As Naruto stirred from his slumber inside the cozy hotel room, a warm glow tiptoed through the half-drawn curtains, as if the sun itself was eager to join him. With a quick glance at the clock, his eyes widened in surprise – it was already well past 3 pm, the day slipping away like a playful prankster. "3:22 already?" he mused, feeling the urgency of the passing hours. I guess I better get some training in if I want some done at all.
He hops out of bed, goes to take a shower, and after 10 minutes he's walking down the streets of Hiromachi. As he was nearing the edge of the town, he heard a collective Ooo! His head turned in the direction the sound came from just as another Ooo! erupted from the parallel street. He looked around for a path to make his way over to the crowd. The crowd's excitement quickly grew which only served to hype Naruto's excitement. He ran ahead and saw that the path had an intersection. He took a U-turn and caught sight of the excited crowd. When he grew closer, he slowed down to a jog until he saw what captivated the audience. There was a group of synchronized fire dancers and each dancer moved in a synchronized pattern to create stunning visual effects.
Naruto was impressed by the group's talent and coordination, but he thought that the crowd's reactions would mean that there was something cooler than that. Just as he stopped and began to pivot away, one of the fire dancers began to quickly flash through hand signs. His eyes flashed with excitement as he saw the dancer spew out a ring of fire. The other dancers joined in and created a ball made out of several rings of fire.
The audience cheered at the performance but Naruto was left in awe. His eyes were solely focused on the rings of fire. His eyes shone in clarity. This was what he was missing. He pivoted on the heel of his foot and ran toward the outskirts of the town.
He dug his heel into the ground after reaching a clearing. He dropped his backpack and pulled out a water balloon. Naruto closed his eyes and focused on three things. The rings of fire make a ball, Jiraiya's demonstration of the first step, and Jiraiya's first showing of the rasengan back in the Akado Village. He created his usual ring before he tightened his lips in concentration. He created his usual oval-shaped balloon before he placed his other hand atop the water balloon and closed his eyes in concentration.
He added a second spiral. Then a third. Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Naruto felt the balloon's elastic being stretched to its limit. He furrowed his brows in concentration but his focus fell apart. "Haah… Damn," Naruto glared at his hands. "It's getting hard to add more." For a few more seconds all he did was glare at his hand, infuriated at his lack of skill and progress. "Let's try this again."
He tightened his grasp on the water balloon and closed his eyes before exhaling as he prepared himself. 'Focus… Focus.' His mind replayed what happened earlier in the week. "Think of it like tiny tubes throughout your body. When you usually channel chakra from, let's say your hand, for example, your chakra usually spills throughout your whole arm right?" Naruto opened his eyes. He held his right arm up and stared at the center of his palm. 'Tiny tubes throughout my body…' He tightened his hand into a fist before opening it and placing it on top of the water balloon.
The water balloon began to shake as Naruto poured his chakra into the water balloon. 1, 2, 3, and 4 spirals were added. The water balloon was starting to look like Jiraiya's example. 5, 6, and 7. Naruto clenched his teeth. 8… 9…!
"Ah!" Naruto yelped as his hand suddenly began to cramp. He glanced down at his hand. His fingers began to lock up and the muscles in his hand followed suit. He seethed through his teeth as he tried to open his hand despite the pain. He closed his eyes and rode out the pain a few seconds later. "Damn, this hurts…"
"Having fun?"
Naruto turned around and spotted Jiraiya walking into the clearing. "Sensei? What are you doing here?"
"Eh, just decided that I'd come and see how far you've gotten. Made any progress yet?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I haven't popped the balloon yet."
"Well, this is a high A-rank ninjutsu. It's one without any hand signs.'' Jiraiya placed a hand on his young shoulder. "Mastering this jutsu is going to take time. But try your best. You might get it sooner than we both think."
Naruto took a deep breath in and as he nodded his head. He looked down at the water balloon in his hand. He furrowed his brows and tightened his grip on the water balloon.
Jiraiya watched Naruto's actions from over his shoulder. He had a small smile on his face. That's it, kid. I see that fire in your eyes. The determination to never give up. He lifted his hand off the kid's shoulders and he backed up a few feet.
Naruto placed his other hand on top of the water balloon. He closed his eyes and began to channel chakra into the palm of his hand. The more chakra he poured, the more his hand began to spasm. He ignored it and instead focused solely on controlling the spirals.
The balloon started moving back and forth before it started to bulge out violently.
7… 8… 9…10-!
The water balloon burst open, sending the water contained within to shoot out all over the place.
Naruto stared at the palm of his left hand as a smile slowly grew on his lips.
"Well, I'll be damned. You actually got it, kid." He watched Naruto jump around in excitement.
"Alright, alright." He placed his bag down and briefly rummaged through it before he found what he was looking for. Jiraiya pulled out a slip of paper, placed it on the ground, and unsealed the contents after placing a finger on the seal.
"What's that?" After the smoke dissipated, Naruto saw what had unsealed a sack full of… "Rubber balls?"
"Yup. It's the second step in your Rasengan training." He grabbed one and held it in his palm. "Watch." Just like the water balloon, the rubber ball stretched as much as it could before it violently exploded. "And let me tell you, it's a whole lot harder than popping a water balloon." He grabbed another one and tossed it to his student.
Naruto caught it, briefly stared at it, and finally attempted to pop the ball. Closing his eyes once again, the blonde repeated what he had done earlier. 9…10! The ball stretched and bulged out, but it didn't burst. "Damn. This is harder."
"Yeah, no kidding." Jiraiya closed up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Well keep at it kid. I have to go back to town so we can find the woman we're looking for."
"What? You're not going to stay and watch me train?"
Jiraiya shook his head and began to walk away. "Sorry, can't kid. We're on a time-sensitive mission to find the next Hokage. You just train over here while I go look for her." He was now exiting the field Naruto had been training in, "Cya later kid."
Naruto raised his arm up toward Jiraiya, wanting to call him out to just stay a little bit longer.
But he stopped himself.
Naruto watched as Jiraiya walked off and back into the tourist town. He turned his gaze back down to the rubber ball within his grasp. Jiraiya-sensei said my dad made this jutsu… I want to learn it myself to show him I'm not a screw-up like back in the academy.
Naruto stays and practices over and over again. He's determined to pop the rubber ball no matter how much pain his hands would have to endure. However, after 30 minutes of attempting the second step, Naruto let out a huff of resignation.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Fatigue: 56
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Guess I'll take a small break. Naruto thought to himself. He placed the ball on top of the sack and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He began walking towards town with his head held down in glum. He was upset that he hadn't passed the second stage, but he now understood that it would take time for him to get the hang of it. Maybe I should put more points into intelligence? He contemplated for a few seconds before he raised his head. Intelligence stat.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
*Intelligence - is a representation of your chakra control. *
*The higher the number is, the easier it is to sufficiently control and conserve it.*
*Slightly raises intellect as well.*
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Slightly raises intellect as well? That's new… that wasn't there before, was it? Naruto shook his head and dismissed the heads-up display. He looked up to the sky and saw the clouds above them all. I can see why Shika likes looking at the clouds. Maybe I'll watch them with Shikamaru and Choji sometime. He smiled as his gaze slowly dropped back down. Mid-drop, he noticed a giant black cloud of smoke rising in the distance. His smile dropped and a concerned grimace took its place.
His pace picked up from walking to jogging, and finally an all-out sprint. That looks like where the fire dancers were at! Did they accidentally set the building on fire? He rushed back to where he last remembered the performers were. He skidded to a stop as the corner was now empty. Damn! He looked up and took off, following the cloud of black smoke. He weaved through crowds of people, skidded around corners, and leaped from rooftops to rooftops before he finally reached the burning building.
"Somebody help!"
"Who started the fire?"
"We don't know! It just burst into flames!"
"There are people still trapped inside!"
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
*AN URGENT QUEST HAS ARRIVED.*
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
*URGENT QUEST: Save all the civilians!*
*IF YOU FAIL TO FOLLOW THESE ORDERS,
PENALTIES WILL BE ASSIGNED.*
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Naruto's blood ran cold and before he knew it, he jumped off the roof and ran straight into the flames.
"Kid! What are you doing?"
"You're going to get yourself killed!"
The voices faded away as Naruto ran deeper inside. He jumped over debris, scanned the surroundings, and ran up the burning staircase after spotting no one. Second floor; he looked around for any sight of people but after spotting no one again, he ran up to the third floor. When he reached the staircase to reach the third floor, however, he saw that it had collapsed in on itself due to the flames. Damn! He looked around for another way up, but he couldn't spot another way due to the burning walls. Naruto closed his eyes and channeled chakra to the soles of his feet. I can just wall run up… He took a couple of steps back and let out a breath. Let's hope this doesn't hurt too bad.
Naruto ran forward and jumped to the side of the wall. After placing his first foot on the wall, the burning wall caved in slightly but the genin quickly continued his run. The fire licked at his feet with each step he took, but he quickly managed to climb to the third floor. He looked around before he heard whimpers coming to his right. His head snapped over to the direction the noise was coming from. He spotted what appeared to be five civilians and three bigger men were surrounding them.
Just as he was about to yell for them to follow him, he heard footsteps quickly running at him. He instinctively raised his arms just in time for them to absorb the kick aimed at his chest. He skidded backward a couple of feet before he glanced at the perpetrator. Just then he saw two more individuals walk up to each side of the main assailant. They all dawned cocky grins as they looked down on him.
Naruto lowered his arms as a snarl grew on his face. They were the same three fire performers that he had seen earlier. In a bold move, Naruto addressed the attackers, "Are you guys the one who started this fire?" He naively asked, "Let them go!" However, his plea fell on deaf ears as the three arsonists laughed mockingly. The scornful laughter echoed through the air, filling Naruto with a surge of frustration and determination.
The boy scowled as he readied himself for the upcoming fight, but the H.U.D. once again displayed the objective.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
*URGENT QUEST: Save all the civilians!*
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
00:30:00 / 00:30:00
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
00:29:59 / 00:30:00
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
There's a timer now?! Naruto thought to himself before he closed the hud just as one of the attacking arsonists sent a fire dragon his way. He quickly hopped to the left to avoid the jutsu and ran forward to attack.
Asami jumped back with a smirk on his face, but Naruto jumped forward after him. He wanted this to be over with as fast as possible. But Asami had jumped too far for the boy to reach him. Naruto watched Asami with the smug grin on his face widen just as Naruto's hand missed his foot. The boy scowled once again before he brought his hands together to make a cross-hand sign.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Chakra:
132,421 / 200,400
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Two clones suddenly popped into existence with the second grabbing onto Asami's ankles. The first clone grabbed onto the second's ankles, and the original grabbed the first's. With the Naruto chain now established, the original pulled with all his might. Asami was yanked backward and around until he was flung at his friend, Noboru. The two men crashed into the floor with enough force to momentarily take them out.
The third and main arsonist, Hikari, turned back to see the two men on the floor before he smirked. He turned to face Naruto. "You're going to be fun."
Naruto frowned and before he could retort, Hikari charged forward with speed that caught the boy off guard. He quickly dispelled the two clones with ease before he delivered a strong punch to Naruto's jaw. Unbalanced and stunned, the boy took several more blows before Hikari kicked him in the midsection, sending him sliding back with an oof!
Rage began to bubble up within the boy.
Hikari jumped forward and tried to deliver another strong punch to the boy's face, but Naruto managed to dodge the attack. He ducked to the left before he brought his arm back, preparing to deliver a strong haymaker to the man's face. The man smiled widely right before Naruto's fist connected. The boy's punch was powerful enough to make his vision blurry but not enough to take him out. Now that his first blow connected, Naruto needed to get some space. He dropped his hands to the ground and, with all his might, donkey-kicked Hikari back to where his teammates were.
Hikari skipped across the floor until he landed next to Noboru and Asami, who were already standing back up. The other two adorned scornful scowls while Hikari kept his wide smile. It seemed almost… maniacally. All three rose before Hikari began to flash through hand signs.
Tiger, Rat, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
That's Sasuke's-! The man blew out a large fireball before it shot toward the blonde. His eyes widened as he jumped to the side all the while he stared at the incoming jutsu. Suddenly time seemed to slow to a crawl. The burning hallway they were in was too narrow and the jutsu was too large.
He wouldn't be able to avoid getting hit by the jutsu.
With the sudden realization, his eyes widened and the jutsu grew close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off of the fireball.
Heheh. A voice bellowed and rumbled within Naruto's mind. You're so weak.
Pathetic.
The Uzumaki felt a sudden and strong burning feeling within his gut. He blinked once and he now found himself in a new surrounding. He was now in front of a large gate in what appeared to be a sewer. I'm inside the seal. Naruto quickly deduced. The boy walked forward until he saw two behemoth red, slitted eyes. Naruto gulped his trepidation down before he opened his mouth, preparing to demand some chakra as rent in an attempt to hide his fear.
Shut it.
But the Nine-Tailed fox didn't want to hear it.
Naruto left his mouth hanging open from shock, but decided to close it and wisely held his tongue. He stared into the beast's eyes until he heard a low yet eerie sound coming from the bottom of the large gate. The boy looked down and saw that the red chakra was now creeping out from behind the seal. Naruto watched as it slowly crept forward. This is what the boy wanted- no needed, at the moment… but something felt-.
Suddenly it shot forward too fast for Naruto to react, the chakra wrapped around him as the boy began to choke on the overwhelming force. "Ah!" The boy cried out, the red charka burning his skin as it touched him.
Since I'm trapped within you… I have no choice but to make sure you live. After all, if you die, I die.
The red chakra swirled around the boy before it almost completely enveloped him.
And I plan on living for a lot longer.
Naruto watched two gigantic red-slitted eyes close from behind the gate before the red chakra enveloped him completely.
You can blame your beloved Fourth Hokage for your pain. The beast mocked.
Naruto's eyes shot open but his once ocean-blue colored eyes were now blood-red with slitted pupils. Time quickened and the large fireball was only seconds away from hitting the boy. With the Nine-tail's chakra pumping through his chakra system, Naruto curled himself up seconds before the jutsu detonated.
BOOM!
The three arsonists watched on for a few more seconds. When the smoke cleared, they had a clear view of Naruto's body, which was left sprawled on the floor with his clothes singeing. Asami then let out a smug grunt. "Guess he wasn't that big of a hero."
Noboru smirked. He raised his hand to fist-bump Asami, but he suddenly turned his head when he heard the sound of rubble moving.
Naruto slowly stood up with his eyes downcast, shadowed by his hair.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode: Activated
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
"How the hell-?"
"Guess he's stronger than you thought, huh Asami?" Noboru mocked with a grin. Asami sent a glare at Noboru before he started to go through hand signs.
Tiger, Ram, Horse, Snake, Dragon, Rat, Ox, Tiger. "Fire Style: Dragon Fire Bullet!"
Asami sent the Fire Dragon Bullet soaring toward the boy. Just as it was about to collide with him, his body flickered out of sight. The jutsu collided with the already burning floor, causing it to break and more fire to spread.
"Wha-!?"
The man didn't have a second to think, much less react as Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him with the boy's arm cocked back.
-!
Naruto swung his arm forward. His clawed nails dug into Asami's face before he was flung back down the corridor past the other two arsonists.
Ding!
Naruto's eyesight was suddenly bombarded by the game system's notification.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
*URGENT QUEST: Save all the civilians!*
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Naruto's eyes flicked over to where the hostages where the hostages were being held. Noboru noticed the boy's focus was off of them. He ran forward and fired off another Fire Dragon jutsu at the boy. Naruto's focus shifted back toward the arsonist and the incoming fire jutsu. He took a step forward and launched forward.
Straight through the Fire Dragon jutsu.
It exploded, sending more fire all over the place, but Naruto's momentum continued forward, unimpeded. Noboru took a step back out of shock, but Hikari stepped forward and launched another Great Fireball Jutsu. Naruto landed from his jump as he watched the fireball soar towards him. He quickly jumped through a burning wall to evade the incoming projectile. He crashed wall through wall, anything in his way was demolished until there was nothing left in his path.
Hikari and Noboru heard the several crashes. They prepared themselves as they prepped themselves to burst through the next wall.
But he suddenly burst through the wall with a doorway next to it to catch them off guard.
He ran straight for Hikari, Naruto threw a punch at the strongest and most dangerous enemy, but he simply jumped back to the side. Noboru's eyes widened as he saw Naruto's punch coming straight at him as he was directly behind Hikari.
Naruto's punch connected with Noboru, sending him flying back until he collided with a burning wall, making the ceiling above him collapse onto him. He was now out of the fight as well.
Ding!
Another chime rang in Naruto's mind.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
00:23:12 / 00:30:00
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Hikari stared down the boy as he stood a couple of feet across from him. Naruto glared at him with burning hatred, but he forced himself to look away toward the hostages gathered in the corner.
He needed to focus on the hostages.
Naruto dug into his pouch and threw a smoke bomb down on the ground before he took off toward the hostages. The first grunt, Haido, jumped in front to try and stop Naruto. The enraged boy scowled as he opened his hand with his claws readied. He swiped at the man viciously, resulting in deep claw marks on the man's face. Blood gushed out, painting Naruto in it.
Ding!
Naruto grabbed the now limp body and easily threw it aside. He was now only ten feet from the trapped civilians. The second grunt, Mako, quickly crouched down and picked up a large chunk of nearby burning debris. He glanced in Naruto's direction before he launched it forward.
But Naruto easily and swiftly sidestepped the attack.
Mako flinched back but Naruto had already leapt. He readied his claws once again, aiming to pierce the grunt's eyes.
SLAM!
Naruto was sent flying backward, his body bouncing along the burning floor. He stood back up with a scowl on his face, glaring at the third and largest grunt. His vision grew shaky as his anger spiked, unintentionally and unwillingly drawing even more chakra from his tailed beast. He picked himself up but before he could rise up fully, he heard a voice behind him.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Jutsu!"
Naruto quickly threw himself to the side just as the fire jutsu slammed into the ground where he had been just a second ago. The floors creaked and whined loudly before they gave out, collapsing due to the damage it was being subjected to.
Naruto's ears twitched as he heard the clicking and clacking of footsteps from his right. He turned to face the source and he saw Hikari walking forward, running through another set of hand signs. Naruto's snarl deepened before he glanced back at the hostages. There were two grunts left watching over the hostages. He could easily deal with the smaller one as he was the same size as the first grunt he easily dealt with. The issue was the larger grunt. That one had a much greater strength and, although Naruto loathed to admit it, his size would prove to be a problem to deal with.
Naruto clenched his teeth as he made his decision. He reached into his weapons pouch and withdrew another smoke bomb. He threw the smoke bomb on the ground, creating a thick smoke cloud within the burning building. Naruto jumped back, quietly going unnoticed by the smoke cloud. While Hikari walked around in the smoke cloud trying to find the boy, Naruto sneaked around the hallway trying to buy time until he thought of a plan.
Until he accidentally stepped on the dead body of Asami.
He glanced down at it when suddenly the game system popped up a new notification.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Item Found!
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
A picture of the legging appeared along with a brief description of the item.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Leather Leggings
+3 Armor
+2% Health
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion. This is new. He stared at the notification for a bit longer before reaching his hand up to touch the item when suddenly,
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Item has been equipped!
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
The boy's hand pulled back slightly from shock. That was easy… guess I just need to think about it just like the rest of the time. He furrowed his brows in curiosity before he pulled up the H.U.D.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Health… 306
Stamina… 230
Chakra… 200,200/200,200
Stats:
Intelligence… 7
Strength… 22
Speed… 21
Fortitude… 20
Luck… 15
Points Available: 2
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Equipped Armor:
Leather Leggings
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Oh, my Health did go up. Naruto looked around before he decided to go and look for Noboru's body. If enemies drop loot now, guess it's worth checking to see if it's good loot.
He scoured around, looking for the man's body. His body halted as he suddenly remembered how exactly he took care of Noboru. Naruto turned around and began to sneak down the hallway. His eyes scanned back and forth when his eyes landed on the buried body of Noboru. His leg was sticking out and his arm was exposed while lying flat on the ground.
The blonde walked closer and, just as he predicted, a notification popped up.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Cloth Arm Braces
+1 Armor
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Naruto frowned. Was this really the best this guy had to offer? He tried to glance around the man's body, but all he could see was the cloth arm braces wrapped around the man's exposed arm. He looked at the man's feet, trying to see if he had at least some decent boots… but all he had on were sandals. Guess it's better than nothing. Equip.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Item has been equipped!
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Now slightly better equipped, Naruto turned to stare at the cloud of smoke. He was ready to resume the challenge at hand.
Jiraiya, needing a breather after searching for a while, decided to step into a dimly lit bar and grill. The familiar scent of sizzling meat and the sound of laughter filled the air, providing him with a momentary escape from the current troubles of his life.
As he sat down at the counter, Jiraiya glanced around the establishment, his eyes settling on a pair of hazel brown eyes that caught his attention. It was as though the universe had a hand at play, bringing him face-to-face with the person he had desperately searched for these past few days.
Without hesitation, Jiraiya stood to his feet, his heart pounding with anticipation. His voice echoed through the bar, calling out a name that had been etched into his memory.
"Tsunade!"
In an instant, the name reverberated through the air, causing the entire establishment to erupt in confusion. Everyone turned their heads, their gazes fixed on the figure standing at the bar.
Tsunade, the skilled medic and kunoichi, also stood to her feet, her eyes widening in surprise. The tension in the room reached boiling point as she realized the identity of the man who had called out her name.
"Jiraiya!"
With a chuckle, Jiraiya made his way over to Tsunade's booth, his heart filled with a sense of nostalgia and joy. He sat down beside her, his eyes locked on hers, unable to tear them away.
"Oh man, talk about fate wanting our paths to cross each other," Jiraiya said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Tsunade, on the other hand, remained impassive, her frown deepening. She poured sake into her saucer, her eyes fixed on the liquid. Slowly, she picked up the saucer, eyed the sake, and downed it in one gulp.
"Fate. Sure," Tsunade replied, her voice simmering with a mix of emotions. Mostly trepidation. "What are you doing here anyway?"
Jiraiya smirked, reaching for the sake bottle and a spare saucer. He poured himself a shot and handed the bottle back to Tsunade. Without hesitation, Jiraiya downed the alcohol, savoring its warmth as it flowed down his throat. "Well, I'm actually here for you."
Tsunade's frown deepened before she poured herself another shot. She grabbed the saucer and gently swayed the sake around before raising it to her lips. "Sarutobi died fighting against Orochimaru." She paused for a few seconds before she downed her shot. "But I'm guessing you already knew that."
Shizune glanced between the two Sannins before she felt a bit of uneasiness wash over her The Third Hokage… so the rumors were true, She mournfully thought.
"Yeah," Tsunade answered Jiraiya. "Word spreads around fast."
The Slug Sannin placed her saucer down on the table reached into her pockets, and pulled out a deck of playing cards. As she opened the box, Jiraiya once again spoke.
"The village has named you the next Hokage."
The Slug Queen froze for a second before she poured the cards into the palm of her spare hand.
"I refuse."
Jiraiya grabbed the sake bottle and poured himself another shot as he watched Tsuande shuffle the cards before placing the deck on the table. Jiraiya chuckled as he reached for the deck.
"You know you can't refuse."
He shuffled the deck once more before placing the cards back down on the table. "With your efforts in the 2nd Great Shinobi War and with your lineage, there's no other choice."
Tsunade stayed silent as she grabbed the deck and dealt five cards to Jiraiya and herself.
Jiraiya sighs as he knows he would have to go for the jugular. He didn't want to do it, but he knew that unless he did, Tsunade would only keep declining stubbornly.
"I know you're still afraid, but it gets better." He continued. "Dan and Nawawki would want you to just be happy."
Tsunade's hand froze as she reached for her five cards.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Shizune cried out.
He glanced at Shizune with a hard tone in his eyes. Shizune wanted to protest more, but she got the message as clear as day.
She needed to hear this.
Tsunade's mind supplied itself with the smiling visage of her younger brother, and of her lover. They were smiling for a village that didn't deserve them.
Tsunade closed her eyes before she picked up her cards.
Jiraiya watched her before he sipped half of his shot. He placed his saucer down and picked up the cards.
The Toad Sannin frowned as all he had was a pair of 2's, an Ace of Spades, and a Six and a King of Spades.
Tsunade glanced at her hand.
Ace of Hearts, Ten of Spades, Jack of Hearts, Two of Diamonds, and Three of Spades.
Her eyes focused on the Ace of Hearts and the Jack of Hearts. Her heart panged as she stared at the Ace. Symbolizing love, she was reminded of her first love. The memories of Dan filled her mind. Reminding her of all his hopes and dreams. Of all the good he wanted to do within the village. Of all the good times the both of them had.
And the Jack of Hearts reminded her of a young man full of energy and enthusiasm. Just like Nawaki had been. So full of life and excitement. The fire in his eyes, Tsunade had never seen ones that shone as brightly as her younger brothers. Dan's shone brightly, but they were in a more gentle manner while Nawaki's shone in more of an intense manner. He always wanted to help whenever he could. Always wanted the more dangerous missions to prove himself. Tsunade cracked a soft smile as she reminded herself just how impatient and childish Nawaki could be whenever his team was assigned D-rank missions.
Jiraiya saw her gentle smile. He smiled himself as he loved to see her happy. Seeing her destroyed over losing her younger brother and her lover tore at his heart. He wanted to help her, to ease her pain, and to help her recover from her losses. But Tsunade always kept him shut out. And then she shut everyone else out.
Jiraiya threw away the pair of twos, and the six. He reached for the deck and drew four new cards.
But now he resolved to break through Tsunade's barriers and connect with her once again after he brought her back to Konoha.
He smirked as he saw his new hand. Ace of Clovers, King of Clovers, Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts, and his original Ace of Spades.
Tsunade focused back in on the game and decided to choose which cards to throw out. Her hand hovered over the Ace of Hearts and the Jack of Hearts. But she felt her heart clench as she did so. So she decided that she would keep them and threw out the other three cards. She reached for the deck and her mind filled with visions of the future.
Of what could be.
Of her as Hokage.
Of her sitting at the Hokage's desk with shinobi entering and leaving as she talked to each and every one of them.
Her heart warmed at the thought.
At the thought of being a part of something more.
She stacked the new cards behind her original cards before she placed them down and poured herself another shot of sake. She offered Jiraiya the bottle but he declined as he still had half of his shot remaining. So she placed the bottle back down on the table.
Tsunade picked up her hand and saw the Ace of Hearts. She slid the next card and saw the Jack of Hearts.
Envisions of her viewing Konoha from the Hokage's room filled her mind.
She slid the next card and saw the Ten of Hearts.
Tsunade saw herself smiling and laughing with Jiraiya in the Hokage's room.
She saw herself with a smile on her face as she looked over the village.
She slid the next card and saw the Queen of Hearts.
She saw her Hokage ceremony with shinobi and civilians gathered around.
They were cheering and praising her for becoming the next Hokage.
A small smile made its way to her lips.
But then the dark thoughts entered her mind.
Thoughts about her loss and grief.
Thoughts about her distrust and betrayal of the village she once loved.
Thoughts of her cynicism, her resignation, isolation, disconnection, regret, and self-doubt.
She slid the next card and saw Two of Spades.
Tsunade frowned as she saw the card. She knew her tainted views were holding her down. She knew that she needed to move on. Knew that she needed to heal. She placed her hand down on the table before pouring another Sake shot.
"I fold." She said as she drank her shot.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak, but the waiter finally appeared with his ordered food. "Here you go sir, I apologize for the wait."
Jiraiya smiled at the waiter. "It's alright, food smells great."
As Jiraiya began to dig in, new customers arrived speaking semi-hushed words.
"Did you see that big smoke cloud?"
"Yeah, there must be a big fire across town."
"You want to go check it out before we eat?"
"No, the fire will probably be put out before we even reach there."
"I doubt it, the fire seems pretty big."
Jiraiya's ears twitched as he heard the conversation. He placed his fork down and let out a sigh. "I'm going to go see if I can help out over there." He peeked at Tsunade and Shizune out of the corner of his eye. "You guys mind lending me a hand?"
Shizune glanced at Tsunade with a hopeful smile. Tsunade glanced back at Shizune before she let out a sigh. "Fine, but I'm not going in. I'll stay outside."
Jiraiya smirked.
This wasn't a yes… but it was definitely progress.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
00:15:36 / 00:30:00
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
With half the given time remaining, Naruto threw out another smoke bomb. The second the new cloud of smoke erupted, he crossed his fingers to create enough shadow clones to flood the open area. They all ran forward to complete the one task that they were brought into existence to complete.
Bombard and defeat Hikari.
While his clones ran forward, the original Naruto slinked back into the background and maneuvered his way around all the chaos. While his clones were busy preoccupying Hikari, he would take out the other two grunts to free the hostages. As soon as he gained sight of the hostages, who were being huddled into a corner by the two remaining grunts, Naruto prepared himself to make a move.
But then the smaller grunt pushed a hostage into the fire, causing her to burn her hand.
And the bastard had the gall to smirk.
Naruto's vision grew shakier as emotions drew more chakra from the nine tails.
He crouched down, dragged his clawed fingernails across the burning floor, and dashed forward.
After dawning a smug grin at making one of the hostages burn themselves, he shifted his eyes back forward.
Only to be met with the horrifying sight of the blonde kid with murder in his eyes.
Naruto plunged his claws into the man. His middle and ring fingernails dug into his eyes, his pinky and index finger were plunged just close to his eyes, and finally, his thumb was buried just next to the man's mouth.
Ding!
As Mako's body fell to the ground, Naruto pulled his right arm back. He still wanted to do more to this bastard.
FWOO!
Hikari sent out a fire-style jutsu to try and eliminate all of Naruto's clones, but he only managed to get a third of the clones wiped out. As the man ran through more hand signs, one of the clones threw himself on top of him to prevent him from finishing the sequence. Others quickly followed which resulted in the remaining clones dogpiling onto the man.
Naruto dropped his hand in favor of seeing if the man dropped any item he could quickly equip.
But the game system wasn't bringing anything up.
Creak!
Naruto's head shot up just in time to see the largest grunt, Seiji, standing over him with his right arm cocked back. The boy's eyes widened as the grunt brought his arm down to deliver a powerful haymaker to Naruto's left side.
In one swift motion, the orange-clad jinchuriki yanked the kunai out of Mako's skull right before he jumped back, missing Seiji's attack by a hair.
As soon as the boy landed, he leaped forward and buried the kunai deep into the grunt's tricep. The man winced and staggered.
This was his opening!
"GO!" He yelled at the hostages huddled in the corner. "RUN!"
The hostages all whipped their heads at him and when they met the urgency of his eyes, only three of the five hostages dared to run with all their might. The other two hesitated for only a second before they followed the others.
But it was that hesitation that cost them their freedom.
Seiji grunted as he threw out another haymaker that finally connected with Naruto, sending him flying into a wall. The force of the punch made the wall collapse on top of the boy, burying him just like Noboru. He turned around and yelled at the last two hostages. "Stay put!"
The hostages yelped in terror as they quickly ran back to the corner they were previously holed up in.
Seiji grunted as he turned to stare at the pile of rubble for a few seconds. After nothing happened, he turned to go help Hikari out of the clone dogpile.
But then he heard the sound of debris shuffling from where the boy had been buried.
Naruto pulled himself out of the pile of rubble. With a scowl on his face, he glared at Seiji with his red eyes filled with rage.
He quickly pulled out two more kunai out of his weapons pouch and launched at the grunt. He bolted toward the man as soon as he threw his projectiles. Naruto saw Seiji pull up his already-wounded arm to block the attacks and reveled when he saw the man bite back a wince as the kunais buried themselves deep into his arms.
Seiji had enough of this kid. He yanked one of the kunais out of his arm and threw it at the boy, but Naruto merely side-stepped the projectile. Naruto pulled his last kunai out of the weapons pouch as he charged forward.
Seiji pulled back and tried to throw a jab at Naruto, but the boy simply ducked underneath the blow. Seiji threw out a leg sweep, forcing Naruto to jump back.
The boy deepened his scowl as he once again dug into his weapons pouch, this time retrieving an explosive tag. He wrapped it around the kunai's handle before running forward again.
He dodged, ducked, and contorted his body all that he could to evade Seiji's maniac and frantic attacks. Naruto was now directly in front of the man. Seiji towered over him and pulled back another jab, but Naruto acted quicker. He buried the kunai deep within the man's gut before the grunt launched his attack.
Naruto knew he couldn't dodge this time, he didn't have enough time to leap back. The boy crossed his arms and took the blow, sending him flying back once again.
But now he adorned a smirk.
He raised his right hand in the Ram hand sign, causing the explosive tag to light up.
The tag detonated, causing Seiji's body to fall forward just as a chime rang within his mind. Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he pulled himself back up. With all of the enemies now defeated, Naruto limped his way towards the two remaining hostages. He really hated to admit it, at the moment, but Seiji really did bang him up quite badly.
"C'mon," He started in a soft voice in an attempt to calm the civilians down. "I'll walk you guys outside."
Just as the other two hostages nodded their heads and took one step closer to Naruto, the dogpile of Naruto clones exploded, resulting in the center of the hallway being filled with an intense fire.
Naruto turned his head with one wide eye and a half-lidded one. His eyes reflected Hikari's visage standing up from where he lay not a second ago.
Reacting quickly, Naruto ran forward, plucked a kunai out of Seiji's corpse, and launched it at Hikari's skull.
Only for it to melt as soon as it reached only a couple of feet from its intended target.
Naruto clicked his tongue before he looked around.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
00:07:52 / 00:30:00
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Crap!
The boy dug into his weapons pouch and pulled out his last two remaining explosive notes. Guess this will have to do. Naruto grimaced. He turned around and slapped them onto a nearby wall. He lit them and dove down to cover the hostages.
BOOM!
The wall crumbled and gave way to reveal the outside. Naruto swiftly crossed his fingers and created two shadow clones. Without another word, the two clones picked up a hostage and jumped down to the ground outside.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
URGENT QUEST: Save the civilians!
Completed!
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Choose your reward!
1. 5 Points
2. Enhanced Attributes Orb
3. Random Jutsu Scroll
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
He momentarily paused as he saw the second item.
Enhanced Attributes Orb? What kind of item is that? What is it supposed to do?
Many more thoughts ran through his mind, but with the dangerous foe growing closer, he made up his mind.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Reward Chosen!
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
After choosing his reward, the H.U.D. closed and Naruto's eyes laid on Hikari who was slowly making his way toward him.
My kunai melted before it could even touch him. I won't be able to get close.
His mind raced through his remaining arsenal.
Shadow Clones, Summoning, Lightning-
"Bird, Snake, Monkey, Ram! Lightning Style: Lightning Ball Jutsu!"
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Chakra:
99,126 / 200,400
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Chakra:
68,792 / 200,400
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
A large lightning ball quickly appeared over Naruto's head and just like he did against Gaara, he brought his hands down and aimed them at Hikari.
The jutsu slowly moved down but its target didn't dodge or try to deflect it.
The big ball of lightning soon collided with Hikari and detonated, causing a big bright flash of white that temporarily blinded the two opponents.
After a bit of time, Naruto's vision came back to normal but his ears were left ringing. He was forced to blink a couple of times to try and reorient himself. He looked around, wondering if his jutsu worked.
But wait… he didn't hear a chime.
Then his eyes laid on Hikari standing with crossed arms roughly twenty feet from where he previously was left standing.
Naruto looked down and quickly realized that he was on the ground. The explosion had apparently knocked him off of his feet. He tried to get up and stand. but his arms were too shaky and too weak.
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode: Deactivated
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
Fatigue: 76
═̴═̷═̶═̵═̴═̴═̶═̴═̵═̸═̴═̸═̴═̷═̸═̷═̶═̷═̶═̵═̵═̶═̵═̶═̸═̸═̸═̸═̸═̷═̵═̸═̴═̵
"Crap." Naruto sighed. He turned back to see Hikari walking forward with footsteps slowly and gradually echoing in his mind as the ringing was starting to fade. Naruto pulled himself to sit with his back against the wall, right next to the giant hole he had blown open.
He knew if he dropped himself down, the fall would greatly injure or kill him in his weakened state. Excluding that fact, Hikari would jump down after him and would surely burn this town to the ground.
Naruto closed his eyes as he assessed his body.
His hands were shot from that last jutsu. Guess being point blank of a lightning explosion will do that to you.
He was tired.
He couldn't even stand up.
Naruto leaned his head back to rest it on the wall behind him. "Sorry, Master. I-"
A hand gently placed itself on the boy's bloody blonde hair.
"Don't worry kid."
Naruto looked up and through his hair, he spotted Jiraiya, and brunette with short hair.
"We'll take it from here."
Naruto smiled as he lowered his head and nodded.
"Yes sir…" Naruto replied as his vision darkened.
He had drifted to sleep.
Jiraiya smirked as Naruto's head dropped. He softly ruffled the kid's hair before he stood up and turned around to face the enemy. "Shizune, heal up Naruto please."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama."
He ran through hand signs before he slammed both palms on the ground, Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind Jutsu!
The burning building around them slowly turned into a pink flesh that held all of the combatants.
Hikari glanced around him before deciding to resume his trek forward. He took a step forward and tried to take another step but he quickly noticed that his left foot was now being held down by the flesh. He pumped more chakra into his jutsu but all it accomplished was making the confinement hotter.
Jiraiya frowned before he quickly channeled more chakra into his jutsu, speeding up the pace.
Hikari was being eaten alive by the flesh as he just started to sink deeper and deeper. He tried to free himself, but he quickly realized that his chakra was being siphoned off faster the deeper he sank into the flesh.
His stoic demeanor quickly changed into a frantic and terrified demeanor.
He struggled and threw himself around trying to free himself, but it was too late.
Once the jutsu swallowed him whole, a silent chime rang throughout Naruto's asleep mind.
Jiraiya released the jutsu and the toad's stomach retreated, revealing the burning apartment once again, but taking the lunatic within with it. With the fight over, Jiraiya glanced around him.
If only we could've gotten here sooner. The man shook his head to clear his mind. No. Naruto took care of them except for the last guy. I'll have to commend him for winning this fight mostly by himself later.
With his mind made up, he ran through another set of hand signs.
"Water Trumpet jutsu!"
He sprayed down the burning building until all of the fire had been extinguished. After finishing, he turned around and saw Shizune standing next to Naruto. "C'mon, let's head back down."
They both jumped out of the whole Naruto created and joined back up with Tsunade and the gathered crowd.
Tsunade turned to glance at them and froze when she saw the blood covering Naruto's forehead.
Flashes of Dan's dying corpse and Nawaki's body covered with a white sheet flashed through her mind.
The grief and pain washed over her.
She looked away, biting her lip in a pitiful attempt to remind herself that that event was unlike the one before her right now. "Bring him here." Tsunade weakly spoke. "I'll check him."
"You don't have to my lady," Shizune spoke up. "I already healed him up and checked him up."
"...please." Tsunade's voice cracked in a begging tone.
Jiraiya weakly smiled at seeing his old friend and longest love behaving so vulnerable for once. "Okay." He replied. "Take your time."
He gently took him from Shizune's arms and carefully placed him in front of Tsunade who was still looking away.
She peeked at the blonde boy out of the corner of her eyes. Her blood ran cold yet again at the sight of his dried-up blood on his forehead. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
She had to try.
"Your apprentice…" She started, "Who is he?"
"His name is Naruto," Jiraiya answered. He watched Tsunade as she stayed still so he decided to tell her more about his student to hopefully ease her. "His dream is to become Hokage."
Tears began to well in her eyes at Jiraiya's words. "What else?"
Jiraiya smiled. "The boy's got potential." He continued. "The will of fire burns bright within him. You could see it by just looking in his eyes. He's truly something else."
Tears ran down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and the visage of Nawaki flashed within her mind.
"The kid's got spirit. I'm actually teaching him the rasengan." Jiraiya's eyes dropped down to the knocked-out boy. "He's still learning it, but I have no doubt in my mind that the boy would get it down soon."
A constant stream of tears came out of Tsunade as she glanced at the boy again.
She was scared.
Terrified.
"Just taking on these men, I can't even think about how hard he fought against them."
But it was slowly easing down.
"He's someone you can bet on Tsunade."
"...don't."
"He won't let himself go down."
"Please." She weakly protested.
"He's so stubborn that he wouldn't let himself."
Shizune watched the exchange with a sardonic smile. She didn't know this young man, but she had a gut feeling that he would play a large role in her master's recovery.
Jiraiya continued to make his points about how Naruto would definitely become someone great.
Tsunade, through enough time and with enough willpower, glanced at the boy and saw the blood on his forehead. She closed her eyes and raised a shaky hand. She held it over his head and she began the diagnosis jutsu.
Everything was okay.
Strong heartbeat, the boy was breathing normally, and no lingering effects on the boy. All that the boy had now was a low chakra supply which would resupply itself over time. All he needed was some rest.
Her shaky hand calmed down as she let out a shaky breath. She lowered her hand to hover just over the boy's abdomen. She opened her eyes and began to pour some of her own chakra into the boys.
When the boy's chakra was nearly replenished, Tsunade canceled the jutsu and just laid her eyes on the boy. The blood on Naruto's forehead was already dried up but Tsunade couldn't help to look away.
She was in a trance as she stared at it.
She was broken out of it when Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder. "...I'm… I'm fine." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tsunade then picked the boy up and Jiraiya took him out of her hands.
Jiraiya maneuvered him to his back just as Tsunade spoke up.
"I accept the offer Jiraiya."
He smiled.
"What changed your mind?"
Instead of answering, she stood up and began to walk back toward the hotel where she and Shizune were staying.
She needed to begin packing for the journey.
Jiraiya smirked as he glanced back at the sleeping Naruto. "Good work, kid."
Birds began to chirp as the soft golden rays of the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the simple hotel room. Tsunade sat quietly in a chair by the window, her gaze fixed on the sleeping figure of Naruto nestled under the covers of the bed. She observed his peaceful expression, the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in the fresh morning air. A small smile played on Tsunade's lips as she watched the young boy, noting the resemblance he bore to Nawaki.
She watched as Naruto stirred slightly in his sleep, causing Tsunade to tense, her eyes filled with a mixture of concern and curiosity. "Mm." A low, guttural groan escaped Naruto's lips as he tossed and turned in his sleep, his brow furrowed in distress. Tsunade's frown deepened as she sensed the intensity of his nightmare.
Naruto's groans grew louder, echoing in the quiet room, betraying the inner turmoil he was experiencing. His depleted chakra reserves left him vulnerable, his body trembling with the aftermath of a fierce battle. With a sudden jolt, Naruto bolted upright, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. His shaky vision struggled to focus as he found himself face to face with a shadowy figure looming over him. The figure's hand reached out menacingly towards Naruto's face, casting a dark shadow across his features, sending a shiver down his spine. Desperate to shield himself from the looming threat, Naruto instinctively tried to pull the covers over his face, seeking refuge in the safety of darkness.
However, Tsunade's gentle yet firm hand intercepted his, halting his panicked movement. Her touch was a grounding presence in the midst of his turmoil, offering reassurance in the face of his fears.
Naruto's eyes snapped open, meeting Tsunade's hazel brown gaze with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. As he took in her appearance - her blonde hair, beauty, and the violet diamond on her forehead - he couldn't help but blurt out, "Whazzdat?"
Tsunade's expression shifted to a mix of surprise and concern before she redirected the conversation, "Oh, I'll tell you about it later. Right now I want to learn more about you. Tell me about yourself."
Slowly pulling down the covers, Naruto squinted in the morning light, his mind racing with questions. Suddenly, a wave of realization hit him, causing him to jump out of bed in a mix of panic and disbelief, "Wait wait! Did Jiraiya-sama hire you?! I'm not ready!"
Tsunade's response was swift and firm, "I'm not a hooker! In fact, you're looking at the Fifth Hokage."
Naruto's confusion lingered until the pieces clicked into place, "So you're the one me and Pervy Sage were searching for?"
Tsunade couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that nickname. "Didn't you just call him Jiraiya-sama earlier?"
"I mean he's my master," Naruto started but finished off with a shrug. "But he's still a pervert."
Tsunade smiled as she dropped her arms and motioned Naruto to sit on the bed.
Hesitantly, he followed her request. He sat on the edge of the queen bed while Tsunade sat on the other one. "So… what do you want to know about me?"
"Let's start with your childhood." She started with a smile.
Naruto hesitated for a moment at first, but he then began to share stories of loneliness and the quest for recognition. Naruto soon found himself opening up about his struggles and aspirations. Tsunade listened intently, her own past echoing with similar themes of overcoming adversity and finding purpose.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, Tsunade grappled internally with the resemblance she saw between him and her late brother Nawaki. The freed hostages' accounts of Naruto's bravery against overwhelming odds sparked both fear and hope within her. She saw potential in him, a flicker of light in the darkness.
Meanwhile, Naruto's mind wandered back to the traumatic events he faced alone, doubts and fears creeping in until the arrival of Jiraiya and the mysterious woman. He realized the narrow escape he had, grappling with the thought of his mortality. Unlike all the other times he's fought, he only had himself and the Nine-Tail's to rely on.
He needed to get stronger.
As the two shared their stories, a bond began to form, forged through shared struggles and a mutual understanding of the weight they carried. Tsunade saw in Naruto a spark of resilience and determination that reminded her of her own journey, while Naruto found solace in the presence of someone who had faced similar and even worse challenges and emerged even stronger.
Soon after, a knock on the door shattered the moment. Jiraiya's entrance, accompanied by Shizune and her porcine companion Tonton, brought a wave of relief and distraction.
Naruto noticed that the same black-haired woman was behind his master. "Hey! It's the lady that helped save me!"
Jiraiya smirked as he stepped aside and introduced the woman. "This cutey right here is named Shizune Kato, and the pig in her arms is named Tonton."
Naruto widened his eyes a tad as he had not noticed the pig in her arms. "Thanks for helping me out back there Shizune! And hello Tonton."
"Oink!"
Jiraiya clapped his hands. "Alright, now that we're all acquainted, let's get some breakfast and get going to Konoha!"
"Yeah! Bushy brows need to be healed so let's get going!"
With renewed determination, Naruto bounded off the bed, his earlier doubts momentarily pushed aside by the promise of healing and the road ahead. As they prepared to depart, Tsunade's gaze lingered on Naruto, a silent vow made in the depths of her heart to stand by him, come what may.
Kabuto's gaze was locked on the sight before him. There was only one word that came to mind. Massacre. Bodies littered everywhere. Debris scattered around like broken dreams. The aftermath of yet another tragedy weighed heavily on his shoulders, amplifying the void that had consumed him since Orochimaru's demise during the Konoha crush invasion.
"It's just one thing after another," Kabuto muttered, his voice strained with the burden of grief and uncertainty. The loss of his master had left him adrift, a ship without a compass, lost in a sea of despair. Each lifeless body before him was a stark reminder of his own emptiness, a reflection of the void that now defined his existence.
As he scanned the chaotic scene, a surge of frustration and anger welled up within Kabuto. His mind raced with new possibilities and opportunities to create obstacles that leads Naruto to grow stronger… but he needs that first step to come into place first.
He'll have to track down Clone Juugo.
Kabuto wants Naruto to either win or lose against him, either option was both beneficial as he would grow from it either way.
And just having an opponent that's overwhelmingly stronger is as best of a motivator as one could get.
"Come. We'll track down Clone Juugo."
"Yes sir!"
Yeah, this took a long time to finish. I rewrote it three times and then got distracted by games and reading other ffn's and manga...
I'm so sorry. TwT