5,646Chapter 8: Just a Boring Day
Naruto rarely got tired, a boon that the boy would come to realize was a result of his perks, as such the exercises that came from the academy and dealing with enemies in low level dungeons barely gave him a sweat unless he went all out along with doing so non-stop.
But after only little over three hours of doing the unaccustomed exercises Hayate had him go through, Naruto was starting to sweat. A three-hour workout was nothing for Naruto, by now he would barely have any perspiration on his form. Quickly did Hayate conclude that Naruto wasn't any ordinary academy student and decided to modify and ramp up the level of intensity. And the punishment that came with it.
"Overswung!" Hayate barked and unleashed a flurry of swings too fast for the academy student to block.
"Crap!" was Naruto's cry, his back impacting the grass once more; he had given up counting the amount of times he found himself in this position.
"Again!"
From the sidelines with her Anbu friend, Anko watched the scene unfold before her, "Sadistic bastard."
"Tell me about it," Yugao nodded, "But it gets result. Besides, I thought you wanted him to go-"
"No, I mean, the ballerina's being a tough as nails mentor who gives no mercy," Anko cut her friend off.
"... Yeah, so?"
"That's my schtick!" Anko whined; the rest of the group sweat dropped.
"Timing was off!"
"No fair! I was distracted!... Oh, crap," Naruto couldn't stop his words on time.
"Oh, boy."
"Oh, goodie!"
Naruto didn't hesitate to run for his life. Being distracted was a huge negative in the ninja way of life. Pretending to be distracted was one thing, but to actually be distracted was another. At best, bad injuries or you lucked out of any serious harm. At worst, it meant crippling injuries or death. Anko and Hayate were trying their hardest to beat that sense into Naruto's already dense skull.
Literally.
"I love this part," Anko laughed, ignoring the fact that her ward was being beaten into cake mix.
"There is something seriously wrong with you, Anko," Yugao stated for what she felt was the millionth time.
Anko merely shrugged, "Proud of it and I've heard worse."
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Half an hour later, Naruto was on one knee and panting but he had managed to get the exercise done. Gulping down the water he was given, Naruto sighed in relief when Hayate announced that they were done for the day.
"Oh, hell ain't over yet, Gaki," was Anko's soul crushing announcement, "Next is your session with Hana," Naruto honestly believed the woman's smirk should be made illegal.
"You're enjoying this way too much, dattebayo," was all Naruto could say.
"Meh. We all find our pleasures somewhere."
"Try masturbating," said Naruto, hoping to throw the woman off. Judging by their expressions, it certainly worked on both Hayate and Yugao.
"Not pleasurable enough. Even with t–"
"Okay! You win!" Naruto cried defeat; his plan failed.
"Yeeeaaahhh...We're just gonna go," a red faced Yugao announced and vanished alongside her lover.
Anko merely laughed at her friend's expense before refocusing on her ward, "You're a long way away before you're in my league, kiddo. Good try though. Haven't seen Neko-chan that red in a while. Well, at any rate, up and at 'em."
Naruto merely sighed as both he and Anko made their way to the Inuzuka compound. Living with a ninken was different to say the least. Not bad, but different. Naruto had plants he watered and took care of but this was a completely different scenario for him.
Unlike regular dogs, ninken not only needed food that offered a lot more sustenance but also required a lot more daily exercise or one ran the risk of them becoming rowdy and discontent. Not doing so made controlling them, a chore on itself, even more difficult. It couldn't be just regular exercises that normal dogs did either, which was why Tsume had picked her daughter Hana to show him the ropes as thanks for returning Hotto.
As a result of his new responsibilities, coupled with the new training from multiple parties and the academy buckling down on their soon to be graduates, Naruto found himself with even less free time than before. Thinking back on it, all this occurred .
(Flashback; Three Weeks Ago)
"Ahahahahaha!"
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up," Naruto grumbled. While his fight against Onishishi hadn't been the most efficient or smoothest of wins, it had been a win nonetheless. And to a ninja, that's all that really counted.
"I...I...Bwahahaha!" unable to make a clear sentence, Anko continued laughing. The woman's laughter went on for nearly five minutes before she managed to gain some semblance of control. However, even then Anko release small chortles here and there.
"Ha...Ha...Okay," Anko cleared her throat but the smile never left her face.
"You good?" Naruto asked the older ninja.
"Oh, more than good," while it looked like she was about to start another laughing fit, Anko managed to control herself, "So … Find anything good?"
Despite knowing it was a deflection, Naruto took it regardless, "Yeah, this sword."
"Overcompensating much?" she said upon seeing the overly large blade, "Can you even use it?"
Naruto's frown was all she needed to know her answer but the boy replied regardless, "Not yet. But I did get this," here he showed her Onishishi's head.
"Holy crap! Talk about fugly!" Anko shouted at the sight of the enormous boar's head that appeared. "Should I be worried by the fact you're carrying around a dead boar's head?"
"It's the head of Onishishi. It's needed to complete a quest. A D-Rank Bounty," Naruto explained.
"A Bounty? Huh? Never would have thought. Well, seeing as how it's a boar we should head on over to the Inuzuka Clan compound. Most of the time it's them that deal with animal bounties cuz they're experts on them and chakra mutations. Gotta return that mutt of theirs, too," Anko told him.
"Shouldn't I take a shower first?" Naruto felt like he could use one.
"Am I hot and sexy?" she asked.
"Yes," Naruto blurted out without thinking.
|Your reputation with Anko has increased by 150!|
"Awww, aren't you sweet," Anko hugged him to her chest, "too bad your too young and I'm too sexy for prison."
"Chnt bhethke! (Can't breathe)!" Naruto mumbled from her ample bosom.
"Trust me, Gaki, you couldn't ask for a better death," here she dropped the gasping preteen and smirked as he started glaring. But even then, there was no stopping the blushing that masked his face, "Oh, don't tell me you didn't like it?"
Naruto merely blushed at the provocative statement, "They were nice and soft," he thought before mentally slapping himself as the image popped into his head.
"Whatcha thinking?" the woman's smirk gave the impression she already knew but Anko loved teasing the boy.
"Nonya business!" a flushed Naruto shouted but it only served to make Anko smirk even wider.
"Was it about these," she pushed her breasts together and took a deep breath.
"Gahhhhhh!" an embarrassed Naruto hightailed it out of the area as quickly as he could.
"There is something seriously wrong with you Anko-chan," Midori noted.
"Yeah, so? You'd think you'd be used to it by now, Midori," rebutted the kunoichi.
"One would think so but no," the green constrictor was used to it but had doubts she'd ever get fully used to it. Anko was very creative, especially when it came to sex appeal and torture.
(Sometime Later)
Walking towards the Inuzuka Clan compound with Anko beside him, Naruto wondered how he was going to play it out. Anko was with him because she was bored for one, that much was evident, and the other was because of the bounty. The woman reasoning her being there for that part was because the Inuzuka Clan wouldn't take him seriously since he wasn't one of their own and an academy student to boot. It also wasn't that big a secret to know that Naruto was considered the weakest academy student. Him showing up with Onishishi's head would raise some questions, and the Inuzuka were a clan that only tolerated weak individuals if they were very young or very old. In most clans, being old enough and capable of fighting but not doing anything or not contributing in some way was a very big negative. Even more so with the Inuzuka Clan's pack and animalistic mentality. Fortunately, Anko would help him out because of Naruto's ignorance to the various rules.
"A few things you need to know about the Inuzuka Clan, gaki. They are very pack oriented. Their mindset is a combination a human's with some canine or wolf tendencies. An Inuzuka never forgives and forgets if you cross them and can be very territorial when they want to be. Also don't be surprised if some of them challenges you, if it happens don't back out without a reason because you'll lose their respect. And if you see an older Inuzuka hitting one younger than them don't worry about it, Inuzuka discipline is pretty much tough love. Any abuse on a child here I heard is dealt with harshly. The difference in the two is in the intent behind it," tough love was more getting a point across such as a very important lesson but still showing them you care while abuse was basically hurting another for no reason at all. Whenever the latter happened she had heard that the person was sometimes put to death as the Inuzuka greatly treasure family and their young ones.
"Ok," Naruto thought it was simple enough… sort of.
"Oh, yeah. This next bit is very important. If one of their female clansmen takes an interest in you don't be surprised if wake up naked with them the next morning," she added. "Though if it does happen according to Inuzuka law you're now married."
"WHAT!" married at his age! What the bloody fuck!
"Hahahaha," Anko laughed at the boy's horrified look, "Oh, man. You're too easy, gaki," she laughed. The boy was so much fun to mess with. In truth however the practice died out before the clan joined Konoha.
"Not funny!" glared at the woman. "How do you deal with it, Midori?"
"One agonizing day at a time, Naruto-san, one agonizing day at a time," Midori told him. "That or the alternative is taking your life."
"Hey!"
"Yeah, pass," he liked living and he couldn't very well become Hokage if he was a corpse… at least he didn't think so. "Hmm, Uzumaki Naruto the world's first zombie Hokage ... Nah!" The whole decomposing flesh look wasn't his thing. Pretty sure no sane girl would want a relationship with an undead, too.
Arriving at the compound that had a dominant dog smell, luckily it was more on the pleasant side than the usually smelly or wet dog smell, Naruto could hear several barks ranging from high to low pitch tones. The boy spotted a few of them too running around with some being the size of his head while others he saw could easily tower over him.
Nearby Naruto spotted some clansmen approaching them with their ninken.
"Don't worry, let me handle this," Anko had previous dealing with the Inuzuka whenever she went on certain tracking missions. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Anko took in an even deeper breath and then, "Oi, Tsume! Get your ass out here you bitch!"
"What the hell!" Naruto was seriously wondering if Anko was trying to get them killed. "I knew she was crazy but this is nuts!" Naruto had heard of Tsume through Kiba, she was his mother after all, and the one thing Kiba feared and respected the most was his mother. Naruto guessed the woman's form of tough love left an impression on him.
"Snake bitch!" a voice from the compound called and a woman with short brown hair, feral eyes and with a wolf familiar wearing an eye-patch appeared. As the woman walked towards them, Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was being stalked by a strong and deadly predator that was ready to pounce on them at any given time.
As the woman suddenly appeared before Anko in a frightening burst of speed, Naruto blinked when he realized he could not keep up with it. However, the purple haired woman beside him didn't even blink and stood tall and impassive as she locked eyes with the feral looking woman. Naruto had no idea what was happening but after several seconds or so Tsume grinned and so did Anko before the older woman grabbed her in a shoulder hug.
"Good to see you again, Anko-chan, Midori," Tsume acknowledged the snake but affectionately greeted the girl in a way Naruto could compare to be almost motherly, "So, what's the occasion?"
"Me nothing, just here to help the Gaki out," Anko motioned towards Naruto, "Mind if we speak in private."
Nodding Tsume then barked at her clansmen to get back to their duties and while it may have sounded harsh to Naruto the boy remembered that what seemed harsh to him was a normal and everyday thing to the Inuzuka.
As they entered the compound house, which held a lot of pillow cushions and was very tidy for a place that held a large number of dogs, Naruto couldn't help but admire some of the décor. The walls had old and rusted antic weapons stacked on them, mostly claw or fist-based ones for some reason, drawings of an enormous white dog creature howling at the moon on a cliff, and other dog related objects.
As they arrived at a room, Tsume made a hand sign that caused the door and windows to shut close and shimmer temporarily in a purplish hue. "Now no one will think about snooping around," as much as she trusted her clan members Tsume knew first hand that not everyone was loyal to the clan, or the village, "So, what's this all about?"
"Well, the Gaki's got something for you," she nudged the boy forward.
"Don't worry pup I don't bite … well, as much as I used to at least," her fanged grin made Naruto wonder if she was joking or not. For some strange reason he was leaning more so towards the latter one, "Sometime today, pup."
If Tsume was anything like her son then Naruto knew she was the impatient sort. Reaching into his inner pocket Naruto pulled out a scroll that held Onishishi's head, having switched it from his Inventory Box to the scroll at Anko's behest. The last thing they needed was someone asking how the Deadlast of all people was capable of using a space-time technique that could hold an infinite amount of items when he couldn't even perform a basic Bushin no Jutsu. Pumping some chakra into the scroll the room filled with a puff of white and Tsume was greeted with the head of Onishishi.
"Damn," the lounging woman muttered, "I've seen my share of ugly boars but this one looks like it got hit with the ugly tree over and over again by Senju Tsunade herself."
"Onishishi," Naruto informed her.
"Really, well imagine that. Never saw it personally but I heard some of the locals talk about this thing. Most of us didn't bother doing anything seeing as how I wanted to see if some of the pups around here would bring it down," if Tsume was impressed she didn't show it, honestly Naruto thought she looked bored.
"And this guy. I found him there. too," Naruto then presented her with Hottomaru.
Tsume blinked before her eyes lit up and had no time to react before she wrapped in a bone crushing hug, "Can't…breathe!" Naruto seriously had no idea what was with these women trying to kill him with their bodies.
[Quest Completed]
Keep Him Safe, Keep Him Alive
Main Quest: Ensure the safety of the Lost Ninken and return him to the Inuzuka Clan. (Accomplished)
Side Quest: Ensure the Lost Ninken doesn't suffer from the [Unconscious] status effect. (Accomplished)
Total Rewards Earned:
(3000 + 10%) = 3300 EXP, +750 Reputation towards [Inuzuka Clan] & [Hottomaru], [Ninken Familiar]
|Congratulations! Your reputation with Inuzuka Clan & Hottomaru has increased to [Liked]!|
[Quest Completed]
Bounty: Onishishi
Main Quest: Collect Onishishi's bounty from whoever placed the bounty! (Accomplished)
Total Rewards Earned:
(1100 +10%) = 1210 EXP, 35,000 Ryo
|Congratulations! Your level has increased by one!|
Status Window
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Job: Academy Student
Level: 16 Next Level: 2786/12,000
HP: 5425 + [350] + Vigor Affinity: Basic Rank ~ 6063.75?
CP: 9525 + [625] + [Chakra Affinity: Basic Rank] ~ 10657.5?
STR: 23 ~ 23?
VIT: 157 + [10] ~ 167?
END: 222 + [15] ~ 237?
DEX: 44 + [1] ~ 45?
INT: 39 ~ 39
WIS: 16 ~ 16
CHA: 10 ~ 10
LUK: ? ~ ?
DEF: 23 ~ 23
Attribute Points: 24
Ordinary Perk Points: 1
"Pup, you have no idea how grateful I am," Tsume dropped him, "Where was he?"
"In Training Area One pissing off boars," he told the clan matriarch, "Why?"
"That's weird. Why the hell would he be in that area?" Tsume wondered before she shrugged, "Well, at any rate, you have my thanks. My Genin searched everywhere in the compound and still couldn't find the mutt. Honestly, I thought they were just incompetent."
"Why's Hotto so important?" Naruto asked.
"Hotto?" Tsume asked in turn and then look between both Naruto, "Ah, shit. You two bonded, haven't you?"
"Uh... yes?" was Naruto's hesitant response.
"Damn. That inconveniences things a bit but it's livable. We'll have to work out something later on but anyway," she waved that off and got to the point, "Hotto is half Komainu, a breed of ninken that's pretty much extinct."
"Komainu?" Anko asked.
"A strong breed of ninken that we managed to get breeding rights before the clan perished. Pissed off the wrong people and you can use your imagination to fill in the rest. Komainu are head strong as pups but very protective and loyal for life once you earn their trust. Even at a very young age their bite force is pretty strong and when they get older Komainu bites are considered one of the strongest and deadliest among ninken and can take more punishment than any ninken breed as well. I'm surprised he's not bitting your ass."
"He did when we first met. Wacked his head pretty good and taught him who's YEEEOOOWWOUCH!" Naruto yelled, and glared behind him, "Really! I thought we were over this?!"
"Grrr," was Hotto's reply.
"Like I said, headstrong, even if you two are friends," Tsume laughed before an idea dawned on her, "Alright, kid, cuz I like you I'm gonna offer you some help. Hopefully it'll get you two in synch."
Naruto said nothing to the offer as he was too distracted in is attempts to remove Hottomaru from his backside, "Huh? Sorry, what?"
"With a lot of luck, too," Tsume added.
"I'm sorry but what are we talking about?" Naruto was confused.
Tsume had a blank look when her eyes met Anko's, "Kid's not exactly the sharpest kunai in the pouch, is he?"
"Heh, heh," Anko chuckled embarrassingly, "Yeah, Gaki's duller than a spoon at times but I'm working on it."
"Hey!"
"Hey, yourself! Be grateful I didn't say you were duller than a grapefruit!" Anko retorted.
"Wha... Grapefruit aren't even ...Oh! You're mean!" he accused.
"And you're a halfwit half the time," Anko told her ward, "You see what I'm dealing with here, right?"
"Best of luck to you," having her own halfwit male to deal with, Tsume offered the younger kunoichi her sympathy, "But down to business. What do you think of dogs, Pup?"
"Huh?" was Naruto's intelligent response to Tsume's questions. "Dogs are cool, I guess. Thought I'd get one when I was older but being a ninja and all means I'd have to go away a lot so. Then there's the whole they don't live that long. I mean Ayame-neechan and Teuchi-jisan, maybe even Ojisan could probably look after it when I'm gone-"
"Woah, Pup, I just want a simple yes or no answer, not your life story," Tsume interrupted the boy. While Naruto wasn't the smartest of people, nor was he oozing tact, the Inuzuka matriarch could tell the ninja in training had given the matter some form of thought. Even if it was a little all over the place.
"Oh," Naruto blushed a bit, "Uh, yes?"
"…What the hell kind of answer was that?" Tsume asked him.
"Excuse us for a moment, thanks," Anko grabbed hold of the boy and dragged him outside before anything could be said by either party. "Gaki, do you have any idea what this means?"
"I get a dog?" Naruto's response got him a smack on the head, "Ow! What the hell!"
"This is an Inuzuka Ninja Dog, Gaki. Just calling them a dog is like calling a ninja a mere mercenary for hire. It doesn't do it justice and it's insulting. Do you have any idea – scratch that, you don't know shit about what's happening at the moment, do you?" his lack of response was her answer.
"Okay. Simply put, the amount of times I know the Inuzuka give someone outside the clan one of their ninken, I can count on my hands," without a very large payment of course.
"That rare?"
"You have no idea. A clan that deals with ninja dogs have them specially bred for specific purposes. Though some breeds are stronger in some of them than others, and as they get older, and depending on how well trained they are, they make even some Jounin hesitate to face them," Anko finished.
When she put it like that Naruto had to admit it sounded way cooler than he originally thought they would. With regular dogs Naruto knew he'd have to train them, which would take time, and even then, they'd only be good for companionship, which was good, but helping him as a ninja not so much. If what Anko was saying was true, and he hopefully understood her properly, a ninja dog could help him out and be a companion at the same time. Before Naruto could say accept, the group was interrupted by a familiar face.
"Mom, the idiot they sent stepped on one of the dogs' tails again," Kiba entered the scene with Akamaru. "They have him-"
"You!" Anko lunged at Kiba and hosted the hooded academy student by the collar of his hoodie.
"What the hell you crazy bitch!?" Kiba shouted with Akamaru barking at her.
"You're gonna pay for that stunt you pulled a while back, ya runt! And your little mutt too!" Anko glared at Akamaru and the small dog began backing away with his tail between his legs.
"So, that was you? Nice knowing you man," even if wanted to do something, Anko scared the hell out of him.
"Chicken shit!"
"Midori!" Anko called out.
"Not now, Anko-chan, I'm trying to sleep," the tired serpent stated.
"The brat and the ninken who pissed on us is right in front of me," the declaration had great effect.
"I'll kill 'em!" Midori considered herself to be very level headed and slow to anger but even she had her trigger. Getting pissed on by someone was one of them, especially when that someone could be easily turned into a meal.
"Mind telling me what the hell's happening?" Tsume returned while Midori began to chase a yelping Akamaru out of the room.
"Akamaru, or maybe Kiba, pissed on Anko a while back," Naruto informed her and the boy swore Hottomaru was laughing a bit. "If I didn't know about talking animals this would seem weird," it still was but not as much. But seeing what Kiba was currently going through, Naruto couldn't help but laugh alongside his future partner.
(The Next Day)
Naruto didn't bother with a leash, as Tsume told him young ninken hated them even when used for undercover missions and trying pass off as regular dogs, and soon after he began making his way towards the Hokage Tower. Being asked by a masked ninja to head to village leader bright an early in the morning on a Sunday was not something Naruto expected.
On the plus side, Naruto wasn't being escorted or bound like he usually was. But even then, Naruto wasn't eager to lose a weekend and hoped it wouldn't last long. Entering the building, Naruto and Hottomaru made their way up the stairs and arrived at the waiting room in short order, "Hey, Mariko-neechan!"
"Naruto-kun," Mariko greeted the boy before she became surprised by Hottomaru's unexpected jump on her desk.
"No! Bad dog!" Naruto chided.
"Oh, he's so cute," Mariko gushed and began scratching the puppy all over. The dog was loving everything second of it; his hind leg kicking in the air as she gave him a belly rub, "Lousy no for good little-"
"Lost your pet already, huh? Tough break, Gaki," Anko said.
"Gah! Will you stop that!" Naruto was getting pretty sick of this game.
"Nope," she grinned and spotted Hottomaru, "Wow, your dog left you for a woman with magic fingers," Hottomaru began doing yelps of pleasure and his leg was shaking like crazy, "Can't say I don't blame him."
"Hey!"
"Send them in, Mariko-chan," Hiruzen's voice carried over the intercom.
"Hai, Hokage-sama," Mariko motioned them to the door and Naruto grabbed Hottomaru by the scruff of his neck inside the office.
"Lousy, betraying mutt," Naruto thought.
"Take a seat you two," Hiruzen motioned to the seat but saw that one of them was already occupied, "Heh heh, I guess one of you will have to share a seat. Congratulations on acquiring a ninken, Naruto."
"How'd you know Hottomaru's my ninken, Jiji?" Naruto's efforts to get the pup to sit on the floor was proving fruitless and, in the end, he merely had the pup lay down on his lap.
"I'm not the Hokage for nothing, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "This wouldn't have any relation to a certain D-rank bounty I was notified about, would it?"
"I thought you said you weren't Hokage for nothing, Jiji," Naruto grinned. Slow as he was at times, the boy was quick when he wanted to be.
"Point taken," the man chuckled and as he watched both him and the ninken interact, Hiruzen couldn't help but remember when he first summoned a very young Enma when the summon was the Prince of the Monkeys. The arrogant and hot-headed princeling at the time didn't want to cooperate with him when they first met but over time the two had become the closest of friends and Hiruzen could always rely on the King of the Monkeys.
But the happy memories were soon replaced by a sigh, "To be honest, I don't know whether to scold you or congratulate you on completing your first C-Rank mission without being on the active roster, Naruto-kun."
"Come again? A C-Rank mission?" Naruto was confused but that soon morphed in absolute joy, "Yes! In your face, Sasuke-teme! I completed a mission before you did!" sure, it was a C-Rank one but it still counted.
"Naruto, settle down," aware of the rivalry between his surrogate grandson and the last Uchiha, Hiruzen could understand the boy's enthusiasm, "Now, normally this would warrant disciplinary action as you are not authorized to undertake a mission without special permission and the accompaniment one of Genin rank or higher. But, as you were unaware and this occurred by accident, we can forgo such actions."
"Hey, wait a sec! Why's it a C-Rank mission but the bounty was D-Rank?" Naruto asked and both Hiruzen and Anko sweatdropped.
"Never even heard a word," was the shared thought.
"Well, to answer your question, Naruto-kun, the value and rank of bounties and missions fall under a different system. Eradication or capture of wildlife such as Onibuta is considered a C-Rank mission," truthfully the boy should have learned more about this at the academy but the man didn't know if he was to blame it on Naruto skipping out on too many lessons or what he believed to be an academy spy sabotaging the new crop of potential Genin. Or a combination of both. Either way, one was bad, the other was worse.
"At any rate congratulations, Naruto. Now on to business," here Hiruzen took out a piece of paper and passed to the academy student.
"What's this?"
"Standard paperwork for missions and bounties. Normally your Jonin instructor would be the one filling it out until you achieved the rank of Chunin but since this is a special circumstance, you'll be the done to do so," the man smiled upon finishing.
"Great," Naruto drawled as he got to it. The form was pretty standard but Naruto had to stop a couple of times and be guided through the process by Hiruzen. By the time Naruto was done, and since he had to do the whole thing three times; all three going to different locations, the boy had developed a dislike for paperwork.
"Thank you," taking his copy, Naruto watched as Hiruzen sealed the document into a scroll and marveled at how the paperwork pretty much merged with the rolled parchment.
Fascinated by the display, and due to the fact that he had a scroll that he couldn't use unless he had a basic understand of Fuinjutsu, alongside one of his perks giving him a boon in that area for whatever reason, Naruto didn't think twice before asking, "Hey, Jiji, can you teach me how to do seals?"
"Oh, Kami-sama," for the longest time was Hiruzen hoping this didn't come to pass until the appropriate time. But, much like his mother did at his age, Naruto left him with no other choice but adapt to a situation they caused.
In all honesty, Hiruzen believed that Naruto wouldn't have taken an interest in seals, and for the longest time his assumptions had been true due to the boy's preference for learning ninjutsu like most others. Being an orphan – even if the remaining members of his clan were hidden and scattered across the countries – meant Naruto didn't grow up with the skillset most children in clans did or was usually expected to possess. Skilled and gifted as they were, being an Uzumaki didn't automatically mean being good at Fuinjutsu or knowing how to draw seals by the time they were born. Unlike their red hair, it wasn't a hereditary trait, nor was it a bloodline limit like the Byakugan or the Sharingan.
While it was true that the Uzumaki Clan were feared far and wide because of their mastery in fuinjutsu that little to no one could match, that came from centuries upon centuries of practice and failures that were passed down to the next generation. Granted, even at a young age the average Uzumaki had an above average grasp and understanding of seals than most others, and when it came to Uzumaki prodigies in the art it was a whole other ball game.
And that last part made Hiruzen uneasy, "Poor to average ninja in training or not, if Naruto inherited even a drop of talent for that field from either one of his parents many could start to ask questions. Iwa and Kumo certain wouldn't hesitate to end him after what Minato did in the last war," while it was more so the former Hiruzen was worried about given the enormous losses they suffered by Minato's hand garnered feelings of revenge that remained to this day; Kumo had a few pocket areas that wouldn't hesitate to end Minato's line, if only to deny Konoha from potentially gaining a formidable advantage in the future, especially if it turned out Naruto somehow inherited Kushina's unique chakra.
Even though Minato was much more powerful than his wife and a prodigy that excelled at everything he did, Kushina had been a very strong kunoichi still and was the only one that ever outranked her husband in terms of fuinjutsu.
The late Uzumaki wasn't like her distant Senju cousin in terms of power and prowess but had been one of the few kunoichi of her lifetime that had many believe she had the potential to rival and perhaps be on par with Tsunade someday. With her untimely death the answer to that question would forever remain unanswered.
"Naruto's getting stronger but not quickly enough to last against the more powerful ninja. Even after all these years some still try to find what remains of the Uzumaki Clan," Hiruzen had gotten reports from Jiraiya and his Anbu that were sent on special missions to locate any of the remaining Uzumaki Clan members and bring them back to Konoha for sanctuary.
It was easier said than done, and at times some clan members they had a lead on were either too elusive to find, their seals he didn't doubt helped them in this, or they were too late and their bodies were found mutilated by enemy factions to find out their secrets. As it was, Tsunade and Naruto were currently the only ones with Uzumaki blood left in them that was affiliated with Konoha. After nearly thirty years, Hiruzen doubted there were many full-blooded Uzumaki left now.
But as much as he wanted to protect the boy short of binding and locking him up, Naruto wouldn't give up on learning something or become a ninja, "The boy inherited his mother's bull-headed stubbornness and his father's never give up attitude."
It was a dangerous combination in his mind.
Fortunately, Hiruzen was a smart individual and knew how to handle such situations as easily as breathing, "While I admire your enthusiasm to learn a skill very few take advantage of, I'm afraid I'll have to say no at the moment. Before you interrupt," Hiruzen stopped the blond as soon as he saw signs of protest, "you must know that learning and using seals isn't as simple as it sounds, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen stated and then passed the document Naruto had completed to Anko before he continued.
"Fuinjutsu is as a powerful, complicated and deadly art. It requires a great amount of skill, concentration, dedication, imagination, and absolute precision. There can be no margin for errors even for simplest of of them," he explained.
"Precision? Isn't it just writing down symbols and stuff?" the boy got a smack upside the head by Anko, "Ow!"
"Fuinjutsu is more than just writing symbols and stuff, Gaki-baka!" Anko shook her head as she looked at his writing, "Where the hell did you learn to write? This is worse than awful."
"Blunt and crude as ever, Anko," were Hiruzen's thoughts, but while she exaggerated the kunoichi was not technically wrong either. The boy's calligraphy left much to be desired. Konohamaru was younger but had much better calligraphy.
"Anko-chan is right, Naruto-kun. Fuinjutsu is much more than merely writing a symbol or a series of characters on a blank piece of paper. While I've seen much worse, the way you filled in the documents is still very sloppy. As of now, I'm afraid of what would happen should you try even the basics. Fuinjutsu is a delicate art, a single mistake from an out of place character, the wrong stroke of the ink, or incompatible symbols or functions will have disastrous results. I've seen what happens to inexperienced individuals who meddle in the field only for it to greatly backfire on them. The most occurring theme is them being killed or crippled, or this happening to those around them. I once saw a young man try to seal a weapon within his arm, his lack of knowledge and inexperience in fuinjutsu did not end well," the man still cringed at the memory.
"What happened?"
"His entire arm was turned into a pin cushion from within and the amount of shrapnel and distortion caused by the backlash forced him to give up being a ninja and nearly ruined his life," Hiruzen wasn't going to sugar coat it. Any aspect of the ninja lifestyle was dangerous, but fuinjutsu could be considered the most dangerous field for a reason and he didn't want Naruto going into it without knowing the risks.
And judging by Naruto's slightly paling at the prospect, Hiruzen guessed his words struck home.
"As it now, Naruto, I can't allow you to learn fuinjutsu. Once your calligraphy is at a very acceptable level, and you are able focus and not merely rush and get it over and done with, I will consider it. Until then, you're forbidden from learning it," Naruto knew whenever Jiji used his absolute authority voice there was no going around it.
[QUEST ALERT!]
Calligraphy 101!
Main Quest: Learn and master the skill [Calligraphy] up to level 20!
Main Quest Completion: +250 REP with Sarutobi Hiruzen, +1500 EXP, Unlock [Fuinjutsu Skill], ?
Accept? (Yes/No)
"Ok, Jiji," Naruto knew better to argue at this point with the old man and accepted the quest.
"Very good," Hiruzen released a sigh of relief. He hadn't wanted to do this but it was for Naruto's own good. He wouldn't deny Naruto using fuinjutsu – he remained worried nonetheless – but he needed the boy to be stronger and in a better mindset before he allowed him to take a shot at it. Naruto wasn't like his father where he could learn, master, and sometimes even improve a skill and make it look like child's play. Nor did he have Kushina's skill in calligraphy, a fact that shocked many who knew the tomboy. Naruto had to start at the bottom and work his way up. There was still a chance he'd take to fuinjutsu better than he expected, but Hiruzen would cross that bridge if it came to that.
"On another note, how is the training coming along? I realize Anko's methods are likely unorthodox and unique to say the least," the man deadpanned when she said 'Damn proud of it' and Naruto mirrored the Hokage with his own deadpanned look.
"Slow, but the brat's getting there. Besides, when it comes to the Gaki, I think unorthodox and kinesthetic learning methods actually seem to get better results."
"Kinaesthwaht?" Naruto was unfamiliar with the word.
"It means you learn better by doing things than by reading them, Gaki," Anko told him. "In other words: you have a hell of lot easier time physically practicing a technique when it's showed to you than by learning the theory of it and not being showed."
"Oh, gotcha," Naruto nodded in understanding.
Hiruzen smiled as he watched the two. A bond, a very unique one to say the least, had been formed between the two despite the short amount of time they knew each other. Despite her hesitance at the time, Anko was a decent teacher despite her past and unique personality.
"I mean, let's face it, if I didn't do anything the Gaki would most likely get his ass handed to him on a silver platter when he goes up against other ninja. No offense," Anko said that but the look on her face told them differently.
"None taken," Naruto groused but mentally thought, "Up yours!"
Hiruzen could only offer an awkward laugh. The two before them were so alike it was a tad frightening at times. Hiruzen could only hope it didn't lead to the creation of another Anko. Not to say Anko wasn't a delight – in small doses that is – but having Naruto being molded into a miniature version of her would likely cause a riot in certain circles.
"Well, hopefully the results will speak for themselves before the graduation ceremony begins in January," said Hiruzen.
Naruto blinked only once before a bad feeling began to develop within him, "The graduation ceremony is in January, Jiji?"
"Yes? Unlike the previous five years where the term lasted ten months, the final year was only five as there wasn't much left for our instructors to teach students in terms of schooling. The final two years are mostly used to up the academy students' physical and weapon capabilities. While a great emphasis on in class studies such as previous strategies used, what to expect to happen when in another country, is still required to learn," Hiruzen explained as though it were common knowledge.
But it wasn't in Naruto's case, "But that means–" Naruto stopped cold as a hand landed on his shoulder and he felt a great chill go up his spine.
"It means, Gaki, that you and I are gonna have three months of non-stop fun time together," her oh-so familiar sadistic and pain inducing grin appeared. Even Hiruzen had to admit he was slightly unnerved by the look. It reminded him too much of his old student.
"Is it too late to ask for another mentor," Naruto squeaked out as he felt himself being dragged by the cuff of his clothes.
"That ship sailed, caught fire, and sank into the inky black abyss, Gaki. From this day forth, welcome to Anko's Training from Hell," she cackled as she left the office.
"Arf," Hottomaru released a sigh of relief.
"Oops, almost forgot," Anko popped back in and Hottomaru found himself wrapped around Midori's coils. "Thought you were exempt from this didn't you, Poochy."
The grinning sadist merely got a whimper from the small creature, an action that was mimicked and shared by his owner.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," at worst the woman would break the boy and he'd be left a complete mess, at best he'd become a much more competent ninja. As he began going back to work to distract himself from such unwanted thoughts, another one flickered in his head, "What if she actually does turn him into a miniature version of herself?" the man couldn't help but think on the potential Hell he may have opened.
(Flashback End)
"What's so funny?" Anko asked.
"What?"
"You laughed. What's up?" the kunoichi clarified.
"Oh. Just thinking about the meeting with Jiji and what you did to Kiba a while back," Naruto elaborated and continued to laugh.
"Oh, yeah. That was fun," Anko joined in. Though Naruto had a different opinion on the matter, he stayed silent for fear of ending up like Kiba.
Changing the subject, "By the way, with the way he described her, I used to think Kiba's sister was sweet and kind."
"Oh, I don't blame you. Compared to the rest of her clan, Hana's pretty ordinary," the younger kunoichi's only flaw was that she sucked at sewing but even then, that was nothing, "But, and let this be another lesson, never judge a book by its cover. Especially when that person is a ninja."
"I know. I know," being a ninja meant that one was to be an expert of deception. Whether that be portraying yourself as weak and incompetent, average and unassuming, or charming and kind, a ninja did what they had to in order to get one to lower their guard and make them regret doing so.
"Arrrrffff," from behind, Naruto could hear Hotto whine pathetically. The blond couldn't help think back on Hana's words.
"Komainu are strong and tough, Naruto-san. Don't think just because Hotto's a puppy that he can't take care of himself. Of course, until he gets older there are limits you should be mindful of, and it's your responsibility to reign him in. Ninja beasts are smarter and stronger but you can't forget that they are still animals and even more limited in what they can do. Their instincts can also get the best of them just as any human's emotions can," Hana told him.
"Check," Naruto nodded.
"Now, seeing as how you're not an Inuzuka, unfortunately we can't teach you our clan techniques. Hotto will instinctively know some as he gets more combat experience but that won't be for a while. Until then, I'm going to get you two in sync. Fighting with a partner – especially a ninken – is different than fighting solo. Without practice or having a feel for your partner's methods that comes from hours of practice, you risk hurting yourself and him. Kaa-san won't be pleased if she finds out he's been badly hurt, believe me," Hana warned him.
"Double check," Naruto quickly added.
"So, for the time being, we are going to have you two perform repetitive exercises," Hana's smile was kind but what followed was anything but.
The exercises had been essentially geared towards boosting the ninken's stamina and speed along with getting both ninja and ninken familiar with their fighting style. Hotto had incredible stamina for a puppy his age, but his speed, while still allowing him to be slippery and fast, wasn't as good when compared to other ninken such as Akamaru. Komainu also tended to possess naturally occurring protective instincts and wouldn't hesitate to put themselves in harm's way, a dangerous trait for a vulnerable wet behind the ears puppy to have.
"So, what now?" Naruto asked.
"Now, you're on your own for the next bit. Ward you might be, I'm still a Tokubetsu-Jonin that needs to do field work from time to time. It's my turn to do border patrol and I'll be gone a little over a week. Hayate and Yugao will look after your training when they can but for now, you're essentially on your own," the kunoichi informed him.
The don't slack off comment went unsaid, but would have been unnecessary. Naruto was too afraid of Anko to risk it.
"What should I do then?"
"I dunno. Get the pooch combat experience?" Anko just haphazardly threw it out there, "Later."
When he thought about, the idea had merit. Naruto, and Anko, personally believed that there was no better way to learn something than by it through trial by fire. Three weeks had passed, and Hotto had gone up a few levels since then.
Status Window
Name: Hottomaru
Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)
Level: 6 Next Level: 1358/3600
HP: 475
CP: 375
STR: 10
VIT: 19
DEX: 17
END: 15
INT: 5
WIS: 7
CHA: 3
LUK: 16
Defense: 0
AP: 7
"Thank you, special perk," by that, Naruto referred to the [Gamer's Combat Pet] that Hotto had been blessed with the moment he agreed to keep him. Not only would Naruto not need to constantly invite Hottomaru, it also gave him virtually the same perks as the Gamer. The only downside was Naruto having to be the one to allocate the ninken's attribute points. The dog not being intelligent enough to understand the concept.
"Speaking of which," he wondered where he should allocate Hottomaru's AP. In the end, Naruto decided to allocate them to his DEX. Just because Hotto would grow up to be able to take hits and shrug 'em off didn't mean the boy wanted him to rely on it. Why suffer from a blow when you can dodge it and not get hit at all?
"Hrmm?" the puppy merely tilted his head at the strange technique he had and whatever he was talking about.
"Oh, right you don't know what I'm talking about. Well, you'll find out later," Naruto contemplated if the ninken should be taken to the next Natural Dungeon or if he should go on the side of caution and revisit the zombies. Tempting as he was to get the next key, Hotto's level and attributes weren't good enough to risk it. Sure, Naruto could leave the ninken behind, but the ninken wasn't disciplined enough yet and the dog needed the experience.
The problem with the Zombie Dungeon wasn't just having to deal with a boss that had a level twice greater than Hotto and Naruto's combined. Naruto was now at a level where killing foes with such a difference between them brought minimal EXP return even with the bonuses from his equipment and perks. Loot would be decent, but in reality, only Hotto would benefit from the dungeon until his [Instant Dungeon Creation Skill] leveled up so he could manipulate it.
But, on the upside, even if they somehow ended up killed, they wouldn't stay that way. Not unlike the natural dungeons that only gave them a single pass per run. Plus, it would give Hottomaru some decent targets for his [Tsuga (Passing Fang) Skill] he managed to pull off about a week ago. Hana had been impressed, but even then, she mentioned that the pup had a while before it was effective.
As of now, Hottomaru was only able to pull off the move four times before he tired himself out. Which, was still very good as most inexperienced ninken pups could only do half that much. Naruto had been given a pouch full of special [Inuzuka Clan Military Rations Pill] to restore and reduce the rate in which Hotto's chakra was lost, and give them a boost of chakra at the same time.
Naruto would have loved to have used them but the pills were specially designed to only work on clan members and ninken. Anyone else would be emptying their bodies from both ends until the effects wore off. The worse hangover and barely able to crawl like side effects that came afterwards was only the cherry on top.
"Okay, before we go, let's you some armor. Hopefully Tetsu's has some and then it's off to Ichiraku's before we head home," Hottomaru merely whined. The blasphemous little dog didn't care for ramen all that much and preferred meat. Naruto had cut back on ramen quite a bit and the times he did visit the Ichiraku stand he ate less than usual. Teuchi jokingly saying that he was going to run him out of business for not eating as much as he used to. If he had his way, Naruto would eat nothing but that heavenly food. But Anko and Ayame-neechan were in cahoots and Naruto did want to get rid of the [Malnourished] flaw.
"Ah, fine we'll go to Yakiniku Q instead," the grill it yourself restaurant was Hottomaru's favourite place to eat. His love for it only outdone by Chouji. It wasn't that bad in his mind but he still preferred Ichiraku Ramen.
"But next time we're going to Ichiraku!"
|Your reputation with Hottomaru has increased by 50!|
Hottomaru merely yipped happily and headed off towards Tetsu's as fast as he could. Though much quicker than what he used to be, the ninken wasn't as fast as Naruto and the Gamer was able to keep up with his companion.
Sorry for the late update. Life with Covid-19, a new job, moving and a bunch of other stuff that happened kept me busy from writing stories. This should have been posted weeks ago but after a recent events I couldn't find the time or opportunity to get back at it. Anyway, not a lot of action in this one but there will be in the next. Also, I have a poll up so take a look at it and vote. Enjoy!
