For the purposes of this story, and I think i've said this or something similar before, any sort of scrawled text with chakra that does something is a seal. You can consider something like the Hiraishin to have the jutsu "sealed" into the formula and that's how it works. I know there's some contention about that but it makes it much easier to write.
Deep in the woods of the area once known as the Uchiha lands, a man and a teen seemed to materialize out of nowhere in the living room of a humble home. It was not a slow materialization, barely a build up of chakra heralded their arrival, before they just seemed to… exist.
Jiraiya had long since gotten used to the teleportation of the Hiraishin. Minato had used it with him enough times, after all. This time though, he stumbled coming out of it. He was caught off guard. Naruto was extremely intelligent, even if it often showed up in abnormal ways. The flying thunder god technique though, was something entirely different. The Second Hokage had needed a lifetime of experience and studying to create it. Minato, the prodigy amongst prodigies, spent years learning it, and a few more refining it. And now, Naruto could use it. One of three ever.
"That was…" Jiraiya trailed off.
"Yeah," Naruto said, a serene smile on his face. "Yeah it was."
"How did you… When did you?"
Naruto chuckled. "I don't think I knew it, but it started the first day you taught me about Fuinjutsu." Jiraiya's face showed curiosity, so Naruto continued. "It always piqued my interest. Let's say it was something I was born with." The inside joke about the nine-tails sealed within him, as well as his heritage, caused them to share a short laugh.
"Then, when you told me about my parents, well… it felt like the best way to connect with them. To feel what they felt. To learn and do what they did."
Jiraiya exhaled, nodding sagely. He was content to let Naruto speak and work through his thoughts.
"And the stories about the 3rd Great Ninja War, and the Hiraishin, well I started pouring over everything I could. And that was even before the Chunin exams, before everything went wrong." Naruto's face darkened.
"I realized I needed to get stronger, but no matter how strong I was, or how many jutsu I learned, somebody would always be stronger, somebody would always have a special jutsu, something unbeatable," he grinned. "So I thought, 'maybe I need to be the one with the unbeatable jutsu.' I figured out the sensing aspect of it just before I left. It's actually on that neat little armband you all got."
"Really?" Jiraiya said, turning his arm over, looking at the red band. The Uzumaki symbol didn't particularly look like a seal, but that didn't mean much. "Hmm. Well, you came around to it differently than your father, but you came around to it nonetheless." Jiraiya said, smiling. "The nine-tails just wasn't enough of a trump card for you, huh?"
Naruto snorted.
"Training with it hasn't been going well huh?" Jiraiya asked. They finally moved to sit down in the living room of Naruto's home. His clones had decorated it sparsely during his first day back, while he was out to dinner with his friends. It wasn't special, nor did it quite feel like a home. It was livable though, and for now, that was enough.
"That's an understatement. I thought I'd have it mastered by now," Naruto said. Jiraiya snorted at that. Naruto ignored him. "It's not really something that can be done with my clones though, besides general chakra control and meditating."
"You've already mastered more than any jinchuuriki the Leaf has ever had," Jiraiya said. Two clones of Naruto materialized with barely a movement of his fingers, running off to the kitchen. Jiraiya observed, but ignored it. "You're in unheralded territory. You should be proud."
Naruto sighed. "It's not enough though. It just isn't. I need to master all its chakra. Not just a third or a half."
"The Flying Thunder God is a good thing to have until you do though. Your father was, dare I say it, unbeatable with it."
Naruto shook his head, long blond hair flowing with the movement. "I don't have mastery of it yet. It's the hardest jutsu I've ever had to learn. Harder than using the Fox's chakra. I can't use it in battle yet, only for travel."
Jiraiya pondered this, a sagely look on his face. "I don't recall Minato complaining about this, but then again, I didn't know he was even working on it until he had it mastered. What's the roadblock?"
"It's quite a bit more than just some fuinjutsu and channeling chakra. First, I mentally have to be in two places at once, then I have to completely cease to exist in the place that I'm at. You have to be so calm to do that when your body is in danger. It's counter intuitive. I don't know how my dad did it to be honest," Naruto said, groaning over long healed scars. "And keeping track of all the tags and the sensory information is really hard to get down. I just don't think it was meant to be for me honestly. From what you've told me, things just naturally worked for my dad."
Jiraiya nodded, it made sense, all things considered. "Kid, nothing really has ever been easy for you, and I think the shadow clone jutsu might be the only thing that was ever truly made for you. Can't they help with the jutsu?"
Naruto shook his head again. "They can't do it yet. I think it's too hard on the nervous system, or maybe trying to cease to exist causes them to dispel. Either way they always pop before being able to teleport. That's why I worked so hard on the blink."
"The blink?" Jiraiya asked. A clone handed him a cup of tea, to which he nodded to it, gratefully.
"When my clone dispels. No chakra smoke is a bear to get down, but it makes it look like it's teleporting." As if to illustrate his point, the clones disappeared. Naruto was right though, they looked the same as the hiraishin as far as Jiraiya could tell. "I'm hoping it will cause enough confusion that they think it's teleported, and I can end the fight before they figure it out."
Naruto took a sip of his tea. It seemed Hiruzen didn't keep his training to jutsu, as Naruto's manners were impeccable. Not that Jiraiya would care, but it would be good to have in his back pocket.
"It's a sound idea," Jiraiya said. "Worst case scenario, you can get yourself and your teammates out of there if you're overwhelmed. Can you take more than one person?"
Naruto nodded. "Anything that my chakra or I touch can be teleported. I can even take a clone with me, it just can't go by itself."
"Objects?"
Naruto smiled. "Mhmm. Those aren't so complicated. I'm working on a little something. It's not ready to show off yet though."
Jiraiya grinned. Ever creative, the little brat was.
"So," Jiraiya said, after a few breaths. "You told me about hiraishin and the nine tails. How about you brief me on the rest of what you learned." Jiraiya looked at him, proud. He got irritated when he came to the headband though. "And tell me how the hell you got them to give you that headband."
Naruto cackled.
—
Neji Hyuga was training in the Hyuga private grounds. He was away from the prying eyes of… well nobody really. The entire village wasn't large enough to escape the strongest in his clan, but at least they were out of his immediate range.
It's not that he hated them, not anymore at least. Lee had opened his eyes. Born without the external use of chakra was more of a prison than the seal on Neji's forehead. Lee shouldered his burden with a much too loud joy.
Hinata too, had proved him wrong. He thought her weak, incapable of change. He didn't think she'd ever amount to anything. Wrong again. He struck a post with a calm fury, splintering it.
No, Neji wasn't out here for any reason other than the fact that he preferred to train in silence when he wasn't with his team. There was so little of it when he was, after all. Today, however, it wasn't meant to be.
A beacon of dense chakra entered his line of sight. Training like this, he could see about 50 meters in all directions. He could easily expand that much further, but he preferred to keep it smaller. It used less chakra and there was less sensory input for him to deal with. Besides, very few techniques could be launched from farther than that, and even if it was, he'd still have 50 meters of travel time to dodge it.
The chakra was warm. No, hot, even to a sense of sight. It was powerful, but much calmer than the last time he'd seen it. It was no longer agitated, buzzing around and begging to be set free. Instead, it flowed, like a river that raged below a calm surface, threatening to sweep you under if you just set foot in it.
The threat wasn't real though, not from this man. The only thing Naruto Uzumaki would likely give him were a few bruised muscles and perhaps a bruised ego too.
Neji completed the footwork of his maneuver, lashing out with palm strike like a viper, striking the wooden dummy in the chest. It shattered, nothing left but wood chips.
Naruto whistled. How had he gotten there? Neji had focused his chakra and mind on the dummy for an instant, and Naruto had gone from the edges of his periphery to right next to him. He hadn't seen it.
"Packing some punch there, Neji." Naruto said. He put his hand over his navel. "I can't even imagine what that would do to my organs."
"You would heal, I'm sure." Neji said. He used to be a stick in the mud. He still was, clearly, but there was less irritation in his tone.
"Well yeah, that doesn't mean it would feel good. It might even knock me out." Naruto said.
"Perhaps we could perform some tests?" Neji asked.
Naruto could swear that there was the faintest sign of a smirk on the Hyuga's face.
"Neji… was that… did you just make a joke?"
"Is Naruto Uzumaki tongue tied? I never thought I would see the day."
"Holy Shinobi, did you just make two jokes?" Naruto said. He was getting excited.
"I wouldn't expect someone with hair as light as yours to be able to comprehend that."
"…"
"…"
"Hahaha!" Naruto busted out laughing. "Your trash talk definitely needs some work but I love it! I am gonna have to kick your ass for it though."
"I would like to see you try," Neji said. "I'm glad you've returned to the village though. Most of my sparring partners can't keep up."
"Well if you're going at them like you do that doll, I can see why." Naruto held up both hands, crossing them. A clone materialized next to him and ran over to another wooden dummy. "Do you go through these things a lot?" He asked as the clone dragged it over.
"They are not as strong as I would like. I either destroy them or don't get proper training."
Neji saw Naruto nod. The clone laid down the wooden dummy, and Naruto made five more clones. They each laid both hands on it, moving them sporadically. Neji's Byakugan showed him that they were leaving small seals all over it. It wasn't Naruto's normal ink jutsu though, this was pure chakra, writing it into the wood as it was created. A much more efficient process. Quicker too.
In under a minute, they were done and the clones dispelled without a hint of smoke. Neji never should have doubted that Naruto would surprise him somehow. The real Naruto laid a hand on the chest of the dummy, a much larger seal inscribing. Neji didn't know much of the art, but this one seemed obvious enough. Naruto picked the wood target back up, letting it balance upright.
"Alright, try and splinter it," Naruto said. Neji flowed into a stance, graceful as ever. He gave it a medium strike. The wood barely moved. Minutes ago that had sheared off a decent sized chunk. Neji struck it harder. The dummy rocked, but didn't break. His eyes sharpened as he focused on it, going through the same maneuver as earlier. He lashed out again, striking it right over the seal pushing extra chakra into it. The dummy knocked over harshly, but didn't break. Neji was amazed.
Naruto frowned. "Hmm I didn't consider that the concrete wouldn't be enough to hold it up. I'll have to fix that. Now try focusing on the smaller seals," he said. A look of consternation wrinkled his brow.
Neji looked quizzically at him, but did as he was told. He focused on a smaller seal on the dummy's shoulder. He could see a faint glow. He narrowed his eyes some more. In the center of the seal, a little pin prick glowed. Almost like a…
"You've given it tenketsu? How?" Neji said, amazed.
"Ah it's a simple enough thing, once you know where to put them. It's not perfect, you have to charge it up by putting chakra into the larger seal first, then they output the chakra just like a real tenketsu would. You probably charged it enough for a day if I had to guess, it's pretty light on usage." Naruto grinned. "That's not even the best part though…"
"The pause for dramatic effect is wasted on me, Naruto." Neji said, pointedly not changing his facial expression.
"A dramatic pause is never wasted!" Naruto declared, finger in the fair. "But go ahead and try and close one of the tenketsu off."
Neji did as he was asked, using a two finger strike on the same shoulder tenketsu. The seal flashed red, before turning back to black. Most importantly, the chakra it was emitting was cut off.
"It actually shut off," Neji said.
"Wellll, it's not quite the same, but I figured it would be good training. The target of the seal and the chakra emission can be made larger too, ya know, for training newer members," Naruto said. "Tell Hiashi I can make as many as needed, free of charge of course. A gift from the Uzumaki." Naruto bowed in what Neji could only describe as perfect form. It looked odd, knowing him as he did.
"Wait, I came here to meet with him actually, so I'll just tell him myself!" Naruto smiled dumbly. There was the blond that Neji knew.
Neji smiled, and returned the bow, as was only proper. "That's very kind of you, Naruto-san." He stiffened his posture back to straight, gracefully. "Are you here to ask of Hinata? She is away on a mission."
Naruto smiled. "Nah I know she is, Granny Tsunade told me—" Neji's face frowned at the flippant mention of the village's leader. Naruto's smile got wider. "Actually if you could tell me where she was headed that would be a big help."
"Her mission is classified, I could not reveal to you its details, even if I knew of them." Neji said.
Naruto nodded, politely enough, before beginning to turn towards the main part of the compound. "Well I gotta get going Neji, lots of people to catch up with. Spar soon though huh!? I might even let you win!"
Neji smiled as Naruto turned to leap away. "Hinata did pack a coat though, Naruto. Odd that she'd do that when it's so warm in the land of fire right now, don't you think? Perhaps she was feeling under the weather. You'll have to get her some ramen when she gets back, and then, perhaps we can spar."
Naruto smiled with his back turned. Neji was always a good one, he just had to have the stick up his butt removed before he could act like it. Naruto turned his head. "Thanks, Neji. And congrats again on being the first to make it to Jonin." He winked, and leapt away.
—
Shikamaru Nara laid under a tree, shade doing just enough to protect him from the heat of the sun. Not that he wouldn't lay in it regardless. Shadows were like home to a Nara.
He opened his eyes, lazily dragging them across the clouds. So peaceful, it was. He could lay there forever. He blinked again, his eyes staying shut for a count, or ten. Who knew. Who cared.
When he opened them again, the peaceful feeling was over. It was replaced by a sense of foreboding and a person laying next to him. In the shadow, he could use his chakra to feel them out. He groaned inwardly. His peace could never last. Always the blonds. He shut his eyes, keeping them closed. His count made it to thirty.
"You know I can tell you're awake, Shika," Naruto said.
Shikamaru took a few slow breaths, content to take his time. There were no threats beyond the one on his peace of mind. "Your patience has improved. Half a minute has to be a new personal best for you."
"Heh, I figured I'd watch the clouds with you for a minute. There aren't any missions for me at the moment, so I'm just running errands until there is," Naruto said. His arms were crossed behind his head, one ankle over the other. "I can see why you like this though. It's so peaceful."
"I wish I were a cloud," Shikamaru said. Naruto chuckled. Shikamaru ignored him. "They don't have a schedule, they don't have to plan, they don't have to worry about upsetting anybody, they just drift wherever the wind takes them."
"Don't tell me there's trouble in paradise," Naruto said. He was grinning ear to ear.
"I have to run the next chunin exams, in conjunction with the sand. So troublesome."
Naruto broke into laughter.
"Sure," Shikamaru said. "Make fun of my plight."
"I can't think of a job that you'd be better suited for."
Shikamaru inhaled, about to speak.
"Being a cloud isn't a job, Shika," Naruto said.
Shikamaru smirked. "If it was though, I'd be the best at it."
"I don't know, I think your old man might have something to say about that," Naruto said. He pointed to another tree on the other side of the yard, where Shikaku was apparently taking a nap.
"Tch, he doesn't even know the best spot in the yard to take a nap." Shikamaru looked genuinely slighted.
A force unseen pushed on Shikamaru, rolling him gently away from Naruto.
"No," Shikaku called, not bothering to open his eyes. His shadow retracted back to his body. "My lazy son just happened to take the good spot before I could get there."
"You snooze, you lose," Shikamaru drawled, standing up and brushing himself up.
"Quite proactive of you. I think Naruto might be right," He peeked an eye open at Naruto, who was also standing now. For some reason Naruto knew that small movement was Shikaku's way of welcoming him back. "I'd be a much better cloud. You work far too hard at being lazy. I'm a natural."
Naruto laughed as Shikamaru grumbled.
"Well," Naruto said before either of the Nara could doze off again. "I came here to speak with Shikaku, but we might as well play a game of shogi now that you're up, right Shika?"
"Yeah yeah, might as well. I haven't had a good game in a while. You gotten any better?"
"Uh uh uh, the first rule of playing is not to give anything away unnecessarily," Naruto said.
"You realize just by saying that you're revealing that you've improved."
"Or did I just learn that one line to throw you off, making you think I've improved when I really haven't?"
"... How would that help you?" Shikamaru said.
"Because you wouldn't think I was better than I am, therefore throwing you off."
"But I would try harder then, and you wouldn't be as good." Shikamaru said, face flat.
"Exactly," Naruto said, a smile on his face.
Shikamaru stared him dead in the eye, but the blond didn't flinch.
"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered, turning to lead him onto the deck where the nearest board lay.
As Naruto moved to follow him, a shadow clone peeled off him, hanging back to speak with the Nara clan head.
"Nifty trick ya got there," Shikaku said.
"My sensei's a nifty guy," Naruto said, well aware that any time one talked to Shikaku, the entire conversation would be a verbal spar. The half lidded eyes wouldn't fool him, Shikaku was always testing everybody, even those he considered friends.
"The shadow clone is an excellent technique," Shikaku said. "Fitting that its best user is friends with the Nara clan."
"Shinobi have always operated within the shadows, but it's better to use them than to get lost in them. They're a valuable resource."
Shikaku's eyes narrowed minutely. "One you've learned to harness, I suspect?"
Naruto nodded. "Amongst many resources."
Shikaku's eyes scanned over him, taking in his outfit, his hair, his eyes. Naruto knew both from experience that just because Shikaku and the Nara were friends didn't mean he wouldn't face the jonin's scrutiny. Naruto kept himself perfectly balanced between open and closed. Not hiding anything, but not giving anything away either.
After several seconds, the scared jonin's face softened. He nodded firmly.
"Good. A shinobi's life is hard. You'll need it in the battles to come."
Naruto bowed to him, "I intend to use every tool at my disposal. Anything less would be an insult to my name."
"It's a good name," Shikaku said. "One the village will know soon enough."
"Sarutobi-sensei says it's about time."
"No," Shikaku said, a touch of sadness in his otherwise even voice. "It's long overdue."
They exchanged a few more words, before Naruto's shadow clone disappeared.
Half an hour later, his clone playing shogi would also disappear.
In fact, a clone, or two, would disappear from all of the major and minor clans in the village. When the heirs of said clans would talk later, they would come to find that it seemed Naruto had visited all of their parents, having similar conversations. All at the same time.