Chapter 3 Start
Anko practically skips through the street. Not literally, but she feels light today. Maybe this Sensei gig won't turn out so bad after-all.
When Hokage-sama asked her if she would be interested in teaching, she wasn't sure how to react. A part of her had been flattered that the offer would be extended to her at all. She knows that she has something of an odd reputation in the village as a former T associate, and the sensitive part of her mind suggested that he knew she would shoot it down at the first opportunity.
The Hokage only smiled at her, told her he has utmost faith in her as he does with all his trusted Jounin, and handed her a few learning materials to help Anko make up her mind. The more she read, the more interested she became, and the hopeful part of her wanted to be recognized as more than just that weird girl that was guilty by association to that man. She accepted, sat through boring lectures and exercises on how to get children to listen to you(a completely optional elective) and decided that she was going to throw herself into it as best she could.
As the due date came closer, the desire to teach was equalled by fear that she wouldn't be enough to teach her students. But with some encouragement from a few people, she'd managed to muster the courage to go through with it.
Hokage-sama gives her three names. Uzumaki Naruto. Aburame Torune. Yamanaka Fu. Three apparent closet prodigies, receiving tutoring from a program designed to build fundamental basics in such a way that any skill they learn can be quickly sharpened to a fine point. Not something that turned them into super Shinobi, but something so extremely specialised when basic Academy training is simply not enough.
She was annoyed and hurt. Did Hokage-sama think that she couldn't handle students that weren't already given special training?
But... the more she thought about it, the more she got curious. What was so special about these three that they needed a special regimen?
So she starts digging. Watching. Finding anything that might give away just why Hokage-sama thinks she's the optimal teacher for these three in particular.
What she found... was a reason and more.
Anko will readily admit that she can be headstrong, stubborn and loud. Tsume once told her that they're part of the reason the two of them get along. She has a core identity, personality, and clearly defined place within Konoha's hierarchy.
The three boys barely have anything like that.
Naruto makes himself known to anyone nearby with his obnoxiously loud voice and rude behaviour. But she watched him from places she knew he wouldn't spot her. He has a deep connection to his brother, and wants to protect and nurture him. But his brother is the only thing tethering him to sanity, preventing him from slipping into darkness. He's like an iron wall on the inside, not allowing himself to feel pity or love or joy at anything that doesn't help him protect Menma. He does things for his brother and no matter how hard he tries to hide the truth from everyone else, he feels on the inside that he is only worthy when his power is used to protect.
He plays the same thing over and over again. Don't worry about other people, do what you want, go after your goals. But his goals revolve around someone else, much like... Anko was a long time ago. He needs to understand that he is a person too and he's allowed to experience the joys of life. Successful career, girlfriends, having drinks and playing with friends. Memories that will help consolidate himself as his own person, not just Menma's guardian hound.
She understands very quickly why Naruto had been given to her.
Fu is a little cutie pie. He's so polite, so ready to please. Does anything he's told by Anko or Naruto. A perfect little soldier. But too desperate. He is held to lofty expectations by the Yamanaka Clan after revealing himself as a prodigy in their Mind Arts. And as an orphan, he wants acknowledgement from the family that he does have. Even with a Clan that specialises in the Mind, they do not fully understand the pressure they're putting on his shoulders. He is crumbling. He, a treasured and spoiled prodigy, crumbles as Yamanaka. He isn't recognized as 'Fu'. Only Yamanaka. He needs to understand the same thing that Naruto does. He's his own person. He has a right as a free man to choose his destiny.
The Aburame communicate differently to most people in the village. Quiet, not prone to saying much and Torune is a slight exception. He's the one who probably needs the least work. He talks, communicates well, but he is prone to shutting down when he gets overloaded. All-in-all, not difficult to work with. It's not like he needs persuasion. As the clan head's adopted son, he is given equal attention with his brother Shino.
But what stands out is that he's afraid to touch his loved ones. She gets it, she really does. He doesn't have much control over those incredibly rare Rinkaichu nested in his body. He wears gloves and gaudy clothing and flinches when people get too close. He needs confidence more than anything. The confidence in himself to master his insects so that he can experience life as it should be.
And this all just makes her so happy. The Hokage gave her three boys in desperate need of attention and trusts her to do what she needs to in order to make sure that not only they succeed as Shinobi, but succeed in life too.
No-one said she couldn't start by attacking both at once.
Which is why she's making her way to a Shinobi store that provides more esoteric items over blades. Sealing Scrolls, Bingo Books, weights and training aids.
And what she's here for. Chakra Induction Paper.
Her thinking behind the next lesson is to try and make it seem like a moment of personal significance to her boys. They will discover something about themselves that they didn't know before, accept it, make objective use out of it, but also try and help them see that they're unique. Expand upon it, teach them or help them understand their bodies' power. Improve self-confidence and identity. Her first real lesson.
Turning into the shop and closing the shoji door behind her, she quickly makes herself known to the owner.
"Yo, Ossan. Got a question for ya."
"Shoot." The man looks bored, flicking through a magazine.
"You got Chakra Induction Paper?"
The man's interest peaks. He closes the magazine and looks at her.
"I hope that you understand-" He starts carefully. "-Chakra Induction Paper is... expensive."
"But you've got some?" Anko presses.
"I do." The owner pulls out a small, wooden box from under the counter.
He opens it before her, and it's lined with two stacks of Chakra Induction Paper. There needs to be at least sixty in there.
"Fifty-thousand Ryo."
"For all this?"
"For one."
"One?! They were never this expensive when I was a kid!"
"Chakra Induction Paper is very difficult to obtain now." The owner explains calmly. "After the, err- incident twelve years ago. Lots of the people that knew how to process it died. It's a rare art and trees that are capable of doing it are hard to find at the moment. And with imports from the south low because of high travel tolls, it's even more expensive just to get it here."
"Fuck." Anko mutters. Fifty-thousand each is no joke, and she's already been scraping through her savings since she slowed down to study teaching.
"Look, Anko." The owner starts, pity in his eyes. "I trust you. I'm willing to give you a little discount if you keep quiet about it and you can pay me back later."
"No, it's alright. I'll pay for it, it's for my students and I don't need a debt hanging over my head when they need me."
"Pfft." He scoffs, looking fond. "And you wonder why Hokage-sama trusts you with them. One-twenty, and you can have four. Final offer."
Anko smiles. "I hope you're not doin' this just 'cause I'm hot stuff."
"There is no right answer to that, so I'm not sayin' anything. Just take 'em, you brat."
She slams all the money on the counter and carefully puts the four slips of paper in her pouch, wedged in the pages of her Bingo Book.
Naruto dodges and ducks under Torune's fast strikes. His Taijutsu style compliments his use of the Rinkaichu, the small flesh-eating insects. Designed with long reaches and sweeps to get just one tap in.
He finds himself frustrated. At himself, not Torune. But he thinks Torune might be feeling the same way if the increased tempo of his strikes is anything to go by. Neither of them can even hit each other. Naruto is too fast for Torune to touch, and Torune can't be touched unless Naruto uses a weapon.
Naruto doesn't have anything besides Kage Bunshin that could realistically help him in this scenario. He doesn't really have any ranged techniques, but this may present an opportunity to put something into practice.
Thinking of starting with a distraction, he weaves hand-seals quickly.
"Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu(Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)."
Naruto pulls a scroll from his pouch and opens it, releasing the stored contents in the form of dense white smoke and occluding him from view.
Torune can clearly feel the disturbance of Chakra. What's in his sight changes before he quickly dispels it. In that moment of distraction though, Naruto throws two Fuma Shuriken from the cloud of yellow smoke. Torune ducks under one and bobs to the right for the follow-up, putting his effort into a full sprint into the smoke, knowing his lenses will help protect him from the capsicum gas laced in it. Naruto has used it before with success against Fu.
He swings wildly in the smoke, clearing some of it away and letting the drag from his arms encourage the wind to take it and simultaneously trying to get a lucky tap on Naruto.
Only he's not there. Naruto's gone, no hole in the ground either so he didn't escape underground, not that he has known Naruto to use Doton yet anyway.
Torune spots two Naruto's a bit further away. He doesn't know which one is real but inaction will get him nowhere. He grabs a handful of shuriken and tosses them at the left-most Naruto.
Then, he spots the right Naruto out of the corner of his eye with his hands in a strange seal.
"Shintenshin no Jutsu." Naruto-two intones calmly before falling slack onto the ground.
Torune reels back to get out of the cone-of-effect for the Jutsu while Naruto-one dodges the Shuriken and runs headlong at him. This must be the Bunshin, the real Naruto wouldn't risk skin-contact. He cartwheels back and to his right to get a good enough angle to approach the helpless real Naruto but-
Twin puffs of smoke erupt from behind him, revealing the Fuma Shuriken thrown earlier to be transformed Kage-Bunshin. They grab him and grapple him to the ground before immediately dispelling from his insects causing damage to them.
He finds his feet again, only to find himself stuck in place an unable to move as the Kage-Bunshin Naruto from earlier Shunshin's into a high- speed kick to his gut that he's helpless to defend against, before it too dispels.
The real Naruto is suddenly on top of him, kunai poised to Torune's throat, and he is very aware that he's now under Naruto's Juinjutsu. The Bunshin must have sacrificed themselves to inflict it on him.
"Match!" Anko-sensei declares. "Winner, Naruto!"
The Juin releases and Naruto backs-off.
"Very creative, Naruto." Anko-sensei praises. "Pretending that you know Fu's Shintenshin no Jutsu."
"The fall was very dramatic." Fu comments, looking self-conscious. "Do I really look like that when I use that Jutsu?"
Anko-Sensei just smirks and tussles Fu's hair. He flinches for a second before realising it's not something bad and just looks at Anko-Sensei in wonder.
Torune feels himself pining for that contact.
"So, thoughts?" Anko-sensei asks as all three converge on her again.
"Naruto tricked me, to great success." Torune gives the most obvious point first.
"He did. But that was very risky. Had you been more focused, you would have realised that you could have pressed him instead of that temporary retreat you made. It's not often someone sets a trap behind you but it does happen, so keep that in mind. Be aware of your surroundings. Despite how ingenious a trap may be, every strategy and Jutsu has its weakness."
"Hai." Torune accepts the criticism, privately thinking that he most-certainly needs a greater range of techniques. There's a reason that Rinkaichu are feared but as Naruto has made evident, it's entirely counterable despite Torune's defences.
"Naruto couldn't land a hit either." Fu points out to everyone. He appears to be getting a little bit more open with them, more willing to speak his mind.
Naruto crosses his arms. Despite how much he portrays himself a fool, he's a brilliant strategist. And between the three of them, he's the most relentless with his training too. It's the reason he's so fast to the point that neither Torune nor Fu could get hits on him. On top of that, he hits like a hammer. Out of raw Taijutsu skill, he's the best between them, but that specialisation is rearing its head against opponents like Torune.
"I'm in dire need of ranged techniques." Naruto's sharp blue-eyes convey that he's in thought, mind whirling. "And my Fuinjutsu and Juinjutsu are not fast enough. My Genjutsu isn't at a level where I can completely disable someone. I need more Ninjutsu."
'The perfect segue.'
The training grounds have plenty of tree shade to rest under, and there's a nice cooling breeze to help her students relax and become calm enough to accept new information. Time to put her training strategy to use.
Anko grins. "Let's sit down."
All of her little ducklings do so. Naruto in the middle, Fu on his left and Torune on his right.
"So, we've learned that all three of you have something under-trained. Ninjutsu."
They nod along, listening rapturously.
"There are many, many Ninjutsu in the world." Anko starts it like a story, trying to capture their creative minds instead of objective. "And in the world, you will see many powerful and bizarre techniques that you won't be able to make heads or tails of until you face it first-hand. Some people can make clones of themselves and use their Chakra to move at high-speed. Some can produce strong but delicate insects from their bodies and command them to fight, and some can transfer their consciousness into the minds of others and command them like they're a tamed beast."
She deliberately uses their own techniques as examples of the diversity of Jutsu, trying to set the groundwork and make them each believe that they are unique.
"And just like there are many unique Jutsu and abilities, each person in the world has traits that set them apart from everyone else. Your Chakra is as unique as your looks, it can do things that other people can't. Some people can take many years to understand just how special what they have inside them is. You can pass-off some of this as Clan specialties, or inherited traits from your blood. But even then, no matter how alike you think you are to the person next to you, there's going to be something that sets you apart and makes you have unique value."
They are captured by the words. Anko truly hopes that this works out long-term. She's nervous but they need her.
She pulls out the slips of paper she'd acquired earlier.
"This," She wiggles them toward her students. "Is Chakra Induction Paper. It's a tool that Shinobi use to help determine just one aspect of what makes their Chakra special. It helps Shinobi understand just a little piece of their natural inclination when learning. You three have undergone training that provides you with strong foundations in many disciplines. Stealth, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Chakra Control. These are all vital in building yourselves up to be strong Shinobi. But finding out what your natural talents are will only help you long-term, give you another plot of land to have a greater foundation, and it leaves it to you to determine what that means for yourself and your team."
She separates one slip, holding it between her forefinger and middle fingers.
The slip of paper stiffen in reaction to the Chakra flowing into it. It gets warmer before a tiny ember forms in the middle of it, slowly burning it from the inside out. The paper slips out of her fingers and burns until nothing is left.
"As you can see," Anko smiles at the surprised and enraptured looks from her students. "My natural inclination, my Chakra Nature, is Fire. To everyone else, this means I have a greater ability to learn Katon Ninjutsu. To me, it represents more. It shows me that a tiny flame can become a great inferno. It gives me a burning passion to protect my home, and my students. But, it's up to you to decide what your nature means to you. I can't make that choice for you, and neither can anyone else. You need to decide. So-"
She puts the remaining three out to them. Their eyes follow it like a cat looking at a bird.
"Well? Take one!"
They do, looking a bit cluelessly at the paper, and at each other.
Fu boldly makes the first move. He holds it between his thumb and forefinger, focusing on it.
There's a little moment while Anko, Naruto and Torune look at him.
A little sound comes from the paper and Fu quickly drops it with a little noise of surprise.
Similarly to Anko, the paper begins to burn.
"Fire!" Fu exclaims and for the first time, Anko hears excitement. So damn cute. "Like Anko-sensei!"
"Congratulations!" Anko grins. "Fire like me, but that doesn't mean we're the same, does it? Fire can mean something completely different to you than it does to me. As you learn more about yourself and practise with new possibilities, you'll become a stronger and more self-assured person.
Fu smiles widely, and Anko calls this a massive success.
Torune quickly follows suit, holding his slip the same way that Fu did. It's hard to tell how much focus he's putting in with that mask on his head but it's evident by his body-language that he's concentrating.
And sure enough, the paper reacts. It begins to crumble into dirt in his hands.
They look surprised.
"Congratulations, Torune. You possess an Earth affinity." Anko smiles at him.
"This means that I am capable of learning Doton." Torune states woodenly.
"Don't just think of its power in combat. Think of what lesson you can learn from this, from the very nature of earth. You might only think that it's good for Ninjutsu right now, and it most certainly has a part in that, but this affinity is a part of your identity. Part of who you are. Who knows, maybe you'll discover something about yourself that you didn't know before."
Anko looks towards her blonde.
"Naruto. It's your turn." She coaxes gently.
The last of her boys looks at his paper.
'Sensei has Fire, so does Fu. Torune got Earth.'
Today isn't going how he thought it would.
What if he doesn't get a good one?
'It'll probably be Water or Fire.' He tries to think objectively. The Uzumaki Clan tended to use Suiton Ninjutsu, so that probably means that the most common affinity there was Water. And Hi no Kuni Shinobi predominantly use Katon according to history, so if this is where most of Tou-san's heritage is, then the likelihood of his affinity being Fire is high.
Nothing special. Just a tool to see what he can be good at.
He focuses his Chakra, pouring it as best he can into the paper.
Naruto feels a breeze against his head and hair. It's refreshing. He waits, watching closely.
And then it splits completely in half.
'What?' Naruto is confused. Did he do it wrong?
He looks up at Anko-sensei, he peers down with an odd expression.
"Wind." Her voice is surprised. "Your affinity is Wind."
There's an uncomfortable quiet.
"Naruto..." Anko-sensei starts. "Wind is a very rare affinity. I can count on two hands how many people in Konoha have an actual Wind affinity. Congratulations."
"Wind." Naruto feels a bit lost. The books don't say too much about significant people from Konoha's history using Futon.
He doesn't know what this means or where to go from here.
"It can take time to understand your relationship to your affinity." Anko lectures but quietly. "Take some time, maybe you can research, maybe you can take inspiration from various things, maybe just think about it a little after a conversation. Congratulations my little students, you've made another step in building your foundations."
Wind can be steady or it can hit suddenly and catch you by surprise.
After a week that's all Naruto has managed to produce when it comes to the meaning of Wind.
It's not like Fire or Earth with Fu and Torune respectively. One can't really see Wind, not to his knowledge anyway. It's hard to get a grasp of what it is without only using one sense. Touch.
He recalls one painting from the museum, one that he thought of as the artists attempt to give Wind an appearance. Naruto went looking for it again but it seems it's not in rotation right now. The Past, Present and Future don't seem to have any significant relation to Wind. Change is obvious. The Wind changed directions often enough to feel it, to keep it in mind when throwing weapons.
Naruto just can't seem to get his 'aha!' moment. He's only thinking of the practical use of it, which is not what Anko-sensei really wants. He knows that there's some underlying message or discovery that they have to make for themselves but it's almost like the only reason he has some consideration of it is as a tool.
A tool. A part of him is just a tool. Isn't that a kick in the nuts?
He sighs, picking himself up from his apartment rooftop. He tried to find somewhere high-up to feel the Wind and it worked. He certainly felt it, for what little good it's done him so far.
"Naru? What are you doing up there?" Menma calls up to him, looking like he'd been scratched to near-death by tiny claws.
"Just thinking." Naruto dismisses his thoughts. Menma's here now.
"Are you gonna show me that Jutsu you were telling me about?" Menma asks hopefully.
For the first time in a while, Naruto frowns. It feels like his life is getting a bit stale lately. Eat, sleep, train, tutor Menma, missions. It's a cycle that keeps repeating. Is there really nothing else to him than that? He tries his best to be positive for them both but he feels fatigued and worn. He wants to look out for Menma though, so he forfeits his desire to relax.
"Yeah, maybe we can find a training ground or something." Naruto says what he should say instead of what he wants to say.
"Not here?"
"No. Not here. I think if you use this Jutsu, it's gonna take up more room than we have in our apartment."
His objective mind guides his decisions. But he wants to tell Menma just this once, that he doesn't want to train today.
But Menma needs him.
"Let's go."
Fu thinks Anko-sensei might be his role-model.
She's so bright and passionate. She takes care of the three of them so well and teaches them and she's always ready to help them with whatever they ask.
Anko-sensei isn't like home at all.
At home, he feels cold and static. Unmoving. Like he's something that people need to swerve around when he wants something. Dinner is brought to him, and he is left to eat alone. He's told that training materials are in the library, so he's left alone to read and practice until Naruto and Torune let him use them as practice dummies.
He wants his family to feel like they want to be around him but can't find the will to tell them. Naruto and Torune are the closest things he has to friends but to him, it feels like they're also a bit cold. They talk a lot, sure. But sometimes he wonders if there's anything behind those eyes when in the field. He doesn't know what they're like when they're alone. Are they the same? Because Fu wants to know. Wants to know if they want to be around him unlike his clan.
But Anko-sensei doesn't hide it. She touched his hair, invites him to give his opinion on things. Always there when he wants to ask a question.
Fu wants to be like her. Be someone that Naruto and Fu can trust and depend on like he depends on Anko-sensei.
Gotta start somewhere.
He approaches the Clan-heads house in a part of the compound that's very flowery and colourful. Not just the actual flowers but even the walls are painted with bright colours in interesting patterns.
Fu knocks on the door and waits for a response.
He hears light footsteps getting closer, and the shoji doors open on both sides.
"...Fu?" Ino asks, unsure.
"Hi Ino." Fu responds with a smile he practises in the mirror.
"Wh- what are you doing here?" Ino is clearly weirded out.
"I wanted to hang out with someone today." Fu answers honestly. "I read in a book that making friends is easier when I approach people with openness."
"I don't wanna hang out with you. You're weird." Ino's words are a lance through his confidence and she slams the doors shut.
He feels the bright flame inside him dim slightly.
Fu frowns. Maybe this will be harder than he thought.
But no-one on his team would give up this quickly, especially not Anko-sensei.
Maybe he could try Naruto and Torune?
"Naruto." Fu greets him as he catches up to Naruto and his brother. "Hi."
"Fu? Mission?" Naruto quickly shoots off questions, eyes narrowing and his posture changes to be more... ready.
"No, I just wanted to see what you're up to."
Menma looks at him curiously. Naruto seems confused, like he doesn't know what to say.
But he doesn't have time to answer anyway. Another Genin is in the street, making a beeline for them.
"Yo, Menma!" Kiba grins at him.
"Kiba." Menma greets back. Fu watches the interaction. Are they friends? Fu's never had a friend before.
"Whatcha doin' hanging out with this loser?" Kiba points his thumb at Naruto, who quickly schools his face into something vile.
"If only your dad cared about you as much as you care about being an annoyance to me." Naruto gives a practised smirk, one that Fu has seen him use to set people off.
As expected, Kiba snarls at him and lunges.
It looks like Menma is too slow though, and Fu knows Naruto doesn't need help. But he's practising being good, being bold like Sensei.
He weaves between them and he doesn't even realise that he has his Tanto out.
"Back off." Fu says with his own practised and cold command.
"He started it!" Kiba gives his weak defence in the face of cold iron.
"Naruto! You didn't have to be that mean!" Menma hisses at him.
Naruto looks frustrated at what is tantamount to Menma defending his friend.
Fu sheathes his Tanto and Kiba takes a few steps back.
Menma nudges Kiba back some more, and Fu doesn't miss the look on Naruto's face.
"Tell your mother that I like her new trim. She'll know what it means." Naruto says suggestively over to them.
It's a defence. Fu has a sudden realisation. Naruto uses crude humour to disguise his frustration at Menma and his friends.
No, he won't leave Naruto to have to put up with this.
Ignoring Kiba's howl and cursing, he gets closer to Naruto.
"Naruto, do you wanna hang out today?" He asks hopefully.
"Hang out?" Naruto calms down a bit, and his question comes out prodding. Like he wants more information. Treating Fu like a teammate and not a person.
Fu doesn't take it personally. They all went through the same training.
"We don't have to be teammates today. You're not busy, right? We can try and be friends today."
Naruto is quiet, which is unusual for sure, and Fu waits patiently too.
"Um." Naruto gets out eventually. "I don't- I don't know what that means, Fu."
"That's okay. Neither do I. I've never had a friend before."
Naruto looks uncertain. This is different to what they usually do, it's like Fu has broken a routine.
"The only point of reference I have is that." Naruto points toward the direction Menma and Kiba had retreated to. "And I don't want that. It's not real. If that's what friendship is then I don't want it."
"Then we make our own meaning." Fu pleads. "Like Anko-sensei said. But instead of to our elemental affinity, we do it to words that we think have meaning but we interpret it our own way! Like, Fire means something different to Anko-sensei than it does it me, so we can make our own meaning to being friends!"
Fu thinks he's coming to realise what Fire means to him.
"You know," Naruto stands a bit straighter, but looking like a weight is off his shoulders. "Danzo told me that once. Do you know how he recruited me?"
"Not really." Fu answers honestly.
"I was running from a storm and ended up hiding in a museum of art. Danzo was there, sorta just looking at the paintings. He gave me a lecture about how paintings can have meaning extrapolated from them. But it's completely subjective. You can see something completely different than what the person next to you sees. And I don't think I really took that to heart until now."
Naruto puts his hand on Fu's shoulder.
"Thank you, Fu. I want us to be friends. Whatever that means."
Fu feels an inferno in his heart.
Torune sits in a private, underground chamber in the Aburame Clan compound.
He's naked, even his mask is off. He looks at his hands, legs and stomach. Completely covered in insects, although one wouldn't be able to tell unless they had sharp eyes. All the average person would see is that when he takes off something that's skin-tight, his skin becomes completely purple. Like a full-body bruise.
Whenever he looks at himself, be it in the mirror or in this place, he feels like he has no control over who he is.
He can't even hug someone. He wonders if this desire is even wise. He wants to be able to feel skin on his own, wants to hold hands with someone for the first time without gloves. He wants so much but when he looks at himself, it's like an iron rule playing in his head over and over again.
You cannot. You will not. You are not in control of your circumstances.
And it fills him with such an annoying dread that he can't find a way over. Anko-sensei can't offer any advice. She doesn't know what it's like to be in this situation, and even his own clan has nothing to offer. They have full control, they speak to their insects and they listen and speak back.
Torune's insects don't listen. They just hunger for more flesh. He hears them, and he knows they can hear him. They just ignore him.
He feels like a failure.
But when he spars with Naruto and Fu, even with his body completely covered, it feels as though he has some amount of control. The amount of effort that he puts in is rewarded with praise from Anko-sensei and the benefit of progress in the Shinobi arts. Unlike the time that he spends on getting the insects to obey him, the relationship between him and his team is more reciprocal. They listen to him, and it's something he's pathetically grateful for.
He can't help but feel like it's not enough though. How can he, who cannot control this vital part of himself, be of value to his team? Do they respect him at all?
But... he has an opportunity now. Another part of him has been revealed, thanks to Anko-sensei. Earth, his innate affinity. Could learning this help him in his endeavours with the rest of his being?
"Obey." Torune hisses with hate.
The insects ignore him. The poison that breaks down flesh doesn't affect him but they nibble his skin in defiance.
He needs them too much. They know it too.
They find a quiet spot next to Naka River, on some stone footing.
"Have you tried killing them?" Naruto asks, sipping from a juice box. Fu and Naruto had later come to the compound and told him they had a mission for him.
They didn't tell him until later that the objective is to 'make friends' with each other. However, it is a welcome distraction. Torune has his adoptive brother, leaving him with some emotional recognition of what a friend might be. He thinks so, anyway. Naruto appears to have different views on siblings, seeing his own brother almost as a duty. Naruto clearly has love for his brother but in his own words, is trying to discover the distinction between friendship and family.
"Yes. They simply keep reproducing too quickly for me to kill them and not hurt myself."
Shibi had been appalled when he'd discovered that Torune had been scraping his skin with sharp objects to try and get the Rinkaichu off once. Torune told him he was trying to threaten the other ones with death so they would obey him. It didn't work. They don't care if a few die, only that the colony survives. He injured himself a number of times doing this, and Shibi had put his foot down and made him stop, with a promise that the man would continue to research and attempt to find a way to bring them under control.
"What about Genjutsu or my Shinran Enbu?" Fu asks, also sipping from a juice box.
"Rinkaichu reproduce too quickly. As soon as they are disturbed, more Rinkaichu would spawn to replace the compromised units in the colony."
Torune pays close attention to Naruto, who isn't really sipping. He sees the focused look in his eyes. Torune learned long ago not to underestimate Naruto's mind. His problem solving skills are not easily dismissable.
"You said..." Naruto turns slowly, mechanically to him. "That Rinkaichu can refuse to obey."
"Yes." Torune confirms.
"Which implies they have a will of their own."
"Yes." Torune lets Naruto go on again.
"Maybe you need to set an example to them. Their survival is completely dependent on you. They can't survive without you and you 'can't' survive without them. If you prove to them that you don't need them, and they are replaceable with other powers, they might get more cooperative."
Torune felt this conclusion would have come to him, but it reinforces that he needs to learn more about his innate power. Anko-sensei has already provided the method of which was used to begin his journey into elemental Ninjutsu. Perhaps if he acquires the tangible power from it, then his insects will understand that it is his choice to continue feeding them.
He knows a few Doton Jutsu already though. His insects should understand that by now. He can ultimately specialise in Doton and not require them anymore.
Maybe he needs to test some more. Anko-sensei claims that his affinity should mean more to him than just Ninjutsu.
And speaking of, Anko-sensei drops in front of them. Naruto doesn't seem too surprised. Maybe he could sense her coming.
Out of habit, the three of them stand to attention.
"Ultimate Mega Super Special Fantastic Oddball TEAM ONE!"
"HAI, ANKO-SENSEI!" The three chorus their attendance.
"Special treat for my kawaii Genin!" Anko gives them her signature grin. "Your very first C-Rank! We'll be heading to the Hokage for our briefing!"
Anko is a tad frustrated.
She'd thought that at some point, her boys would come across a catalyst that would force them to grow.
But twenty C-Ranks? They'd gone through twenty in the span of two months and hadn't been challenged enough that they could look at themselves and think 'oh shit, gotta do more with that Chakra nature'. They're too comfortable expanding on what they already know, and while that isn't futile, it isn't the point of why she tested their affinities to start with.
There is a plus side. They seem to be developing in different ways and in their own time on top of that. The boys have been spending a lot of time together of their own volition, just hanging out, training together and eating together. Just general team bonding that doesn't seem like a big deal when it comes to the average team, but vitally important for her emotionally stunted students.
"What's next, Anko-sensei?" Naruto asks.
She needs to find different ways to challenge her students to think differently than they do now.
"I'd say three sets of talking to girls, but I don't trust you three to treat girls right the way you are right now."
"What?" Naruto sounds scandalised. "Fu, Torune, watch me put the moves on."
Anko also watches while disguising her amusement.
Naruto spots two women walking through the street. One of them covers herself in a grey cloak.
"Hey, gorgeous." Naruto glides a hand through his spiky hair, putting his chin up. "I think you'd make a great single mother. I can help with that."
The girl turns to him. She looks him up and down once, before delivering the strongest slap Anko had ever seen.
Naruto practically spins around in place and lands flat on his ass.
Anko has to force herself not to break into hysterical fits. Fu and Torune have no such control, bursting into gales of laughter. She gets up and gently knocks the other two boys, subtly telling them to shut up.
"My apologies," Anko grabs Naruto by the ear and pulls him up to his feet, ignoring his yelp. "My student here is emotionally damaged and is learning how to talk to people. He means no offence, please forgive him for this transgression."
"That won't be necessary." The severe-looking, grown woman responds evenly. "I understand entirely. Our home discourages relationships that are unearned through combat. The women in my land do not know how to speak to men either."
"I've never heard of a place like that." Anko admits, confused.
"Nadeshiko Village. We are a... matriarchal society. Perhaps one day I would be able to explain the intricacies of our home. But for now, would you please aid us with directions?"
"I'll need to see your travel permissions first." Anko states sternly.
"Of course." The woman reaches into her hip pouch, pulling out a small and flexible book.
Anko takes it and goes through the pages. Huh. Nadeshiko, and stamped in all the right places. She hands it back to the woman.
"Sorry 'bout that. Procedure. Now, how can I help?"
"We are here for an audience with Sandaime Hokage-sama, but we are lost."
"My students and I would be happy to assist. Ain't that right, boys?"
"Hai." The three quickly stand to attention.
"Sandaime Hokage-sama." The woman and girl bow deeply in respect.
"Please rise, Nadeshiko Kunoichi." Hiruzen gestures with good faith. "Your letters left much to my imagination and interest. Would you kindly explain?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. My name is Tokiwa, and this is my apprentice Shizuka. We have come regarding an agreement between our late village leader and one of your Shinobi, Jiraiya-sama-"
"You can't be serious."
"Dead serious, Anko-chan."
"No."
Anko and Naruto cross their arms before the Hokage, who merely looks at them with amusement.
They understand why Sarutobi didn't point them in the direction of Menma. It would be unwise to involve a Jinchuuriki in something as stupid as this. Is this some kind of test? Naruto should have known that Jiraiya would make an unwelcome intrusion in his life, just not without even being here and not having even met him.
Solutions are already on the board. Naruto didn't learn nothing from Danzo about the international landscape. Fu and Torune are probably thinking the same thing.
This Nadeshiko Village doesn't deserve even a moment of Konoha's time.
"Do you intend to honour this agreement?" Anko asks Sarutobi.
Tokiwa steps in to fill the gaps. "This is our culture, Anko-dono. It is the way our society-"
"She did not ask you, Nadeshiko Kunoichi." Naruto's commanding voice rips through the room. "You are under the false impression that Konoha has any obligation to follow the traditions of your backwards culture. You would take my choice, my freedom away from me, because your village leader was so horny for Jiraiya that she wants to pass that down to another person. She is not asking you, she is asking our Hokage if he intends to honour this agreement on the behalf of his student."
"Naruto." Sarutobi's voice carries. "Attention."
Naruto straightens, turning back towards the Hokage.
"I intend on allowing you to resolve this problem yourself. I am too busy to allow this to get in the way of my schedule."
Naruto nods, accepting the Hokage's terms readily. He turns back to the kunoichi.
"So, what happens if I just tell you to fuck off?" Naruto asks quickly.
"We will simply come back, repeat again and again until you capitulate."
"I see. Then I have a pretty quick and easy solution to get out of this in that case."
"Then you will fight Shizuka?"
"Shizuka, huh? That's your name?" Anko asks her directly.
"Yes." Green eyes peer at them from under the hood of her cloak.
"I hope you're ready to die for what you believe." Anko tests her resolve. "Naruto isn't one to roll-over for you."
Her eyes widen in fright.
Anko looks down at her student. Naruto looks back at her.
"I understand now, Anko-sensei. What my affinity means."
In Anko, all three of her students see different things at that exact moment.
Fu sees passion. The passion of boldness and protective nature. She burns and burns with everything she's got until nothing is left. She shines bright and inspires.
Torune sees control. The control over all aspects of himself and his fate. She is sturdy and unyielding like Earth. She doesn't let people bowl over her or her students.
Naruto sees freedom. The freedom of knowing that there is always a choice. Refusing to give in to fate and cutting her way through anything that stands in the way of her and her choices. The Wind can move around something with ease, it can smash into it unrelentingly, and carry it away so that the person with Wind at their backs is always victorious.
And the boys decide then and there that they want to explore their nature.
Anko can teach Fu how to use Katon and flow Katon, and Torune has a tutor in innumerable Doton scrolls, his calm and controlled way to learn, as is his preference before he practises. Reading as much as he can gives him a sense of discipline before attempting something. So that left them to find Naruto someone who could use Futon.
When scouring through records in the Hokage's library for any information on someone who might be alive now that could teach Naruto, they came across very few options.
"Sarutobi Asuma, that's a good one but he's a bit conditional." Anko chews on a stick from the dango they'd gotten earlier as a team.
"How so?" Torune asks, wanting facts in any scenario.
"Hmm, you kinda have to bribe him to get him to do anything. He's kinda lazy so let's keep looking."
"...You're not gonna believe this, Naruto." Fu finds something old and dusty.
"Is the person who's logged in that entry even alive?" Naruto says with scepticism, seeing that it's almost falling apart.
"Just look!"
All three of the others lean in to peer at the old and yellowed page.
"Woah..." Anko holds her cheeks in her palms. "He was a looker back in the day, huh?"
"Sensei is blushing." Fu teases.
"Am not! Brat!"
Naruto feels a bit of hope at the page, one person still alive that he knows would teach him in Futon.
Shimura Danzo.
"Yo." Naruto greets casually. "You know, you looked pretty cool when you were younger."
"Thank you." Danzo accepts the compliment. "My looks are the talk of many."
"...Are they funeral directors?"
Danzo smacks Naruto's head with his cane, getting a yelp. "Did you come to insult me, or do you have a purpose here?"
Naruto takes a knee, regaining his focused posture that was expected from his mentor.
"I recently discovered that I have a Wind Affinity. I come to you to request your guidance again."
Danzo nods stoically.
"You are wise to come back to me. I will teach you the power of my Futon Ninjutsu."
"When will this duel be taking place?"
"When Naruto is good and ready to do so." Anko narrows her eyes at the woman. "Could be tomorrow. Could be a month."
Tokiwa nods. She's surprisingly patient.
After six weeks of missions and training, Naruto feels like he's pretty comfortable with himself. He'd almost totally forgotten that he still has business to attend to.
He puts on his usual gear, feeling lighter and happier than he had in a long while.
But there is still something niggling in the back of his mind.
"Naru?"
Menma looks concerned.
Naruto feels a bit guilty. Just because he'd been focusing on himself doesn't mean he should completely ignore his brother.
"Hey, sorry Menma. I've been busy. Wanna hear a funny story?"
"Is it about you killing people on your missions? If that's the case, I don't want to know."
"Well actually..." Naruto trails off, thinking that he's most likely going to kill this girl today.
"No." Menma looks squeamish. He still hasn't killed someone yet. Naruto thinks maybe his mind is too warped and used to it now. Menma hasn't even been on a C-Rank mission.
"I want to ask you something then." Naruto starts. "If you were hypothetically part of a culture that enforces marriage based off of loose verbal agreements, and your culture expects you to find out one such person of this agreement, get them to beat you in a fight, and then marry them, what's the best-case scenario for you?"
"Who starts a conversation like that?" Menma asks in disbelief.
"Think of it like this," Naruto pressed. "If you win, you need to keep stalking that person until they win and marry you or you die. Those are the choices presented."
"Bullshit choices for a bullshit question. I'd think about what you would do. Throw those choices out the window and do my own thing."
Naruto appreciates Menma's perspective more than he could ever know.
"I'll be back later. We'll hang out."
"Where are you going?"
"To convince a girl not to die." Naruto says dryly. "Hey, wanna see something cool?"
"Go on." Menma says with no inflection at all.
"Check it out, I'm our dad."
Naruto disappears in a puff of smoke.
Menma facepalms.
"Idiot."
Shizuka is intimidated by the blonde. He is so utterly confident and unrelenting.
"I was ready to kill you." Naruto states openly to her. "I was happy just to cut you down and never have to worry about this again. You should be thankful to my brother, he convinced me to see things from your end too."
She stays alert, kunai in-hand.
"You're in the same situation as me. Presented with something that doesn't leave room for choice. I get that your culture, backwards as it is, enables this bullshit and makes you think that you don't have a choice."
Is this a play? Is he trying to get her to give up so he can kill her quicker?
She throws her Kunai, waving hand signs right after she does so.
Naruto vanishes, appearing in front of her and punting her with such force that the Jutsu she's conjuring is forced to come out.
"Ressenpū(Violent Whirlwind)!" She ejects a gust, slamming into Naruto and pulling the skin back on his face.
He vanishes again, and Shizuka loses sight of him.
"You have a Wind affinity." His voice comes from behind her. She whirls around, Futon Chakra whirling around her fist already.
She tries ineffectually to punch him, but he's way too fast. He's not even bothered by it.
"You're like me. Wind affinity, and given a not-choice. Something you think you have to do. I'm the same with my brother. I thought that I'd always have to take care of him as the only family I have. Instead, I should let him stand on his own two feet."
Naruto keeps talking all the while dodging kunai and shuriken and Futon Ninjutsu.
"But I've learned that in the Wind is choice. Unlimited choice. You can go in any direction, left-right up-down. It looks to you right now that you've only got two choices. Marry me or Die."
"That is my life!" Shizuka has tears in her eyes. "What else is there?!"
"Forget them!" Naruto shouts at her. "They don't get to choose your fate!"
She's too confused, can't think straight. Just fight! That'll make the pain go away!
Shizuka weaves hand-seals again, taking a deep breath and forcing as much Chakra into it as she can.
Naruto calmly responds with his own, breathing deeply.
"Ressenpū(Violent Whirlwind)!" Shizuka lets out a blast, bigger than she'd ever done during training.
Naruto doesn't even seem to care. Isn't concerned with her strength. He lets it get closer before he unleashes his own Jutsu.
"Fūton: Shinkū Renpa(Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves)!"
Dense and visible waves eject from his mouth at different angles.
Shizuka is saddened. She's the best Futon user in her village. Naruto can't overcome that. He can't put his philosophy into practice.
Only-
Naruto's Jutsu eats hers and gets even more powerful, and Shizuka finds herself defenceless against the relentless technique.
It slams into her, sending her flying back almost a hundred feet and into the wall that Tokiwa had created. It's so hard to breathe that she wants to pass out, pinned to the wall by the overwhelming Jutsu.
Just as she's about to pass out, the Jutsu dissipates and she falls face-first to the ground.
Naruto approaches her. Unarmed and unguarded.
She is still at his mercy.
"I was taught that family, or creed or clan, exert a powerful influence over someone's development. It makes them think certain ways, unable to overcome their own thoughts unless it's through great effort. I have a pretty good network of people that allow me to see things from different perspectives. It gives me the freedom of choice, something that you don't think you have yet."
Naruto puts his hand out to her.
"Until me. Forget the unreasonable expectations of Nadeshiko and become your own person. You deserve more than this. I give you a choice."
Shizuka looks up uncertainty, panting and exhausted.
"How can I trust you? Are you going to kill me?"
"No."
"Why?" She asks quietly.
Naruto looks her in the eyes.
She didn't realise how blue they are.
"Because it's my choice."
She takes his hand and lets him pull her up.
Shizuka takes a few days to be in a condition fit enough to travel. But now in the early hours of the morning, she and her handmaiden are ready.
She has shyly requested to say goodbye to Naruto. To thank him for letting her see the same truth in her Wind that he does in his own.
"What will we tell them, Shizuka-sama?" Tokiwa worries that Shizuka's newfound will can be rejected.
"I've got something." Naruto tells her. "Give 'em one of these."
He puts his middle finger up.
Anko slaps the back of his head.
"I will." Shizuka nods resolutely, ignoring the gawking from Naruto's team and Tokiwa.
She sucks her lips in nervously.
"I hope we get to see each other again, Naruto."
"It's nice knowing there's another like me." Naruto smiles, extending a hand. "I hope we do too."
Shizuka walks up to him, brushing past his extended hand.
And pecks his lips with her own, very quickly.
Her face burns up.
So does Naruto's.
She turns on her heel and starts walking swiftly, blushing harder at Tokiwa's giggle.
"Ahhh, young love." Anko swoons dramatically.
Naruto turns to his team with a straight face. They're making smooching noises and kissy faces at him.
"Told you I got the moves."
Fu and Torune laugh.
Anko shakes her head.
She pulls her three boys into a hug.
"I'm proud of you. All of you."
They give her equally wide smiles.
Chapter 3 End
AN:
Danzo's (now Naruto's) 'Vacuum' Jutsu will get functionally stronger depending on what Jutsu is used against it. It will eat other Futon to get stronger. It will also improve Katon, but only in the direction that a Vacuum Jutsu is used. Basically means that if a person use a Fireball against Naruto, it would get eaten by his Vacuum Jutsu and sent straight back at them with velocity.
I want that to be something special about Danzo's Jutsu. Other Wind Release techniques in the series are pretty lacking with the exception of Rasenshuriken, so I want Danzo and Naruto's to be the ultimate exception. It's something I wanted to expand upon in Crafting a Legacy but I ended up not doing a whole lot with Danzo's powers in the end.
Pairing: Naruto and Shizuka. No harem or multi's.