CHAPTER THREE: Get Ready, Naruto!
"..That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood
I got news for you, she is!"
KONOHA DANGO SHOP:
The odd pair were quickly seated in a cozy booth in the back, and Anko made her order for a heaping batch of dango. Each of their mouth's were practically watering with the delicious scents flooding their noses. The aromas of tea, dango, coffee, and the like wafted through the air of the shop, making Naruto and Anko grab ravenously at their piping hot dango the moment it arrived.
"Okay kid, as I was saying, chuunin exams." The woman continued, as if she hadn't just ordered fifty sticks of dango for two people. (Not like the blonde cared, anyway. She could eat her weight in ramen.)
Naruto nodded furiously, prepared to soak up whatever her new sensei had to say.
"So, obviously, in your current condition, you don't stand a chance." The woman said, chewing on her delicious dango. Anko internally winced when her eyes flickered up to see Naruto's crestfallen expression. This girl was already clinging onto every word she said... 'I've got a lot to teach this kid…" The dango fanatic thought to herself..
"But! There is hope for you yet, squirt! You just need to pick up some of my awesome-ness." She waved her hands in an attempt to placate the young girl, who seemed to flip through emotions like a teenage girl through a magazine.
Now, she looked eager and ready to listen.
"So, the first order of business.. Is to set up a training regiment.." The jounin continued, reaching into her satchel to fish out a piece of paper and a pen. She always kept a small notepad with her, usually for doodling or to remember things. It definitely came in handy right about now, otherwise she'd have to write this entire regiment on a napkin…
In all honesty, Anko was flying by the seat of her pants here. 'But, it's not like the kid knows that!'
She quickly began working through her schedule, finding spaces for Naruto's training in her fairly lax schedule. Her pencil made light scribbling noises as Naruto waited patiently, and silently, in anticipation. Silence was supposed to be rarity around the blonde, but Anko assumed the girl was simply eager and willing to learn.
"Okay, listen up!" The honey-eyed woman demanded, stuffing another stick of dango into her mouth.
"I'm all ears!" The girl said, clenching her fists. Her blonde eyebrows furrowed adorably in an attempt to appear, determined? Or tough? Anko wasn't sure which, but it was certainly amusing.
"So, I worked out this lovely little schedule for us to work on. You will follow this to the letter for the next few months, unless I say otherwise." The woman said, sliding the paper over to her.
Two blue eyes flickered down at the paper, reading the messy handwriting with ease.
"Naru's Training Schedule:
Monday: D-Rank with Anko-sensei at noon, (at the hokage's tower) then supervised physical conditioning until 2 PM. Continue alone until 5 PM.
Tuesday: REPEAT MONDAY, but end taijutsu training at 2 PM and practice weapons accuracy until 5 PM.
Wednesday: D-Rank again at noon, but afterwards spend time practicing whatever you like.
Thursday: Three, if possible, D-Ranks to start the day. Then, elemental jutsu training! Woo!
Friday: No D-Rank, come to T&I Office with Anko-sensei at 2 PM.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ARE FREE UNLESS THE AWESOME, ALL-KNOWING ANKO-SENSEI SAYS OTHERWISE!"
And at the bottom, there were two poorly drawn chibi's of Anko and Naruto.
Naruto fought the urge to cackle at the drawings, instead opting to take another bite of the warm dango in her hand.
Despite her mouth being full, Naruto spoke anyway. "So, why only ninjutsu training once a week? And why so many missions? And what am I supposed to do at the T&I office-"
The equally full-mouthed Anko, replied anyway. "All in due time, brat! I'll explain all that when we get there, mmmkay?" The purple haired woman finished her stick, placing it on the plate and exhaling softly.
Anko didn't mention it, but she was truly surprised that the girl didn't seem bothered by the rather extensive training regiment. She would've expected complaints about overworking or something else equally annoying, as most kids her age would've reacted.
Hell, the Hokage even made it sound like the girl was some sort of defiant little chaos god, but she seemed nothing of the sort. At least thus far..
"Since today is monday, and we don't have time to start your physical conditioning, let's just talk. First, I need to know that you're ready to be a ninja." Anko pointed her dango stick at the girl accusingly, and she finally drew out that defiant side that the Sandaime mentioned.
"Of course I'm ready! I worked my a- I mean uh- behind, off for this!" The girl retorted indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Anko waved over a waitress, and the woman poured them some tea.
"Kid, what do you think a shinobi, or a kunoichi, even is? Why do you want to be one?"
"Shinobi and kunoichi are protectors! They protect and serve the village they live in, no matter what." The girl said.
"You're right about that much. But do you know what that entails? You have to fight, kill, lie, and cheat for your village. According to the Shinobi Code, you're supposed to put the village before everything, before your life, the lives of your friends, even." Anko said, completely serious.
That last bit turned Naruto's intestines into a slight state of disarray, tying her stomach in knots.. Of course she'd known that, even if she played a dunderhead at school, she at least knew the basics of the Shinobi Code. She still didn't like the idea of sacrificing a friend for the village, but she knew that pragmatically it made sense…
"Though, there's exceptions to every rule, we don't need to get into that though.." Anko muttered softly, as a mere afterthought.
"But that's not my point. You never answered my second question." Anko knew she was barraging the poor kid with questions, but they needed to be asked, and Anko hated having to be serious like this.
"Why do you want to be a kunoichi?" Anko asked, looking at the blonde sitting across from her. Days ago, Anko had speculated the girl wore a mask, much like she herself did.
And after asking that question, Anko Mitarashi felt like she proved that. Because in no time at all, the girl switched tunes. Her optimistic, idiotic persona Anko had been told of, was really just that. A persona.
The girl's cherubic face adopted a genuinely thunderous expression, one she'd never pictured a kid could make.
"Anko-sensei, I trust you a lot, because, apparently… You're like me. So I'll tell you the truth." The girl said flatly, storms brewing in vibrant blue eyes.
The jounin didn't say a word, and instead opted to listen.
"Everyone thinks I'm some idiot who's oblivious to the world. The kids my age think I'm weak, that I'm stupid. The civilians hate me, because of what is in me. And for some reason, they all think that I don't know. It's not that I don't know, I'm well aware, I've just stopped caring. I have my own goals, and that's to one day be the best damn Hokage this village has ever seen. I don't care that everyone thinks I'm dumb, hopeless, or even a demon. I don't care that they hate me. This village is precious to me, and even if it sucks sometimes, I'm not going to run away from it. This is my home, the place my parents died defending, and so much more. One day, I'll prove them all wrong, and I'll change this village to be even better than before." The girl stopped her emotionally charged rant suddenly, taking in a deep breath, and clenching her fists.
Those turbulent blue eyes flickered away, staring down at peach-colored tabletop. Another loud inhale, followed by a softer exhale. Anko just sat there, entirely stunned and impressed. She expected some short, idiotic retort. True to her words, Naruto had been truthful, trusting her new sensei with more than Anko would've expected.
Anko began to smile, a genuine, joyous smile. They really are alike, and Anko could say that, clear as day.
"And they don't have to like me. But when all is said and done, I'll go down in history, and people will finally see that they were wrong about me." Naruto said, looking up at her teacher once again. Her expression was calm now, her whole body was, like a weight had been lifted. Her muscles lost their rigidity, she dropped the stern posture.
And on her face, the girl wore a triumphant, soft smile.
"Damn right they will!" Mitarashi agreed, breaking into a toothy smile. "You know kid, if that's how you feel, you should show it. I know all about that persona you wear around like a mask. And I understand it, because in a way," She paused, taking a deep breath.
"I do it too. But I'm still honest with myself and those around me, and you should be too. Because by wearing that mask, you're just wasting effort. You don't care? Then show 'em that." Anko said, trying to explain it as succinctly as possible. She knew that it sounded like she was rambling, but when Naruto smiled even brighter, she knew that the girl understood.
"You know what? I will, 'ttbayo!" The blonde, pigtail wearing girl declared, before finishing off her cup of tea. Anko just chuckled at her, happy to see the girl improving already. Naruto trusted her with the entirety of her ambitions, with her thoughts, with her emotions, and Anko knew then that she would never regret taking Naruto as a student.
It was written in stone now, Anko and Naruto, future baddest bitches in all of Konoha!
She liked the way that sounded, even if Naruto had a long way to go.
Hell, she did too.
Maybe she should try and achieve something, too.. It might be nice to go up in rank..
The pair finished their remaining dango sticks in a comfortable silence, each of them simmering in their own thoughts. When finished, Anko paid the bill, and Naruto left a hefty tip for the waitress.
The lady was pretty and polite, so she totally deserved it.
"Oi, Naruto." Anko said, stopping them again. "Yeah?" The shorter girl looked up at the taller woman, curious as to what could possibly come next.
"I've got one more lesson for ya today, kiddo. This one is more kick-ass, I assure you."
"Ooookay?" The blonde gestured for her to continue.
"As you know, there are three main types of jutsu for ninja, genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu." Anko said, as they walked down the dirt path. Naruto quirked a blonde brow upwards in confusion.
"But there's more than that. There's fuinjutsu, juinjutsu, and bukijutsu. The first two I mentioned are sealing arts. But today, I want to tell you about bukijutsu. The art of using weapons in combat." Anko took a deep breath, preparing to impart more of her awesome wisdom on the young genin.
"Every ninja knows how to use shuriken and kunai. You'll find that, in the field, their effectiveness is pretty damn lackluster. Everyone can use them, so they're expected and easy to deflect. That's why my weapon of choice is senbon. They're better for incapacitating, poisoning, paralyzing, etcetera." She waved her hand dismissively, not looking to explain the many uses of throwing needles to her student. Especially since the girl already seemed so enthralled with the concept.
"But, they require precision and are way harder to learn. I don't want you to try out senbon just because I use them, though. I want you to find a weapon that calls to you, specifically. So, my sweet little genin, I hope you're ready to do some more shopping, because you're buying your newest tool today."
Naruto couldn't argue with that, even if taking up a new weapon seemed like a hassle, it made sense.
"Fiiine, but you better be prepared to show me how to use it." The girl grumbled, despite being excited internally.
She wasn't happy about the prospect of learning something from the ground up, but hell, that's life.
KONOHA WEAPON'S SHOP.
When they arrived at a large weapons store, Naruto was completely ready to just march right in and find something cool.
"Nuh-uh!" Anko said, yanking her back by the collar of her shirt.
"You aren't just gonna waltz in there and pick something that you think looks cool! You need to pick it based on how it feels.." Anko said, taking the hitai-ate that was tied around Naruto's arm.
The girl sweatdropped. Either her sensei was a tad bit crazy, or there was something to this she just didn't get.
The blonde released a sound akin to a squawk of surprise when Anko tied the Konoha headband from it's place around her eyes, forming a blindfold.
"Anko-sensei… I really don't get what the hell you're trying to teach me right now." The blonde admitted, throwing her hands up in surrender.
The purplette guffawed at her student's honesty, before opting to explain.
"Listen gaki, the weapons in this place are attuned to chakra. They're specifically made to match to chakra of the person lookin' to purchase, to create a special sorta connection between the weapon and the user.. So that means, you're gonna extend your chakra, and find whatever is calling out to you." Anko explained, putting her hands on the girls shoulders and leading her in.
Inside the shop, a young double-bun wearing girl and her father stood behind the counter. Anko hardly paid them any mind, and the Uzumaki started to focus.
She obviously couldn't see a thing, so her first thought was to use chakra to see.
And if she weren't of Uzumaki heritage, that would be impossible. Naruto had known for years that she could feel things about others that should be impossible, and she always chalked it up to her "gut instinct."
But when she focused her chakra, attempting to see without her eyes, she unlocked something else entirely.
Naruto was in possession of the Minds Eye of Kagura bloodline, and had no clue.
Suddenly, bright blue flowing silhouettes appeared around her, three to be exact.
It was as if she was seeing the world from above her body, and she gasped in shock. She could feel the emotions in the flowing silhouette of Anko, pride and amusement, then curiosity. Her chakra felt strong, and guarded.
Naruto extended her senses to the two clerks, one of which was certainly a civilian. His reserves were abysmal, but she could feel the fondness he was directing at the chakra silhouette next to her. He turned, looking in their direction, and the other silhouette did the same.
Her chakra was what Naruto would consider average, it wasn't large, but not miniscule either. Just average.
Her chakra felt.. Warm, like a bright spring afternoon..
Naruto felt her face pale upon realizing this wasn't normal. Was this some sort of sensory ability? She'd never even heard of such a thing!
She resolved to tell the Sandaime later tonight, and Anko as soon as..
As she picked out a weapon. She had been so enraptured in her new ability that she had completely forgotten what they came here for.
Naruto kept her ability active, focusing on her surroundings. She took in a deep breath, not seeing anything besides the people.
But then she felt it. A pulsing, of sorts. Like something was reaching back to her, reaching for her chakra.
Maintaining her focus, Naruto walked closer to the reaching weapon, making it feel like there was an itch beneath her skin as she walked closer.
Anko halted her suddenly, "Okay kid! Time to remove the blindfold!" The woman began untying the knot holding the headband over her eyes, and oddly enough, Naruto felt a slight headache coming along.
When her blue eyes fluttered open, she was astonished by the weapon in front of her.
"W-woah!" She muttered, looking at the odd weapon on the wall.
The weapon was large, presumably hefty. It had a small, weighted handle near the bottom, and a thick chain. The long, black chain connected the handle to an intimidating spike ball, easily the size of her head.
Without hesitation, Naruto took the weapon off the wall. She'd seen images of these in her textbooks, but she'd never paid attention to what they were.
The handle was a dark shade of burnt orange, her favorite color, and it matched her perfectly. "That, my precious little gaki, is a morning star. Or a meteor hammer, depending on who you ask.." Anko explained, "And it's actually a great fit for you." The woman tacked on, examining the weapon with her eyes.
That was when the younger clerk, the one with the warm, kind chakra walked over. She seemed equally excited about Naruto's choice, and even started a conversation.
"Oh wow! No one picks a weapon like that anymore! I'm guessing it picked you, though." The brunette girl said, smiling softly.
Naruto's new ability didn't seem to deactivate, because she still felt the warmth of that girl's chakra radiating off of her. She couldn't see it, but she could certainly feel it.
"This kind of weapon is very effective for someone who's more on the unpredictable side, it's really flexible, you can use it for all sorts of things. Slamming, entrapping, and plenty more if you get creative. I've never actually been able to master one, they're too difficult for me to control." The girl explained, tilting her head slightly.
"This thing is totally awesome. Say, are you like, a weapons mistress or something? You're pretty well-informed." Naruto asked, partially absentmindedly.
She looked at the price tag, and for a weapon so well-crafted, it was shockingly inexpensive. Anko had already walked off to look around, otherwise Naruto would've probably shown her the price tag in disbelief.
The blonde concluded that this weapon must be pretty undesirable to the ninja around here, so the price was dropped. She'd never seen one in action, or even in person before now, so that was probably the truth.
"Oh wow, do I make it obvious? I am, actually. My name is Tenten, by the way." The girl said, following Naruto as she approached the counter to pay.
The other clerk was absent now, and Tenten quickly rushed behind the cash register.
"Cool name, I'm Naruto. Do you work here part-time or something?" Naruto asked, examining her surroundings. She quickly grabbed a storage storage scroll from a basket up front, and continued glancing around.
"Yup! This is my dad's shop, I work here when I'm not busy training or doing missions." Naruto wasn't surprised by this, she'd seen the girl's hitai-ate.
She pulled out her cute froggy wallet, named Gama-chan, and began counting out the proper amount of ryo.
"Say, Naruto, would you be up to spar with me sometime? I'd love to spar with a more.. Unconventional weapon user from time to time, if you're up for it." Tenten smiled at her, passing her the receipt as she spoke. She reached down behind the desk, shuffling through a box as she awaited Naruto's reply.
Although curious, Naruto didn't question her shuffling, and instead replied to her offer.
"Sure, I'm free every Saturday and Sunday, so if you're not busy, we could train together then." The blonde replied, fighting the urge to scream in joy.
Her first day as a genin had already been so fruitful. Her sensei bought her lunch and a new wardrobe, AND, she'd finally found an adult she could truly relate to! Then, she'd gotten a brand-new, super badass weapon, and now she had a potential sparring partner who was super nice! This easily had to be the best day of her life.
It would be hard not to smile right about now.
…..Oh, and she'd unlocked that cool sensory thing, which was already making chakra-sensing as easy and as normal as breathing.
Tenten finally rose up from behind the counter, holding a thick, dusty book in her hands.
"Great, I'm free on Saturdays too! How about, 6 pm, every Saturday?" The girl asked, wiping off the cover of the book.
For once in a long time, Naruto was obscenely happy. She'd been faking so long, she'd forgotten how it felt to be truly happy. Today had started so different, and now? She was so content, despite the slight headache, she finally felt alive again.
"Sounds good to me, I'll see you then." Naruto said, reaching for her bag,
Before she grabbed it, Tenten dropped the large book inside. The girl tilted her head in confusion, but Tenten pulled it back out and tapped the cover.
The title read, "An Extensive Guide to Chain Weapons and Flails." Naruto rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly upon realization, and went to ask the price. Before she could even speak, Tenten wagged her pointer finger dismissively.
"It's on the house! You better study this thing good, too! I want a challenge this Saturday." Tenten said with a smile, putting the book back in the bag.
Naruto laughed softly, taking the bag.
"I'll study it front to back, dattebayo!" The blonde chirped, sensing Anko silently walking behind her.
"Alright kiddos, if you're done flirting, Naruto and I need to roll out before it's too dark." Said Anko, giving a cheeky wink. Tenten snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Later, Tenten-chan." Said Naruto, waving goodbye and Anko practically dragged her out.
The two walked in silence as Naruto shuffled to pull out her storage scroll, sealing her bags away in it. She put the roll of parchment in the scroll-holder loops on her utility leg garters, next to another scroll. The other one contained her clothes from earlier in the day, which she had sealed away for easy transport back home.
"Anko-sensei, I think I'm a sensor." Naruto blurted out suddenly, causing the taller woman to look over at her.
"Huh?" The woman asked dumbly, her face scrunched in disbelief.
"Er, well.. I've always had this weird ability to sense emotions, but.. In that shop earlier, I think I activated something. It's like I can feel all the chakra around me, and they all feel so different. I can sense the emotions in their chakra, too. Like that girl, her chakra felt warm, and kind. Before she even spoke to me." Naruto explained, stumbling over her words slightly.
"But that's not it. When I close my eyes and focus, I can see these, flowing silhouettes of chakra. They all look sort of similar, but they move kinda differently." She looked up at the sky, painted in blues and purples, with twinkling stars dangling above from invisible threads.
"Kid…"
"Yeah?" She stared up at the sky, the moon was carved by dark shadows into a sharp crescent, and Naruto found herself imagining it to be a smile.
"I think you might've unlocked some kind of bloodline, that ability, to see chakra like that, is beyond just sensory skills." Anko said, looking at her with a mix of incredulity and mirth.
"Wait, really? Should I go talk to Jiji over it?" Naruto asked, meeting Anko's gaze.
The taller woman snorted at the nickname, knowing it was in reference to the hokage.
"You definitely should. Tomorrow when we retrieve our first D-Rank, you can let him know." Anko said, looking back up to the sky
The jounin was walking the girl home at this point, and she didn't really know why. Her student could certainly get home safe, but it felt right.
"Welp, this is it. Thanks a million for the clothes, and food, and.. Well, everything. I'll see you tomorrow, Anko-sensei." Naruto said with a shy smile.
Anko had never been good at responding to gratitude, so she just ignored it.
"You better get used to me, brat! Me and you are gonna be thick as thieves!" The purplette declared, breaking into a devious smile.
Naruto hesitated, and wrapped the woman in an awkward side-hug. Anko froze momentarily, giving the kid an equally awkward head pat.
The hug was gone as soon as it came, and Naruto walked up a few steps, before giving her a blinding smile. Just before turning the corner, the blonde threw up a peace-sign with her right hand.
"Damn right we will!" Naruto cheered, before running off to her apartment. Anko cackled at the small oddity which was her student, running a fair-skinned hand through her bangs.
The kid didn't even bother to hide her potty-mouth around her sensei, much like Anko herself when she was young.
Anko Mitarashi walked towards her home contentedly, glancing up at the moon.
"I'm already getting attached to the little snot. Shit, I must be getting soft." she muttered to herself, basking in the pale starlight.
When Naruto arrived back in her apartment, she was more happy than she'd been in a long while. She rushed to her bedroom, throwing herself onto her bed and burying her grinning face into a soft pillow.
The next morning, Naruto was up bright and early. Her blonde locks were disheveled in their respective pigtails, which she'd left up overnight. She raked the brush through her unruly hair, grumbling softly. "Stupid long hair.." The girl mumbled, tossing the brush away with fury. The handle became embedded in her wall, and she
walked off to finish her morning routine.
In an hour, the girl was ready to meet her sensei. She'd eaten a healthy breakfast of microwaveable ramen, and some orange juice of course, and now she was prepared to tackle the day. The young blonde barrelled out of her apartment with renewed vigor, practically dancing her way to the Hokage's tower.
Internally, Naruto was jamming to one of her favorite songs, which had enough electric guitar and shouty-lyrics to fill her with energy. She'd wished she'd given it a listen before she left, she didn't use that radio she'd gotten out of the garbage nearly enough…
Her collection of CD's might be measly, but the people at that shop were always nice, so she could get more whenever her mission payments finally come along/
The fiery girl didn't give the hateful glares boring into her a single thought, even once she'd arrived outside the building. She tapped her foot to the beat of the song in her head, oblivious to her approaching sensei.
"Oi, brat! You're awfully chipper this morning." Anko greeted, hands on her hips.
The allegedly chipper girl nodded enthusiastically, cracking a smile. "Of course! I'm actually happy today, 'ttebayo!" Anko chuckled, looking up at the bright blue sky for a moment.
"Welp, let's get to it then. Hope you like chores, kiddo, because it's time for you to do your first D-rank." The woman said, walking at a leisurely pace into the Hokage's tower.
Naruto was just a step or so behind her, tilting her head slightly. "Chores?"
HOKAGE'S TOWER.
Shinobi and citizens alike were scattered throughout the building, and Naruto felt vague remnants of their emotions wavering off of those who got too close.
Some seemed bored, others frantic, many were indifferent.
"Yup," Anko confirmed, popping the p. She continued, "D-ranks are just glorified chores, But you've gotta do about fifty of these before you can even take a C-rank."
Naruto groaned loudly, ignoring the people bustling around the building around her.
"That means I'll be doing these for ages!" She said, slumping slightly. They walked up the stairs, passing a few shinobi on their way.
"Suck it up, buttercup." The purplette said nonchalantly, turning a corner. Naruto harrumphed, following behind here nonetheless.
The pair walked into the Hokage's office, the door wide already open. "Hokage-sama." Anko greeted, giving a curt bow. She didn't bother correcting Naruto, who didn't bow at all, because she was still sulking over the idea of doing chores.
"Ah! Anko-kun, Naruto-kun!" Greeted the Sandaime, his voice as grandfatherly and warm as ever. The elderly man had a small smile on his lips, noticing how Naruto had forgone the orange jumpsuit. It seemed that the pigtails were there to stay, though..
Naruto, remembering the awakening of her new bloodline, snapped out of her gloomy stupor.
She decided to use it in his office, hoping to see/feel the Hokage's chakra in greater detail. The natural sensor part of her needed no activation or focus, which meant she could always feel chakra signatures, and the feelings associated with them.
But when she closed her eyes and focused, she could see them.
The girl shut her actual eyes, feeling her "third eye" open. Around the building, dozens of chakra signatures were scattered. She could even feel presences outside of the building, but even considering seeking those out made her feel a tad woozy. The sensation of it all was nearly overwhelming, so the girl opted to focus on the office in which she currently stood. To her right was Anko, who's chakra was just as guarded as yesterday. It felt slightly anxious, but overall, it felt… Happy? No, pleasant. It felt like positive neutrality, if Naruto had to name it.
In front of her, was the Old Man, or Jiji, or the Sandaime, or even The Professor.
All of those were names which she knew him by, and suddenly she truly understood why he was considered such an almighty shinobi.
The elderly man's chakra was astounding, he had a plethora of it, all neatly contained and warm. It was luminescent in a way which assured power.
She was even more surprised when she saw six other presences composed of that same flowy blue chakra. Three on each side of the room, each one only slightly weaker than her sensei. They all seemed relaxed, but ready.
'Guards, they must be ANBU..' Naruto deduced, opening her eyes once again.
"Oi, Old Man! Guess who unlocked a super cool bloodline!" Naruto declared suddenly.
She could feel amusement and irritation in the woman next to her, but was nonetheless surprised when Anko chopped her directly on the head.
"Ow! What the hell!" Naruto said, glaring as she rubbed her poor, poor, skull.
"You don't just declare that kinda stuff, brat!"
Anko shut the door to the Hokage's office, before returning to her student, noticing the look of apprehension on the Hokage's face. Naruto didn't even need to see his face to notice it, she could feel it radiating off of him.
Apprehension, worry, confusion, amusement, anticipation..
"Naruto, what do you mean?" The Sandaime asked, steepling his hands. His voice was stern and calm, an attempt to hide his feelings. With Naruto's ever-improving bloodline, that would be a fruitless endeavor, though.
"I can sense, see, feel- chakra signatures! Or like, chakra silhouettes. They're like, blue shadows- except instead of shade they're made of flowing chakra." Naruto said, struggling to find the right words.
The Hokage let his mouth gape just slightly.
"I can feel the emotions from them, their presences, without even focusing. But when I close my eyes and focus, I can see them, their locations, their strength, all of it."
The Hokage's eyes widened, and Anko fought the urge to smirk. 'Hell yeah! My brat's got an awesome bloodline! Eat that, fellow jounin!' She thought.
In a frail attempt at receiving proof, the Hokage made a command, "Naruto, can you see, or feel, everything in this room?" He worded his sentence carefully, so he didn't reveal his ANBU guards.
Of course, Naruto had already seen them.
"Duh! I can feel all six of the ANBU here. Three left, three right. The one in the upper right side of the room has some special chakra katana, too." The girl explained, before tacking on an additional statement. "Oh, now they're all kind freaked out that I noticed them."
Anko Mitarashi couldn't help but snort as the six ANBU revealed themselves, spotting her friend Yugao in the upper-right corner. Naruto was right, Yugao's blade remained impossibly sharp due to its occasional intake of chakra.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, was baffled. He'd assumed Naruto had some ability from the Kyuubi no Yoko she'd noticed, worst case scenario. Best case scenario, he'd assumed that she had awakened the chakra chains her mother possessed. But this? This is something else entirely.
He'd heard of the allegedly legendary sensory abilities of the Uzumaki clan, and he knew the name of this particular ability. But, there was another part to this new bloodline of hers. Mind's Eye of Kagura enabled the ability to see the chakra of others, but feeling it? Sarutobi knew of that ability too, and it belonged to the woman known as Mito Uzumaki.
"How spectacular, Naruto-kun.. It seems you have some enhanced version of the Mind's Eye of Kagura bloodline.." He said, taking a long hit from his tobacco pipe. Truly, it was spectacular. He'd never expected Naruto to unlock an Uzumaki bloodline, considering how her father's genes seemed to overrule Kushina's.
"Enhanced?" Naruto asked, face scrunched in confusion. "Yes, your ability to sense emotions was never documented as a trait from Mind's Eye of Kagura. Matter of fact, Mito Uzumaki possessed the ability to feel nearby emotions, but not Mind's Eye of Kagura.. It seems you have both, child." The Sandaime explained, still barely accepting the reality of Naruto's new bloodline.
It opened so many paths for the girl, paths which no one would've ever expected for. She's a bonafide sensory nin now, which means she could be placed in nearly any squad. He felt a swell of pride in the girl's new discovery.
"That's awesome!" The girl declared.
"Yes, yes.. However, I can't tell you much about the ability. Records on anything Uzumaki related are scarce, including bloodlines. You'll have to explore the depths of your newfound bloodline on your own." Said the old man, leaning back in his chair.
"Is that all you need?" He asked, looking between Anko and Naruto.
"Nope, I'm actually here to take the gaki on her first D-rank!" Anko said, to which Hiruzen began shuffling through his papers. "I see, this one should be easy enough for one genin. Good luck, Naruto-kun." He said, giving a polite smile to the blonde girl, who folded her arms. Her sensei chuckled as she walked out, Naruto following behind her once again.
When they arrived at their destination, Naruto was less than happy to be pulling weeds. That was, until Anko introduced the girl to a game-changer.
"If you hate it so much, why not just summon some shadow clones to help?" The woman, who was currently stretched out in a tree, suggested.
Naruto's jaw fell open, then snapped shut, then fell open again. It was like watching a fish out of water, until the girl finally came up with a coherent reply.
"Anko-sensei, you're a genius!" The girl said, before making the basic hand sign.
"I know." The jounin replied, just as Naruto cast the jutsu. She summoned two clones, or bunshin, to her side. "Get to work, maggots!" She said, prompting a snort from her teacher.
"Yes, boss!" The clones said, rushing off to finish the job for her.
In less than an hour, they were finished with Naruto's first D-rank "mission."
"Cool. Now we have to go drop this off in the Hokage Tower lobby, then we can get started on your Tuesday Taijutsu Training." Anko said, accentuating the t's.
Naruto expelled her clones, and was surprised when their memories rushed into her mind. The memories fit in perfectly, as if she'd done the actions herself. She even felt a phantom pain in her hand, where a clone had pricked itself on a thorn.
She rubbed her hand slightly, before noticing her teacher had started to walk off without her.
"Hey, wait up!" Shouted the blonde, rushing after her teacher.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The formatting on this chapter was absolutely horrendous and no one said a word! It's fixed now, though, RIP to the old Author's Note tho.
Song this chapter: 'Rebel Girl,' by Bikini Kill.
Thank you for reading, reviews are always welcome~