Chapter 5: Bunshichi & Naruto
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Mainly character driven stuff this chapter, not a ton of action. Without further ado, here's chapter 5:
Last time:
The Hokage said excitedly, "Well, what are you waiting for Naruto-kun? Let's see what's under the silk! I'm dying to know!"
"Patience old man." said Naruto cheekily. "I'm waiting for my thumb to heal over so I won't get blood on the silk."
"Oh, of course." said Hiruzen abashedly.
A couple of minutes later Naruto gently folded back the silk and revealed…a katana in an ornate black sheath.
"Shippuuhime…" gasped Hiruzen with wide eyes.
"Hurricane Princess?" asked Naruto.
Hiruzen nodded reverently. "Naruto-kun; I am positive you hold in your hands the legendary sword of the Uzumaki Royal Family… Shippuuhime."
…
Chapter 5
Konoha, Hokage Storage Vaults
Hiruzen said "Channel a little chakra into the hilt Naruto-kun. Given you're of the Royal Line it should resonate with your chakra so you will be acknowledged as its master."
"Are you saying this sword is actually alive Jiji?" The idea kind of creeped out Naruto. He was afraid of ghosts after all.
"No, but if it accepts you as its master then you'll have full access to its abilities." explained the Hokage. "To everyone else it would act like a normal katana."
Naruto picked up the Shippuuhime and channeled some chakra into it. He soon felt it resonate with his chakra –twice. Then the sheath unlocked. Raising an eyebrow Naruto said, "There's something weird about this." He drew the katana from its scabbard and saw a polished black blade like he'd never seen before. The surface had rippling patterns like water on it whenever he touched it even though it was solid and the cutting edge was steel blue. Naruto channeled chakra through the hilt again and saw some incredibly complex seal arrays. "What are this sword's abilities Jiji?" asked the blond curiously as he admired it.
"Legend has it Shippuuhime was to have been able to control the weather in some manner Naruto-kun." answered the aged Sarutobi. "I never have seen it before but supposedly it inspired the creation of the Second Hokage's Lightning Sword Raijin. To be honest I'd bet we are the only living souls to have laid eyes on this sword since before Konoha's founding. It and the wakizashi that went with it were rumored to have been lost or destroyed long ago."
"It had a sister sword?" asked Naruto as he continued to study the sealing array.
Hiruzen replied, "Yes Shippuuhime's sister sword was said to rarely accept anyone as its master even from the Uzumaki Royal Family and was sealed away for good by the Uzumaki's themselves. It was called Kurimuzo-kougou because it craved blood. It was said to be the dark twin of the Shippuuhime. As famous as Shippuuhime was the Kurimuzo was infamous."
"Crimson Empress, eh? I guess that's a good name for a sword that craves blood 'ttebayo." Naruto bit his thumb again and started applying a fuinjutsu pattern to the Shippuuhime's blade.
"What are you doing Naruto-kun?" asked the Hokage confused.
"I felt my chakra resonate TWICE with this sword Jiji." said Naruto. "I'm positive they sealed the Kurimuzo inside the Shippuuhime so I'm applying my blood to unlock the sealing array that's separate from the others…The others are too complex for me to understand at this point but the separate one is simpler –ah, here we go." A light shined briefly and another hilt slowly rose from the side of Shippuuhime's blade as If it was emerging from water. Naruto gently grasped the hilt of the wakizashi and drew it out, sheath and all. The Hokage gasped when he saw the matching sword come out. When it fully emerged Shippuuhime's blade returned to its previous state with the calm rippling patterns. "This wakizashi was meant to be found Jiji. I felt both blades resonate with my chakra."
The Hokage watched Naruto carefully slide the Shippuuhime back into its sheath and lay it back on the silk in the box. Then he channeled chakra through the hilt of Kurimuzo and it too unlocked acknowledging Naruto as its new master. He drew the wakizashi slowly from its sheath and saw it matched Shippuuhime in every way except it was shorter and the cutting edge was blood red. When Naruto channeled chakra through it he found Kurimuzo-kougou was also covered in layers of complex seals and had a rippling effect in the metal just like its sister sword. Naruto's eyes studied the blade and he said in awe, "These seals are incredible! I must study them!"
Hiruzen nearly face faulted. 'Any other child would be dazzled at the swords but only an Uzumaki child would be more interested in the seals on them than the weapons themselves. I have this feeling that all his Royal ancestors are laughing their asses off at me from the grave. There's no doubt in my mind Naruto-kun is a sealing genius from what he's done today though.' "Naruto-kun…."
"Yes old man?" said Naruto studying the blades' surface and not really paying attention to the Hokage.
"You said Iruka wanted you to patent some seals you invented?" asked the elder.
Naruto looked up at the Hokage. "Huh?! –Oh yeah but they are completely amateur compared to the sheer beauty of the seal arrays on these two swords. Whoever did this work was a true artist!" Naruto's eyes suddenly were ablaze with determination. "Someday I will create a masterpiece like this! I swear it!"
The blonde's voice was rising and rising like an evangelist at the pulpit. "I now realize that I am a mere acolyte in the art that is fuinjutsu! I swear upon the blood of my ancestors flowing through my veins that I will learn the true beauty of sealing! Yeah, verily I am behooved to-" SMACK! "Ow! Why did you hit my head Jiji?" pouted Naruto.
"The religious fervor was a little too much for me to handle Naruto-kun." said Sarutobi in a flat tone…
…
Konoha Hospital, Secure Ward
Hanako knocked on Hinata's door and was let in by the nurse. Hinata saw her Grandmother and rushed over to embrace her. "Hanako Obaa-chan! I've wanted to see you so much!" Hinata said as a torrent of tears burst forth from her. Hanabi sprang up and hugged Hanako as well.
Holding her Granddaughters close Hanako said, "I'm here for you Hinata-chan. I will keep both you and Hanabi-chan safe. I swear it."
"But I'm so w-weak…." said Hinata sadly.
"You are not weak Hinata-chan." said Hanako in an iron tone. "Those teachers of yours were the weak ones telling you all that garbage. I will teach you my version of the juken and I will teach Hanabi–chan the traditional juken."
Hinata rubbed her eyes. "Your version Obaa-chan?"
Hanako nodded and sat her granddaughters down on the bed. Standing back in front of them Hanako took a juken stance. "This is traditional juken. Hanabi-chan's body is perfect for it." said Hanako as she went through the stiff, solid movements that both girls already knew by heart. "This style is for hitting multiple enemies and having a solid defense like earth. I have secretly trained your cousin Neji in it and I will do the same for you Hanabi-chan. You already are superb at it and I will make you even better." Hanabi beamed and nodded in excitement.
Hanako the assumed a totally different stance though it was obviously still juken. "This stance is based on water Hinata-chan. Your body is slender and flexible like mine. In this case instead of a defense like a wall you dance and flow around your opponents. They can't hurt what they can't hit. Your strikes also flow like water with whip like movements. This is the style that your body is built for. There is no doubt in my mind you will excel at it. My own Grandmother taught it to me and I will impart it to you. I saw from when you were little it would suit you but the boneheaded elders couldn't bear the thought of the clan's heiress not using the traditional style."
The elder soon sat down between her two granddaughters and said, "I should have intervened years ago but I didn't associate with the rest of the family after I divorced your damned Grandfather. I'm so sorry Hinata-chan. I promise I'll make you two into some of the strongest juken users ever. It will be hard work but know that you will never disappoint me as long as you both do you best…and Hinata-chan; you are not weak. You simply had poor teachers. They are the ones to blame for your problems, not you. Understand?"
Hinata nodded and hugged her Grandmother tightly. "I love you Obaa-chan."
Hanako just smiled and held her two granddaughters close. "And I love both of you my little angels." 'I wonder if Hinata-chan would like to wield twin swords…perhaps I should pass that down as well.'
…
Abandoned Training Grounds
Uzumaki Naruto left the Hokage's office feeling both fulfilled and frustrated. Had had permission to tell about the Kyubi (like he was that stupid!) but more importantly he had permission to reveal his Mother was Uzumaki Kushina. He couldn't mention his Father or his Royalty for safety reasons but at least he had his Mom. Still, he was furious with Jiji and the village in general so he decided to vent his anger on an innocent training post rather than go back to class. He wanted to talk to Maya-chan and Hinata-chan but right now he was just too angry and didn't want to upset them.
It was upon the sight of Naruto murdering a training post that Tawara Bunshichi arrived. "Hey kid, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be in class or something?" Bunshichi was supposed to be monitoring the Academy himself but got bored and decided to slack off and have a smoke break (Hypocrite).
Naruto turned to Bunshichi and said, "What the hell is it to you pal?" with an angry glare that would make the shinigami proud.
Bunshichi cringed a little at Naruto's death glare. 'He's definitely Kushina-sama's son. When she got that look people ran like hell.' "I was just passing by and I saw you punching that post, I figured you were an Academy student. I'm Tawara Bunshichi by the way. If you want to skip class, it's cool with me."
Naruto relaxed a little bit but kept his guard up. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto 'ttebayo. I'm just practicing instead of listening to Iruka-sensei's boring lectures."
Bunshichi wanted to chuckle at Umino Iruka giving boring lectures. When they were in the Academy Iruka was the first to complain that lectures were boring. "Well, that's pretty ironic that Umino is a teacher. He was the class clown when we went to the Academy together." Bunshichi said trying to break the ice.
Naruto cocked his head. "You were in the same class as Iruka-sensei?"
The jonin nodded. "Yep. I wasn't best friends with him or anything but we knew each other. He always played around and slept in class and made us all laugh at him. He was an orphan and I think he did it to draw attention. I was involved in a couple of his practical jokes that even got us both suspended. Good times."
"I've never seen you before." said Naruto.
"I've been on a long term mission." said Bunshichi. "I haven't been here in Konoha in ten years."
Naruto whistled, "Wow, I bet you missed home a lot."
Bunshichi nodded. "Yeah, I missed Konoha but I mainly missed the babes. The girls in Fire Country are the best." he said dreamily with a slight blush.
Naruto got a flat expression. "So you're a pervert."
"I just have a deep respect and admiration for the female form; especially our kunoichi here. Someday I'd like to settle down with one and have a family but until then I'll just have fun." explained the jonin.
Naruto nodded. "That's a cool dream. So why were you watching me?"
Bunshichi shrugged. "You were throwing off gobs of unfocused killing intent, so I decided to investigate. I thought maybe there was a fight was going on. Then I got to watching you hitting that post wrong."
"Hitting it wrong?" asked Naruto. "I'm punching the damn thing! How is that wrong?"
Tawara came over and hooked his hand the way Naruto was hitting and punched one of the other posts. "This is how you are punching. You're wasting lots of energy and not doing much damage." He punched the post and dented it the way Naruto was. "Now, if you hold your fist straight and exert the power from your forearm properly it does this." He punched the post and it nearly shattered. "I used the same amount of energy in both punches; see the difference?"
Naruto suddenly got stars in his eyes. "Can you teach me to hit that way?" he asked excitedly. 'I'll be able to really waste Sasuke teme with this!' he thought chuckling evilly to himself.
Bunshichi wondered about the evil chuckling but decided to help the boy. "Sure; why not? I've got time to burn. Let's start by holding your wrists and elbows right. You're going to be dealing with muscle memory that is all wrong after all."
It took about an hour with Bunshichi's careful guidance before Naruto had it exactly right. Tawara quickly figured out Naruto was a tactile learner so by showing the boy physically how to do things Naruto soaked it up like a sponge. "Okay Naruto; now that you have down the basics punch the post at low energy fifty times with each arm. Since you've been doing it wrong so long, you'll have to practice a lot to build up new muscle memory."
Naruto was soon hard at work and could actually feel the difference in the way his energy flowed through his arms. It was as if this was how he was meant to do it all along. "This is like the difference between night and day Bunshichi-sensei! How come I wasn't shown this years ago?"
"I'm curious myself." said Bunshichi as he lit up another cancer stick. "Who taught you taijustu?"
"It was...Mizuki sensei." said Naruto darkly with a hiss in his voice. "I never realized till now it but he's been sabotaging me from day one because of my tenant. He's going to pay 'ttebayo."
"So you know about your passenger, eh?" asked Bunshichi.
"I just found out recently." said Naruto darkly. "Kids my age don't know but the adults...that's another story."
"Well, don't go off the deep end like my best friend did and start killing people." said Bunshichi seriously. "You seem like an okay kid. Don't let them win by giving in now after all these years. You're stronger than that if you're her son."
"You knew my Kaa-san?" asked Naruto.
Tawara cringed; he hadn't meant to let that slip. "I don't know if the Hokage will let me talk about it. Anyway I'm not one hundred percent sure."
"Then you knew Uzumaki Kushina?" asked Naruto pointedly.
"When did you find out?" asked the jonin.
Naruto sighed, "I found out just this morning. I'm really upset at Hokage Jiji."
"Don't be too hard on Hokage-sama; he really did try his best. Of course; I was still a kid then." said Bunshichi.
"Can you tell me about my Kaa-san?" asked Naruto with longing in his voice.
"Your Mother was an incredibly hot red headed bombshell; her measurements were-" started Bunshichi as Naruto clobbered him into the dirt with his face red from embarrassment.
"Pervert! I want to know about her personality; not her measurements!" screeched Naruto.
Bunshichi dug his face out of the dirt and said, "Well why didn't you say so? I mean she was a walking wet dream-"
"I going to slowly murder you Bushichi-sensei..." said Naruto as he unintentionally smothered the area in killing intent.
"Okay; okay!" said the sweating jonin. "Take it easy. The truth is your Mother changed my life when I was a genin. She told me that 'You have to do anything to win when you are protecting others.' My entire ninja career was changed by her words. She taught me how to fight dirty, underhanded and vicious whenever necessary; just like when you wrecked that Uchiha kid the other day. I suspected you were her kid when you did that but when you said 'ttebayo I was sure of it."
"What does my 'ttebayo have to do with anything?" asked Naruto in puzzlement.
"Your Mom always said 'ttebane when she got excited. She called it her 'verbal tick.' It must be genetic." explained Bunshichi.
"Cool!" whooped Naruto. "My Mom was even more awesome than I thought! We even talk the same. Can you look over the rest of my taijustu forms Bunshichi sensei?" asked Naruto bouncing around. "I'll bet that bastard Mizuki screwed me over from the beginning."
"Well, let me see your katas." said the smoker. "I've got this bad feeling Mizuki messed up all your forms."
...
An hour later...
Bunshichi rubbed his chin. "Well, you have amazing evasion skills for someone in the Academy. Someone else must have taught you those."
"Anko nee-chan did!" said Naruto enthusiastically. "She uses me for target practice all the time. I asked her to teach me her fighting style but she said my body wasn't built for it." he pouted.
"By Anko nee-chan do you mean Mitarashi Anko?" asked Bushichi with a leer.
Naruto nodded eagerly, "Yep! Anko nee-chan is my adoptive big sister. She has this ridiculous idea the dango is the food of the gods but anyone with any sense knows it's ramen. Dango is blasphemy! Do you know her well?"
Bunshichi was blushing with a bit of a nosebleed. "Oh I want to know her well; what an incredible body..." he was off in fantasy land until Naruto yelled his name and brought him back to reality by putting a bump on his head...
"No perving about Anko nee-chan!" said Naruto angrily.
"Sorry kid but it's kind of hard not to perv on your nee-chan. You'll understand when you're older." said Tawara. "Anyway, your body is built for speed and power. You don't have the flexibility necessary for the snake style she uses so she is right not to train you. Your body is ideal for the moves your Mom taught me though. I don't have a set style but the taijutsu style your Mom used had a lot of circular motions and twists. It was brutal in every sense of the word. I think she said it originated in the Land of Whirlpools where she grew up."
Bunshichi nodded to himself. "For now, let's concentrate on the Academy style with a lot a free form moves like Kushina-sama taught me. I'll bet if you ask the Hokage once you've cooled off, he might have information on the Whirlpool style or whatever it's called. You can start learning that once you graduate."
The pair was out practicing until long after the Academy let out...
…
Konoha Hospital, Secure Ward
Natsume Maya was worried for Naruto-kun; he was supposed to come to the Academy after getting those seals patented but hadn't ever shown up. She hoped he'd ditched school to visit Hinata-chan but according to the ANBU he hadn't been by. Maya decided to go ahead and visit Hinata-chan by herself. She hoped her friend wouldn't be too down since Naruto-kun wasn't with her. As the ANBU knocked on the door, she heard Hanabi's giggling from within before Hinata said, "Come in please."
Maya saw Hinata looking very happy sitting on her bed as she saw and regal looking Hyuga woman sitting in a chair by the bed with Hanabi snuggled in her lap. It was obvious they had a lively conversation going on. Maya hated to interrupt but Hinata said, "Maya-chan! Come in and meet my Obaa-chan Hanako. She's the one I told you about."
Realizing this was the relative that Hinata always spoke of so highly (even before she was being abused) Maya came over and bowed before saying, "I am Natsume Maya; I'm very pleased to meet you Hanako-sama. Hinata-chan has said many good things about you over the years."
Hanako nodded. "You are a well-mannered young lady Maya; Hinata-chan spoke highly of you as well."
"Are you here to take Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan home Hanako-sama?" asked Maya.
"Most certainly not!" said Hanako sternly. "I will not take my granddaughters back to that prison of a compound where they can be abused. We were just discussing other alternatives. They will be staying with me. I'm sure I can afford a small house with my pension."
Maya was a bit taken aback at the older woman's forceful manner but said, "I've already invited Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan to live at the Natsume clan home for as long as they need. It's much too big for just my little sister Aya-chan and I. You would be welcome there to if you want to keep an eye on Hanabi-chan while the rest of us are at the Academy."
"Hmmm...that is a very noble and generous offer Natsume-san." said Hanako. "We will have to make monetary arrangements. What do you think Hinata-chan?"
"I would feel safe living with Maya-chan and Aya-chan but I don't want to impose." said Hinata shyly.
Maya shook her head. "You wouldn't be imposing Hinata-chan. Aya-chan and I would love to have you! It would be more like we have a family again...it would be like gaining two sisters and an Obaa-chan!"
Hinata got up and bowed formally. "Then I will accept your gracious invitation into the Natsume Clan home." The two girls hugged each other. "Is that alright Hanako Obaa-chan?"
"If it makes you happy then of course it's all right Hinata-chan!" said Hanako. "We will write up a contract that Hiashi can pay for that is quite equitable for Natsume-san."
"What if Otou-san won't pay?" asked Hinata worriedly.
"Oh, he will pay my dear." said Hanako. "Trust me, I assure you that one way or another I will make him pay."
Maya got a strange chill up her spine. 'Something tells me that Hanako-sama isn't an ordinary Obaa-chan...'
…
Naruto's Apartment
Naruto dragged himself into his apartment having worked out hard all afternoon and evening with Bunshichi-sensei. The sixteen-year-old had a lot on his mind. He'd stopped by Ichiraku's and gorged himself before coming home. He'd totally blown off class today but he really didn't care. He did feel bad for not seeing Maya-chan and Hinata-chan today though. He wanted to go and see them but he was exhausted both mentally and physically.
He'd been lucky to meet Tawara Bunshichi-sensei. All the physical activity had helped him get rid of all those pent-up emotions. He still owed Mizuki-sensei years of payback though…As Naruto showered he briefly pondered giving Mizuki an amateur vasectomy with a dull, rusty kunai but the prankster couldn't think of a way to leave no evidence behind to cover his tracks…he'd ponder it in the morning after he got some sleep…
…
3 A.M.
Naruto awoke thinking of everything that happened today and was absolutely plagued with horrible nightmares. The teenage old blonde simply couldn't stop crying. He felt frightened and torn about the Kyubi even though he knew logically from his sealing knowledge that everyone should be perfectly safe. Looking at the clock and noticing it was storming outside Naruto decided to see someone who would understand…he hated to bother her but…
…
Mitarashi Anko's Apartment
Anko was having a pleasant dream about skinning her former sensei alive and making a nice snakeskin belt and accessories out of his pale ass. She suddenly was jolted out of bed by someone pounding on her front door. Looking at her clock she thought aloud, "It's 3:30 in the fucking morning! Who the hell is pounding on my door?!" She threw on a yukata thinking 'It had better be ANBU with an S-class emergency or else…' The Snake Mistress flung her door open angrily and found Naruto slumped down against her doorframe crying. Anko crouched down to the sobbing boy and asked, "Naruto-kun…?"
The soaking, sobbing Naruto flung himself into Anko's arms and said, "A-Anko nee-chan; the Kyubi…I; WAAAAHHH!" The boy wailed as she pulled him inside out of the rain and closed the door behind her. Naruto spent the next two hours curled up in a ball crying his eyes out to Anko as she gently coaxed it all out of him. Naruto explained to her about how he'd figured out about Kyubi from the seals on his stomach and then his confronting the Hokage about it. He also talked about Kushina and how he couldn't talk about the rest…Anko rarely should her gentle side to anyone but she would for her little brother…It was a long and awful night for both of them and Naruto finally fell into a dreamless sleep around six in the morning.
Anko looked at the clock and thanked the heavens she had the day off. She remembered Naruto talking about how guilty he felt about not seeing Maya-chan and Hinata-chan. He also talked about meeting that smoker Tawara Bunshichi and about how he explained Mizuki had trained Naruto all wrong…She cursed herself for not noticing but had solely focused on his evasion skills. (The kid was gifted at stealth she was proud to say).
Making a shadow clone she wrote a note and sent her clone out to deliver it to Iruka. The clone would visit Hinata and Maya as well. Anko wanted to talk to Bunshichi personally. Maybe the lazy bum could help Naruto out but Anko wanted to be sure of his motives…It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to gain Naruto's trust so they could hurt him later. Anko wanted to gut Mizuki like a fish but it was obvious Naruto wanted to do that himself…she'd let the crooked instructor live for now.
…
Natsume Clan Home
Anko's shadow clone soon arrived at the Natsume residence and knocked on the door. Aya soon opened it with a bright smile. "Anko-san! It's so nice to see you. What brings you by this morning?"
The Snake Mistress had known the Natsume sisters through Naruto for years so they were pretty comfortable around each other. "Aya-chan, I'm here to see if Maya-chan is up. Is she around?"
Aya nodded and raced off to get her big sister. Maya soon came to the door, "Anko-san; is it Naruto…?"
Anko's clone nodded and said, "Maya-chan; Naruto is going to be fine but he's really upset right now. He wanted to come see you and explain but he's not up to it emotionally." Seeing the panicked look on Maya's face she cut the girl off and said, "Naruto-kun is going to be just fine. He just needs a little time. He may come back to the Academy tomorrow or the next day but for right now I'm watching over him so he's safe. Don't worry, okay? I'm a clone so I need to visit Iruka to excuse him from class and see Hinata as well. She's still in the Secure Ward right?"
Maya nodded. "Please tell him I want him to be okay and I miss him Anko-san."
"I will kiddo. He'll be right as rain before you know it." said the clone as she darted off.
…
Konoha Ninja Academy
Iruka arrived in the teacher's lounge and found Mizuki looking embarrassed and angry as Anko's clone was laughing herself sick at his pink hair. "Bwahahaha! Boy, when you came out of the closet; you didn't do it by halves Mizuki-chan! Go over to the red light district and ask some of the working girls for some tips; you're never going to land a man at this rate! Bwahahaha!" Mizuki stormed out of the lounge in a rage just as Iruka was coming in and the clone went from rolling in the floor laughing to dead serious. "Iruka; just the person I want to see." She handed him a note and said; "For your eyes only." before she left briskly.
Iruka quickly opened the note.
Chunin Umino Iruka:
Uzumaki Naruto has found out about his tenant and will not be attending class the next day or two. I also have confirmed his Mother is Uzumaki Kushina-sama, 'The Red Hot Habanero.' If he makes this claim you are to support him or risk his angry Mother's ghost haunting you for all eternity. Evidence has it Mizuki has been tampering with both Naruto's grades and his training due to his tenant but that is currently under investigation. Watch Mizuki's actions for later reference and intervene if necessary.
-Special Jonin Mitarashi Anko, ANBU Torture and Interrogation Division
Iruka gasped at this bombshell. (He also prayed Kushina-sama's ghost wouldn't come to haunt him. He saw the woman angry only once and it scarred him for life!) 'No wonder Naruto has such a temper.' thought Iruka as he shivered. Deciding that announcing Naruto was sick today and may or may not be back tomorrow was the easiest path he headed on to teach class and keep an eye on Mizuki.
…
Konoha Hospital, Secure Ward
Anko's clone arrived at Hinata's room and kind of dreaded telling the young girl about Naruto. She knew via the vine and through ANBU reports what the Hyūga heiress had been through and knew she would be further upset hearing one of her best friends was hurting right now but it would be best to tell her. Knocking on the door the clone heard, "Enter." From a rather authoritarian female voice she didn't recognize. Going in she saw Hyūga Hanako eating with her two Granddaughters. The clone went wide eyed seeing Hanako. She remembered the old Hyūga woman that even her ex-sensei Orochimaru gave wide berth. Actually; that was an understatement. He feared the woman but Anko didn't know exactly why.
The clone bowed properly. "Greetings Hanako-sama, I hope I'm not interrupting."
Hanako paused and said, "Ah, young Anko-san. What brings you here?"
Anko's clone quickly explained the situation to Hinata in the most respectful manner she could. She didn't want to piss off Hanako. Hinata was understandably distressed but handled it well enough. The clone was shocked when Hanako hand signed her in ANBU code, [He found out about Kyubi?] The clone signed back in the affirmative and departed. Her job done; the shadow clone dispersed in a puff of smoke.
…
Anko's Apartment
Naruto and Anko were having a quiet breakfast together and Anko jerked a little when she received her clone's memories. "Are you okay Anko nee-chan?" asked Naruto.
Anko shook her head 'So old lady Hanako was ANBU back in the day? I wonder what mask she wore.' "I'm fine Naruto; I just received the memories of my shadow clone and she delivered all the messages to your friends you were going to be off a couple of days. They're okay with it so don't worry."
"Thanks Anko." said the blonde. "Wait, what do you mean received the memories of your shadow clone?"
Anko went into lecture mode. "When you create a shadow clone from your chakra all the memories and experiences it gains returns to you when it disperses. It's an ideal reconnaissance tool."
Naruto perked up for the first time since he'd arrived. "You mean if the shadow clone learns a jutsu then I would too once its memories returned to me?"
"Well, yes in theory." said Anko.
"Teach me oh great Anko-sensei! I can't do regular clones so I'll use shadow clones instead!" pleaded Naruto with his eyes huge at the possibilities.
"Whoa; whoa kiddo! The shadow clone is a B-ranked kinjutsu due to the prohibitive chakra costs. I'm a jonin and I can only make three before I'm worn out. You're an Academy student!"
Naruto got a very flat look on his face. "Umm, hello nee-chan? I have Kyubi stuck in my gut so I have more chakra than Hokage Jiji! He told me that himself. I'm sure I can pull off a shadow clone easily when it comes to chakra."
Anko pondered a moment and said. "Well, since you put it that way I guess you're right. I'll get permission from the Hokage. I'm sure he'll agree with that logic."
"Oh hell no! Hokage Jiji and the rest of this village don't need to know about this…It will be our little secret Anko nee-chan." said Naruto with mischief in his eyes.
Anko narrowed her own eyes at her little brother figure. "You aren't planning to kill anybody important are you Naruto-kun?"
Naruto looked affronted. "I would never do such a thing Anko-chan. No one important to the good of Konoha will die at my hands."
"Well, as long as it's no one important." replied Anko with a smirk.
…
Abandoned Training Grounds
Several hours later; Naruto and Anko were working hard on the shadow clone jutsu and Tawara Bunshichi (much to his pleasure) was watching the snake jonin as she 'bounced' about during her instructing. He felt a tap on his shoulder only to come face to face with Anko's well-endowed bosom. Seeing his nose bleeding and his tongue lolling out like a dog's she said, "Are you enjoying the view Tawara-kun?" in a seductive tone. Bunshichi was nodding up and down dumbly with glazed over eyes when her chakra enhanced fist punched his lights out.
"Owww…" said Bunshichi as he opened his eyes and came back into the land of consciousness. He saw Anko standing there holding something that looked like a cross between a rusty serrated saw blade and a short sword. "Oh, dear…" he said.
She smacked him on top of the head and said. "Amateur! A woman shows a little skin and you're defenseless! –And you call yourself a jonin; hmph!"
Bunshichi winced at the bump forming on his head as he noticed he was thoroughly tied up with ninja wire. "In my defense I was a chunin until two weeks ago when I got back. Where are we anyway?" he said as he looked around the very cold, empty building that smelled distinctively like meat they were in.
Anko smiled viciously. "We're in a place where no one will hear you scream and no one will find your remains. Now you can give me the answers I want or I can try my dull, chipped, rusty friend that I found on the ground in the Forest of Death here and see how well it dissects you." He could see her breath in the chilled air.
Bunshichi was sweating. It was bad enough to look at that…instrument. He really didn't want to get cut up by it and he knew Anko would. "What would you like to know Anko-chan?" he asked smiling weakly as perspiration formed on his brow.
"What's your interest in Uzumaki Naruto? He's a hated demon container. Why would you want to help him?" asked Anko in a tone hard as steel.
Tawara said seriously, "His Mother Kushina-sama saved my life when I was just a genin…I figured it was the least I could do to repay her by helping her son…" Bunshichi went on to relay exactly what happened and how much he admired Kushina and wanted to be strong like her. "…and that's how it happened." he finished solemnly.
Anko sealed the rusty blade away and released the wire around Bunshichi. "Alright Tawara; I'll give you my trust and let you train my little brother. But so help me if you hurt him I'll send you to hell in pieces." Seeing her disperse the genjutsu around them Bunshichi realized they were in the meat lockers that where behind the Akimichi restaurant. "You really need to work on your situational awareness Tawara. The whole damn village would have heard you screaming in here."
"I'm going to be training Naruto in defense and evasion along with a few jutsus to give him an edge." said Anko. "I want you to train him in taijutsu and offensive techniques. I know you can train him well by just what I've seen from sparring with him this morning." She chuckled. "Someday I want to see him be as strong as Uzumaki Kushina too. She was one of my role models as a young kunoichi." With that Anko left with a slight sway in her hips and closed the door behind her.
"Wait! What about a date Anko-chan?!" wailed Bunshichi.
"She's already long gone chief." said Naruto from behind the jonin.
"You've been here this whole time?!" asked Bunshichi.
Naruto nodded. "Yep, Anko nee-chan said it would be educational for me. I am glad you want to help me though Bunshichi-sensei."
The jonin just shook his head. "Seduced by a walking wet dream only to have fun poked at me by an Academy student. Oh how the mighty have fallen."
Naruto smiled and tossed Tawara his cigarettes. "Now you owe me. I was going to hold those hostage if you didn't cooperate."
The jonin just gaped in shock as Naruto led him out of the meat locker…It was a difficult to render Tawara Bunshichi speechless but the orange wearing brat had done it.
…
POSTSCRIPT:
Well, a lot of emotional ups and downs for Naruto (understandably). He's going to have to work out a lot in the next few chapters. Mizuki has moved into the #1 slot on Naruto's shit list. He may end up with more than a haircut this time. Naruto is going to be taking pride in his Mother and clan which will have an effect on the views of both his classmates and some adults that knew Kushina. We also have seen Naruto and Anko's brother-sister relationship. It looks like Hanako and the girls will all be living in the Natsume household with Hiashi footing the bill. Will Hiashi try to get his daughters back? See you next chapter. Blue out. 6/1/23
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone