10Hello there everybody, it's time for a new story! So this is one of my grade 2 stories, where the chapters will be six thousand words rather than my normal three thousand. I did a little tease of this in my true jinchuriki story, but now we're on the big stage; one of the biggest in the anime section, so let's try not to mess this up! Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Takumi: Upon the shoulders of giants, grow to heights never before seen Naruto! Titan of trees, make sure to take care of him!
Tapio: Blessed with two daughters, the legendary serial killer and the tale for somebody's sake... Take care of those girls, for they will care for you.
Takumi: They look so fragile, but I can't ignore the potential brimming in their eyes... You know what I'm saying, right?
Tapio: It is very much the same for Naruto. This will be a tale to remember.
T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!
His breath came ragged upon the cold night's breeze, clouds to fill a clear sky as the boy ran into the night. Trees could only act as a support for so long before they proved to be insufficient, the weight of his body proving to be too much for him to handle.
He was nought but a child, youthful looks dampened by the dirt of the wild. Blonde hair stood strong even with the dirt and leaves that invaded it, a jumpsuit worn far beyond its intended purpose becoming gradually threadbare as it was pushed further and further. Despite the dirt and desperation though, the boy stood strong, or as strong as his body would allow at the moment, in the forest night, the sound of various cries fading away like a midnight dream.
"You have faced torment, you have faced tribulation, and you have faced opposition in spite of innocence." The boy's head began to rapidly turn at the booming voice, a panicked expression still clear even in the darkness of the night. It seemed to hold no origin, enveloping him in its warm sound. It was not the cry of a giant, but the welcome of a father figure, a gruff personality hiding a fierce loyalty. "Do not turn, for we do not face you in the mortal realm."
The mortal realm? What did the mortal realm mean? He hadn't come across those words during his time in the library… but he had to be calm about this. Evening his breathing, sliding into the shelter of a group of trees, he held himself against the bark; it may not do much in the face of some of the people's abilities, but it was protection none the less.
"Tell me child, what is your name?" another voice enquired, the soft caring tones of a mother to her babe. What had he done to have someone speak to him in such a way? There had been few others that would even deign to look in his direction, let alone speak to him in such a loving manner. "We will not hurt you, never. We just want to know your name."
"I… am…Naruto…"
Naruto… how many times had he heard that name in use? Of course, there was the Hokage who was always willing to use it, but who else would be willing to lowering themselves to calling him by the name he was given? There was demon, monster, beast, freak, useless child, idiot; who would even give using his name a single second of thought when there was so much you could call him?
"Naruto… it is a fine name, a beautiful one. How glad I am to be gifted unto a child named Naruto." The feminine voice declared, but he was only able to give it half of his attention – there were voices and they grew louder by the second.
"They're coming…" and what would they do? Would they come down upon him like hawks as they had done before? Would they make it more serious considering that he had escaped from their grasp? Would there be more of the people who had used strange powers upon him, burning him, cutting him? There was really nothing stopping them until the Hokage appeared, so it wasn't as if they had anything to hold back, and usually the people with strange powers were gone before he could arrive, leaving just the others to take the blame.
"Child, Naruto. We can assist you in your strife. We can help you grow strong, we can help you grow powerful." The booming voice declared, the motherly voice remaining quiet as the boy's interest was piqued. "Right now, they do not understand the treasure they seek to destroy. They never can until you show them the folly of their actions!"
The footsteps grew closer, the mumblings hidden under a wave of each other's noises gradually becoming easier to understand, the same choice insults and threats coming to his ears as they always did.
"Naruto, there's no time for hesitation anymore. You can either let yourself fall victim to evil once more, or you can allow yourself to grow stronger as we want you to." The feminine tone declared, Naruto giving a small intake of breath. "All we need you to do is say my name."
"But I don't know your name…" Naruto reasoned, a fair response considering that he had no idea where the people he was even talking to were, let alone who they were.
"Do not fret Naruto, for deep in your heart, you recognise our voice. There are few who would be able to do so, yet I know that you are one of those people." The mothering voice urged, the boy's heart slowing down as the world stopped. Not even an insect was able to move from their place, the moon frozen in its celestial arc.
'A name…' digging deep into his mind, he struggled to pull anything up that wasn't related to those closest to him. What did they expect him to do, just invent a name on the tip of his tongue at all but a prompt? But that was when it hit and the world became water.
Even the very trees became liquid suspended in shape, grass becoming an ocean Naruto stood proud upon. The stars were drops waiting to fall upon the earth, refreshing it and letting life continue to grow. How on earth could he ever forget that name, the one that flashes in his mind? It was far from usual, such an odd designation that it seemed better fit for the myth books than an actual title. Placed alongside legends and the reverent titles humanity gifted to them, it fit perfectly, a master of the waters and ice, a single song bringing all to their greatest bliss and never letting them leave.
"Yes, that is I. Please Naruto, all you have to do is call upon my power. Call upon my power and I can help you!" the feminine tones begged, a sudden strength entering Naruto's body as the waters started to tremble around him.
"I will… Help me… Siren of Souls, Clarent!"
When the crowds arrived, they would be met by no human, only the waters which soaked the very earth and the trees surrounding.
He awoke inside a sewer; not the most welcoming place, but one he could understand – when the danger grew, there were only so many places that people wouldn't traverse in order to reach you. The boy picked himself off of the floor, looking around the damp surrounding with a childish curiosity that many seemed to lack in a time where they didn't need to know stuff about the world outside. Information you needed was given to you and the rest would all come naturally, through accidents and the like.
"He stands before us, a speck in the presence of the mighty. Look upon he who holds you and explain to us your irrational hatred towards him." The voice was the deep tone he heard before , Naruto's eyes flashing back and forth at breakneck speeds until he heard the low chuckle that echoed around the stone room. "Child, we do stand before you. Look to the skies, and let your eyes meet our own."
Loathe as he was to follow the instruction, he did, and he certainly wasn't disappointed. Upon the wall, iron bars held back a ferocious beast, a fox of gigantic proportions locked behind the metal. The monster snarled with ever second, claws jutting out between the small gaps provided by the bar, a single slip of paper resting within the centre.
That wasn't all that was to be found in this strange area however. At either side of him sat beings greater than even the fox locked away, a creature of brown and a woman of blue. The 'man' (for the child had yet to learn of the term 'humanoid') had no skin, for dark bark covered the entirety of his body, a beard of moss resting upon his chin and exposed wood to act for eyes. Wood of a red hue decorated his body as armour, great bulk to every part of his body truly making him appear as a great oak standing tall amongst all else.
The woman had an ocean for her hair, water flowing down her back in tranquillity, not a single turbulent section to block the clear waters. Her skin was pale, limbs thin; she gave the perfect impression of a weak woman only interested in her looks, but the aquamarine dress hiding a long tail of sorts was not to be taken at face value. The water eyes showed great age and wisdom, the sort never found in textbooks or by human mouth, but through the harsh teacher that was conflict.
"Now then, do you see how he refuses to flinch, even in the face of your 'menacing' posture?" the woman asked, looking down on the tiny child with the love he had seen only given to others, the love of those who had raised their child their entire lives and thus, had earnt their affections. "Tell me, do you see even a speck of the darkness held by others who would chain you, use your power for their own nefarious deeds?"
"He is but a young one, yet to grow into the madness of his kin." The fox growled out, an animalistic baritone that dug deep into Naruto's spine, threatening to destroy in but a single strike. "Even if they show him such distain, there can be no doubt that he would choose to use my power just like any other. Perhaps he would do so to prove himself superior to the others, or some other mundane usage unbefitting of a being of my stature."
"Not unless he chooses to use the power gifted properly to him, as he just did. Naruto, I am glad to meet you." The woman greeted. Her name had been Clarent, had it not? The Siren of Souls… were sirens not creatures that lured unsuspecting sailors to their deaths through the use of music and singing?
"Yes, I am that Clarent you speak of. Though Sirens are often thought of as foul creatures, there are many such as myself who wish for nought but the joy of music, just as there are many of the breeds humans worship that hold vile secrets in their wake." The woman explained, a lone finger greater than many trees Naruto had come to witness beckoning him closer to the foot of a grandiose throne, a seat that didn't belong in the sewer at all, just like the life covered seat opposite that the humanoid sat upon.
"Where am I? Why do I feel so energetic?" Naruto questioned, the two giants sharing an amused look. Gone was the tiredness that came with long periods of running to give way to a freshness he rarely was able to feel with a dodgy water system.
"Allow me to introduce myself first. I am the titan of the trees, Tapio. Well met young Naruto." The tree person began. "This is your mind, which, while the mind wishes so, will present you in the peak of your fitness. It is also where this lovely little creature resides along with us." A trunk of a foot collided with the metal bars, the fox giving a short bite towards the metal, but wasn't able to catch any of the wood before it was drawn away.
"Now, do not freak out young Naruto, but this is the nine tailed beast, Kurama. He is housed inside you never to be released unless it be at the cost of your life." Tapio introduced, Kurama giving the loudest roar he was capable.
"Who are you to so freely give my name!?" the nine tailed fox roared, Naruto immediately scuttling back at the sound. "That name is not to be spoken of by all but my father! He has yet to earn such a use, if he ever was to!"
"You will remember who holds the power here!" Tapio roared, his arm glowing as several vines grew out of a hole upon the top of his arm, lashing out towards the fox who backed away. "Now young Naruto, we are two of the nine ultimate giants, the kyunin kyukyoku no kyodai. We have been awaken with your birth, but only now have we been able to actively converse with you. You have been treated far worse than one of your potential strength should've been and we are now able to change that for you."
"You can… change that?" Naruto parroted cautiously. Far too often had he fallen prey to sugared words and surreal as this was, he didn't know whether he could trust these strange beings that claimed that the kyuubi that had wrought havoc within his home of Konoha was now trapped within his mind.
"Of course Naruto. Even as we speak, you will be healing within my waters, your body turned back into what it should be given the correct treatment and health. With the time we have with you, it should be no difficult feat to begin you on some of our techniques, even at such a tender age as six." Clarent stated, the blond boy's interest definitely caught. He could do similar things as the adults even now?
"Unfortunately not young Naruto. For your body is yet to grow capable of using such techniques, I am afraid we can only pass unto you the passive abilities and techniques available to us." Tapio corrected, leaning forward on his throne. "I must warn you young Naruto, the skills we have will not be passed on lightly. You must fulfil but a single task for us in recompense."
That was a rather strange feeling. How did he know what the word recompense meant? He certainly had never met someone willing to use such advanced language in his presence before, so there's no reasonable way for him to know of it…
"You see, we are a part of your mind. We will teach you and you will learn, just as we will learn of things we have failed to learn of in our slumber" Clarent explained gently, a small smile pulling at pale lips. We can even hear your thoughts at times, when you wish for us to explain something.
"Oh… So you can read my thoughts?" Naruto said, receiving a nod in reply.
"And only your thoughts if you are frightened of that. We cannot intrude upon memories or secrets unless you would wish us to." Tapio added, returning to his full height. "As for the favour we wish of you, we would like you to call upon our kin. They remain locked in slumber until you fulfil certain requisites."
"So you want me to wake up your family?"
"Exactly. With the two of us, there should still be seven sleeping and waiting to be awoken. Few people ever get the honour of housing a single giant, and yet you hold the potential to awaken them all and grow beyond all others." Clarent confirmed. "Naruto, what we ask of you is certainly potentially challenging. If you do not wish to, we will not push you and we shall allow you access to our powers. If you were to awaken them though, you would be able to access their power as well as our own."
It certainly was a tempting thought. So there were giants sleeping somewhere and he had to do certain things in order to get them to awake? It didn't seem as if there was a catch to such a thing and they hadn't proven themselves to be holding any sort of ulterior motive to their offerings. There was also the small part of him that was confirming the fact that holding great power definitely intrigued him.
"I don't see why I wouldn't, but wouldn't there be just six sleeping if there are three of you here?" Naruto asked in confusion, bright laughter escaping both giants as Kurama, locked away between them, was left to scowl in his darkness.
"Naruto, there is a reason he sits upon the earth in a cell rather than upon a throne." Clarent got out between her giggles. "The nine tailed beasts are nothing in the eyes of the Kyunin Kyukyoku no kyodai. See how he barely raises to our knees!"
"Oh, I get it… then, yes, I accept your request!" Naruto exclaimed with a thumbs up, the two giants smiling down upon their charge. Such exuberance in the face of adversity was to be praised rather than quashed by the efforts of adults.
"Understood. Yee, who art borne unto greatness from an honoured line, I pledge my assistance to you. Let the might of nature guide you in darkness, shield you in light and pave the way unto a promised future." Announced Tapio, stepping off of his wooden throne to give the proper reverence with as much of a bow as was allowed by the limited space, closely followed in action by Clarent.
"Yee, who art borne unto greatness from an honoured line, I pledge my assistance to you. Let my waters drown out all opposition and heal you and all others in times of need, a sword that may support as much as it battles." The mermaid like woman intoned, returning to her seat with an elegance saved for royalty, Naruto simply remaining awestruck in his entirety. While he knew that if he were to ever reach the coveted rank of Hokage, the people would pledge their support, it was often a succinct event, done in a fashion suited to those in their position.
"Um, thanks I guess. I won't let you down, I promise!" Naruto stated with a small bow of his own, his arms trembling in excitement. "Well then, what are we going to do now that this is all over and done with?"
"Well, how about we start with the beginnings of how to use our techniques?" At Clarent's suggestion, the boy couldn't hide the excitement any further.
"Right, anything you say!"
There were times where Naruto seemed to disappear only to appear at the most inopportune moments. Hiruzen Sarutobi had become accustomed to these times, meaning it had required more time than it really should have for him to notice the extended disappearance of Naruto.
"Neko!" the hokage called, a woman clad in white clothes and a cat mask appearing in front of him without a word or sound. "I want you to go to the apartment block where Naruto lives and check up on the condition of the boy. I don't want you to get involved at all unless it would appear that he was in some sort of life threatening situation or something appears to be strange with him. Am I understood?"
"Fully. I shall leave immediately." And in a burst of leaves and smoke, there was no sign of the stoically speaking woman, leaving the wizened man all alone to his thoughts once more. When he had first given up his position, he had thought it would lead to relaxation, time to spend with his cherished ones in the comfort of his home; to return had never been an aim, even if it did mean he could say he had a longer term in office.
Perhaps it had resulted in some sort of leniency in his actions due to tiredness, but there were times where the sheer idea that he was still here weighed heavily on him even still. It was at these times where he became the most 'accepting', willing to take on many ideas that his more rational voice would revile at and that had to stop eventually. With the reactions of the people to his existence, despite the recommendation of his successor (and maybe, predecessor? That was a bit weird to think about), it was the perfect time to try and strengthen his resolve, become the proper hokage he had been before, where respect flowed like water in a river in his direction.
To dwell on the past was not something he had the honour of doing however. The seemingly endless documents that found themselves deposited upon his desk had to be done eventually and in a timely matter, so it was to the pen once more. Thoughts of Naruto and the state he had been force to endure would never leave though, a niggling worm in the back of his mind.
When the cat anbu appeared at the dilapidated building, there was a brief pause of hesitation before she entered. The walls found themselves painted over many times, though not in the proper white, the mess of colours piecing together to form a hundred insults to greet any that would exit and warn any of those who would ever contemplate entering out of curiosity. Naturally, it would not be for the ideas of safety – not in the normal sense at least. Perhaps it could be construed as 'danger of wild animals'.
Regardless, the purple haired woman entered, a stealthy foot leaving no traces of her arrival in the dust that had easily gathered without any care. It wasn't the most cleanly of places upon the inside either, lack of attention from all but a single boy bound to result in some dirt, though usually not to the extent of the grime that surrounded the walls of the hallways. She had been fortunate that she had been made to appear within the room she had been told multiple times, for where usually chaotic sound rang out, the silence befitting a place of this wear and tear met Neko.
The door she had found was oddly bare of the graffiti that plagued the rest of the building, the obvious efforts of a child with a sponge present upon the painted wood. The silence was far too concerning to the Anbu ninja, especially considering that the tenant involved with this particular home was certainly not the quiet kind. Slipping into the door without too much effort, the slender woman was certainly not prepared for what she would be greeted with. Her immediate response was to draw her blade, scanning the room in order to find any sign of the possible intruder that would've been able to do this, but when her search came up fruitless, Neko could only watch the strange occurrence with curiosity.
It was as if the ocean had chosen to hold him within her aquatic embrace, a dome of water surrounding Naruto as he peacefully slept. It was if he had been dumped into a demented fish tank without walls, yet from the peacefully expression on his face, there was no sign of struggle that was come from asphyxiation. Remove the water, and you would have a resting child like any other; the question was why on earth was the water there?
A closer look at the dome provided the answers Neko was looking for, a boy that held only the smallest resemblance to the six year she had come to know through countless interference runs when things got a little too rowdy. The body, once drawn thin from a lack of proper nutrition save for that which was snuck into his ramen by an assisting stand, now sat strong in its protective casing. Hair had grown longer than it really had the need to, the strands definitely not reaching to his back a few days ago. Left in only his boxers, the rest in torn pieces floating freely in the surrounding water, the boy had certainly let the increased body mass show, Neko stepping back when the next strange revelation came.
The water slowly appeared to drain into the bed, though the fabrics showed no sign of properly getting wet. When his face was exposed to the open air around him, a deep breath was sucked in by Naruto, Neko jumping back with an inch of steel unsheathed when the blue orbs stared towards her. Though he normally had the brightest cerulean one could imagine, celeste eyes greeted her as the boy launched off of the bed, a strange mist of similar hue gathering at his hands.
"I apologise if I have startled you. I merely wish to have you brought to the Hokage for his own inspection." Neko stated monotonously, hands held up to the boy in surrender, though his stance only softened slightly, the mist showing no signs of dissipating at a quick rate.
"The Hokage? What does Jiji want with me?" Naruto questioned, though it was enough to get him to lower the odd celeste mist that had gathered upon his fingertips. The mask and plain white clothes were a good tell for an Anbu, a force that operated at the utmost secrecy and formed of great ninja. If they were the ones requesting hi, then there was no reason for him to really doubt the truth of their words.
"He merely wishes to ascertain your safety after an extended period of silence, have you been in that strange orb of water for a long time?" the anbu questioned, Naruto looking to his clock. So it had been a few days since he had lost the people in the forest, met those who resided in his mind… it explained why he had so much free time to learn what he did though.
"I guess I have… well then, lead the way Neko! Let's go and see what Jiji thinks is wrong with me!" Naruto cheerily stated, holding out a hand to the purple haired swordswoman, he had been through the process many times before, so it wasn't as if the shunshin technique was a foreign concept to him. There was no time before Neko grabbed a hold of the offered appendage, the two arriving in the hokage's office in no time at all, save for a single stop to the store in order to get some basic clothing. The one who actually owned the store would never in his lifetime accept the boy normally into his store, but a little bit of stealth stealing was bound to occur in a village full of ninja; he most likely would never know it had even disappeared.
"Ah, I see you've returned as prompt as ever. Naruto, it's good to see you after your little break." Hiruzen remarked, beckoning the child closer, the boy eagerly jumping into the offered hug with all the gusto available in his body, the leader having to let out a small bit of air as he felt the grip tighten around him. "And you've gotten far stronger than I remember you being. Just what have you done in those days you haven't come out?"
"I've been training!" Naruto exuberantly answered, Neko raising an eyebrow hidden by the plastics of her mask. "I found out I have these super cool creatures in my mind and they've been teaching me all of these things, and they even healed my body!"
Now that was enough to strike fear into the hearts of those present in the office immediately. He had made contact with the Kyuubi? And there were more inside of him? They certainly hadn't sealed anymore within him, not that Minato had spoken of at least. What on earth could he have been hiding within himself that no signs of its presence would appear in the boy? It was then when he took notice of the glowing eyes the boy had come to possess, an eerie ethereal appearance that he was loathe to see on a child.
"Is it the eyes? Apparently, the eyes were the last thing that needed fixing, so that's what the glow is." Naruto easily explained, non- surplussed by the surprise present on the Hokage's face. "Oh yeah, there was also this grumpy fox who apparently is he Kyuubi, but he doesn't really seem like much when he's behind bars and being teased by the other guys."
So that confirmed his deepest fear and somehow managed to relax it at the same time. So he had made contact with the dreaded Kyuubi and somehow find creatures in his mind that were so powerful that they didn't just show no fear, but actively mocked him? While it was good that such power was apparently being provided happily to Naruto, it made him wonder just how others would take the news.
"Who are these other people then, in your mind?" Hiruzen asked, Naruto all too happy to answer.
"There's Clarent and Tapio, and there's apparently a whole bunch of others that aren't awake yet and only will once I've completed some of the stuff they want me to." The blond declared, Hiruzen nodding slowly. So there was some sort of limit to this power, but it could grow? That was positively frightening in the hands of a child of Naruto's creativity. With no prior knowledge of such a thing, they could only go off of his word and that didn't spell out anything good; that much was certain.
"And what have these creatures in your mind said to you?" the Hokage urged next, the boy waiting in silence before suggesting his answer.
"Maybe I should just go outside and show you! Is there a place nearby we can use? I usually am not allowed anywhere near the training grounds…" Naruto pouted, a small scolding tut escaping the old man.
"That's because they could be dangerous to you Naruto, you know that full well." Hiruzen reminded the small child before grabbing a hold of his hand, a pointed look to Neko having her give a nod. Whenever the Hokage wanted a demonstration of power, he would always use the same training ground, reserved specially for his use. It was far away from the main tower, surrounded by forest so they could get the appropriate privacy and test out some of the larger attacks. While he wasn't expecting much from the six year old considering all he had to face daily, there was always Itachi Uchiha, who had managed to complete the academy by the age of seven – miracles could always happen.
The boy stood in the centre of the area provided, Neko standing against him at her leader's order. The various restrictions in place were clear: do not do any lasting harm, do not give it any more than half of your true capabilities, normally lower and only attack to prompt or investigate.
"Right then, Naruto, I don't want you to hold back at all. Show me what these strange creatures you have in your mind have taught you." Hiruzen instructed, standing unflinching at the side of the small field. If it turned to what he feared, then he would be able to intercede as Neko distracted him, but if it truly was otherwise, then it would be interesting just what was available to him. "You may begin."
A small smirk danced upon the blond's face as he looked to his opponent, the purple haired woman tightening her stance out of sheer instinct. When it was coming from the village's greatest prankster, you could never be sure what exactly there was in store for you, and that was after all of the actions taken by the people. Who knew just what could be held in the devious expression of the now stronger boy?
Immediately, his hands were flashing through various signs, signs that would not be taught to him until he was to enter into the academy. With the speed he was going through them at, it was as if he had been practicing every single second he had been asleep, and even that may not be enough to memorise them and perform them at such a practiced speed. The final movement however, had not been a proper hand sign, instead two fingers coming together before quickly coming before his lips, the name of the jutsu escaping before they were pushed against them.
"Kyodai no jutsu – Kotei Pengin!" Naruto intoned, the fingers helping produce the sharp whistle that came shrill through the air, Neko turning to the floor in amazement. Several penguins had chosen to jut out of the ground, a single point having them flying somehow through the air towards her. They proved themselves nimble enough to dodge her sword swipes, latching onto various parts of her body and holding her still as Naruto flashed through several more hand signs.
"Kyodai no jutsu – Shizen no Bunshin!" by his side, a pair of clones grew out of the ground, almost as if the very grass had gifted him allies to battle alongside. That wasn't the end though, the two clones holding their hands around Naruto's held out hands, the small gaps revealing just enough to make Hiruzen cry out in shock.
"What!?" the hokage exclaimed. In one hand, a green energy gathered with a serene tremble to its surface, the other hand holding seemingly turbulent waters that only bent to the commands of Naruto and his clones' palms. "Is that… it holds too many similarities to the Rasengan, even if it doesn't have the exact same points… and he's holding two!"
Neko was unable to do anything, trying futile to pull of the penguins of all things off of her body, some sort of paralyzing agent present within their beaks that surely didn't belong. Had there been a way for him to properly sign a summoning contract during his unconsciousness? She had yet to hear of something like that occurring, but it clearly had to be possible. As the two clones stepped back, the two spheres remaining solid in the original's hands, Naruto threw the pair up, a forward flip having the balls of his feet colliding with the balls, launching them forward where they fused into a brilliant white star zooming forward upon collision.
"Kyodai no jutsu – Shizen-mizu fusion to fission!" the orb collided heavy with Neko's body, the forced dispelling of the penguins allowing her to escape from the smoke to show the lack of harm present on her being until she stopped at the lack of an opponent. Even Hiruzen was left a little lost from his place at the side, until Naruto appeared in front of the purple haired woman.
"Too slow." The swordswoman declared, swinging a fist in his direction, only giving a small hum of respect when her skin met the wood of a log before her, a tunnel of leaf laden smoke heading towards her with sur[prising speed. There was only the slightest traces of blond with which to see Naruto within the mess of leaves and smoke, even that smoke being left behind with the speed the boy was moving at through the trees towards her.
"Kyodai no jutsu - Mach shunshin!" Naruto called as he lashed out with a foot to the wood, the speed resulting in a great amount of moment transferred to the log he kicked, the wood thus transferring every newton of that force into Neko's body. The smoke and leaves finally caught up to him, the smoke dissipating slowly as he watched the ninja fly into the trees, quickly righting herself and landing upon her feet like her namesake.
"I think I've seen enough for now. Is that the extent of your abilities?" Hiruzen asked, hoping that the small amount of incredulousness was hidden behind his carefully crafted mask, the bright smile that burst onto Naruto's face spelling nought but danger.
"Of course not, I still had a whole bunch I wanted to show you! I guess I could keep them secret for now though, have some secrets and all that…" the blond conceded. "So, what do you think? Do I have a chance of becoming the Hokage now?"
"Absolutely. I don't think there would be many who could challenge your prowess if this is what you're accomplishing right now." The Hokage answered honestly, clapping for the skill shown by his charge. "So you signed a summoning contract? I didn't think you would even know what they were."
"A summoning contract? I just called out and hoped for the best with the penguins. It would've been really awkward if none of them answered…" Naruto admitted, a beat of silence occurring before the elderly man burst into laughter, the likes of which he had yet to experience in a while.
"Yes, things will be interesting…"
And let's stop things there for now! So, what do you think? It's my first time making the chapter this big, but it's definitely not on the scale of some other people (Bloody 11k...) Even in this form, it may take longer to come out than usual, so my apologies immediately, but stay tuned for next time where we meet someone special! Now who could that be?
Super hero time! See you next time!
