I'm finally back with a new chapter. That was probably my longest break yet. Now that my exams are out of the way and the holidays have started, this tory is back! We're finally into shippuden with this chapter so enjoy!
Naruto is not my property. It is Kishimoto's and all rights are his, I'm merely a fan.
The scent of flowers blooming in the spring sifted through the air. It brought a refreshing feeling compared to the cold, snowy days of winter. The midday sun shone over Konoha as a slight breeze made itself known in the centre of town. Sitting at a local coffee shop was one of Konoha's prominent figures. Till this day, the number of people who have seen his face could be counted on one hand and there would still be fingers left. Kakashi was watching birds as they played among the trees, an oddity when it came to him. Usually he would be reading his favourite Icha Icha book; however, he did not do so out of respect for the person sitting across from him. Or, more accurately, to avoid being smacked by his tablemate.
'It's been a long time, eh…Naruto, Shikamaru…Sasuke.' The sight of a trio of squirrels reminded the white-haired man of his old students.
"He's probably well grown from the boy we knew," Kakashi turned his sights from one natural beauty to another. "He's coming home soon, isn't he?"
"Yeah…" Kakashi said with a straight tone.
Yugao chuckled as she stared at her empty bowl. "You can never hide your feelings when it comes to Naruto," she said. After spending much time around Kakashi, she could tell his true feelings even with his facade. The smile on her face probably matched the one hidden behind his mask. "I can't wait to see him…"
'Same…' Kakashi thought as he looked towards a blue bird taking flight from its nest into the blue blue sky.
Konohamaru Sarutobi stood grinning as he watched the cat that caused his team so much trouble get squeezed to death by its owner. His team of Moegi and Udon, were covered in scratches courtesy of the genin's nightmare - Tora the cat. This was the only consolation he got when doing D-rank missions. He never understood why they needed to complete such menial tasks, since it never allowed him to show off his skills.
As soon as the cat and its owner left, they were berated by Ebisu. "That was shoddy at best. Look at all of you, you're covered in scratches and bruises from a D-rank mission."
"But sensei…" Moegi started. "You know how troublesome that cat can be."
"Yeah! He's probably a ninja cat or something. Did you see how he ran from us?!" Konohamaru added.
"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Ebisu shut them down. "This merely shows that you need more training as you clearly lack the proper skills to execute such a mission."
"How am I supposed to show my skills if you don't give me a harder mission?" Konohamaru retorted.
"Konohamaru, you've all just turned genin. We can't just give you higher ranked missions off the bat," said Iruka, who had been helping out at the mission hall.
"You will do D-rank missions until further notice. You'll just have to be satisfied with that," Tsunade continued.
This did not sit well with Konohamaru as he crossed his arms and sat down on the floor. "I can't be satisfied with that! How am I gonna be the Nanadaime Hokage (Seventh Hokage) by doing boring missions like this?" He said with a scoff.
"There's no straight path to Hokage, Konohamaru. Even the Sandaime did D-rank missions when he was younger," Iruka stated.
"And why the Nanadaime Hokage? Not the Rokudaime (Sixth)?" Tsunade asked with an amused smirk. He reminded her of another brat which she hadn't seen in many years.
"That spot's taken," Konohamaru announced.
"By whom, may I ask?" Tsunade asked curiously.
His answer was a name those in the room had not heard in a long time. He had always been on their minds but soon, they realised he was finally coming home. They could finally see him after three years.
"By Naruto-niichan of course!"
The main gate was in sight and Sakura felt a wave of relief wash over her. The past few days had been taxing on her team as they were tasked to help at a rockslide that had hit a town in the land of fire. Her team - Ino, Sakura, Shino - were to meet with another team who were returning from a previous mission. They spent three days using Shino's bugs to find casualties and digging towards them before healing them.
"We're finally home," Ino said with a sigh. She stretched her arms over her head as she took in the warmth that came with spring. "I could use a nice long soak…Wanna go to an onsen, Sakura?"
"Sure. After putting our stuff down, I'll love a nice visit to the onsen. How about joining us for dinner, Shino?" Sakura asked the quiet teen. "It's been awhile since we had a team dinner. Hey, what about inviting Kurenai-sensei?"
"Yeah! Good idea, Sakura! Come on, Shino. Join us!" Ino exclaimed.
"I agree, it's been awhile since we had a team dinner," Shino said in a deep tone that developed with the coming of age. "I think Kurenai-sensei will- Defensive formations!" Shino's sentence was cut off as he surrounded the group with an insect dome. A barrage of kunai and shuriken made themselves known as they struck the wall of the dome. However, they did not pierce through.
"Ino, how many are there?!" Sakura asked as she wore her gloves.
"We're surrounded. Twenty strong at least. We need to signal the village," she announced.
"Understood. "We don't have the grounds to fend them off in a direct attack. Hence, we will go with formation H," Shino ordered as he gathered chakra.
Sakura and Ino nodded in understanding as they prepared themselves. Ino palmed several senbon coated in poison while Sakura gathered chakra at her fists. Sakura put up five fingers and started counting down. '5…4…3…' "WAIT!" Ino exclaimed, shocking her teammates. "Shino, do you sense that?"
Shino's sensory abilities were not as strong as the Yamanaka, but he could instantly tell what Ino was talking about. "Their numbers are getting weaker and weaker," he said as removed the insect dome. As the dome collapsed, they were introduced to the sight of many dead shinobi.
"They were missing-nin trying to find cheap shots on Konoha," a voice they hadn't heard in years rang through their years.
"Wait, she tried to poison you?!" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Many times actually. I don't know if she was testing me or downright crazy," Shikamaru said with a shrug. Naruto and Jiraiya had visited the capital to pick up Shikamaru before returning to Konoha. His contract as the Daimyo's shinobi had ended and he could finally return to Konoha.
Shikamaru wore a long-sleeved mesh armour shirt with black anbu pants. He wore the standard Konoha long sleeved shirt which stopped slightly before his wrist, showing off the mesh armour underneath and the Konoha flak was present above them. He had a white sash that was the trademark of a Shinobi Guardian around his hip which completed his outfit along with the Konoha headband around his arm.
"Looks like the tradition of having crazy shinobi as the shinobi guardians is still going on," Jiraiya chimed in. "The daimyo always had a knack for finding the most outrageous shinobi."
"Considering getting poisoned by my senpai was the least of my problems…yeah they're crazy," Shikamaru said with a chuckle.
Naruto shook his head in disbelief as he stared at the moving clouds above. His life had been crazy too, the past few years. 'I guess that's what makes life great. The craziness, the adventure, the mysteries…' he thought.
'Sure you didn't steal that line from a book?'
'Oh shut it. Let me fantasise for a second at least,' Naruto replied as Kurama rolled his eyes. Naruto wore black shinobi pants and sandals with burnt-orange bandages wrapped above his ankles. He wore the Konoha flak jacket over a modified Konoha shinobi uniform. His uniform was long sleeved with orange stripes running across the shoulders and arms. Similar bandages were wrapped around his hands like gloves. He also wore an open-front apron with orange streaks through it. (Think of Fugaku Uchiha's apron. Search it up if you don't see my vision.) He had his hair trimmed so it didn't fully cover his Konoha headband which sat proudly on his forehead. Arashi sat in its sheath by his left hip, ready to strike.
As they continued their way home, Naruto started picking up chakra signatures. 'Can we ever catch a break?' He thought as stopped Jiraiya and Shikamaru. "We have trouble. Thirty people - missing-nins by their chakra levels. They have Sakura, Ino and Shino surrounded. I recognise their chakra."
"We just couldn't have a normal homecoming," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "How do you wanna do this?"
"Err…I'm going to sit this one out. You boys handle them," Jiraiya said, getting deadpan stares from Shikamaru and Naruto.
"Lazy ass," Naruto stated with an eye roll. He pulled up his mask and turned towards Shikamaru. "So what's the plan Shika?"
Naruto watched as Shino's insect dome was bombarded with shinobi weapons. He could tell they were planning to do something soon as he could sense all three of them accumulating chakra. However, he also knew they were not at their max. 'They just finished a mission. "Easy" pickings for the missing-nins, or rather easier pickings. It's never easy with Konoha-nin.'
He glanced over to Shikamaru and saw that he was ready. "OI!" Naruto called, getting the attention of the missing-nin who were in the trees. "I'll give you one chance to surrender or else…"
Before he could finish, he saw a rain of weapons heading for him. "Or else…you die," Naruto whispered as he snapped his fingers. The missing-nins were caught off guard as Naruto dispelled into smoke. When they tried to move, they found themselves paralysed.
"Toad Style: Water Lily Leap: Tenfold" Naruto muttered as he pushed off the side of the tree he was on. To someone watching, Naruto looked like he was gliding through the air. He would move with serenity and smoothness. His blade swung like a river coursing through a mountain side. Every time he slashed through one enemy, he would land on a tree branch with only his toes touching the branch. He would then launch off to another enemy and repeat. Soon there was nothing left of the enemies but their dead bodies and blood splattered everywhere.
Shikamaru threw an unconscious man who had been wrapped with his shadow to the ground. He had honed his shadow jutsu over the past few years and it can now move more freely than ever. Meanwhile, Naruto searched the dead bodies for any clues.
The insect dome started dispersing, to show the three members of team 8. Gasps were heard as they laid eyes on firstly, the scattered enemy and secondly, Shikamaru. "They were missing-nin trying to find cheap shots on Konoha," Shikamaru said as he glanced back at his old friends. "It's nice to see you again," he said with a small smile.
"SHIKAMARU! You're back!" Ino exclaimed as she gave Shikamaru a hug. She had missed her childhood friend and she was sure Choji would feel it even more than her. The three of them knew each other from birth after all. After Ino finished hugging him, Sakura continued in her place, although it was a shorter period than Ino.
"Look at you. You dont look like you wanna kill yourself every five minutes," Sakura complinented.
"Oh I still do. I'm just good at hiding it," Shikamaru said as he gave Shino a firm handshake. "Nice to see you again, Shino. Looks like life's treating you good."
"Welcome back, Shikamaru-san," Shino said with a slight smile. It was the most one could get out of Shino but it meant a lot.
"You guys haven't changed one bit." The members of team 8 turned their heads towards the trees at the sound of his voice. Naruto sat on a tree branch with a grin present on his face. "Did you miss me too?" he asked cheekily.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed as she approached him.
"It's nice to see you, Sakura-chan," he said as she gave him a hug.
"You've grown taller," she realised.
"I hope so," he said with a chuckle.
"And your mask is gone," Ino pointed out as she also gave him a welcome.
"Oh it's still there. I just dont wear it outside of missions," he replied as he turned to Shino. "Nice to see you buddy," he said while giving him a handshake.
"Welcome back to Konoha," he replied. "Although, I assume you would've wanted a better homecoming than this."
"Of course, but that's life for you. Speaking of which, I'm surprised they would attack Konoha-nin so close to home," Naruto said as he threw several headbands on the ground. The headbands were of different villages and were all strikethrough.
"They're getting desperate if they're taking chances like these," Shikamaru said, getting nods of agreement from the rest.
"We just have to find out what made them so desperate," Ino said as she examined the unconscious man. "We just need to get this guy to T and I."
"Ah I love it when the timings line up," Naruto said, confusing the group. However, as if on cue, Jiraiya landed beside the group with a team of anbu. "We'll leave him with you guys," Naruto said as he turned around towards the gates of Konoha. "Shall we everyone?"
'Can't believe it's been 3 years…' Naruto thought as his eyes roamed on his village. A breath of nostalgia washed over him as he spotted the two gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu. He waved at the two as their group made it deeper into the village. Whispers were heard as the citizens saw Naruto, Shikamaru and Jiraiya - people who have not been seen in years. "Hey, you guys go on without me," Naruto said before he disappeared in a blur.
Naruto stood on a lamp post as he took in the sight of his village. It had not changed much from when he left. He was back, he was home. The son of Konoha's Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki was finally back on home soil.
"It's refreshing to be back," Shikamaru said as he stuck to the side of the lamp post.
"WE'RE BACK!" Naruto shouted in elation. "All the familiar chakra signatures, the familiar buildings, the air. We're definitely home." Shikamaru smiled at his friend's nostalgic moment. He couldn't fault him, because he too was feeling it.
"Let's head to Tsunade-sama before we can truly go home," Shikamaru said as he disappeared.
'That's new,' Naruto thought as he saw Shikamaru's jutsu. 'That wasn't a shunshin. Interesting…' Naruto too, then vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Tsunade stared at the pile of papers on her table and had to restrain herself from burning them all to smithereens. Honestly, sometimes she wondered if the previous Hokages got themselves killed in battle just to escape paperwork. Her eyes wandered to the portraits of the previous Hokage and settled on the Sandaime's. 'You sadistic bastard. Still torturing me even after all these years. No wonder you wanted me to take over,' she thought with a sigh.
A knock on the door broke her out of her musings. "Come in!"
The door opened to show her apprentice and her team. "I've been expecting you," she said as team 8 presented themselves in a line. "Report."
Shino stepped forward and said, "the landslide mission was a success. All casualties accounted for with only two deaths that occurred before we arrived. We left after helping them with the funeral procession."
"Good to hear. You'll receive payments by tomorrow. Now, I heard you had some trouble while travelling home," Tsunade said as Sakura stepped forward.
"While en route, we were attacked by a large number of missing-nin. However, before we could retaliate, they were all dropped dead," Sakura explained as a figure landed on the window edge.
"I helped them," Jiraiya said with a smirk.
"I call bullshit." Everyone's attention was brought to the ceiling where Naruto was hanging upside down with his hands in his pocket.
"All you did was call the Anbu," Shikamaru added while sitting on the sofa on the left side of the room.
"When in the world did you guys get in here?!" Ino asked the question on everyone's minds.
"I came in at the same time you guys did," Shikamaru said as he gestured to the corners of the room. "They knew I was here."
"They didn't detect me, though," Naruto said with a smirk. "I was outside the window when you came in."
Tsunade stared at Naruto in a mixture of awe, curiosity and nostalgia. The Naruto she knew had grown up into a young adult. She also wondered about the fruits of his training. A hint of nostalgia made itself known as she glanced at Minato's portrait. He looked much like his father.
Naruto jumped down from the ceiling and was instantly met with a bone-crushing hug. At least it could have been if Tsunade had not controlled her strength. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Naruto," she said. At the back of her mind, she realised that she was now shorter than him.
"It's good to see you too, Baa-chan." Tsunade paid no mind to the way he addressed her and found herself grinning from ear to ear. She pulled herself away and made her way to Shikamaru.
"Oh no, no. I don't want my bones to-" Before Shikamaru could try to escape, Ino stood in his way. "Seriously, Ino?" All he received was a smirk from her before he felt himself being hugged.
"It's so great to see you two, brats again," she said as she let go of Shikamaru.
"No hug for me?" Jiraiya asked as he held his arms out for a hug.
"It was great not seeing you for a long time," just like that, Jiraiya's hopes were extinguished. "Now that that's out of the way, you have a lot to tell me," she said with her gaze lasting longer on Naruto. "Let's start with the attack on team 8."
"It's like they said. A group of 30 missing-nin tried to ambush them. We were close-by and Naruto sensed them. So we took them out, baring the one unconscious man we gave Anbu who Jiraiya-sama called," Shikamaru recounted.
"You two took out 30 men together?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"Sure. If you have two A-ranked shinobi, then a bunch of chunin and genin wouldn't be that hard," Naruto said nonchalantly.
"A-ranked?" Sakura wondered aloud.
Tsunade took out her bingo book and showed everyone Shikamaru's entry while Jiraiya proudly showed Naruto's entry in his bingo book.
"
Shikamaru Nara
Male
Age: Unknown, estimated age 15 to 20
Affiliation: Konohagakure no Sato
Estimated Rank: High B to A. Proceed with caution.
Notable Skills: Well-versed in the shadow jutsu of Nara Clan. Effectively uses Earth Style jutsu. Has exceptionally high IQ even for a Nara. Be careful when fighting.
Notable Accomplishments: Member of 12 Shinobi Guardians.
Other information: Known student of Kakashi Hatake - Copy Ninja of Konoha
Bounty by Otogakure: 20 Million Ryo - Dead or Alive (Alive is preferred)
Bounty by Ishigakure: 15 Million Ryo - Dead or Alive
"
"What did you do to piss Ishigakure off?" Naruto asked, amused.
"We had a run in during a mission and they weren't happy I killed some of their people," Shikamaru explained. "And I think we know why Oto is pissed at me."
Naruto snorted. "Who aren't they pissed at?"
"
Naruto Uzumaki
Male
Age: Estimated to be 14 to 19
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Estimated rank: A. Approach only if needed.
Notable Skills: Well trained in kenjutsu, water and wind style jutsu. Has exceptional battle IQ.
Notable Accomplishments: Defeated Raiga Kurosuki - Ex-Kiri Shinobi Swordsmen. Defeated Akaji and Geto Junpei - Land of Hot Waters, "The Brothers of Hell".
Other Information: Known student of Kakashi Hatake - Copy Ninja of Konoha. Known apprentice of Jiraiya of the Sannin
Bounty by Otogakure: 30 Million Ryo - Dead or Alive
"
"30 Million Ryo is definitely not a small amount," Shino pointed out. "They must really want you dead, Naruto-san."
"Well, it's definitely not a one way street," Naruto replied as he thought of his past meetings with Oto. 'They'll pay for what they made Sasuke do and for what they did to Kurotsuchi.'
"If that is all for your report, team 8, you're dismissed," Tsunade said as she kept her bingo book. Team 8 nodded and bowed their respect to Tsunade before leaving. Naruto, Jiraiya and Shikamaru were the only ones left with the Hokage.
"You two are starting to make names for yourselves but I need to know how accurate it is. Tomorrow, I will hold a test of some kind for you two to prove yourselves," Tsunade informed.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered while Naruto had the opposite reaction. He was looking forward to showing the fruits of his training.
"If there's nothing else, you're dismissed. I will hear the stories of your adventures another time," Tsunade said while making eye contact with Naruto. Naruto nodded in understanding before the two teens excused themselves.
"What trouble did you get up to during your trip?" Shikamaru asked as they walked through the halls of the Hokage tower.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked in a straight tone.
"The way Hokage-sama was looking at you. You definitely did some shit," Shikamaru pointed out.
Naruto sighed as he placed his hands behind his head. "That is a long story. A story for another time," he replied. Shikamaru nodded and did not push further. He knew his friend would tell him soon enough.
"You're back," a voice said from behind them. They turned around to see Temari coming out from a meeting room. "It's nice to see you again, Shikamaru…Naruto," she greeted with a slight nod. Naruto and Shikamaru returned the nod.
"We just arrived a while ago. What are you doing here?" Shikamaru asked as he unconsciously straightened his posture.
'Interesting…' Naruto thought.
"The chunin exams are nearing and I'm the Suna ambassador," she explained.
"Oh I see…That seems like the type of thing Tsunade-sama would ask me to do if I hadn't left," Shikamaru said with a chuckle.
"I agree," Temari said with a small smile. "I have to see Hokage-sama now. I'll see you around," she said as she waved goodbye to the two of them.
'Real interesting…' Naruto thought as he faced Shikamaru with a knowing smirk. "So…What trouble did you get up to during your trip?" Shikamaru merely gave him an eyeroll and used a shunshin. "You can't run from me, Shika! I can sense you!" He exclaimed before he disappeared in a shunshin.
The smell of the perfect blend of spices that only came from Ichiraku hit his nose. Naruto was instantly in a trance as he made a beeline for the thing he loved most. Naruto pushed aside the flaps that covered Ichiraku and saw a sight that made him smile. He saw Ayame and Teuchi busy at work while sitting at the stools was Kakashi. "Looks like you saw my message," Kakashi said as he pivoted on his stool to face Naruto.
Seeing Naruto made the man freeze. The resemblance was uncanny and to think that Naruto was no longer the boy he took in all those years ago. "I really look like him, huh?" Naruto said with a smirk. "It's great to see you, Nii-san." Naruto closed the distance between them and gave Kakashi a hug.
"Naruto-kun, you're back!" Ayame exclaimed, getting Teuchi's attention as well.
"Yea, in the flesh," Naruto said with a grin. "Teuchi-ossan, three large miso ramen with extra chashu!"
"Coming right up for my number one customer!"
Dinner with Kakashi lasted until Ichiraku closed. Naruto spent the time catching up with not only Kakashi but with the Ichiraku family too. It was like eating a mother's home-cooked food after a long time away from home. And to Naruto, Ichiraku ramen was the best thing he got. After Ichiraku closed, Naruto and Kakashi decided to take a walk and somehow they ended up in front of the Memorial Stone.
Naruto's eyes landed on his father's name before it went to the Sandaime's name. Lastly, his eyes roamed to his mother's name. Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi - people who died believing in him.
"Nii-san, have you ever felt scared? Scared that you're not living up to the expectations others placed on you?" Naruto asked as he placed his hands in his pockets.
"All the time. I used to think that I was better than everyone else but still not good enough. Minato-sensei made me realise that it shouldn't be that way. You're better than me, Naruto. You don't have to worry about such things. You're well on your way to surpass everyone's expectations," Kakashi said as he gazed at his former teammates' names.
"Thanks…I guess we'll find out more tomorrow," Naruto said as Kakashi nodded in agreement. With the blow of the wind, they disappeared like they were never there.
The next morning at training ground seven, many people were gathered to see Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara in action after Tsunade had "let it slip" that they had returned.
"YOSH! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE NARUTO-KUN AND SHIKAMARU-KUN IN ACTION!" The ever enthusiastic Rock Lee shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Their flames of youth will definitely burn brighter than they have before!" Gai exclaimed with a thumbs up.
"As much as I hate to say it, I agree. They definitely would have gotten stronger," Neji said as he leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. Ever since the chunin exams, Neji was not as stuck up as he was before. He had bridged the gap that existed between him and his teammates. He also cleared many issues he had with his uncle, Hiashi Hyuga.
"I picked up the Bingo Book the other day, and saw that they both have entries. They definitely got better," Tenten added.
"Naruto and Shikamaru definitely got stronger…" Choji started as he ate a bag of potato chips. "But at the end of the day, they're still Naruto and Shikamaru."
"I wonder how N-Naruto-kun looks now," Hinata mumbled behind a tree.
"Like the man of your dreams," Ino whispered into her ear, catching the Hyuga off guard. Hinata jumped and instantly got into a fighting stance, even with an extremely red face.
"HAHAHA! Ino gotcha there Hinata," Kiba exclaimed as everyone who saw the event laughed.
"I'm sorry Hinata, but the opportunity was just so ripe," Ino said with a cheeky smile before she pulled the girl into a side hug.
"Wow…they're still not here yet?" Sakura asked. "It's been 15 minutes."
"They're Kakashi's students. What do you think?" Kurenai pointed out.
"Ha, we would be lucky if they even come," Asuma mused.
Immediately, a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the training ground. The smoke cleared to show Kakashi and two jonin by his sides. One was a man who wore a head protector like the Nidaime Hokage while the other was Yugao. "Are they not here yet?" Kakashi asked.
A little distance away were Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, Shikaku and Iruka. "Where are those two?" Tsunade questioned. "You're extremely late if Kakashi arrives before you."
"Actually we were here a long time ago," Naruto said from his position on a tree branch near team 9.
'I didn't see him,' Neji thought in shock. His eyes were the best out of those that were present.
'I didn't sense him,' Ino thought. 'To think of it, I didn't sense him yesterday either.'
"So, what do you have for us?" Shikamaru asked in a lazy tone as he emerged from seemingly nowhere.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Asuma, who was closest to him, asked.
"Somewhere," he answered with a smirk.
"Now that everyone is here, we can get started. As you know, we want to see where your strengths lie. Your opponents will be Kakashi, Yamato and Yugao" Tsunade said as she gestured for Kakashi to continue.
Kakashi reached for his pockets to reveal a bell. "You remember your first day, don't you?"
"The bell test," Naruto said with a smile. "It's been awhile."
"It's similar just that you have the bell this time," Kakashi said as he threw the bell over to Naruto. He also placed a clock on one of the three wooden stumps. "Rules are simple: We get the bell, we win. We fail to do so by noon, we lose."
"Now, we're coming at you with the intent to kill so remember to come at us with the-"
"The intent to kill," Naruto and Shikamaru finished.
"You might not want to hold back there, sensei. No use hiding your eye," Naruto added.
"You know what? Somehow I think you might be right," Kakashi said as he pulled up his headband.
"I was looking for you yesterday, nee-chan. Looks like we'll have to talk after this," Naruto said, gaining a nod from Yugao.
"Fighters ready?" Tsunade's voice boomed.
"WAIT!" Naruto shouted, stopping the Hokage. "How about we up the stakes. Whoever loses pays for lunch for everyone. And I truly mean everyone," he said as he gestured to the spectators.
Kakashi glanced at his teammates before he nodded. "I'm game."
"You better pay most of it if we lose," Shikamaru muttered.
"We won't lose."
"Hajime!"
The air was still, not a single sound was made. Breaths were held in anticipation. A gust of wind blew over the training ground and it was the trigger they needed. Naruto grabbed onto Shikamaru's arm before they disappeared in a blur. Immediately after, the ground they were previously standing on exploded in a geyser of water.
The two teens appeared at the riverbank and the three jonin did not waste time in engaging them. A Naruto clone popped into existence and met forearm to forearm with Yamato. Shikamaru was in a lock with Kakashi while the real Naruto pulled Yugao towards fighting on the water.
"Let's see how much you've truly improved," Yugao said as she went through hand signs.
"Oh I'll show you alright," Naruto said as he recognised the jutsu Yugao was doing. Multiple water bullets shot from her mouth towards Naruto. Naruto jumped over the first, ducked under the second and made a beeline for Yugao. However, before he reached her, he sensed another attacker coming from below him.
"Uzumaki Style: Water Wheel," he muttered under his breath as he spun 360 degrees with his blade. He sliced through the water bullet that was headed for him and at the same time a water clone that tried to flank him from under water. Naruto landed from his attack to find Yugao immediately pressing him with her blade. He parried the blade away and used a Light Step to create distance between them.
Naruto coated his blade in wind chakra before engaging his kenjutsu sensei. Since he was on the defensive, Yugao rushed him. Steel met against steel as sparks from the chakra coating the two blades flew. Naruto ducked under a slice as he aimed for her exposed torso. However, being the experienced fighter she was, Yugao predicted his attack and jumped over it and kicked Naruto. Naruto brought his arm up to block, as he skidded across the water.
He sensed chakra accumulating to his left and saw a shadow clone who shot water bullets as big as a great fireball. Naruto placed his hand in the water and a water wall rose to surround him.
"Hey, Asuma-sensei. Who's the lady and how does Naruto know her?" Kiba asked the question on everyone's mind. They had seen her several times but had never questioned her relationship with Naruto.
"She is Yugao Uzuki. Naruto learned kenjutsu from her and he's known her since he was young," Kurenai answered.
"So it's no surprise Naruto wants to beat her at the very thing she taught him - kenjutsu," Asuma added as they watched the two swordsmen.
"Other than the speed he pulled Shikamaru away at the start, he hasn't shown anything impressive yet," Kiba commented.
"He might be testing the waters. Knowing Naruto, he always has something up his sleeves," Sakura said as they watched Yugao send several water bullets at Naruto. What he did next shocked everyone. A large wall of water rose around him and protected him without the use of hand seals.
"He didn't even use hand seals," Shizune said in awe. "That level of water mastery could be on par with the Nidaime Hokage's"
"First lesson: Taijutsu!" Kakashi exclaimed as he rushed forward towards Shikamaru. Kakashi threw a left hook which Shikamaru jumped backwards to dodge. He ducked under a kick aimed for his head. An uppercut came for him while he dodge to which he crossed his arms to block. Shikamaru skidded backwards slightly before he caught a straight punch from Kakashi.
Shikamaru pulled Kakashi by his arm while his leg swept Kakashi off balance and threw him. Kakashi smirked as he landed from the throw. He palmed a kunai and once again engaged Shikamaru. Shikamaru parried a slice from his left with his right arm. He used his left arm to grab Kakashi's head and pulled him in for a knee to the face. However, all he hit was a log.
Shikamaru caught a kunai aimed for the back of his head with a shadow tendril. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at Kakashi who was shocked but didn't show it. Shikamaru threw the kunai at Kakashi as he re-engaged him.
Kakashi let the kunai sail past him as there was no paper bomb and focused on his student. He aimed a low kick which Shikamaru jumped over. Kakashi blocked an axe kick from Shikamaru by crossing his arms above his head. He grabbed onto Shikamaru's ankle and pulled him towards him. Shikamaru threw a kunai at Kakashi which forced him to let go and dodge.
"His style is more based on grappling and staying defensive," Jiraiya pointed out. "A style quite fitting for someone who usually plays more passive."
"He's keeping up quite well with Kakashi, and his shadow is very fast. I've only a few Nara that can use their shadow jutsu that fast," Asuma said.
"How YOUTHFUL! His taijutsu is quite decent!" Complimented Gai.
The Naruto Clone and Yamato moved their battle to the trees around training ground 7. 'I don't know his abilities so it's gonna take some experimenting,' Naruto thought as he jumped from tree to tree. Before the fight started, he had sensed strong water and earth elemental chakra from Yamato. That was all he had to work with.
An earth wall rose in front of Naruto, halting him. He turned around and immediately pulled out his blade to deflect a barrage of shuriken. He sensed a build up of chakra from behind him and immediately jumped down to the ground, just in time to avoid earth spikes that came from the wall.
He landed and immediately ducked under a jet of water. Naruto used a light step to appear behind Yamato and punched him in the back. His fist passed through mud and the hair on the back of his neck stood. Naruto backflipped just in time to dodge a jutsu that shocked him.
"You can use Mokuton(Wood Style)!" Naruto exclaimed as he landed in a crouch. Wooden branches that extended from Yamato's arm were present where Naruto was previously. "I didn't know anyone beside the Shodai could use Mokuton," Naruto said as he sliced through many wooden bullets.
"Well, now you know," Yamato said with a straight face before Naruto felt himself being binded. He looked down to see several tree branches wrapping themselves around his legs. Before he could slice them off, more branches sprouted from the side of tree trunks. They entwined themselves around his arms, binding him there.
"You're going to be an interesting fight. I look forward," Naruto said with a wink before he dispelled.
Naruto gained the memories of his clone and had his interest piqued by the pleasant surprise Yamato posed. He threw smoke bombs and used a shunshin to regroup with Shikamaru.
Shikamaru skidded back from a strong punch by Kakashi. Naruto appeared by his side and placed a hand on his back to stop his momentum. "Got the information you need?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah. He still is one hell of a fight after these years," Shikamaru said as he shook off the pain he felt from Kakashi's taijutsu attacks.
"Can't have Konoha's Copy Ninja slacking off can we?" Naruto said as Yamato and Yugao landed beside Kakashi. "I have a clone to our six. Get the info from him and hatch a plan. I'll stall."
"Are you sure you can handle them?" Shikamaru asked his slightly crazy friend. "They are still three jonin at the end of the day."
"I think I'll be just fine," Naruto replied as he stretched and cracked his fingers.
Shikamaru nodded and left in a shunshin. He trusted that his friend knew what he was doing. "3 versus 1 is a bit much, don't you think Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "You'll need all the help you can get."
"Only one way to find out," he said as he met Kakashi's gaze. "Lesson two: Ninjutsu."
Kakashi had been accumulating chakra the whole time and Naruto could sense it. In a blitz, Kakashi sped through 44 hand seals. He recognised the jutsu and thought it was the perfect time to show off his own.
Every sensor in the area could tell the amount of chakra Naruto was exuding which caused Yamato and Yugao to go through the same hand seals as Kakashi. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu)!" The three jonin exclaimed as three water dragons emerged from the river behind them.
"TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME!" Naruto exclaimed as he started his own set of hand seals. Compared to the 44 hand seals the jonin did, Naruto needed merely three. 'Ox, Monkey, Bird.' "SUITON: FUKUSU SUIRYUDAN NO JUTSU!" He announced.
The spectators watched wide-eyed as five water dragons emerged from behind Naruto. Three of the dragons met head on with the three summoned by the jonin. Meanwhile the other two rushed straight to his opponents. 'He has too much chakra…' Yamato thought as he went through hand seals. He formed a wooden dome around his team as the water dragons crashed into it. The jutsu expanded as it drained the water chakra from the dragons. After a few moments, the jutsu disappeared leaving only a wet training ground.
"I've never seen this much chakra in one jutsu before," Ino said as she sensed the build up of chakra in Naruto. "How powerful is this jutsu going to be?"
"Looks like a very strong one if all three jonin are blitzing through hand seals," Neji commented.
"Three B-ranked jutsu attacking him at once. What's he going to do now?" Tsunade wondered aloud.
"Eh, he'll be fine," Jiraiya said as he continued to lean against the tree. "Knowing Naruto, he's gonna wanna show off a bit."
Everyone's eyes widened in awe as they watched five water dragons emerge out of thin air. "T-that's amazing," Kurenai summed up the thoughts of everyone. "A chakra pool as large as two kage and the elemental mastery on such an elite level. He's going to be a scary opponent to go up against."
As soon as the wooden dome came down, they were forced to dodge a large ball of wind. Naruto appeared by Kakashi's side and immediately engaged him. His blade met Kakashi's lightning coated kunai. He aimed a slice diagonally but Kakashi dodged to the side and counter attacked him by trying to stab him in the right side. Naruto caught his wrist with his left hand while his right was holding Arashi. He pulled Kakashi in and twisted his body to fling Kakashi away.
Naruto did not have time to see where Kakashi landed as he immediately ducked under a kick. He grabbed the leg and elbowed it to break it. However, he only broke through wood. He jumped over a pair of hands trying to grab him from underground but was sent flying as a water bullet hit him midair.
He righted himself before landing and made a hand seal. He dodged an axe kick from Kakashi by rolling to the side. The ground cracked slightly from the power of the kick. "Futon: Reppusho (Wind Style: Gale Palm)," he muttered as he aimed his palms at Kakashi. Kakashi was hit and sent flying before he dispelled into smoke.
Naruto immediately turned around as his blade met another. He angled his blade such that Yugao's would slide across it. He aimed a slice to her side but she palmed a kunai in her other hand and coated it in chakra to block his blade. A clone appeared behind him and blew a Futon: Daitoppa to stop several wooden branches from reaching Naruto.
Naruto ducked under a diagonal slice which caused his clone to dispel. He aimed a leg sweep to which Yugao jumped over. He grabbed her leg which was coming for his head and threw her onto the ground. Before he could press his advantage, Naruto was forced to jump away from Kakashi's Raiton: Jinraisen (Lightning Style: Thunderclap Arrow).
Naruto sidestepped a fuma shuriken and clashed his blade against a wooden blade. The blade had several smaller spikes jutting out from it. It reminded him of Samehada - Kisame Hoshigaki's sword - where it looked more designed to shred. He engaged in a short kenjutsu battle before he was forced to jump and dodge wooden branches extending from Yamato's arm. Kakashi came in behind him and kicked him in the back, sending him to the ground.
He recovered quickly and managed to dodge a kick from Yamato. He caught Kakashi's wrist which had a lightning coated kunai. A clone appeared beside him and punched Kakashi's face.
Kakashi exploded in a burst of electricity. However, both Narutos dispelled into smoke. Kakashi turned around to meet Naruto's blade which sliced through his kunai. He didn't have time to coat it with chakra. Naruto managed to knick his arm slightly, drawing blood. Naruto pressed his advantage and engaged Kakashi. He sensed Yamato coming up behind him but was not worried. His shadow started to extend itself towards Yamato who immediately jumped away.
Shikamaru appeared from within his shadow and was back to back with Naruto. "Sorry I'm late. Yamato just wouldn't get off me," Shikamaru said as he stared at the wood style user. "So, are you the real one or a clone?" he asked as he pointed towards the Yamato in front of him.
"What do you think?" Yamato asked back.
"Only one way to find out," Naruto said as Yugao landed to his left. The two teens were surrounded. "Looks like the party is starting," Naruto said as he jingled the bell in front of them.
The battle was at a standstill as Naruto and Shikamaru stood back to back. The three jonin surrounded them and none made a move. "Kai," Naruto muttered under his breath as he released his resistance seals.
"Ready when you…are!" Naruto disappeared in a blur and was suddenly in the middle of a high kick to Kakashi. Kakashi placed both of his forearms in front of his face and took the brunt force of the kick. He skidded across the ground before backflipping to avoid several earth spikes jutting out of the ground. Without the Sharingan, he would have definitely been caught out.
Shikamaru was in a crouch as he ducked under Yugao's blade. Naruto vaulted over Shikamaru and aimed a one armed slice on Yugao. Their blades met but not for long as Shikamaru's shadow tendrils chased after her. Yugao retreated while Kakashi and Yamato charged in from behind Naruto.
"Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Style: Mud Wall)," Shikamaru announced as a wall rose in between the two jonin and the teens. Naruto leaped for the top of the wall and immediately shot a high-pressure jet of water towards Kakashi and Yamato. The water left a scar in the ground as Kakashi and Yamato dodged the attack.
Kakashi threw lightning-coated kunai while Yamato shot wooden spikes at the blonde. Naruto saw this and bent his knees. He placed a hand on the handle of his sword and counted in his head. "Uzumaki Style: Typhoon Blade," he said.
Click
In a split second, the projectiles were all sliced in half. Meanwhile, behind him, Shikamaru was engaged in a taijutsu battle with Yugao. Yugao aimed a low kick which he raised his knee to block. He grabbed her leg to try and pull her in. Seeing this, she jumped with her other leg and flipped herself such that she could hit Shikamaru with a side kick.
Shikamaru let go of her leg and dodged her kick. He palmed a kunai and engaged her as she pulled out her sword. They're blades met several times causing Shikamaru's kunai to chip off slightly. Yugao parried his kunai causing it to slip out of his grip. Shikamaru immediately did a backwards roll as he barely avoided her blade. He could feel a slight cut on his shoulder. However, as he was dodging, a shadow tendril picked up his fallen kunai and threw it at Yugao. She was caught off guard as it came from her blindspot and managed to graze her cheek.
Naruto shot a water bullet towards the large fireball that was rapidly approaching him. He ducked behind the mud wall as the fireball crashed into it. The water bullet did not have enough chakra to put out the fireball but it weakened it enough for the mud wall to stop it. The mud wall crumbled as Shikamaru's shadow expanded into a circle of radius 2m, causing their opponents to move away from them. 'That's new,' Naruto thought as he blew wind chakra into his palm. The chakra took the shape of a green blade of wind. Naruto dual-wielded Arashi and a wind blade.
He rushed towards Yamato as the shadow forced him and Kakashi to separate. Naruto aimed both high and low as the two blades went opposite directions. He only managed to slice through a wooden substitution of Yamato. He immediately turned around and chopped off several wooden branches that tried to bind him.
Naruto used a light step and appeared beside Yamato as he attacked continuously. Yamato was skilled at using kawarimi and dodging as he expertly avoided being harmed by Naruto's onslaught. Getting frustrated, Naruto launched himself fully at Yamato who immediately tried to catch the unguarded Naruto in his wooden bind. However, before he could, Naruto exploded.
BOOM!
The original Naruto merely spared a glance at the explosion as he avoided a slice for his neck. Naruto immediately ducked under a high kick from his blindside. Shikamaru leaped over him and threw a kick at Kakashi who blocked it causing him to skid across the ground. Naruto and Shikamaru rushed Kakashi at the same time as he aimed a kick to the side of his head while Shikamaru tried to sweep his legs.
Kakashi's sharingan analysed the situation in milliseconds as he jumped over Shikamaru's attack and grabbed Naruto's leg before throwing him. Naruto landed in a rough roll as he unsheathed his blade and blocked Yugao. He pushed himself off the ground with his legs just in time to avoid a tree that sprouted where he was. Yamato jumped in the fight with a jet of water from his mouth.
Shikamaru used his shadow tendrils to pull the still midair Naruto towards the ground, narrowly missing the jet of water. However, in saving Naruto, Shikamaru was hit by Kakashi's sandal.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)!" Kakashi exclaimed as Naruto saw the large fireball head for his partner.
"Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)!" He heard Yugao announce from his side. She shot a ball of wind which was en route to meet the fireball.
Naruto used a Light Step and moved beside Shikamaru as he placed his palms to the ground. A dome of water rose around the two of them just in time as the fireball and ball of wind clashed with one another, creating an inferno which lasted several seconds. The flames died out as a smokescreen covered the area. The dome of water dropped to show another dome of earth within it. The dome of earth crumbled away to show Shikamaru and Naruto binded by wood.
"It's over…" Tsunade whispered as the smoke cleared.
"Took you long enough," Naruto said as he sat down with his hands tied. Yamato emerged from the ground behind Shikamaru. His arms were wooden and were connected to their binds.
"I don't think they had a choice," Shikamaru commented as he took in their tired states. "They look quite winded."
"Yup, their chakra is not low but definitely wouldn't last long," Naruto confirmed.
"You two fought well," Yugao complimented.
"It's not always we fight people with a shit ton of chakra like you," Kakashi said as he pulled down his headband to cover his eye.
"I was even sucking in some of your chakra," Yamato added.
"Yeah, I noticed it when you captured my clone," Naruto said. "How hard is it to combine two elements together without a kekkei genkai?" he asked.
"Very but not impossible," Yamato answered as he started searching Shikamaru's body for the bell. Meanwhile, Kakashi searched Naruto. They were both confused to find that the bells were not on their bodies.
"Where is it?" Yugao asked. As she said that, a ringing sound was heard from the opposite side of the training ground.
"Oh would you look at that, it's noon," Naruto said smugly as Shikamaru smirked.
"Looks like we win," Shikamaru stated with relief. He did not want to pay for lunch.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you let two brats beat you and your team, Kakashi," Tsunade said as she approached the group. "By your rules, it's noon and you don't have the bell. So, you failed and they won."
Naruto stood up and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. "Better luck next time, sensei. Let's go for lunch everyone! We're getting treated!" He exclaimed as everyone cheered.
"Wait, when did you get out of my bindings?" Yamato asked confused.
"And where's the bell?" Yugao asked.
Naruto glanced over his shoulder, his mask down and a grin on his face. He held two fingers up in the peace sign and the bell was in between them. "I sealed it. You never said it must be on my body at all," he said as he disappeared in a shunshin. He was starving after the fight.
"Your idea?" Kakashi asked Shikamaru.
"Simple yet effective. See you there, sensei," Shikamaru said as he entered his shadow and disappeared.
"Do you think he was holding back? He still had loads of chakra," Yugao asked. Kakashi also realised that Naruto did not use the rasengan at all.
"Who goes all out against their comrades?" Jiraiya asked as he patted Yamato on the back. "It's nice to see you out and about again, Tenzo. We should catch up," he said before he joined the group headed for the BBQ restaurant.
"He's changed a lot over the past few years. But internally, he's still the Naruto we know. Playing tricks and putting his comrades first, at least he's still there," Tsunade said as she recalled several moments from the fight. "A little more and I'll promote them both to jonin."
"I think you'll have our backing for that," Yugao said as Yamato and Kakashi nodded in agreement.
Unlike what everyone thought, Naruto did not shunshin to the restaurant. Instead he went to meet his mother. Naruto sat by his mother's grave with a camouflage jutsu that Jiraiya taught him, activated. He still didn't want to be known as the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. He knew it would bring more problems - not just to him but more importantly to those close to him.
"Kaa-chan, I'm home…"
So Naruto and Shikamaru are back. I had many ideas on how to introduce them back into Konoha but decided I don't have the writing skills to make it too complicated. However, I still wanted to avoid the Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto fight and hence this was the result. A Naruto, Shikamaru and three anbu fight :) I hope you enjoyed and onto the next chapter!