"The Greatest Idea Ever"
By Quick-n-Popular
Disclaimer: "Naruto" and all of its characters are properties of someone other than me.
A/N: Sorry for the extremely long absence. Rest assure, this story's not dead and I am getting back into writing it once more. These and the other stories of mine are going to continue.
Chapter Three: A Sword and a New Way of Thinking
As morning came and she began her usual routine to getting prepared to meet with her team, Tenten's thoughts drifted toward the blond haired boy as well as the sword her father showed her that may or may not belong to the boy.
'Are they connected?' She wondered.
With that in mind, before leaving her home, she asked her father if she could bring the sword to Naruto.. Her father allowed it and repeated his comment from the day before that he would pay for the sword if the boy didn't have an interest in owning it.
Arriving early to their training spot in Training Grounds 14, Tenten found her Sensei giving an enthusiastic motivational speech to her teammate Rock Lee and she approached them.
Maito Gai, sensing her, turned around and greeted her.
"Morning, Tenten, are you ready for another youthful regime today!"
Tenten nodded and then brought the sword case in front of her, "Yes, Sensei, but I was wondering if you can help me with something."
Gai looked at the case curiously before looking back to his student, nodding for her to continue. Tenten then explained about how her late uncle had received a sword from someone in Water Country and that it was to be delivered to someone in Konoha.
Gai nodded along before asking, "To whom is it going to?"
"To someone named Kushina Uzumaki," Tenten didn't fail to notice her Sensei's (at first) startled reaction at the name before he quickly masked his expression again, but she continued; "I thought she might be related to Naruto Uumaki. Am I right?"
Gai was having a swirl of thoughts with this and weighed what would be the right course.
'This could be a problem. The Hokage will probably need to be consulted. But my youthful student will need an answer right now.'
Gai deliberated for a bit before answering Tenten's question.
"It's possible, Tenten, but I'm not able to answer that question."
Tenten nodded, "Are there any other people with the family name, Uzumaki, in Konoha besides Naruto? When I asked you last time you were unsure."
Gai shook his head, "At this time I don't believe so but again I still can't give you a definite answer."
Tenten nodded before looking down at the box, "My dad told me to offer it to Naruto, regardless, and see what he wants to do."
Gai nodded and thought for a moment before smiling, "In that case, Tenten, we should consult the boy's Sensei. My Hip Rival might know the answers to you questions. How about we meet with him after our mission today."
Tenten brightened and nodded in agreement.
Later, Maito Gai and Tenten walked through town on their way to Training Grounds 7 where Naruto and his team were supposedly training. Upon arrival, she noticed a tall man with gray spiky hair who had their back to them while he was watching his two of his three students spar.
Tenten saw that one of them was Naruto, his bright orange clothing being unmistakable. The boy he was facing against was the same brooding boy Tenten recognized from when she was observing Naruto at the academy. Off to the side was the pink haired girl, who Tenten also remembered from then, especially because of Tenten's criticisms over the kunoichi's use of cosmetics. The girl apparently was cheering on the boy Naruto was sparring against, which Tenten took note on as she could see the grimace on Naruto's face as she made those cheers. She then remembered that Naruto had an obvious crush on his teammate, which it seemed was not returned.
Naruto's Sensei noticed their guests and soon called the boys to halt their sparring so he could talk with them and not have his attention divided. Despite that, Tenten noticed an orange book he had in hand which he put away as they got closer.
"Gai." He said, nodding, "What can I do for you today?"
Gai motioned him to come over and out of earshot of his students. Catching on, the man told his students to practice some stretches before he came over to Gai and Tenten.
Tenten saw Naruto looking over with a curious expression before he saw her and, upon recognizing her, grinned and gave a wave before doing what his Sensei asked.
Tenten smiled and nodded before returning to Gai and Naruto's Sensei, whom Gai introduced to her as Kakashi Hatake.
Gai told the man what Tenten told him earlier and Kakashi's one visible eye went to the case in Tenten's arm.
"Can I see it Tenten-san?" He asked.
Tenten nodded and handed it over. Kakashi looked at the invoice that was still attached to the box before opening it and taking out the sheathed katana.
Giving it a once over, before giving a scrutinizing gaze over the spiral symbol engraving, Naruto's Sensei then unsheathed the blade. His only visible eye widened upon seeing the fuinjutsu seals on the blade itself before he analyzed them for a minute or two and then finally put the blade back into its sheath and placed the sword back into its box.
"Have you shown or spoken of this to the Hokage, Gai?" He asked.
Tenten's Sensei shook his head, "I thought to first bring this to you as it seems innocent enough. Would you suggest we go to him now?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before shrugging, "I'll discuss this with him later but for now it should be fine."
Tenten decided to venture a question she was curious about. "Um, Kakashi-Sensei, do you know who the person this was supposed to go to and if they're related to Naruto?"
Kakashi, like her Sensei, took some time to answer her which made her wonder if the person was a closely guarded secret, which seemed suspicious as it also involved the blond teen as well.
"Well, yes and no, Tenten-san. I can tell you that she is no longer alive but as to her relationship to Naruto, well its a little bit complicated. It'll be hard to to find a connection but I'll talk to the Hokage about it, of course." He gave a kind of "eye-smile" to her as he finished.
Tenten nodded. She was suspicious and could tell that she was being given the run around on this but, despite feeling irritated, she wasn't going to pry any further. No use getting in trouble for insubordination just to satisfy her curiosity, after all. So, instead, she asked about the heart of the matter, "Would it be alright to give this sword to Naruto, then?"
Kakashi looked over his shoulder at his student and then back to the girl.
"That depends if he's willing to take it up. No use giving him something he's not going to use."
The young weapons enthusiast sighed, "Well, if that's the case, my dad's willing to buy it from him."
Kakashi nodded absentmindedly before turning back to his students and motioning them over. The pink haired girl looked curiously at Tenten as they came over while the black-haired boy had his hands in his pockets looking a bit bored but on guard. Naruto had his hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture and looked between Tenten and his Sensei before looking at Gai and then back to her.
After some introductions, Naruto greeted her. "Hi, it's Tenten, right? How've you been?" He asked while Sakura and Sasuke seemed surprised he knew her since she wasn't part of their class at the academy and thus they didn't know her.
Tenten smiled warmly as she wasn't sure if he would remember their brief encounter yesterday.
"I'm good." She replied shortly and then looked to the two Senseis for an indication it was okay to talk about the sword with the boy. Gai gave her a thumbs up, while Kakashi just nodded.
"Actually, I'm here to show something to you, Naruto."
Naruto tilted his head in confusion but nodded and Tenten brought the case over to him, while his teammates came over to inspect what the older girl was showing him.
Naruto, himself, was finding this all confusing. He remembered Tenten yesterday asking him about his mission and them talking for a bit before they both departed. At first, he didn't think too much about the conversation but, all the same, appreciated that he met someone who he could talk to without worrying about being brushed off. Seeing her here was surprising. He remembered they talked about possibly having a mock fight against one another but he didn't think more on that. Now here she was and she said she had something to show him?
"My family owns a weapons shop on the edge of town," Tenten explained to him, "And my dad received a weapon from my uncle to be delivered here in Konoha but it didn't happen and we just found it again yesterday." Opening the case, she revealed the katana and took it out and handed it to Naruto.
Naruto took it, looking it over and seeing the engraving of the spiral on the sheath, asked about it.
"What does this mean? It sort of looks like the symbols on the backs of those jackets I've seen…."
Kakashi nodded, "That's the symbol of Uzushiogakure, the Hidden Whirlpool Village. The village existed until the second Shinobi War. We wear that symbol on our backs to honor them and the ties we had with them."
Sakura asked, "Did it come from there?"
Tenten shook her head, "It was actually made in a forge in Grass Country."
Naruto slowly took the blade out of its sheath and revealed the fuinjutsu seals on the blade itself. "What are these?"
"They're seals, Naruto. They react to certain things, like chakra, for example. Performing them causes certain abilities to the blade itself to happen. For example, using a paper seal with the design to hold an explosion in it, you release that explosion when putting chakra into the seal itself. It The sword works under the same method." Tenten explained to him which Naruto nodded along, understanding but looking a bit bewildered at what was given to him; before putting the sword back into its sheath.
Naruto looked curiously at Tenten and then at his Sensei, "Why am I getting a sword, exactly?"
Kakashi answered him, "It was to go to someone else, originally, but as of this moment it's yours if you want it. However, you will have to go through some kenjutsu training to get the hang of it and use it properly. Don't want to you cutting off your own toes or anything right?" He 'eye smiled' at the end.
Naruto scowled, "As if I'd do that, Sensei." He then looked at the sword for a bit. His thoughts gravitated about what he knew of swords and also his team's last mission where he faced Zabuza. Coming to close on his back and forth decision-making, he then nodded, "Hell yeah, I'll learn how to do it!... As long as there's no boring book studying involved…" he added the last part under his breath.
Kakashi heard it and chuckled while Sakura sighed tiredly at his enthusiasm.
"Are you going to teach me how to use it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi thought for a moment and shrugged, "Possibly but I think I'll have a colleague come instruct you who might be better choice than me."
Tenten was relieved that Naruto was going to take up the sword and for there to be a person who might be able to spar with her, using a weapon, who was of her age group.
"If you'd like," She told him, "I can help you with the basics until you get an instructor."
Naruto looked surprised before he smiled and said, "Sure!"
Sakura, feeling a little left out, asked her Sensei, "Will Sasuke-kun and I be learning how to use swords, too? Or is it just Naruto?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before he asked replied to her, "Sure, if the two of you want but are you really interested?"
Sakura took a second to actually think about it and then shook her head in the negative. Sasuke looked at Naruto's katana before shaking his head, as well.
"I'm more interested in ninjutsu, not kenjutsu." He replied.
Kakashi nodded in acceptance of their individual answers and then told his team that their training session was over for today as he needs to report to the Hokage. Gai says he has to go too but that he's 'Inspired by young Naruto's Springtime of Youth' causing all of Team Kakashi to look at the man bizarrely.
Tenten, amused by their reactions to her eccentric teacher, asked Naruto if she could join him on his way home as her house was in the same direction.
Confused but not unhappy by the idea, Naruto agreed and the two of them headed off. Their travel was in mostly silence as Naruto was looking at his new sword in quiet intrigue while Tenten was thinking about how to approach instructing her fellow Genin on the basics. However, when she saw where Naruto lived, her previous unanswered questions she had about the boy came back to her and she decided to ask him one of those questions.
"Do you really live here all by yourself?"
Naruto, surprised by the blunt question, replied, "Uh, yeah."
Tenten looked at him and asked, "Is it hard? I have my father and I don't know what that would be like."
The boy, more surprised by these questions struggled for an answer as he looked at the ground. "I don't know. I guess. Most of the time I try not to think about it." He then smiled, "I do have Jiji who sometimes comes by to treat me to ramen. So, it hasn't been all bad."
Tenten, who thought the boy was an orphan was surprised by his mentioning of his relative.
"Jiji?"
Naruto looked at her confusedly before he caught on to what she was asking him. "Uh, no. Jiji is not my real grandfather, actually; but he's nice like one."
Tenten nodded 'So he's not entirely alone but he still doesn't have family. Huh.' She felt sad about his situation but she was happy it wasn't as bad as she imagined it was. The questions she had about him were being slowly answered while some new ones were being formed. However, she felt today went well.
"Hey, Naruto?"
He looked at her, "Yeah?"
"Tomorrow my team has the day off and I thought we could go over some of the things you'll need to know for kenjutsu and sword handling. Are you available?"
Naruto nodded, "Our team has tomorrow off, too, and I really don't have anything going on, really. So, sure."
Tenten smiled cheerfully. "Perfect! Come by my place. It's the Totosai Weapons Shop down by the end of the road; you can't miss it."
He nodded and she then left before turned for a moment to wave him goodbye and then continued her way onward. Naruto stood there, transfixed, looking at her departing figure before he too continued on to his apartment.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Kakashi was showing the invoice for the sword Naruto was given as well as retelling what Tenten had said and Kakashi's analysis of the weapon itself. Hiruzen Sarutobi listened patiently while he smoked his pipe. By the time Kakashi finished his report, the Hokage was sighing.
"To think that there was something in this village tied to Kushina in some way. You say the girl said it was sitting in her family's weapon shop all this time?"
Kakashi nodded, "It still seems strange though, Sir. Sensei never mentioned her using a sword during their academy time and certainly I've never seen her use one when she was still an active shinobi before becoming pregnant."
Hiruzen nodded and looked at the portrait of his late successor before closing his eyes. "The weapon IS safe, yes?"
Kakashi nodded, "From what I can tell. It has some fuinjutsu seals that cause certain reactions and also a blood seal that does something as well." Kakashi idly thought back to Zabuza as mentioned in his listing in the Bingo Book, his sword repaired itself when blood was splattered on it.
Taking another draw from his pipe, the Sandaime Hokage looked at the invoice for the weapon and voiced his thoughts.
"I'll have Jiraiya look into the forge where this sword was made to see on whose order it was made. In the meantime, do you have someone in mind to teach the boy kenjutsu?"
"Yes," Kakashi said, "I ran into them coming here and asked if they'd be willing. They said it should be okay but they do want to test the boy to see if they'll commit to teaching him further."
Hiruzen nodded knowingly as it seemed he had guessed who Konoha's infamous Copy Ninja had asked. "Good. That'll be all for today, then. Thank you, Kakashi."
The next morning, Naruto was in his apartment getting ready for the day and he considered all that happened the day before. He never would have imagined he would be given a sword, much less by a girl he didn't really know. Optimistically, he looked at this as a way to making his dream to become Hokage and to be seen as a strong ninja a reality, or at least a step in the right direction. He was a little bummed that Sakura didn't acknowledge that he might be getting better and instead fawned over Sasuke as usual. But maybe that'll change as he got stronger and better at using a sword?
Picking up his new weapon, he headed out and turned in the direction that Tenten told him where her place was. It was easy enough to find once he saw the sign for their business hanging with a katana and kunai carved under the name 'Totosai Weapons Shop'.
Seeing as they were already open, he opened the door and a bell above him chimed announcing his arrival.
"Be out in a sec', feel free to look around!" A gruff voice shouted from the back. Naruto heard the pounding of metal upon metal and the unmistakable smell of melting metal. Going further inside, he looked at a weapons display case that showed a pair of elegant looking sais when he heard footsteps from the stairs near the register and soon Tenten emerged carrying clean cloth for the owner, her father.
She saw him as soon as she went into the forge to deliver the cloths to her father, shouting over her shoulder, "I'll be ready in a bit, Naruto! Just a minute!" She came back out and headed to a door to the side of the register and disappeared again.
Naruto continued to look at the things for sale but stopped as Tenten's father came out and was wiping his hands.
"Who might you be?" He asked Naruto as he didn't recognize him as one of his usual customers.
"Naruto Uzumaki." He answered in an uncharacteristically quiet manner as he regarded the man.
Tenten's father was of medium height but had broad shoulders and a physique which was appropriate for someone who was a civilian and worked in a forge.
The man caught Naruto's name and he saw the katana that was supposed to go to the boy in his hands. Tenten had already told him that Naruto decided to keep the sword and take up Kenjutsu lessons and that he'd be stopping by to get the basics from Tenten today.
"I'm Shin, Ten-chan's father. Nice to meet you Naruto. Where do you usually get your equipment made or repaired out of curiosity?"
Naruto was surprised that this man was the girl's father but was happy that there was no prejudice unlike some other shops where he tried to shop.
"I don't have a place, really. "Naruto answered him, "Most of the stuff I got was given to me by my sensei at the Academy."
Shin nodded before turning to go back to the forge, "Well, if you're ever interested, we'll give you a discount if you shop and get repairs here. Think about it."
Tenten then soon came out the door with two wooden practice swords under her arms and indicated Naruto to follow her outside.
They went to an area that had a bald mound of dirt with little grass nearby. Once there Tenten gave one of the wooden swords to Naruto. After he set aside his katana, he placed his hands on the practice sword and Tenten observed how he gripped it in his hands.
Frowning, she walked up to him, "Let me see your hands, your grip is off and it'll cause problems for you if you don't hold it right."
Upon taking his hands into hers, Naruto stiffened and his face suddenly felt hot. He watched as she maneuvered his hands and fingers into what she considered the proper position before Tenten nodded, satisfied.
Tenten took up the other practice sword and made the start of their lesson causing Naruto to shake off his earlier stupor and to listen what she wanted.
"First, tell me what you're idea of what a sword is, Naruto?"
He thought about it and then answered honestly. "A Weapon to stab and slash people with?"
Tenten, amused by his simple answer, shook her head. "Well, you're right and not right at the same time. It's used for those purposes, yes. But more importantly, a sword is an extension of yourself. It provides a farther reach of attack than a kunai in hand would."
Naruto thought about it and saw what she meant and nodded in understanding.
Tenten, happy that he was treating this seriously, decided to go to the next phase of what she had planned.
"Since you have the right grip now, let's move on to an area that'll give you a distinct feel of what a sword attack might feel like. You'll only be allowed to block or try to block my strikes while keeping your grip, nothing else, you got it?"
Naruto looked nervous at the glint in her eye as she moved like a predator towards him. Before he could even blink she was on him with thrusts, strikes, and moves that he had a hard time keeping track of. However, he was blocking most of what she was dishing out at him and he could see a pattern in the way she hit. Several times she aimed for a spot he neglected to keep an eye on, each time new sharp pains came with each of her precise hits.
And so, they continued with Tenten ruthlessly attacking Naruto while he tried to block her. They continued for half an hour more before Tenten finally stopped and grinned as Naruto fell to one knee groaning and breathing hard.
"Well," She asked, "How do you feel?"
Naruto got back up and wiped the sweat from his eyes before answering.
"My muscles feel like they're burning and, man, can you hit hard…"
Tenten nodded, "Doing this more and more will help your muscles remember the exercise and thus help you defend better."
Naruto got his second wind and his new training partner grinned as she held her sword up again, "Shall we continue?"
They spent another hour with Tenten teaching Naruto the katas would that help with his form. She told him anything further she couldn't really help him with as he was going to get a real instructor on how to fight with kenjutsu. All she was giving him were pointers. Afterwards, the two of them chatted and talked about the bane of all Genin work, the D Rank Missions, before they just both went quiet and enjoyed the feel of the air outside.
Tenten watched Naruto from the corner of her eye and marveled, or rather, was just happy that he was taking these practices of hers well without being a wimp and quitting halfway through. Her eyes then drifted to his clothes and she knew she wanted to address for the problems she saw with his movements today and also, for their standing out too much. However, she imagined they were part of his personality and his sense of self expression. So it might be an uphill battle with him.
Thinking about how to broach the subject, she surprisingly found a simple way to address it.
"There's something else I wanted to mention about using a sword, Naruto."
He looked at her waiting for what she might say next.
Tenten continued, "One thing that helps with kenjutsu users is being able to be unrestricted."
"'Unrestricted'?" He repeated, blinking owlishly.
Tenten nodded, "Free from things that would make it difficult to fight or move properly. Sometimes bulky clothing can make things hard to move properly and to perform certain techniques. Do you see?"
Naruto connected the dots surprisingly fast as he looked at his own clothes in reflection and then looked to her incredulously. He opened his mouth to protest her criticism of his choice of clothes but she sighed and continued her advice.
"However, no one is going to force you to change what you wear. I'm just suggesting that it might help you be better with using a sword. If you don't want to to, that's fine."
Naruto's mouth snapped shut and he looked away in thinking.
Later, having said good bye to Tenten and arranging for another practice session, Naruto was at his apartment and was drinking some water. He reflected on the day's series of events until his mind stopped at his first practice with Tenten. Her way of fighting with a weapon (albeit a wooden practice one) surprised him as to how fierce she treated it despite it being Naruto's first time. Remembering more of it, he soon thought of that moment where she had corrected his grip on the practice weapon and how he froze. It was, after all, the first time he had any physical touch by a girl or of any gender, actually. He vividly recalled the not yet soft, nor really calloused, hands that held warmth as they helped his grip.
Naruto wondered if all girls had hands that felt the way Tenten's hands did. Or if it was only just hers.
To be continued….
A/N II: I know I'm going to be a little bit rusty getting back into the throng of things so bare with me on the grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm also thinking of changing things with Naruto's character's age as I willl refer to him as a thirteen year old not eleven for creative purposes and I hope it won't case an issue. I'm going to be starting things slow and just stick to this story and my other The Spiral Lives On.
Thank you for reading. Please Read and Review.