Friendly Neighborhood Ninetails
There was a general rule about being assigned to keep an eye on Naruto while he was at the beach: Those sent must be Chunin or higher.
The problem for Shikamaru was that he happened to be the only Chunin among his former classmates.
Which meant, inevitably, he was assigned to the task.
"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered to himself.
"Why are you complaining?" Ino asked with an eyebrow tic. "This should be your favorite mission! You get to spend a week doing nothing on a sandy beach."
"Wrong," Shikamaru refuted. "I have to spend an entire week at a beach with Naruto the Kyuubi. I doubt I'll get any peace and quiet, and I'm honestly scared to imagine what Naruto does while bored with that much chakra."
"He trains, collects sunken ships, and eats the occasional whale," Ino listed off bluntly. "He's not exactly keeping his routine a secret."
"Oh, and you'd be eager to take this mission?" Shikamaru shot back as a challenge.
"If I was a Chunin, yes, in a heartbeat?" Ino answered as if it was obvious. "Look, it's Naruto. I'm sure I can convince him to take some time off and just let me sunbathe in peace or take a swim."
"I want to argue with that. But I can't," Shikamaru grunted. "Maybe he'll give me a day to just watch clouds. Or as much as he can, the knucklehead can just ruin a good day of clouds with a sneeze."
"Would you rather he aim the sneezes at you? That's basically an A-rank Jutsu," Ino reminded with a deadpan. "So, I guess you're heading out the next time Naruto comes back?"
"Today, actually," Shikamaru answered. "The previous two returned to the village early. I heard a rumor they ate some poisonous fish or something. Just one more thing to worry about."
"Oh, you're just going to walk down there?" Ino asked with a head tilt.
"Not exactly..."
Meanwhile
Naruto discovered that something about himself had not changed in the slightest.
He learned best under pressure.
Like learning to water-walk while fighting a giant octopus that had latched onto his back.
"I knew you were lurking around!" Naruto yelled, glaring over his shoulder into the scarred visage of his foe.
The octopus had no intelligent response, only letting out a gurgling roar as it tried to pull him into the ocean.
His water-walking technique could keep him above the surface now, but it was far from perfect or steady. Which worked to the octopus's advantage, as Naruto couldn't leverage his physical strength properly without losing his footing and tumbling in the waters.
"Okay, two can play at that game!" Naruto roared as his tails shot up, wrapping around the body of the cephalopod, tightening around the foe with enough force to crush the bones of a summon boss.
It would be great if an octopus had bones to begin with.
The tentacles released Naruto as the main body squished and squirmed out of his grip, leaping back into the sea.
"I...okay, so those things really can do that," Naruto said in surprise, watching as his eight-limbed enemy swam away. "Really starting to hate this guy."
He stood there on the surface of the water for a few seconds before looking down.
"...YES! Finally! I can walk on water again! Sweet!" Naruto cheered loudly, grinning toothily as he raised his arms to the sky.
"Turn it to wine, and then we'll be impressed!"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder and was only vaguely surprised by what he saw.
Jiraiya had arrived, atop a...well, it was no Gamabunta, but the toad was much bigger than a normal one should be…large enough for two to ride on at any rate.
Which was good, seeing as Shikamaru was panting while holding onto the back of the amphibian. "I am never doing that again," Shikamaru said, glaring up at Jiraiya. "I'll take Naruto over all that hopping. How do you stay on the back of these!?"
"Hehe, amateur," the toad taunted, but grew silent and nervous as Naruto approached them.
"Oh relax, he's not going to eat you," Jiraiya said to the summon, before considering it. "Well, not intentionally."
"I make no promises if you go swimming with me," Naruto agreed idly.
"D-duly noted, Lord Naruto," the toad said with an uneasy laugh. "Well, if that'll be all..."
"Tell Gamabunta I'll be having Pervy Sage summon him today or tomorrow," Naruto requested.
The toad blinked. "Pervy sage, hehe," he said with a chuckle before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
Jiraiya sighed dramatically. "You won't be satisfied until everyone knows that nickname, will you?" he asked knowingly. "Does my reputation mean nothing to you?"
"You have a reputation?" Naruto asked, feigning surprise. "I mean, a good one?"
Jiraiya glared at the golden, mountainous furball.
Naruto rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his friend. "Well, Shikamaru, welcome to my beach. Feel free to enjoy the view from the big-ass pillars and plunder my shipwreck collection for anything you want to take back to Konoha. Just stay off the beach when I'm training and watch out for when I have to fight that giant octopus again."
"Thanks, I guess," Shikamaru said, rubbing his head. "You're having trouble with an octopus? And not like a mini-Bijuu one?"
"Oh, fuck you, I thought Iruka-Sensei was screwing with me when he told me about being able to squish through tiny spaces like that," Naruto defended. "Besides, it's smart enough to not let me get it on land."
"You do know they have a brain in each arm, right?" Jiraiya pointed out with a smirk.
"Oh, now you're fucking with me," Naruto deadpanned before looking to Shikamaru curiously. "...He is, right?"
"No, no he's not," Shikamaru said in exasperation. "I've been here for five minutes and I already feel like I need a break."
"Shika, it's me. You don't need to make excuses to be lazy," Naruto pointed out. "But why are you here anyway, Pervy Sage?"
"Why are you deciding I'm going to summon Gamabunta for you?" Jiraiya countered.
"Because I'm actually making progress on water-walking, so maybe it's time to call in someone my size for advice," Naruto answered. "Now, you?"
"Oh, you know. Just checking on the seals, make sure the beach is still in one piece and finding out what happened to the last two Chunin," Jiraiya listed off casually.
"Oh, that. Yeah, Danzo came to visit," Naruto answered casually.
Jiraiya started as Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "Danzo? The village elder?"
"Naruto, you dumb brat, you weren't supposed to outright say that!" Jiraiya said with a groan.
"Look, I would have spoken in code, but it's fucking Shikamaru. He would have figured it out in his sleep. Literally!" Naruto reasoned.
The Sannin glanced to Shikamaru. "I suppose you have a point."
"Hey, don't drag me into more village secrets than I need to know!" Shikamaru protested half-heartedly. "But if you're going to anyway...what did he want?"
"He wanted to know how loyal I was to the village, by his own standards," Naruto explained vaguely.
Jiraiya frowned. He barely needed the hint as it was, Danzo could only have a few plans regarding Naruto. Control him or seal him. Probably seal. "I don't think there are any alive that would meet that man's standard of loyalty."
"Yes, but enough about the old hawk," Naruto said with a roll of the neck. "I'm going to go grab a whale. You both do whatever."
Shikamaru watched with a raised eyebrow as Naruto walked out into the sea, the waters rushing and ebbing as he sunk below the surface. "Well, he seems to be in a decent mood."
"Thankfully," Jiraiya agreed, stroking his chin. "And he definitely made some progress with water-walking."
Shikamaru glanced at the toad summoner pointedly. "I get the feeling that there's a reason I'm coming here with a Sannin."
"You Nara brats are always too clever. I guess Naruto had the right idea, not hiding anything from you," Jiraiya commented in amusement before turning serious. "You're a good friend of Naruto's, right?"
"Good enough I guess, why?" Shikamaru asked suspiciously.
"Tsunade and I reasoned that you, a Nara that knows Naruto, might be able to come up with an idea to help with Naruto's training," Jiraiya answered.
"His training? How? What could I possibly suggest that you or a summon boss couldn't?" Shikamaru asked skeptically.
Jiraiya sighed. "Think about it, kid. We're in completely uncharted territory. No one really knows how a Bijuu should train. And Naruto might have all the power one could want, but until he figures out how to fight with it properly, he runs the risk of being defeated by anything reasonably close to him in power."
"What a drag. You want me to come up with a training regimen for him when even you can't?" Shikamaru grumbled.
"No. We just want you to think about it. Naruto's situation is just one giant mystery that needs exploring, and more eyes and minds would help," Jiraiya explained. "Not to mention..."
"Hmm?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"
"Just a feeling. I don't need to tell you that Naruto's...transformation has garnered a lot of attention, and a lot of people are making plots and plans around him. Both within and without the country," Jiraiya explained.
Shikamaru read between the lines and saw something very concerning in that meaning. "You think the Fire Daimyo is planning something?"
"Everything has been running too smoothly," Jiraiya answered thoughtfully. "There should have been some squabbling or debate about what to do with Naruto, but the Daimyo was perfectly fine with Naruto not only moving to this beach but the disruption his traveling between here and Konoha causes."
"Maybe he just thinks having a Bijuu as an ally is worth some minor economic issues?" Shikamaru reasoned.
"Maybe," Jiraiya conceded before chuckling. "But don't worry about such complicated things. You have enough to focus on with Naruto and his training."
"Yeah..." Shikamaru trailed off, glancing down the beach. "Well, I'm going to see what Naruto pulled out of the sea."
Meanwhile
Naruto was starting to grow annoyed. He didn't expect a whale to just swim into his mouth, but they normally weren't this hard to find. He briefly pondered if they had migrated elsewhere, but the sea seemed to be overtly devoid of aquatic life today.
Perhaps the octopus had scared everything off.
"Speaking of which," he muttered, seeing a multi-limbed shadow up ahead. "This time, you are my damn dinner!"
Naruto rushed, half-swimming and half-running, eager to end this strange eight-armed adversary of his. He nearly fell, however, as he suddenly found himself leaping out of the water.
Too shocked and confused, he couldn't stop his momentum.
He nearly barreled into his target and realized too late there were only six limbs.
He blinked as he came snout to face with a slug.
Barely registering who and what this was, Naruto fully expected to be attacked, but...
"Hello!" the creature greeted with a polite and cheerful voice.
Naruto starred owlishly. "Hello?!" he returned uncertainly, realizing he was staring at another Bijuu. To be exact, the six-tailed slug. They both now stood in the middle of a giant bubble at the bottom of the sea. Which Naruto would have found very cool if he wasn't staring down another Bijuu.
This could be very, very bad. Relearning how to fight was bad enough, but deep in the sea with...well, he was assuming this slug could swim better than him. So despite having three extra tails on this one, Naruto wasn't sure how a fight would go right now. Still, sensing no hostility yet, he backed away to a less awkward distance. "Rokubi, I take it?"
"No, no, I am Saiken!" the Bijuu corrected proudly, seemingly ignoring just how tense and on alert Naruto was. "But I am the Six-Tailed. You can call me Uncle Saiken though!"
"U-uncle?!" Naruto repeated, flabbergasted and confused, his worries quickly forgotten by the statement. "Aren't you here for revenge or something, for the Kyuubi's death?"
Saiken tilted his head. "You mean Kurama?"
Naruto grew silent at that, the name was somehow familiar without having ever heard it. "Oh. That was his name, wasn't it?"
"Don't feel sad. Kurama was always a stick in the mud about the tails. He never stopped teasing Shukaku about only having one," Saiken said with a laugh.
Naruto blinked. The Kyuubi he knew had been a mass of evil and rage. It was...strange to hear about him in such brotherly terms. Speaking of which. "Wait...Uncle?"
"Yes?" Saiken answered happily.
"No, I wasn't calling you uncle!" Naruto denied quickly. "But are you implying I'm the Ky- er, Kurama's kid or something?"
"Well...yes? This is basically an adoption," Saiken reasoned, looking Naruto up and down. "Welcome to the family, Nephew!"
"Wait, wait, slow down dammit!" Naruto said quickly, running a hand over his face. "How are you even here? I thought all the other Bijuu were sealed?"
"I asked Utakata to let me take over so I could have some family time with my new nephew," Saiken explained casually.
Naruto stared skeptically. "And he just...let you?"
Saiken nodded repeatedly. "Oh yes! Me and Utakata get along great! So we can take on my full form anytime. I don't usually ask to take over completely, but I don't usually have new family to talk to!" Saiken said happily.
Naruto stared at the unconditionally happy Bijuu before him, utterly thrown through a loop. He thought the Bijuu might either be indifferent towards him or they would all hate him, maybe even want to kill him. But Saiken was treating him like...well, like family. He wasn't sure how to handle that. "Okay, and how do you think that this is an...adoption? Didn't I basically absorb him?"
"Him? No. Just his chakra. You're nowhere near as grumpy as Kurama," Saiken reasoned honestly. "And that has never happened before! So, I believe Kurama wanted you to have his power."
".,...Why?" Naruto asked skeptically. "He didn't really seem to like...anyone."
"Don't worry, he was like that a lot," Saiken assured. "But if he didn't want you to have his power, you wouldn't be here. He would have rather dragged it off to the afterlife than let just anyone have it. So, since you became a Bijuu because of him, it's like he adopted you!"
Naruto wasn't sure if that made sense but didn't have a good argument against it. "So, you came here...just to meet me?"
"Of course not, silly!" Saiken said with a chuckle, making Naruto almost facefault. "I also came to make sure you're okay."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "...Huh?"
"The humans haven't tried to seal you yet. Are they being mean to you? They're not doing anything weird to you, are they?" Saiken asked in concern.
"I...No, no, I'm fine. I mean, some are trying, but that's expected," Naruto answered slowly.
"Then what's wrong?" Saiken asked, leaning in with a searching look in the orbs of his eyes. "You look very confused."
"I'm...just not used to people worrying too much about me like that," Naruto answered idly, his mind drifting back to his friend and comrades in the leaf. "Especially people I just met."
"Of course I'm worried! That's what family is supposed to do!" Saiken said firmly.
Naruto nearly jolted at that. Family, eh?
"Well...shouldn't you be worried, about others knowing you're here?" Naruto asked evasively.
"No problem! We are extra sneaky when we want to be!" Saiken promised. "Do you need to leave soon?"
"...No, no, I got time," Naruto answered. "Would you mind if I...ask you a few questions?"
"I'd be happy to answer them, Nephew!" Saiken answered proudly. "I have so many stories about Kurama and the others to tell you!"
Naruto didn't call Saiken Uncle, not yet, but felt more and more at ease around his fellow Bijuu.
Meanwhile
Did Shikamaru find it a drag to go rummaging through shipwrecks? Yes. Was it a waste of valuable cloud-watching time? Very.
But he didn't feel like scaling the pillars, far taller than Naruto, and he didn't trust lying on the beach while Naruto was still at sea. So, rummaging was a decent way to kill time.
Besides, he was a bit curious.
"These ships are old," Shikamaru observed, noting the old designs and markings. He even saw a few that might have been from the Hyuuga clan, judging by the similar symbol.
He stopped as he looked at a ship with strange images on parts of it, filled with block shapes and hard angles.
"But this one is ancient," Shikamaru deduced as he approached it, jumping onto the deck, and looking around at the ancient vessel. "I think this thing might be older than the Elemental Nations," he said with a frown.
Were they supposed to report stuff like this? Did no one realize the ships Naruto was picking up out of the sea might be extra valuable, just from a historical sense?
He sighed, deciding not to think about that right now, heading below deck for any clues about just who this ship had belonged to.
There weren't a lot of clues. Most of any writing had been washed away into the sea, the rest ruined by time underwater. Still, there was a very strange thing about this ship; He noticed a lot of snake or serpent motifs, but they had an almost foreign style to them.
His foot kicked a loose rock across the floor, drawing his attention. Shikamaru looked at the "rock" in question, eyeing it suspiciously. Picking it up, he noticed a bit of green beneath the dirty layer. Brushing some away with his thumb, he nearly dropped what he was holding.
It was an egg-shaped jewel, large enough to match his fist in size. It was green and it glowed softly beneath the grit. "...Shit, there was an actual treasure in here," he realized.
The young genius didn't have much time to contemplate what to do with the jewel before he noticed the water starting to lap at his feet, rushing into the wreckage.
Either the tide was coming in, or Naruto was.
Judging by the immense chakra approaching, he assumed Naruto.
He hoped it was Naruto at least, there weren't any good alternatives.
Rushing up onto the deck, Shikamaru found Naruto had returned, whale-less.
From the side of a wrecked ship, Shikamaru realized he rarely appreciated the sheer size and power Naruto had, but the scene before him did it plenty. Waves rushing onto the beach and washing through the tree lines as Naruto climbed out of the water, standing at his immense height over every living thing. With a single flare of chakra, like a flash of fire from the sun, his fur was dry and gleaming like gold in the sunlight. In Naruto's mouth was a shark, a great white one at that. He ate it like it was a bite-sized snack.
With nine tails flowing in the breeze, even Shikamaru had to admit, Naruto looked more majestic than he probably had any right to.
"Couldn't find a whale?" Shikamaru called up idly.
"No, they all..." Naruto stopped as he looked at his friend. "Shika? What do you have?"
Shikamaru was more confused by Naruto noticing that he had something at all than the actual question. "I found a jewel on the ship. Why, you want to keep it?"
"Are you sure that's treasure?" Naruto asked doubtfully. "Cause I'm sensing some weird chakra from that thing."
"Seriously?" Shikamaru asked, holding it up curiously. "It looks like a jewel. Maybe it has chakra sealed in it?"
"Are you sure that isn't an egg?" Naruto asked wearily.
Shikamaru opened his mouth before closing it as he studied the stone in earnest. "I don't think so, but I'm beginning to doubt that."
"Why don't you two brats let me figure that out," Jiraiya suggested with a smile as he appeared in a body flicker, taking the treasure out of the Nara's hands.
"By all means, Pervy Sage, but if it is a treasure, Shikamaru gets to keep it," Naruto stipulated.
Both humans ignored the Bijuu as Jiraiya studied the gem. "Hmm, strange. There is definitely chakra in here, but I've never felt anything like it."
"Are you sure it's not alive?" Naruto asked, sniffing the air. "It smells alive."
"It's not an egg," Jiraiya assured, cupping his brow as the other hand turned the item all about. "But there doesn't seem to be a seal on it. Interesting. I'll have to take this back to the village to have it analyzed properly.
"You're probably not getting that back, Shika," Naruto mused apologetically.
"Probably not," Shikamaru mused. "Since you're back, I might as well as go see what the camp up on the pillars is like."
"I'd tell you, but..." Naruto trailed off, looking up at the giant pillars. "I'm kind of worried I'd knock the entire thing over."
"Wow, you actually thought ahead," Shikamaru said dryly.
"I have to, and you damn well know it," Naruto retorted with a mock glare.
After about half an hour, Shikamaru took a breath as he finally reached the top of the pillar. He wouldn't call his chakra supply tiny, but that was the longest time he spent walking straight up like that. "I can just see a maniac like Lee running up and down these as a warm-up," he mumbled as he took in the camp.
It was obvious various different ninjas had made themselves at home up here. A proper fire pit had been dug, and someone had attempted to make some kind of water collector- they either failed or the elements had broken it. There was a stone hut someone had made from some Earth Jutsu. It was simple but sturdy with thick slabs of stone. Inside was a small pile of spare firewood, first aid supplies, and enough space for two sleeping bags if it rained. On the wall was a note.
Please Follow these Rules:
1. Put all trash in a storage scroll.
2. Piss off the side and if you can hold it, shit in the forest.
3. Restock Firewood if able.
4. Do not leave the pillars while Naruto is training.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, noting that each rule had different handwriting. He also noticed something two things on the very bottom
PS Whatever you do, make sure you do NOT piss on Naruto.
Shikamaru blinked, rereading it to be sure, but yes, the message said "on" and not "off."
"How do you... accidentally piss on a Bijuu...?" Shikamaru muttered with a sweat-drop as he read the second post-script.
PSS Remember, he hears everything.
"Don't ask!"
Shikamaru almost jumped at Naruto's voice. "Right," he said with a sigh. "We're the only ones here, you don't have much else to tune us out."
"Not really," Naruto answered as he stared up at the pillar before looking over at Jiraiya. "So, are you going to summon Gamabunta or not?"
"Fine, fine, hold your tails," Jiraiya said with an eye roll as he bit his thumb. "Summoning Jutsu!"
With a great poof of smoke, the scarred toad appeared, taking a long drag off his pipe. "Naruto, perfect timing. I almost didn't have enough time to refill my pipe," Gamabunta said with a chuckle. "I don't suppose you called me for another drink?"
"Maybe later. Pervy Sage will be here for a few days," Naruto suggested. "I was hoping for some help with my training. I'm only going to get so far without someone to practice with."
Gamabunta hummed. "I don't know how much help I'll be. Creatures like us toads might be similar in size, but at the end of the day, we're still flesh and blood."
"Unlike me, who is a just fluff-ball of chakra," Naruto acknowledged. "Still, I at least want one spar with you. Cause if you can kick my ass, I probably don't get much chance against another Bijuu."
"He does have a point," Jiraiya commented. "He might have the power of the Kyuubi, but he is still Naruto."
"I seem to remember you pissing your pants when you realized "I" was the Kyuubi," Naruto reminded pointedly, Jiraiya laughing nervously at that.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru sighed as he watched the exchange from the top of the pillar, able to pick up on most of it. "Great, he's going to be training with the giant toad. I knew I wasn't going to get any peace and quiet on this mission."
Meanwhile
"Are you sure this was wise, Saiken?" Utakata questioned idly, now in his human form as he travelled via a bubble. "He might tell others about meeting us."
"Maybe!" Saiken said with a chuckle. "...I never thought there would be a new Bijuu. It's been just us nine."
"But you also lost one," Utakata reminded carefully. "Does that not concern you?"
"A little. But I want to offer a friendly tail and let my Nephew know he doesn't have to be alone in this," Saiken said with a smile. "And if he doesn't want to be family, well...Kurama was always a stick in the mud, so perhaps he'll have passed that on too."
Despite his concerns, Utakata smiled a bit. While on good terms with his Bijuu, Saiken had never been a very active one. He'd certainly never tried to take control for a personal reason instead of for combat.
He just sincerely hoped they didn't end up having to fight this Naruto. Saiken had told him plenty of how scary his brother could be, even for a Bijuu. It wasn't something Utakata was looking forward to experiencing himself.
End of Chapter
Uncle Saiken is like a slightly more hyper version of Uncle Iroh. He just wants to be tere for his new nephew. Meanwhile Shikamaru found something in a ship, and Naruto is going to spar with Gamabunta.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Be safe!
Early viewing of chapters 17-18 avaliable on my pat-reon:
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