Chapter 4: Pecking Order
"What do you think, Moegi? Are we still heading the right way?"
"Ummm, it's hard to tell but...I guess this could be cat poo?" The girl in question said. "What do you think, Udon?"
"That's rat droppings," Udon said, wiping his nose.
"Look, there's a stream up ahead! Maybe it's getting a drink of water, let's check it out!"
"Konohamaru, wait!" Moegi called out, but the younger boy was already on the move. "Aw, geez! We're already far enough from the village gates...won't we get in trouble?"
"Sure, but it won't be too bad. It's Konohamaru, after all." Udon said, moving to follow after the boy. Sighing, Moegi begrudgingly went along as well.
"You'd think a cat'd be pretty easy to find, wouldn't you?" Konohamaru mumbled out looking around.
"That's why it's left to shinobi. Which is what we should be doing. It's getting late, shouldn't we head back now?" Moegi asked. Konohamaru clicked his teeth in response and continued looking around.
"We'll be fine. It has to be around here somewhere, the foot prints clearly led this way." He said. "Besides, when that old geezer sees that I completed a D-rank mission all on my own, he'll have no other choice but to acknowledge me!"
"Do you at least know the way back?" Moegi asked, walking up to the stream and dipping her finger in. Konohamaru froze at her words.
"No...but Udon does, right Udon?" Konohamaru said, smiling over at the boy.
"Not a clue, I've never been this far out from the village before." Udon said. "Besides, you only told us we had to follow you."
"Wait, so we're lost!? What are we gonna' do, Konohamaru!" Moegi yelled, grabbing him by his cuff and shaking him.
"Calm down, Moegi! I'll think of something..." Konohamaru said, looking up. The sun was still pretty high up, but it was definitely falling. He figured they had a couple more hours of daytime remaining. Pondering to himself, an idea struck him.
"Hey, what if I climb one of the trees! I'm sure I'll be able to see the village gates from a higher place..." Konohamaru said, grinning to himself. "Yeah, that'll work!"
"I don't think that's a great idea..." Moegi said, but once again her words fell on deaf ears. Making his way over to the tree line, Konohamaru searched for one with a low enough branch that he could reach.
"Udon, come give me a boost. I think I can reach this one!" Konohamaru said. Obliging, Udon positioned himself at the base of the tree with his hands held out as a makeshift step. Taking a deep breath, Konohamaru used a running start along with Udon's efforts to propel himself up the tree and onto the branch. "Hey, that actually worked!"
"Can you see anything?" Moegi asked?
"Not really... I think I need to go higher." Konohamaru said as he began to scale the neighboring branches.
"Don't go too high or you won't be able to get back down! Geez..." Moegi called out worriedly.
"I'll be fine!" Konohamaru yelled back. In truth, he had already gone to far up. At this point he figured it was all or nothing and he should at least keep going until he could see.
Reaching for a branch, his left foot slipped and for an instant he was free falling until he managed to grab the branch he was standing on.
"Konohamaru!" Moegi yelled out. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm-" He started before suddenly, the branch he was holding broke. Falling down, his leg awkwardly collided with one of the branches below him, causing the boy to yell out in pain. Before he could fall completely to the ground, he was caught by the collar of his jacket.
"You shouldn't climb this high without knowing how to get back down. What are you, an idiot?" The person called out. Struggling, Konohamaru wasn't able to turn to see who it was. Suddenly his vision blurred as he quickly descended down to the ground. He closed his eyes, flinching at the oncoming impact that never occurred. Peeking out, he found himself looking up at Moegi and Udon.
Placed on the ground, he finally had the chance to turn to his rescuer. Standing before him, Naruto looked between him and the other two, shaking his head in disappointment. "That looks pretty bad. Can you stand?"
"Of course I can!" Konohamaru said, attempting to get back up to his feet. With the adrenaline of the situation wearing off however, it was only now that he noticed the pain building in his leg. Looking down, he could see blood leaking through his clothing around where his ankle was. He gripped it and winced.
"I figured as much. Here, let's see if I can help." Naruto said, kneeling down next to him. He pulled out a small container and a kunai, moving towards Konohamaru. "Don't move, wouldn't want to cut you again."
The younger boy was unnerved by the elder's grin as he said this, but obliged nonetheless as Naruto cut open the damaged wraps already covering Konohamaru's ankles. Applying some of the ointment from the container, he rewrapped his ankle before standing up, dusting off his hands and breathing out in relief. "Done, that should help with the pain and disinfection. Sorry, I'm not really good at any medical ninjutsu. If I was, I could heal something like that up right away."
"Y-you're a shinobi then? I've never seen you around the academy. Who are you?" Konohamaru said, squinting up at him. A slap from Moegi on the back of the head followed as he clutched the spot in pain.
"Stop being rude. He just helped you, ya' know?" Moegi said to the sniffling boy. Naruto, noticing her phrasing, smiled down at the girl, causing her to blush profusely.
"I'm Naruto. And I'm not from around here, so you wouldn't have seen me in the academy. I take it you're all from Konoha then?" Naruto asked. Udon nodded to show they were. "I'm on my way there as well. We can go together. Besides, you'll need somebody to carry you. That's more than likely broken."
"We don't need your help! We'll get back on our own!" Konohamaru said, looking away defiantly.
"We're already lost, though." Udon spoke up from the side, noticing Konohamaru's glare. "What? It's true."
"Come on, Konohamaru. Your ankle's swelling really bad, we really should hurry back to the village. Your grandfather's already going to be mad we left Ebisu-sensei without permission." Moegi said. Brooding over her words, Konohamaru finally relented with a sigh and turned to Naruto, who was waiting patiently.
"Sorry. Could you help?" Konohamaru grumbled out with an embarrassed blushed. Naruto in response kneeled down with his back turned to him, motioning with his hands for him to get on it.
"Come on, we're burning daylight."
True to his words, it was well into the evening by the time the group made it to the village gates. The trip was mostly spent with Moegi hounding Naruto with various questions, which he would elusively answer, along with the occasional quip from Konohamaru.
Crossing over into the village, Naruto took a moment to stop and look around. "Wow. It's a lot bigger than I remember."
"So you have been here before." Moegi said from the side slyly. "Liar!"
"I forgot." Naruto said, laughing nervously. "Well, where to now guys?"
"There's a medical outpost not far from here, you can follow me." Moegi said moving to take the lead along with Udon. Shuffling Konohamaru a little higher on his back, Naruto followed after them.
Along the way, he noticed he was garnering quite a few stares. Eventually he realized they weren't looking at him, but rather the boy on his back. "You famous or something?"
"Not really." Konohamaru grumbled out. "You'll see soon enough."
Arriving at the destination, they went to the front desk for assistance. Before a word could be uttered, the woman stationed there stood up frantically.
"Honorable Grandson! What's happened?" She called out.
"Fell from a tree." Naruto said. Konohamaru looked away in embarrassment as Moegi and Udon snickered from the side. "I did some minor treatment but a professional should look at it, I think it's broken."
"We'll take him from here." The lady said, smiling down at Naruto. He watched as they took the boy back into the area where they gave treatment, Konohamaru looking back worriedly.
"Don't leave, got it?" Konohamaru said to Naruto before he disappeared behind the doors. Turning to the other two, he raised an eyebrow.
"Honorable Grandson?" Naruto questioned.
"He's the Grandson of the Third Hokage." Udon said, Moegi nodding from the side for extra confirmation. Naruto whistled at the news.
"That explains a lot, actually." he replied.
"So, so! What are you going to do next, Naruto-oniichan!" Moegi called out. Naruto hummed to himself in thought.
"Well, I guess I should go see the Hokage. Though seeing as I brought you guys back I should take responsibility and stick around."
Before he could continue, he noticed Moegi's gaze had moved to behind him, and turned to meet the newcomer. "Asuma-san! What are you doing here?"
"I could be asking you the same, missy." He said, though his focus was on Naruto. "I'm taking it you're with Konohamaru?"
"Yeah, he's getting checked out by the doctors. Broke his ankle real bad. This guy here helped bring him back, his name's Naruto! Naruto-oniichan, this is Asuma-san. He's Konohamaru's uncle!"
'So the Hokage's son.' Naruto thought to himself. Asuma hummed to himself.
"It sounds like you really helped my nephew out. I'll have to show my thanks later. Though, I have to ask, your last name wouldn't happen to be Uzumaki would it?"
"It is." Naruto said definitely. "Naruto Uzumaki."
"Of course it is," Asuma said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Taking a drag, he exhaled absentmindedly until he heard someone clearing their throat nearby. Turning, he saw a nurse giving a disapproving glare.
"This is a smoke free area, sir. You're going to have to either leave or put it out." She said. Taking another drag, Asuma turned back to the kids.
"You heard the lady, I'll be taking my leave." He said. He looked over at Naruto, who knowingly nodded back before turning to Moegi and Udon.
"Sorry, tell Konohamaru I'll catch up with him later. I'm going to go with Asuma-san." Naruto said. He waved goodbye to a pouting Moegi and smiling Udon, following Asuma out of the hospital and on to the street.
"Gotta' say, running into you here is quite the surprise. They do say the last place you'd expect a fugitive is right under your nose, though." Asuma commented as the two reached the main street.
"To be fair, I only arrived in the village less than a hour ago. I don't really think I apply for that saying." Naruto replied back. Asuma failed to hold back a laugh, taking another long drag from his cigarette.
"I guess not." Asuma said. Looking down from the side, he was able to sneak in a few good looks at the boy. From what he knew, Naruto must've been around ten years old now. He looked to be in good health, and his hair was freshly trimmed short. He wore blue shorts along with a matching sweatshirt that was outlined with orange and a spiral on the back, and bandages covered his legs down to his feet and sandals.
The two fell into a comfortable silence as Asuma led the way to the Hokage's tower. He certainly had questions that he wanted to ask. After all, Naruto was one of the few things that his father was quiet about even with him. 'Well, it's honestly probably more than a few.' Asuma thought to himself.
From everything he did know, he was certainly expecting something different than the mild mannered boy walking next to him. As they finally approached the tower, Asuma came to a stop.
"I think I'd rather avoid any unnecessary interactions..." Asuma said, looking up at an open window from the main office before back at Naruto. "Ah, what the hell. Follow me, kid."
With a leap, Asuma launched up from the street to the landing near the window. Looking around, Naruto noticed that the attention of the people around him were split between Asuma and himself, with the older man smiling down and motioning up for the boy to follow him. "So much for keeping a low profile..."
With a quick squat, Naruto leaped up to the ledge as well. Sticking a wobbly landing, he looked over as Asuma gave him a thumbs up.
"Almost thought you didn't have it in ya' for a minute there." Asuma said. "Good on you."
"Thanks!" Naruto, said grinning sheepishly at the man. The wholesome interaction was interrupted by the clearing of someone's throat nearby.
"Asuma, how many times have I told you not to enter my office this way." A voice called out. The two turned over, both coming face to face with the leader of the village. Taking a pull from the pipe hanging loosely from his lips, Hiruzen stare shifted from Asuma to the boy next to him. "Well, this is a surprise."
"It's been a while." Naruto said, giving a short head nod bow. "Glad to see you're in good health."
A chuckle escaped Hiruzen's mouth. "I see you haven't lost your spunk. Come, you've drawn enough attention as is."
The two climbed their way into the office after Hiruzen moved back inside. Dusting himself off, Asuma watched as his father took a seat at his desk. Naruto came to stand next him, both of them waiting silently as the older man settled himself. No words came however, as Hiruzen simply began to refill his tobacco pipe.
A silent message was sent, and Asuma turned to leave the office. Stopping at the door, he gave one last look at the boy he had brought back. To his surprise, Naruto was looking back. At first blank, a small smile adorned his lips as he nodded at the older man in a manner of saying thanks. Asuma returned it before leaving and closing the door behind him. To his left and right were two Anbu agents standing guard at the doors, and the hallways were unusually empty. Taking out another cigarette, Asuma lit it as he began to make his way out of the building.
'They're acting like the kids a walking time bomb. Though, I guess in a way, he is.' Asuma thought to himself. 'Still seems a bit much to me though.'
Back inside, Naruto waited patiently as Hiruzen cleared some paper work off of his desk.
"Seems like it never ends. I can hardly see you." Hiruzen mumbled. Once finished, he finally settled his focus on the child infront of him. "So. You've returned. Another impromptu visit?"
"You don't seem very surprised, I was expecting more of an ordeal." Naruto said. Smiling, Hiruzen reached below his desk and pull out an intricately designed orb, giving it a quick tap.
"I was looking after my grandson. He has a habit of getting himself into troublesome situations. Before I was able to send someone after him however, I saw that he was already receiving assistance. In the form of you." Hiruzen replied. "From there you were already coming to the village. There was no need to apprehend you. You're not a criminal after all."
Naruto stayed silent after his explanation. Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything in response, the elder moved the conversation forward. "Now, I assume you have a reason for being here. Care to share?"
"I want to become a Konohagakure shinobi." Naruto said definitely. Hiruzen was surprised.
"Really? The last time we spoke you didn't seem very keen on staying within the village. What's changed in the last two years?" He prodded further.
"I think...I've reached my limit. Of what I can do on my own at least." Naruto said after careful thought. "I think I'd do better with people around me to give me a push."
"Quite the mature thought." Hiruzen praised. Naruto seemingly ignored it, only waiting for the man's answer. "Well, it's true that the company of others is a viable way to learn and improve yourself. And of course, just as two years ago, there's no other place I'd want you than here in the village. I guess the question now is, how strong exactly are you?"
Standing, he walked over to the very window that Naruto and Asuma entered in earlier. "Hmm. They might still be going. Would you like to accompany me somewhere?"
"Sure. Where to?" Naruto questioned.
"The Academy."
"Alright guys, let's wrap up!" Iruka Umino, one of the lead instructors at Konohagakure's shinobi academy, called out. His current class was just ending their weekly sparring sessions. "Kiba! Don't forget you're on cleaning duty today!"
"Just me? What about Shikamaru! He was asleep too!" Kiba yelled out.
"Shikamaru didn't fail the exam. You did. Though, you do have a point. Shikamaru, give him a hand!" Iruka called out.
"Thanks, ass." Shikamaru, the pineapple haired boy walking up from behind him, mumbled. Kiba stuck his tongue out at him in jest.
"Come on, it'll be quicker with two buddy!"
Going over his notes from the session, Iruka heard footsteps behind and turned to see none other than the Hokage walking up. "Hokage-sama! What brings you to the academy?"
"Have you finished your sparring lessons, Iruka-san? There's one other I'd like you to add into the fray." Hiruzen said. It was only then that Iruka noticed the boy behind him.
"Him? Who is he?" Iruka asked as Naruto came to stand infront of him.
"This is Naruto Uzumaki. He's a newly recruited aspiring shinobi. I'd like to get a look at his skills to see what exactly his level is. He should be around the same age as your class yes?" Hiruzen asked.
"He's a little short. How old are you, Naruto?" Iruka asked.
"Ten." Naruto replied, looking away dismissively after the short comment. He didn't think he'd like this guy all that much.
"Well, he's in the right age group for sure. Still, everyone has already gone for today. I guess he could go against-"
"Isn't he here today? He shouldn't be partaking in his special lessons today. He and Naruto can spar together." Hiruzen said. Iruka looked conflicted at the proposition, but nodded nonetheless.
"If you think it'll be okay, then sure Hokage-sama. I'll set it up. Naruto-kun, follow me."
The two walked to the open field where the rest of the class was waiting. "Guys, listen up! I've got an announcement!"
Quieting down from his yelling, Iruka cleared his voice and continued. "We're gonna' have one more spar today, so sit tight. Sasuke, could you come out to the field please."
The class immediately bursted into an out-roar. From the back, the now older boy with a blue shirt and white shorts came to the center of the field. He placed his hands in his pockets and eye'd Iruka curiously. "What?"
"You're going to be sparring today." Iruka said. The class again broke into chaos.
"Sasuke-kun is going to fight? He hasn't sparred with anyone since the first time he came to the academy." A girl with blonde hair called out. Her name was Ino Yamanaka. "Who do you think it's gonna' be, Sakura?"
"I don't know. I hope it's me though. I'd love to fight Sasuke-kun." Sakura replied, eyes glossed over. Her companion stared back in judgement. "I'd give it my all for sure."
"That's called domestic abuse." Ino said. Sakura scoffed at her words.
"Sasuke-kun would never actually hurt me, don't be stupid Ino-buta. You just don't know about real love." Sakura said haughtily. Ino flicked her forehead in response, dodging the retaliating strike.
"As if, forehead. After all, I'm the only one Sasuke-kun really looks at. You've seen how he stares, not that I can blame him." Ino said, batting her eyelashes.
"Yeah right, in your dreams maybe." Sakura mumbled.
From behind Iruka, Naruto walked out and made his way over to the center of the field as well. When he came into clear view, a voice called out from the crowd.
"Ah! It's you!" A girl yelled out, standing up. Looking over, Naruto's eyes squinted before lighting up with recognition.
"Hinata-chan? Long time no see! I was hoping I'd see you here. How've you been? Did you grow your hair out?" Naruto asked, giving her a bright grin.
"Um," Hinata said, looking around with a blush noticing all the attention was on them. "M-maybe later?"
"Oh, right. Sorry Iruka-san, should we continue?" Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing his head. Clearing his throat again, Iruka continued.
"This is Naruto Uzumaki, as some of us seem to know already. He's going to be joining our sparring sessions today here with Sasuke-kun." Iruka said murmurs continued through the crowd.
"He's familiar with Hinata? She rarely talks to anyone. Must be pretty important...do you know anything, Shikamaru?" Ino asked. The boy next to her shrugged his shoulders.
"Never heard of him in my life." Shikamaru said. Admittedly he was mildly interested himself. "Still, he's fighting Sasuke. As much as I hate to say it, it seems kind of like a setup."
"Yeah, he literally put Kiba in the hospital that one time. Remember that, Kiba?" Choji, the boy next to Shikamaru asked. Kiba gave him the finger, folding his arms over his chest.
"Whatever. I for one hope he kicks his ass. That arrogant prick could use getting knocked down a few pecks." Kiba said.
"Ya' know," Ino said, tapping her chin in thought. "He's kinda' cute."
Back on the field, Iruka stood between Naruto and Sasuke. The two were staring at each other intently, and the atmosphere was making even Iruka a little uncomfortable. 'They do know this is just a friendly spar, right?'
"Alright guys, standard rules. You'll have five minutes to fight unless I call the match. No weapons allowed." Iruka said. Perking up, Naruto reached behind him and detached a pouch he had connected to his shorts. Reaching over, he gave it to Iruka, who accepted it with a nervous smile. "Nothing else? Well, let's begin. The suns falling."
With that, the man moved back leaving the two to battle. Sasuke removed his hand from his pockets, but neither one took up a stance. Instead they just waited.
"What is this, a staring a contest? Throw a punch already!" Kiba said from the side. He was shushed by Sakura and Ino, who were watching intently. Nearby, Hinata was also focused in on the fight.
"Not going to make a move? Fine then. I'll get this over with." Sasuke said. In a burst of speed he closed the distance between him and Naruto. He gave a quick but hard jab to the stomach that caused the boy to hunch over. The class erupted into cheers.
"Hey Kiba, look familiar? How many ribs was that again?" Shikamaru snickered. Kiba growled from the side, but Ino interrupted them.
"Wait guys, something's up!" She said. True enough, both Naruto and sasuke were still in the same stance as before, but it appeared as though Sasuke was struggling. In reality, Naruto had caught his punch and arm as a whole, and currently had the boy in a death grip. With a roar he lifted him off his feet and into the air.
Sasuke recovered and spun around just in time to catch an elbow aimed for his back. In a twisting motion, he kicked Naruto back down to the ground, who landed on his feet. Sasuke came down with a round house kick, but Naruto deflected it using both arms. Flipping backwards, he tried to put some distance between them but Sasuke closed it once again.
He began to rush him with a series of quick strikes, most of which Naruto was able to either dodge or deflect. Dropping low, Naruto broke Sasuke's guard with a low sweeping kick. Recovering quickly, he grabbed the Uchiha out of the air and once again flung him up high, but this time not as hard as he took a stance. With another roar, he punched forward and caught Sasuke in the chest as he was coming down, launching him a good ways away. The class gasped in shock, outside of Kiba and Hinata, who both cheered out albeit more reserved in the case of the later.
Sasuke meanwhile had managed to recover enough to roll and land on his knees, clutching at the area he was struck. 'What's with him? How does his hits have that much power behind them?' Breaking free from his thoughts, Sasuke clicked his teeth in irritation. No more holding back.
In a second burst of speed more impressive than his first, Sasuke again got in close. This time he managed to catch Naruto off guard, dropping then rising back up with his foot to catch Naruto on his chin and launching him up in the air. Leaping, he grabbed him by his sweater and flung him back to the ground. Naruto broke his fall with a roll, but Sasuke was already behind him and knocked the boy forward with another kick. This continued two more times before finally Naruto caught his foot with his left hand. Moving it to the side Sasuke could barely put his arms up in defense as Naruto's fist b-lined for his face. Once again however, the force of the punch was enough to feel as though his arms were going to break as he was pushed back.
Naruto followed this up with a roundhouse kick. Blocking it and grunting under the force, Sasuke tried to counter with a punch that Naruto countered himself. The two continued to exchange blows, all the while the class watching them were sitting in awe.
"He's...actually keeping up with Sasuke-kun. This is incredible." Sakura said with her mouth open.
"Keeping up? Heck, I'd say he's winning. I can feel those hits from over here." Shikamaru said.
"Sasuke's definitely faster though. The other guy is starting to have trouble." Ino said.
True to her words, more and more of Sasuke's attacks were beginning to break through Naruto's defense. Much to his chagrin though, they didn't seem to be having much of an effect. Colliding, the two both pushed each other back, stoping to catch their breaths.
"You're pretty good." Naruto said between pants. "What was your name again?"
"You'll learn it soon enough." Sasuke said, standing up taller. He began to run through hand signs, with both Iruka and Naruto reacting in surprise.
"Sasuke, that's eno-" Iruka started, but by then it was too late. Pulling his hand up to his mouth, Sasuke yelled out.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" From his mouth began to spew a vortex of flames that spiraled into a large ball heading the boys way. Before anyone could intervene, the flames and smoke shroudded the boy from vision. The class and Iruka looked on in horror, but from the side another voice called out.
"Water Release: Gunshot Technique!" Hiruzen yelled out. From his mouth, an even bigger orb of water collided with Sasuke's attack, surrounding the area in mist and smoke that forced everyone to shield themselves. As it began to disperse, their attention returned to spot the where Naruto was. Everyone was silent, preparing themselves for the worst. Slowly, however, a faint blue glow began to shine through the smoke. Sasuke's eyes widened.
"How?"
The faint glow began to take the form of a body, and as the smoke finally cleared it was clear where the source was coming from. With both arms to the side and his fists clenched tight, a singed Naruto stood with a seemingly visible layer of chakra surrounding his body. Upon closer expection, one could also see that sparks of lightning were traveling up and down his form, cackling loudly through the silent field.
Clearly straining, Naruto gritted his teeth as he pulled his arms up as if he were curling weights. His body was beginning to shake, all the while everyone else looked on still confused as to what they were witnessing. Abruptly, the chakra and sparks dissipated from his body, and an exhausted Naruto dropped down to his knees. Finally recovering from his shock, Iruka ran over to the boy.
"N-Naruto! Are you okay?" He said, kneeling next to him. He was still struggling to catch his breath, but he managed to look up and give a weak smile.
"Hehe, I'm glad that worked." Naruto said between breaths. His entire body was shivering as if it was in shock. Just a few steps away, Sasuke's mouth was still open watching the scene before him.
'He's barely injured. That shouldn't have been enough to kill him, but he definitely shouldn't have left unscathed. What the hell was that? And why didn't he attempt to dodge?' Sasuke thought as his face fell into a scowl. Looking over, he could see the Hokage approaching them.
"That certainly went beyond a friendly spar. Using a technique like that against a fellow shinobi isn't the Konohagakure way at all, Sasuke-kun. Perhaps too much separation from your peers has neglected you on some fronts." Hiruzen spoke out disapprovingly. Sasuke looked away irritably, blowing air from his nose in protest. Turning his attention to Naruto, it seemed as if the boy had finally caught his breath. "Are you alright, Naruto-kun?"
"N-never better." Naruto said, shakily standing up to his feet. "Let's keep going."
"Are you insane? We need to get you checked out at a hospital as soon as possible." Iruka spoke out.
"I'll be fine. It's just the after effects. I'm not injured or anything." Naruto said, giving a quick few hops in place for added support. "See?"
"Be that as it may, that'll be enough for today. I think I have a good enough idea of your abilities now. You'll be an amazing addition to our shinobi division. I and Iruka will get to work on enrolling you in the academy." Hiruzen said with a smile. Though he was deflated that the fight was over, having achieved the original goal he had set out for today, Naruto couldn't be too disappointed. "The sun is already practically set. We have much to do Naruto-kun, you should come with me now if you don't require any medical attention."
"Sure thing." Naruto said. The Hokage turned to leave, with Naruto following before stopping and turning back to Iruka with his hand out expectedly. Bewildered at first, Iruka remembered the pouch he had been given earlier and returned it.
"Thanks! See ya' around!" Naruto grinned before turning to leave. Matching eyes with Sasuke briefly, the two shared a silent message as he moved to walk behind the Hokage. Watching them leave, Iruka release a sigh he didn't know he had been holding before remembering that he had a class to dismiss.
"Alright guys, we're done for the day so get home safely! Shikamaru! Kiba! You guys follow me!...You too, Sasuke. We need to have a little chat." Iruka said. The day ended on a high, with the class still discussing the display that they were just showed.
"Can you believe it? Two guys like that exist and they're our age. They're on a totally different level." Choji said. Kiba scoffed at his words.
"Just wait. Graduation year, I'll have those two pegged." He said defiantly. Ino snickered from the side.
"Pegged? Nice word choice, dog boy. You couldn't even beat Sasuke-kun, and now there's someone who might be even stronger." Ino said teasingly.
"Hey, he's not stronger than Sasuke-kun! Did you see that move he pulled off? There's genin who wouldn't even be able to do that." Sakura said in protest. Ino waived her off.
"Don't get a crease in that forehead of yours, obviously Sasuke-kun's stronger. You have to admit though, that kid's pretty impressive." Ino said, looking behind her. "What do you think, Hinata?"
Startled at being singled out, a blush adorned Hinata's face as she looked away dismissively and walked ahead. "It was a nice fight."
"Ahoo," Ino said mischievously watching the girl leave. "Is that the Ice Queen showing emotion? I might get to have a little fun in my remaining days at the academy after all."
Back with Hiruzen and Naruto, the two were making their way back to the Hokage tower.
"I'll make arrangements to get you a place to stay. For now, we have a room in the tower that you can use." Hiruzen said. "That was quite the impressive display you put on back there. You've been well trained."
"I was lucky to run into a few interesting people during my travels. They all taught me great things." Naruto said fondly.
"If I might ask...that wouldn't happen to have been the Lightning Release: Chakra Mode you performed, would it?" Hiruzen asked. Naruto smiled slyly.
"I had a feeling you might be familiar with it. Well, It's really a bastardized version of it than anything. I can only use it as a momentary way to defend myself. Just maintaining it takes pretty much all of my concentration." Naruto said disappointedly.
"It's surprising to see one your age using a B-rank technique at all, let alone one as complex as that one. In my opinion, it's worthy of S-rank consideration in the right hands. Even your 'bastardized' version is still impressive." Hiruzen said. "But I see, that certainly explains how you were able to withstand both the force of my and Sasuke-kun's techniques. That was clever thinking."
Unbeknownst to anyone, from the shadows a short distance away another lone figure had been taking in the fight. Silently, he closed his eye and walked away.
ayoo
next chapter we'll officially be at the start of og Naruto. all gas from here folks! i wonder what's in store...
wait you weren't supposed to read that.
notspike out.