Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Way of the Jinchuuriki ❯ Arc 2, Chapter 9 - F' with my Family, The H' with You! ( Chapter 9 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Zagger the Bloody Angel 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Angst / Suspense / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.19.2011 | Updated On: 06.19.2011 | Pages: 6 | Words: 10.0K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Angst / Suspense / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.19.2011 | Updated On: 06.19.2011 | Pages: 6 | Words: 10.0K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
"So how has he progressed, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked as he took a puff of his pipe having just lighted it right before Jiraiya had arrived in his office, knowing he would be there soon.
"Hold on, she should be here soon. Then I'll begin the briefing." Jiraiya stated as he saw his sensei was about activate the offices privacy seal to keep anyone else from hearing.
Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya for a moment before nodding as he knew who he meant. He had been informed nearly a month ago that Naruto had informed Yugito of learning the jutsu and she asked Jiraiya to keep informed of his performance.
Hearing a knock at the door, Yugito entered and made sure the door was securely closed. As soon as she did, Sarutobi activated the seal and the room shimmered for a moment before reverting to normal, signaling that it had been secured. "Alright, so how is Naruto doing?"
"It is simply amazing… While his range around the kunai hasn't really increased by much, it is his range to the kunai that impresses me. …To be honest, I haven't found a limit. As you know I've been leaving the village periodically to gather some information, but there has been another reason. I've been calling Naruto to me to see how far his distance is." Jiraiya stated as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms against his chest.
"Really, how far have you taken him? And I'm guessing a kunai is left so he can get back without any trouble." Sarutobi asked, somewhat surprised by that and that he hadn't been informed of this till now.
"The farthest so far was on the far side of the Land of Wind in a small village where I got some information about both the Akatsuki and the demon vessel in Suna." Jiraiya responded as he only shook his head at the range Naruto had.
Both Sarutobi and Yugito froze. Having that kind of range was simply unreal as he could be summoned from within the land of Fire through and to the other side of the land of Wind. If he had mastered the distance from the kunai, he would be an absolute horrific nightmare for opposing nations to worry about.
"But how…? Minato only had a range of a half a dozen kilometers on a clear day. That kind of range is beyond anything every heard of… To have the capacity to strike an attack in the other nation's home lands is…. Is just insane." Sarutobi's jaw slacked as he tried to comprehend how this was possible.
"The difference is that Naruto can sense chakra from well beyond the normal limits of even the best chakra sensors thanks to his bloodline…" Jiraiya started before cringing as he let that part out.
"Bloodline?!" Yugito immediately questioned as she temporarily put aside Naruto's range of Flying Thunder God. "I know he can sense chakra from insane distances, but I didn't know it was because of a bloodline… And if that was the case…"
Sighing as Yugito was already on the train of thought; Sarutobi silenced her before he took another puff of his pipe and nodded. "Yes, we do know of Naruto's birth parents. I haven't told him yet as it was to be kept a secret until he has become chunin and able not only defend himself if he decided to let it be known but to be able to handle the weight of his inheritance."
"His inheritance?" Yugito asked as she looked over at the Hokage, who was very hesitant on his answer.
Seeing he wasn't going to answer, she hissed as she saw Jiraiya simply turn away as he knew to. "Look, I am more then Naruto's roommate. I am family and I look over him just as much as anyone else if not more then anyone else. I deserve to know as does Anko and everyone else that is close to him and it should be up to us to decide if he should know."
"I guess you are right… But in a sense you are wrong… Because Naruto's mother abandoned him after the sealing as she was like the rest of this village. …And as of now, she is officially a member of the Akatsuki and the one assigned to capture him. What if Naruto were to know that? How do you think he would feel?" Jiraiya responded heatedly as he understood where she was coming from but at the same time he knew better then to tell him.
Yugito's entire complexion dropped a few shades after Jiraiya's outburst. Sarutobi simply sighed as he put down his pipe and rubbed his temple. "So it has happened… Not even the reward I put out for her was enough to coax one of the villages to help us. …How to deal with this now?"
"I don't know. The only good thing is that they won't come after him right now as they are still trying to amass enough funds to support their cause. All I can say for now is to stall their operations and place both you, Yugito, and Naruto under heavy protection when they try to come after you again." Jiraiya answered as those were the only options they had.
Soon as she heard her name, Yugito snapped out of her shock before her entire body began to shake. Both men caught this as dark blue chakra began to coax around her, signifying her demon's chakra was being leaked into her system. "…I'll kill her. Leave her to me and I will get the job done."
"Not a chance. You aren't strong enough to fight her or her partner. From all I know who are in the Akatsuki, she happens to be one of the stronger members and she is paired with the strongest one that I know of, Hoshigaki Kisame. You wouldn't stand a chance." Jiraiya responded as he knew what was going through Yugito's mind.
But as soon as her eyes snapped for, both he and Sarutobi could see intense fire burning within them. Something about Naruto's mother abandoning him had triggered a fiery response from her and neither was sure why as they knew she had a mother not too long before she was transferred to Konoha.
"I don't care! If I have to train beyond my limits every day and have to be sent to the hospital to be treated every day, so be it! I won't let her get close to him… I won't let the same thing my father did to me happen to him! His life has been fucked over enough! He doesn't need that added to!" Yugito yelled out as she gazed straight into the Hokage's eyes.
Looking in her eyes for only a moment, Sarutobi closed his eyes and turned away. He had heard and seen all he needed to so he could make a decision. "Jiraiya, you are to keep Yugito informed of Kushina's whereabouts. From today on, Yugito you will be the Hunter Ninja assigned to kill Uzumaki Kushina, but not until you have been trained thoroughly and passed the test to be accepted into the Anbu's hunter division."
Jiraiya wanted to say something but wisely didn't. The Hokage had given him a direct order and he would obey even if he didn't like it. At least he would make sure that she would be well trained. The problem would be Kisame, but the Hokage probably was formulating a plan for him.
"Thank you, lord Hokage." Yugito bowed as she kept her temper under control along with the demon cat's chakra, not wanting to let another outburst happen.
The room shimmered as someone had came and notified them that the barrier had fallen before Kakashi, adorn in his Anbu entire except his mask was strapped to his belt. "Sorry lord Hokage, but I came to investigate after I felt the demon cat's chakra."
Sarutobi waved Kakashi off as it was nothing before clutching his hands and looking serious as he looked at the silver haired Anbu. "It is fine Kakashi… But I have a new mission for you now. …You and your unit will train and prepare for Yugito for the Anbu examination."
Being a little surprised as from what he knew of Yugito she had no interest in being a hunter ninja before, Kakashi was a little startled. "May I ask why, Lord Hokage? This decision is sudden especially with the chunin exams in the Cloud on the horizon."
"It is… But I believe you know Naruto's lineage better then anyone here and what Kushina did that night before fleeing the village." Sarutobi replied, informing Kakashi what this was about without saying too much.
Kakashi's entire body froze for only a brief moment before his fist tightened as he remembered that night well. "I do… Then I would wish to make a small request then. When she is accepted into their ranks, I wish to be transferred to the division and head the unit that will hunt her down."
"Granted." Sarutobi as he could see the same look in Yugito's eyes within Kakashi's. There was no doubt in his mind that the scarecrow was reliving Kushina's attempted assassination of Naruto and Karin's abduction the night after. "You may stay and join our discussion if you wish. This concerns Naruto and you may have some information to enlighten us with."
Seeing he was invited, Kakashi nodded and the room shimmered once more as the seal was set back up. "So what is going on? Is this about the Akatsuki's movements?"
"No, it is about Naruto under my training, his lineage and his progression of Hiraishin." Jiraiya was the first to inform Kakashi on what was happening.
For the second time, Kakashi completely froze but this time he didn't but he didn't immediately break out of his shock this time. The blonde haired brat, his sensei's son, was learning his father's technique. "Holy… How far along is he?"
"He can appear up to a little more then three meters from the kunai. …However, if there is a marker at least a few hundred kilometers from where he is, he can flash to it as he can sense the marker despite the incredible distance." Jiraiya once more informed Kakashi and for a third time Kakashi froze.
Kakashi, however, immediately became thoughtful on how he had such a range. "Is it possible that with his mother's bloodline that his range is magnified by nearly a hundred fold? I know Master Minato weak points was his chakra sensing and he had worked to get to the level he was at an at most he had a ten kilometer range."
Jiraiya nodded, glad that Kakashi was there and could simplify things for him as he knew his sensei almost as well as he knew him. "Yes, that is what I figured as well, however, there is another thing we haven't taken into account. Kyuubi."
Yugito was the first to jump on this, knowing how a bijuu could intervene in a subject like this. "Are you saying that because of the fox's presence that his bloodline might be stronger and therefore his range immensely magnified?"
"Close, very close. I'm saying that with her intervention, Naruto may have no limit to his range. He may very well have the ability to flash to the other side of the planet if there is a marker. …And I think she might be involved on his quick progress as she knows how time and space works… If we not forget that Kyuubi was tamed by Uchiha Madara years back." Jiraiya added on as Yugito was on the right track.
"That's right, I saw him use it before he suddenly disappeared. I also felt the fight between him and the First and I know she was there. There is no doubt she has some knowledge of time and space and that might be the reason for his progress… Because she cannot help him like she did. So she's making up for it with her knowledge." Sarutobi suddenly spoke, having caught onto Jiraiya's suspicions and knowing more about Madara then he did.
Nodding, Jiraiya pushed off the wall. "That is what I've come to believe as of now. She may not be telling him, but the information is getting there as she very much has influence over his entire body. Don't forget the fox can escape any time she wants or feels it would be needed."
"I know, Jiraiya. …So you will be leaving then, to check for any leads?" Sarutobi responded as he could tell Jiraiya was getting ready to leave and had full immunity to do so.
"Yeah. I'm going to see what else I can dig up before heading to the Cloud to watch the brat fight in the finals. There is no way they can't succeed as I have a feeling he'll use it sometime in the exams…" Jiraiya frowned as he knew that was exactly what his sensei wanted.
It would be great publicity, get more jobs sent back to Konoha and instill fear into all the other nations. Overall, it had almost no flaws except for one. The pressure it would put on Naruto. That alone could be the one thing that could bring his senseis plan down. He just hoped the boy would not crack.
"Wait…" Yugito softly spoke as she looked over at him before looking over at the Third and Kakashi seeing they all knew. "Before this barrier disperses and we head our separate ways, is Naruto's father the Forth Hokage?"
"Yes, my sensei is indeed Naruto's father and the very one that sealed the demon in his gut." Kakashi responded to her question as he couldn't see the harm in telling her as she apparently knew about his mother and what she did.
Yugito simply nodded to herself. "I see… I've been suspecting as much and when I heard he was learning the flash it almost confirmed it for me… I can see now why you no one told Naruto of his parents. It would be too much for him to take right now. But does Anko know?"
"She knew right after she adopted both you and him. I told her that night so she could get ready for the moment when he would learn of his parents. …Her request was the same as yours except that she is more then ready to join their ranks." Sarutobi answered so she wouldn't think that Anko wasn't the only one that didn't know.
"Alright, as much as I like to stay I got to get going. See you in the Cloud, sensei." Jiraiya stated before the room shimmered once more before he left the room and headed out.
Like wise, Kakashi and Yugito did the same leaving the old man in his office alone. Sarutobi simply sighed before he reached out and took a puff of his pipe. "The village future depends on all of you… Now all that is left is to see if the final piece can ascend and bring our village back to prominence."
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It was early in the morning. The sun hadn't risen, yet a young blonde was wide awake as he went through his equipment and wardrobe. What he believed he needed, he sealed into separate scrolls, labeling each differently so he would know what was on each.
"Well, aren't you up early?" A voice suddenly caught Naruto's ears.
The boy wasn't worried in the slightest as he knew the person all too well. Living with her for a few years did that. "Hai, nee-chan."
Anko pouted that Naruto didn't flinch in the slightest. Sighing as she would have to scare Yugito instead, she shook her head before going over what Naruto was packing into his scrolls but noticed a scroll that made her eyes widen. "What the… What are those gaki?"
Seeing her gaze, the blonde pocketed them as while Jiraiya told him while it was okay that he told Yugito he didn't want anyone else to know. "Nothing, nee-chan. Why are you here? It's only four." Naruto changed the conversation, signaling it was over.
Not liking that Naruto had promptly put an end to her question, Anko considered torturing it out of the boy only to realize that it wouldn't work as his other mother would get involved. And she didn't want to deal with Kyuubi at the moment. …Or ever really. If any one was more twisted then she was…
Sighing as she looked over at the door, she nodded lightly before a single Anbu entered. "Naruto, Sarutobi ordered that…"
"He wants you to help me keep Kyuubi under control, Yamato." Naruto stated, knowing the man as he had been coming around of lately to make sure that his mother's power was kept in check. He could understand that and even more so as he somehow had the Mokuton(Wood) bloodline.
Seeing Yamato nod his head, Naruto went back to work before pulling out a small piece of paper. "I have plenty of these. They'll suppress mother's power if I have to suppress it."
Frowning as he hadn't known Naruto had those, Yamato shook his head before holding out what seemed to be a wooden bracelet. "Be that as it may, I created this. It will keep her chakra in check as long as you wear it and suppress it as long as it doesn't reach four tails again."
"Why would it be needed?" Naruto asked as he finished his packing and gazed and the wooden bracelet as he still did not like that he had to repress his mother's chakra now. He knew it was needed as her chakra caused him harm now but he still was resistant to the idea.
Slumping forward, Yamato sighed deeply before standing straight and repositioning his mask as it almost fell off. "Unlike the seals, it will be on you and be able to immediately repress her chakra faster then you could place one of those seals. Plus, you can use those to repress higher bursts when you have it on."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto took the bracelet before sliding it on as he had a point even if he didn't want to admit it. His mother's chakra was volatile to at the moment. However, Jiraiya said he was working on a way to undo the effects of the intruding seal and both he and the fox had an idea they had been working on for a while.
"Fine…" A sudden scream caught both of their ears and they ran out into the living room to see Anko rolling on the floor and laughing, neither having noticed she left the room.
The next instant, Yugito burst out of the room with her entire body drenched in water. The unfortunate part for Yamato was that she barely was wearing anything and he happened to be male. He was out cold as blood filled his mask and began suffocating him while Naruto blinked and blinked again before his eyes widened, knowing he had to get out of there.
Woman had a tendency to throw sinks at him when they were exposed in front of him.
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Finally , after a month of further training and testing, the day was upon him and his team. They were heading to the chunin exams held in Cloud. He was quite confident they would do well as he had seen what they were capable of in a very long month, or at least it felt like it.
Gekkou had decided that Miko was indeed ready to enter the exams as after the incident a month ago, she worked with a new vigor. It almost seemed that she had been possessed as she now followed Naruto's training philosophy, keep working till you dropped.
While this had indeed worried all involved, especially Miko's family, they all knew why. Or at least they all thought they did.
The only one that truly knew what was going on in the girl's mind was Mikoto, despite being imprisoned for her attack and illegal transplant on Itachi. The problem was, she wasn't telling which was causing her even more jail time as Itachi had full control on her confinement, the authority given by the Hokage personally.
Still, despite Miko's new work ethics and motivation for them, Hayate felt that she was more then ready. She had a desire to better herself both as a person and a ninja along with helping her teammates so it was a no brainier in his mind.
Hana, in Gekkou's belief, already should have been a chunin. She had the leadership qualities needed and by far had more seasoning then her two teammates and more knowledge of what a ninja was suppose to be.
What she lacked was a firm desire, which the Inuzuka's were known for. He knew the reason well as he arrived at the scene of his previous team's murders with Hana cowering in fear. That left a deep scar on her, one that she still hadn't overcome. It shook her to the very core as she was able to do nothing to help save them.
Despite that lack of will power, she was doing fine. She was confident in her new team and she had really begun to take charge, only yielding every now and then to her teammates, understanding they were more knowledgeable in areas she wasn't. The only trouble she had was corralling Naruto and she still hadn't succeeded in that aspect of being the team leader.
And finally, Naruto. What more could he say about the blonde then his name? The boy was still an absolute enigma to him. The only thing he was sure about was the boy's phenomenal talents. While his skills were still unpolished and somewhat lacking, the boy learned at an extraordinarily quick rate and his abilities…
The boy was far beyond his teammates in that aspect. He was quite sure that Naruto could easily keep his own with a chunin and give a jounin a decent challenge. And that was without Kyuubi. Now he did understand the boy no longer could use the fox's power without horrible repercussions, the fox was still a serious edge.
However, he did have one thing lacking and that was his teamwork. It had improved by leaps and bounds after the incident, especially with Miko, but he still liked to analyze everything and at times, use them as a means to accomplish his goal. However, if it was life or death, the blonde had proven that he would put his life on the line for them.
Seeing the sun rise in the horizon, he couldn't help but smile as he felt a warm pair of arms wrap around his neck before lips gently pressed against his cheek. "I'm going to miss you."
Chuckling softly, Hayate turned to Yugao before wrapping his arms around her and meshing his lips against hers. It seemed like an eternity before they separate and Gekkou spoke. "So will I, but I am their sensei so I have to go with them. Besides, you'll be up there soon enough. Don't forget, you're on the Hokage's security detail now."
Yugao nodded as that was true and she also knew that there was a good chance that his team would make it to the finals. "I know, but I'll still miss you."
"Well, when we see each other again I'll definitely make it worth while." Hayate whispered huskily as he gently kissed her on the cheek before nibbling on her earlobe.
Shivering, Yugao felt like dragging him back to her apartment, which was now their apartment as they both admitted hers was better and had more room for the little one on the way. Not only that, but it was well protected and Yugao wanted to be able to keep an eye on Naruto as he always seemed to get into trouble when Anko and Yugito weren't around.
She also was a little worried about working as was Hayate, but she knew this early on in the pregnancy that it wouldn't affect her performance and vice'a'versa for the baby. Many of the other kunoichi had told her that it was okay to keep working a couple months in and she could continue training for a while after, so she was feeling a little better about the whole situation.
They, however, quickly separated once more as they didn't want to be caught by Miko as she walked up with Itachi, Mikoto and Sasuke with her. Hayate frowned as he noticed Itachi had let Mikoto out to see her daughter off, but understood why. She was still very much their mother and did deserve to wish her girl goodbye, despite what she did to Itachi.
"Morning Miko, you ready for this?" Gekkou asked as she walked over to him, separating herself from her brothers and mother and joined her sensei, looking slightly displeased about something.
Miko simply nodded before sighing as she noticed that she was the only one there. "I am, but I thought you said to be here at six as it is a long journey to the Cloud?"
Gekkou nodded as he indeed said that, but he shrugged his shoulders before answering her question. "I did, but expected everyone to take some time and make sure they had everything in order. It is perfectly alright to be a little late as the exams start in three weeks and it only takes two to get to the Cloud at a slow pace."
Just as he said that, he could see that Hana was walking their direction with her mother, Tsume, and her little brother, Kiba. Smiling at them as they arrived and her family stood by with Miko's, Gekkou actually coughed before shaking his head as Miko glared at him, believing it was another fake cough. "Good, now all we have to do is wait for Naruto."
"Something tells me this will be a long wait then. Kakashi will be escorting Naruto here as Yugito is currently tearing Anko's limbs off one by one." Yugao added, remembering hearing Anko's pained screams earlier in the morning and had to check out what was happening. She quickly left after seeing what happening and seeing Naruto had vanished without a trace.
Itachi blinked as he heard that before sighing. Then his eyes widened as Naruto walked towards the gates with Kakashi and Yugito in tow, the latter dragging a bloodied and beaten Anko behind her.
Now he could have been in shock from seeing his girlfriend was half dead, but that wasn't the case. In fact he half expected that every day with the pranks she pulled on her adopted family and the other jounin. So instead he pointed his finger at Kakashi in shock. "Imposter!"
Kakashi face faulted at the statement and groaned. Couldn't he be early one in a while, just to keep people guessing? "Oh come on! Can't I be somewhat on time once?!"
"No." Everyone outside of Kiba, Hana, Sasuke and Miko stated making the scarecrow slump over before walking away from everyone, grumbling to himself as he leaned against a tree.
Before he could head to his team, Yugito laid her hand on his shoulder and smiled lightly at him. "Naruto, be careful. There will be a lot of ninjas there that don't like Konoha ninja at all, so keep an eye out and put your team safety before anything else, got that?"
Naruto simply nodded as his gaze shifted to her for a moment before looking over towards Hana and Miko. Despite not saying much to them, they were somewhat close to him. They still weren't family, but they were friends and he was beginning to see that it wasn't a bad thing to have friends.
Just before he could go join his team, he was stopped yet again this time by an ailing Anko. "Brat… Look after yourself too. You… ah… What's the word I'm looking for?" She simply couldn't find the words, not being able to say I love you to her adopted son. She couldn't even say those words to Itachi.
Glancing at Anko and despite her appearance, a rare, loving smile grace his lips as he knew what she wanted to say. "I will, nee-chan. Don't kill yourself while I'm away…"
His smile disappeared as he suddenly looked over at Itachi, a frown immediately replacing his smile. "You, keep my nee-chan safe or you will have a long talk with my mother."
Raising his eyebrow, surprised that anyone much less a young boy would threaten him, Itachi shook his head to keep a grin from surfacing. However, he was slight disturbed as he said Kyuubi would be involved… But he tried his best to keep her from harm anyways. "I will, as long as it doesn't involve Yugito."
Nodding as that was acceptable, as he didn't interfere if Anko did something to Yugito either for the sake of his own skin, Naruto turned to the said blonde before reaching out and gripping her hand.
Yugito was completely surprised by this and even more surprised when a slight sting coursed through her hand. Pulling back, she immediately noted there was a complex seal appear briefly before dispersing on the back of her hand that looked very similar to… "Naruto… What did you…?"
"Stay safe… And if they come back, call." Was all Naruto whispered so only she could hear before turning from the other blonde and walked to his team as he pocketed his hands. "So, we ready to go?"
Grinning at the blonde, Gekkou could only shake his head in slight disbelief. He couldn't have heard excitement in the boy's voice, could he? "Well, every thing seems to be in order. Any last goodbyes before we head out?" Hayate asked as he could see everyone wanted to say something.
Of course, Kiba was the first to speak as he jumped up and hugged his sister while Akamaru ran up and ran circles around them, amusing Hana's three. "Kick butt sis! I know you can!"
Tsume only chuckled as Hana slipped out of his hugged, shaking her head as Kiba was just that excitable. "Make us proud dear. I would very much love to see you in the flak jacket we made for you."
"I will mom… Wait, you made a chunin jacket? …I'm not even going to ask." Hana grinned as she knew her mother couldn't stitch up small cuts in their clothes.
Rolling her eyes, knowing her daughter was making fun of her; Tsume turned to Naruto and smiled softly. "I'm counting on you to keep her, and Miko safe. …Don't be afraid to reveal your true self if you have to."
Hana frowned as she didn't understand what her mother meant by that as Naruto nodded. Miko, however, simply glanced at the blonde and knew what Tsume was talking of as she now knew of her teammate's burden.
(Flashback)
The day had been long and dragged out. Hayate had been rather rough during the training, not pulling his punches as much as he normally would. However, she had asked it to be that way as she wanted to get stronger and she couldn't do so if he held back as much.
Looking over towards her sensei and two teammates, Miko noted that Hayate was somewhat bruised and limping, his right leg being slightly cut up. The cloth on his right arm was completely shredded and his flak jacket was somewhat tattered from the beating he received.
Hana was literally lying on the ground as her trio of dogs knelt beside her, not looking too much better then her, nudging her and attempting to get her to stand up. After a few moments, they plopped down beside her as they really couldn't get home either without resting.
She couldn't say she was doing much better. Miko was sitting on the dirt, breathing heavily as she wiped the blood from her lips. Her stomach felt horrible as she had taken a few strong blows there and was ready to throw up.
However, what she couldn't believe was that Naruto was still standing and to be honestly, he like he was in better condition then everyone there. The only thing wrong with him was slightly bent over to his left, his arm hanging lower then it normally would as it had been dislocated. But that was easily fixed as Hayate walked over and helped him put it back in place.
Ignoring Naruto's yell of pain as their sensei put his shoulder back into place, Miko frowned. She just couldn't understand it. He was one of the youngest shinobi ever, only her brother and a friend of his Kakashi were the younger when they became shinobi. But from what she was told by her brother that he was even more gifted then they were.
But how could that be. He had no special gift, no family members with an extraordinary background and no bloodline present to give him an edge. Her brother had all of those things while Kakashi, of what she knew of him, had the first two.
Now that didn't mean a great ninja couldn't come from humble origins as the Forth was proof of that. He was an orphan of the second Great War and probably one of the best ninja Konoha had seen as were all the Hokages and even the Sannin. While their families are now know thorough the world, it was they that made their families famous in the first place.
There were just a few things that threw her about Naruto. He seemingly had no end to his stamina and gone for days and his chakra as he continued drawing upon it even when most jounin in the village would pass out from chakra exhaustion.
Another thing was his amazing ability to detect chakra and instinctively know what was about to happen. While this would point to him having an ability like the Byukugan or Sharingan, he couldn't see the chakra being used and didn't know what exactly what his opponent was trying to do. But it was ridiculous as whenever they tried to put their stealth to the test, he always found them in almost no time.
Then there was his recovery rate as all his injuries healed within mind boggling rates. Plus if he took a serious shot, the amount of time he needed to recuperate was next to nothing as he could get up from it almost immediately.
Finally there was his literal transformation when he tried to protect her family from Shusui. He was literally bathed in red chakra that took the form of a fox and was had no control over his own mind except when her big brother came and somehow suppressed the red chakra. Then there was what her mother said…
All of these things left her wondering what Naruto was and how he could do all of these things. So finally after getting tired of it frustrating her till no end, she decided to ask him.
Miko noted that Hayate and Hana were gone, more then likely he went to take her home as she wasn't in the shape to go back herself. Feeling okay with that as she felt good enough to get back, she struggled to her feet before almost tripping over as Naruto was besides her. "Need help?"
It was indeed a rare thing to see the blonde asking to help someone so Miko almost flipped out and fell. Luckily, she managed to maintain her balance and keep on her feet. "Yeah… I'm not sure I can get back home on my own."
Understanding as he felt somewhat tired and didn't really like the feeling, Naruto stood beside her and gave her his shoulder to lean on so it would be easier to walk.
After a few moments of no talking as last time he came with her back to her house the murder of her clan happened, Miko sighed as the district came into view. "Naruto… can we stop for a moment? There is something I have to ask you and no one else will explain it to me."
Watching him tilt his head after he let her lean against a house to keep upright, Miko kept her girlish side in check as she just wanted to scream 'Kawaii' and hug him as he looked so darn cute like that. She didn't understand why she thought, but she did and she really was questioning if her mind shattered.
Shaking her head, getting that weird thought out of her head, she was about to speak when Naruto suddenly beat her to it. "I think I know what it is you want to know… Is it about what happened that day?"
Miko nodded as she really didn't want to bring anything up about that day but that was killing her. "Yes… that is one thing I'm confused about. I also have a few other questions."
Nodding as he expected that, Naruto pocketed his hands, looked her in the eyes before immediately speaking. "What you saw that night was my mother's power… My tenant to be exact. I am the one that Kyuubi was sealed into so the village could be spared."
Of all things, that was not what Miko was expecting. She expected to hear something more like he had two different bloodlines from parents of other nations or something like that. To hear he was the harboring the demon that killed so many of Konoha's ninjas eight years before was startling and she simply didn't understand how.
Having caught the conversation as he was nearby, Itachi suddenly spoke as he dropped down from the house from below. "Miko, to explain what Naruto is saying, he is only the vessel of the demon and keeps it from being released. They are two different entities entirely; however he may draw upon its power in tight spots."
Surprised at her brother's sudden appearance while Naruto didn't look a bit shocked, Miko took a few moments to respond. "I think I understand, it is kind of like a storage seal with weapons inside it. Inside their harmless but once out they can be deadly. So Kyuubi can't attack without it being summoned by Naruto?"
"Um… Sure. It is just a much stronger seal." Naruto responded as Itachi grimaced knowing that Kyuubi could become free whenever she pleased. She simply stays sealed as it would benefit Naruto more to help him from within.
Feeling less shocked then before, Miko was about to speak again when Itachi stopped her. "That's enough for now. You can ask him questions later. We're going to see kaa-san."
Frowning for a moment, she nodded and turned to say goodbye only to see Naruto had vanished without a trace. "Whoa! What the… Where'd he go?!"
"Probably to meet Jiraiya and train." Itachi answered as he knew that was exactly where the blonde went to as he had been training with him almost every single day since he arrived. "Let's go Miko. We still have to pick up Sasuke from the academy."
(Flashback End)
Almost not hearing her little brother speaking, Miko shook her head as she accepted Sasuke's hug. "I'll miss you nii-chan… Don't stay away for too long."
Smiling at her little brother, Miko sighed as she roughed up his hair a little as they separated. "Don't worry squirt, I'll be gone for a little while. And mom should be coming home soon…"
Itachi simply frowned at her as she was putting a lot of pressure on him. He did want to let his mother out too, but the problem was she wasn't cooperating. Yes, he was slightly irritated that she wouldn't explain what was going on with Miko, as she only talked to her about what she was thinking about, but that wasn't the real reason he kept her imprisoned.
Mikoto refused to speak of the reason why she gave him his father's eyes. If she would just tell him, he would let her out. It didn't help him any that he couldn't remember what happened moments before she drugged him.
Tensing as she knew what Miko was planning as she also knew of her disobedience; Mikoto frowned at her as wasn't going to tell Itachi until the time was right. She knew Sasuke missed her dearly and she wanted nothing more then to be with him again, she wanted to carry out her husband's final wish.
However, she quickly turned towards Yugito and frowned. What she had seen Naruto do seemed familiar. It seemed like something Minato had done time and time again when he placed a marker so he could flicker to it to help someone in need or to help defend the village.
Her entire body froze as she momentarily activated her Sharingan, catching Itachi's attention as she strictly forbade her to use chakra, to see what Naruto had done. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the seal as her eyes faded back to normal. "No… It can't be."
While mostly everyone was trying to figure out what she meant by that, both Naruto and Yugito tensed as it seemed Mikoto knew of the seal and its function. Itachi, frowning, activated his Sharingan to see the seal before raising his eyebrow as the seal was very complex and something he found he couldn't copy, strangely enough.
"Uh, Miko, I have something for you." Mikoto suddenly spoke before ushering her daughter away from the group for a moment before tapping her left wrist, revealing a storage scroll and a small and very odd kunai appeared. "Take this… If you ever feel in danger, throw it into the ground."
"But mom…"
Miko tried to start when Mikoto simply shook her head. "Don't argue with me and don't use it for anything else. Just do it when you feel you're in grave danger. …A knight in dark armor might come to save you in a flash."
At the end, Miko frowned as her mother winked right as she pocketed the kunai. She didn't understand what her mother meant by that, but something told her that this had to deal with Naruto. Just from the way she reacted from looking at Yugito's hand to the way she was acting now was enough proof. "Okay… I got to go."
"Good luck dear and stay safe." Mikoto waved as her daughter joined her team, Naruto simply looking at her as he had felt the kunai's presence and knew that the one she gave her was one the Forth created.
Nodding as they were all there, Hayate motioned for them to head out and took the lead. "Let's go! We've got a long journey."
After a few minutes and they almost out of sight, Mikoto sighed as Itachi walked over to her knowing he was going to take her back to her cell. "Alright, let's go back…"
"No… There is no need now. …I'll explain everything to you now." Mikoto responded as she noted that Sasuke was with him and frowned. "Um, Kakashi! Can you take Sasuke home and watch over him for a bit? I need to talk with Itachi about something private."
Seeing that everyone else was slowly leaving as the gennin and their sensei were now out of sight, Kakashi nodded before walking over. "Sure. I'm not on duty until tonight anyways. Let's go Sasuke, we might stop and get something to eat along the way."
Sasuke was somewhat reluctant at first, but nodded as his stomach growled. No one had made breakfast and he was really hungry. Plus, his brother seemed to approve as well so he couldn't be a bad person.
Watching as Sasuke went with Kakashi, Itachi slowly turned to his mother before his Sharingan activated. "Alright, what is this about? You haven't been willing to tell me anything and not even threatening you with Ibiki did anything. So why now will you tell me anything?"
"Well first off, Ibiki isn't useful unless you bring him in. If you did that, I might have broke as I know what that man can do." Mikoto explained as she pointed out her son's error which only seemed to make him mad as she was trying to be funny at an inappropriate time.
Mikoto only smiled and shook her head as she easily looked him in the eyes. "I feel that a burden has been lifted off of me, that is all. Now that I see that the flash is back, I'm not worried as much as our families' burden is less of a threat."
"The flash is back… What does that even mean? The only flash I know of is… The Forth. Explain now?!" Itachi suddenly caught where his mother had led him and he knew exactly what she was talking about now.
Making sure no one was listening in on them or watching, Mikoto tilted her head towards the gate. "Naruto. …He knows it, I'm sure of it. That seal he place on Yugito's hand is proof… You tried copying it and failed, didn't you?"
Looking at her for a moment, Itachi's eyes widened at the thought the blonde knew of such a technique. Now his threat actually caused fear as if he could use that… He would be screwed. "Well, that explains why I couldn't copy it. There must be some sort of seal on it to keep me from doing so."
"There is, I helped add a forbidden seal of our clan's that negates our Sharingan's coping. …I did that because we were going out at the time." Mikoto responded as she knew the seal well, having been one of Minato's girlfriends before he finally fell for Kushina. And knowing what she did, she wished more that she had ended up with him…
Shaking those thoughts from her head, Mikoto sighed as her demeanor softened and she seemed more subdued. "Itachi… I can tell you why I gave you the eyes now… Because now… You don't have to face him alone."
Before Itachi could respond, Mikoto cut him off. "Uchiha Madara is still alive and he wants to destroy not only our clan but this village. We must not let him under any circumstances… You know of our family's dark past and we mustn't let another chapter be added to it. I gave you those eyes so you can meet him in battle and have a chance."
Being momentarily stunned by what his mother had said, Itachi recovered quickly and kept his composure. "Why couldn't you have told me this before? It is hard to believe he is still alive, but I've seen people live longer lives. If it was a matter of security, the Hokage needs to know…"
"Because he is our clan's mistake. We are the reason for his hatred as we saw the First as a better choice for a leader then he would be. Despite all he did for us, we turned our backs on him. …So it is only fitting that we take care of the problem we created. …Do not get the Hokage involved in this. Not yet. He may not be needed." Mikoto explained before she looked at Itachi with pleading eyes.
Frowning, Itachi sighed as he rubbed his temple for a moment. "I'll think about it. But for now, you still have to go back. I'll let you out soon, but not right now. I hope you understand"
Mikoto simply nodded as she knew why. "It's okay… Just tell Sasuke I'll be home soon. …And Miko stole some of you pocky collection."
"I will." Itachi said before he caught what his mother said at the end. "WHAT?!"
--------------------------------------------
"Fo r the love of my mother, why in the hell is a village on top of this God forsaken mountain?!" Naruto yelled out in frustration as they continued their climb of the mountain, almost reaching the top as the village walls were in sight.
Never hearing that much emotion out of Naruto before, his sensei along with his two teammates nearly lost their balance and fell off the monster mountain.
Regaining their balance, still looking at Naruto with wide eyes, Hayate was the first to reach the gate. There were two guards standing at the gates, as if waiting for them. "Ah, finally… Another team. There has barely been any to arrive so far. …Dammit, duty first, paper please?"
Hayate nodded and dug around in his pouch for a moment before handing them over. "Ah, here they are. We'll be the only team representing Konoha for these exams."
Nodding as he looked over the papers carefully, having his partner double check, he handed them back to Hayate. "Everything seems to be in order. Most of the hotels are on the east side of town and the restaurants are in the center. If you get lost just asked anyone, everyone in the village is a ninja and they'll point you in the right direction."
"Have a nice day!" The guy chirped, making Naruto simply look at him with a twitching brow as he was even more upset that he now had to see someone overly happy after a murderous climb.
Grinning as he could see Naruto's annoyance as they went in, glad the boy was showing some emotion, Hayate stopped before checking their money. "Alright, we're good. I'll go get us the rooms while you three find a good restaurant. …No ramen." He added on the end just to see if he could get a rise out of Naruto.
And he did when Naruto flicked him off as he kept from spouting off and ripping off his sensei's jaw. They had only stopped at two food stops on the entire trip and neither served ramen. He was starved for it as he didn't bring many cups or packets with him.
Shaking her head as Hayate flickered off to get them a room, Hana stretched out and grinned. "Alright, we'll look for something that has ramen for Naruto. Miko, have any preferences as I don't care. I'll eat anything right now. I'm tired of eating from the wild."
Biting into a stick of pocky, Miko blinked before grinning. Oh, she knew her brother wouldn't be happy when he noticed she found his stack of snack treats. "It doesn't really matter to me either. …As long as it is real food, I don't care. Anything is better then the stuff we've had been eating."
"He can't cook." Was all that Naruto added as he suddenly pulled out some of the food Hayate cooked the night before and handed it to one of Hana's trio, who simply turned its nose from the food. "Not even a dog will eat it…"
"Hey! How many times do I have to say…? Wow, that is really bad cooking. He'll eat almost anything." Hana started out mad before looking down and noticing one of her three had indeed turned its nose.
Miko could only laugh as she scratched the said dog behind the nose. "That just makes me wonder… Hasn't he said he's been cooking for his fiancée?"
"Wife now, and yes he has." Naruto responded as he knew they were married as Anko was Yugao's maid of honor. "However, Yugao has been coming over and eating with me as my ramen taste better then his cooking."
"Is it just me or is your diet mostly of ramen?" Miko asked as they entered the center of the village, not taking very long as the village wasn't too horrible large as it was on the top of a mountain.
Naruto simply shrugged as he really wasn't going to give her an answer. Sure, ramen was one of his favorite foods but he didn't eat it all the time. Just for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He didn't eat it when he was having brunch, his two o'clock or his midnight snack… Half of the time.
Finding a place that was suitable, Hana led the three into the restaurant before her entire body froze and fear began setting in. Six Iwa gennin sat at the bar and she recognized all three of them, but more importantly the one wearing the samurai-like armor with his face covered.
"It can be… He still can't be a gennin…" Hana muttered aloud in her terrified state before completely freezing as the shinobi turned and spotted her while her three partners began growling and put themselves in front of her. "We have to leave… Now… I can't…"
He could almost smell the fear coming from Hana and he could see where it was directed. While Hana had never told them that her previous team had been killed in the last chunin exam, Naruto learned the full story through Yugao as he had to know.
Immediately he walked forward, passed Hana, who looked on in horror, as Miko was trying to calm their team captain down. "Hana, what's wrong? …Wait, Iwa gennin… Are they the ones that…?"
Hana only nodded as Miko trailed off and her entire body shook as Naruto was already besides them and had taken a seat, knowing the risk of what he was about to do. It was still worth it. "Barkeep, get a drink to the armored fool there. I'll pay for it."
Now both girls knew that Naruto had gall before this, however, they were completely stunned at what Naruto was doing. Did he not put connect the dots and figure out who they were?
"What is he doing? Naruto!" Miko hissed as she ran over to him, however was only pushed aside as Naruto looked at her and only nodded. He had a plan… But what the hell was it? And why was he even trying anything?!
The said Iwa gennin frowned as he looked over at the young boy before grinning under his mask. "Oh, so a little kid is entering the exam? Oh look out, Konoha has another Hatake Kakashi!"
As all the other Rock ninja laughed, Naruto only grinned as his vicious nature began to take over. This immediately caught the pack leader's attention and made him frown further. "What good will buying me a drink do you boy? I'll do the same thing as I did to the bitch's last team as if you didn't notice, we are from the Rock."
Hearing the sarcasm in the voice, Naruto closed his eyes as Hana looked even more terrified seeing what Naruto was doing. "I'm buying it for you out of courtesy. After all, the soon to be deceased should at least get a last meal. That is what my adoptive mother tells me… However, my true mother just wants to rip your throat out as do I."
Immediately the stool that the Iwa gennin that was offended was sitting on was thrown on the ground as white chakra with a tint of blue began to surround him. "What was that boy? Do you really think you stand a chance against a demon vessel like me?! Do you?!"
"Is that all your pitiful demon has?" Naruto simply asked as he slid off his seat, knowing what he had said would offend him and right on cue he was ready to pounce.
Naruto slid his bracelet off and turned to him and his eyes flashed red and his pupils dilated before red chakra began surrounding him, blood slowly beginning to leak from his pores. "Oh, the dog wants to fight the fox? Where's the cat, oh right… She's with me now. I guess you have no back up this time."
It was clear to all that heard him speak that there was two voices speaking, one of which was a matured eight year old boy. The other was harder to tell but still easily decipherable, it was of a furious woman. This threw off almost everyone one except for the Iwa vessel and Miko, knowing what Naruto was.
His demon's flow of chakra immediately stopped and he growled as he tried to summon it forth once again only to get a message in response. He instantly calmed before he looked down at Naruto. "I see… This will be interesting now. One that can finally give me a decent fight and show off my chunin qualities."
Unable to call back his mother's chakra, Naruto grinned demonically as his eyes literally began to glow pure crimson. "I don't think so… Because I will kill you before this is all over."
This time, however, there was only one voice and it did not belong to Naruto. It was Kyuubi that was speaking, using her vessel to give her message to the young man, letting him know his time had drawn short.
But before she could make do on her promise, Naruto regained full control of his body and slipped Yamato's bracelet on just as Anbu began to arrive on the scene, checking what was going on. Also with them was Hayate, who was looking straight at Naruto. "Naruto what the hell is going on…?"
"Nothing that concerns any of you." Naruto stated as he moved by them all, not planning on staying there a moment longer.
His mother's message was delivered. No one fucks with his family.
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"Hold on, she should be here soon. Then I'll begin the briefing." Jiraiya stated as he saw his sensei was about activate the offices privacy seal to keep anyone else from hearing.
Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya for a moment before nodding as he knew who he meant. He had been informed nearly a month ago that Naruto had informed Yugito of learning the jutsu and she asked Jiraiya to keep informed of his performance.
Hearing a knock at the door, Yugito entered and made sure the door was securely closed. As soon as she did, Sarutobi activated the seal and the room shimmered for a moment before reverting to normal, signaling that it had been secured. "Alright, so how is Naruto doing?"
"It is simply amazing… While his range around the kunai hasn't really increased by much, it is his range to the kunai that impresses me. …To be honest, I haven't found a limit. As you know I've been leaving the village periodically to gather some information, but there has been another reason. I've been calling Naruto to me to see how far his distance is." Jiraiya stated as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms against his chest.
"Really, how far have you taken him? And I'm guessing a kunai is left so he can get back without any trouble." Sarutobi asked, somewhat surprised by that and that he hadn't been informed of this till now.
"The farthest so far was on the far side of the Land of Wind in a small village where I got some information about both the Akatsuki and the demon vessel in Suna." Jiraiya responded as he only shook his head at the range Naruto had.
Both Sarutobi and Yugito froze. Having that kind of range was simply unreal as he could be summoned from within the land of Fire through and to the other side of the land of Wind. If he had mastered the distance from the kunai, he would be an absolute horrific nightmare for opposing nations to worry about.
"But how…? Minato only had a range of a half a dozen kilometers on a clear day. That kind of range is beyond anything every heard of… To have the capacity to strike an attack in the other nation's home lands is…. Is just insane." Sarutobi's jaw slacked as he tried to comprehend how this was possible.
"The difference is that Naruto can sense chakra from well beyond the normal limits of even the best chakra sensors thanks to his bloodline…" Jiraiya started before cringing as he let that part out.
"Bloodline?!" Yugito immediately questioned as she temporarily put aside Naruto's range of Flying Thunder God. "I know he can sense chakra from insane distances, but I didn't know it was because of a bloodline… And if that was the case…"
Sighing as Yugito was already on the train of thought; Sarutobi silenced her before he took another puff of his pipe and nodded. "Yes, we do know of Naruto's birth parents. I haven't told him yet as it was to be kept a secret until he has become chunin and able not only defend himself if he decided to let it be known but to be able to handle the weight of his inheritance."
"His inheritance?" Yugito asked as she looked over at the Hokage, who was very hesitant on his answer.
Seeing he wasn't going to answer, she hissed as she saw Jiraiya simply turn away as he knew to. "Look, I am more then Naruto's roommate. I am family and I look over him just as much as anyone else if not more then anyone else. I deserve to know as does Anko and everyone else that is close to him and it should be up to us to decide if he should know."
"I guess you are right… But in a sense you are wrong… Because Naruto's mother abandoned him after the sealing as she was like the rest of this village. …And as of now, she is officially a member of the Akatsuki and the one assigned to capture him. What if Naruto were to know that? How do you think he would feel?" Jiraiya responded heatedly as he understood where she was coming from but at the same time he knew better then to tell him.
Yugito's entire complexion dropped a few shades after Jiraiya's outburst. Sarutobi simply sighed as he put down his pipe and rubbed his temple. "So it has happened… Not even the reward I put out for her was enough to coax one of the villages to help us. …How to deal with this now?"
"I don't know. The only good thing is that they won't come after him right now as they are still trying to amass enough funds to support their cause. All I can say for now is to stall their operations and place both you, Yugito, and Naruto under heavy protection when they try to come after you again." Jiraiya answered as those were the only options they had.
Soon as she heard her name, Yugito snapped out of her shock before her entire body began to shake. Both men caught this as dark blue chakra began to coax around her, signifying her demon's chakra was being leaked into her system. "…I'll kill her. Leave her to me and I will get the job done."
"Not a chance. You aren't strong enough to fight her or her partner. From all I know who are in the Akatsuki, she happens to be one of the stronger members and she is paired with the strongest one that I know of, Hoshigaki Kisame. You wouldn't stand a chance." Jiraiya responded as he knew what was going through Yugito's mind.
But as soon as her eyes snapped for, both he and Sarutobi could see intense fire burning within them. Something about Naruto's mother abandoning him had triggered a fiery response from her and neither was sure why as they knew she had a mother not too long before she was transferred to Konoha.
"I don't care! If I have to train beyond my limits every day and have to be sent to the hospital to be treated every day, so be it! I won't let her get close to him… I won't let the same thing my father did to me happen to him! His life has been fucked over enough! He doesn't need that added to!" Yugito yelled out as she gazed straight into the Hokage's eyes.
Looking in her eyes for only a moment, Sarutobi closed his eyes and turned away. He had heard and seen all he needed to so he could make a decision. "Jiraiya, you are to keep Yugito informed of Kushina's whereabouts. From today on, Yugito you will be the Hunter Ninja assigned to kill Uzumaki Kushina, but not until you have been trained thoroughly and passed the test to be accepted into the Anbu's hunter division."
Jiraiya wanted to say something but wisely didn't. The Hokage had given him a direct order and he would obey even if he didn't like it. At least he would make sure that she would be well trained. The problem would be Kisame, but the Hokage probably was formulating a plan for him.
"Thank you, lord Hokage." Yugito bowed as she kept her temper under control along with the demon cat's chakra, not wanting to let another outburst happen.
The room shimmered as someone had came and notified them that the barrier had fallen before Kakashi, adorn in his Anbu entire except his mask was strapped to his belt. "Sorry lord Hokage, but I came to investigate after I felt the demon cat's chakra."
Sarutobi waved Kakashi off as it was nothing before clutching his hands and looking serious as he looked at the silver haired Anbu. "It is fine Kakashi… But I have a new mission for you now. …You and your unit will train and prepare for Yugito for the Anbu examination."
Being a little surprised as from what he knew of Yugito she had no interest in being a hunter ninja before, Kakashi was a little startled. "May I ask why, Lord Hokage? This decision is sudden especially with the chunin exams in the Cloud on the horizon."
"It is… But I believe you know Naruto's lineage better then anyone here and what Kushina did that night before fleeing the village." Sarutobi replied, informing Kakashi what this was about without saying too much.
Kakashi's entire body froze for only a brief moment before his fist tightened as he remembered that night well. "I do… Then I would wish to make a small request then. When she is accepted into their ranks, I wish to be transferred to the division and head the unit that will hunt her down."
"Granted." Sarutobi as he could see the same look in Yugito's eyes within Kakashi's. There was no doubt in his mind that the scarecrow was reliving Kushina's attempted assassination of Naruto and Karin's abduction the night after. "You may stay and join our discussion if you wish. This concerns Naruto and you may have some information to enlighten us with."
Seeing he was invited, Kakashi nodded and the room shimmered once more as the seal was set back up. "So what is going on? Is this about the Akatsuki's movements?"
"No, it is about Naruto under my training, his lineage and his progression of Hiraishin." Jiraiya was the first to inform Kakashi on what was happening.
For the second time, Kakashi completely froze but this time he didn't but he didn't immediately break out of his shock this time. The blonde haired brat, his sensei's son, was learning his father's technique. "Holy… How far along is he?"
"He can appear up to a little more then three meters from the kunai. …However, if there is a marker at least a few hundred kilometers from where he is, he can flash to it as he can sense the marker despite the incredible distance." Jiraiya once more informed Kakashi and for a third time Kakashi froze.
Kakashi, however, immediately became thoughtful on how he had such a range. "Is it possible that with his mother's bloodline that his range is magnified by nearly a hundred fold? I know Master Minato weak points was his chakra sensing and he had worked to get to the level he was at an at most he had a ten kilometer range."
Jiraiya nodded, glad that Kakashi was there and could simplify things for him as he knew his sensei almost as well as he knew him. "Yes, that is what I figured as well, however, there is another thing we haven't taken into account. Kyuubi."
Yugito was the first to jump on this, knowing how a bijuu could intervene in a subject like this. "Are you saying that because of the fox's presence that his bloodline might be stronger and therefore his range immensely magnified?"
"Close, very close. I'm saying that with her intervention, Naruto may have no limit to his range. He may very well have the ability to flash to the other side of the planet if there is a marker. …And I think she might be involved on his quick progress as she knows how time and space works… If we not forget that Kyuubi was tamed by Uchiha Madara years back." Jiraiya added on as Yugito was on the right track.
"That's right, I saw him use it before he suddenly disappeared. I also felt the fight between him and the First and I know she was there. There is no doubt she has some knowledge of time and space and that might be the reason for his progress… Because she cannot help him like she did. So she's making up for it with her knowledge." Sarutobi suddenly spoke, having caught onto Jiraiya's suspicions and knowing more about Madara then he did.
Nodding, Jiraiya pushed off the wall. "That is what I've come to believe as of now. She may not be telling him, but the information is getting there as she very much has influence over his entire body. Don't forget the fox can escape any time she wants or feels it would be needed."
"I know, Jiraiya. …So you will be leaving then, to check for any leads?" Sarutobi responded as he could tell Jiraiya was getting ready to leave and had full immunity to do so.
"Yeah. I'm going to see what else I can dig up before heading to the Cloud to watch the brat fight in the finals. There is no way they can't succeed as I have a feeling he'll use it sometime in the exams…" Jiraiya frowned as he knew that was exactly what his sensei wanted.
It would be great publicity, get more jobs sent back to Konoha and instill fear into all the other nations. Overall, it had almost no flaws except for one. The pressure it would put on Naruto. That alone could be the one thing that could bring his senseis plan down. He just hoped the boy would not crack.
"Wait…" Yugito softly spoke as she looked over at him before looking over at the Third and Kakashi seeing they all knew. "Before this barrier disperses and we head our separate ways, is Naruto's father the Forth Hokage?"
"Yes, my sensei is indeed Naruto's father and the very one that sealed the demon in his gut." Kakashi responded to her question as he couldn't see the harm in telling her as she apparently knew about his mother and what she did.
Yugito simply nodded to herself. "I see… I've been suspecting as much and when I heard he was learning the flash it almost confirmed it for me… I can see now why you no one told Naruto of his parents. It would be too much for him to take right now. But does Anko know?"
"She knew right after she adopted both you and him. I told her that night so she could get ready for the moment when he would learn of his parents. …Her request was the same as yours except that she is more then ready to join their ranks." Sarutobi answered so she wouldn't think that Anko wasn't the only one that didn't know.
"Alright, as much as I like to stay I got to get going. See you in the Cloud, sensei." Jiraiya stated before the room shimmered once more before he left the room and headed out.
Like wise, Kakashi and Yugito did the same leaving the old man in his office alone. Sarutobi simply sighed before he reached out and took a puff of his pipe. "The village future depends on all of you… Now all that is left is to see if the final piece can ascend and bring our village back to prominence."
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It was early in the morning. The sun hadn't risen, yet a young blonde was wide awake as he went through his equipment and wardrobe. What he believed he needed, he sealed into separate scrolls, labeling each differently so he would know what was on each.
"Well, aren't you up early?" A voice suddenly caught Naruto's ears.
The boy wasn't worried in the slightest as he knew the person all too well. Living with her for a few years did that. "Hai, nee-chan."
Anko pouted that Naruto didn't flinch in the slightest. Sighing as she would have to scare Yugito instead, she shook her head before going over what Naruto was packing into his scrolls but noticed a scroll that made her eyes widen. "What the… What are those gaki?"
Seeing her gaze, the blonde pocketed them as while Jiraiya told him while it was okay that he told Yugito he didn't want anyone else to know. "Nothing, nee-chan. Why are you here? It's only four." Naruto changed the conversation, signaling it was over.
Not liking that Naruto had promptly put an end to her question, Anko considered torturing it out of the boy only to realize that it wouldn't work as his other mother would get involved. And she didn't want to deal with Kyuubi at the moment. …Or ever really. If any one was more twisted then she was…
Sighing as she looked over at the door, she nodded lightly before a single Anbu entered. "Naruto, Sarutobi ordered that…"
"He wants you to help me keep Kyuubi under control, Yamato." Naruto stated, knowing the man as he had been coming around of lately to make sure that his mother's power was kept in check. He could understand that and even more so as he somehow had the Mokuton(Wood) bloodline.
Seeing Yamato nod his head, Naruto went back to work before pulling out a small piece of paper. "I have plenty of these. They'll suppress mother's power if I have to suppress it."
Frowning as he hadn't known Naruto had those, Yamato shook his head before holding out what seemed to be a wooden bracelet. "Be that as it may, I created this. It will keep her chakra in check as long as you wear it and suppress it as long as it doesn't reach four tails again."
"Why would it be needed?" Naruto asked as he finished his packing and gazed and the wooden bracelet as he still did not like that he had to repress his mother's chakra now. He knew it was needed as her chakra caused him harm now but he still was resistant to the idea.
Slumping forward, Yamato sighed deeply before standing straight and repositioning his mask as it almost fell off. "Unlike the seals, it will be on you and be able to immediately repress her chakra faster then you could place one of those seals. Plus, you can use those to repress higher bursts when you have it on."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto took the bracelet before sliding it on as he had a point even if he didn't want to admit it. His mother's chakra was volatile to at the moment. However, Jiraiya said he was working on a way to undo the effects of the intruding seal and both he and the fox had an idea they had been working on for a while.
"Fine…" A sudden scream caught both of their ears and they ran out into the living room to see Anko rolling on the floor and laughing, neither having noticed she left the room.
The next instant, Yugito burst out of the room with her entire body drenched in water. The unfortunate part for Yamato was that she barely was wearing anything and he happened to be male. He was out cold as blood filled his mask and began suffocating him while Naruto blinked and blinked again before his eyes widened, knowing he had to get out of there.
Woman had a tendency to throw sinks at him when they were exposed in front of him.
--------------------------------------------
Finally , after a month of further training and testing, the day was upon him and his team. They were heading to the chunin exams held in Cloud. He was quite confident they would do well as he had seen what they were capable of in a very long month, or at least it felt like it.
Gekkou had decided that Miko was indeed ready to enter the exams as after the incident a month ago, she worked with a new vigor. It almost seemed that she had been possessed as she now followed Naruto's training philosophy, keep working till you dropped.
While this had indeed worried all involved, especially Miko's family, they all knew why. Or at least they all thought they did.
The only one that truly knew what was going on in the girl's mind was Mikoto, despite being imprisoned for her attack and illegal transplant on Itachi. The problem was, she wasn't telling which was causing her even more jail time as Itachi had full control on her confinement, the authority given by the Hokage personally.
Still, despite Miko's new work ethics and motivation for them, Hayate felt that she was more then ready. She had a desire to better herself both as a person and a ninja along with helping her teammates so it was a no brainier in his mind.
Hana, in Gekkou's belief, already should have been a chunin. She had the leadership qualities needed and by far had more seasoning then her two teammates and more knowledge of what a ninja was suppose to be.
What she lacked was a firm desire, which the Inuzuka's were known for. He knew the reason well as he arrived at the scene of his previous team's murders with Hana cowering in fear. That left a deep scar on her, one that she still hadn't overcome. It shook her to the very core as she was able to do nothing to help save them.
Despite that lack of will power, she was doing fine. She was confident in her new team and she had really begun to take charge, only yielding every now and then to her teammates, understanding they were more knowledgeable in areas she wasn't. The only trouble she had was corralling Naruto and she still hadn't succeeded in that aspect of being the team leader.
And finally, Naruto. What more could he say about the blonde then his name? The boy was still an absolute enigma to him. The only thing he was sure about was the boy's phenomenal talents. While his skills were still unpolished and somewhat lacking, the boy learned at an extraordinarily quick rate and his abilities…
The boy was far beyond his teammates in that aspect. He was quite sure that Naruto could easily keep his own with a chunin and give a jounin a decent challenge. And that was without Kyuubi. Now he did understand the boy no longer could use the fox's power without horrible repercussions, the fox was still a serious edge.
However, he did have one thing lacking and that was his teamwork. It had improved by leaps and bounds after the incident, especially with Miko, but he still liked to analyze everything and at times, use them as a means to accomplish his goal. However, if it was life or death, the blonde had proven that he would put his life on the line for them.
Seeing the sun rise in the horizon, he couldn't help but smile as he felt a warm pair of arms wrap around his neck before lips gently pressed against his cheek. "I'm going to miss you."
Chuckling softly, Hayate turned to Yugao before wrapping his arms around her and meshing his lips against hers. It seemed like an eternity before they separate and Gekkou spoke. "So will I, but I am their sensei so I have to go with them. Besides, you'll be up there soon enough. Don't forget, you're on the Hokage's security detail now."
Yugao nodded as that was true and she also knew that there was a good chance that his team would make it to the finals. "I know, but I'll still miss you."
"Well, when we see each other again I'll definitely make it worth while." Hayate whispered huskily as he gently kissed her on the cheek before nibbling on her earlobe.
Shivering, Yugao felt like dragging him back to her apartment, which was now their apartment as they both admitted hers was better and had more room for the little one on the way. Not only that, but it was well protected and Yugao wanted to be able to keep an eye on Naruto as he always seemed to get into trouble when Anko and Yugito weren't around.
She also was a little worried about working as was Hayate, but she knew this early on in the pregnancy that it wouldn't affect her performance and vice'a'versa for the baby. Many of the other kunoichi had told her that it was okay to keep working a couple months in and she could continue training for a while after, so she was feeling a little better about the whole situation.
They, however, quickly separated once more as they didn't want to be caught by Miko as she walked up with Itachi, Mikoto and Sasuke with her. Hayate frowned as he noticed Itachi had let Mikoto out to see her daughter off, but understood why. She was still very much their mother and did deserve to wish her girl goodbye, despite what she did to Itachi.
"Morning Miko, you ready for this?" Gekkou asked as she walked over to him, separating herself from her brothers and mother and joined her sensei, looking slightly displeased about something.
Miko simply nodded before sighing as she noticed that she was the only one there. "I am, but I thought you said to be here at six as it is a long journey to the Cloud?"
Gekkou nodded as he indeed said that, but he shrugged his shoulders before answering her question. "I did, but expected everyone to take some time and make sure they had everything in order. It is perfectly alright to be a little late as the exams start in three weeks and it only takes two to get to the Cloud at a slow pace."
Just as he said that, he could see that Hana was walking their direction with her mother, Tsume, and her little brother, Kiba. Smiling at them as they arrived and her family stood by with Miko's, Gekkou actually coughed before shaking his head as Miko glared at him, believing it was another fake cough. "Good, now all we have to do is wait for Naruto."
"Something tells me this will be a long wait then. Kakashi will be escorting Naruto here as Yugito is currently tearing Anko's limbs off one by one." Yugao added, remembering hearing Anko's pained screams earlier in the morning and had to check out what was happening. She quickly left after seeing what happening and seeing Naruto had vanished without a trace.
Itachi blinked as he heard that before sighing. Then his eyes widened as Naruto walked towards the gates with Kakashi and Yugito in tow, the latter dragging a bloodied and beaten Anko behind her.
Now he could have been in shock from seeing his girlfriend was half dead, but that wasn't the case. In fact he half expected that every day with the pranks she pulled on her adopted family and the other jounin. So instead he pointed his finger at Kakashi in shock. "Imposter!"
Kakashi face faulted at the statement and groaned. Couldn't he be early one in a while, just to keep people guessing? "Oh come on! Can't I be somewhat on time once?!"
"No." Everyone outside of Kiba, Hana, Sasuke and Miko stated making the scarecrow slump over before walking away from everyone, grumbling to himself as he leaned against a tree.
Before he could head to his team, Yugito laid her hand on his shoulder and smiled lightly at him. "Naruto, be careful. There will be a lot of ninjas there that don't like Konoha ninja at all, so keep an eye out and put your team safety before anything else, got that?"
Naruto simply nodded as his gaze shifted to her for a moment before looking over towards Hana and Miko. Despite not saying much to them, they were somewhat close to him. They still weren't family, but they were friends and he was beginning to see that it wasn't a bad thing to have friends.
Just before he could go join his team, he was stopped yet again this time by an ailing Anko. "Brat… Look after yourself too. You… ah… What's the word I'm looking for?" She simply couldn't find the words, not being able to say I love you to her adopted son. She couldn't even say those words to Itachi.
Glancing at Anko and despite her appearance, a rare, loving smile grace his lips as he knew what she wanted to say. "I will, nee-chan. Don't kill yourself while I'm away…"
His smile disappeared as he suddenly looked over at Itachi, a frown immediately replacing his smile. "You, keep my nee-chan safe or you will have a long talk with my mother."
Raising his eyebrow, surprised that anyone much less a young boy would threaten him, Itachi shook his head to keep a grin from surfacing. However, he was slight disturbed as he said Kyuubi would be involved… But he tried his best to keep her from harm anyways. "I will, as long as it doesn't involve Yugito."
Nodding as that was acceptable, as he didn't interfere if Anko did something to Yugito either for the sake of his own skin, Naruto turned to the said blonde before reaching out and gripping her hand.
Yugito was completely surprised by this and even more surprised when a slight sting coursed through her hand. Pulling back, she immediately noted there was a complex seal appear briefly before dispersing on the back of her hand that looked very similar to… "Naruto… What did you…?"
"Stay safe… And if they come back, call." Was all Naruto whispered so only she could hear before turning from the other blonde and walked to his team as he pocketed his hands. "So, we ready to go?"
Grinning at the blonde, Gekkou could only shake his head in slight disbelief. He couldn't have heard excitement in the boy's voice, could he? "Well, every thing seems to be in order. Any last goodbyes before we head out?" Hayate asked as he could see everyone wanted to say something.
Of course, Kiba was the first to speak as he jumped up and hugged his sister while Akamaru ran up and ran circles around them, amusing Hana's three. "Kick butt sis! I know you can!"
Tsume only chuckled as Hana slipped out of his hugged, shaking her head as Kiba was just that excitable. "Make us proud dear. I would very much love to see you in the flak jacket we made for you."
"I will mom… Wait, you made a chunin jacket? …I'm not even going to ask." Hana grinned as she knew her mother couldn't stitch up small cuts in their clothes.
Rolling her eyes, knowing her daughter was making fun of her; Tsume turned to Naruto and smiled softly. "I'm counting on you to keep her, and Miko safe. …Don't be afraid to reveal your true self if you have to."
Hana frowned as she didn't understand what her mother meant by that as Naruto nodded. Miko, however, simply glanced at the blonde and knew what Tsume was talking of as she now knew of her teammate's burden.
(Flashback)
The day had been long and dragged out. Hayate had been rather rough during the training, not pulling his punches as much as he normally would. However, she had asked it to be that way as she wanted to get stronger and she couldn't do so if he held back as much.
Looking over towards her sensei and two teammates, Miko noted that Hayate was somewhat bruised and limping, his right leg being slightly cut up. The cloth on his right arm was completely shredded and his flak jacket was somewhat tattered from the beating he received.
Hana was literally lying on the ground as her trio of dogs knelt beside her, not looking too much better then her, nudging her and attempting to get her to stand up. After a few moments, they plopped down beside her as they really couldn't get home either without resting.
She couldn't say she was doing much better. Miko was sitting on the dirt, breathing heavily as she wiped the blood from her lips. Her stomach felt horrible as she had taken a few strong blows there and was ready to throw up.
However, what she couldn't believe was that Naruto was still standing and to be honestly, he like he was in better condition then everyone there. The only thing wrong with him was slightly bent over to his left, his arm hanging lower then it normally would as it had been dislocated. But that was easily fixed as Hayate walked over and helped him put it back in place.
Ignoring Naruto's yell of pain as their sensei put his shoulder back into place, Miko frowned. She just couldn't understand it. He was one of the youngest shinobi ever, only her brother and a friend of his Kakashi were the younger when they became shinobi. But from what she was told by her brother that he was even more gifted then they were.
But how could that be. He had no special gift, no family members with an extraordinary background and no bloodline present to give him an edge. Her brother had all of those things while Kakashi, of what she knew of him, had the first two.
Now that didn't mean a great ninja couldn't come from humble origins as the Forth was proof of that. He was an orphan of the second Great War and probably one of the best ninja Konoha had seen as were all the Hokages and even the Sannin. While their families are now know thorough the world, it was they that made their families famous in the first place.
There were just a few things that threw her about Naruto. He seemingly had no end to his stamina and gone for days and his chakra as he continued drawing upon it even when most jounin in the village would pass out from chakra exhaustion.
Another thing was his amazing ability to detect chakra and instinctively know what was about to happen. While this would point to him having an ability like the Byukugan or Sharingan, he couldn't see the chakra being used and didn't know what exactly what his opponent was trying to do. But it was ridiculous as whenever they tried to put their stealth to the test, he always found them in almost no time.
Then there was his recovery rate as all his injuries healed within mind boggling rates. Plus if he took a serious shot, the amount of time he needed to recuperate was next to nothing as he could get up from it almost immediately.
Finally there was his literal transformation when he tried to protect her family from Shusui. He was literally bathed in red chakra that took the form of a fox and was had no control over his own mind except when her big brother came and somehow suppressed the red chakra. Then there was what her mother said…
All of these things left her wondering what Naruto was and how he could do all of these things. So finally after getting tired of it frustrating her till no end, she decided to ask him.
Miko noted that Hayate and Hana were gone, more then likely he went to take her home as she wasn't in the shape to go back herself. Feeling okay with that as she felt good enough to get back, she struggled to her feet before almost tripping over as Naruto was besides her. "Need help?"
It was indeed a rare thing to see the blonde asking to help someone so Miko almost flipped out and fell. Luckily, she managed to maintain her balance and keep on her feet. "Yeah… I'm not sure I can get back home on my own."
Understanding as he felt somewhat tired and didn't really like the feeling, Naruto stood beside her and gave her his shoulder to lean on so it would be easier to walk.
After a few moments of no talking as last time he came with her back to her house the murder of her clan happened, Miko sighed as the district came into view. "Naruto… can we stop for a moment? There is something I have to ask you and no one else will explain it to me."
Watching him tilt his head after he let her lean against a house to keep upright, Miko kept her girlish side in check as she just wanted to scream 'Kawaii' and hug him as he looked so darn cute like that. She didn't understand why she thought, but she did and she really was questioning if her mind shattered.
Shaking her head, getting that weird thought out of her head, she was about to speak when Naruto suddenly beat her to it. "I think I know what it is you want to know… Is it about what happened that day?"
Miko nodded as she really didn't want to bring anything up about that day but that was killing her. "Yes… that is one thing I'm confused about. I also have a few other questions."
Nodding as he expected that, Naruto pocketed his hands, looked her in the eyes before immediately speaking. "What you saw that night was my mother's power… My tenant to be exact. I am the one that Kyuubi was sealed into so the village could be spared."
Of all things, that was not what Miko was expecting. She expected to hear something more like he had two different bloodlines from parents of other nations or something like that. To hear he was the harboring the demon that killed so many of Konoha's ninjas eight years before was startling and she simply didn't understand how.
Having caught the conversation as he was nearby, Itachi suddenly spoke as he dropped down from the house from below. "Miko, to explain what Naruto is saying, he is only the vessel of the demon and keeps it from being released. They are two different entities entirely; however he may draw upon its power in tight spots."
Surprised at her brother's sudden appearance while Naruto didn't look a bit shocked, Miko took a few moments to respond. "I think I understand, it is kind of like a storage seal with weapons inside it. Inside their harmless but once out they can be deadly. So Kyuubi can't attack without it being summoned by Naruto?"
"Um… Sure. It is just a much stronger seal." Naruto responded as Itachi grimaced knowing that Kyuubi could become free whenever she pleased. She simply stays sealed as it would benefit Naruto more to help him from within.
Feeling less shocked then before, Miko was about to speak again when Itachi stopped her. "That's enough for now. You can ask him questions later. We're going to see kaa-san."
Frowning for a moment, she nodded and turned to say goodbye only to see Naruto had vanished without a trace. "Whoa! What the… Where'd he go?!"
"Probably to meet Jiraiya and train." Itachi answered as he knew that was exactly where the blonde went to as he had been training with him almost every single day since he arrived. "Let's go Miko. We still have to pick up Sasuke from the academy."
(Flashback End)
Almost not hearing her little brother speaking, Miko shook her head as she accepted Sasuke's hug. "I'll miss you nii-chan… Don't stay away for too long."
Smiling at her little brother, Miko sighed as she roughed up his hair a little as they separated. "Don't worry squirt, I'll be gone for a little while. And mom should be coming home soon…"
Itachi simply frowned at her as she was putting a lot of pressure on him. He did want to let his mother out too, but the problem was she wasn't cooperating. Yes, he was slightly irritated that she wouldn't explain what was going on with Miko, as she only talked to her about what she was thinking about, but that wasn't the real reason he kept her imprisoned.
Mikoto refused to speak of the reason why she gave him his father's eyes. If she would just tell him, he would let her out. It didn't help him any that he couldn't remember what happened moments before she drugged him.
Tensing as she knew what Miko was planning as she also knew of her disobedience; Mikoto frowned at her as wasn't going to tell Itachi until the time was right. She knew Sasuke missed her dearly and she wanted nothing more then to be with him again, she wanted to carry out her husband's final wish.
However, she quickly turned towards Yugito and frowned. What she had seen Naruto do seemed familiar. It seemed like something Minato had done time and time again when he placed a marker so he could flicker to it to help someone in need or to help defend the village.
Her entire body froze as she momentarily activated her Sharingan, catching Itachi's attention as she strictly forbade her to use chakra, to see what Naruto had done. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the seal as her eyes faded back to normal. "No… It can't be."
While mostly everyone was trying to figure out what she meant by that, both Naruto and Yugito tensed as it seemed Mikoto knew of the seal and its function. Itachi, frowning, activated his Sharingan to see the seal before raising his eyebrow as the seal was very complex and something he found he couldn't copy, strangely enough.
"Uh, Miko, I have something for you." Mikoto suddenly spoke before ushering her daughter away from the group for a moment before tapping her left wrist, revealing a storage scroll and a small and very odd kunai appeared. "Take this… If you ever feel in danger, throw it into the ground."
"But mom…"
Miko tried to start when Mikoto simply shook her head. "Don't argue with me and don't use it for anything else. Just do it when you feel you're in grave danger. …A knight in dark armor might come to save you in a flash."
At the end, Miko frowned as her mother winked right as she pocketed the kunai. She didn't understand what her mother meant by that, but something told her that this had to deal with Naruto. Just from the way she reacted from looking at Yugito's hand to the way she was acting now was enough proof. "Okay… I got to go."
"Good luck dear and stay safe." Mikoto waved as her daughter joined her team, Naruto simply looking at her as he had felt the kunai's presence and knew that the one she gave her was one the Forth created.
Nodding as they were all there, Hayate motioned for them to head out and took the lead. "Let's go! We've got a long journey."
After a few minutes and they almost out of sight, Mikoto sighed as Itachi walked over to her knowing he was going to take her back to her cell. "Alright, let's go back…"
"No… There is no need now. …I'll explain everything to you now." Mikoto responded as she noted that Sasuke was with him and frowned. "Um, Kakashi! Can you take Sasuke home and watch over him for a bit? I need to talk with Itachi about something private."
Seeing that everyone else was slowly leaving as the gennin and their sensei were now out of sight, Kakashi nodded before walking over. "Sure. I'm not on duty until tonight anyways. Let's go Sasuke, we might stop and get something to eat along the way."
Sasuke was somewhat reluctant at first, but nodded as his stomach growled. No one had made breakfast and he was really hungry. Plus, his brother seemed to approve as well so he couldn't be a bad person.
Watching as Sasuke went with Kakashi, Itachi slowly turned to his mother before his Sharingan activated. "Alright, what is this about? You haven't been willing to tell me anything and not even threatening you with Ibiki did anything. So why now will you tell me anything?"
"Well first off, Ibiki isn't useful unless you bring him in. If you did that, I might have broke as I know what that man can do." Mikoto explained as she pointed out her son's error which only seemed to make him mad as she was trying to be funny at an inappropriate time.
Mikoto only smiled and shook her head as she easily looked him in the eyes. "I feel that a burden has been lifted off of me, that is all. Now that I see that the flash is back, I'm not worried as much as our families' burden is less of a threat."
"The flash is back… What does that even mean? The only flash I know of is… The Forth. Explain now?!" Itachi suddenly caught where his mother had led him and he knew exactly what she was talking about now.
Making sure no one was listening in on them or watching, Mikoto tilted her head towards the gate. "Naruto. …He knows it, I'm sure of it. That seal he place on Yugito's hand is proof… You tried copying it and failed, didn't you?"
Looking at her for a moment, Itachi's eyes widened at the thought the blonde knew of such a technique. Now his threat actually caused fear as if he could use that… He would be screwed. "Well, that explains why I couldn't copy it. There must be some sort of seal on it to keep me from doing so."
"There is, I helped add a forbidden seal of our clan's that negates our Sharingan's coping. …I did that because we were going out at the time." Mikoto responded as she knew the seal well, having been one of Minato's girlfriends before he finally fell for Kushina. And knowing what she did, she wished more that she had ended up with him…
Shaking those thoughts from her head, Mikoto sighed as her demeanor softened and she seemed more subdued. "Itachi… I can tell you why I gave you the eyes now… Because now… You don't have to face him alone."
Before Itachi could respond, Mikoto cut him off. "Uchiha Madara is still alive and he wants to destroy not only our clan but this village. We must not let him under any circumstances… You know of our family's dark past and we mustn't let another chapter be added to it. I gave you those eyes so you can meet him in battle and have a chance."
Being momentarily stunned by what his mother had said, Itachi recovered quickly and kept his composure. "Why couldn't you have told me this before? It is hard to believe he is still alive, but I've seen people live longer lives. If it was a matter of security, the Hokage needs to know…"
"Because he is our clan's mistake. We are the reason for his hatred as we saw the First as a better choice for a leader then he would be. Despite all he did for us, we turned our backs on him. …So it is only fitting that we take care of the problem we created. …Do not get the Hokage involved in this. Not yet. He may not be needed." Mikoto explained before she looked at Itachi with pleading eyes.
Frowning, Itachi sighed as he rubbed his temple for a moment. "I'll think about it. But for now, you still have to go back. I'll let you out soon, but not right now. I hope you understand"
Mikoto simply nodded as she knew why. "It's okay… Just tell Sasuke I'll be home soon. …And Miko stole some of you pocky collection."
"I will." Itachi said before he caught what his mother said at the end. "WHAT?!"
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"Fo r the love of my mother, why in the hell is a village on top of this God forsaken mountain?!" Naruto yelled out in frustration as they continued their climb of the mountain, almost reaching the top as the village walls were in sight.
Never hearing that much emotion out of Naruto before, his sensei along with his two teammates nearly lost their balance and fell off the monster mountain.
Regaining their balance, still looking at Naruto with wide eyes, Hayate was the first to reach the gate. There were two guards standing at the gates, as if waiting for them. "Ah, finally… Another team. There has barely been any to arrive so far. …Dammit, duty first, paper please?"
Hayate nodded and dug around in his pouch for a moment before handing them over. "Ah, here they are. We'll be the only team representing Konoha for these exams."
Nodding as he looked over the papers carefully, having his partner double check, he handed them back to Hayate. "Everything seems to be in order. Most of the hotels are on the east side of town and the restaurants are in the center. If you get lost just asked anyone, everyone in the village is a ninja and they'll point you in the right direction."
"Have a nice day!" The guy chirped, making Naruto simply look at him with a twitching brow as he was even more upset that he now had to see someone overly happy after a murderous climb.
Grinning as he could see Naruto's annoyance as they went in, glad the boy was showing some emotion, Hayate stopped before checking their money. "Alright, we're good. I'll go get us the rooms while you three find a good restaurant. …No ramen." He added on the end just to see if he could get a rise out of Naruto.
And he did when Naruto flicked him off as he kept from spouting off and ripping off his sensei's jaw. They had only stopped at two food stops on the entire trip and neither served ramen. He was starved for it as he didn't bring many cups or packets with him.
Shaking her head as Hayate flickered off to get them a room, Hana stretched out and grinned. "Alright, we'll look for something that has ramen for Naruto. Miko, have any preferences as I don't care. I'll eat anything right now. I'm tired of eating from the wild."
Biting into a stick of pocky, Miko blinked before grinning. Oh, she knew her brother wouldn't be happy when he noticed she found his stack of snack treats. "It doesn't really matter to me either. …As long as it is real food, I don't care. Anything is better then the stuff we've had been eating."
"He can't cook." Was all that Naruto added as he suddenly pulled out some of the food Hayate cooked the night before and handed it to one of Hana's trio, who simply turned its nose from the food. "Not even a dog will eat it…"
"Hey! How many times do I have to say…? Wow, that is really bad cooking. He'll eat almost anything." Hana started out mad before looking down and noticing one of her three had indeed turned its nose.
Miko could only laugh as she scratched the said dog behind the nose. "That just makes me wonder… Hasn't he said he's been cooking for his fiancée?"
"Wife now, and yes he has." Naruto responded as he knew they were married as Anko was Yugao's maid of honor. "However, Yugao has been coming over and eating with me as my ramen taste better then his cooking."
"Is it just me or is your diet mostly of ramen?" Miko asked as they entered the center of the village, not taking very long as the village wasn't too horrible large as it was on the top of a mountain.
Naruto simply shrugged as he really wasn't going to give her an answer. Sure, ramen was one of his favorite foods but he didn't eat it all the time. Just for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He didn't eat it when he was having brunch, his two o'clock or his midnight snack… Half of the time.
Finding a place that was suitable, Hana led the three into the restaurant before her entire body froze and fear began setting in. Six Iwa gennin sat at the bar and she recognized all three of them, but more importantly the one wearing the samurai-like armor with his face covered.
"It can be… He still can't be a gennin…" Hana muttered aloud in her terrified state before completely freezing as the shinobi turned and spotted her while her three partners began growling and put themselves in front of her. "We have to leave… Now… I can't…"
He could almost smell the fear coming from Hana and he could see where it was directed. While Hana had never told them that her previous team had been killed in the last chunin exam, Naruto learned the full story through Yugao as he had to know.
Immediately he walked forward, passed Hana, who looked on in horror, as Miko was trying to calm their team captain down. "Hana, what's wrong? …Wait, Iwa gennin… Are they the ones that…?"
Hana only nodded as Miko trailed off and her entire body shook as Naruto was already besides them and had taken a seat, knowing the risk of what he was about to do. It was still worth it. "Barkeep, get a drink to the armored fool there. I'll pay for it."
Now both girls knew that Naruto had gall before this, however, they were completely stunned at what Naruto was doing. Did he not put connect the dots and figure out who they were?
"What is he doing? Naruto!" Miko hissed as she ran over to him, however was only pushed aside as Naruto looked at her and only nodded. He had a plan… But what the hell was it? And why was he even trying anything?!
The said Iwa gennin frowned as he looked over at the young boy before grinning under his mask. "Oh, so a little kid is entering the exam? Oh look out, Konoha has another Hatake Kakashi!"
As all the other Rock ninja laughed, Naruto only grinned as his vicious nature began to take over. This immediately caught the pack leader's attention and made him frown further. "What good will buying me a drink do you boy? I'll do the same thing as I did to the bitch's last team as if you didn't notice, we are from the Rock."
Hearing the sarcasm in the voice, Naruto closed his eyes as Hana looked even more terrified seeing what Naruto was doing. "I'm buying it for you out of courtesy. After all, the soon to be deceased should at least get a last meal. That is what my adoptive mother tells me… However, my true mother just wants to rip your throat out as do I."
Immediately the stool that the Iwa gennin that was offended was sitting on was thrown on the ground as white chakra with a tint of blue began to surround him. "What was that boy? Do you really think you stand a chance against a demon vessel like me?! Do you?!"
"Is that all your pitiful demon has?" Naruto simply asked as he slid off his seat, knowing what he had said would offend him and right on cue he was ready to pounce.
Naruto slid his bracelet off and turned to him and his eyes flashed red and his pupils dilated before red chakra began surrounding him, blood slowly beginning to leak from his pores. "Oh, the dog wants to fight the fox? Where's the cat, oh right… She's with me now. I guess you have no back up this time."
It was clear to all that heard him speak that there was two voices speaking, one of which was a matured eight year old boy. The other was harder to tell but still easily decipherable, it was of a furious woman. This threw off almost everyone one except for the Iwa vessel and Miko, knowing what Naruto was.
His demon's flow of chakra immediately stopped and he growled as he tried to summon it forth once again only to get a message in response. He instantly calmed before he looked down at Naruto. "I see… This will be interesting now. One that can finally give me a decent fight and show off my chunin qualities."
Unable to call back his mother's chakra, Naruto grinned demonically as his eyes literally began to glow pure crimson. "I don't think so… Because I will kill you before this is all over."
This time, however, there was only one voice and it did not belong to Naruto. It was Kyuubi that was speaking, using her vessel to give her message to the young man, letting him know his time had drawn short.
But before she could make do on her promise, Naruto regained full control of his body and slipped Yamato's bracelet on just as Anbu began to arrive on the scene, checking what was going on. Also with them was Hayate, who was looking straight at Naruto. "Naruto what the hell is going on…?"
"Nothing that concerns any of you." Naruto stated as he moved by them all, not planning on staying there a moment longer.
His mother's message was delivered. No one fucks with his family.
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