edited chapter 5 enjoy
Naruto sat on the front seat of the coach with the driver to his side.
He sat there patiently, waiting for what his clones could gather.
"Asuma, one of my clones sent word of a large crevice to the right about a kilometer away. It fairly deep one clones scouting out right now."
"Affirmative, Stop!" the coach came to a stop.
Two minutes later
"It's all-clear. My clone found a is a small stream eroding the rock" he then created 10 more clones to aid the remaining eight clones.
"Proceed," he shouts, allowing them to continue onward "Naruto let me know if anything comes up."
"Hai"
This continued for the remainder of the day as it would take two days to reach their destination.
Naruto sat by himself away from the jonin since the anbu were still on the clock.
"Naruto, why don't you sit with us!"
"You sure, Asuma senpai?"
"You're a ninja, aren't you?"
He couldn't stop the grin from forming rushed over to them around the campfire.
Binging so young, the other towered over him.
He looks to the side to see their client sitting with the coach driver and a few other people.
He can only assume there with the feudal lord's niece.
"So how much father till we reach the feudal lord home?"
"If all goes well tomorrow afternoon," Asuma informed.
Naruto pulled his mask down to drink his tea and the ration he brought along.
"Ok Naruto, you got first to watch for the night."
"Me, what about the anbu guys? They're a part of the mission to," he looked around and didn't see them anywhere.
"This is more training for you than an actual task."
"How so?"
"Sleep deprivation training as that something you'll have to get accustomed to when the time comes on a mission."
"Fine!"
While the other jonin and the others took some much-needed rest for the next day, Naruto was forced to stay up.
Not wanting to drain his massive stamina to begin with, he took a seat on a low hanging branch watching the moonlight up the night sky.
Naruto made sure to check the time when everyone went to bed. It was at eight o'clock.
Six hours later
If he read the time right, it was 2 in the morning for the young ninja, and he reached his limit.
For the next 45 minutes, he was fighting himself to stay awake as this was training for him, and he didn't want to disappoint his senpai's.
Unfortunately, it was a losing battle as he couldn't hold on much longer before falling out of the tree.
But before he hit the ground, two strong arms caught him with the last of his strength. He saw a glimpse of Tenzo before everything faded to black.
"Impressive his first time of sleep deprivation training," another anbu agent added with long purple hair.
"Yes, he did, but he'll need all the sleep he can get for tomorrow."
"You sound like something bad might happen?"
"Just airing on the side of caution as the area up ahead is a bit unstable, but it the shortest route to the palace."
"True, we better get some shut-eye our selfs than."
"Indeed"
Morning
Naruto was woken up by the glass of water pouring into him. "Wake up Naruto," Asuma said
"Fine, what time is it?"
"7:30, how long did you stay up?"
"Just before three in the morning," he tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes, letting out a yawn as he got up.
"For your first time, that pretty impressive. Then again, your young too."
"I'll take what I can get," he grunted, getting chuckles all around.
After getting some moring grub and some tea, Naruto was mostly back to normal.
"Shadow clone jutsu" ten poofs of smoke appeared, revealing 10 Naruto's who lept off in all directions, searching for any places for an ambush.
He let out a sigh as he sat down next to the carriage driver.
This went on for till lunchtime. The caravan stopped, refueled, and continued onward.
When Naruto sent off 10 clones like before only to retrieve their memory shortly after that.
"STOP! Two of my clones just disappeared"
"What did they see!"
"One slipped off the water-drenched rock, no doubt from the early morning dew. The other found an entrance to a shady crack on the rock side. I'll send more clones to investigate," he summons 10 more, and in the clouds of smoke, he had one stay behind so he can go on ahead.
He didn't like doing this, but in the clone's perioral vision that slipped and fell, he noticed the rock's dark spot.
After some light running, he found the spot. Using one of that jutsu he got from the Hokage, he placed his hand on the rock near the area and pulsated his chakra into the earth.
After a few minutes, he felt movement, and it was heading for the caravan.
"Crap, I had to switch places with a clone" it would take him 5 minutes to make it back, assuming the enemy takes their time.
With the others
Things were going smoothly for a few minutes when suddenly a projectile came out of nowhere, dispelling their Naruto.
"Crap, if our Naruto was a clone, where's the real one!"
Suddenly a dark spot formed of the rock making up the area to the right of them only to grow before revealing a ninja with a scratch Iwa headband.
"Hand over the girl, and you'll all live to see another day!"
"Like hell, we will!" one of the jonin shouts as all of them get into their battle stance.
The lone man cast various earth jutsu, trying his best to take out the jonin.
Asuma and the other were in a good position as one side was the mountainside, and the other was the deep canyon.
"We have to move the girl. Get out of here will keep him busy," he shouts to the driver.
The drive took off with the coach, but he didn't make it very far, and the rogue ninja caused a rock slide blocking the path.
At this time, the Anbu stepped in to help, but multiple rogue Iwa ninja intercepted them.
"You think I was foolish enough to do by myself," he said in a sadistic tone.
He took his sweet time fighting the jonin one after another till only Asuma was left.
"Where are you, Naruto?"
With Naruto
Naruto was just around the corner when something started to form from the rock around them.
With a kunai in hand, he was facing down what he can only be described as a golem.
"Damn, I have to get past this guy soon."
The Golem stood and began swinging its arm in a circular motion.
Suddenly several rock projectiles were fired towards him.
He manages to dodge most of them, but one got a lucky shot on his left shoulder.
"Damn a few more of those, and I'm a goner, Think Naruto this guy element is earth what strong against earth," then it hit him, lightning, but he doesn't know any lightning ninjutsu.
"Hmm, guess I'll just have to keep pounding away till he breaks."
eight poofs of smoke later, and he had a little army of Naruto's
They charge at the Golem, punching and slashing every which way they can, only for all to poof away.
"Damn it, there has to be something I can do..wait!" he pulls out a hand full of paper bombs "this just might do it."
He summons a handful of more clones and hands one each a paper bomb before charging again.
The Golem spins up its arms up once more, taking out all the clones at a cost. The plan worked. The Golem is now covered in papa bombs.
"BOOM!" the paper bomb did the trick and allowing him to meet up with the rest.
Naruto raced around the bend to see a sight of complete horror.
Everyone and he mean everyone as down for the count. The guy from earlier took out his fellow ninja, including the anbu.
From the looks of it, they reached their limit.
But it wasn't a complete loss as only the head guy remained.
"Say good night, girly," he says with a sinister smile as he slowly approaches her.
"NO! I can't let this guy get away with this," he shouts, using all his remaining chakra he charged at the man.
Yukino was scared to her core as this man before slowly reaching towards her.
The boy from earlier tackled the guy out of the way.
She couldn't stop the smile from forming as he tacked this guy over the edge.
But it only lasted a moment as when Naruto bounced off him. The guy grabbed hold of him.
"I'm not going down that easily!" he grabbed hold of Naruto as he falls over the edge.
"NARUTO!" everyone shouts none more, so then Asuma. He runs after him only to be stopped at the edge by Tenzo.
"Let go of me. We have to get Naruto!"
"Our objective is the safety of Yukino. Naruto knew the risk."
"Are you kidding me? He's our comrade. He may be a kid, but still," he shouts back.
That's all he could say before the unmistakable feel of nine-tailed foxes chakra overwhelmed them all.
they look over the edge only to see an orange/red glow from below
Moments earlier with Naruto
"Damn it, is this how it's gonna end for me falling to my death with this bastard!" those thoughts ran through his head as he faded into the black abyss.
In the seal
In the dark shadow of the seal, the nine-tailed fox opens one of its large eyes before being enveloped in a cloak of red chakra.
"You can do better than that, Naruto," he was eyeing down a guest in his prison.
With Naruto
As he descends into the darkness, he was filled to the brim with fear, then the world around him felt like it stopped for him.
Only to feel a new power, the fear washed away only to be replaced with RAGE.
His sapphire blue eyes are gone, replaced with slit red eyes, his fingernail grew to sharp points, claw-like in nature if you could see him now.
His whiskers mark on his cheeks thickened, and to top it off. His entire body was cover in a cloak of red chakra with a single tail.
Using his new strength, he broke free from the man's grapes and attempted to grab on to the side of the rock wall, only for it to break away.
It didn't take long for them to reach the bottom.
"You're tougher than you look, kid!" the man said, getting into a stance as he stared down Naruto, who landed not far from him.
"You have no idea who you are messing with, bastard!" he stands there in an animalist stance.
His headband fell off from the overwhelming power of nine-tailed foxes chakra.
Not wanting to take any chances, he charged with unparallel speed catching the missing ninja off guard.
Naruto punched the man with his chakra infuse fist, sending him flying only to be embedded in the rock wall.
The man can only laugh at this, breaking free from his confines, "look like I'll have to go all out then."
Using a jutsu Naruto never seen before, the man has three boulders the size of a man float in the air before compressing to his head's length.
"I don't have time, so I'll have to use this just to end this quickly," he sends the orbs straight toward Naruto with speed rivaling his own.
Using his new speed, Naruto charged, intending to end this quickly.
He dodges the first one, and the second, and with another punch completely obliterated the third one.
When the third orb shattered, fear washed over the man as his strongest jutsu was rendered powerless against him.
Naruto punched him in the gut with so much force it shatters the rock wall around him.
When Naruto pulled his hand back, covered in blood.
But he didn't have time to dwell on it as the unstable rock started falling on top of him from his earlier punch.
"Damn, I have to get the hell out of here!" he jumps from one rock to another till he reaches a stable wall and climbs upward, not knowing how far he fell.
While the jonin and Anbu had experienced this chakra before, they can fight it off.
However, the non-ninja were over stricken with fear. Asuma went to check on the girl only to see her frozen with hollow eyes.
Then suddenly, a giant red hand made of chakra shot out of the abyss, grabbing onto another rock wall pulling Naruto out.
He lands on the ground with a thud as the red chakra evaporates away, leaving him unconscious.
A wave of relief washed over everyone, especially Yukino.
Tenzo goes over to see if Naruto is all right.
He notices in his headband clutch tightly in his hand, causing a smile to form behind his mask.
"Is Naruto all right?" Asuma said weakly.
"From what I can see, he's fine, just exhausted, is all."
"I can't blame him for pulling that off," Cat said, walking over.
"So what do we do now," one of the jonin said
"Let's make sure everyone all right before moving out," Tenzo said
"What about Naruto!" Asuma had to ask.
"Will discuss this with the Hokage when we get back. For now, let him rest, or we all be dead right now."
"Just our luck to run into Iwa ninja in the mountains," another jonin said.
They cleared the path and got everyone squared away, and after an hour of rest, they continue onward.
Still, out of commission, Naruto was left to rest in the coach opposite side of Yukino, who still held some fear in her eyes.
Unknown to everyone, exposer to the nine-tail fox's chakra unlocked something hidden within her blood.
While Naruto was fighting, her mind was elsewhere.
Flashback start
The moment Yukino felt the evil chakra, everything around her faded to black before finding herself in front of giant cage doors.
"Where am I?"
"You are in my prison, Human girl," a deep gravelly voice said beyond the cage doors with two giant red eyes.
"W-why am I h-here?"
"Hmm is seems exposure to my chakra unlocked an ability hidden in the blood that flows through your veins."
"W-who are you?"
"Hahaha, I am your worst nightmare-" he would have continued, but stopped he could feel Naruto asking him to keep his mouth shut.
Yukino couldn't do anything but stand there, hoping she be released from this scary place.
Suddenly she found herself back in the real world. She looks outside to see the boy from earlier passed out on the ground.
Flashback end
The remainder of the trip was, fortunately, uneventful.
But the entire time, she couldn't take her eyes off Naruto, who was still sleeping.
"Amazing how someone so young is a ninja. He went out of his way to protect me, putting his life on the line. And I mocked him earlier about it" guilt weighed heavy on her heart.
She made a mental note to apologize to him when he wakes up, but for now, she pondered what happened when she felt a wave of evil wash over her after he fell.
As she looks over him, she couldn't help but find him a tiny bit cute for a knucklehead.
Feudal lords palace.
"Ah, Yukino, nice to see you again," the daimyo said with grace.
"Uncle, so glad to be here!" she ran a hugged him.
"I greatly appreciate you guarding my niece during her trip here. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."
"Not at all," Naruto said, covered in bandage along with the other after all, we're ninjas. It's in the job description!" this got a grin all around.
"Well, we will take out leave now," Asuma said.,
"BY NARUTO HOPE I CAN SEE YOU AGAIN!" Yukino shouts waving him off.
"Will see one day," he shouts back as he heads home after a strenuous mission.
"Who is that boy, Yukino?"
"His name is Naruto Uzumaki, a new ninja of Konoha uncle."
"Interesting," his mind appreciating how the Hokage could produce such a young a capable ninja.
With Naruto
"For your first mission, you did a good job Naruto," Asuma said
"Thanks gotta thank Kakashi senpai for training me. Hey, where are Tenzo and the others?" they were with them earlier. He looks to the side one second, and they were gone.
"They went on ahead to report to the Hokage."
"Ok, then, so how long will it take us to get back to the village?"
"Three days if we walk."
"Why don't we treat the kid to a hot spring for doing a good job on the mission," one of the jonin said
"Are you serious?" Naruto asked skeptically.
"Why not? It would help relieve these aches and pains."
"The nearest one only a couple of hours away. We can stay the night."
"Sounds like a plan."
After two hours of walking, they made it to one of the hot spring hotels that dot the land of fire.
"Man, this feels good," Naruto mumbled as he sank into the water.
"You can say that again," Asuma chimed in, taking a spot not too far from him.
"So, this is what a hot spring is like?"
"You've never been in a hot spring Naruto?"
"No, the one in the village, never let me in."
"There are some natural hot springs in the forest outside the village."
"I heard from Kakashi, but I didn't get a chance to check them out when he was showing me around the land of fire."
"That sounds like him" they are getting some much-needed R&R.
The Hokage tower
Hiruzen just got the mission report from Tenzo, emphasizing what happened with Naruto and the nine-tailed foxes chakra.
"I hate to admit it, but we probably would have been dead it wasn't for Naruto," Tenzo stated
"No, you wouldn't."
"I beg your pardon?"
"First off, it was an ambush, and ambush is meant to give you the upper hand. If you weren't caught off guard, this wouldn't have happened," he likes teasing his anbu when the opportunity arises.
Tenzo couldn't argue with him as they did not expect the guy to merge and through rock.
"What about Naruto? The appearance of the nine-tail foxes chakra changes everything. He can't be a ninja now!"
"How so?" he said in an amused tone.
"If he continues to be a ninja, the chances of the fox spirit getting out is all but certain, Lord Hokage!"
"I see your point, but Naruto will still be an active ninja after he recovers."
"What about the foxes chakra?"
"I want to see what happened from here. This is mere speculation. The fox gave his power to Naruto to survive the fall. After all, if Naruto dies, he does as well."
"And if the foxes chakra goes out of control?"
"I want you to keep an eye on him for the time being when he returns to the village."
"For how long?"
"A month, and if anything comes up, alert me immediately."
"Hai," and he was off.
"Hmm, Naruto, I hope for your sake you can control the foxes chakra on your own as there are powerful ninjas who would love to get their hand on you," his thoughts went to Danzo.
Two days day
"Finally at the village," he shouts, walking in with jonin right next to him.
"Hold your horses. We have to give our report to the Hokage."
"But isn't that why the anbu guy left early?"
"That was their report. Now it's ours, so get moving."
"Fine, just let me get something to eat first" he walks away with a pout to Ichiraku ramen.
During his walk, he was getting a few looks. He deduced it was from his mask and headband covering his face "looks like I'll have to deal with this for a while."
He made it Ichiraku pulled down his mask, and gave Teuchi his usual order.
"Where ya been the last few days, Naruto?"
"I had an important mission to do."
"Really, was it hard?"
"You bet we were tasked to escort the niece of the feudal lord to his home as her parents both passed away."
"Hmm, so was she pretty," he teased.
"NO! She was irritating disrespected that fact I'm a ninja," he said, pointing to his headband.
"What this I hear, Naruto got a girlfriend!" Ayame teased.
"She not my girlfriend! Whatever the means," Teuchi and Ayame couldn't help but chuckle.
"Just wait till you get older, Naruto," Teuchi thought with a smirk as he handed him his order.
Naruto ate his meal in silence when he felt a familiar presence behind him.
With one final slurp, he finished his meal and turned to see Iruka before him.
"Nice seeing you, Iruka sensei."
Iruka was happy to see Naruto again. Still, right now, his whole focus was on the leaf insignia on his headband.
"Your...a ninja...Naruto?"
"You bet Kakashi senpai was tough, but I'm a ninja now. I just got back from a mission earlier today. I'm on my way to give my report to the Hokage."
"I'd like to talk to the Hokage myself," he said in a thinking pose.
"More than welcome to join me," he pays for his meal. He pulls his mask up and walked toward the Hokage tower with Iruka not far behind.
On their way, their Naruto ran into some old classmates. Thankfully, they didn't recognize him.
"Iruka sensei, "A girl with pink hair, called out, and next to her were a few of the other girls in her class.
"Yes, what is it, Sakura?"
"I just wanted to ask you about the test tomorrow."
"What about it."
"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, so I missed what you said, and my mother is asking about it" this got nod from the other girls.
"If they stop fantasizing about Sasuke, they would know, tomorrow, an exam to test your skill to go up one year."
"Ok, thank you, yeah thanks," all the girls said
"Hey, who this," a blonde hair girl said, pointing to Naruto.
"Who I am is none of your business," Naruto said in a gruff voice, hoping to hide his identity.
He waved goodbye to Iruka as it seems he is busy at the moment.
"Isn't he a little young to be a ninja?" one of the girls said a little too loudly, causing Naruto to stop for a brief moment before continuing onward.
Noticing the tension in his former student at the comment. "age isn't everything when it comes to being a ninja. He's proven it with his headband," he said in a chastising tone, causing them all to flitch.
Far away from the group stood a girl with dark hair, "Naruto truly has become strong" she watches him continue his way to the tower.
When Naruto reaches the door, he knocked on it, "you can come in," he walks in.
"I'm here to give me a report, Jiji."
"The anbu gave me most of the detail. I just need to know what happened on your end."
"Hai," he went into everything that happened to him all the way up to the tackled with clarity.
"What about when you tackled the enemy ninja?"
"That's the thing all I remember was tackling him over the edge, then I wake up in Yukino's coach."
"Hmm, I'll send some anbu to search the area for anything left behind."
Naruto waved goodbye and left.
"Hm, Naruto looks like you might be better off in the anbu," he gazed over the report Tenzo gave him from one of his wood clones said afterword.
hope you enjoyed this chapter and the edits I made to improve the quality
feedback would be greatly appreciated
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