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Chapter Thirty-Seven: Gambling Odds
BOOM!
He was knocked back with high velocity as the explosion took place. He was quick enough to raise his hands and brace his chakra for defense, and for the fact that his Iron Skin was already active. The explosion wasn't too large, but neither was it very small. Naruto sacked to the floor in exhaustion the instant his back made contact with the wall.
Whew.
Naruto breathed in and out, trying his best to calm down his racing nerves.
Itachi was gone. But he left while creating a dozen more problems. First came the quest. Itachi had said something to him in his mind. What did the Akatsuki Captain want to tell him? When did that 'hour-long conversation with Itachi even start?
How come Naruto didn't recollect any of it?
Why would he listen to someone who was actively trying to capture him?
Then again, Itachi's actions had made no sense. During the entire fight, the man was barely trying to capture or subdue him, though some of that could be accounted for by the presence of Jiraiya. Even so, something was just off about that entire encounter and the way everything had occurred.
Itachi was a murderous psychopath who had killed the entire Uchiha clan, leaving behind only his little brother, Sasuke. And now he was part of the Akatsuki, who were hunting down the Jinchuuriki for a larger purpose that they currently could not even imagine. What kind of insane plan did they have to require all nine of the tailed beasts?
But now, why did it seem as if…as if Itachi was trying to help him? Was this part of his larger plan? An elaborate scheme to lower his guard? No…all of that isn't needed for capturing someone like me. Regardless, none of his current actions were matching with his riddled past.
And what was 'Fortress of the Mind'? Naruto rarely got a skill that he didn't understand, and this one didn't even come with a description. Overall, Naruto had gained nothing from the encounter, except for a shit ton of questions.
The world around him resumed once Naruto left his thoughts. They were back in the alleyway, no longer obstructed by the enormous toad that had swallowed them all inside of it.
More importantly, Itachi was gone.
"Naruto, are you okay?"
The question prompted Naruto to turn his head.
Jiraiya looked mostly fine other than the obvious tiredness that wracked his body, signified by the panting and rapid up-and-down movement of his chest.
Naruto nodded. "…physically, yes. I was just fighting a clone. Did you take care of him?"
They began to walk away from the site, with Jiraiya carefully picking a route back into safety.
"He's crafty," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. "No…illusive would be the better word. Neither of us went all out. He wouldn't try to get you while I'm here, after all. I'm willing to bet that his chakra was running low, and he didn't bother risking it any further. What did his clone do?"
"Other than randomly exploding?" Naruto said with a grimace. He wasn't sure whether he should tell Jiraiya about the incident in his mind yet. "He told me to get stronger…or die."
Jiraiya sighed but didn't say anything. Naruto could also guess what was running through the man's head right now.
The blond still had more questions, however. "What's with Itachi? He's clearly not normal. It was almost as if he wasn't trying against us."
"Not almost. The fact is that Itachi wasn't trying. There could be many reasons that could be attributed to that, and many of them I can't tell you why. For now, I'll just tell you this. Never assume to know anything about Itachi Uchiha. He's a man shrouded in mystery, and he prefers it that way."
"Why can't you tell me?"
"I legally can't. Until you become a Jonin or even a Tokubetsu Jonin, there is some classified information that I can't tell you, even if I really wanted to."
"Well, if I learn the Rasengan, you said you'd tell me all you know about the Akatsuki. Considering the fact that Itachi is in that organization, you'd be required to tell me about him, no?"
Jiraiya smirked. "Is that a spark of wit I sense there? Didn't know you had it in you, brat. In response to your question, let's see if you first learn the Rasengan. You have twelve days left. One more thing—nothing that happens during this mission can be told to your team or friends, or anyone for that matter. I'll officially list it as an S-rank mission now that we've encountered Itachi Uchiha, who is the most wanted criminal after Orochimaru."
"Wouldn't it be weird for a twelve-year-old to be on a S-rank mission?" Naruto mentioned with a frown.
"True. But I'm sure you've been in a lot of weirder stuff. You'll just tell your friends it was a long, B-rank escort mission that ended up taking more time than you expected. Well, I doubt that we'll see Itachi again after this. Let's see…this does ruin a lot of things I had planned, though."
"Like what?"
"I was planning to teach you how to draw a portion of the Kyuubi's chakra safely, but with the Akatsuki roaming around, it may not be the safest. The Nine-Tails chakra is like a shining beacon for anyone with a smidge of talent in sensing. I'd prefer to do that in Konoha, now."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Draw out chakra from the Kyuubi?"
"What do you think the other Jinchuuriki have been doing this whole time?"
"I know that's what they do. I got chakra from the Kyuubi once as well. In the Land of Waves, to be exact. But would the Nine-Tails willingly give me chakra?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "You'd be surprised, kid."
Oi, Nine-Tails, are you listening to me right now? Give some chakra, would you?
No response.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Naruto stated matter of factly. "Let's go find that Tsunade woman."
He was still shaken from the encounter with Itachi but knew that he needed to remain calm and focused. The Akatsuki member had told him to get stronger…and that if he didn't, only death was waiting for him. And whether or not he told that with good intentions, Naruto wasn't sure. But he was confident that getting stronger was necessary either way. The fight earlier was just a wake-up call, just like the fight with Kisame was.
There were people in the world that were leagues above him at the moment. It would normally have been fine considering his rather young age, but if you took in the fact that his life was in danger…age didn't matter.
It wasn't just strength that he needed. Right now there were just too many mysteries for him to unravel. What was the Akatsuki's goal? Who were all their members? Who were his parents? Why did he have the Nine-Tails sealed inside of him? What was Orochimaru doing? What was the team or Jinchuuriki that Fuu was talking about? And so many more.
Naruto needed more information.
Whew. I need to take it in steps, just like Iruka sensei said. Right now I need to learn the Rasengan and get Jiraiya's info. I also need to ask about his relationship with the Jinchuuriki team…they've made contact before if Fuu's words are accurate.
He took a step forward.
Towards the bleak future that was eagerly waiting for him.
[—-]
"I DID IT! I DID IT!" Naruto shouted with excitement.
Jiraiya was suddenly woken up from his slumber against a tree. "Did what?" He said slowly and with a noticeable slur. The Pervy Sage yawned before blinking his eyes multiple times in an effort to focus on the energetic boy.
Naruto grabbed another water balloon before walking forward. "Watch this."
He urged his chakra forward and willed it to spin. It was tough to do at first, with the chakra acting 'heavy' for lack of better terms. But once it began to rotate and gain some momentum, it was easy to get the ball rolling. The water began to spin around along with the chakra, causing the balloon to expand and contract wildly.
But that wouldn't have been enough. The next step was to add more rotating streams in different directions. If he only rotated the entirety of the water in one direction, the water balloon would just spin in his hand. It wouldn't get lumpy and unstable like the one Jiriaya had held. Slowly, Naruto commanded different parts of the chakra to move in other ways so as to purposefully add some chaotic elements to the technique.
Soon enough, the balloon burst, spitting out a stream of water that rotated in all directions.
[Ding!]
[Skill: Chakra Control has increased by a level.]
[Chakra Control is now Lvl 9]
[Ding!]
[Skill: Chakra Control has increased by a level.]
[Chakra Control is now Lvl 10]
[Ding!]
[Skill: Chakra Control is now Intermediate Chakra Control Lvl 1]
Hell yeah!
Jiraiya applauded for a moment, clearly impressed, but also annoyed by the water that now rested on his face. "Other than your lack of control when bursting it, you did it. I didn't expect you to complete it before a week, to be honest. I may have underestimated your control over chakra. What did you find out?"
Naruto nodded smugly, soaking in the praise. "Well, at first I was just trying to do what you said. But then I remembered what I saw. Your balloon was all lumpy and messy compared to mine. I realized that just spinning the water wouldn't be enough to pop a balloon like that—you needed to add some pressure on the balloon's walls."
"Hmm."
"So I added other strands of chakra that span in other ways and made them collide with each other. And eventually, the balloon popped due to the stress."
"Good, you have a decent grasp of the basics. Well, here," Jiraiya said, throwing him a rubber ball. "Pop this."
"Eh?"
"Pop the rubber ball."
"With just my chakra?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes." Jiraiya refused to offer any further explanation.
If he was being honest, he was slightly miffed with how fast Naruto was grasping the technique. He remembered his difficulties with learning the Rasengan, albeit he didn't have the very specific training course that Naruto did. Minato had simply shown him the technique as well as the process but hadn't gone deep into the specifics.
I might actually lose the bet…. Jiraiya thought with some apprehension. He waved the feeling away. Well, he only has a week and a day or two to complete the next two steps. That shouldn't be possible, right?
It was like he was tempting fate itself.
Naruto looked at the ball and poured his chakra through. As expected, there was a ton more resistance to the movement. Having been used to the water, which was a liquid that easily moved and reciprocated to the chakra he sent through it, he wasn't as successful with rubber. The chakra rotated with neither power nor speed.
This is gonna take a while…
[—]
Naruto tiredly moved towards the busy, bustling bar that Jiraiya had instructed him to find. His hands were aching from the constant, tight grip that he held on the rubber ball for hours. His mind was spinning from the tiring act of repeating the same exercise over and over again. He managed to make some progress, however, and the chakra seemed to be more amenable to his commands than before.
He entered the bar with a blooming headache that acted like vines that gripped tightly onto the tree of his mind, refusing to let go any time soon. All in all, he was in a bad mood.
Why did Jiraiya even bother with this bar? Where the hell is he, anyway? Naruto grumbled internally.
He took a seat at the corner, waiting for his sensei to arrive so that they could get some food.
I miss Ichiraku's…
As he reminisced about his hometown's cooking, even though he was only gone for a week now, Naruto didn't notice the presence of a woman right next to him.
A small, petite woman with shoulder-length black hair was tapping his shoulder worriedly.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"
She looked somewhat embarrassed. "Could you please leave that seat? My Lady sits there every day…and she would be angry if someone took her spot."
He couldn't believe his ears. Here he was, tired and broken from the constant failure from his earlier training, and some random woman was making him leave the seat that he had specifically chosen due to the fact that it was away from the bar's crowd.
"No."
"Oh, thanks. I was—wait, did you say no?!" The woman shrieked suddenly. She took a deep breath. "Listen, kid, the lady I'm talking about isn't a normal person. She's going to start an entire fight just for that seat—quite the sentimental person. It's not worth it."
Naruto crossed his arms. "No."
Sure, he was maybe acting stupid or rash. He could have just taken another seat preventing a fight, and wake up tomorrow bright and early for another training session. But he wasn't in the mood to leave. Naruto was sick of being pushed here and there by outside forces. There was Fuu, asking him to leave Konoha. There was the Akatsuki that had him running like a headless chicken. Now a random woman who he didn't know the name of was making him leave a goddamn seat of all things.
He was tired of it.
Observe.
[Observing…]
[Observation successful!]
Name: Shizune
Title: "The Medical Apprentice"
Occupation: Jonin of Konoha
Level: LV25
MP: 100/100
Chakra: 200/200
STR: 14
VIT: 15
DEX: 17
INT: 10
WIS: 6
LUK: 7
Reputation: N/A
She's a Jonin from Konoha?! Naruto thought with surprise. But she's only seven levels ahead of me. Kakashi did say that the Jonin process is somewhat different than becoming Chuunin. She probably has skill sets that aren't specialized in combat. Her title does say 'Medical Apprentice'. Or maybe the next seven levels are harder to obtain?
It felt like he was missing something.
It was almost as if the world was giving him all the clues to a conclusion, but the missing ingredient was just time. Time to absorb all the knowledge and find the truth. Right when Naruto's mind started to function properly and the gears began to spin, he felt another presence.
This time, it wasn't as gentle as Shizune's. No…it was larger. A mammoth of chakra that rustled inside a person's body alerted Naruto. The amount wasn't anything to be bragged about, but neither was it a small amount. The quality, however, was unparalleled. Naruto didn't have too much talent for sensing chakra, but even he could tell that there was something extraordinary about it. It felt familiar, but he wasn't sure how.
If he had thought for a bit longer he would have realized he had encountered a similar aura during his initial job quest.
A tall woman with blond hair and a youthful face made their way through the bar. She attracted eyes wherever she walked, due to both her beauty and confidence in the way she held herself.
For a second, Naruto couldn't say anything. Who the hell is she?
Observe!
[Observing…]
[Observation failed.]
Naruto said yes to the partial observation, but before he could check it…
"Oi, brat. Get out of my seat," the boisterous woman said loudly, pointing a finger at him and motioning with it for him to move. She didn't even spare him another glance, instead looking at the waiter. "Five bottles of sake!"
The brat in question tossed aside the system screen. Naruto felt another wave of anger surge through him. "I ain't moving, old lady."
He wasn't sure why he called her an old lady, but something was off about her. Even though she looked like she was in her twenties, her presence and the way she held herself gave off elderly vibes. Like those old women in his neighborhood who always complained about the state of the newest generation while sitting on their porches.
It seemed as if the comment hit her personally as her eyes immediately widened with anger. "What did you just say?"
Shizune's eyes were comically wide, though for completely different reasons. She looked around in worry at the bustling state of the bar they were in. "My Lady—"
"Old lady," Naruto corrected her. He didn't back down. He doubled down. "It makes sense she's having hearing issues…"
Naruto suddenly felt weightless.
The blonde woman had picked him up from the scruff of his jacket with two fingers, bringing him up to her height. "Be careful with your words, kid. Who are you?"
Despite the situation and the fact that he was being overpowered in a humiliating fashion, Naruto managed to grin. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! You're looking at the future Hokage here, dattebayo! So let me down before I make you!"
Tsunade froze. Where have I heard that name before? All this alcohol is fucking with my memory…and did he just say Hokage?
"Haha…HAHAHA!" Tsunade laughed loudly, still not letting go of her grip.
Naruto was even more pissed now. "What's so funny?"
"You…you think you're going to be Hokage? You weigh as much as a feather! Why would you want that useless job?"
For once, Naruto was completely flabbergasted.
"Useless?" He repeated, bristling. "How could you even say that? The Hokage sacrifices their everything just for the village! The Fourth lost his life defending Konoha…was his sacrifice useless?"
"I'll stand by what I said. What are you gonna do about it?" Tsunade questioned with a smirk. "Are you going to try and fight me?"
Shizune tried to interrupt. "Lady Ts—"
Naruto nodded vigorously. "Let's do it then! If I win then you have to take your words back!"
The ever-present smirk seemed to widen. "If I win, you quit your foolish Hokage dreams. I'll even add in this trinket of mine," Tsunade said, pointing at a necklace around her neck. "To make it fair for you, brat, I'll only use a finger. If you manage to land a hit on me within a minute, you win."
Shizune let out a gasp at the mention of the so-called trinket of hers. Why would she offer that up so freely?
Tsunade finally let Naruto down, who was now really curious as to how the woman in front of him could be so confident.
Just a finger? I get that I can't see her level, but the conditions she set should theoretically be in my favor, no?
He looked over at the system to see who exactly this woman was.
Name: Tsunade Senju
Title: "Princess of Konoha"
Occupation: Jonin of Konoha
Level: ?
MP: ?
Chakra: ?
STR: ?
VIT: ?
DEX: ?
INT: ?
WIS: ?
LUK: ?
Reputation: 30
His jaw dropped.
Fuck me…
-end-
yo!
My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters ahead (chapters 38, 39, 40) and support my endeavor to become an actual author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:
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Naruto can't help but find himself in the worst of positions, can he?
Question of the day: What's your opinion on Kaguya being the final villain in canon? I personally didn't enjoy it too much. I'm thinking of not touching the Otsutsuki business all together in this fic, but not completely sure yet.
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