large straw hat on, "I didn't mean to offend such a pretty girl." he tried to turn on the charm but Sakura's flames just intensified as she continued to glare.
Naruto laughed, "Man you sure are clueless, you should just leave." he warned in a light tone, "Sakura-chan hasn't killed anyone in a while so she'll probably snap on you if you keep bothering her." he added with a cheery grin.
"Sakura, huh," The boy said, "a beautiful name." he commented but was starting to sweat from the way the girl and the strange armored thing next to her kept glaring at him, "You seem more approachable, shojo, what's your name?" he asked the blonde, thoroughly intimidated by the pink haired kunoichi.
Naruto giggled at the attention, "I'm the Densetsu no Kajo no Ninso! Maebure of Yorokobi-sama! Sekkyo-sha of Yokubo-hime! Naruto the future Hokage and Kanzen no Shinobi!" he introduced boisterously, standing up to perform kabuki poses during his introduction. Sakura's eye twitched before she closed her eyes, rubbing her throbbing temples as she counted backwards from sixteen.
The strange boy seemed far less interested in either of the prettier feminine members of cell seven after that, "Killing a hooligan would only make us look bad," Sasuke spoke up dryly, "do yourself a favor and run off." he insisted with a dismissive wave. All three genin were surprised by the speed of the boy as he disappeared.
"Huh, I barely saw him move." Naruto commented as he idly scratched the skin around his right horn, "He seemed kind of plain, not sure why he thought seduction would work y'know." the blonde added curiously.
Sakura scoffed, "Hermaphrodite or not you just don't understand the heart of a maiden, confidence plays a role." she scolded, Sasuke decided not to mention that the pink haired kunoichi was the least like a maiden out of all of them. Mostly because he didn't want to insult himself, but also because he didn't want to clean up if she broke anything from losing her temper.
Naruto shrugged, "I'm only interested in beautiful things." he retorted, "Seriously though, that guy is fast for a hooligan." he added with a curious expression. Sakura decided not to comment as their food and bills were brought out, the fact there were two bills caught the attention of the shinobi.
Sasuke frowned, "What's this second one for?" he asked, he could afford it but he wouldn't tolerate being scammed.
The waitress, a plump older woman turned with a frown, "Oh, that boy who was just here told me you three would pay for him." she explained.
Sakura's eye twitched, "Why did you believe him!?" she snapped angrily, standing up as she slammed her hands on the table. Her rage and killing intent served to startle the woman.
Naruto sighed, "No point getting mad at the lady." he grumbled, chugging his red bean soup before pulling out his purse to cover both bills, "We can catch that punk and teach him not to mess with shinobi." he added with a feral grin as he picked up the bill of the stranger who had left them with the bill.
Sasuke nodded in agreement, "If he can't pay, you can have his skull." he added to calm the kunoichi, although the woman seemed even more startled as the Uchiha grabbed his onigiri for the road and Sakura grabbed her dumplings. Naruto picked up Maemi to let the Muse ride on his back and rushed after the boy, his teammates following behind.
They found the diner dashing hooligan in the woods, the boy having apparently tripped. Sakura reached for her axe but Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder to stay her hand for now, "You've got a lot of nerve trying to force shinobi to pay your bill." the Uchiha said coldly, even he was annoyed by that.
Naruto just grinned, "Yeah, you should probably pay up, we promised Sakura-chan she could kill you if you can't." he warned cheerfully, his words not matching his demeanor at all made for a rather creepy effect.
The boy shivered and bowed, "Forgive me! My wallet was stolen! I had no idea what to-" he began to lie, but Maemi warned Naruto immediately with their mental connection.
"Try it again without lying." Naruto interrupted, his smile still in place but his own killing intent serving to root the boy to the spot as it blended with Sakura's. Then the blonde was distracted, "Huh, oh, pretty!" he said with a grin, pulling a pocket knife out of the tree.
"Wha-?" The boy seemed confused then angry despite the oppressive presence of the three chaos champions, "Hey! That's mine!" he insisted angrily.
"Mine now!" Naruto laughed cheerfully before pulling out the receipt, "This seems about the right price for the bill you tried to stick us with, and I paid it so I guess this is mine now!" he decided with a smirk. Sakura crossed her arms and grumbled, Sasuke's hand on her shoulder and Kakashi's meditation exercises keeping her from losing her temper.
"You thief!" The boy tried to accuse, "That is the property of Idate! It's mine!" he tried to argue.
Naruto kept his grin but his pupils narrowed to slits as his killing intent returned, "Eh? I must have misheard, did a thief just try to call me a thief?" he asked dangerously, the accusation making Idate flinch, "Don't despair, and throw away your wrath, just take joy that your life is spared." he lectured in a cold tone that made the fast boy shiver.
"Th-that was a gift," Idate tried again, "from Jirocho-oyabun." he argued, still not willing to pull out his wallet or beg forgiveness.
Naruto just grinned, "Oh good, well we have business with him. You can explain to him that you used his gift to pay some nice Konoha shinobi for paying for your meal." he explained callously.
Idate scowled but got a new idea, he leaped to his feet and took off his leg warmers, revealing they were loaded with weights before he dropped them and ran off. His new speed startling the genin again.
Sasuke frowned, "Damn, he's even faster than I am." he mused, "Well, we'll probably see him again, unfortunately. We have a mission to do so let's go." he ordered since he was technically in charge. Naruto pocketed his new knife and with that the three continued towards Degarashi Port.
When the genin finally arrived to greet Jirocho Wasabi, the man didn't seem too pleased, "I've been informed that one of you might have something that belongs to one of my underlings?" he asked.
Naruto grinned and pulled out the pocket knife, "Ah, Idate, right?" he asked, "He tried to stick us with a bill for a tea house, and unfortunately this was all he could offer in compensation." he explained.
Jirochi frowned, it was the words of three ninja against one of his underlings but, "Are you calling Idate-kun a liar?" he asked, such accusations were quite serious.
Naruto just nodded, "Yeah, he even tried to pretend his wallet got stolen, and didn't even try to pay us back to retrieve this, just took off these," he continued as he pulled out the leg weights the boy had dropped, "and ran for it. Fast guy, bit of a dumbass though." the blonde explained with a laugh.
Sasuke sighed, "You should tell your underlings to be more careful, if Naruto and I weren't around and he tried what he did against a more bloody minded shinobi, he'd be dead by now." he decided to warn calmly, impressing the seriousness of the situation upon the Wasabi clan boss.
Jirocho sighed, "Idate!" he called and the door slid open to reveal the same boy from earlier that day, "Lying and swindling to get your way is not how the Wasabi do things!" he scolded and the boy flinched before staring in horror as the man bowed to the three genin, "I apologize on behalf of my underling. I'll compensate you for the price of his food, but please return his knife." he requested.
Naruto seemed to consider it for a moment, Sasuke didn't bother interfering because in the end it was the blonde who had paid the bill, "Okay!" the horned genin decided since Maemi confirmed the man wasn't lying, "A shame your underlings are far less honorable than you." he added with a laugh as he handed the knife to Jirocho, "Do you know where I could get a similar one? It's quite pretty." he added curiously, he wasn't sure what use he'd have for it but it seemed nice.
Jirocho nodded, "Of course, but you may want to wait until after the race, the current prices are a bit much." he warned, "Now, I believe I should explain the race more in detail." he added, "To start with, it began as a tradition when Ryoku's jewels were dedicated to the Todoroki Great Shrine to halt a storm. What started as a simple tradition evolved into a competition where, every four years, whoever could dedicate the jewels first would be named man of the year." he explained, "More recently, there has been a rivalry between my Wasabi and the Wagarashi, in order to stop brawls breaking out we came to agreement under the Daimyo to settle who would guard this port town every four years with this very race." he explained shortly.
Sasuke nodded in understanding, "Hiring shinobi is not against the rules then?" he asked to confirm whether or not they needed to be stealthy.
Jirocho shook his head, "Four years ago, the Wagarashi won the race by hiring ninja. With rumors that they intended to do it this year we sent for help from your village, but our messengers were apparently attacked, although thankfully not killed." he confirmed, explaining the situation to clarify things further.
Sasuke nodded again, "I see, well you can be assured that the mission will be completed. Naruto takes completing missions perfectly as a matter of pride and Sakura will definitely kill the enemy ninja should they be foolish enough to show their faces." he explained calmly, Aoki suggesting ideas to him as he considered how best to handle this.
Having accepted the job the three genin explored the port torn a bit, it was in Cha no Kuni a bit south of their home in Hi no Kuni and a bit of a tourist spot but even with that in consideration the prices were obscene. It seemed the Wagarashi's idea of protection wasn't very good for the local businesses, demanding more protection money than needed.
"I'm glad we're working for Wasabi," Naruto began as he glanced around, "Idate seems like a moron," he continued as if the boy wasn't there who glared at him for the insult, "but Jirocho-jiji seems really nice!" he added with a laugh, his choice of honorific offending Idate greatly.
Sakura nodded in agreement, surprisingly so did Genkei, "It would be better if they just fought the Wagarashi off," the Malice said gruffly, "but he seems like an honorable man. I approve of this client far more than the last one." he finished.
"Aw, Koyuki-hime was just depressed, she got over it thanks to us." Naruto defended the woman.
"She was the mark, not the client." Sasuke corrected idly, "Also you're just defending her because she gave you a kiss on the cheek." he added in a teasing tone.
"Yeah, Naruto, you'd defend someone trying to kill you if they were beautiful enough." Sakura pointed out, remembering Haku.
"A beautiful personality is as important as a beautiful face and body!" Naruto insisted, "That's why I love Hinata-chan!" he added with a laugh, his shameless declaration startling his team.
"I'm sure she'd be ecstatic to hear that, but you're not interested in monogamy are you?" Sasuke asked dryly with a raised eyebrow.
"Moderation is for suckers." Naruto confirmed with a nod, "I also love Karin-chan, and Iruka-sensei, and Haku-chan, and Kakashi-sensei, and Tsuna-baachan, and Anko-chan," he started to ramble.
"Alright we get it!" Sakura snapped, not wanting him to list every single person he loved, although from the list she got the feeling the blonde couldn't actually differentiate between different kinds of love.
"I love you and Sasuke too!" Naruto added with a grin, forcing the Uchiha to grab the pink haired girl before she could attack the blonde.
"Not interested in your harem, moron." Sasuke retorted, noticing that Sakura was getting a lot stronger physically. He was pretty sure he was only holding her back because she was letting him, precisely because it was him.
Soon enough it was time for the race, it was the first time the genin were seeing the Wagarashi runner, a young man named Fukusuke Hikyakuya. It was also their first time learning Idate's surname was Morino, something that surprised Sasuke and Maemi. Naruto seemed confused for a moment so Maemi mentally reminded him that was the name of the proctor for the first phase of the chunin exams, something that surprised the blonde.
What surprised the genin of cell seven more was, as the runners were given the green light to go by the announcer, Idate started running up the coast away from the boats that they were supposed to take to the first checkpoint where the jewels were waiting. They were worried he was running for it, but their job was to protect him so they chased after him to see what was going on.
Naruto caught up first, "Hey, where you going anyway?" he asked curiously.
"Shut up!" Idate responded, "It's none of your business where I go!" he added.
Naruto frowned, "You're a real piece of shit." he said bluntly, "Poor Jirocho-jiji, having to put up with such a crummy hooligan like you." he lamented with a shake of his head.
Idate scowled, "I'm not letting him down, now leave me be!" he snapped.
"Nah, my mission is to stop you from dying, but you may want to be more careful of genjutsu." Naruto responded, startling Idate who suddenly stopped as he realized he'd been in the same place before.
"Kai!" Idate announced breaking the genjutsu before running off.
"Wait, you shouldn't go that way, moron!" Naruto tried to warn as he chased after the boy they were supposed to escort. Then Idate fell from a cliff due to the second genjutsu and the blonde sighed, "Shibari no Ashikase!" he declared, saving the boy from falling to his death with some rather embarrassing bindings and dragging him back up to safety.
Sasuke and Sakura caught up as that happened, "That was unnecessary help." Idate scoffed, completely ungrateful.
"Want me to toss you back over the ledge then?" Naruto offered with a raised eyebrow, mostly retorting lightly to keep Sakura from flipping her lid from the rude runner.
"You're protecting me because it's your duty!" Idate reminded hotly.
"Correct!" Naruto agreed with a grin that bared his fangs and chilled the fast boy, "So stop tempting me to kill you, I prefer to follow my whims so you're lucky I put so much stock into my pride as a shinobi." he warned, "Now if you have a plan to win this race I suggest you hurry up, I overheard some guy say Wasabi would be disbanded if you lost, and for some reason Jirocho-jiji agreed." he pointed out. Sasuke hadn't overheard that, but he knew well enough Naruto's hearing was even better than his eyesight.
Idate was startled by this news and scowled, "Damn it, this is why ninja are no good." he grumbled, "I'm going north because this time of year the winds on the water are different, taking a boat from Degarashi Port will be fighting against the wind, but I'll have the wind at my back just a bit further up the coast." he explained as he continued on his decided path.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura followed, "Smart thinking then," the Uchiha praised, "if only you were this smart about other things we might already be there." he scolded lightly, even he was growing annoyed with the rude Morino boy so he was amazed Sakura hadn't snapped yet.
Idate didn't respond but his eye twitched with annoyance, soon enough though they reached a beach where Nagi Island was visible. The Modoroki Shrine, the halfway point of the race, was supposed to be there. Idate confirmed with an old fisherman that he was borrowing a boat, the man had apparently been expecting him and readied the fastest boat he had.
Sasuke took the rudder as Sakura, Naruto, and their Imps helped get the ship going with Idate. The blonde decided to confirm something after he got bored with the boat trip, "So, you related to Ibiki Morino?" he asked curiously.
Idate was clearly startled by the question, "What? You know Ibiki-aniki? He's alive!?" he asked in a shocked tone.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I haven't seen him since before we went to Yuki no Kuni but I'm pretty sure he hasn't died." he confirmed with a nod, "We met him when we took the chunin exams the first time, he was our first proctor." he added with a nostalgic grin, "Ibiki tried to psyche me out, but I have a talking lie detector." he reminisced cheerfully, gesturing to Maemi at the mention of her lie detecting abilities, "I could have won the tournament in the final phase if that jerk Orochimaru hadn't interrupted with an invasion." he grumbled.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I could have taken you back then." he insisted, deciding not to mention he didn't fancy his chances quite as much anymore.
Sakura just nodded in agreement with the Uchiha, "Even if you somehow got lucky and beat Sasuke-kun, my only other opponent would have been Kiba before whoever won out of you two." she added, "Ah, and you would have had to fight Shino-san too! His creepy bugs can drain your chakra, negating your biggest advantage!" she insisted hotly.
Sasuke wondered when Sakura had become so competitive, but decided not to point it out in case his words made her all demure again. The Uchiha considered letting her know he preferred strong women, but the mental image of her going overboard and chasing him even more aggressively had him decide to keep his mouth shut on that topic forever if possible.
Naruto's head suddenly snapped up, "We're being chased." he warned quickly, seeing a boat that was trying to gain on them. Right after his warning a crossbow bolt hit the deck, followed by more.
Sasuke frowned, judging from the amount of bolts that it was either multiple enemies or a crossbow that fired multiple shots. Activating his Sharingan confirmed the latter, "It's those Ame genin from the chunin exams." he informed with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto nodded, his pupil almost taking in his irides as he narrowed his eyes and shaded them with his left hand to focus on them, "Oh yeah, I remember those guys." he mused idly, "I can probably hit their mast from here." he suggested.
Sasuke shook his head, "I have a better idea." he said before flipping his coat over his left shoulder and unsheathing his tanto with his right hand to cut his left thumb before putting it back in the scabbard, then he wiped the blood on the rune array under his right sleeve and began weaving hand signs as his Juin flared, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." he intoned as he thrust his arm up and a trio of Himeiwoageru burst from the smoke to scream towards the chasing boat.
"Nice, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gushed, "That should deal with-!" she began to praise before halting as she realized she wouldn't get their skulls, "If they survive can I go kill them?" she asked suddenly, her expression shifting from happy to neutral so fast Idate was startled.
Sasuke nodded in agreement as his Juin receded and his Sharingan deactivated, "If it comes to that I'll have Naruto back you up though, he can track Idate and I." he said, giving a logical reason so even if the kunoichi was annoyed she couldn't complain.
Naruto watched as Sasuke's Daemons attacked the enemy boat, surprisingly the Ame genin actually managed to hold them off, but with a damaged sail they wouldn't be likely to catch up, then all three of them burst into water, "Mizu Bunshin! They're probably swimming after us!" he warned quickly.
Sakura frowned when it suddenly started to rain, "It shouldn't be raining here..." she mused, confused by the sudden weather change.
Naruto's eyes widened, "It's oil!" he warned, having wondered why he could smell oil suddenly.
Sasuke scowled, "They're planning on igniting the boat and fighting us underwater with those rebreathers." he realized, "Naruto, I can't afford to use Kuchiyose too much more, can you summon anything aquatic?" he asked.
Maemi frowned, "The serpents can fight in the water easily enough," she pointed out, "and they won't be as easily fooled as your Daemons, but without a rider you'll want to outnumber those genin and they aren't amphibious or aquatic." she explained quickly.
Naruto supposed it would do, "Okay, who can walk on water?" he asked as he tore open his right thumb on his left horn, Sakura and Sasuke both nodded, as did Genkei and Maemi. Idate however shook his head, "Figures..." the blonde grumbled as he weaved hand signs, "Kuchiyose!" he announced and six of the serpents burst from the chakra smoke and into the water, one staying on the surface, "Alright, Idate, you get to ride bitch with me." he said with a grin.
Idate scowled at the term, "As if I'd trust ninja in that situation!" he snapped.
Sakura brandished her axe as Naruto leaped into the saddle with Maemi, "Get on the freaky oppai-hebi or I'll kill you." she snarled, threatening the boy they were supposed to protect with her axe.
Sasuke scanned the water line with his Sharingan, "Heads up, one of them is standing on the surface pointing a flaming crossbow bolt over here." he warned, jumping to the surface of the water, "His teammates are probably protecting him from the other serpents." he guessed.
Naruto splashed his head under the water for a moment before coming back up, "Yeah, they've got Mizu Bunshin too so I can't tell if my serpents will win." he confirmed.
Sakura jumped onto the water and Genkei followed her, "Then I'll just kill them!" she growled as she charged, the flaming crossbow bolt going over her head and igniting the boat while Idate was still on it.
The Morino boy started freaking out, "N-no!" he cried out in alarm.
"Would you just jump, moron!" Naruto snapped, even he was losing patience with the boy.
"No! I won't trust ninja!" Idate snapped back, Sasuke scowled that the boy was still going on about that.
"Shibari no Ashikase!" Naruto declared, wrapping up the older boy in chakra threads and tossing him to Sasuke.
The Uchiha caught him and swiftly placed him under a quick Sharingan genjutsu before placing him on the saddle behind Naruto, "You go ahead to the shore, the genjutsu won't last long. I'll make sure Sakura catches up, I'm sure we can figure out how to find you." he ordered quickly.
The blonde still didn't like taking orders from Sasuke but nodded and his serpent sped off towards Nagi Island, true to the Uchiha's word Idate awoke close to the shore and freaked out again. Naruto sighed at how much of a hassle their mark was for this mission, setting that aside he checked the shoreline and saw a shinobi with an Ame hitai-ate waiting for them, with an umbrella on his back, green hair, purple eyes, dressed in a a short sleeved blue and white jumpsuit with a glove on his left hand, an arm warmer on his right arm, and a holster strapped across his torso for the umbrella.
Idate's eyes widened in alarm, "Aoi Rokusho..." he muttered fearfully, naming the enemy ninja and letting the blonde know he knew the man. Maemi frowned as she felt a large amount of fear from the boy directed at the Amenin, as well as hatred and a sense of despair.
Naruto directed his mount to the shore, "You know that guy?" he asked before shaking his head, "Whatever, if he's an enemy I'll deal with him and send some Daemons with you ahead in case there are more." he decided, tearing open his thumb again to perform another Kuchiyose as they reached the sand.
Idate gawked at the sight of the Daemonettes, "What the fuck?" he asked, blushing at the scantily clad, androgynous, mantis-clawed humanoids.
"Don't ask questions just finish your race, that guy interests me!" Naruto insisted as he got off his Daemonic mount with a grin, Idate falling to the sand as the serpent dispelled, "I'll kill this Aoi guy and catch up." he assured.
"No!" Idate snapped, "You don't understand, he's not a genin, he was a chunin when I knew him and Amegakure made him a jonin!" he tried to explain.
"Idate, didn't I teach you not to trust in others?" Aoi asked as he approached, pulling his umbrella out and resting it on his right shoulder as the clouds gathered above.
Naruto pulled his tachi from his sash with a grin, unsheathing it and handing the scabbard to Maemi, "I don't really know what the story is here, but I really want to dance with you, your malicious intent sounds great!" he greeted his opponent, "I'm Naruto, Kajo no Ninso, I challenge you!" he declared as his introduction.
Idate scowled, "Didn't you hear me, moron!" he asked desperately.
Aoi chuckled, "You should listen to him, as much of a coward as he is he's right about that much, I'm not a genin like those three." he warned, upping the level of killing intent as he palmed senbon in his left hand.
Naruto smelled poison but he kept grinning, "That's exactly why I want to fight you, worthy opponents are more impressive to Slaanesh-kaasama!" he exclaimed, startling both Aoi and Idate, "Get going already, Idate! You'll be a burden to me if you stick around, and Jirocho-jiji is counting on you." he added, wanting the swift-footed boy to hurry up and go.
Idate was confused by the confidence of the blonde, and the mention of being a burden made him flinch, but the mention of Jirocho counting on him had the boy up and running. The two Daemonettes rushed to follow, startling Aoi and Idate with their speed as they kept pace with the runner.
Aoi narrowed his eyes, "So, it's a kenjutsu duel you want?" he asked dangerously before tossing his senbon, scowling at the blonde as he dodged them, "You're fast for such a young kunoichi, are you really a genin?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto's eye twitched, "Don't remind me of my military rank!" he snapped, "I'm an A rank genin! I killed jonin before y'know!" he bragged, getting sick of his military rank being brought up.
Aoi's eyes widened at that, "Is that so?" he asked before unfurling his umbrella as it started to rain, "I guess I should take you a little bit seriously then!" he announced as he tossed the umbrella into the air to allow it to rain senbon down, but the blonde evaded them as Maemi backed up to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Aoi pulled out a vajra with his right hand and caught the umbrella with his left, Naruto dashed in and swung his tachi but was shocked in a more literal sense when a blade of electricity sprung from the vajra to block his swing. The Tatakainouta could warn the blonde of most attacks, but it tended to become discordant for large scale attacks and it couldn't warn him when the guard of an opponent would hurt him.
"Do you know what this is?" Aoi asked with a cruel smirk as he brandished the vajra, but his smirk dropped at the very cat-like purr that came from the horned genin.
"I have no idea, but it felt good." Naruto said in a sultry voice that disturbed his opponent, "I want it!" he decided with a sudden and feral grin.
Aoi recoiled from the reaction he got from the young blonde, "I don't remember Konoha producing such freaks..." he muttered, "This is the Raijin no Ken, you fool." he informed, "It was said to be wielded by the Nidaime Hokage, you can't beat it with a normal blade!" he bragged, although he couldn't find it in himself to manage a cruel grin if his opponent actually enjoyed pain, "No matter how freaky you are, enough electricity and you'll die." he warned.
Naruto frowned, "Wait, why do you have something like that?" he wondered, having read about such a weapon before but never about it falling into the hands of Amegakure.
Aoi smirked in response, "You just told the reason I have this to run away." he answered, "Didn't you know? Idate was a genin of Konoha, he failed the chunin exams, but I promised he could become chunin if he just brought me this weapon and a scroll. I intended to run if he got caught, but lucky for me he actually pulled it off!" he laughed, "That good for nothing even resulted in his brother getting captured, ultimately we couldn't decipher the scroll and Ibiki Morino escaped with it, but that coward just ran away again and again!" he explained.
Naruto continued to frown, "I see, so you're both nukenin." he realized, "Nukenin from Konoha, that makes you the responsibility of Konoha shinobi." he mused, "So I'll just have to have a talk with that annoying punk after I kill you!" he decided, his feral grin returning.
Aoi scowled at the sudden shift in mood from the blonde, "Just try it, once I kill you, I'll go finish off that good for nothing and be done with this mission." he retorted, readying the Raijin no Ken to use against the blonde.
Naruto crouched and let go of his tachi with his left hand to rest it on his right shoulder so he could unhook his weights from under his hakama, then he charged to feint at his opponent before dashing around behind the jonin to swing at his neck. Aoi was startled by the speed and barely managed to guard with his electrical blade, but was unused to an opponent who was undeterred by the harm caused by the backlash of the Raijin no Ken.
The two clashed blades a few times before Naruto stumbled back with a pleased grin on his face and the bone in his chest vibrating such that his purr sounded almost like the growl of a tiger, with the slit pupils, horns, the pleasure gained from pain, and the bizarre purring Aoi was looking increasingly freaked out, "A-akuma..." he stammered in alarm, taking a step back despite being the least injured of the two.
Maemi smirked at the word, as Aoi had no idea how accurate that term would become, "Not yet..." she whispered to herself with a giggle, but she could understand the mistake.
Naruto paid the title no heed and continued his attacks, his feral grin and killing intent only serving to intimidate the traitorous shinobi further. Aoi tried blasting the blonde back by pushing more chakra into the blade to paralyze the horned genin in rings of electricity to throw him back, and it did work, it even combined with the rain to cause more pain. However Naruto just moaned and purred in pleasure as he was blasted back, recovering in mid air to hit the wet sand shoulders first and roll to his feet.
With his pupils almost taking over his irides, his uncannily pretty face, and his mane of hair sticking up in all directions from the electricity even as the rain started to weigh it down again, the young horned hermaphrodite was a terrifying sight to behold, "More!" he demanded with demented glee, charging in again to keep attacking.
Aoi was further startled when Naruto seemed to actually be speeding up instead of slowing down in response to the pain inflicted upon him, as if empowered by the pleasure he gained from pain. Maemi knew this was a side effect of the Mark of Slaanesh that would rarely come up in shinobi battles, and she giggled at the misfortune of Naruto's enemy as the frenzied genin started landing cuts on his older opponent.
Sakura and Sasuke approached the shore finally, the pink haired kunoichi held the heads of all three Ame genin in hand. Sasuke noticed she was a little annoyed that none of them had gotten her an additional boon, but held an arm out to stop her, "There's no point interferring, Naruto already challenged him." he told her, Aoki informing him that interrupting another challenge as a champion was a bad idea and not likely to impress any of the Konton no Kami.
So his team watched as Naruto slowly but surely sped up and dismantled the defenses of Aoi, until finally he thrust his tachi through the heart of the jonin from behind when he reached a speed the man simply could no longer keep up with. As the horned genin crouched to retrieve the vajra hilt of the Nidaime Hokage's weapon, a pair of sharp bone spurs burst from his feet at the heels right through his sandals.
Naruto stood up and turned to his team with a grin, brandishing his new prize, "Hey guys! Check out what I got!" he laughed proudly, turning again to rush after Idate only to stumble suddenly from the shift in his center of balance caused by the new blessing, "Woah! Is this what walking in heels is like? How do Shizune-chan and Tsuna-baachan fight in these?" he wondered, although thanks to his shinobi training he did get the hang of it by the time he got off the sand.
Sakura found the new sway in her blonde teammates hips as he walked to be downright creepy since she still saw him as a boy despite appearances and the knowledge he was a hermaphrodite, but she set that aside for now, "Where's Idate?" she asked, focusing on the mission to distract herself from the horned genin.
"I sent him ahead with some Daemonettes." Naruto answered as he grabbed his leg weights and sheathed his sword before putting the scabbard in his sash again. Sakura noticed with some annoyance that the strange spurs gave the blonde just enough extra height to be taller than her, almost as tall as Sasuke.
"We should hurry and catch up, but ninja usually operate in cells of four so he's probably fine with these four dead." Sasuke reasoned, remembering he was supposed to be in charge of the mission he directed the team to continue after their mark.
When they arrived, they learned Idate had arrived before his opponent and run off ahead, and by the time they caught up with him it was over and the Wasabi had won thanks to Idate making it to the Todoroki great shrine first.
"I still don't trust you ninja." Idate said petulantly, turning his nose up. Maemi noticed it was a lie and found that amusing, but there was no helping the boy now.
"I'm telling Ibiki and Tsuna-baachan you're here, so you best be ready to apologize you shitty nukenin." Naruto retorted bluntly and the boy jolted back from the genin in alarm.
"Nukenin?" Sakura asked, reaching for her axe.
"Explain, quickly." Sasuke ordered as he put a hand on her shoulder, he wanted a proper explanation before he let her kill.
Naruto brandished the vajra of the Raijin no Ken, "Idate here stole this from Konoha when he was a genin from our village, he's the reason Aoi had it." he revealed bluntly and the boy gulped, "We're well within our rights to drag you back to Konohagakure no Sato." he pointed out with a smirk.
Jirocho sighed, "I would request that you don't, I will vouch for him." he insisted.
Sasuke considered it, "Ibiki might want to talk to him, but we'll leave him in your care for now." he told the boss of the Wasabi after a moment. The man sighed with relief and bowed with gratitude, and with that business done the three genin returned home to report their successful mission and the location of Idate Morino.