Naruto: The Weapon Master
Chapter 39: New Resolutions, New Leads
Naruto laid on down on the cot while bandaged at several parts of his body, staring up at the ceiling of his room in the hospital with a silent yet steady gaze, his mind constantly replaying the mission in his memory over and over again while wondering what he could have done that would have changed its outcome.
"Naruto-kun, please. You need to stop thinking about this and rest," said Kurama worriedly.
"Please listen to her, Naruto-sama. It's important for you to recover both physically and mentally," Chinami added in agreement.
Naruto sighed, he clearly understands what they're trying to tell him but he couldn't help feel this way as this feeling of failure is really getting to him.
It's been almost a day since the Retrieval Team were brought back to the village and then taken to the hospital for treatment. Kiba and Akamaru were being treated by their older sister with the latter requiring it more than him. Chouji had to be treated by Tsunade herself due to the negative side effects of having consumed two of the Akimichi Clan's special Food Pills. Shizune was also on duty with treating Neji and Rock Lee due to the former suffering more injury compared to the latter who was scolded for leaving the village without telling anybody in spite of having good reasons for doing so, Gai promised to punish Rock Lee accordingly once he makes a full recovery. As for Shikamaru, he was the least injured out of all the team members and only needed a splint for his broken finger.
Right now, the Nara was seated near the door leading into the operating room where Tsunade was treating Chouji while Temari sat opposite to him, having her own reasons for keep him company.
Temari looks at Shikamaru still fidgeting around which is starting to get on her nerves before finally deciding to break the silence "There's no point turning yourself crazy, you know?" Shikamaru looked up at her in mild confusion "Don't tell me you've forgotten your psychological training; with every mission comes sacrifice after all,"
Shikamaru frowned a bit "Training and reality are two different things like day and night. I thought I knew about mission, a clear idea about what it means to be a shinobi. Now after this mission…my very first as a co-leader; all I've learnt from it is that I'm not cut out for such a role,"
Temari got annoyed at seeing the guy who technically defeated her in the Chuunin exams having a case of defeatism "Seriously, you men and your fragile egos…,"
Shikamaru rose from his seat "This mission…I thought that all I had to do was work alongside Naruto and depend on everybody else…Some co-leader I am. I should have done much more but I didn't have the strength when it counted the most, I really screwed it all up!"
"So what, you're scared of getting hurt?" Temari asked of him.
"Me getting hurt is the least of my worries…," Shikamaru turned and began walking away from the operating room when a familiar voice called out to him.
"Shikamaru…," it was Shikaku, Shikamaru's father who came by the hospital to check on Shikamaru and Chouji "…a girl talks to you like that and you just walk away?"
"You bet I do, standing around and arguing is not my thing. That's something girls like to do," Shikamaru retorted in response.
Shikaku didn't appear convinced "And what of you? You're not a man, that's for sure. Right now, I'm seeing nothing but a coward. Do you think that if you quit then the missions would stop on your behalf? Someone has to do it, your comrades would be sent on other missions alongside other people that would lead them, they will face the same risks with some unlikely to make it back, the ones that you could have saved if you had been there. How would you feel then?"
"…," Shikamaru didn't move from where he stood as Shikaku continues.
"Right now, you've got a chance to reflect on your mistakes and to learn from them. Use your failures to make yourself a better leader. You won't help your friends by running away from your problems but rather try to become stronger for their sakes so that the next mission goes perfectly and that everyone comes back home safely," Shikaku looks at the back of his son with a serious expression "The choice is all too simple; you're either a leader or a coward. So which one are you?"
"…," Shikamaru still didn't respond.
At that moment, Tsunade came out from the operating room which gains everyone's attention but Shikamaru didn't turn back. The Fifth Hokage went to sit at the bench which the Nara sat on earlier and let out a sigh of relief.
"You'll be happy to know that Chouji is in no danger and well on his way to a full recovery," Tsunade announced, bringing relief to the others and Shikamaru felt the weight on his shoulders lighten a bit "The antidote worked, arresting the negative effects of the pills as well as him not eating the third pill which would have made things much worse for him. I owe to the Medicinal Manual of the Nara, such work and dedication put into its creation must be given the utmost respect,"
Shikaku smiles in response "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"
"Lady Tsunade!" everyone turned to see Shizune running up to them before stopping to catch her breath "I'm here to report the Neji Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee and Naruto have all been treated and well on their way to a full recovery as well,"
"…," Shikamaru still didn't say anything but his shoulders were already shaking with emotion.
"I'm sorry to say this but; the mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha has been deemed a failure," then Tsunade smiles at him with sympathy "But at the very least, everyone came back alive and that's what's important,"
"Next time…the mission will go perfectly," Shikamaru promised himself, barely holding back the tears.
Shikaku however interrupted "Before you let out the waterworks, isn't there something else you should be doing, co-leader?"
Confused at first, Shikamaru immediately figured out what his father is trying to say to him. He knew where he needs to be right now…
Elsewhere in an underground, Sasuke was following a whitehaired man covered in bandages while accompanied by Kabuto and Guren. Turns out that the Uchiha was taken to Orochimaru's base with the man having been forced to use his Kinjutsu to possess someone else's body before he arrived.
"Kukukukuku, I'm glad to see that you've finally accepted my invitation. You really are the chosen one," said Orochimaru gleefully.
"Yeah yeah, when are you going to give me the power that you offered?" asked Sasuke nonchalantly, earning a silent stare from the Snake Sannin before he looked forward and continued walking.
Kabuto frowned at the interaction between then and leaned forward to whisper into Sasuke's ear "A word of advice; watch what you say if you wish to live long. Despite the change in body, that is still Lord Orochimaru whom you're talking to,"
Sasuke instantly leveled an intense glare and flared his chakra a bit at Kabuto to silence the man to mind his own business. The person himself and Guren were taken aback by the intense stare from the Uchiha.
"Those eyes and that chakra…," Kabuto couldn't believe that this is the same person whom he met at the Chuunin Exams.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with greed "Yes, he is the one. My future lies in him!"
In his room at the hospital, Naruto still laid back in his bed so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door slide open until he heard someone call out to him.
"Well what do you know, you're actually awake," he turned to see Shikamaru leaning against the doorway with a lazy smile on his face.
Naruto smiled back at the Nara "Heya Shika, good to ya. How are the others doing?"
"With Lady Tsunade involved, it's only a matter of time before they're be back on their feet," Shikamaru walked and took a seat next to Naruto's bed "From the way she was talking…things could have gone much for all of us if it weren't for the weapons given to us by the rings you gave to us when we began the mission,"
"Yeah, it could have…," Naruto muttered lowly to himself.
"You're not the only one feeling the way you are right now, I got an earful from my old man before I came here. He made it clear to me that calling it quits won't stop the mission but rather I should learn from my failures and make sure that the next mission will go perfectly. That's what he told me and I figured that I should share his advice with you," said Shikamaru.
"…Thanks for the pep talk, Shika. It's not bothering me as much as it was before. It's just that I'm a bit pissed at myself for underestimating just how persistent Orochimaru is at wanting to get his slimy hands on a Sharingan since he didn't stop chucking his cronies at us until one of them finally made the catch of the day," said Naruto tiredly.
"We were dealing with the pawns of the guy who was able to deceive a Hidden village into helping in attacking our home and almost killed the Third Hokage if not for your intervention. Not to mention that he was one of the Sannin,"
"Which is why we need to be better prepared, so that the next time we face him or any of his underlings, we'd be ready and won't be caught off guard. Which is why I've been thinking about a lot of things until you showed up,"
Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow "Care to tell me about it?"
"I'm thinking that it's time for a first ever meeting with all of the rookies save for Sasuke since the brooding idiot's gone for now, I want us to discuss about how to go about things from this point onwards,"
"You might be on to something here now that you brought it up, the more I think about it the more I agree with you," said Shikamaru thoughtfully.
Suddenly the door opened and in came Sakura along with Hinata, Haku and Fu with worried expressions on their faces, having rushed over the moment they heard that Naruto had returned but was sent to the hospital.
"Naruto-kun, are you doing okay?" asked Sakura worriedly.
Naruto smiles in response "Still breathing and my heart's still beating, I should be back on my feet in a few days,"
"I'm pretty sure that Kurama-neechan will make sure of that," said Chomei from within Fu's connected mindscape.
"We're just glad to see you're alright now," said Hinata.
"But this also gives me the chance to request something from you,"
"What is it, Naruto-kun?" asked Sakura confusedly.
Shikamaru spoke up "I believe Naruto wants you girls to inform the others that we'll be having our first ever meeting among the rookies which also includes Fu in maybe a week or two since Chouji and the others still need time to recover,"
"What is it about?" asked Hinata.
"Let's just say that this particular mission was an eye-opener for us, we'll hold the meeting over at the Academy…I know it's kinda ironic," said Naruto in amusement, seeing Shikamaru roll his eyes in response to his statement.
"Tell me about it, and here I thought I could stay away from that place," Shikamaru commented glumly.
"Hey, it's like the saying goes 'You can't forget your roots'," the blonde ninja replied musingly with the girls giggling.
"Okay Naruto-kun, we'll be sure to inform the others about it. We'll come back later to check on you again," said Hinata with the rest nodding in agreement before taking their leave since they intend to inform the other rookies and prepare something for Naruto to eat when they return since they're aware that he wouldn't much options besides hospital food.
Shikamaru also got up to leave as well but not before asking Naruto one more question "Is there anything else you've got in mind?"
Naruto hummed thoughtfully "Just prepare lots of paper and ink because we're going to be taking lots of notes that day,"
"*Sigh* I knew I shouldn't have asked…,"
"And yet you did, Shika,"
"What a drag…,"
As the days went by, Naruto was recovering quickly and is likely to be discharged sooner than expected. During that time, he would be receiving visits from the others and even Ino gifted him flowers from her family's floral shop to wish a quick recovery. They weren't the only ones as Gaia visited him a lot, turns out that she's quite the worrywart as she and Shukaku would fret about with him. Naruto couldn't help but see the sharp contrast between the Gaia of the past and the current one while finding the latter to be rather cute, but it was unfortunate that she had to return to her village with Kankurou and Temari since their joint mission was now over.
Sometime later, Neji along with Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru were discharged from the hospital but were recommended not to do anything strenuous until they've been given a clean bill of health from the doctors. With that, all of the rookies sans Sasuke gathered at the Ninja Academy and went to their former classroom where Naruto was already waiting for them to arrive and take their seats, settling themselves before standing to address them.
"Hey guys, glad to see you all here and in good health," said Naruto with a small smile.
"Not exactly all of us…," said Kiba begrudgingly, casting a somber mood over them since he's not being subtle about who he's talking about.
"Chill out Kiba, that's a matter we'll get to soon enough," said Naruto, not wanting to start their first ever meeting on a bad note "The reason why I called us all here is because of the recent being a major eye-opener on us, some more than others,"
"Tell me about it…," Chouji rubbed a hand on his stomach, feeling the phantom pains from when Jirobo struck him there several times during their battle.
"Was it really that bad?" asked Tenten anxiously.
Neji answered his teammate "I suspect that things could have been much worse for us were it not for the rings which Naruto gave to us before beginning the mission,"
"All this mission taught me was that I seriously need to step up my game, so that what happened before won't happen again," Kiba looks down at Akamaru in his arms, recalling how his canine partner took a hit in order to protect him and vowed not to let him do that again.
"And that's the main reason for this first ever meeting, we need to find ways to improve ourselves so that we'd be better prepare against anything beyond the gates of the village," Naruto picked up a chalk and wrote the words 'Improvement' on the chalkboard "I'm not talking just about learning new jutsu from our teachers and clans,"
"What exactly do you mean by that?" asked Ino confusedly.
"Without a doubt, our enemies would research about us and set up countermeasures should we encounter them. What we need to do is find ways to improve our skillsets or develop methods to make us less predictable," Naruto explains to them.
"Sounds to me like you already came up with some theories," said Shikamaru.
"As a matter of fact, I did…," Naruto went to the chalkboard and wrote 'Hyuuga' which caught Hinata and Neji's attention "From what we know so far, the Hyuuga clan specializes in the Gentle Fist style which is absolutely deadly and we all know of it. They even came up with the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation in order to defend against long range attacks but it doesn't fully erase that weakness of theirs,"
"I see…," Neji recalls the battle with Kidomaru and how he couldn't take him on since the enemy made it a point to stay far away from him and eventually figured out his blindspot "So, what comes to mind?"
"I've been wondering why is it that none of the members of the Hyuuga clan ever utilized long range weaponry like bow and arrows? With your Byakugan, you guys would be the most deadly of shooters. If you're to infuse the power of the Gentle Fist into your arrows, you could either cripple of even kill your enemies from a distance. This very same concept could also apply to weapons like the sai, jitte or even the rope dart,"
Tenten hummed thoughtfully "When he mentions, I've never seen you or any Hyuuga member use anything besides the basic ninja tools. Just the thought of you performing the 8 Trigrams 64 Palms while wielding a pair of sai sends chills down my spine,"
"I'm starting to wonder the same thing…," Neji thought of how his fight with Kidomaru could have ended sooner had he wielded such weapons, it could have even pierced through that armor of his at that time "I suspect that the clan took too much pride in the Gentle Fist to consider such usage of weapons,"
You're right…," Hinata was also in agreement, there's so much that she wishes to change in the clan for the sake of its betterment.
"Well that needs to change and we're gonna show them how important it is to improve upon what we have to be better than those of the past," Naruto pointed out as Shikamaru jotted down the information.
Kiba then spoke up "If that's the case, what kind of weapons do you think would suit Akamaru and me?"
Naruto looked thoughtful as he wrote the words 'Inuzuka' on the board "In reference to our fight in the past, I've always thought of how deadly your fighting style would be if you were equipped with tekko-gaki or clawed gauntlets for that matter. Your Fang over Fang can already shred through many things from personal experience but imagine if you're equipped with such gauntlets…," he drew a quick sketch of the claw gauntlets for them to see.
"I see acute logic in the choice of weapons for you, Kiba," said Shino "Why you ask? Because both your clan's Taijutsu and function of the weapon is too perfect of a match together,"
"…," Kiba looks down at his hand and visualizes himself wielding the aforementioned weapon, he couldn't help but feel that it suits him just fine.
"I think that I may have some ideas of my own, Naruto," said Shikamaru.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Naruto curiously.
"My experience from the Chuunin Exams and this mission has made me realize that my battle style is that of a trapper; to limit the movements of my opponent, make their skills as ineffective as possible while also setting up opportunities for my allies, I've been getting that idea since your rings kept giving me Crosstail most of the time,"
"It actually kinda suits you," said Ino "You've always been the strategist of the team and your clan's jutsu is meant to capture and restrain enemies for others to be able to attack,"
"In that case, I should be able to customize special Seal Tags for your use while also providing special storage scrolls for each of us. Fuinjutsu is my clan's specialty after all," said Naruto.
"I think I may have ideas too, I can't really help my teammates as I am right now, but maybe I could ask my mom for help. She had been wanting to introduce to me about the art of poison from her side of the family which could prove useful," said Ino.
"Just keep it away from my food," said Chouji with a shudder "What do you have in mind for me, Naruto?"
After taking some time to think, Naruto responded "Well, you're basically the tank of your team or any team you would be assigned to, which means that you need to improve upon your defense as many would be relying on you to wear down the enemy as they prepare to finish them off. Perhaps some form of armor enhanced with Seals could prove useful to you,"
"I see…," Chouji thought about what Naruto had just said.
"It's true that we've been relying on Chouji a lot for pure power, everything would collapse if he gets taken down beforehand. We definitely need to work on his defense as well," said Shikamaru, he honestly was the most worried about Chouji when they left him behind to face Jirobo and so would feel better if he had some form of protection.
"And what of me, Naruto?" asked Rock Lee curiously.
"Same applies to you since you're a close-range fighter but with lighter armor so that it wouldn't impede your mobility while fighting," Naruto answered, knowing that Rock Lee needs better protection since he specializes in Taijutsu "Maybe Tenten and I could come up with something designed just for you,"
"And there's one thing I'd like for most of you to focus on as well…," Naruto stated.
"What is it?" asked Fu curiously.
"I'm sure by now you've been trained in terms of chakra control when you started out, you'll need to also get started on your elemental training as well. You need to increase your arsenal of skills for both in and out of the battlefield,"
"But Naruto, some of us can't use elemental jutsu…," Tenten pointed out to him, her poor control and Lee's inability to use any jutsu at all.
"I know but there are other ways which I'm working on and I'll need to talk to you two about at a later time,"
"Okay then,"
"Now, let's continue…,"
Meanwhile at the Hokage's office, it turns out that Tsunade along with Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the senseis of the teams were observing what Naruto and the others are doing through the crystal ball on the table. Turns out that Jiraiya suggested for them to watch the rookies so they could get some ideas on how to train them.
Hiruzen smiled "It would seem that this new generation seeks to surpass us,"
"It touches my heart to see these youngsters seek out ways to become even stronger, how inspirational!" Gai declares amidst tears of joy, much to the embarrassment of everyone around as they choose to ignore him for now.
"That kid never fails to keep surprising me, reminds me of Minato as the days go by," said Jiraiya.
"Indeed, sensei always meeting with others and discussing new ideas," said Kakashi, filled with nostalgia.
"Yeah, but this kid is practically doing our job for us. Deciding to take the first step to help others improve," Asuma felt impressed and at the same time guilty since he was being a bit too lax with training his students and two of which could have lost their lives if not for Naruto's help.
"But Naruto-kun's got the right idea, we'll need to step up with their training so they can be better prepared for the outside world," Anko pointed out to them with Kurenai nodding in agreement.
"Anko is right, look at what happened during the Chuunin Exams and then this failed retrieval mission. How many times have they managed to make it through these unexpected situations with what they knew when we haven't been thorough with their training and helping them improve," Kakashi couldn't help but blame himself for not being involved enough with his students, otherwise Sasuke wouldn't have left the village.
"This also gives me the opportunity to finally start on the Medic Ninja project which had been pushed back several times in the past. I am already seeing several potential candidates in your teams. Even if Tenten lack the necessary chakra control, I can still teach her about medicine, for every little things counts to preserve one's life," Tsunade said this with a serious expression.
"We could even add it as a necessary subject in the academy, a way to prepare them for the future as well," Hiruzen added.
"Which reminds me, there's something I've been hearing from my spy network that I might need his help with," said Jiraiya.
Tsunade frowns at this "Jiraiya, Naruto hasn't fully recovered yet in spite of the Kyuubi having healed him of his injuries,"
"I'm not saying that it has to be now, I need to make some confirmations beforehand. Plus his infiltration skills are topnotch and might be necessary for this recon mission,"
"Even so, I'd prefer that you run the information through us before we give you the go-ahead for this particular mission," said Hiruzen "What of the prisoner?"
"She's still proving stubborn with that potty mouth of hers, just letting her stew before I start asking," said Anko with a bloodthirsty grin, sending down their spines.
"Before you do that, there's something I'd like to check about her first. There's something about her which I need to verify,"
"Take all the time you need, it's not like she's going anywhere,"
"It seems like their meeting is about to end," said Kurenai, bringing everyone's attention back to the crystal ball to continue watching.
"So, we'll be stopping here for now since you would need to contemplate about what we've discussed with your senseis or parents. I'll be sure to inform you when the next meeting would be held," said Naruto.
"You've certainly given us a lot to think about, this meeting has proven to be beneficial," said Neji as he gets up from his seat.
"Same here, no doubt mom and sis are curious to know what the meeting was about after all," Kiba got up with Akamaru in his arms.
Soon enough, the others left the classroom either by themselves or in groups, leaving behind Naruto along with Hinata, Sakura and Fu as they tidied up the place before taking their leave with Naruto's home as their destination.
Along the way, Fu decided to ask Naruto about something "Say Naruto-kun, what kind of weapon do you think suits me?"
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before giving his answer "My guess would be the Tessen Fan, maybe two of it,"
"You mean like the one that Temari uses?" asked Sakura.
"Yeah, but not to that size. Remember that Fu gained the affinity for wind because of Chomei and this weapon fits her fighting style as she could in all three ranges once she masters it and combines with the wind element," Naruto explains.
"You came up with such a concept as well from that female warrior from Liu Kang's world," said Kurama.
"Seeing how she used those fans with deadly grace and precision, Fu could learn a lot. Is it possible to call upon her spiritual essence in order to teach like you did for me the first time we had met?" thought Naruto.
"It should be possible, Naruto-sama. Perhaps giving her one of the rings to serve as a link to the bracelet would suffice," said Chinami.
"We'll look further into that later on,"
At that point, they had arrived at the mansion and went inside to find Haku who had just finished preparing lunch for them as they sat down to eat. Turns out that she couldn't attend the meeting since she was working at the hospital before returning home to cook for them. Zabuza wasn't at home either due to having been sent on a mission and wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
Naruto had also been communicating with Princess Koyuki via the Trans-Scroll and she was understandably upset and worried when she learnt about his recently failed mission and also what happened to one of the shinobi that was with her during their journey to the Land of Snow/Spring. He also asked for a few things from her concerning the project which he's working on with Tenten, Koyuki was willing to help him since he's betrothed to her after all, so he would send one of his summons to fly over and pick it up.
A few days, Naruto was at the training ground of the mansion, sparring with his Shadow Clones while wielding one of the Muramasa Blades. It was quite the intense workout for himself, not wanting to allow such a mistake to occur again and next time not hold back his full strength…he doesn't even understand why he went and did that to begin with. He was snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing a familiar voice call out to him from behind.
"Whoa there, that's quite the workout you're having there," Naruto turned to see Jiraiya leaning back against a tree with his arms crossed and quirked an eyebrow.
"Oh about that…," Naruto dispelled his clones and approached his godfather "Just training myself up so that I don't end up making the same mistakes again,"
The Toad Sage nods in understanding "I get where you're coming from, had my fair share of missions during my earlier years,"
"Is there something you need?"
"Actually yeah, we need to meet up with Tsunade and Hiruzen-sensei about something important,"
"Okay?" Naruto was a bit curious but decided to wait until they arrive at the Hokage's Office.
"I wonder what it is that they want to talk to you about?" Kurama muttered thoughtfully.
Sometime later, Naruto and Jiraiya were at the aforementioned office and found Tsunade and Hiruzen waiting for them.
"Welcome Naruto-kun," said Hiruzen fondly to his surrogate grandson.
"Thanks jiji, is there something going on that you needed me?" asked Naruto confusedly.
"Actually yes, it relates to Orochimaru and Sasuke…," Tsunade saw how Naruto stiffened at the names and knew that they had gotten his complete attention "It's nothing new to us that Orochimaru had been seeking out ways to achieve immortality and saw the Sharingan to be a precious asset to him,"
"Not to mention his grudge against the Hidden Leaf for supposedly getting in his way," Hiruzen added.
"Yeah, definitely old news to me…," Naruto grumbled with his arms crossed "So, what's the more recent news about that reptile?"
"As we all know, Orochimaru created the Hidden Sound village for various reasons which benefits him alone but we never knew where exactly the village is located. Then my spy network began hearing whispers coming from some of the smaller lands, one of them being the Land of Rice Paddies…," Jiraiya explained.
"So what's to know about that place?" asked Naruto.
"From what I know; a small land with nothing special about it, but its ruler is one of those greedy fools always seeking for more power and wealth and its neighbors' lands. This drew Orochimaru like a bee to honey and whispered sweet words into the fool's ears, making all sorts of promises. We all know Orochimaru has no intentions of keeping his word to making the lord stronger when he seeks to make himself stronger for his revenge. You may not see it, but traces of Orochimaru's presence is definitely here,"
"So, you believe that we might find clues about where that snake could be?"
Tsunade spoke up "Indeed, the objective of this mission is to locate the Hidden Sound village and also gather Intel about Orochimaru which we could use against him,"
"From what we've been able to figure out, Orochimaru must have built numerous hidden bases throughout the Elemental Nations, no doubt during all those missions which took him out of the village when he was formerly a Hidden Leaf Shinobi," said Hiruzen with a small frown, sad to see how far his student has fallen.
Naruto hummed thoughtfully "Hmmm…I think I get the gist of things now; you want us to infiltrate the Hidden Sound village and gather Intel that could help us locate these hidden bases where Orochimaru and Sasuke might be hiding and also about his subordinates too,"
Jiraiya nods in affirmation "Bingo, I recommended you since your skills in stealth and infiltration are pretty good and will definitely come in handy,"
"I see…," Naruto paused for a moment "Is it possible to add at least one more person into the team?"
"Well yes, but bear in mind that the infiltration team needs to be small in number in order to avoid detection," Hiruzen pointed out.
"In that case; I know the one that can join…,"
"Who?" asked Tsunade curiously.
Naruto informed them of the person whom he has in mind, they were mildly surprised at first but then saw the logic as to why he wanted the person to come along with him and Jiraiya. A day later, Naruto and the person joins Jiraiya as they set out for the Land of Rice Paddies to begin their mission of locating the Hidden Sound village.
This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter, the retrieval team have been brought back to Konoha in order to recover from their injuries and none of them had lost their lives albeit the two co-leaders felt frustrated due to having failed such an important mission, the only saving grace would be that they were at least able to defeat some of Orochimaru's elite shinobi(?) with one of them detained for interrogation.
Resolving to achieve better result, Naruto calls on the first ever meeting for the rookies along with new additions. Together they discuss on various improvements to their gear, skills and new weaponry specialized for each as the Kages and Jounins observe them and approve of their plans while preparing to help train them. At that point, Jiraiya brings up a certain matter which he would need Naruto's help with in the near future but Tsunade and Hiruzen wants to know the specific details before giving him permission to take Naruto along with him. It was later revealed to Naruto that the mission is to locate the Hidden Sound with clues hinting at it possibly being in the Land of Paddies; they're to acquire Intel about the other hidden bases spread throughout the Elemental Nations with the hopes that they could locate the traitor and the missing Uchiha. With that said, Naruto made a request for one more person to be added to the infiltration team. Now that the team has been assembled, they shall now proceed with the mission.
In this chapter, I decided to introduce the concept of the characters learning new skills and acquire new weapons in order to improve and also having Naruto obtain technology from the Land of Snow/Spring which he would combine with his Fuinjutsu for great enhancements which will be seen in future chapters. Be sure to read and review like always.
This is Hussbek from Ghana.
Signing out and staying alive.