Chapter 6: The Godmother
Enjoy the Fic
It was a bright and fresh morning, the village hidden in the leaves wasn't entirely awake. The Shinobi population was already up, they were either reporting in the Hokage office for missions or reaching out to their assigned jobs. The civilian population however wasn't awake, they were relishing in the sense of security that the Shinobi system of the village instilled.
Konoha was in a peaceful state compared to other villages at time. Kirigakure was caught in a civil war, Kumogakure had a recent change of Kage after the Hyuga incident, Iwagakure has recovered recently from the destruction of the last war and Sunagakure had several incident of their jinchurikki attacking civilians and shinobis alike.
Two individuals could be seen walking toward their designated checkpoint through an empty path of the village, the gate guard duty was normally reserved for chunins only. Izumo and Kotetsu were such two chunins of the village, they were also known as 'Eternal gate guards' by their friends and villagers. For, their duty was set on the gates throughout the year somehow.
"It's quite boring here, nothing really happens around, don't you agree?" yawned Kotetsu as they reached to their destination.
Kotetsu had long, spiky black hair and dark eyes. He had a strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose and a light-coloured marking on his chin. He wore the standard attire of a Konoha shinobi complete with a Hitaiate and a flak jacket. He always carried a pair of bladed weapon strapped to his back.
"Shut up! We have to do our job correctly, lazy ass" Kotetsu was scolded by his friend and partner, Izumo.
Izumo had brown hair and dark eyes. His hair was combed down that covered his right eye. He wore his Hitaiate like a bandanna along with the standard Konoha shinobi outfit which goes all the way up to his chin, complete with a flak jacket.
Kotetsu was a lazy and chilled guy, he was more of a lax person than his partner. Izumo, on the other hand, was the forthright one of the two. He was strict and serious regarding his duties. The duo can always be seen together, they can easily pass for un-similar twins; Their looks didn't matched but you wouldn't see one without the other.
As they settled down in the guarding booth, their eyes followed the familiar path leading out of the village. Lush green forest ran parallel to the road that made it look more beautiful in morning, the golden rays of sun shone bright across the path.
In no time, a group of six people...or more like silhouettes of six people could be seen walking on the path, their destination being Konoha.
The return trip to their home village was uneventful for Team 7, they had to travel through civilian pace as Haku was still recovering from her wounds. Yet, the excitement to return to their home wasn't diminished by that, adversely the slow pace had made it more difficult for them to hold their patience.
The prime worry of the blonde jinchurikki was that of Anko, although he had informed his surrogate sister about his mission. That mission should have been completed a week ago, it was still surprising that the woman didn't opted to travel to Nami herself. Naruto's wait was not for long as they were on the outskirts of the village.
"Huh, Kakashi-Senpai has returned with his team, it took them a week longer than expected." Kotetsu commented filling the basic information when a team returns from a mission in advance.
"I think, his team has inherited the habit of being unique and late from him" He added as he filled their name, the only thing left for Kakashi to do was to sign on the page with date and time.
"There's someone else travelling with them, who is it?" asked Izumo narrowing his eyes to clear his vision.
"How can I perceive that far, idiot? I have the same human eyes as you do." Kotetsu retorted. "It still surprises me that a dumbass like you acquired the rank of a Chunin." He added.
"Yeah..Yeah, no need to be rude" grumbled Izumo
When the convoy of Team 7 and their two companions arrived at the the gates, it would be correct to say that the two chunins were flabbergasted to their core. Out of all the things, they may have never foreseen that a rookie team would bring one of the A-ranked nukenin from Kiri, much less the Demon of the bloody mist.
Kakashi smiled at the chunins' shocked expression before signing on the necessary papers for their return, and an additional one for bringing a foreign ninja to the village.
"These two are with me" Kakashi voiced handing the papers back to duo.
"Hai" Izumo responded coming out of his stupor, he verified the papers with a gulp and filed them in.
The convoy followed Kakashi lead, Zabuza flashed a feral grin to the two chunins before moving on.
"An A-Ranked nukenin, that's..." Kotetsu said in a tone unfamiliar to Izumo.
"You don't even know the whole truth, look here..." Izumo handed the verified copies to Kotesu.
"That's... He's... I can't believe this. Kakashi senpai is truly an unique character" Kotetsu stated eyeing the reason for Zabuza's presence.
"That he is, well... It's not like this won't be beneficial for our village" Izumo agreed before continuing on his guard duty with a shook of his head.
Meanwhile, the convoy was traveling toward the Hokage tower. The roads were still empty, it was expected in the early hours of the day. Though, Zabuza hasn't travelled to the leaf Village untill now, Kiri and Konoha weren't on the friendly term from the beginning. While Konoha supported it's sister village Uzshiogakure, Kiri had a strained relation with the island-country.
The demolition of Uzushio, as it was termed, was mainly planned by Tsuchikage and Third Raikage. Yet, it was impossible to invade the coastal villages without Kiri's consent. Thus, Kiri parted with Kumo and Iwa to destroy the village, this strained or more likely discouraged Konoha from forming a pact with the Water country.
Eventually, the convoy walked up to the Hokage tower. Kakashi set an appointment with the Kage, and after a short delay they were able to meet with the village leader. Soon as Zabuza entered the office four Anbu appeared seemingly out of thin air, four tantos were trained on him, even a slight movement and the games end.
Hiruzen followed the movements and his vision fell upon the Kiri Nin, a short flicker of surprise on his face before it became emotionless as usual. He looked at the other members of Team 7 before he faced Kakashi.
"It took you longer than expected, must I assume you ran into unexpected hurdles?" Hiruzen asked glancing toward Zabuza and his companion.
"The information provided by our clients was faux, Hokage-sama. The bridge builder lied to us regarding the dangers associated with the mission, it was easily an A-Ranked mission" clarified Kakashi.
"I thought so, his behaviour was betraying his demeanor and the story" stated Hiruzen after a little contemplation. "Why have you presented yourself to our village, Momochi Zabuza?" He asked meeting the other nins eye.
"Hokage-sama" Zabuza bowed and Haku followed him. "I was presented an offer to join the leaf village by Hatake Kakashi, it was not for my person but for my companion that I chose to accept his offer." He replied signalling toward Haku, who stiffened as the Old leader's gaze followed Zabuza's gesture.
Hiruzen nodded, but arched an eyebrow toward Kakashi, who sighed unnoticeably before explaining himself.
"I was sought by Naruto, who wanted to offer Zabuza and his companion, Haku, a chance to join our village." Kakashi begun. "As Haku here carries a bloodline from an near extinct clan, I thought it would be better to try." Kakashi explained.
Hiruzen nodded and signalled the four Anbu following the convoy, due to Zabuza's presence, to leave. The Anbu squad was following them untill now, they had noted the appearance of an A-ranked foreign missing shinobi, and followed him as an ordeal and precaution.
"I grant you a C-rank mission for two weeks, not only it extends to an A-rank Assassination mission that you successfully execute, but you also pursues an A-ranked shinobi to join our village. You sure are full of surprises, Naruto-kun" complimented Hiruzen with a smile.
Naruto smiled back innocently and rubbed the back of his head, one of the gesture he shared with his father. Kakashi noticed the movement and smiled behind his mask. Though Naruto wasn't a copy of his father except his looks, he did inherited some of Yondaime Hokage's behaviour, unknowingly so.
"And who might the little girl be? Is she your daughter, Zabuza?" Hiruzen asked redirecting his attention to the duo.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. I've adopted her in Kirigakure and from then on she's with me" explained Zabuza.
Haku was more than a little surprised by Zabuza's open approval of her as a daughter, It didn't helped that Zabuza was intentionally avoiding eye contact. Zabuza wasn't the like to form bonds or accept responsibilities that easily, thus the acceptance was more than what it seemed.
"Well, I must say that it's a long stretch to give you asylum, Zabuza. The relations between Kiri and Konoha is already strained, and on top of that you're one of the rogue Swordsmen." Hiruzen stated standing up. "Yet, you also possess the skills that my village could benefit from explicitly" He pondered for a moment before sighing lightly.
"The pro outweighs the con heavily though, Konoha welcomes you into it's shinobi ranks, Momochi Zabuza" Hiruzen decided with a tired smile.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will protect the village with my life...and I am happy to be a part of it's system" Zabuza bowed down.
"Haku isn't a nukenin, and she doesn't have a entry in Bingo book either, this makes things easier." Hiruzen begun taking his seat behind the desk. "Fifteen days of probation then she is allowed to join any department she desires. And...as for you, Zabuza: You have to complete two years of probation as we want to confirm your loyalties. Till then, you will not do missions higher than C- ranked out of the bounds of the village" Hiruzen clarified the terms for recruitment.
Zabuza and Haku nodded as a sign of approval, the terms were rather lax and comfortable. They would get respite from the constant pressure of hunter shinobis trying to poach them, a normal life was an additional benefit.
"You're dismissed, I want your presence in my office, six in the evening." Hiruzen ordered the ex-Kiri nin.
"Now for Team 7... I want two mission reports from on my desk tomorrow morning. Kakashi and Naruto, don't be late" Hiruzen demanded.
Kakashi and Naruto stiffened at the sudden stern voice of their leader before bowing deeply, accepting his order readily. Team 7, excluding Naruto, left the room with Zabuza and Haku. He took a seat on the sofa on the other side of the room silently. It had been a habit of him since he started training with Hiruzen, he would sit on the sofa silently for Hiruzen to notice him if he had any queries.
For the next Half an hour the scribbling of pen on paper was the only sound emitted in the room. Naruto wasn't as ignorant as others thought him to be, he was observant, and that trait was beaten into him by Hiruzen. His monkey-like active mind wasn't easy to conquer or subdue, yet years of meditation and discipline has taught him to be better off his own brash thoughts.
His sensei finally acknowledged his presence, he placed his pen back in its stand and focused his attention toward his blonde student.
"Do you have something to discuss? Did something happened on your mission?" Hiruzen passed one question after another.
"I wouldn't say this mission was as pleasant as I predicted it to be.." Naruto begun as Hiruzen stood up from his seat and walked toward his student. "...there were some nasty instances. I had to kill and that wasn't fun, I can still feel the blood on my hands" Naruto accepted, his eyes trained on the ground.
"It's never easy for a human to kill another, shinobi or not. The text and the movies on us glorifies our role, but the reality is often frightening and cruel, killing is one of those aspects" Hiruzen entailed as he took a seat beside the blonde.
"I am relieved that killing someone, even for the sake of your mission and Village unnerves you. It shows that you're not a cold blooded murder, and it shall remain as such" Hiruzen placed a hand on the small boys head and ruffled his hairs.
Naruto nodded absently, his mind replaying the emotionless face his Uchiha teammates had while he killed. Did Sasuke not felt guilty while he killed those thugs? Was he that much engrossed into revenge that killing someone wasn't that repulsive to him? Naruto didn't knew, yet he strived to find.
His mind whirled and the memory of his meeting with the red-eyed traitor resurfaced.
"I totally forgot, but someone chose to reveal themselves to me, sensei. He also passed a message for you " informed Naruto with a bit perplexity.
"Oh... and who was it, Naruto? What message did he delivered to you?" asked Hiruzen looking up attentively after he signalled his anbu guards to leave the office for privacy.
"Itachi Uchiha came to meet me, sensei. He requested me to inform you that 'the snake is conspiring something against leaf and you should bring back the slug'" Naruto recounted.
Hiruzen eye widened for a moment, but he restricted his face from showing more of his emotions.
"You won't tell anyone else about this, Naruto, this is a secret between us. No one should ever get to know, do you understand me?" Hiruzen asked Naruto who nodded positively. It all seemed confusing for Naruto, nothing was making sense but he had to follow the order of his sensei.
"You may now leave Naruto, you've given me something important to ponder upon" Hiruzen instructed Naruto with a wave of his hand.
He stood up, bowed and left the room obediently. Soon as Naruto left his office Hiruzen formed a hand seal and four Anbu appeared kneeling infront of him.
"Bring me Jiraiya and Uchiha Shishui, one should be in hot spring while the other would be in his clan compound" the Anbu nodded and vanished in shushin.
Past ten or so minutes, there was a knock on chamber's door and its window opened itself.
"Enter" came the short reply of Hokage.
Shishui entered office through the door while Jiraiya perched himself on the window. Hiruzen signalled his anbu to leave the office and ordered Jiraiya to erect a privacy seal inside the office.
"Have you got any spies on Orochimaru, Jiraiya?" asked Hiruzen rubbing his chin.
"Yeah, I have two spies reporting his every movement to me, Sensei" answered Jiraiya sincerely.
"Have they reported fishy activities, such information should be shared with me?" inquired Hiruzen sternly, any information related to the snake sannin was crucial at this point.
"No, they haven't reported such incidents, Sensei. Why are you asking such questions? Have you got any information on him, sensei? Is there something we should be concerned about?" asked Jiraiya a little concerned at this point.
"Well...Yes, I have got some disturbing news regarding him, as for your spies Jiraiya, recheck if they're still alive or not." Hiruzen pointed to his old student.
"So, a spy of mine has reported in tabulated words that Orochimaru is scheming against us. He also advised me to bring back your other teammate back to the village." explained Hiruzen.
Jiraiya was the first one to speak after the shocking reveal by Hiruzen "Scheming? Orochimaru isn't a fool, no matter how arrogant he is, he will not dare to attempt something openly"
Hiruzen shook his head in understanding. "I concede with you, and coincidentally, Konoha is hosting Chunin exams this time after 7 years"
"Do you mean Orochimaru is conspiring to infiltrate the village during Chunin exams?" Shishui spoke up for the first time.
"This also arise the question that How did your spy accumulated such information, and advised we should bring Tsunade back to the village? Hokage sama" Shishui continued.
"Yeah, Is it safe to trust him? Is he reliable enough?" Jiraiya added.
"He is as reliable as you, Jiraiya. He didn't betray the village even over his own clan. These news was delivered by Itachi Uchiha to one Uzumaki Naruto" stated Hiruzen.
The eyebrow of the other two occupants hid into their hairlines, they re-adjusted their expression and Shishui voiced his opinion "So, Itachi has chosen to reveal himself to Uzumaki-san. Is there anything else that I need to know about, Hokage-sama?"
"Let me first clear this topic then we shall move on to you. So...Jiraiya, I want you to go and search for Tsunade, also try to persuade her to return to the village. With Orochimaru conspiring something against us, her presence in the village could certainly discourage him. He wouldn't dare to enter the village in yours and Tsunade's watch" vocalised Hiruzen.
"You know she will refuse, sensei. She had taken up an oath to never return to this village. Even if I try to persuade her, she will never agree to return here. You know how inveterate she can be" Jiraiya argued sadly.
Jiraiya was the only one of the Sannins still loyal to the village. Orochimaru had betrayed the village, while Tsunade had retired as a shinobi and left the village. Tsunade had left the village at the end of Second shinobi war, after the demise of her lover Dan and her brother Nawaki. Also, she couldn't carry out the duties of a ninja anymore, since, she was scared of blood and had lost faith in the whole shinobi system.
While in regards to Orochimaru, He left Konoha just after Minato became the Hokage. He was pissed that Hiruzen chose Minato over him, and became less discrete with his experiments.
Hiruzen found about his nefarious action as a result and caught him red-handed while stealing some kinjutsu scrolls from the library of Second Hokage. Hiruzen was unable to kill his beloved student, but did chase him out of the Village. Orochimaru became a nukenin and swore revenge on the village hidden in the Leaf.
Orochimaru was a monster disguised as a human, he was said to be an unmatched prodigy of his era. Given his ability, he was adapt at using every element, was a snake summoner and has learned many kinjutsu from the library of the second Hokage. He had also created Hebi-style Taijutsu and stole many kinjutsus from the scroll of sealings before his desertion of the village.
After traveling around the elemental nation and conducting different type of experiments on others and himself, he shall be as strong as Hiruzen now.
"I know she may have never accept the proposal to return, that is only if you went alone to persuade her. I have selected an another shinobi to accompany you." Hiruzen accepted yet his form of speech signalled that he wasn't done. "It's time, Jiraiya, that we tell Naruto who his godmother is, he would be able to make her return to the village, don't you think?" Hiruzen grinned wholeheartedly.
"Why didn't I thought of that before? She would surely accept to return to the village if Naruto persuades her" beamed Jiraiya enthusiastically.
"Additionally, in regards to Chunin exams, You have to also train him. I will be busy in preparation of the exams, and these new turns uplift my work by recognisable level." Hiruzen instructed rubbing his chin. "Naruto and you would leave for the mission tomorrow, you've a month time to track her down and make her return to the village"
"You should be able to locate him in no time, inform him about Tsunade and this mission" ordered Hiruzen, Jiraiya nodded and jumped out of the window in the search of his blonde godson.
"As for you, Shishui, I want you increase the training of Uchiha Sasuke. Orochimaru was always interested in Sharingan eyes, he would surely try to capture or use Sasuke for his gain" said Hiruzen.
"I will do that, Hokage-sama" Shishui accepted thoughtfully.
"Also, I want you presence in Council chamber past half an hour, I am going to call a shinobi council meeting to discuss the detail of our strategy against my ex-student" Hiruzen instructed and signalled him to dismiss.
Hiruzen formed a hand seal soon as Shishui left the office, three anbu guards appeared infront of him.
"Bring me Hatake Kakashi" He ordered one of them with lizard mask.
"I want Council hall opened and cleaned in half an hour" the man with goat mask stiffened but followed his old leaders' orders.
"Inform every shinobi above Elite chunin and clan heads to gather into Council hall" ordered Hiruzen to the last Anbu with bull mask.
Past 10 minute Kakashi entered his office, surprisingly the laid back Jonin was at time. The appearance of Anbu after a brief description of their mission did arose several alarms in the white haired man's mind, did he wronged someone? Was his team's performance bad, at least from where he saw it that shouldn't be it.
His suspicion morphed into sense of dread soon as he exited his apartment after a quick shower. Anbu, Jonins and Tokbetsu Jonins were rushing toward the Hokage tower discreetly, normal civilians, tourist and even spies from other village wouldn't notice it. What they would see is a number of Shinobi getting holiday for a day, as the population was gathered around several vantage point of the whole village. However, unknown to unwanted, those places had secret gateways to the infamous Council hall that hasn't been used in last Fifteen years.
That means only one thing, Conflict or all out war. The later one was unexpected, and not possible, the other villages weren't stable enough to declare one. And, Konoha doesn't declare war, if it's not targeted initially without provocation. So, a conflict of rather unavoidable proportion.
He entered the Hokage chamber, the village leader was seated behind his desk rubbing his forehead.
"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi prompted.
Hiruzen signalled Kakashi to take a seat on the opposite and briefed him about Naruto's journey. The news that Jiraiya had taken up to train him up for upcoming Chunin exam, and Shishui had taken up the training of Sasuke for the month due to the same reasons as Jiraiya.
Kakashi knew there was something behind it, the old man was a tactical master if nothing.
Kakashi was instructed by Hiruzen to focus his attention on his third student, she needed the most training of the three. Though, she had developed by leaps and bounds under Kakashi's guidance, still Chunin exams were no pushover, a lot of genins tend to die in these exams.
"Also, Kakashi be present in the Council Hall in fifteen minutes" Hiruzen ordered, the dismissal was clear.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
The council hall brought painful memories for a number of Shinobis gathered into it. The hall was oval structured, 17.5 m wide and 20 m long and with a height of 30 ft, three circular floor descending in size from top to bottom. The hall was built on the order of Tobirama Senju during the Second Great Shinobi war for war council, the hall has seen both second and third shinobi war.
Thousands of Anbu stood on the top floor, white masks with painted animal initials on them reflected light making them shine brighter. Beneath them, on the middle floor, stood Jonins and Tokbetsu Jonins exceeding the population of Anbu personals. Their black undershirts hidden by high colored green vests, their face set in emotionless mask, atleast for most of them. Mitarashi Anko, Sarutobi Asuma and Uchiha Izumi being the exception.
Anko's ever-present goofy smile was on her face, Asuma was leaned against the wall with a bored expression and Uchiha Izumi was eyeing Maito Guy with a scowl on her face.
The clan heads were on the ground floor forming a circle around the podium, that was reserved for Hokage or the Jonin commander.
The gates opened silently, The Professor as he was called, walked into the hall with a grace that suited him. His personal guards trailing behind him at a short distance, shinobi present in the hall bowed uniformly as their leader took his place on the podium.
"My comrades..." Hiruzen begun. "... it's by grave news that I assembled you all in this very chamber. I admit I never ever wanted to enter the gates of this accursed war room, war is never a way to prosperity and happiness. It only causes destruction and pain, yet some individuals don't accept peace..."
And the session went on. The invasion wasn't yet confirmed, thus Hiruzen could only prepare the village if a conflicts break out. Also the chunins and Jonins response for overview of Chunin exams were instructed to pay special attention to the team from sound, or any other suspicious team. The clan heads were instructed to open their secret hideouts for furnishing, if need arises they shall be prepared.
Shinobis were discouraged from taking long term or solo missions to better protect the knowledge.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
It took Jiraiya a whole day to track down Naruto, he was training Konohamaru basic taijutsu stances and guards in the forest behind the Hokage mountain.
It was difficult for Jiraiya to explain Naruto about his godmother, he was constantly interrupting with questions. Naruto had became closer to Jiraiya in past few years, Jiraiya had taken care of his needs from that eventful day he was kicked out of the orphanage. Every expense regarding Naruto was taken up from Jiraiya's account, Jiraiya was like a grandfather to Naruto.
"So, you're telling me that I have a godmother, and she is a gambler." Naruto asked in a deadpan voice. Jiraiya shook his head in yes.
"Why did I get idiots as my godparents? What were my parents thinking while naming you too my Godparents." Naruto whined rubbing his forehead, same as his sensei.
"My godfather is a perverted hermit while my godmother is a gambler princess" Naruto sighed.
"Hey! watch your mouth, brat. Don't utter nonsense about me as if I'm not present here, I am a super pervert not a normal one" He boasted with a flashy pose.
"That doesn't change anything, 'ttebayo" Naruto said shaking his head.
"Now jokes apart, we will on the move from tomorrow to find her. We have got a month, she was last seen in a village near lighting country border, we will start from there" Jiraiya stated.
"Will you teach me some ninjutsus, Ero-Oji?" demanded Naruto raising an eyebrow.
"We are going to focus more on your fuinjutsu, you will also try to harness Fox's Chakra. If we get more time I will teach you one of the top Jutsu in my arsenal, and stop calling me by that name brat" Jiraiya yelled at the boy who was already on the roofs, jumping toward his house.
Naruto was salivating at the prospect of learning new jutsus from Jiraiya, it was no surprise that Naruto was a sucker for jutsus.
Naruto's jutsu arsenal had increased as he had been learning new ninjutsus from the scrolls given to him by Hiruzen. He had been trying to develop his own jutsu for quite sometime now, and was nearing to complete one.
The next morning Naruto and Jiraiya left the Leaf village in the search of one of the legendary sannin and world's best medic.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Meanwhile in Konoha, Sakura was walking to her team's training ground at eight in the morning. She had been called by her sensei to inform her that she would be training under him singularly from now on until Naruto and Sasuke returns. It was surprising to her that her teammates needed more training, they were already powerful in her eyes. What with them using elemental jutsu and weapons in near-perfect conjugation, not to add Naruto's summoning techniques or Sasuke's Sharingan.
With such thoughts, she entered the training ground to see three people present there. Zabuza, Kakashi and Haku were waiting for her, she quickened her pace and halted beside Haku passing a smile to the brunette who returned it wholeheartedly.
"I assume the your leave for relaxation was uninterrupted, Sakura" Kakashi gave his iconic eye smile.
"Yes sensei, I was able to fully relax in these two days" Sakura smiled back.
"Good, because from today on you will be training with me and Zabuza-san here. Concerning the upcoming Chunin exams, I have took up the responsibility to train you" stated Kakashi.
Sakura straightened at his declaration, she was feeling elated to be trained not only by Kakashi but also Zabuza. She has to catch up to the level of her teammates, and this month of dual training would be beneficial for her. No matter how tiring and bone-breaking it would be, she shivered at that thought and pushed it down quickly.
"I see up to it, sensei" Sakura replied politely. "It would be honour to be trained by you and Zabuza-san" She nodded respectfully toward Zabuza.
"Hah! Think nothing of it, Gaki." Zabuza waved it off softly. "You and Haku would train together, and the Copy-Monkey has a gift for you here" He added inclining his head toward the masked Jonin.
Kakashi with a lazy look toward the other nin revealed out a scroll from his waist, a readymade medium sized scroll reconfirmed by its printing. Kakashi opened it and laid it on the ground, he put two of his five fingers at the top of it and channelled some chakra in it.
~Pooof~
~Claanng~
In a poof of smoke a huge sword sprouted out of the scroll, a heavy single-edged sword. 95 cm long and 30 cm wide cleaver-like blade attached to a 25 cm long handle.
The sword didn't looked light or easy to handle, and only a person with a good amount of strength shall be able to wield it efficiently.
The blade was black in colour with silver edges, and the handle was made up of same metal as the blade. It was wrapped up in blue leather stripes upto its hilt. Kakashi also brought out a brown leather cover for the sword that can be tied on the wielder's back.
"Wow! That's what I was looking for, I couldn't find it later when I went in the shop to buy it." She recounted with stars in her eyes "Is it really for me, Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked dreamily and grabbed the offered sword, she was unable to pick it up at first attempt. At her second attempt, She infused a reasonable amount of chakra in her hands and tried to pick up the sword again. With much effort and struggle, she was able to do it.
She swinged it a little as a trial, the sword accepted the swing yet the drift was evident, the need to increase her chakra reserve was clear now. As sahe had to constantly infuse chakra in her limbs to use the sword, and that would require a lot of chakra.
"You are to follow the training routine I will provide you, it is divided into three separate sessions for a single day." Kakashi stated pulling out a scroll and handed it to her.
"First, you will learn about medical herbs, potion and composition of them that could be used as medicines with the help of the scroll you'll receive, Haku will be your training partner. That's your morning session from six to eight." Kakashi bestowed six small scrolls to her which she ducked into the sealing tattoo on her wrist. "Moving on, you will have a training session with me in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, both elemental and non elemental, more later than formal however. Be present in this ground from 11 to 2 in afternoon" Kakashi continued. "And Lastly, you will practice kenjutsu with Zabuza and Haku from 4 to 6 in evening in this very ground. Do you understand?" asked Kakashi.
Sakura answered with a "Hai sensei". As expected, her training regime was tiresome and will-shattering, yet she knew better than refuse this opportunity. A month worth of training with an Elite jonin, possibly Kage-level Shinobi, and one of the seven Swordsmen. It was dream come true for many of the Chunins and even Jonins in the village. It was necessary for her to train harder than before so that she could fight alongside her teammates without becoming a burden.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Two weeks have passed, Naruto and Jiraiya were still on the road in quest of the latter's teammate. At last they had some advances on her trail, the fiery blonde had been seen in one of the luxurious town of the fire country. The town was famous for its old-styled sake bar, and dancing damsels, a town that was a favored by nobles and wealthy.
Yet, when they reached the town, Tsunade has left it long. Past the town were several villages, small and unimportant, it was on the third day of the second week that they found an another clue.
They had been traveling through one of the small villages when they heard about a yellow-haired woman, she had punched a hole in the walls of a casino with her bare fist as she lost all her money while gambling a week ago. It was direct indication that Tsunade wasn't that unreachable now.
Naruto had worked hard to improve his fuinjutsu, using clones who could transfer back their experiences to him was proving beneficial for him. He would learn such techniques in hours which would take others at least days to understand.
They arrived in the village last night and chose to book a room in the available inn to relax their body after a strenuous week of travelling, well...only Naruto was resting peacefully as Jiraiya was busy wooing women in a tavern nearby.
It wasn't until afternoon next day when Jiraiya woke up from his deep slumber, the Gaki was busy with twenty of his clones practicing near-perfect calligraphy on a number of scrolls with ink and brush. Seamless brush movements and the black ink adorning the scrolls in patterns not recognisable to the ones unfamiliar with the art.
"That's enough of that, Gaki" Jiraiya said buckling up his Haori over the net shirt he wore. "We are moving on your second objective today, though I will give you a few books on the fuinjutsu written by my previous student"
"Really? Are you serious?" Naruto piped in with stars in his eyes. Although his hero worship of the Yondaime Hokage has diminished a bit after the revelation of his tenant, he couldn't disagree that the man was one of coolest and strongest ninja to be born in Konoha.
"Yeah, it's a three book series." Jiraiya accepted, naturally the books were already inheritance of the blonde boy.
He revealed three books out of one of the scrolls hung on his waist, books with leather cover of different colours. The first one, with a black cover and silver inscription, read 'An Introduction to the sealing world- Minato Namikaze'. The second one, with maroon cover and yellow inscription, read 'Sealing patterns and knowledge of fuinjutsu'. The last one, a book with dark green cover and bronze inscriptions, read 'Masters of fuinjutsu, the art of ink and patterns'.
"Keep them safe and out of the reach of unkindly factors, they are worth more than most of wealthy inns from our last city" Jiraiya said leading him out of the inn toward the forest nearby, a minute of walk brought them into a clearing.
"Today, you would try to harness the chakra of the Fox inside your seal, the fox wouldn't give its chakra for free. You have to make amend with the fox or make an agreement to be able to use its chakra" explained Jiraiya sincerely.
Hiruzen was called as The Professor, but the one thing that he didn't had much information about was Kyubi. The nine-tailed fox was sealed in Mito Uzumaki after Hashirama fought and defeated Madara, who was at the time controlling Kyubi with his Sharingan. Mito wasn't able to harness Kyubi's chakra as she wasn't in favour of using such malicious chakra.
However, adverse to her Grand-aunt Kushina was able to harness a little of fox's chakra as she had a agreement with it, and only Minato and Jiraiya were informed about this. Jiraiya was attempting to motivate Naruto to do the same as it would be easier to make a pact with the fox rather than looting it's chakra forcefully.
"But isn't it a demonic mass of chakra? Why would it accept my proposal" Naruto asked confused.
Jiraiya sighed before replying him, he often showed why he was the son of Yondaime Hokage. Kushina was never to ask questions as such, the bull-headed kunoichi was more of a brute than her husband.
"It will form a pact, Gaki, if you propose adequate recession in return. Even if it is a demon fox, the consciousness of a being urges it to be free. The beast want less restraint, you could provide that, just be moderate in doing so" Jiraiya stated placing a hand on his shoulder.
Naruto nodded and sat on a clean patch of grass and begun meditating. He had read about bijuu, a jinchurikki could communicate with its tenant by the practice of meditation. He stilled his thoughts and waited for the pull that eventually occurred after ten minutes. As he opened only a single thought sprouted out, his mindscape has changed somewhat. Gone were the sewer, pipes running through the wall and the murky water that had welcomed him years ago. The sewer was more like a dim lited tunnel now, instead of pipes he could see inky patterns scribed on the walls and wet stone path was only indication that there was, if any, water present in the space previously.
He stood up and looked behind him, vast darkness, no sounds, no light. He chose to take the other way, which was atleast lited, even if dimly. The lamps hanging from the tunnels provided enough light for the jinchurikki to walk forward. As he crossed the tunnel, it welcomed him into a huge hall. Lamps hung to the ceiling, similar to the tunnel albeit in larger number, gave the hall a sight of something akin to an extensive war chamber of pre-modern era.
The cage was still present there enclosing half of the hall, red iron pillars stood firm in place with a spiral lock of seals, now that Naruto could recognise the patterns on it. He didn't simply hated the being behind the bar, he felt resented to it but hate was too strong word for it, he had read about its known past and what the creature was according to myths and legends. He knew that anyone who has been locked up in a cage, or chained, or robbed of his freedom would strive to flee at the first chance he gets.
He walked toward the gates, still aware of the manvolent creature behind it, he inspected the cage thoroughly from afar.
As soon as he took another step near the red pillars two eyes with a slit running through the middle of them opened. The eye's focused on Naruto a moment later, and a massive amount of Killer Intent, heavier than Hiruzen or any other Shinobi he had encountered, and a chakra presence was forced upon Naruto.
He staggered back due to the sheer force of the Killer Intent emitted by the ancient being, he had experienced Killer intent before. Hiruzen had trained him to withstand Killer Intent by forcing adequate amount of his own chakra and Intent on Naruto. But...this, this was something else entirely. His sensei Killer Intent was a river of compared to this ocean. Naruto had several Envision of his end, each one different than other yet the giant fox was constant in them.
He was unable to stand and went down on a single knee somehow, he now understood what the villagers experienced during the Kyubi rampage. He could see why the Kyubi was called as the nine-tailed demon fox, this being was no Joke.
"Why have you come here? How dare you disturb my sleep? I will rip you apart in pieces with a flick of my nails, you puny brat" came a defaining voice from inside the cage. The voice was deep and rough that sent shiver through his body.
Kyubi could see and hear only a few things outside the seal, the restriction pattern infused with his seal was enough to hold his senses down. It was only the second time that the brat has dared to reach him, and this time he could see the confidence and potential in the brat.
Unknown to everyone except Kushina, Jiraiya and Minato, Kyubi had made a pact with Kushina to lend some of his power to her, in return Kushina had promised to free him at the time of her death. Kyubi was a prideful creature, he wouldn't make pact with humans but his freedom was more tempting than his pride. Kushina had agreed to free him at her own choice, that changed only a little of experience with humans, atleast not all of them were treacherous bastards.
It was all planned untill that masked shinobi came knocking on his cage door, that maniac pulled him out of Kushina and controlled him with his Sharingan. The masked ninja wasn't Madara Uchiha, much as he might persuade, he was only a descendant of the once legendary ninja. Eventually, when he regained the control of his body one of his fingernails was gushed deep inside Kushina and her husband, Minato's belly.
Yet even on their deathbed, Kushina restricted him with her Chakra chains and Minato sealed him inside the belly of this boy, their son. Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto.
Even if he felt a bit sympathetic toward this boy, he would only let him harness his chakra if the boy was like his mother or father instead of other ninegans, treacherous bastards they were and he hated them with a passion. He would test the boy, if this boy was like his parents then he would help him. But if he wasn't like them he wouldn't get even an ounce of Kyubi's chakra, without a cost.
"You shouldn't shout like that, Fox. My ears are still ringing from your loud whining" mocked Naruto while still struggling on a knee.
"You should know your place, human. Either state your reasons or leave this place right now" demanded Kyubi after calming a bit, the boy was trying to get rise out of him.
"Yeah...Yeah, I know my place beside I am here to make an agreement with you" stated Naruto getting a little serious. Kyubi restricted his Killer Intent and chakra outflow after hearing these words, as an another person had also tried and succeeded in doing so.
"What benefits could a puny human brat like you give me? You're of a kind who are nothing but Insects, Leeches who drink the blood of its host, your kind is idiotic and power-hungry" declared Kyubi in a disgusted manner
"I know what do you mean, but trust me I am not like them. I know you're not a monster but a creature made out of chakra that doesn't want anything to do with humans. I have studied about you after I came to know about you, I found that there are nine of your kind" explained Naruto.
"It doesn't matter what you know about us or what you think about us, you're here for my power so state what could you give me in return" asked the fox revealing it self for the first time to the brat.
The being was, as to put simply, Colossal. Deep orange fur, Red eyes with slits running through them, a mouth full of sharp teeth and two long canines. The fox had black markings all over his face, particulars around his ears, lips and eyes. Nine massive tails swished behind made it look much bigger, cage was hardly spacious enough to hold the manovolent creature inside it.
An idea struck Naruto's mind instantly.
"I know you aren't able to clearly see out of the seal, I can fix that problem of yours. I can let you see and hear through my eyes and ears respectively" stated Naruto eyeing the beast neutrally.
"Do you truly believe such unnecessary donation would mean anything to me? You're naïve, brat. If you think you could make a pact with me with such terms" Kyubi snarked not harshly.
"Hmmm.." Naruto pondered with his hand on his chin. "I can extend this donation, as you pronounce it. Instead of just allowance to perceive out of the seal, I will also increase the size of that cage." Naruto continued with a light shrug. "Think about it, It is clear that you're not comfortable inside that little space, J can extend it"
"That will do till a limit, however I will be much helpful if you promise me that I will freed at the time of your death. I will not be pursued by you, or anyone related to you" The fox offered with a challenging smirk. This was his test, If the boy's even a bit like his parents this question wouldn't need much pondering, refusal aside. He wouldn't have made a pact with this brat if he didn't felt somewhat guilty for the death of his parents, specially Kushina.
"Okay, The terms are plausible. I promise that I will let you free, but you should also promise me that you wouldn't try to overload me with your chakra to try and kill me" returned Naruto cautiously, jokes apart a pact with the centuries old being shouldn't be taken lightly.
"I would have tried to do that if you didn't agree with my demands, you always requires to pay a price when dealing with a demon. Shinigami or fox, it doesn't matter. Learn that lesson for your life, brat." The fox admitted with a devilish grin, his canines shining in the dim light of the hall.
"Be relieved however, I will not harm you until you holds on to your promise. Remember that I can see and hear everything from here, if you ever, barely so, attempts to cross me, you will experience what the hell is really feared for." Kyubi enforced, not lightly.
The pact was sealed, Naruto has made a deal with the demon itself. Not all the legends about the fox were untrue, most of them were wrong and misinterpreted yet they held his presence quite accurately.
Naruto walked back to the entrance of the tunnel, he closed his eyes and thought of giving the beast a chance to prove itself. This resulted in expansion of the cage, it broadened till it was twice the size it was previously. The stone gravels morphed into soil, dry soil. The Fox looked beneath itself surprised that the brat has been generous enough to provide comfortable sitting.
"That does it, It will be comfortable for you" Naruto voiced in with a shake of his head.
"Now that it's done, You shall receive my chakra in the forms of tail and you're solely responsible for mastering them. I am not your friend or anything, We're merely two creatures with symbiotic relationship" clarified Kyubi firmly.
Naruto nodded his head accepting his terms, it was unwise to rile up the beast for some fun, just yet.
"Then, I'll take my leave" Naruto intoned de-materlized from mindscape, leaving the beast to complete his beauty sleep.
He opened his eyes and found himself back in the clearing, his godfather perched on a rock nearby scribbling on his pads, probably smut for his new noble.
Jiraiya noticed Naruto standing up and jumped down pocketing his pad to get an idea of what went through in the seal.
"By the looks of your face, it's not unwise to think that you have made an agreement with the fox" quoted Jiraiya. Naruto nodded his head in approvals and went on to show Jiraiya his new accomplishment.
He took a stance, copying his Sensei's concentration pose to focus and brought some of the Kyubi chakra forward, it covered him in a red bubbly chakra cloak with a half formed tail behind him. He was able to feel both the power and bloodlust that the chakra brought with it, yet this wasn't even a full tail worth of chakra. He focused more and suddenly felt something, He looked toward Jiraiya and could sense both his chakra and emotions. Jiraiya was proud for something related to him. He was confused, how could he understand what his godfather was feeling.
"That's one of the power that my chakra grants you, you are able to sense the Chakra and emotions of the person standing around you in a limited distance. And don't talk loud just think, I can read your thoughts" came the sudden deep voice of Kyubi from Naruto's mind.
'This is awesome' thought Naruto, but no reply came in response.
'To be able to use this much of fox's chakra at first try is astonishing, but he needs more control on it or else it could prove to be problematic and dangerous' pondered Jiraiya.
"Let me try something" said Naruto and made four hand seals.
"Suiton: Water pellets" Naruto shot three football sized Water balls toward the other side of the clearing, the balls collided with a tree and uprooted it. The power behind the balls had increased due to the potent chakra Naruto was incased in.
Jiraiya had seen the effect of using Kyubi's chakra with ninjutsus, Kushina used it to add strength in her jutsus.
Naruto receded his cloak back and moved on with Jiraiya to practice more control over the chakra. He practiced the control over chakra that entire day.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
The next morning Naruto woke up before Jiraiya, his habit of waking up early resurfacing.
Given he could never sleep again after waking up, He moved out of his room trying to be as discreet as possible. Although, Jiraiya would notice him irrespective of his silent movement. Jiraiya wasn't spymaster in the entire elemental nation for nothing, his art of infiltration and stealth could fool even Kage level shinobis easily.
Naruto walked out of the inn and took the path toward the forest he had trained in a day before, he found a clearing and begun his taijutsu and Bo-Jutsu training before they move on the search for Tsunade.
Unknown to Naruto, a blonde woman was passing by that part of the forest. She was a fair-skinned woman with almond coloured eyes and straight blonde hair that parts above her forehead. Her hair had shoulder-length bangs that framed her face and the rest reached her lower-back. She kept it tied in two loose ponytails. The Strength of a Hundred seal, Byakugo, taking the appearance of a violet diamond shaped mark was clearly visible on her forehead.
Tsunade had grew into a slender woman of curvaceous frame with above-average height and noticeably large breasts. She was in fact widely regarded as the most beautiful kunoichi in the Elemental nation. However, She was in no way as younger as her look suggested. Tsunade maintains her youthful appearance with the help of a unique transformation technique. She had adopted the appearance of her twenty year old self, beautiful and content with grace.
She was wearing a green coloured haori, the kanji for "gamble" written on its back inside a red circle. Underneath that she had a grey kimono-style blouse without sleeves, it was held closed by a broad navy-grey Obi, that matched her pants. Her blouse was closed quite low, revealing sizeable portion of her cleavage. She wore a pair of black open-toed sandals with high heels as footwear. Her nails polished in red, both upper and lower and a soft pink lipstick for her lips. Lastly, the Shodai's necklace adorned her neck.
Tsunade was taking a stroll in the village, it was a habit much like her wandering one. She was used to the nightmares of the day she lost Nawaki and Dan, the morning walks across every village she stays in helped her release her stress, enjoying the fresh morning air and silence around her.
As she was about to end her walk and return to the inn she and Shizune were staying in, she heard a distinctive noise from her left. Out of curiosity, she followed the noises and reached a clearing. It was a mild shock for her to catch a glimpse of a mop of sunburn yellow hair practicing with what looked like a wooden Bo. The stances and guards were somewhat familiar. Also, the mop of yellow hair invoked a few memories of past, Minato had same coloured, didn't he?
All of these factors increased Tsunade's curiosity, the boy was no older than thirteen, yet his body structure was refined and muscular. Not the bulky type though. The boy was a ninja, a civilian or even a samurai couldn't handle a Bo like the boy. But the lack of Hitaiate, that Naruto has proposedly left in the room, raised the question about his allegiance. Tsunade noticed that his movement with Bo were smooth but still not flawless, this tempted her to tease the brat, just some innocent fun.
She stalked in the clearing, not hiding her presence in slightest. Naruto sensing a movement behind him, stopped his kata and turned around. Tsunade's feet stopped as she gazed upon the face of the brat, it was somewhat similar to a particular redhead apprentice of hers. Naruto took a moment to comprehend the whole situation, he never envisioned that someone would find him in the forest, though the lady in front of him was beautiful. The appearance of the lady matched that of his Godmother, as described by Jiraiya, his guess proved accurate when he noticed the necklace over her neck. He had read about that necklace, a invaluable necklace once owned by the Shodai Hokage that contained certain properties to tame tailed beasts.
The previous recognition of her beauty soon revolved around, for him her features seemed motherly now. He wanted to talk to her, explain her who he was, yet he wasn't naïve. The women could be polar opposite of what he wanted her to be, she could be heartless, cruel and manipulative. No, Naruto needed to be cautious of her, he forced down the other side of his mind and chose to take the harder way around.
"Why are you ogling me like that, old lady?" asked Naruto sheepishly. If his godmother had the same reaction as Anko, if somebody calls her old, then Naruto was going to enjoy this.
It took Tsunade a few minutes to register the question, as she was more focused on the face of Naruto that his words. Immediately, a tick mark appeared on her forehead.
"Who are you calling Old, You brat? Watch your mouth or I'll wash it with a soap" Tsunade replied with a deep scowl, pumping her fist.
"Hah! Like an old lady such as you can even catch me. Don't strain yourself, Baa-chan. You're too old, You'll develop a back pain, or worse, cramped joints tomorrow" Naruto attempted to rile her up again, and he was nearly successful. In the heat of the moment, Tsunade forgot that she had her transformation on and the brat couldn't decipher her age.
"You little squirt! I am gonna pummel you into the ground" Tsunade thundered, gritting her teeth.
Naruto knew he had hit the right spot, now was the time for his next play. "Wanna have a bet, Granny? We would spar right now, and if I am not able to surprise you within the first five minutes of it, then it's your game" stated Naruto confidently.
Tsunade smirked at the boastful brat, a mere genin, that's what he looked to be, or even a chunin couldn't surprise her possibly. She had seen wars and participated in legendary fights, the bet Granny as as good as won.
"What's on the line, brat?" asked Tsunade arrogantly.
"If I win you shall fulfill two of my wishes, and if you win, then I will do the same" said Naruto.
"Deal, Gaki. Be ready to lose" Her anger and heat of moment shaded her mind, she didn't thought what wishes the brat could make her fulfill.
Naruto knew his Taijutsu wasn't sturdy enough to counter Tsunade's, and as indicated by her un-discarded Haori, she thought the same. Considering it was best she underestimates him, He uncovered his Bo and picked a basic stance, his knees and elbow were bent slightly and the metal rod was held vertically.
Naruto dashed forward unearthing the soil beneath his feet, a vertical swing was used as initiation for the spar. Tsunade was a little amazed by the speed of the brat, and through her experienced eyes she could notice the barely visible restrains on his muscle, that meant he wasn't on his top speed yet. Nonetheless, She stopped the rod with two of her fingers, Naruto used the support of her two fingers to turnabout, the metal rod still held in his hands.
A roundhouse kick was aimed at the back of Tsunade's head. She again blocked it with her elbow that had a little chakra infused in it. It pushed Naruto back, he flipped and landed on his feet with a smirk. The kicks held impressive strength in them, the boy sure had potential. He sprinted forward with an inhale, plunging his bo in the ground he jumped above it using it like a pole vault.
Aiming directly at her head, he descended down with an exhale. Tsunade, somewhat predicting his strategy, simply flicked the Bo with her fingers that tipped it off his hands, as her fingers were chakra infused. While, her second hand was ready in a fist to meet the face of the insolent brat. Naruto knew, if her punch connected, his face would cave like an aluminium sheet. Thinking as hastily as he can, substituted with his bo, the substitution was smooth and book perfect due to the Summoning seal inscribed on his Bo. Tsunade grabbed the bo and fixed it deep in the soil, ensuring Naruto isn't able to use it again.
"You have lost your weapon, brat, Do you still want to continue this fight?" asked Tsunade mockingly, She had only seen him practicing Taijutsu and bo-Jutsu previously. His Taijutsu was mid chunnin at the most, while his bo-Jutsu was a little bit better than that.
"I haven't even started, Granny" Naruto declared with a mischievous wink.
"Why you?- Insolent brat" Tsunade grounded and hurtled toward him. Her chakra infused legs created small craters behind her as she sped forward.
The distance was covered in mere seconds, yet Naruto had a habit of sparring with high level shinobis, even if he wasn't victorious against them. Intercepting her incoming fist, He quickly formed a T-shaped hand sign and two clones appeared at his each side. The left one grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Tsunade's punch which landed on the clone and dispelled it. Naruto used the smoke as a distraction and signalled his clone to execute their plan, they both started making hand-seals as quickly as they can.
The smoke cleared to a confused Tsunade, the brat was able to use a Jonin level jutsu with just one hand-seal. That was surprising and unbelievable. But before she could contemplate more, she saw the brat and his clone forming hand-seal at a speed too good for a genin.
'Damn! I've underestimated him' She berated herself bitterly.
"Doton: Mud wave" shouted one of the duo, while the other one also completed its hand-seals and yelled "Doton: Earth spikes".
The ground around the Tsunade erupted into waves of mud, that mud soon took the form of spikes. The waves of pointy sharp extensions traveled toward Tsunade at a great speed, she was flabbergasted, how was this brat bringing out perfect jutsu combinations? Is it some kind of genjutsu?
"Kai" whispered Tsunade and sent a wave of chakra to dispel the genjutsu, however except an unbalanced Naruto, there were no effects.
That meant, This wasn't some type of genjutsu.
Naruto smirked at the shocked expression of his godmother, the bet was his now. This particular combination is the first he has created himself, using simple Jutsu, namely Earth wave; that he had learned from Hiruzen, and Earth spikes; that he has to thank Kakashi for, he has created a formidable B-Rank jutsu.
Shaking herself from the stupor, Tsunade infused chakra in her fist and punched the ground beneath, a medium-sized crater formed around her stopping the waves from inclosing
The smirk on Naruto's face didn't left, the waves were merely a distraction. Naruto had his hands in Boar seal "Suiton: Water pellets".
He shot three water balls toward her. "Raiton: Lightning Bolt" His clone yelled beside him and slammed his palm on the ground.
Lightning crackled from his arm and charged toward the water pellets through the ground, in mere seconds it caught up to it forming a ball of water with electricity whipping out it.
Tsunade was simply stunned now, the brat was able to use three of the five elements, not to ignore the amount of chakra he has used to combine those elements. Still, notwithstanding her shock, She had to do something or else she would be electrocuted. She quickly formed a hand-seal spit mud from her mouth. "Doton: Mud wall". A wall of rocks and mud formed weaved infront of her, she added a bit more chakra to it dissipate the electricity at contact.
The wall held firm against the electric ball, Tsunade had mastered her elements throughout the years, that's why her wall could easily diffuse a C-ranked ninjutsu combination.
"Katon: Dragon flame Pro..."
Before Naruto could finish his proclamation, He was lifted up in the air by the back of his shirt. His captor turned him around in the air and He came face to face with an unimpressed Jiraiya. He gulped and then smiled his best to neutralize the situation.
"I let you train for an hour and you create disorder, didn't I barred you from practicing ninjutsu while we are on the search?" asked Jiraiya, his left eyebrow twitching dangerously.
Gulp* "Yeah... You see, She started it" Naruto pointed toward the blonde woman. "I was just practicing my katas here. And besides, it is a forest, no-one comes here Ero-Oji" stated Naruto as a matter of fact way.
"Don't call me by that name brat, or-"
"JIRAIYA?" questioned Tsunade interrupting the rant of her former teammate. Jiraiya stopped his berating suddenly, his eyes going wide, he had heard that melodious voice before, there's no asking about that. He turns around immediately and comes face to face with his childhood crush.
"TSUNADE!?" Jiraiya exclaimed. He rubbed his eyes before a peaceful expression found it's place on his face. "So, I guess the rumours were true, you were present in the town itself. But why are you fighting with my brat?" Jiraiya asked confusingly.
"Hey! He was the one who started all this, and you're brat? Don't tell me you've got married without inviting me?" asked Tsunade cracking her knuckles.
"Oh hell no" Jiraiya replied ghastly. "He's my temporary apprentice and we'll my- I mean our Godson" Jiraiya introduced him hesitantly.
"Our godson?...But...Is he their- I got a letter stating no one survived from the family, it even had Hokage's seal on it" Tsunade claimed confused at sudden change of events, Her eyes drifted to Naruto. Now, She can finally add up the pieces, his hairs and body structure matched that of Minato while his face cut and behavior were more inclined toward Kushina.
She moved toward him to examine him more closely, she was Kushina's sensei for quite some time as she had taught medical Ninjutsu to the woman. Given, Kushina, as a jinchurikki, was suggested to not seek anybody untrustworthy. In the world of shinobi even your long-time friends might betray you one day, this uncertainty discouraged the red-head from forming a deep bond with any of her classmates. Tsunade became a sort of Aunt to the her, and due to their closeness and bonding, She was also named as the Godmother of her son. In retrospect, She was a distant family to Kushina, Kushina was Mito's grandniece, so they were distant cousins.
She knelled infront of Naruto to reach his eye level, she touched his face gently taking in the face of her lost cousin, one more family that Konoha snatched from her. She knew her presence in the village wouldn't have meant anything, strong and legendary as she may be, Kyubi was out of her reach.
Naruto stiffened for a moment from the unfamiliar touch, Tsunade was observing his facial structure and health, Naruto wasn't lean or weak in anyways, he was pretty healthy and the amount of chakra he had used previously indicated he had a lot of energy in him. That was a good sign or else Sarutobi and Jiraiya would incur the wrath of legendary slug princess, she ruffled his hair and stood up.
"But...Sensei never send such a message, I was present there and can vouch for him" Jiraiya denied purposely.
"Yet, You didn't even considered to notify me, isn't he my godson too? You could have atleast approached me, I would have raised him. You knew Kushina was like a small sister to me. I didn't certainly expected this, specially from you, Jiraiya" Tsunade said unapprovely, it was the news of Kushina and Minato's death that had put the last nail in the coffin of her distain for the accursed village.
"Sarutobi sensei wanted to keep this brat safe.." Jiraiya said ruffling the blonde locks of his temporary student who was looking between the two teammate wide eyed.
"... I know, You would have protected him and no one would have dared to touch him." Jiraiya cut her as she started to speak. "Still it would have put a target on his head, even my guardianship is kept a secret, only known to sensei and a few trusted" Jiraiya explained his reasons to Tsunade.
Tsunade glared at her teammates, She knew Jiraiya was somewhat correct yet it didn't lessened the guilt of not raising the brat. She calmed herself, cursing her bad luck for its firm grip on her life.
"So Baa-Chan, Did I surprising you?" asked Naruto with a smirk.
Tsunade turned her glare toward the brat, yet after noticing he was unfazed by it similar to one of his parents. She sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead tiredly, she was too young to be called Baa-Chan, at least according to her appearance and her mindset.
"Yeah, you surprised my brat. It's no surprise though, my teammate may be an idiot but still a better teacher than me." Tsunade said glancing toward Jiraiya who was grinning madly at her praise.
"So, What do you want?" Tsunade asked Naruto sternly, not in a ill tone though.
"Can you fulfill my wishes too?" asked Jiraiya lecherously..
"At least, Don't embarrass yourself Infront of your student, Jiraiya" said Tsunade in a threatening tone.
Jiraiya quickly shut his mouth and started to whistle innocently.
"Hey! I am not his student, we were traveling together to find you only" Naruto defended eyeing the man strangely.
Jiraiya noticed his gaze and let out a fabricated sigh, really...there was no respect for him in his godson's eyes .
"Then who taught you, brat? I can think of only a few Konoha Shinobi capable enough to train you to perform ninjutsus combinations" Tsunade asked him now interested.
"Yeah, My sensei is the best ninja of the elemental nation, Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi"
"I was 5 years old when he took me under, I have learnt all this combinations from him" revealed Naruto proudly, he wouldn't tell anybody else about his training but Tsunade was family, she could hold a secret or two.
Tsunade just stood there repeating Naruto's words in her head, it wasn't all possible, her Sensei never took another team after them. It was widely known that the her sensei had chose his team himself, and had trained them proficiently to surpass himself.
It was widely regarded that he wouldn't take an another team or single apprentice after them, but he did took an apprentice in the from of this blonde brat.
"You're full of surprises, aren't you squirt?" Tsunade grinned at him good naturedly.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically, revealing his joyous self out of shell.
"Now for the wishes, my first wish is that you return to the village with me, and we will see about the second when right time comes" Naruto looked at her expectedly with puppy eyes.
"Returning to that damn place? Never, it isn't possible brat. You don't know what that hellhole put me through, I can never return to that damn place" stated Tsunade adamantly.
This was what Jiraiya feared, Tsunade would never return to the village after it took her lover, brother and her cousin away. Tsunade's luck was always against her, she had always lost the one she had cared for most.
"I can understand your feelings, Baa-chan. Although I know nothing about my parents, they sacrificed their lives for the safety of the village. As Jiji tells" Naruto begun sadly looking down at the ground.
"I wasn't always surrounded by pleasant people, yet the ones I care for most are always there around me. The villagers always ignored me, only a few number of people accepted me or treated me well." Naruto continued looking aside not intending to meet his godmother's eyes, those motherly pairs of orbs would reveal the pain inside him that he had hidden dearly.
"Still, it's our village, a place that was entrusted to us by our loved ones, we should always protect it" declared Naruto strongly, there was a determination lit in his eyes.
"I don't care If they acknowledge me or not, I have many that do. I have brothers and Sisters, friends and many more.." Naruto stated looking up with a resolve in his voice.
"Wouldn't you become one of them, Even if the village has snatched away everything from you, I am here for you, Baa-chan.." He spoke softly holding her hand.
"What do you want to become, Naruto?" Tsunade inquired, spelling his name for the first time.
"I want to become Hokage, the best and the strongest to ever be" stated Naruto in a matter of fact way.
Tsunade could see a visage behind Naruto, it wasn't clear but she could positively bet that it's hair shone bright red for a moment.
"And why do you want to become Hokage?" Tsunade asked again.
"I want to protect the village and my loved ones." Naruto declared loudly. The silhouette behind him morphed into three individual from her perspective; Dan, Nawaki and Kushina. "Jiji says that the village is a family and Hokage is it's root. A Hokage holds the village together and protects it" clarified Naruto.
Tsunade could see images of Dan and Nawaki behind him smiling at her, he had the same accursed dream as them. Tears started to well up in her eyes, the boy's personality conjugated with Kushina's while his eyes, hairs and determination matched Minato.
"So, would you return with us, Tsunade, or not?" asked Jiraiya in an affirmative tone.
Tsunade was contemplating the merits and demerits, although she had promised Kushina that she would take care of her child if anything went wrong. She didn't wanted to return to that place, but Naruto was right, Dan and Nawaki had sacrificed their life for sake of village, she should be proud of them.
She looked up and nodded in affirmation, she would return to the village. It wasn't for villagers or her sensei, It was for Naruto, her last family alive.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Hinata was waiting for her sensei in their designated training ground, Kiba was playing with Akamaru while Shino was pondering under one of the trees.
Her team was a tracking unit, it was a common occurrence to form a team that consisted of a Hyuga, an Inuzuka and an Aburame. They had completed 20 D-rank and 2 C-rank missions till now, they were commonly assigned missions that needed tracking or following their aim.
Hinata's taijutsu style wasn't coming out as she had expected, and it was uncommon to see a Hyuga using another taijutsu style than Jyukken. After all, Jyukken was one of the most formidable taijutsu styles, if not the strongest. Other villages and even Konoha ninjas avoided encountering a Hyuga in close combats.
To consider it's heiress using another style of taijutsu, was definitely unnerving, the elders of the clan were adamant on changing the heiress from Hinata to Hanabi. Hanabi was proficient in Jyukken, unlike her sister she didn't hesitated, though Hiashi didn't wanted to name Hanabi as his heir yet. The elders would force him to brand his elder daughter and he certainly didn't want that to happen.
It was past a few minutes that Kurenai arrived at the ground, she wasn't alone though, a purple-haired woman was accompanying her. The woman wasn't wearing very decent clothes, and the lack of fabric on her skin showed the refined muscles of her arms, legs and stomach. Her thigh and stomach had cuts affirming she wasn't any low level Shinobi, her arms and legs also had chiselled muscles that can only be achieved by strenuous strength exercises.
Kurenai signalled her team to move closer. "I would want to introduce you to my friend, Mitarashi Anko, a Tokbetsu jonin known for her unique and ruthless interrogation style."
Anko sent an evil smirk and licked her lip strangely. Hinata suddenly found a shudder moving through a body, this woman wasn't the one to be taken lightly. She could feel the aura that the woman was radiating, it wasn't as strong as Kurenai, but considering she was an Elite jonin it didn't held much distinction.
On the other hand, Kiba was drooling rivers. Anko didn't wore clothes well enough to hide her assets completely, yet in contrast, she hated perverts. Kurenai knew this and was constantly trying to distract Kiba to stop his unhidden lecherous stare toward Anko's breast, it proved futile when at last Anko threw a kunai that grazed past the cheeks of the bratty Genin.
This caused a argument between both of the Shinobis, Kiba was a loud mouth, brash but prideful person, while Anko herself wasn't any less.
Kurenai calmed both of them and re-focused their attention toward the training at hand, she had brought Anko to choose weapons for her genins. Nay, She had taken the consent of the parents of her genins, it wasn't unlike for their respective clans to wield weapons atleast Aburame and Inuzuka.
They moved on toward one of the weapon shops near the Ichiraku stand to begin their quest of favourable weapons.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Tsunade gathered Shizune and gave her the news about her return to the village. She was the only niece of Dan, and after his death she was on her own. Tsunade adopted her and moved out of Konoha with her.
Tsunade had to payoff several debts due to her gambling habits, she was far cry from fortuneless beggar, she just didn't wanted to use her clan treasures for such lowly expenses. But, as she had to return to the village, she took the required amount of money from Jiraiya and promised to pay him back after they reach Konoha.
After a week; two days of payment and four days of travel, they were finally close to Konoha.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
A group of four people and a pig could be seen walking toward the gates of the Leaf village. Naruto had taken up a habit of calling Tsunade 'Baa-chan'. She would have pummeled him to ground, but she liked her nickname unacceptably. Naruto was too much like Nawaki and Kushina, she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.
They reached the gates of the Village, Tsunade signed the form for her return while Jiraiya signed paperwork for return from a mission. The security of village was increased due to the Chunin exams that were going to be commenced in three weeks time, the Leaf village couldn't afford any complications ultimately.
Tsunade, Jiraiya and Naruto begun walking toward the Hokage tower, Shizune had taken up her leave to meet her friends. The whole village was surprised to see Tsunade Senju in the village, she was one of legendary three, princess of the Konoha and best medic in entire elemental nation.
Tsunade noticed all the eyes on her, but what unnerved her were the stares that Naruto was receiving from the civilians. She looked toward him to see he wasn't paying much attention to the surrounding. He was either clueless or was too good at ignoring them, although the slight strain in his posture suggested the later.
Tsunade put her hand on his shoulder to relieve his nervousness, the villagers were too stupid to not see the brilliant and pleasant personality of Naruto.
The motherly touch of Tsunade eased Naruto nervousness, this wasn't something he was used to. It wasn't new for him to be center of critical and unwelcoming stares, he always found eyes on himself as if he was a war criminal walking through the alleys of the Village.
Though, Kakashi, Anko, Hiruzen or Jiraiya didn't let him incur stares, no-one dared to look toward him if they were around him. But at the moment, Jiraiya was walking at a bit distance, he was relaxed due to Tsunade being around Naruto. But the touch of Tsunade, was like a mother who was protecting her child, he has never felt such emotions before.
Before he could control himself, tears started to dwell up in his eyes, anybody who didn't knew or felt the love of a mother would cry at sudden show of love. He quickly rubbed his eyes clean and smiled his brightest toward Tsunade, she noticed that the smile was a genuine, not the fakes that hid pain behind it.
She was one of the strongest shinobis in the world, and could easily read people emotion through their eyes.
They reached the Hokage office, the receptionist let them in quickly seeing two of the Sannins.
Naruto knocked on the door, that was something new for both the sannin. Throughout their travel Naruto hadn't showed such etiquettes around Tsunade, she was surprised that he could be so calm instantly. However, Unknown to her, Hiruzen had been training him in shinobi etiquettes for quite sometime, it was necessary for a shinobi to be polite and respectful when situation asks for it.
"Enter" a firm and deep voice ordered from inside.
They entered the Hokage chamber to see Hiruzen behind the desk signing paperwork as usual, the worst enemy of every Kage. He looked up and beamed a smile after seeing his two ex and one current apprentice standing infront.
"So...you've brought back her to the village. Welcome, Tsunade. How have you been?" asked Hiruzen standing up from his desk.
"It's my village too sensei." She commented lightly. "Can't complain, How you've been doing, Sensei?" asked Tsunade moving toward him.
"Can be better, the old age surely makes my duties tiresome." He complained walking toward her. "We've missed you here, Tsunade" stated Hiruzen hugging her.
"So, are you here for good or will you return to your peregrination?" questioned Hiruzen extracting his person.
"You have quite the nerve to ask me that, Sensei." Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him, while he smiled taking her upstanding good-naturedly. "After all, You sent this squirt to fetch me, you knew I wouldn't be able refuse him. For now that is. I would like to have place to stay"
"You don't need to find a home, my student. Senju manor has been refurbished and renovated after one of its sides was slightly damaged in the Kyubi incident. As for your job, you can resume at your old post of head doctor at hospital" stated Hiruzen walking back to his desk, he rummaged through the drawer and picked a file to hand her.
She looked through it and smiled at her sensei, her childhood house held memories precious to heart. It was the best return gift she could take from her master, yet the last part of her master sentence raised alarms in his mind.
"About that doctor thing...I had developed a hemophobia after the demise of Dan, as you already know. It hasn't went away, in contrast it had increased by several-folds" explained Tsunade.
"We can always handle that, Shizune could do the hard works while you guide her through" answered Hiruzen after a quick thought. Tsunade nodded her head and ruffled the brats hair. Shizune herself was quite skilled in medical-arts, her ability to use senbons was laudable.
Tsunade moved out of the Hokage chamber intending to resettle in her old house.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Not much time was time was left for Chunin exams, Sakura had developed her skill in Kenjutsu. She was now able to wield the sword efficiently, Zabuza had been training her into stances and guards.
Moreover, Sasuke too had been training with Shishui for three weeks now, he had forsaken his twin tantos in support of short size katanas. The blades were 80 cm longs with 10 cm handles, the blades were silver in colour, with maroon handles.
He had focused more on his taijutsu and kenjutsu in three weeks time, his speed had increased and he was more flexible with his word, a few ninjutsu were also administered.
In regards to his genins, Kakashi himself had begun training again, his Tasmanian devils were growing at an alarming rate. Additionally, he had felt the distance between him and Zabuza in Kenjutsu, he couldn't just rely on his Sharingan for all his fights. Sharingan consumed allot of his chakra reserve, that can be problematic in long fights. He had decided to use his father's tanto, the same sword that gave him the title of White fang.
Furthermore, he had strengthen and refurbished his Chokuto, he had also repaired his chokuto himself replacing the standard blade with powerful chakra metals.
Team 7 was together again, Kakashi had decided that they would do missions for next two weeks. Then, he would train them for three days in last week before chunnin exams, and rest for them around the last 4 days.
The tides of the world sea had risen up, there was something stale in air emitting a fragrance not encountered since last 10 years...
Disclaimer:- I don't own Naruto, All rights are reserved to Kishimoto.