Chapter Eleven: Walking on Hot Water
Author's note: As always, I want to thank everyone who's left a like, comment, or review on this story.
I genuinely appreciate it.
Also, I was thinking of doing a different version of this story called "The Interdimensional Harem of Uzumaki Naruto." As the name implies, it would be a crossover story between Naruto and various other franchises. It would start during Naruto's training trip, with everything being canon until that point (sorry, fem-Haku fans).
Or, I was thinking about doing a fic similar to Mumei Mu's story "Naruto, Stop Ruining Fairy Tales!" because I read it and loved the premise.
Let me know what you think in a PM.
If you're wondering about my progress on my other stories, I have some chapters in the works, but I'm waiting until they reach at least the hundred-like mark to continue them.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this story.
Bold: Technique (English Translation)
Italics: Thoughts
Horizontal Line: Flashback
(Scene Change): Signals a scene change
It was the day after Naruto signed the Toad Contract and had learned about his mother and the Uzumaki clan, and the blond and Jiraiya picked up where they had left off: sparring.
"Keep moving your head!" Jiraiya shouted as he threw a right whip kick that the blond barely dodged by ducking down under the leg, his spiky hair ruffled by the movement.
Naruto thought he was in the clear, only for his blue eyes to widen as he quickly crossed his arms to block Jiraiya's left foot. The young Uzumaki swore he heard and felt his forearms crack as Jiraiya's red geta sandal struck him and sent him tumbling away.
"And stay focused!" Jiraiya yelled as he lowered his left foot, waiting for his apprentice to recover. "I know you wouldn't mind your girlfriend playing 'nurse' with you, but I'd rather you not bleed on my sandals-I just cleaned them," Jiraiya said with a mocking grin as he jabbed his thumb in Haku's direction, who looked unamused at the comment as she sat in the shade and practiced running through one-handed seals next to a timer.
"Shut up!" Naruto shouted, his face red and sweaty as he instinctively put his fingers into the hand seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique).
"Oi!" Jiraiya barked with his hands on his hips. "You know the rules; no shadow clones and no explosives. Anything else goes. Break those rules, and there'll be no ramen for a month," Jiraiya warned before smugly grinning, "Plus, don't you want that new jutsu? All you have to do is land a hit on me."
Naruto growled as he lowered his hands, ignoring his throbbing arms as he strategized on how to attack the cocky sannin, though the man had the right to be; Jiraiya had batted away every single one of Naruto's attacks as if he was nothing more than a fly. To add insult to the blond's injuries, the toad sage had yet to move from when their spar started. "This is like taking on Kakashi-sensei but turned up to eleven," Naruto thought, biting his lip.
"You think Boss has a chance?" a nearby Naruto clone asked aloud as it bobbed up and down on the pond next to a few of its brethren. It had been standing on the water for the past minute without wavering.
"Nope." a second clone answered, popping the 'p' as it felt its legs start to shake. "He can't do much without us," it stated while a third clone behind the duo had somehow managed to keep his feet just below the water's surface but remain upright, making it look like a floating buoy as it bobbed back and forth with its armed outstretched for balance.
Clone one's shoulders slumped as he conceded with a sigh, "Yeah, you're right."
Both Naruto and Jiraiya heard this conversation.
Jiraiya looked faintly amused as he asked the real Naruto, "Experiencing some doubt, brat?"
Naruto felt his eyes twitch as he silently glared at his mouthy clones. The blond wasn't stupid; he was aware of his flaws; without his shadow clones, he knew he was not genin material. His hand-to-hand skills were one step above a drunken brawler; his ninjutsu repertoire was severely limited to the Henge (Transformation) and Kawarimi (Replacement)-and now Kuchiyose (Summoning), he supposed; and his genjutsu skills were non-existent. The only things Naruto had going for him was his above-average throwing skills-pelting ANBU with rotten eggs and paintballs when he was younger had helped foster them-his exceptional stealth-again, the ANBU-his endurance, his chakra capacity, and finally, his devious prankster mindset. Naruto knew that his shadow clones set him over the edge from flunking to barely passable, but it was still irritating to have your clones, essentially yourself, share those private thoughts aloud.
"Hey, what are you glaring at us for?" Clone One asked as it mirrored its creator's glare. "You're the one who sucks!"
"Yeah! What he said!" Clone Two agreed as he pointed toward Clone One, while in the background, Clone Three was trying to lift its feet from under the water with limited success.
The original Naruto was about to retort when Clone Three yelled, "Oi! Quit glaring at the Boss and tell me how you guys are standing upright!"
"Just use more chakra!" the duo yelled as they glared over their shoulders.
Clone Three glared back as it pumped a vast burst of chakra through its already-charged feet. The sudden influx of chakra upset the careful balance the clone had achieved, resulting in it being launched straight into the air like a bottle rocket with a pillar of water trailing it, which rocked the pond below.
"You idiot!" Clone Two shouted as it and the rest of the clones were thrown off of their feet by the sudden waves and fell into the water.
As quickly as Clone Three went up, it came down even faster, as it crashed down into the pond, dispelling on impact.
The original Naruto got and processed the memories of Clone Three, wincing at the phantom pain in his legs and feet as his irritation towards his doppelgangers grew. "Idiots. Don't they remember the tree-climbing exercise? Too much charka and you'll go blasting off," the blond thought, the irony lost on him as he recalled practicing tree walking and how he cratered a few tree trunks by pumping too much chakra into his feet.
"Brat, you're a case study that any Yamanaka would salivate over," Jiraiya commented, breaking his godson out of his thoughts.
"Shut up, or I'll kick your ass!" Naruto threatened, his face flushed as he pointed at his godfather.
"Oho? And how well has that been working out for you?" Jiraiya asked with a smug grin. "Face it, gaki, as you are now, there's a better chance of a toothpick sprouting into a tree than you have of landing a hit on me."
Naruto growled as he clenched his fists, ready to charge headlong at the smug sannin, when something the gloating pervert said gave him pause. "Toothpick sprouting into a tree… Tree…Treewalking!" Naruto mentally exclaimed as a plan began rapidly formulating in his mind. He quickly dug into his hip pouch with his left hand and pulled out two smoke bombs, palming them before reaching down with his right hand and drawing a kunai from his thigh holster; all the while, he was pooling chakra to his right foot, feeling what was akin to a small puddle start to gather there.
Jiraiya's eyebrow raised. "Sick and tired of getting your ass beat in hand-to-hand?" he rhetorically asked as he assessed the blond's actions. "Going for the ol' smoke and stab strategy, eh? Usually most effective when you've got allies or an area of effect technique, which I know Naruto doesn't. So, what are you up to, godson of mine?"
When Naruto felt like he had enough chakra gathered, he charged Jiraiya, throwing the smoke bombs at the elder shinobi as he did so. The smoke bombs exploded at Jiraiya's feet, swiftly enveloping the man in thick, white smoke. Seeing Jiraiya covered, the blond threw his kunai where he last saw Jiraiya before leaping into the air.
Jiraiya stood in the smoke, allowing his hearing to take over as he heard the kunai cutting the air and his godson jumping upwards. "So, he's still trying hand-to-hand?" he thought with a sigh as he absentmindedly caught the kunai between his fingers. "I swear, is stubbornness an Uzumaki trait? Kushina was the same way, and Tsunade is too." Jiraiya looked up toward where he heard his student, an unimpressed expression on his face as he held up his free arm to block an incoming axe kick. "The kid's got a lot to work on," Jiraiya thought as the blond's foot planted itself on his forearm and stuck there. Jiraiya's eyes widened in alarm as he instinctively reinforced his arm with chakra before he felt a large, concussive force on his limb that swept away the surrounding smoke.
Naruto gritted his teeth, feeling his right foot bones ache as he was thrown back. He flipped through the air to lessen his momentum before landing on the ground, wincing when his foot touched and cursing himself. "Fuck! I thought that would work!" Naruto hissed, his blue eyes trained on Jiraiya as he observed that his sensei looked perfectly fine if one excused the fact that the man had yet to lower his arm and was examining it with a critical eye as if it was something unseen before. Naruto ignored his teacher's actions as he tried to formulate a new plan when Jiraiya spoke:
"Naruto, do that again," Jiraiya ordered as he took a more obvious defensive posture, spreading his legs wide and raising his arms as he reinforced his limbs with chakra. "No smoke or weapons, just the thing you did with your foot."
Naruto's eyebrow arched in question but complied as he repeated the process of pooling chakra to his right foot. It took him a few seconds before he felt like he had the same small 'puddle' gathered in his foot. Ready, Naruto charged Jiraiya, leaping into the air when he was mere feet away and coming down in another ax kick.
Jiraiya blocked the kick with crossed arms as he analyzed what the blond was doing. The toad sage first felt Naruto's foot stick to his arms like a flytrap, followed by the blond releasing a burst of chakra through his foot. "Interesting," Jiraiya thought, feeling the same concussive force that made his arms sting as the blond flew backward. "At first glance, his technique might look like a bastardized version of Tsunade's, but Naruto's doesn't have the same crushing force as hers." Jiraiya whistled as he shooks his arms, "That's a fascinating technique you've got there, gaki. What gave you the idea for it?"
"I just remembered what happens when you use too much chakra when you tree-climb, so I used that with what my clone over on the pond did," Naruto explained as he shifted his weight from his right foot to his left—something Jiraiya noticed.
"I see," Jiraiya said, his eyes narrowing. "Well, it's safe to say that whatever you did, your body can't handle the strain just yet," Jiraiya stated as he motioned toward the boy's right foot. "So, you won't use it until you've got better chakra control."
"Ok," Naruto shrugged, not caring about the technique because it was something that he pulled out of his ass. The blond then got into a fighting stance, leaning forward on his left foot.
"What are you doing, gaki?" Jiraiya asked with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.
"Um, aren't we still sparring?" Naruto asked, sounding confused.
"Nope, 'cause you already lost," Jiraiya stated as he jabbed his thumb toward the timer, which started buzzing.
"Damn it!" Naruto shouted, stomping his right foot and sending a lance of pain through his limb.
"It was a nice try–you were outmatched, but you continued to come at me and even came up with a technique on the fly, which is admirable," Jiraiya commended as he walked over to his student and ruffled his hair., "We just need to work on your fundamentals and add to your jutsu repertoire, which, speaking of, time to work on your summoning again. Though, after a ten-minute break." Jiraiya removed his hand and went to oversee the clones.
"Alright," Naruto nodded, wiping sweat off his brow as he walked with a slight limp over to his girlfriend. "Hey, Haku-chan," Naruto greeted before plopping beside her with a groan. "How's your training going?" he asked, reaching for a nearby water bottle.
"It's going well," she answered as she finished a set of one-handed seals with her left hand.
"That's good," Naruto said after gulping half his bottle, his lips curling into a slight frown. "Wish I could say the same."
"You did the best you could, Naruto-kun," Haku assured softly. "Don't forget, Jiraiya-sama is one of the most powerful shinobi in the elemental nations, and he made you face him without your shadow clones, so it's expected that you would lose."
"I suppose," Naruto conceded before his shoulders slumped, and he released a massive sigh. "Still, I would have liked to land at least one good lick on him."
"Lick?' My, I didn't know you had those proclivities. Should I be worried that my boyfriend wants to 'lick' an older man?" Haku asked, her soft smile curling sharply upwards into a grin.
"What?! No!" Naruto sputtered, his eyes bulging as his face turned green. The blond shook his head to rid himself of the horrific image, yelling, "There's no way I'd do that! The only person I want to lick is you, Haku-chan!"
The pond fell silent as everyone processed the blond's declaration. The first to come to grips with what was said was Naruto himself, if his cherry-red face was any indication. The second was the blond's clones, sporting similar blushes to their creator. The third was Jiraiya, who felt a surge of inspiration strike him as he quickly whipped out his handy notepad and began rapidly taking notes, giggling as he did so. The last to process was Haku, and she, too, had a blush bloom on her fair skin as she imagined Naruto licking her.
The Yuki heiress shook her head, placing the pleasant thoughts in the back of her mind as she leaned over and whispered in Naruto's ear, "Same here." She then gave a tiny lick to her the shell of her boyfriend's ear.
Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fainted, his clones going up in smoke simultaneously.
"This boy is a goldmine," Jiraiya thought as he rapidly scribbled in his notepad, writing so fast that wisps of smoke were coming from it. "Just the two of them have given me so much inspiration. I can't imagine what will happen when he's placed in the restoration program; I'll need a cartful of notepads!"
Later, after Naruto had awoken from his impromptu nap, the boy practiced his summoning. He quickly bit his thumb and flashed through the required hand seals, finishing by smacking his palm on the ground and yelling, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)."
Jiraiya's eyes twitched at his godson's poor habit as a cloud of white smoke surrounded the blond's legs. "Hey, Naruto, you know you don't have to call out your technique names, right? In fact, you shouldn't because it will tip off your enemies."
"Huh? But that's what they taught us at the academy; they said that it helps you when learning new techniques. Iruka-sensei called it a memenic technique," Naruto explained as he looked toward Jiraiya.
"Do you mean 'mnemonic?" Gamakichi asked from the clearing smoke.
"Yup!" Naruto nodded. "Iruka-sensei told me that yelling out the name of a technique while you're doing it helps your body link actions to words or ideas, which can help you gather the right amount of chakra for techniques."
"True, but have you tried thinking the technique name rather than shouting them aloud?" Jiraiya asked with an arched brow. "Wouldn't that work just as well in memorizing techniques?"
"Um," Naruto uttered, scratching the back of his head, "I haven't thought of that before, but I think that should work."
"Why don't you give it a try? Because you've got to remember that yelling out your technique names can give your enemy a warning or some information about your technique's function," Jiraiya lectured, getting a nod from his godson.
"Speaking of remembering," Gamakichi interjected as he hopped over to Jiraiya, "Pops wanted me to remind you that blondie here needs to pass his test if he wants to be considered one of our true summoners 'cause right now he's a provisional one."
Jiraiya smacked himself on the forehead, slowly dragging his hand down his face. "Stupid. How could I forget that?" Jiraiya removed his hand from his face, looking down at the small toad who sported a grin, "Alright, though, Naruto's test will have to wait until we return to Konoha because I don't believe the people of Nami will appreciate seeing 'Bunta. Plus, we're on an island, meaning salt water."
Gamakichi shuddered, swearing he could already feel his skin start to itch and eyes burn at the mere mention of salt water. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll let Pops know," he said, preparing to return to Mount Myōboku when Naruto stopped him.
"Hey, what were you guys talking about? Provisional? Test? Does this mean that I'm not a toad summoner?" the blond asked with crossed arms.
"Eh, more or less," Gamakichi responded, giving the blond a 'so-so' hand gesture. "You can summon us, but we won't get into any fights for you. The most we'll do is help with your training and act as messengers."
"What?!" Naruto yelled, his eyes bulging as his head snapped toward Jiraiya. "Did you know this?"
"Um, I forgot?" Jiraiya sheepishly grinned as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You forgot?' Seems like a pretty important thing to forget!" Naruto snapped as he glared at his godfather.
Jiraiya held up his hands in a placating manner. "Look, I'm sorry, but it's not the end of the world. You can still get some practice with the toads and learn how useful they can be as messengers. Remember, shinobi work is more than just fighting."
Naruto stared down Jiraiya for a few more seconds before closing his eyes, pinching his nose, and exhaling slowly through his nose. "Alright, I understand." Naruto opened his eyes, looked down, and addressed Gamakichi, "So, how do you carry messages? You don't just hop to places, right? 'Cause, no offense, I could run from here to Konoha faster than you could hop there."
"Probably," Gamakichi admitted with a shrug before smirking, "But we've got toads who're way faster than me who could hop laps around this island before you could slip your sandals on."
"Really?" Naruto asked, rubbing his chin. "Say I wanted to send a message to the Hokage right now; how fast could the toads get to him?"
"Near instantly," Gamakichi bragged, sticking his nose up with crossed arms, not noticing Jiraiya's arched eyebrow.
"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed with bright eyes as he imagined sending messages to his precious people in the field or vice-versa.
"Isn't it?" Gamakichi nodded, basking in Naruto's praise before Jiraiya coughed into his fist and got the duo's attention.
"Yes, the toads can get a message to Sarutobi-sensei almost immediately, but he is the exception, not the rule," Jiraiya explained as he spared a glance toward Gamakichi, the little toad having the decency to blush and look away. "Outside of the Sandaime and other toad summoners, the toads will take longer to deliver a message."
"Oh," Naruto muttered, his shoulders slumping as his plans to stay up to date with people went up in smoke before tilting his head and squinting his eyes, looking like a curious fox, "Hey, Ero-sennin, you said Jiji is 'the exception, not the rule,' why is that?"
"I was hoping you'd ask, gaki!" Jiraiya grinned as he removed his right arm guard, "Sensei is the exception because he bears an ally seal from the toads, just like I bear an ally seal for his summons, the monkeys." Jiraiya removed his armor, rolled up his sleeves, and showed Naruto the inside of his forearm. Inked on Jiraiya's arm was the kanji for the word 'Monkey' that was about the size of the elder shinobi's thumb and was encircled by a smaller chain of what Naruto assumed was jutsu-shiki.
"That's so cool!" Naruto shouted, his eyes sparkling as he studied the seal. "So does that mean you can summon monkeys too?" Naruto asked, imagining himself fighting alongside a giant toad and a giant ape.
"Nope, but it allows Sensei's monkeys to summon themselves to me when they have a message," Jiraiya explained, unknowingly bursting his godson's bubble. Again.
"Oh," Naruto said, slightly deflating, his hopes dashed, before he noticed a similar seal above the monkey one. The only difference was that the upper seal had the kanji for 'Slug.' "So, you're an ally of the slugs, too?"
"…I am," Jiraiya responded after a moment, a slight frown on his face as he gazed at the seal before rolling down his sleeve.
Seeing his sensei's expression and sensing he was treading on sensitive ground, Naruto moved the conversation by asking Gamakichi, "Can Haku-chan get an ally seal?"
"Who's 'Haku-chan?' Is she your girlfriend?" Gamakichi asked, grinning as he held out his pinky finger.
"Yup!" Naruto nodded with a big grin before gesturing to the girl in question, who waved in return. "She's over there."
Gamakichi looked toward Haku and felt his jaw drop as his yellow eyes fell upon a beautiful raven-haired young woman with snow-white skin and warm chocolate eyes. "You're dating her?"
"Yup!" Naruto chirped.
Gamakichi flicked his eyes away from Haku to Naruto and flashed the blond a thumbs up and a grin. "Good job!"
"Hehe, thanks, I guess," Naruto said, rubbing his nose, "so, can she become an ally?"
Gamakichi shook his head, "She'll have to wait until you become an official summoner, then you'll summon Pops, and he'll decide whether or not she's worthy. Though, from hearing Ma talk, I think that would be a formality."
"Alright, now I'm really fired up to become a true toad summoner!" Naruto shouted, a determined glint burning in his eyes as he clenched his fist.
"Looking forward to sending love letters to your lady, blondie?" Gamakichi smirked.
Naruto face-faulted, his head planted into the ground. He recovered quickly, shooting to his face, his face lobster red as he rapidly waved his arms, "No! That wasn't what I was thinking!"
"Sure you weren't," Gamakichi drawled with a smirk as he rolled his eyes. "So, any more questions? 'Cause I've got to get back to Pops."
"Actually," Jiraiya interjected, "I would request that you deliver a message to the Hokage so that the Gaki can get some experience using your skills. Do you mind hanging around so that I can pen a message?"
"Sure," Gamakichi agreed with a shrug. "As long as you pay me."
"Fantastic," Jiraiya said as he dug into his vest and pulled out a blank scroll and some writing supplies.
"Hey, you mind if I get in on this action?" Naruto asked, walking forward.
"I don't see why not," Jiraiya said as he pulled out another blank scroll, handing it to Naruto with an ink brush and ink pot.
"Sweet! Thanks," Naruto said before plopping down and beginning to ink his message, only for Gamakichi to interrupt.
"Hey, blondie, if you're sending a message, you need to pay me, too," the small toad stated.
"Really? How much?" Naruto asked, trying to recall how much money he had in his precious 'Gama-chan' toad wallet. Hopefully, the toad didn't charge him through the nose.
"I don't take money; I want candy, chocolate, preferably," Gamakichi said.
"But I don't have any candy on me," Naruto muttered, looking down as he tried to recall if he saw any candy in any of the stores in Nami, and he was drawing a blank. As Naruto was thinking, his eyes fell on his message, his eyes lit up, and a sharp grin grew. "Hey, Gamakichi, come over here," Naruto whispered as he motioned with his hand.
A brow raised, Gamakichi hopped over and let Naruto whisper into his ears. Slowly, a grin as sharp as Naruto's grew on his face. "I'll do it," Gamakichi snickered as he nodded.
Naruto grinned as he returned to writing his message, with an occasional chuckle leaving his lips as he did so.
"Do I even want to know?" Jiraiya asked as he finished his message, rolling up his scroll and applying a security seal.
"Nope," Naruto shook his head as he finished his message and rolled it up, "Plausible deniability."
Jiraiya snorted as he rolled his eyes and handed his message and a candy bar to Gamakichi, watching the blond only hand him a message. "Mental note, the first seal Naruto learns is the security seal," the toad sage thought as he watched Gamakichi disappear in a poof of white smoke. He then turned his attention toward his student, "Well, since Gamakichi's delivering our messages, how 'bout we-"
"-Yo, Jiraiya-sama!" Kakashi announced as he walked out of the forest, followed by Sasuke. "Do you have a sec?"
"Depends; what do you need?" Jiraiya responded as he faced Kakashi, his eyebrow raised.
"Well, I need to borrow Naruto for a bit," Kakashi stated as he glanced at the blond and flashed him an eye smile, "Our lovable little hellion pulled one over on me when he went to meet with Zabuza-san and Haku-san." Kakashi's eyes opened slightly, narrowing into slits as he glared at the shaking genin.
"But, Kakashi-sensei, everything worked out, right? If I weren't there, Haku-chan and Zabuza-san would have been hurt or worse," Naruto stammered.
"True," Kakashi hummed, rubbing his chin and watching as his student relaxed before adding, "But you disobeyed a direct order, which demands punishment."
Naruto paled as he recalled the last punishment his sensei had given him, feeling the phantom pain of a dog's jaws clamping on his ass before he took a deep breath and nodded, "I understand."
"Good," Kakashi nodded as he clapped Naruto's shoulder. "Jiraiya-sama, how well do you think Naruto can water walk?"
Naruto felt a shiver go down his spine as his mind conjured countless scenarios of what the one-eyed Jonin had in store for him, and none of them were pleasant.
"Hmm," Jiraiya rubbed his chin as he glanced over toward the practicing shadow clones, "Some of the best clones have been able to hold steady for around five minutes, so combine that with what the brat's clones did yesterday, and I'd say around ten."
"Excellent!" Kakashi clapped, then reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a familiar coil of rope. "Could you please dispel your clones and turn around," Kakashi told the blond.
Silently, Naruto did as commanded, turning his back toward Kakashi and looking forward, his blue eyes landing on Haku. Haku was gnawing on her lower and frowning. Naruto sent her a reassuring smile that quickly turned into a grimace as Kakashi deftly bound his arms together and tightened them.
"So," Kakashi began as he stepped back and pulled out a timer, "Your punishment is to stand on the pond for ten minutes straight without falling in. Each time you fail, the timer restarts."
Naruto looked over his shoulder at his bound arms, flexing the limbs and finding that he could only move his fingers. Sighing, he faced Kakashi and stated, "That's not all there is to this."
"How very perceptive of you, oh miscreant student of mine; no, it's not," Kakashi praised as he draped his arm over the blond's shoulders and motioned toward a smirking Sasuke, "You see, when you disobeyed my direct order you placed yourself in hot water. Now, you're going to walk on it."
Naruto gulped, then, with a resigned nod, walked onto the pod.
(Scene Change)
The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stood in his office, smoking his pipe as he watched his village from the window. He saw men hawking wares; women gossiping; children playing in the streets, and shinobi jumping along the rooftops, patrolling. They were sights that the old Kage had seen countless times and ones that never failed to set his heart at ease.
"Another day, and the village still stands," Hiruzen thought as he drew from his pipe, holding the smoke in his mouth for a few seconds, enjoying the soothing nicotine before slowly exhaling the smoke through his nostrils. It was quiet moments like these when he could stand and admire the village his predecessors had built that would make the elderly shinobi grateful for retaking the hat.
"Hokage-sama," his assistant's voice crackled over the intercom, "Yamanaka-sama, Morino-san, Mitarashi-san, and Mitoku-san are here to see you. Should I send them in?"
"Duty calls," Hiruzen sighed before putting out his pipe and sealing it into a seal hidden on his wrist. He walked to his desk and pressed his intercom button; "Send them in."
A few seconds later, the double doors of Hiruzen's office swung inwards, revealing the forms of Konoha's top interrogators: Yamanaka Inoichi, Mitarashi Anko, and Morino Ibiki, as well as Mitoku, the head of Konoha's Cryptanalysis Team.
"Hokage-sama," Inoichi greeted as he entered the office, followed by Ibiki and Anko, with Mitoku trailing behind. The blond Yamanaka clan head offered his leader a bow, an action mirrored by his subordinates and Mitoku.
Hiruzen nodded in acknowledgment from his seat. "Inoichi-san. What have you learned from Kuriare?"
"Quite a bit," Inoichi answered as he and the others rose from their bows, his light green eyes locked on the Hokage. "It appears that the bloodline rebels are gaining ground against the Mizukage's forces. They'll probably gain even more when they hear of Kuriare's capture."
"Of that, I have no doubt," Hiruzen commented before asking, "And what of the rebels; who is their leader?"
"The rebellion's leader is a woman named Terumi Mei," Inoichi responded. "From scanning Kuriare's memories, Terumi is young, approximately eighteen years of age, and possesses two bloodlines: Yōton and Futton."
"Lava release and Boil release, you say?" Hiruzen asked, his eyes slightly widening in surprise as he leaned back in his chair. "My, that is rare." The Sandaime recovered from his surprise and asked, "And did our prisoner have any other information about other notables from the rebels?"
"Two stood out: Ao, no family name, and Chōjūrō, also no family name. The former was a hunter-nin, while the latter is the current wielder of Hiramekarei, the Great Twin Blades," Inoichi answered.
"So the rebels possess one of Kiri's seven blades," Hiruzen said aloud, latching onto that bit of information, the beginnings of a plan forming within his mind as he asked his lead interrogator, "Did Kuriare have any leads about the other blades?"
Inoichi nodded, his long, ash-blond ponytail shifting slightly with the movement. "Indeed, surprisingly, he was rather reluctant to impart any information about his former comrades. It took Anko-san softening him up with her 'ministrations' so I could slip through his mental barriers."
Hiruzen urged him on with a wave of his hands. "And, what did you learn?"
"Of the seven blades, we know Hiramekarei is with the rebels. Samehada, the Shark Skin, is with its wielder, Hoshigake Kisame, a missing-nin; his location is unknown. Kiba, the Thunder Blades, are with Kurosuki Raiga, also a missing-nin, and rumored to be operating in Kawa no Kuni. Kubikiribōchō, the Executioner's Blade, is with Momochi Zabuza, another missing-nin, and is currently in Nami no Kuni. We possess Nuibari, the Sewing Needle sword. The locations of the remaining two blades, Shibuki, the Blastsword, and Kabutowari, the Helmsplitter, are unknown," Inoichi explained.
"Hmm," Hiruzen threaded his fingers together, his head tilted down, his face shadowed by his kage hat as he thought, "Five blades are in play-four if Zabuza joins us. Besides myself and Jiraiya, I wouldn't trust anyone to track down and attempt to assassinate Hoshigake, which removes Samehada from the board. I'll have Jiraiya set out some feelers for Shibuki and Kabutowari. As for Kiba…How fresh is the information on Kurosuki?"
"The edges of those memories showed some fraying. I'd estimate that Kuriare learned about Kurosuki's location around two weeks ago," Inoichi postulated.
"Two weeks," the Kage frowned thoughtfully. With the speed shinobi traveled, Kurosuki could be on the far side of Kaze no Kuni. Hiruzen needed fresher information about Kurosuki's whereabouts before he went forward with his plans. "I need to speak with Jiraiya."
Suddenly, as if his student could hear his thoughts, a small poof of smoke appeared on his desk, followed by a sharp, distinctive, popping sound that heralded the arrival of a summon.
"Speak of the devil," Hiruzen thought as he silently signaled his ANBU guards to stand down. The smoke soon cleared, revealing the small form of an orange toad holding two scrolls in his webbed hands. The toad wore a blue jacket with purple markings around its eyes, mouth, and nose.
"Yo," the orange toad greeted the elderly shinobi. "The name's Gamakichi and I've got messages from my summoners for the Hokage; are you him?"
"The last time I checked," Hiruzen chuckled as he reached for the scrolls. "I must say, Gamakichi-kun, your appearance is most fortuitous. I was just thinking about sending a message to Jiraiya. Though, my erstwhile student usually uses Kōsuke as a courier," Hiruzen observed.
"Ah, ah, ah," Gamakichi tutted, a mischievous grin on his face as he hopped backward, clutching the scrolls to his chest with his left arm. "Pay me," the small toad demanded, holding out his right hand.
Hiruzen arched an eyebrow, looking amused. "Oh? And did Jiraiya fail to pay you for your services?"
"Nope," Gamakichi replied with a pop and a shake of his head. "He gave me something. But my other summoner told me you'd pay me to deliver his message."
"Excuse me, Gamakichi-san," Ibiki interjected as he strode forward, his black trench coat flapping slightly as the bald, bandanaed, heavily scarred man intensely stared at the toad. "Are we to understand that Jiraiya-sama has a new apprentice?"
"That's right," Gamakichi nodded toward the bandannaed man. "The toads have a new summoner." The three interrogators' eyes widened at this news, while the head cryptanalyst looked bored, and their Kage had a sneaking suspicion of who the new toad summoner was.
"Really, the old pervert let someone sign the contract? Who was it?" Anko asked, frowning as she ran her fingers through her purple ponytail.
"What's it worth to ya?" Gamakichi cheekily asked.
"Brat," Anko muttered, crossing her arms underneath her bosom, a tantalizing site to most humans, encased as they were in a skin-tight mesh shirt; her modesty was preserved only by her tan trench coat. "What do you want?"
"I want the snacks the old man keeps in his bottom left desk drawer, on top of an orange book that's, and I quote, 'Not meant for young eyes,' end quote," Gamakichi announced as he turned towards the Hokage.
Anko slowly blinked, her pupilless brown eyes shining with confusion. "That's…oddly specific."
"Indeed," Ibiki agreed as he scratched his chin, tracing the edge of one of his many facial scars. "And he would only know to ask for those snacks if one of his summoners had told him where they were. We can rule out Jiraiya-sama because Gamakichi admitted that he had received payment from him already, meaning that this new summoner is someone that has had access to the Hokage's office and desk."
"But who does the Hokage know that he would have access to his desk and is also young enough that he would warn them away from his 'reading material?" Anko pondered, smirking at her elderly leader when mentioning his book.
Hiruzen coughed into his fist; whether it was to draw the two musing interrogators' attention or cover his embarrassment, no one would ever know. He handed a small bag of sweets to the young toad. "Here's your payment. Could I request that you wait while I read this message from Naruto so I can send one to Jiraiya? I assure you that my former student will happily pay you for your services."
"What?!" Anko sputtered. "Naru-kun's the next toad summoner?"
"Yes," Hiruzen absentmindedly answered as he broke open the scroll and began reading. "Because only he, and my grandson, know where I keep candy in my office."
"And the orange book that's quote 'not meant for young eyes?" Inoichi asked, smiling, already knowing what book Naruto had referred to.
Hiruzen raised the scroll higher to hide his face, much to the snickering delight of Anko and the snacking Gamakichi.
The message read:
Hey Jiji,
Naruto here, and I wanted to let you know that I'm the latest toad summoner (provisional). It's so cool! And, even better, I learned that the Yondaime was a toad summoner too! Another thing we share. Neat, huh? Anyway, I just wanted to let you know.
See you soon,
N. Uzumaki Naruto
Future Hokage
P.S. Did you like my prank?
Hiruzen placed the scroll on his desk, his face an inscrutable mask as his eyes flicked between the phrase "Another thing we share" and the 'N' initial at the end of the note. Hiruzen was no fool. It took him less than a second to understand the significance of those two bits of information. "So he knows…Now I have even more reason to contact Jiraiya." The old Kage silently burned the message before fishing out a blank scroll from a desk drawer, followed by some ink, and began penning a message to Jiraiya.
"Hokage-sama, is something the matter? Is Naruto alright?" Anko asked, biting her lower lip as she wrung her hands, noticing her leader's demeanor shift as he wrote his message.
The Kage paused momentarily; his brush stopped mid-stroke before he exhaled and eased the tension in his shoulders. "Naruto is fine, Anko. He just reminded me of something we'll have to discuss," he reassured her before resuming his message.
Anko relaxed as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good."
"Indeed," Hiruzen agreed as he finished his message to his student before rolling up the scroll and applying his security seal. "That's something Jiraiya will have to teach Naruto; seals. It is his birthright, after all," the elderly shinobi thought as he handed the scroll to Gamakichi. "Here you go, and inform Naruto that I'll be deducting the cost of your sweets from his mission pay," Hiruzen smirked.
Gamakichi took the scroll with a cheeky saute and a bar of chocolate hanging from his mouth, then quickly disappeared from the office in a puff of white smoke.
"Now," Hiruzen began after the smoke cleared, "Did Kuriare have any information about Gatō's deal with Kiri?"
"Other than him wanting to run his drugs through their ports? Nothing," Inoichi answered.
"Hmm, very well. Speaking of Gatō's dealings, Mitoku, what has your unit discovered from the documents that Kakashi and Jiraiya's teams recovered?" The Kage asked, turning his attention towards the brown-haired bespectacled man.
"We've discovered that Gatō had more ties to other countries; he had some dealings with some court officials in Cha no Kuni, mainly with keeping his growing operations under the radar; he had some deals with some shinobi of Yugakure in which they would act as mules to supply his two Hot Spring resorts; finally, and probably the most fascinating, there was a message inquiring if Gatō would be able to produce something with his drug labs if given a formula, a quote, 'combat stimulant' end quote," Mitoku reported, reading off a notepad.
"A 'combat stimulant,' you say? Something similar to the Akimichis' secret medicine, perhaps?" Hiruzen mused aloud.
Mitoku shrugged his shoulders as he scratched his stubble. "Could be. Unfortunately, we don't know when he received the message or from whom."
"That is troubling," Hiruzen commented, not liking the idea of Gato making combat medicine for any of Konoha's enemies. His instincts told him to investigate further as he formulated a plan. "I'll send a message to the daimyo of Cha no Kuni, informing him of the corruption in his court while offering some of our shinobi to clear out the growing operations. Hopefully, they can find more information about this mystery 'combat stimulant.' I'll also send a message to the head ninja of Yugakure, proposing an intel trade: his corrupt shinobi for info about Gato's dealings." Hiruzen sighed, knowing he was in for another long night. "Was there anything else?"
"No, Hokage-sama," Mitoku answered, slipping his notepad into his white lab coat pocket.
"Very well," the Hokage said before addressing the group. "Thank you for your time. Please leave your written reports with my assistant on your way out."
"Hokage-sama," the group chorused as they offered their leader bows before exiting the room.
Hiruzen waited for his office door to close before unsealing his pipe and lighting it with a flare of katon chakra. He took a deep drag to prepare himself for the long night ahead. "Duty calls," the old Kage grumbled as he took another blank scroll out of his desk and began composing a message to the daimyo of Cha no Kuni.
(Scene Change)
When Gamakichi returned, he found the real Naruto practicing water walking on a pond. The tiny toad was surprised that the blond was attempting the chakra control technique with his arms tied behind his back while Kakashi threw shuriken and kunai at the boy, and Sasuke was heating the pond with fireballs.
Confused, Gamakichi hopped toward Jiraiya, who sat in the shade of a tree, scribbling in his notepad next to a concerned Haku to get the skinny. "Um, did I miss something?"
"A mixture of punishment and training," Jiraiya replied, looking up from his notepad. "Did sensei have anything to say?"
"Punishment?" Gamakichi parroted, watching with wide eyes as a shuriken nicked Naruto's shoulder as he leaped to his right. "What did he do?"
"Pulled the wool over Kakashi's eye when he went to meet with his girlfriend over here," Jiraiya explained, jabbing his thumb at the girl who winced. Though it was hard to tell if her wince resulted from a guilty conscience or sympathy for her boyfriend whose feet sunk into the scalding water as he landed, causing him to yelp in pain. "Now, did the Hokage say anything?" Jiraiya asked again.
"Hmm, oh, yeah, he had a message for you," Gamakichi answered as he handed the scroll to Jiraiya.
"I thought he would," Jiraiya stated as he deactivated the security seal, keeping his feelings off his face. "Let's see how mad sensei is," Jiraiya resignedly thought as he unfurled the scroll and read the message. It was only due to his years of experience as a shinobi that he kept from flinching at the first line of the message:
Jiraiya,
WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! I thought the plan was to inform Naruto of his heritage AFTER reaching a Jonin skill level?! Do you know what Iwagakure would do if they learned about Naruto and knew he was a genin?! They'd send platoons of assassins to kill him!
When you return to the village, you'll explain your rationale in excruciating detail.
On an unrelated topic, I need fresh information on the whereabouts of Kurosuki Raiga. Our current intel has him operating out of Kawa no Kuni, but that information is a few weeks old. Confirm his whereabouts for me.
Otherwise, continue to train Naruto in summoning. I suggest introducing him to fūinjutsu, given it's his other birthright. As an added motivation, tell him if he can learn how to craft a storage seal, an explosive tag, and how to seal his messages, I will teach him two variations of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique).
Regards,
Sarutobi-sensei
"Well, that wasn't that bad, all things considered," Jiraiya thought as he finished memorizing the message and burnt it to a crisp with a small fireball. He looked down at Gamakichi, addressing him, "Thanks for giving me the message."
"No problem," the little toad replied, "But I've got another message to give before I 'pop' on out of here," he said with a mischievous grin before hopping over to the pond's edge.
Curious, Jiraiya watched as Gamabunta's eldest son took a deep breath before yelling, "Hey, Naruto! The Hokage's taking my sweets out of your pay!"
"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, losing his focus for a split second, a lapse in concentration that caused him to sink below the boiling water. All was quiet momentarily before Naruto shot out of the water with a painful yelp, landing in a steaming heap beside his girlfriend.
Haku gasped at her boyfriend's state; Naruto's skin looked like a boiled lobster that escaped the pot. She quickly began channeling her hyōton chakra to her hands, running them over Naruto's heated skin.
Kakashi sighed before looking up at the sky and seeing the sun starting to turn orange. "Hmm, seems like a good stopping point for today. Sasuke, let's head back to Tazuna's. We'll pick this up tomorrow."
Sasuke nodded as he fell in stride with his sensei, sparing Naruto a pitying glance as he passed by.
"Was that necessary?" Jiraiya asked Gamakichi as he strolled up to the young toad.
"No, but it was funny," Gamakichi snickered.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes at the response. "Get out of here before the Gaki's girlfriend sends you into an early hibernation," Jiraiya said as he jammed his thumb toward the couple, where Haku was glaring daggers at the small toad while she tended to Naruto.
Gamakichi gulped at the look in her eyes. "I think you might be right," he stuttered before disappearing in a puff of white smoke.
Jiraiya shook his head as he approached his godson. "So, enjoying your personal nurse, brat?" the sennin jokingly asked.
"Jealous, you old pervert?" Naruto snarked as he leaned back into Haku's cool hands.
"Ah!" Jiraiya mock gasped as he clutched his chest. "I am no mere pervert!"
Haku arched an eyebrow. "Mere pervert?' So you admit you are one?"
"Of course," Jiraiya proudly admitted with his hands on his hips. "I am not just a pervert, but a super pervert!"
"It's truly a mystery that you're maidenless, Ero-sennin," Naruto flatly stated, eliciting giggles from Haku and causing Jiraiya to face fault comically.
Jiraiya quickly recovered from his shock and adopted a more serious expression as he asked Haku, "Do you know where Zabuza is? I need to ask him something."
"He said he would start packing up our base; why? Is something the matter?" Haku asked, sounding concerned as she stopped channeling chakra to her hands and unconsciously ran her fingers through Naruto's hair.
Jiraiya waved off her concern with a grin. "Nothing serious. I have some questions about one of his previous associates that he might have some answers to."
"You want to know about one of the seven," Haku stated.
"You've got a smart girl there, brat," Jiraiya said, indirectly complimenting Haku.
"I know," Naruto smiled as he snuggled into his girlfriend's lap and started to doze due to Haku's ministrations.
Jiraiya felt his heart warm at the sight of the young couple, taking a trip down memory lane as he recalled a similar scene from years ago of a blond and a redhead relaxing in one of Konoha's training fields. "Minato, Kushina, your boy's in good hands," the elder shinobi happily thought as he returned to himself. "I'll be going now. We'll pick up your training tomorrow," Jiraiya told Naruto, getting a nod in return. Jiraiya soon disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Haku and Naruto remained near the pond for a while, silently basking in one another's presence until Haku reluctantly nudged her boyfriend off her lap. "Come on. We need to head back for dinner."
Naruto playfully grumbled as he tried to get up, only to realize that his arms were still bound behind his back. "Um, Haku-chan? A little help, please?" he pitifully asked as he tried to gesture to his tied limbs.
"Oh!" Haku gasped. "I'm so sorry! I'll help you right away!" Haku quickly pulled a kunai out of her thigh holster and carefully cut Naruto loose.
(Scene Change)
Jiraiya arrived at Zabuza's conical hideout and made his way up the hanging bridge. He paused halfway to the main entrance, his eyes flicking up to his right at a thickly covered tree branch. "So, how's your spring cleaning coming along?" the toad sennin asked aloud.
"…Good," answered the raspy voice of Zabuza before he leaped from his hiding place and landed next to the sannin with nary a sound. "I'll be finished soon. Why? Has something come up?" the former Kiri shinobi asked as he led Jiraiya into the hideout and towards the kitchen area where a small, round table with two stools sat. Zabuza gestured towards one of the stools, waiting for Jiraiya to seat himself.
Jiraiya nodded in thanks before sitting down. "Maybe. What do you know about Kurosuki Raiga? Specifically, his whereabouts?"
"Raiga? Last time I heard, he was operating out of Kawa no Kuni," Zabuza said as he took a seat, then snorted as he recalled a particular piece of information. "He's apparently started some sort of crime family."
Jiraiya arched an eyebrow at that piece of information. "A crime family? Why would a former swordsman of the Hidden Mist start a crime family? I'd imagine he'd make more as a mercenary than a yakuza."
Zabuza shrugged. "Don't know. It's what I heard."
"And how fresh is your information?" Jiraiya asked.
Zabuza rubbed his chin and hummed in thought. "About a week ago; why? Did he do something to piss off Konoha?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "As far as I know, no. Can you tell me anything else about him; personality, abilities, known associates?"
"Raiga's a nut. When we were in the Seven, he'd spend hours brushing his hair and polishing the Kiba to give people a 'beautiful sendoff,' as he 'buried them," Zabuza explained with his fingers in air quotes.
"Buried them?" Jiraiya repeated, dreading the answer but knowing it was his duty as a master of information to gather every scrap of intelligence, he could. So he asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Raiga's obsessed with funerals. So much so that his favorite way to kill someone is to bury them alive," Zabuza said with crossed arms. "Hell, he'd give them a eulogy as they went into the dirt, crying while he was doing it."
Jiraiya sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just had to ask," Jiraiya muttered as he gave Zabuza a droll look. "And what about you? Have you got any disturbing proclivities I've got to worry about?"
Zabuza tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Jiraiya released his nose and held up his pointer finger. "Kushimaru liked to crucify his enemies and hang them like ornaments." Jiraiya raised his middle finger. "Now you tell me that Raiga likes to bury his enemies alive. We're two-for-two for disturbing habits," Jiraiya commented as he opened and closed the gap between his two digits. "Will you make it three-for-three?"
Zabuza snorted as he rolled his eyes. "No. When I kill people, I kill them. I don't believe in drawing it out." Zabuza's eyes then glinted as he grinned underneath his bandages. "Unless the fucker deserves it."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes as he motioned for Zabuza to continue. "So he's a nutcase. What about his abilities and associates?"
"He's a skilled swordsman–though that shouldn't be surprising given he was one of the Seven–he's skilled in suiton and raiton, though his raiton techniques are far more dangerous given the Kiba blades. As for associates outside of the Seven, I don't know anyone he was close to or worked with outside of us," Zabuza finished with a shrug.
"I see. Any tips for fighting him?" Jiraiya asked as he was mentally composing the beginnings of a report to the Hokage. He'd start writing it after he contacted his spies in Kawa to see if they could corroborate some of Zabuza's information. In the shinobi world, double-checking, sometimes even triple-checking, information was a formality that one ignored at their peril.
"Other than 'avoid the pointy end of his swords?" Zabuza jokingly asked, delighting in the exasperated sigh he elicited from the sennin before he adopted a more serious tone and said, "Avoid confronting him outdoors. Especially if he's out in the open and it's cloudy."
Jiriaya arched an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
"Because the Kiba blades amplify Raiga's raiton to the point that he can call down lightning," Zabuza explained.
"Interesting," Jiraiya muttered as he made a mental note to emphasize that piece of information in his report. "Thanks for the information, Zabuza-san," Jiraiya said before standing up. "I'll see you later."
Zabuza waved off the thanks. "No problem, Jiraiya-sama. Though I do have a question; when are we leaving for Konoha?"
"Eager for your meeting with the Hokage?" Jiraiya teasingly asked before stating, "The bridge will be finished in the next three days. We'll be heading out then. I'll inform you if anything changes."
Zabuza nodded as he stood up and escorted Jiraiya out of the hideout before returning to his packing, a new pep in his step as he imagined walking through the gates of Konoha within the next few days.