Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the universe. I own a huge procrastination issue though.
Naruto: Dragonheart
Chapter 1
A flurry of white snow swept by the ground from the harsh winter wind, as the sharp intakes of breath from a man who ran through the snow radiated the atmosphere. Evergreen trees surrounded the man's form as his white-haired mane fluttered about in the breeze and his scarlet haori clung to the snow. If a man had seen his footsteps, they would have sworn that his shadow had left afterimages across the field. He dashed endlessly with frightening speed, bolting towards the rocky surfaces and sidestepping any obstacles that would hinder his movement. A few squirrels attempted to dart past him, failing to avoid being stepped on by the wooden geta that belonged to his large, webbed feet.
The man wore a horned hitai-ate with the symbol for oil written on it, as well as two dark-red line tattoos that ran down his face to his chin. He carried a large scroll on his back, which did not hinder his pace in the slightest, surprisingly. He brushed the snow off of his mesh suit and rubbed his hands together, visibly affected by the cold. Still running, he suddenly increased his speed, darting across a small clearing within the forest. A few moments after he left the clearing, he halted his movement before a cliff that passed over a river.
He frowned as he inspected the river from the cliff. It was pristine and clear, almost drinkable. The man noticed a few fish swimming through it. Taking several steps backward to gain momentum, he dashed across the cliff and vaulted to the other side of the river, rolling across the snow to sustain minimal impact. He used the momentum of the drop to leap across the branches of the winter trees, eventually slowing down near the forest's tree line.
Eventually, he reached the exit of the forest, dropping to the ground from the brittle wood. In front of him was a running waterfall that filled up a large reservoir within the region. He expelled chakra through the electronic tenketsu near his ankles, running across the water to reach a small rock affront the cascading water. Forming a hand seal to shape his chakra, he surged energy through the microchip within his hands, molding his natural water affinity to split the waterfall in half for a short amount of time.
He quickly sprinted through the opening before it closed and arrived at a dark cave. With a short one-handed seal, he ignited a fire on a torch left on the ground to guide him through the cave. Slowly, he walked through the tunnel, gazing at the markings on the walls that guided him to an ancient laboratory within the cave. He looked upon stray pieces of circuitry in awe.
The man channeled chakra to an earpiece to report his findings. "Sensei, this is Jiraiya. Can you hear me?"
A deep, grizzly voice crackled through the earpiece. "Yes, I can hear you. What have you found?"
"I'm at the place you said had a crap ton of reports about abnormal nuclear energy. There's some kind of laboratory here," said Jiraiya as he walked further through the cave.
Through the earpiece, the voice chuckled. "Yes, I know."
Jiraiya's mouth fell. "Huh?"
"You were too busy drinking sake before you left to hear the briefing. You're at the laboratory of the ancient scientist who discovered the novaz."
"The novaz? The fuck is that?"
He heard a sigh. "Did you never pay attention in school or something?"
"What do you think?" deadpanned Jiraiya.
"It's the thing that lets you control chakra. You know, the thing that makes us different from civilians. You went through a lot of pain to get it."
"Shit yeah, I remember now. The guy found a part of the brain that can use some kind of extraterrestrial energy, and we made a knockoff that uses nuclear energy instead of plasma. "
"Yes. Looks like you are intelligent after all. We created the Boreas, which will forcefully evolve the novaz from childhood. It did not always work on you though."
"Why'd we gotta evolve it?"
"... Never mind, I take the intelligent comment back."
"Hey!"
The voice sighed again. "The novaz is a part of the brain that has been lost after evolution because it was never used."
"Oh," Jiraiya remarked, still walking through the tunnel. "So we had to re-evolve it, huh?"
"Yes. And your location is the place where it was all discovered," said the voice. "Now, have you reached the laboratory yet?"
"I'm on the way there if the signs are pointing me the right way. I'll get back to you when I'm there."
"Alright. Good luck, and stay safe." The radio cut out.
Jiraiya continued walking through the dry, bare cave as he observed the unusual structure of the walls and broken translucent glass littered across the floor. The cave was not well-lit, his torch illuminating most of the ground. A few critters stalked past his feet. Oddly enough, the cavern was relatively warm. He noticed a few burnt documents along with the glass. He attempted to lift them in order to read their contents, however they crumbled to ashes as he touched them. Frowning, he took a step towards another one of the documents and ended up pushing a button on the ground.
Looking to his right from where he heard a clicking noise, a trapdoor in the walls opened as hundreds of kunai were shot out of a machine, targeting Jiraiya. He ducked under the onslaught of weapons, turning around with his back to the ground to mold a wind barrier from his palm. The barrier deflected the kunai away from his body, protecting him from any major harm.
He formed a quick hand sign with his other hand and pushed himself away with strong wind chakra that erupted from his feet, simultaneously holding the barrier from his palm in order to get out of the trap's range. Eventually, he reached a blind spot in the cave that had been untouched by the kunai. The onslaught eventually ended, leaving piles of kunai scattered across the cave floor. Jiraiya exhaled in relief. Looking behind him, he saw an open door with a sign labeling the laboratory.
Jiraiya picked himself up from the ground and brushed off the dust from his haori. He checked the scroll on his back for damage. A visible expression of amazement spread across his face as he saw the sight in front of him. His mouth agape, he quickly ran inside the laboratory. Within the lab were hundreds of nuclear reactors and test containers filled with water. Notes were spread about the ground floor.
He quickly channeled chakra to his earpiece. "Sensei? Are you there?"
"I am. I'm assuming you're at the laboratory?"
"Yeah. It looks like it's been in use though," Jiraiya said, looking at the active interface panels with open notes on them. "Probably an intruder from the looks of it."
"Not illegal for them to trespass since this is a neutral zone that is supposed to be impossible to get into."
Jiraiya scoffed. "And here I am, right in the middle of it."
"That's because the intruder disabled all the security protections somehow," said the man with a troubled voice from over the radio.
His eyes widened. "Shit."
"Yes, 'shit' certainly serves as a good description for our situation."
"So the guy who came to the laboratory is some sort of genius or something?" Jiraiya said as he picked up some of the notes on the ground.
"That would make the most sense, yes."
Jiraiya glanced over the notes he picked up. The notes possessed stains of blood scattered about the pages, although they did not hinder his understanding of its contents. The notes were each written in an organized manner, yet they seemed to be written in a fairly odd manner. The blood stains had long faded. In the corner, the notes were signed with the name of the scientist who wrote them. The characters however were jumbled in odd patterns, unreadable to many.
"Sensei, I think I found the guy's unpublished original notes."
"You found what?!" the voice exclaimed over the radio in shock. "How? Where? Wait—"
Jiraiya struggled not to burst out in laughter. "Jeez, sensei calm down. It's just a bunch of old notes."
"They're more than a bunch of old notes, Jiraiya," the voice said, sounding annoyed. "Just seal them all in a scroll and bring them back."
"On it," said Jiraiya, who had already taken the liberty of sealing the notes before his sensei told him. Jiraiya was not as stupid as many thought.
As he was sealing the notes, the voice said, "Look for other signs of the intruders if you can too. Even if they're long gone, we still need as much evidence as possible."
"Yeah, I know," Jiraiya said, catching a glimpse of a chakra print near the base. Something was wrong, and he didn't exactly like the feeling he was getting from all of this. "I'll get back to you in a few hours."
"Stay safe."
"I do that already."
The voice chuckled as the radio cut out and the chakra from the earpiece faded back into his novaz. Jiraiya sighed, looking towards the empty ceiling scaffolded with metal poles. The luminescent lights blinded his eyes, his pupils adjusting to the sudden intake of illumination. He pulled out his lighter from his kimono and flicked open the cap. A bright red flame appeared, Taking out a white, worn pack, he leaned his back towards the wall and lit a cigarette. Closing the cap of his lighter, he closed his eyes full of worry and blew a puff of smoke from his lips. He voiced the only thought in his mind.
"What the fuck is happening?"
XxX
The glistening sun shone down upon the bright green grass below, its rays of light filtering through the leaves of the trees, shining on the face of a blonde-haired boy who lay slumbered beneath the shadow of the branches. The tune of melodic birdsong filled the air blended with the boy's light snoring, his distinct blonde bangs framing the sides of his face. A gentle breeze sifted through his yellow locks, his expression shifting to a grin. The warmth of the sun radiated his skin as he began to take in the scene around him.
The smooth scent of the daffodils landed on his nose as his eyes looked upon the vivid green of the leaves. The blonde plucked a leaf off the tree branch, stretching his arms outward as he stood from the ground. He loosened his grip on the leaf, letting the draft sweep it away to the skies. A few eagles flew through the crystal blue skies, with only a hint of clouds within them. With a yawn, he looked at his smart watch for the time.
The boy's eyes took some time to focus on the chakra-powered digital screen he had made himself. 10 o'clock, was written on the watch.
Abruptly, the boy loudly yelled obscene swears into the air as he ran around the field.
"Shikamaru!" he yelled from the top of his lungs, racing towards the other side of the hills. "We're late you lazy piece of shit! Get your ass up!"
A few squirrels ran past Naruto as he stopped running to catch his breath. The squirrels stopped in front of his face as if to mock him for his tardiness. They ran off, sensing killing intent from the man they were in front of. A voice behind Naruto grumbled in annoyance.
Shikamaru was not a happy man.
He had woken up to the screams of the blonde, thinking that an emergency had occurred. As soon as he had awoken though, he had realized that they were merely late for the school. What sort of emergency was that? Shikamaru rubbed his neck as he picked himself up from the warm bed of grass and flowers, rubbing off the dandelions from his clothes. The fresh aroma of spring invaded his senses as he looked upon the figure in front of him.
"God, you don't have to be so loud about it," Shikamaru said, straightening his jacket as he looked at the blonde-haired boy in front of him. "We're just an hour or two late, and you hate school anyway. Why do you care if we're late?"
Naruto shrugged. "I don't really, just had to wake you up."
"Ughh..." Shikamaru groaned as he palmed his face. "You couldn't have let me sleep for just a few more minutes?"
"Nope!" Naruto exclaimed gleefully, laughing while rubbing his neck. Shikamaru had been sleeping for the past few hours, so the thought of giving him extra time didn't make sense to the boy.
"Fuck that. I'm going back to sleep," said Shikamaru, laying back down on the grass to watch the clouds. "Look, there's a cloud right there that looks like a comfortable bed."
Naruto was tempted to look up, but he was smarter than that. Shikamaru was trying to bait him into going away from the topic of going to school.
"What? Even though you just woke up?" Naruto asked in confusion.
Shikamaru, already in a comfortable sleeping position, cracked one eye open at Naruto to answer him. "Yeah, it's called catching up on sleep."
"So you're just gonna completely skip school?"
Yes. That was a great idea. Shikamaru knew that Naruto was a genius.
"Don't act like you haven't," he said, shifting away from Naruto. "I know you stay at home sometimes too."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Shika, if you don't get up now, I'll make you."
He had no intention of lying either. Naruto wasn't one to lie to people. This was also a perfect time for Naruto to try a new jutsu formula he had been working on recently.
"Make me then," Shikamaru said, smirking.
The blonde shrugged. "You asked for it."
Naruto grabbed a microchip from his pocket, forming a few hand signs to interface his novaz and use his cognitive functions to embed code on the microprocessor. He quickly spun up some chakra emitter directives to send a homing echolocation wave to a receiver. He quickly tagged the chip on Shikamaru's nervous system. In a few moments, he set the receiver on the tenketsu in his throat, spitting out a blob of wind chakra that would home in on the target. "Wind Release: Grasp of a Hundred Hands!"
"...What the fuck did you just do?"
Naruto smirked. "Try moving."
Shikamaru attempted to get up from the ground, however he found that he could not control his motor functions whatsoever. "Isn't that a good thing? I get to stay here."
Naruto, ignoring Shikamaru, started walking towards the school. Shikamaru mentally shrugged and closed his eyes. At least, he closed his eyes until he felt his shirt being dragged along the dirt of the ground. He attempted to pick himself up but his limbs would not allow him to move. An odd unknown force picked him up from the ground and continued to move Shikamaru in the direction of the sidewalk. As much as he attempted to resist, the force was much too powerful for his frail body. Shikamaru looked behind him to see Naruto pulling down his right eye and sticking his tongue out.
"Feelin' good out there Shika?" Naruto asked slyly. A small part of Naruto told him to let him live, but his pranking senses overruled that part of him. Nope, he was not gonna outlive this one.
"...Naruto, have I ever told you that I fucking hated you."
He grinned from ear to ear. "Who doesn't?"
Now Shikamaru was not one to curse. He was a good kid.
"Can you please, pretty please put me down?"
Naruto looked at him sadistically, making shivers creep up Shikamaru's spine. The boy brandished a kunai from his pouch, licking its edge while staring at Shikamaru. "I will if you comply."
Shikamaru tried to run away from potentially being murdered in a brutally painful way. However, he could only flail about, stuck to the pull of Naruto's jutsu. "Naruto are trying to copy that purple-haired girl from a few weeks ago?"
"...Maybe," Naruto answered sheepishly. "Does it suit me?"
Shikamaru felt like vomiting. No, it did not suit him. He felt as if something very inappropriate was going to happen to him. And he did not want something very inappropriate to happen to him. "No. Nope. No way."
Naruto sighed, dejected. So he can't pull off the sadistic killer look. There goes one of his prank ideas. He mentally cursed at his past self for sucking up to Anko to learn something this useless.
"Can you just put me down already?"
Naruto thought for a bit. Maybe Shikamaru could give him something he wants. "Yeah! I need me some more of those explosive chips."
"If you promise to buy me something, I'll let you down."
"...How much does it cost?" Shikamaru asked, not daring to ask what he wanted. It was probably something he didn't care about. He'd just give him the money and let him buy whatever.
"Dunno, around like 250 ryo."
Shikamaru didn't even think. A small sum for his freedom from the evil clutches of Naruto. "Deal."
"Also you can't go back to sleep, or we're gonna have to do this again."
Now, Shikamaru really had to think. Was it worth it? Maybe he could manage to sleep while being dragged around by Naruto. He eventually decided against it. It probably wouldn't be good for him to sleep while being dragged across the ground.
"I won't, just put me down."
"Alrighty then!" Naruto dispersed the chakra within the chip, removing its hold on Shikamaru's nervous system and dropping to the ground. Painfully, of course. Specialty for his friend.
He groaned from the ground, his green jacket now riddled with mud and grass.
"How the fuck did you do that?" Shikamaru was genuinely curious. Naruto really comes up with the weirdest things.
Naruto twirled a microchip around his thumb while answering. "Just a bit of jutsu formula. More specifically—"
"You know what, I don't wanna know," Shikamaru interrupted, eliciting a saddened expression from Naruto. He picked himself up from the ground and dusted his pants off. "Sorry, but I'm not a seals guy."
"They're not seals!"
"Whatever," he said, starting to walk across the pavement. This was excellent payback. For some odd reason Shikamaru couldn't guess, Naruto was quite annoyed about this.
"Seriously it isn't."
Shikamaru plugged his ears with his fingers. "Sorry, did you say something?"
"Hell yes, I did." Naruto walked in front of Shikamaru, stopping him from continuing on the sidewalk. "And you're gonna agree with me."
"Alright, alright. I don't know any jutsu formula, sorry."
Shikamaru's uncomfortable expression prompted Naruto to explain. "Sorry man, it's just a little annoying when people mix up the two."
His expression shifted into a lighter grin. "Nah, you're good."
They both burst into a fit of laughter as Naruto clutched his sides in an effort to stop himself from laughing. Shikamaru did the same as they walked past a weapon shop on the way to the academy. The whiskered blonde noticed a few glares and scowls from the shopowners and civilians they passed but he ignored them, scowling back. Shikamaru noticed this as well, but he had long realized the citizen's hatred for Naruto. He wasn't about to mention it this time.
"Damn, is that Sasuke?"
Shikamaru looked over toward the direction Naruto was pointing in. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a black raven-haired boy with the signature Uchiha clan outfit and scowl to go with it. He appeared to be extremely agitated, oddly enough. The pineapple-headed boy could only guess that he had a rough morning, and decided not to interrupt him. As Shikamaru was about to tell Naruto to leave the pissed man alone, he was already across the other side of the street waving to Sasuke. Shikamaru facepalmed. This wasn't going to go very well.
"Yo! Sasuke! What's up with you?" called out the blonde.
Sasuke shot a sharp glare at Naruto. "Dobe."
"Woah, what the fuck happened to you teme?" Naruto asked rhetorically, taking a step back in surprise. "What, did your girlfriend dump you?"
"I don't have one you dobe!" Sasuke yelled in Naruto's face. What does he know? All the annoying fangirls that crowded outside his clan's compound every morning… He would never understand.
The blonde flinched at the dobe insult. He hated that nickname. Admittedly, calling the boy 'teme' wasn't any better, but it was only playful banter. "Look teme, I don't know why you're so angry, but did your mom never teach you to be nice or something?"
Shikamaru froze. There was no way Naruto didn't know what happened to his clan. That was way too insensitive, even for him. Everyone in the village knew about Itachi and the Uchiha clan. Especially the former's betrayal. The genius's eyes widened as he tried to think of a way to
"Naruto—" Shikamaru hissed.
"I didn't realize until after I said it," Naruto whispered back, a little ashamed. "Can't take it back now."
Now, Sasuke was a bit—well, maybe more than a little quick-tempered. He was also very ticked off at the moment, having a pile of gifts and letters fall on top of him the morning as he opened the door. Naruto was the last straw for him. Sasuke hated his carefree attitude. All happy-go-lucky, and he never cared about anything. Why didn't he feel the same pain as him? It wasn't fair. But he had no right to talk about his mom. That was something Sasuke wished he had. Impulsively, he decided that today would be the day Naruto was gonna feel the hurt.
"I'm gonna fucking mess you up Naruto."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Teme. I know I was a little heartless with that comment, and I'm sorry for saying that. But you have no right to talk to us like that."
"What would you know, you piece of shit?!" Sasuke's face contorted in anger. Naruto knew nothing. Nothing at all.
"Man, what the fuck did I ever do to you?!" Naruto yelled angrily, his teeth clenched. "I said sorry already!"
The boy knew deep down that Naruto had never done anything to him. But an apology was not enough. No, he had to pay. And pay he will, Sasuke thought to himself as he cracked his knuckles and settled into a guard stance.
Naruto glared at the man. "I already said sorry, and I'm not gonna fucking fight you. That's going too far."
Sasuke chose not to respond, instead throwing a right hook towards the side of his jugular. Naruto's eyes widened as he quickly shifted into an offensive stance while weaving through the inside of the fist. He shot a left jab toward Sasuke's ribcage. Sasuke shifted his elbow inwards near his ribs, countering the punch with a lead hook aimed at his head. The blonde raised his forearm to the hook, absorbing the impact. Before he had any time to respond, Naruto threw a straight knee into Sasuke's chest, pushing him back.
Sasuke retreated backward, clutching the point of impact as he slipped out a few kunai. Naruto sprinted towards him at breakneck speed, ducking each kunai that was thrown at him. Sasuke attempted to form a roundhouse kick, but Naruto feinted a hook which forced him to drop the kick and go on the defensive. Naruto responded with a straight kick to push him back more. Sasuke raised his palm along with his forearm for a three-point block, trying to grapple with Naruto's leg. As Naruto was about to pull his kick back in—
"—Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
Sasuke and Naruto both froze in their tracks and Shikamaru stood there struggling to keep them from moving. "Can you all please stop resisting my shadow? We're gonna get arrested if you keep this going."
Sasuke continued to glare at Naruto, his gaze unrelenting. Naruto withdrew his anger and looked mildly annoyed at best. This enraged Sasuke further, however in the interest of not getting put in jail, he withdrew his kunai.
Shikamaru exhaled in relief as he released his hold on the two with his shadow technique. "Thank you."
"Dobe. Meet me after school on the recess field," he said, holding back his anger. Smirking, he added, "Unless you're scared."
Naruto spit at his feet, unfazed. "Hell no I'm not. You bet I'll be there."
Sasuke nodded as he left the pair of friends alone, hopping across the rooftops in hopes of not needing to interact with them again. This left a moment of silence for the pair of boys, who simply stared at his form as he ran across the rooftops on the way to school.
"Who the hell does that?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "People like him I guess."
"Looks like I'm gonna humiliate his ass later."
That comment was met with a smack on the head from Shikamaru. "Idiot! Just apologizing is enough."
"Alright…" Naruto said. He grinned, adding, "If he doesn't attack me first that is."
Shikamaru sighed as the two neared the school.
"This is not gonna end well…"
XxX
Behind a wooden desk placed on the polished floor of an executive's office sat the legendary mercenary Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was now merely a graying, wise old man who completed office work for the generation of new. A man whose fame used to reach the very ends of the world, who had more control than any man. He was now a laborer confined to the chains of paper and pen, no longer the renowned soldier of fortune he once was.
To think, that he ended up in the position of which he once hated and looked down upon. His bones were too old for the field, and thus his knowledge was exploited for merely leadership. The man would never understand why anybody wanted this accursed job. He would gladly pass off his hat to anyone who wished to take his spot. Always the young and eager one who would not understand why he loathed his job.
Hiruzen heard a knock on the metal door in front of him. He pushed a button on his desk to allow them access to the torture room they call an office. A fair-skinned woman of a slender build walked through the entrance as she pushed up her glasses. Hiruzen noticed her small bangs that framed the edges of her face. Perhaps there would be a light in his day after all. His face brightened. "Hello, Shizune—"
"—Sarutobi-sama, I have a few more contracts for you to sign."
His expression immediately fell. Of course, he had to sign more contracts. Why else would she come here? "Let me guess, I have to fill in a hundred forms as well?"
Shizune raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already do that?"
"I hate paperwork…" Hiruzen put his face on the desk and groaned. "Will I ever find a successor…?"
The straight-haired secretary giggled, finding his pain to be amusing. "Being the leader of a mercenary group is certainly hard isn't it?"
"Thank Konoha's government for keeping their contract with us. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
It wasn't like Konoha could cut them off anyway. They needed some sort of militia after all. Enemies are enemies. "Yeah. Our jobs are stable."
A moment of silence erupted in the atmosphere of the room. Awkwardly, Hiruzen dismissed his secretary to do the next thing on his checklist. "Could you summon Kakashi for me?"
"Alright." Shizune bowed and exited the room.
A few moments later, a silver-haired man who wore a mask entered the room while reading a book. He wore a navy-colored hitai-ate tilted in a way that it would cover his right eye. As he walked into the lab, he closed his book to look straight at Hiruzen. "Sarutobi-sama? You called?"
Hiruzen waved off the formalities, seeing as how he looked extremely tense. "It's alright Kakashi, I already dismissed the ANBU a while ago. You can speak to me normally."
Kakashi eye-smiled, although he doubted anyone could truly tell if he was smiling. That was, after all the purpose of his mask. "So what's up? It's usually me coming to your office, not you calling me."
Hiruzen pulled out his lighter from underneath his desk. Flicking open the cap, he lit a cigarette and let out a wonderful puff of smoke. "I miss Minato."
Kakashi's eyes softened. "We all do."
"You know, I was walking down the Hatsu district this morning. Just for a little fresh air. Do you know what I saw?"
"What?" Kakashi asked, looking in the direction of the district. He didn't notice anything in particular.
Hiruzen chuckled, taking another puff of the cigarette. "This year, they started building a statue based on a picture of him. They called him the Hero of Konoha."
"But they take revenge on a child."
Hiruzen smiled sadly. "That is the truth of this world. Speaking of which, how is Naruto doing?"
"He's been experimenting with a lot of jutsu formula and sealing jutsu lately. Although I don't know anything about them so I'm not sure what level he is at."
"Jutsu formula, huh? He's following in his father's footsteps without even knowing it."
"I still remember him coming into your office just to read more about it." Kakashi chuckled. "I'm somewhat happy he caught on this fast."
Hiruzen agreed. If he could figure out the specifics of the Flying Thunder God, that would be even more amazing. The old man imagined another Minato throwing custom-made kunai and teleporting to them.
Kakashi wistfully looked out the window before he spoke. "I think…" He turned around to face Hiruzen. "I think I want to mentor him."
The old man was not surprised. It was Minato's son they were talking about after all. The boy was a genius. Coupled with that, he had extraordinary endurance and chakra levels. If anyone could raise him into a fine shinobi, it would be Kakashi. "Jiraiya will help."
"That's fine," Kakashi said. "This is the least I can do for the kid. I owe his father."
"Are you not already rather close with him?"
"A teacher-student relationship is much different than that."
He looked Kakashi in the eye. To forsake a personal relationship to pay off a debt? Hiruzen knew what the scarecrow's answer would be, however, he asked regardless. "Are you sure you can balance both?"
"Yes," Kakashi firmly answered. Kakashi was absolutely sure he could separate a work relationship from a personal relationship. Though that might be hard in joint missions. He'd have to think about that one.
Hiruzen smiled. "So be it. But you'll have to convince him to join the group first."
Kakashi smiled. "Let's just say… he chose to attend the Academy of Mercenaries for a reason."
XxX
A large, bare room labeled the "Cafeteria" was filled with hundreds of chattering students who sat at their tables eating their meals. The air was filled with the vibrant sounds of laughter and conversation, as the aroma of the various cuisines wafted through the area. The students all sat with their friend groups, each filling their stomachs to their content. Among them was Naruto Uzumaki, who sought to wreak destruction and havoc to interrupt this lively scene.
"Naruto Uzumaki is the #1 fighter in school!" he loudly yelled into a megaphone, which Naruto had bought with the 400 yuan Shikamaru had given him. The blonde stood upon a makeshift platform placed conveniently in the center of the cafe. Promptly, all the students stopped their conversations to stare at the poor child that was Naruto.
Naruto did not let the nervousness hinder his chant. Nope, he was not nervous at all. He was the pinnacle of confidence. "Repeat after me. Naruto Uzumaki is the #1 fighter in school!"
The school was pretty used to pranks that started like this, so many of them ducked underneath the tables in case the boy was in preparation for another stunt. Others simply stared at him with blank expressions. Shikamaru raised his hand to speak. "Uh Naruto, what the fuck are you doing?"
He actually had no idea what he was doing. Why the fuck was he doing this again? Oh, yeah he had to demoralize Sasuke out of a fight and this was his best idea of doing so. What better way to discourage someone than to have an entire crowd booing at them? Best. Prank. Ever. Or so he'd hoped. "Gotta hype up the school about the Naruto versus Sasuke fight, know what I mean?"
"Naruto and Sasuke? You guys are fighting?" said a rather large boy with a bag of chips in his mouth.
"Yo Choji! I didn't see you there."
"Wait what?" said a blonde-haired girl, seemingly confused. "Naruto and Sasuke are fighting? Sakura, check this out."
Beside her, the girl named Sakurai stopped eating her food to look at Naruto. "Idiot Ino-pig... Don't listen to them. Why would Sasuke fight Naruto of all people?"
One random girl shouted, "Sasuke would win anyway!"
Many of his fangirls seemed to agree, chanting "Sasuke will win!" as if it were a religious hymn.
"Sasuke will win!"
"Sasuke will win!"
"Sasuke will win!"
"Man, shut up already!" said a hooded boy with scruffy hair, oddly enough with his dog beside him. "Nobody gives a shit."
"Yeah! It's gonna be me who wins—"
"Naruto you shut up too!" the boy said. "Let me and Akamaru eat our food in peace."
Naruto, annoyed about the girls cheering for Naruto attempted to incite the majority of the boys to cheer for him. He looked at the table Sasuke was eating at, noticing that he didn't seem to care at all. "Yo! Who here hates Sasuke?"
A majority of the boys in the school raised their hands out of jealousy for him stealing all of their potential girlfriends. It was unfair that he was born with the talent of wooing, and it was even worse that he didn't use it. Such a blessing is wasted on him. In fact, many of them would in fact wish that Naruto would beat his face into the ground. Unfortunately, they all grudgingly admitted that Sasuke was probably way better than Naruto.
Naruto wasn't surprised by the amount of people who hated Sasuke either. It made sense honestly. Nobody likes an emo guy who is rude and arrogant as hell. "So would you rather cheer for him or me?"
"You!" most of them said. They would not find themselves cheering for the Uchiha. It's not as if sucking up to the guy would get them more girls and help them become more manly.
"So… why don't you cheer for me?"
"Cuz' we'll look stupid cheering for someone who's about to lose," said the hooded boy from earlier. "I'll bet Sasuke beats your ass or my name's not Kiba."
Naruto grinned. He'll show them. He will. "Looks like your name's gonna get changed today. Better tell your mom."
"Dobe please shut up," Sasuke suddenly interrupted. "I don't know why you're trying to make more people see you lose."
Naruto laughed. "Alright, teme. We'll see."
A fit of whispers filled the air as gossip about the reason for their fight took place. Sakura and Ino contributed to most of the gossip, setting up the rumor that Naruto was in the wrong. Because obviously, he was or Sasuke would not have fought him. As much as the students tried to shift back to their original conversations, they could not resist trying to predict the outcome of their duel.
"See, I told you they were gonna fight," Ino whispers excitedly.
Sakura rolls her eyes. "It was Naruto who told us, not you." She tucked a loft of hair behind her ear. "But there's no point in getting excited, Sasuke's obviously gonna win."
"Yeah, but we're finally gonna see Naruto get beat up?"
Sakura sighs. "Not sure why you want to see his face on the floor. That's a little sadistic if you ask me."
Ino chose not to respond to that remark and simply giggled gleefully.
The situation was a little more different on the boy's side though. Many of the boys sitting near the tables of Naruto and Sasuke tried to inquire more about the specifics. Sasuke, of course, being the guy he was brushed all of them off. However, Naruto was a little bit more open.
"Yo, why did the fight ever start?" Kiba asked. "You punch Sasuke or something?"
Naruto shook his head. "Hell no I didn't! The idiot started it."
Shikamaru corrected him, "Actually, you started it."
"Shut up! I apologized after."
"What'd you do that upset him that badly?" Choji asked, his words muffled by the many chips in his mouth at the moment. "The only thing Sasuke really gets pissed about is about his family…"
Naruto looked down in shame.
Kiba widened his eyes. "Oh no, don't tell me you made fun of his—"
"I'm sorry, okay! I apologized to him after I said it. He still got on my case."
"Man… I think anyone would get pissed if you did that," Kiba said. "Hell, if I was in his spot I don't think you'd be alive right now."
"I didn't realize what I said until after I said it," Naruto stated.
Kiba sighed. "Anyways, there's no way you're gonna win. We're cheering for you in our hearts and souls though." As the unruly boy said this, he hit his fist on his heart and made a peace sign.
"Thanks for the appreciation," Naruto said sarcastically.
The boy grinned. "Don't mention it!"
XxX
Several hours after school, Sasuke and Naruto found themselves in the training ground behind the school on opposite sides as the evening sun placed its gaze upon their duel. A crowd of students had gathered around the two, each cheering for the one they wished to win. Unsurprisingly, a large amount of Sasuke's fangirls were there to cheer them on, with their leaders being Sakura and Ino.
On Naruto's side were the majority of the boys and a single blue-haired girl with pale eyes. Naruto guessed she was a Hyuuga. Although he didn't know the girl very well, he mentally thanked her for being there to support him. Sakura didn't seem to really care that much about the outcome of the fight, since in her mind it was already decided.
"I'll show them…" Naruto muttered under his breath. "I'm not that weak."
Sasuke finally spoke. "Are we gonna start?"
"Let's get a referee to start the fight," Naruto said. "Shikamaru! Come over here."
Shikamaru walked out of the crowd, his hands crossed behind his neck. He did not really care about the outcome of the fight, he simply didn't want things to get troublesome. He also definitely did not want to be caught up in it. Deciding that refereeing the fight himself would make him be able to directly stop it, he had no visible complaints.
He still had to keep up his act though. "Troublesome…" he said, as he walked toward the pair.
Naruto and Sasuke stood in front of each other, a line in the training ground separating them apart. They each shifted into their preferred stance. Sasuke had a more orthodox stance, his hands level with his face and right foot back. Naruto, on the other hand, opted for a more untraditional stance. He put his hips down lower rather than bringing his arms up, shaping his feet too look more like an L.
"Are you ready?" Shikamaru asked. He knew what their response would be.
At the same time, they responded, "Yes!"
"Then…" Shikamaru put his hand out in front of the two.
"Begin!"
Author's Note:
Soo... what's poppin?
I know this is literally 7 months late. I also know that I said I hoped it wouldn't take too long to release a chapter in the previous A/N. Yep. Aged like wine. I just wanna say sorry, to anyone who actually liked the premise of my story. Thank you to the folks at the r/NarutoFanfiction discord server who helped me get this chapter out by the way. A bunch of people there helped me make sure I can send this out without being publicly humiliated.
Honestly, I have no idea where I'm gonna go with this. It could go anywhere honestly. I hope you all like my fight scenes though. I do a little bit of boxing and MMA, but I'm not Kenchi. I don't go to gyms lol. I am a certified loser.
Hope y'all like this. Wonder who's gonna win the fight? Find out next time on Dragonheart!
Please review. I got one review on this chapter, which was literally from a friend I sent this to. I need reviews to live.
I promise that if I get one review that you all will get a second chapter within another week. I swear.
I'm gonna go to sleep now. It's Sunday night and I got school. See ya later.
Rehan out.
