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[—]
Chapter Thirty-Five: A Crow's Flight
[Ding!]
[Quest: "Conquering The Rasengan" Created]
[Quest Details: Learn the Rasengan within two weeks.]
[Quest Rewards: Exp. 3000, become a true ninja, ?]
[Failure: Never unlock your true potential.]
[Does Player Accept The Quest?]
[Yes/No]
Fuck yeah!
"Can you show the Rasengan once?" Naruto asked curiously.
Jiraiya smirked. "That's the least I can do."
He raised a hand and placed it before his chest, leaving the palm open side up.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I don't see any—"
He was interrupted by a humming noise emanating from Jiriaya's hand. A blue, swirling tendril of chakra began forming the shape of a sphere. The ball of chakra rotated with incredible intensity, and the humming noise increased along with it. Naruto could do nothing but watch in awe as the technique began to create waves of wind that radiated outward.
The noise slowly died down as the Rasengan died out.
"The Rasengan, an infamous A-rank jutsu," Jiraiya said, his tone growing somber. "And also the Fourth's own creation…and his legacy."
Naruto's eyes bulged. "The Fourth Hokage created this jutsu?"
Jiraiya nodded in affirmation.
It was one thing seeing the Rasengan in all of its glory. It fit his attack style perfectly as it didn't require too much time to charge, seemed to create a lot of damage (he assumed, having not seen its effect yet), and could be used with a single hand. And now he just learned that his idol and hero, the Fourth, invented the jutsu he just watched a second before. But that did raise some questions…
"Oi, Pervy Sage. You said the Fourth made the jutsu, so how the hell do you know how to do it?" Naruto asked pointedly.
Jiraiya sighed. "You really didn't read your books in the academy, did you?"
Naruto shrugged. "They were mostly useless."
"You do understand that if you want to be a Hokage, there's more to the position than just fighting your way through everything. You'll have to learn from dozens of books about the history of all the nations, their leaders, as well as even more books about laws, politics, and public relations."
Naruto waved his hand, dismissing the idea. "I'll learn about it once I'm older. There's still a lot of time before I can become Hokage."
"Fair enough, though I was just warning you. In any case, the Fourth Hokage was my student. It took him around three years to develop the technique."
"Y-you trained the Fourth Hokage? You?" Naruto questioned repeatedly, not believing his ears.
Jiraiya looked peeved. "How is that so hard to believe? I am a legendary shinobi, you know?"
"Yeah, but—no offense—my only impression of you is that you're a pervert. Correction, MEGA pervert."
"Touché."
"So, when do we start with the jutsu?" Naruto asked, eager to start his training and learn the technique. Sure, it was an A-rank, but how hard could it really be? As long as he perfected this jutsu, he would finally get to know about the Akatsuki. Naruto would also ask about the other Jinchuuriki and their own group, but there was no need to clue Jiraiya about that yet.
"Woah, woah. How did you get the impression that we're starting today?" Jiraiya asked with an amused smile.
"What do you mean? You're the one who issued the bet, weren't you?"
"That's right…but I actually came here with a different goal in mind. I was sent by the Third to come find you. Apparently, there's a lot to discuss and my presence would help the conversation."
"Yeah, sure," Naruto ended up agreeing. While he did want to start the training as fast as possible, he was also curious about the old man's current state. He also wanted to ask a few questions of his own and get some doubts answered for a long time coming.
They made their way into the Hokage's building. Thankfully, they were already heading there from the start, with the Pervy Sage leading them there unconsciously the entire last time, no one even attempted to stop Naruto or ask for any secret password. Naruto correctly assumed it was because of Jiraiya's presence.
The Saanin barged his way into the Hokage's office without even a knock of the door.
Hiruzen was standing near the window with a pipe in his mouth, letting out the fumes through the open window. He turned when he heard the commotion, a small smile on his face. "You've finally come. I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it."
Jiraiya scoffed. "Please, you must've sensed us coming the second we made it near the block."
Naruto noted the same staff that was in Hiruzen's hands with interest. He had been holding that the other day as well. "What's with the staff?"
The Hokage looked at the long pole that was placed between his left shoulder and chest. "A precaution, of sorts. Anyways, there is no time to waste. We have much to discuss. Jiraiya, I trust you and Naruto have already been acquainted?"
"You could say so," Jiriaya commented offhandedly, sending a look at Naruto that made him chuckle.
"In any case, it's best if we begin with what happened in the Chuunin Exam. Naruto, could you please report exactly what happened in your encounter with Kisame? I've already had Gai report but I want your perspective as well."
Naruto nodded. He was a bit peeved that he couldn't hold the information as blackmail against Jiraiya, but understood right now that his petty wishes weren't of importance. "Kisame was looking for the Jinchuuriki. According to Fuu, he was patrolling the area considering it was the Chuunin Exams and tracked down her large chakra somehow. I joined the fight soon after. He was…incredibly strong. It wasn't like he was trying against us—he wanted us alive for something. Gai came in and saved the day. The rest you already know."
"Is there anything specific he said?" Jiriaya asked urgently.
Naruto remembered the exact words of Fuu and what she had mentioned. "Kisame mentioned a few names. Itachi and Orochimaru. Something about Orochimaru owing him one."
The atmosphere suddenly shifted. Both the adults in the room went dead still as they thought over his words. Naruto couldn't help but wonder why the mention of Orochimaru was enough to bring such a strong reaction within these two.
Jiraiya looked confused. "Orochimaru has ties with the Akatsuki? But my recent reports show that he wasn't a part of any of their activities…"
"He may not be active in the Akatsuki currently. But we cannot confirm until we get more information," Hiruzen said with a grave expression on his face. "I'm also equally worried about this 'Tobi'. His teleportation ability is frightening to be able to get past our own sealed borders. Along with the Sharingan…how could there be another living Uchiha?"
Naruto shuddered when the image of the orange-masked man came back to the front of his mind. The man, whoever he was, was strong enough to induce nightmares. He just realized what Tobi having the Sharingan meant for Sasuke and the Uchiha Clan as a whole.
"Our only guess would be Itachi, but the persona and the frame Gai mentions don't match. Neither do the motivations…" Jiraiya said, mumbling the last part.
Why would their guess be Itachi? He's an Akatsuki member…wait a second. Itachi has a Sharingan, and was the only other living Uchiha next to Sasuke. That means Itachi Uchiha was the traitor brother of Sasuke!
Sasuke's brother is in the Akatsuki?!
"We can only assume it was an offset of the clan that remained hidden and slowly died out until Tobi was the last one. Regardless, the origin of this Tobi does not need to matter. The issue at hand is that he is currently our enemy, and must be placed on a high-priority bounty immediately. Jiriaya, if time permits it please check up on the sealed borders and try something out."
The Toad Sage nodded. "I'll look over the seals and try to prevent him from just waltzing in."
Hiruzen tapped the ground with his staff, a habit that he was getting quite used to. He puffed out another ring of smoke before speaking. "Anyways, we're coming to the crux of the issue now…"
They waited in anticipation.
"I'm going to retire as Hokage."
Naruto felt his mouth drop to the floor. "W-WHAT?!" He saw Jiraiya from the corner of his eye having an unpleasant frown on his face. "You can't be serious, old man! You're the strongest and the smartest! Why would you leave now when the whole village is under pressure? Have you gone insane?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "I appreciate how much faith you have in me, Naruto." He looked over at his arm wistfully. "However, I'm far from the strongest in the village at this point in time. I'm no longer the young man who was bursting with energy, and neither am I the general who led our army to victory in the Third War. The Hokage has the responsibility to protect the village with regards to all forms of attack. I'm capable, yes, but staying here would only impede Konoha from having someone even more capable than I."
"Who says you need to fight?" Naruto said incredulously. "I'm going to ignore that bullshit about you not being strong. We both know you'd whoop the majority of ninja in our village even with one arm. It doesn't matter, anyway. You're the most intelligent person here—the wisest! You always said a good Hokage needs to be wise—"
"War, Naruto, doesn't need wise or intelligent people leading the forefront," Hiruzen interrupted gently. "The wise and intelligent people are never the leaders except in rare cases. We need someone headstrong and powerful. A symbol."
Naruto couldn't believe it. "B-but…war? Sure, the Akatsuki are a mess, but war is taking it too far, is it not?"
The Third sighed. "I wish I could agree with you. But the signs are there. Maybe the chances are higher that the Akatsuki will be dealt with a couple of years before they can bring about any major damages. But I won't be taking the risk. We must start preparing now."
There was a brief, tense silence. But so much was said.
"Who the hell could replace you of all people?" Naruto asked, grasping desperately onto the last straw he had.
Jiraiya answered for his mentor. "Tsunade."
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, I believe she would be the best fit for Hokage. I was pondering if you, Jiriaya, could have been in the position. However, I believe we both know that you wouldn't dare come near this desk for all its worth. Not that I blame you, of course. If I may be crass, I'd prefer you didn't. Right now, nothing is more important than information. Something which we sorely lack. Ridding our primary source of said information would be a terrible move."
"Who the hell is Tsunade?" Naruto asked brazenly, his mind still not able to process what exactly this conversation was.
Jiraiya sighed. "My teammate. Tsunade Senju—the greatest healer the world has ever known. She's certainly headstrong, and I do agree with sensei that she's a good pick."
"Wait, wait, wait. You're on her side?" Naruto asked, his tone accusatory. "Are we seriously going with this plan?"
Sure, he was shocked when he heard her last name. His mind jogged to remember where he heard it before, and realized that he did recollect Iruka mentioning the First Hokage's granddaughter before. He had to admit, having that man in your direct family line was a pretty big deal on your resume.
Naruto had inadvertently met the First Hokage once before. Albeit it was the system's version of him. The dark red armor and the clan,ong sounds they made as the Hokage got nearer to him
Hiruzen chuckled. "No one is on either side, Naruto. It is my wish and my decision whether to stay or leave this position. Besides, I have a lot of work to do once I retire."
Naruto blinked. "Work? How could you work once you retire?"
"I'm retiring as a Hokage. When did I ever say I'm retiring as a shinobi?"
Wait…. "So you're going to—"
Hiruzen smirked, dipping his hat. "Train. Train harder than ever before. True, this arm is going to take a lot to get used to. But there are some things I can do to mitigate that. As much as a peaceful retirement sounds nice, I can't do something like that without a guilty conscience weighing down on my mind for the rest of my life. I want to get prepared for the eventual battle that is coming for Konoha."
"Oh. So that's not too bad, is it?"
Jiraiya grinned. "Did little Naruto think the Hokage was going to be reading books in a library and knitting clothes for his grandson?"
Naruto blushed. "Of course not!"
The self-proclaimed mega pervert laughed and then looked toward Hiruzen. "Do the other counselors know about this?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No. I can't reveal it too early before Tsunade is here to take the hat. To put it simply, I'm afraid of what Danzo would do once he hears I'm retiring. The council is only functioning right now due to the hierarchy I've placed down. The second I retire, the entire council will dissolve into a desperate tug of war between everyone. Those on Danzo's side are already advocating for their leader to replace me. While I don't doubt his effectiveness, his methods are the very thing that would cultivate more hatred among the people of our village."
Naruto wasn't sure who 'Danzo' was, but he was confident he wasn't one to be trifled with. He was starting to get frustrated by how much hidden politics were occurring in Konoha, and he was already pissed off with the news he received a few minutes earlier. He never thought about what kind of pressures came with the position of Hokage—having to deal with dozens of angry old men that complain all day and try to make you slip up would be more than annoying.
Jiraiya nodded in understanding. "Is Hiashi still vying for the position?"
"No, I don't believe so. He has enough issues to deal with inside of the Hyūga clan to begin with. Anyways, Jiraiya, I need you to find Tsunade within a month, preferably sooner."
"Her last known location?" The Pervy Sage questioned.
"A little north of Fujiroji village. A tall, blonde woman was reported to be gambling a ton of money…and losing it all."
"Sounds like her." He grinned before looking over to Naruto. "What do you say, brat? Ready for a small adventure?"
Naruto was surprised. "Me? Why should I come with you?"
"Well, you gotta learn the Rasengan somehow. Other than that, I have a gut feeling that you'd help convince her. So, what do you think? Coming or not?"
[Ding!]
[Quest: "Bringing the Princess Home" Created]
[Quest Details: Convince Tsunade Senju to come back to Konoha and become Hokage.]
[Quest Rewards: Exp. 2000, ? ]
[Failure: Konoha becomes a barren wasteland.]
[Does Player Accept The Quest?]
[Yes/No]
Well, it's not like I got anything to do here.
"I'll come," Naruto confirmed.
Hiruzen shuffled. "Perfect. I'll write this down as a B-rank mission—I don't want anyone to get suspicious. You both may have some obstacles in the middle of your search, but hopefully there aren't any issues."
Yeah, like that's going to happen. Naruto thought bitterly. Something always goes wrong with things like this. Hell, my first mission out of Konoha was an absolute mess.
He couldn't help but wonder how things were going to turn out. There are so many moving parts in the world right now. The Akatsuki, other nations, a new Hokage, Fuu, and so much more. Naruto could do nothing but be swept up in the rampant winds that were quickly taking over his life.
[—]
Two hours later…
Naruto walked around the streets of Konoha with a brown, heavy bag attached to his back. He had spent the first hour of the time given to pack a bunch of clothes and some snacks, and the second hour informing some people he knew about the 'B-Rank' mission.
He tried to find Sasuke but apparently the Uchiha was off training somewhere. Sakura had trained in the morning and was shopping around with Ino and some of the other girls. He managed to find Kakashi, who heard about Jiraiya and didn't question his leave any further, knowing that there was probably some further information that he wasn't privy to. Realistically, Team Seven were the only people who really needed to know about his absence.
Wow, that is kind of sad to say. Everyone is so busy these days, eh? I guess I took the Academy for granted…
He was currently making his way to the Konoha gates, where Jiraiya was waiting. The man had apparently wanted to 'take his time' before he traveled, though Naruto could assume what he was doing in the free time that Jiraiya himself allowed.
"Oi, Naruto!"
Naruto swerved his head to meet the familiar voice that he couldn't quite put a face to. "Hm?"
He found his eyes meeting a panting Kurotsuchi who had her hands on her knees as she bent over in exhaustion. She wore different clothes than before. Whereas during the exams she was more relaxed and had loose-fitting kunoichi attire, here she looked like royalty. Her red tunic was trimmed with gold, and her hair looked more taken care of. Not to mention her skin which was practically glowing somehow.
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. "How are you still here?"
All of the other Chuunin Exam members had left for their prospective villages by now. They were especially in a hurry to do so after the disastrous final day which struck fear into everyone's hearts.
"I'm the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage—I'll be going with him today back to Iwa. He stayed here for a few extra days to take care of some legal matters with the treaty," Kurotsuchi said haughtily, crossing her arms and tossing her hair to the side.
Naruto sighed in relief. "That's great. That means our feud is officially over, right? I mean, Iwa and Konoha are in an official truce, so you wouldn't try to kill me…right?"
She glared at him. "It's a shame—but yes, I can't actually kill you anymore. But do not once think that you're safe. My motivation is still the same. I'll train until I defeat you once and for all, and with the crushing loss you end up quitting as a shinobi."
Naruto laughed. "Yeah, in your dreams, Princess. You can train all you want in that diamond castle of yours. You won't be catching up any time soon."
"Tsk. Konoha brutes—always assuming things without any actual knowledge. No wonder this village—"
"Say anything you want about me, but leave my home out of it," Naruto said, clearly peeved by her tone.
She walked forward confidently, placing a finger on Naruto's chest. "Or what? You'll hurt the Princess of Iwa? They'll have you hanged in the 'Diamond Castle' that I've apparently grown up in."
Naruto grinned, he clutched her hand and pushed it to the side. "Oh, will they? I guess once I get rid of you we both can spend the rest of our lives in hell together!"
Kurotsuchi laughed. "Please, the second you lay a hand on me I'll have my grandfather laser you to the ground."
"Oh yeah," Naruto growled. "The second your Grandfather even looks at me I'll have the ol—Hokage fry him to a crisp."
She scoffed. "Please, Grandpa would beat him in a fight easily."
"In your dreams. Your Grandpa is too short to reach the ramen counter!"
"He can fly!" Kurotsuchi nearly yelled in frustration. "It's not like you can be talking too much height either, shortie!"
Naruto swallowed the mandatory 'I still haven't hit my growth spurt' comment and barged onwards. "I think you should be more respectful to Chuunin."
She didn't look too impressed nor surprised, which meant she already had that information. Fuck nepotism!
"I hate how annoyed you make me. Whatever," Kurotsuchi said with a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I just wanted to remind you that we're still rivals even considering the alliance."
"Don't worry, Princess, after that proclamation earlier…you're gonna be on the forefront of my mind for the rest of my life."
Kurotsuchi looked shocked for a second before looking away in embarrassment, her neck turning red. She kept on mumbling to herself even as Naruto waved a hand in front of her face. Has she finally gone mad?
She finally turned back to face him. "You really need to watch what you say or else people will take it wrongly. It's goodbye for now, Naruto. The next time we meet, I'm going to pummel you to the ground."
"You can try all you want. You're never going to catch up!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning. "Cya, Princess. In the future, you gotta introduce me to your old man by the way."
Her eyes bulged. "W-what?!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, confused by her outburst. "Cus' I'm going to be Hokage soon, dattebayo! If the alliance continues I'll need to be cordial with your grandfather, might as well get an early impression in."
"Of course," she said, coughing. "Bye."
She scurried off without another word, leaving Naruto to watch her retreating form with a bizarre expression. That was an…interesting conversation. To be honest I expected more yelling than I got there.
His journey to the gates afterwards was uneventful. Naruto quickly found Jiraiya who was busy conversing with the two guards. He noticed Naruto and motioned for him to follow.
"We've wasted a lot of time already," Jiraiya said shamelessly even though he was the one who created the two hour break. "Let's go!"
And that was how they left Konoha.
[—-]
A day later…
Naruto caught the water balloon that was tossed to him with his right hand, noticing how the item extended and stretched due to the elasticity of the rubber and the weight of the water. They had made it just south of the listed location, and had stopped for a short break in a carnival fair that was occurring in the district.
Naruto, for one, had never seen something like it. There were so many bustling people and shops littered everywhere selling all sorts of trinkets. Jiraiya had specifically bought several water balloons as well as some empty balloons that Naruto could fill himself.
"Why are you giving me a water balloon?" Naruto asked curiously, eyeing the object.
Jiraiya smirked. "Before that. I'll assume you know how to chakra climb and walk on water? If you don't, then you simply don't have enough chakra control for this technique."
"Pshh…those are easy."
"Good. For the sake of simplicity, let's divide chakra control into three levels." He raised a single finger. "Tree climbing, or level one, require you to maintain a certain amount of chakra on your feet, and more importantly being able to consistently output that level of chakra. It introduces you to the level of concentration needed for future techniques and how the anatomy of the body comes into play."
Naruto nodded in understanding.
"Then comes level two," Jiriaya said, raising a second finger. "Walking on water. You needed to continuously emit a fixed amount of chakra from your feet, and said chakra needed to interact with a liquid rather than a solid, giving rise to different properties to the technique. Continuous application of chakra—that was what you learned."
The Toad Sage held another water balloon in his hand, giving a clear view to Naruto. "Now…the third step."
The balloon—no, more specifically, the water inside the balloon began to swirl. The swirling inside of the balloon was made obvious by the extension of the rubber that covered the rotating water. Eventually the balloon popped, letting out a burst of water that managed to hit Naruto's hair.
He shook his head to get it back dry as he tried to guess what just happened. "The water…was spinning?"
Jiraiya smiled. "Yes. The third step is simple to state: you must rotate the chakra that you wield. And to rotate, you need to first create a stream of chakra that obeys your every will. The moral of the third step is to give you more control and command over your chakra. To truly make it your own weapon."
Interesting…
Naruto immediately focused his attention back to the balloon in his hand. Jiraiya, meanwhile, just smirked knowingly and sat down against a tree, a book in his hand.
The Jinchuuriki closed his eyes and felt for his chakra. The roaring rage of energy that was rushing through his veins obeyed his call and charged towards his right hand that held the balloon. Now the chakra is in my hand. He needed to mound it—slowly release a 'stream' that he could easily rotate. He tried to release some chakra…
…only for the balloon to burst without even giving him the chance to rotate it.
Jiraiya laughed. "What? You thought you could do it on your first try? We're gonna be at this till nightfall, kid!"
[Ding!]
[Skill: Chakra Control has increased by a level.]
[Chakra Control is now Lvl 8]
I guess we're back to my roots.
Grind time!
[—]
Naruto tiredly made his way to the ramen stand, sitting at the counter. Jiraiya was a bit behind, having to buy something from a nearby market. His Rasengan training hadn't gone far, but he could now feel a bit more of the stream of chakra that he was supposed to rotate. It was slightly demotivating, but when his Chakra Control leveled up it was definitely a motivational booster.
"Miso ramen with extra pork, please," Naruto said, handing over some money that the Pervy Sage had given him.
One thing that Naruto learned about Jiraiya was that he was obscenely rich. To the degree where Naruto had never seen that many zeros in his life. Apparently his books were more than popular, and had given the Toad more money than he could spend in one lifetime. So the Uzumaki didn't feel bad for smooching his cash to eat dinner.
An old man with a white apron and more importantly, a kind smile brought forward a bowl of steaming noodles. "Here you go!"
Naruto gratefully accepted the food. "Thank you!" Ahh, nothing is better than a bowl of ramen. He forked down some ramen with a loud slurp. Hmm…not as good as Ichiraku but tasty nonetheless! If he was being honest, taste-profile wise this may have been more complex than Ichiraku's, but the aspect of nostalgia would always be in his hometown's favor.
Naruto ignored the man that sat next to him, preferring instead to swallow down more food.
Then, out the corner of his eye, he saw something horrifying.
Red clouds.
Nartuo snapped his neck to the side, his eyes meeting red ones as he instantly spat out his food in shock.
A man sat quietly, his posture relaxed but alert. His long, dark hair fell loosely around his face, partially obscuring his sharp features. The infamous black cloak with the red clouds of the Akatsuki was draped over him, blending into the dim light of his surroundings. His expression was calm, almost distant. Cold, red eyes glowed with resolve. There was an undeniable presence about him, as if every movement of his, even in stillness, carried a quiet weight of purpose and reflection.
OBSERVE!
[Observing… ]
[Observation failed.]
[Target's level is too high.]
[Would Player like a partial observation?]
[Yes/No]
YES.
Name: Itachi Uchiha
Title: "The Devil-Eyed Crow"
Occupation: Akatsuki Captain
Level: ?
MP: ?
Chakra: ?
STR: ?
VIT: ?
DEX: ?
INT: ?
WIS: ?
LUK: ?
OH FUCK GET ME OUT OF HERE!
[—end—]
Yo!
My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters ahead (chapters 36, 37, 38) and support my endeavor to become an actual author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:
P a treon . com (slash) PaladinKaladin
Poor Naruto haha. I would've been scared as hell in his position as well. Wonder what's he's going to do?
Hiruzen is going to be a main cast member in the future, with a lot of screen time. The main cast, as I refer them as, will be the primary characters whose perspective I will focus on as the story progresses, but obviously with Naruto as the main main. I mean, the title has his name in it, xD.
Question of the day:
What's your least favorite pairing in Naruto (fanfiction or canon either). I'm really not a fan of Naruto/Sakura personally. Though some people have done it well.
Make sure to follow, review, and favorite to keep up with next week's chapter!
Cya' next week. Review down here, it really makes my day!
Next chapter is releasing on Tuesday, 1st of October. Around 2 PM Washington DC time. Follow so you don't miss it!