Chapter 15: chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Consequences
Disclaimer: You should know the drill by now. If not go read the last fourteen disclaimers.
A/N: The majority of this chapter is a council meeting, so a lot of drama and very little bloodshed. You've been warned.
The only time Naruto and the Hokage went back to the gate, while the advisers were still there, was when the two interrogators finally showed up. They had to literally rescue the two jōnin from the clutches of the elders when Koharu latched onto Ibiki's trench coat in a desperate attempt to gain entrance to the grounds. She was forced off though when Naruto clamped down on a pressure point between her thumb and index finger causing her to release her grip from the sharp pain out of instinct. This of course caused a stream of obscenities about how he had assaulted her to which the Hokage and the two interrogators claimed to have seen no such thing and even the ANBU found their surroundings suddenly very interesting. After that incident the advisers stalked off and sent an ANBU every half hour or so to check the progress the four inside were making.
Anko and Ibiki were somewhat impressed by Naruto's knowledge of the poisons he used, as well as the antidote and the application. A simple senbon tag with poisoned needles or a gas cloud was enough to take down the intruders, and each was made to activate after the previous tag had been set off. Thus he could set multiple trap tags right on top of each other and only one would go off at a time. Granted there were a set number of tags, but no one knew that but him. To anyone trying to assault the property it would seem like the traps were repeatedly being set off, and insatiable.
"Hokage-sama, it would seem that there are quiet a number of Danzo's troops here, we know them by the seal on their tongues which none of our official ANBU have. Some of the others are guards to the council members that have been on extended missions for that purpose. All of the Haruno's guards seem to be here. There are also a few civilians as well as a couple ninja not affiliated with one person of power. Other than that, the only prominent person is the Uchiha." Ibiki reported his findings as he flipped through a clipboard of paperwork. "The strange part is that they have no supplies on them. Not even any that would assist them in gaining entrance like a knife or kunai."
Naruto stepped in to correct the man as he chuckled a bit. "Heh, Ibiki-san. They came with weapons alright. Some were obviously hoping to set up an ambush as they brought many traps with them. Others must have been hoping for a bit more...fun, as they resupplied my 'pins' a little. I stripped them of anything even remotely harmful. In fact I think the only things I let them keep were the clothes on their backs and their ID cards."
"I...see..."
"Hey don't look at me like that. They were the ones that broke in to my property. I know the council will push for no punishment so I'm taking what I can get while my rights still hold."
The three older ninja shared a look, but the Hokage shook his head. "Ok Naruto-kun. We're going to move all of them to some cells for now as I'm sure you don't want them as lawn ornaments. I want you at the council room in two hours time so we can deal with...whatever mess the damn council wants to try to dig themselves out of this time." Sarutobi held his face. Just thinking about the headache he was going to have was already making one manifest.
"I don't see why you don't just get rid of them. There are civilians here that would be far better to have in that position." The blond grumbled as he made some clones to help the other two move all the bodies out of the gate, making sure he and Sarutobi were right next to it in case someone decided to try to...invite themselves inside.
"Hah! Oh I would love to do just that. Unfortunately they are all civilians that were elected by the civilians to be their side of the council, so there is little we could do. We've tried holding new elections, but every time we do it always ends up the same way."
"...And you don't find that is in any way fishy?"
Hiruzen looked at the boy in confusion. "Should I?"
"I don't know about the voting process but from what I hear in town, if the civilians aren't cursing me their cursing the council. Maybe that's something you should look into."
"I'll...consider it." The Hokage didn't want to admit the possibility that his own former teammates were trying to play the system in their favor but it did strike him as odd that they constantly got reappointed, even the Haruno whom no one seemed to like. In fact, now that he thought about it, a lot of the civilian council didn't even like her...so why was she there? The more he considered it the less comfortable he felt with his current councilors.
Once the prisoners were all accounted for and headed off to their cells Sarutobi bid farewell to Naruto for the time being in order to gather the ninja side of the council as he was sure that since he didn't get alerted to the meeting, none of the ninja side had either. Which most likely meant that the civilian side was going to try to muscle Naruto to do as they wanted. He chuckled a little at the thought of civilians trying to get the boy to do anything they wanted. At this point he'd probably just do the opposite of what they said out of spite.
Naruto on the other hand had the none to small task ahead of him of reapplying the security seals that weren't used. Since he already had plenty already made it was only a matter of putting them up and activating them. Even so, he hadn't slept since the day before and with an afternoon with the council to look forward to everything was starting to seem like a chore. Amazingly enough though when he did reenter the house he found that all the girls were still awake and talking animatedly about...him.
"Umm...girls?"
"Naruto-kun."
"Naruto-kun!"
"Naruto-sama..."
"Naruto-san."
"Oh hey Naruto-kun!"
"Heya Naruto."
(If you can't figure out the order that was Haku, Hinata, Kin, Harume, Ino then Tenten)
"As happy as I am that you're all talking about me...I will have to ask you all to leave in about an hour. I have a council meeting to go to and I'm sorry but I'm just not comfortable having such a large number of people at my house when I'm not here." He talked as though unsure if the statement would cause an uproar and end up with him or his possessions in a worse state than they currently were.
"No problem Naruto. I have to help my dad with the store anyway. He has to go pick up some metal from the warehouse, so I have to watch the place." Tenten shrugged since it was out of her hands anyway. Then she fixed on him with her eyes and got a huge grin. "But I heard you have some really nice weapons, and I'd like to have a look at em sometime, especially these supposedly new tags. Who knows, if they're good enough, and judging by the state of your yard when we got back they are, maybe my dad will want to buy some from you to sell at the store."
"Yeah...I have to go help out at the flower shop soon too anyway. I'm supposed to be there whenever I'm not doing anything with my team and since...I'm not in the exams anymore...Plus my parents will probably be worried that I didn't go straight home after getting out of the forest." Ino looked really depressed. Like she didn't want to go anywhere at all.
"I also have something I have to...take care of." Harume just blushed. "I will need to borrow Haku for it though."
"Well I guess that fills in what I'll be doing then."
"..." Kin didn't know where she stood since she was kind of the odd person out.
"Hinata and Kin, go with Ino please. I don't want her alone at her parents' store before we can get it through Sakura and Sasuke's heads that they don't own her in any sense of the word. Sasuke should be in a cell right now, but Sakura is still out and about." The girls nodded in understanding while Ino blushed at his thoughts of her safety. "Well, have fun then. I have to go reset the seals then go to this meeting." They could hear the lack of desire in his voice but laughed knowing if anyone could get out of any trouble it was him. Naruto trudged back to his office and began gathering his needed materials.
As he went to pick up one of his seal stacks he bumped a large flower pot on the floor and made it wobble around. What he didn't expect to see was a panel on the wall wobbling at the same interval. Curiosity getting the better of him he walked over to lock the door, then drew the shades before moving the pot completely. The pot itself was a little heavy, but when it was moved the panel drew itself completely open revealing a seal. Having seen it's like before from the front gate he steadied himself and pricked his finger. Placing it on the seal he closed his eyes and waited for the chakra draw...and waited...and waited.
When he reopened his eyes it was near pitch black, but he was just barely able to see that he was in another room below the office. 'So even dad had a reason for a secret room. Not very well hidden, but I guess you don't need it to be if you're a seal master.' Looking around he could see cabinets, a desk and dark shapes mounted along the walls. Moving carefully to the desk he was able to feel out a lamp and switch it on. What he found now when he looked around was that the dark objects on the walls were racks. Some for weapons others for scrolls. One in particular caught his eye. It was right behind the desk and the rack consisted of two scrolls and a sword. One scroll looked like It was made out of black marble with red veins while the other was flat black with an intricate golden boarder. He looked at the labels and read them out loud. "Uzumaki...Namikaze..." There was no doubt as to what they were, he had seen their like many times. His hands shook as he touched them gently. 'Clan scrolls...' Turning from them he then looked at the sword. It was a wakizashi with a pitch black sheath. Gently he took it down and drew it out. It was beautiful in the dim light. The blade almost matched the sheath of his other katana and he couldn't help but be a little overwhelmed by how deadly it looked.
A clock on the wall chimed and he realized that he had to hurry if he wanted to get the seals set up before the meeting. He went over to where he came down from, but rushed back to the rack and took the Uzumaki scroll and placed it in his pouch before taking, what he found was a lift back upstairs. Replacing the pot to let the panel slide back into place over the seal he gathered his security seals quickly before heading out to the yard and with the help of clones had the estate back to full potential just in time to escort the girls out of the gate and rush off to the council chambers.
• • •
It was another normal Uzumaki Naruto convention in the council room complete with cries for the boy's immediate removal from the ninja program, exile and of course execution. Oh, and lets not forget the turning over of all his property including lands, weapons and jutsu. It was an argument as old as the boy himself and yet they still tried to get their way even though it hadn't even been close to happening. For now the old Kage simply denied everything they tossed at him as he waited for the clan heads and Naruto to arrive. When said blond did arrive it was still five minutes before the Hokage had told him to come and yet they still scolded him for making them wait. He just shrugged it off and leaned against the wall ignoring them as they waited for the ninja side of the council to show. Each one showed up late by at least as long as Naruto was early, but the smiles on most of their faces showed that this was in some way a small means of pissing the council off further for dragging them in here once again. Once everyone was seated and the majority of the insults were eased down to glaring, they were finally able to start the actual meeting.
Sarutobi pressed his fingers to his temples and said the words his instinct told him not to let leave his mouth. "So what is it this time?"
The only pink haired council member was the first to speak. "Hokage-sama, you have let this farce go on for far too long. That monster should not be allowed to roam free. He is already far more powerful than he should be. He even went so far as to attack my daughter during the second phase of the exam as well as after the preliminaries. Not only that but she also told me that he humiliated the Uchiha. If he is indeed strong enough to take Uchiha-sama on, even if it's as a sneak attack, then it is obvious that he is corrupted and should be dealt with as such."
"I concur. That brat is far stronger than any normal ninja should be at his age. I believe that it's time that we show him that he is under our control rather then allow him to run around attacking our most promising ninja. Next thing we know he will decide he's strong enough to attack any of us without repercussion. I fear that I will be loosing sleep at night knowing he could be out there stalking the shadows." Homura's gaze was deadly as he made his intentions clear. "At the very least he should have his chakra sealed and be relinquished of his ninja status."
"To think he would go so far as to interrupt matches at the preliminaries and even attack Uchiha-sama and his team. He's lucky that team seven was able to get through to the preliminaries after what he did to them." Shiratori Junzo, the owner of a fish warehouse, said in disgust.
"May I ask where you got your information of these events from?" Nara Shikaku asked. Intrigued by their accusations.
"Haruno Sakura.", "Uchiha Sasuke.", "Uchiha Sasuke." All three said in unison.
"So once more you have brought up an issue that has no civilians whatsoever involved?" Most of the ninja had to bite their tongues to keep from screaming at the civilian side.
"Actually that is where the second portion of the complaint comes into play." Marugo Denbe, head of the Konoha maintenance department decided to add the last bit of fuel to the fire. "We've all passed by Naruto-san's...property this week and were horrified at the collection we saw inside. All about the yard were strewn the bodies of ninja and civilian alike. They were, thankfully, still breathing, but none the less they were on his property and some with noticeable bruises." The man smirked at their newly acquired reasoning for staying this time. Technically the event did involve civilians, so they were supposed to be in on it.
"Well, I suppose that it is true, that there were civilians involved...very well we will discuss that portion first. Then you will leave."
"Hokage-sama since my daughter was directly involved with the events at during the exam I believe I should stay as well." The Haruno was surprisingly subdued as she spoke followed quickly by the advisers.
"And since we were named guardians of Uchiha-sama I believe it is within our rights to listen and give our input too."
"Fine family and guardians may stay, but other than that..."
"Actually Hokage-sama I don't mind if they all stay this time. I'd like to tell them exactly what went on with their precious Uchiha-teme."
"Show respect to Uchiha-sama you brat!"
"Haruno-san I call the teme what he deserves to be called. If he ever changes his ways, then I might respect him more. Perhaps after this story even you might respect him a little less, though I'm not going to keep my hopes very high." Naruto walked toward the table, taking up a spot where he could be easily seen along with the coldness in his eyes.
"Now, let's start with the accusations dealing with what was found at Naruto-kun's estate this morning."
"Hokage-sama. As I said we had all passed the property at some point during this past week to see that there were various bodies laying around the front yard. Being as some among them were civilians I believe it is in our best interest to punish those whom are responsible for the harm done to them. Due to the fact that those injuries were incurred on Uzumaki-san's property we will be seeking damages from him. Once we are able to talk to those involved then we will have a total estimate of what is owed to them. Our current analysis figures that the total will be...steep." Koharu was smirking as she finished. It was quite obvious that any amount they were given would be modified to suit their desires.
The Hokage shared a look of amusement with Naruto. This was going to be classic. "Naruto-kun would you like to do the honors or should I?" The statement confused everyone as it seemed both the Hokage and his favored ninja both knew what was about to happen. It also unsettled them that a couple of the ninja council leaned back in their chairs, getting comfortable for the entertainment. At a nod and a wave off to him from the boy Sarutobi continued. "First I would ask you why these civilian's decided to enter Naruto's property in the first place?"
"W-well perhaps it was to collect something they accidentally dropped over the wall, or for a peek inside. Maybe they wanted to get something back that the boy stole."
The Hokage reached his hand out, ready to stop Naruto from taking action against the implications the councilor made, but the pressure never came. When he looked over Naruto was calmly sitting there reading a scroll. One that the old man had never seen, but the name on it was unmistakable. "Naruto, where did you get that scroll?" He waved off the councilors who were impatient to get on with the proceedings.
"It's mine Hokage-sama. A personal scroll of sorts. Don't you see my name on it?" Naruto turned his head towards the aged man and winked with the eye that only he could see.
"I...see. Does that scroll perhaps have a 'brother' to it?"
"I would say they are a little closer than brothers. More like a couple, but yes." The Hokage almost fell out of his chair at that, but regained himself in time so as not to hint anything was amiss.
"That looks almost like a clan scroll boy. Do you think yourself worthy of making your own clan? There are rules to making one in Konoha and even you need to follow those as well. Maybe you should learn them before holding onto such dreams. For example you need to have a special skill known only to your clan, like our byakugan, the Uchiha sharingan or the Yamanaka mind jutsu. You also need to be of more than one generation having said abilities. You should put such foolish thoughts aside...orphan." Hiashi was cold to the boy for multiple reasons and he would take every opportunity to grind the boy's hopes into the ground, especially when such thoughts would have led to a seat on this council. Not that he could ever make it that far. Though with the help of his own daughter there was always the possibility of a new byakugan wielding clan if she and this demon bred.
"Hyūga-san, rather then trying to insult my ambitions, how about worrying about your own. Now enough of this, we were discussing more important topics than what I decide to do with my personal time." Naruto simply went back to his reading, nearly ignoring the man's byakugan enhanced glare. "And if you don't deactivate those eyes of yours I'm going to seek damages for possible stolen jutsu." Giving a very Tsume-like growl, Hiashi cut the chakra flow to his eyes and turned his head back to the discussion at hand.
"Right, in regards to the civilians entering Naruto's estate, had they lost an item they should have contacted Naruto directly rather then trying to enter a ninja's property, of which most if not all are riddled with various security measures. Those that may have been trying to get a look should also have asked permission or been satisfied with what they could see from the street. Those that thought that he may have stolen something should have taken it up with the investigations comity to look into."
"Are you saying that we should have to go through all of that hassle just to get back something that belongs to us?"
"I would be happy to remove the laws that allow all ninja to secure their property Hiashi-san, but be aware that it would also mean that the clans would not be allowed to have security measures either."
"Are you saying that one boy is worth as much as the entire Hyūga clan?!"
"No, I am saying that in this village all the ninja have the same rights. That means that if one ninja is entitled to security measures then they all are. The only difference for ninja is rank and that only comes into play during missions, training and war-time. Even then a ninja's personal property is off limits unless they give permission or there is ample evidence that they are putting the village in danger. Naruto has shown neither...ever...so no one may enter his property without explicit permission from him. As for the civilians, it won't matter what they have to say or claim as I have complete faith in my interrogators to find out the truth of their actions along with those of the ninja."
"Hokage-sama! You sent civilians to the interrogators?! How could you do such a thing? You have no right!" Koharu cried as numerous other councilors paled but agreed.
"I have every right! They decided to attempt to infiltrate the estate of a ninja, one of my ninja. For all I know they could be spies and I intend to discover exactly what their motives were for trying to get into that estate. I would have taken the same actions had they attempted to infiltrate the Hyūga estate or the Yamanaka flower shop. All of those places could contain secrets that would put this village in danger. Thus, they will get the same treatment we are going to show to all of the ninja that attempted to get in and met the same fate." The councilors were sputtering about unfair but there was nothing they could do.
"Wh-what about Uchiha-sama Hiruzen?" Homura was already fearing what he knew the old man would say.
"Like I said they are all getting the same treatment." Both advisers were now ghostly white.
"But Hokage-sama, what if he decides to leave because of his treatment? We'll lose the sharingan forever!"
"He should have thought about the repercussions of his actions before he attempted to break the laws of this village. If he decides to try to leave he will be labeled as a missing-nin and will be tracked down and detained. His chakra will be sealed and he will be thrown in a cell. Now I will hear no more on that issue, but since Naruto seems to want my blood pressure to skyrocket you are allowed to stay for the portion regarding the events in the forest of death as well as during the preliminary rounds of the chūnin tournament..." The councilors didn't know whether they should thank the boy or be wary of why he was letting them stay. "...But because he is letting you stay I'm going to give him the floor to speak as he wishes." Cries of outrage were once again heard. To give someone control of the floor entitled them to say pretty much whatever they pleased. It also allowed them to silence anyone's outburst...if they had enough respect to listen.
The Hokage silenced them with a harsh gaze and a hand raised in warning. Begrudgingly they obeyed and Naruto was the one to next break the silence. "Thank you Hokage-sama, you honor me with your trust." It unnerved him that the boy could put on such a show in the council room. His display was one of a person many years older and the man had to wonder just how many masks the blond could make. "Well since this is an issue that seems to be mainly from the civilian side of the council I would like to hear their complaints..." He held up his hand to show he had more as a few of the councilors stood to speak, making them sit scowling once again. "...one at a time so that things don't get confusing. The issues will be covered once and we will not go back once we've moved on to the next discussion. Hokage-sama is the one who will ultimately decide who is at fault and what punishment, if any, should be allowed. Now, who's first."
Haruno Isako was the first to stand and by far the loudest to voice her petition. "Hokage-sama my issue with this swine is that he attacked my daughter during the second exam and once afterward as well! I demand he be punished accordingly for attacking the family of a council member." To her dismay the man simply waved his hand over to Naruto.
Taking his queue Naruto shifted his eyes to the pink-haired council member. "Haruno-san, the first time I 'attacked' your daughter, was during the open-battle survival simulation. It was not against the rules for me to do so, but I also would not have done so if it wasn't a matter of defending myself against her. She charged at me once Uchiha Sasuke was down while on her way to him in her...less than protective attire. I..."
"Please define 'less than protective' for us Naruto-san." Inoichi had an idea what he meant as he had seen firsthand how desperately the girl pursued the Uchiha, and regrettably that his own daughter had been somewhat the same. Though she seemed somewhat subdued when she returned home earlier with some minor bruises, but that was to be expected from the exams.
"...She came running in her panties..."
"So she tried to attack you with just her underwear on?" Inoichi along with some of the other ninja wanted to burst out laughing.
"...The bottom half of it yes..."
"What the hell was she doing in such a dangerous place in just her underwear? That place gives me the shivers just looking at it..." Watabe Tokiko shivered at the thought of the forest and its hazards. Being holed up in the kitchen of a restaurant as a head chef made her drool over the meats of the place, but the ranks of missions needed to send ninja in to hunt the beasts were absurd.
"Let's just say the Uchiha was feeling a little...randy at the time, but I'll get to that later as I'm sure that will be coming up at some point. Anyhow, she charged me and I defended myself by knocking her feet out from under her causing her to stumble over to where Sasuke was currently laying unconscious. She tripped on her own feet and ended up knocking herself out when she hit the ground. So, in a sense, she actually did the worst of the damage to herself due to not being able to properly recover from lost balance." Naruto watched the faces of the council carefully for reactions as the Sandaime simply waved off the accusation when he wrote it down in his notes for the meeting.
"Naruto was in his full rights to defend himself in the forest lady Haruno, and indeed your daughter should be thankful he was so generous. It wouldn't have been beyond his permissions to injure, or even kill her out there with no repercussions. Those are the rules of the second exam."
"Fine! Then what about attacking her during the preliminaries?! Not only were you not in that match, but you also attacked her after the match was called!" The Haruno shrieked, irate that her first complaint did nothing.
"No I was not part of that match..." Isako smirked as this one was already looking good. "...but you were also correct in stating the match was already over. Your daughter attempted to attack her opponent Yamanaka Ino after the proctor had already declared her the winner. Due to the brutality of the attack Tsuchi Kin stepped in to stop I. Yes, Kin, not me. I came down afterward to act as another deterrent against further harm. I'm guessing those that made continuing attacks on their opponents was not an issue that was brought up yet?" He looked at the Hokage who confirmed his suspicions. "Being as that Is the case, you will be hearing more on that action later I'm sure. While I may not have had to step in when I did, as the proctor would have probably stopped it, I also don't like seeing helpless people getting beaten up in front of me. I know I have seen more than enough of that in my life."
Isako looked at the Hokage, but lost hope for help when he addressed her. "That is what happened and frankly she is lucky he stepped in. Had he not Hayate-san had the go-ahead to step in to stop her, and his methods of restraint have been known to at least require surgery."
"So now you're going to be every girl's knight in shining armor then? Just what are your intentions brat! Do you plan to infect all of our women with your impure seed?"
That was enough for Sarutobi as he got up and walked over to Denbe and jerked the man out of his chair. "Marugo-san, I suggest you watch your mouth unless you would like to join that little party at the interrogation unit as well." He narrowed his eyes at the man.
"H-hai Hokage-sama..." Hiruzen dropped the man on the ground and walked back to his chair.
Naruto eyed Denbe with distaste. "No Marugo-san. I don't plan on anything of the sort. I just plan on doing what is right and at the time saving one girl from an unjust beating was the right thing to do, or do you disagree?" The man seemed to deflate under the harsh glare of not only Naruto but also Inoichi.
"Well what about in the infirmary when you attacked her yet again. There are no rules against her visiting patients are there?" The woman shrieked out again.
"No Haruno-san, there are not. There is however a rule in the ward to not create an unhealthy atmosphere for the injured or sick patients. When your daughter tried to enter the room holding the patients Hinata, Tenten and Ino she immediately began shrieking, much like you are, about how Yamanaka Ino was the 'bitch' of herself and 'her Sasuke-kun' and that both of them could do whatever they wanted with her. In order to create a safe and healthy healing environment I took it upon myself to tap a pressure point on the back of her neck to knock her unconscious so she would no longer disturb those inside." The jibe he made was not missed by the woman as her scowl deepened, but it was once again matched by the two males and surprisingly a bit by Tsume. Apparently the word 'bitch' was not a great thing to say about a woman when an Inuzuka woman was present.
Not taking her eyes off the Haruno, Tsume questioned the boy in a dangerously low voice. "Naruto-san...Are those the exact words that she used? Do not be mistaken."
Naruto grabbed his chin as though thinking. "I believe one of the phrases was 'That bitch should be happy to be bred by Sasuke-kun.' Then there was 'Bitches like her should crawl around on the floor begging for Sasuke-kun to even acknowledge them.' There were a few others as well before I shut her up, but I think you get the point Inuzuka-san."
The woman's eyes had the banshee's mother rooted to her chair. Even though it was her daughter who had actually said the phrases, she as the parent was still responsible for how her daughter acted. "I suggest you teach your daughter how to properly act around others...Haruno." Tsume was barely able to stave off her anger as she growled out the statement. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, but everyone could feel the oppressive aura coming from her, one that was matched by a man not too far away.
Inoichi was livid at the girl's actions, though his head was a bit calmer the the Inuzuka head's. "I agree with Tsume. Your daughter has gone far above and beyond what is allowed for conduct from a ninja, especially a genin. This isn't a game where petty rivalries end with a cat fight in a front lawn, or some hair pulling . We are training these children to fight for their lives and if things get too heated between them it could end up much more serious than just a bruised ego."
"Wh-what's wrong with you Yamanaka-sama? I thought your daughter liked Uchiha-sama. Shouldn't you be happy that she might be getting help to have him?" The council woman was trying desperately to clear her name with at least one person.
"No. I have never like that stuck-up brat. There are far more worthy gentlemen in the village that could have her affections. I can only hope that after this event she can finally get over him and find someone who is actually worth pursuing."
Now Koharu was angry as well. "How dare you speak about Uchiha-sama like that. He is the most powerful shinobi of his generation and you act as if he is some common thug."
"As much as I would like to hear you all squabble over this petty crap, I don't feel like being here all day. I haven't slept since before the preliminaries and I'd like to get the rest of these arguments and accusations out of the way." All mouths that were open now hung in the air as they were brought out of their arguments. "Now, I believe that Uchiha Sasuke was our next topic of...lack of interest, so whoever has the first issue, please." Naruto sighed a bit, slightly regretting allowing the civilians to stay for this. Not that it would have mattered since those who had spoken were already given permission to be there from the Hokage.
"Ahem...Although we have already been told that your actions in the forest were legit against the Haruno, we feel that you may have been in danger of being excessive on Sasuke as he is the last of the Uchiha and as such should not be harmed, but rather protected. Add to that, the fact that the assault on him was done while he was about to...partake...of someone who was willing to bare the next generation of Uchiha is rather unforgivable. Your actions may well have put the sharingan's future at risk." Homura stayed stately throughout most of the proceedings, so it came as little surprise that he was so calm now.
"Perhaps I should give my recounting of the events leading up to, during and after the events with your so-called 'willing' women."
"I warn you boy, if you leave out any detail or change any fact you will be punished as we see fit."
Naruto just sighed and waved off the empty threat. "Hai, hai. Anyhow. My team along with team eight had just come upon the clearing where an Oto team was engaging teams seven, ten and it looked as though the team with Hyūga Neji and Harusada Tenten were looking on since their teammate, Rock Lee, had fallen to the other ninja already. I wasn't able to see Uchiha Sasuke or Inuzuka Kiba at the time we arrived though. I instructed my team and team eight to stay hidden for awhile in case we could garner any information on the abilities being used during the coming fight. As we watched Sasuke came out and decimated the sound team, he stopped only when Haruno Sakura grabbed him and begged him to stay with her. By this time the older team had already grabbed their teammate and left. I assume Sasuke took the words as an open invitation as he grabbed Sakura and Yamanaka Ino before headed towards the hollow in the tree that he had apparently been in."
He allowed them a moment before continuing. "After a few minutes of those in the clearing just staring at where he went, I saw a quick flash of blond hair from the tree before it's owner was pulled back in, after which I heard a loud shriek. It was fairly obvious that whatever was going on inside was not to Ino's liking. Since no one else in the clearing was moving I jumped from my perch and my comrades followed. While I made my way towards the tree Sasuke must have seen me coming as he rushed out and engaged me in a fight. After the brief encounter we split and he said something. Oh man, this is the best part. After I accused him of attempting to rape a fellow Konoha-nin he said that the council would praise him for it." To his surprise some of them actually did look happy and it made his mood darken a bit. "Then...he threatened to take the Hokage position by force." Most of the room was now staring at him in disbelief.
"That is a lovely story boy, make sure you tell it to Ibiki when you see him." Koharu snarled, disgusted that he could make up such a thing."
"I WASN"T FINISHED!" If the threat about the Hokage wasn't enough to shock them, the until now calm boy's outburst definitely made them jump. "After he made the claim to take the position of Hokage he did the unforgivable. He said he was going to rape the women there...all of them...starting with Hinata-chan..." He took a few deep breaths to regain his composure while the information sank in. "After he said that, Kiba came back from whatever he was doing and shouted about how he and Sasuke were supposed to take me out together and another thing involving Hinata...Inuzuka-san I wish to discuss some of your child's actions later." He glared at the still pissed woman without flinching causing her a little discomfort. She couldn't help but get the feeling that what she had said to Isako was going to turn around and bite her.
"Well if the Uchiha wants my daughter so bad then I will give her to him. I will write up a marriage proposal for them this afternoon.' It was the first time Naruto saw Hiashi anything close to happy...too bad for him.
Naruto growled low as he glared at the man. "Hyūga-san, you gave up those rights when you disowned Hinata-chan, so I will assume you mean your other daughter."
"Hmph. I'll just repeal the decision to disown her and then marry her off. Two goals accomplished at once. A connection with the Uchiha clan and getting the byakugan back under full control."
"Hiashi-san it isn't that easy. Since you have disowned Hinata you are not entitled to simply take her back. The decision of whether it is in her best interest as a ninja to return to the Hyūga is made from a vote of the ninja council, but before that can even happen the child in question must agree to such a request." Sarutobi was glad he started brushing up on the laws most closely relating to recent events in his spare time. Having a genin know more than you about your own village's rules was a bit embarrassing, especially of someone nicknamed 'The Professor'.
"Hokage-sama is correct, and before you get any thoughts of persuading her, Hinata is no longer the shy timid girl you instilled fear into, but a more confidant young woman. I can tell you now that she will never agree to go back to the Hyūga since she is happier away from them than she ever was with them." Naruto smirked at the Hokage, silently thanking him for being the first to interject. Hiashi just narrowed his eyes and sat back in his chair. "Now, to continue, Sasuke decided he no longer needed Kiba so he tossed him aside as we reengaged. After beating him into unconsciousness I headed towards the hollow to check on Sakura and Ino, which was when Sakura decided to attack me and I defended. That aside, I entered the hollow and was immediately embraced by Ino-san. Whom, due to the contrast of the light in the clearing and the shade inside the area, I couldn't see until she was already latched onto me. She was dressed the same way as Sakura, but the scream from before told me it was not by he choice. That was proven with her confession later which was heard as she recalled the event in front of Hokage-sama at the tower in the forest." Inoichi looked murderous by this point as the two genins' actions towards his daughter were becoming clear.
"I called over the females from outside and had them dress Ino while I went to talk to the guys they left behind, so that there would be some privacy inside. Once teams eight, ten and elven were good to go we left for the tower." Naruto decided to quell imminent outburst a little before it came. "If you think I am lying about any part you are welcome to bring in and question any one of those that were present for the fights, but you will have to do so in front of the council as it is the only way to ensure that they are not swayed in what they say due to...outside influence."
"Are you implying that we would try to falsify the claim through threats Uzumaki?!"
"Why not, you have done so repeatedly in the past with me, or have you forgotten?" He narrowed his eyes at the man who was now shifting his eyes between they boy and the Hokage. He finally 'Hmpf'd' before falling back into his chair. "Let me remind you though that this is a ninja matter, so the only ones who can actually pursue it are the clan heads or the Hokage should they see fit to do so. "
"I will ask my daughter about this, but I won't bring her in for these vultures to feed off of." Inoichi definitely sounded pissed.
"Likewise with my son." Shikaku said, actually showing some interest in the proceedings. Shibi nodded as well showing that he too would discuss the matter with his son.
"I will...talk to my son as well, but I will need to talk to you first it seems, Naruto-san." Tsume bit her tongue from saying more.
"Well then, I guess that settles that matter as well. Now, are there any other issues to bring up?" The Hokage gazed around the table, turning his look into more of a glare of daring as he hit the civilian side.
"Hokage-sama if this...boy is indeed as powerful as he seems, then he should share that power with the Uchiha. Like this scroll for instance..." Denbe then made the mistake of taking the scroll that Naruto had pulled out since the meeting was coming to a close. The simple act surprised Sarutobi, who knew the boy could react faster than a civilian, but he got curious and a little nervous when he saw the boy flash a grin before hiding it. "This one for instance should do nicely." The man smiled at his accomplishment of taking a scroll that could no doubt help the Uchiha. He was so proud in fact that he didn't realize something was wrong until he heard the gasps around the table. Looking down he saw that his hand holding the scroll now had small metal spikes poking out of it. It was at that point that the pain hit and he screamed as he held his wrist trying in vain to stop the agony.
"How dare you attack a council member you demon!" Isako was beside herself as she was going to attempt the same thing. "Sticking those needles into his hand just for grabbing a scroll. For one who tries to talk so polite you are really just a vile animal."
"No." Heads turned to Shibi. "The needles came from the inside of his hand." The ninja and Hokage looked at the hand and could see from the direction the skin was stretched that the needles had indeed originated from the palm of the hand that was holding the scroll, through to the back of the hand.
"What kind of trickery is this?"
"Um it's an experimental trapped scroll...When someone other than me picks it up...well you see." Naruto smiled at them.
"So you let him have it knowing he would trigger it?"
"Huh? No, I wasn't paying attention at the time. Maybe if he wouldn't have tried to steal it in the first place and instead asked he would have found out what it was...in a less painful way. Of course I doubt that politeness from any of you in regards to me isn't going to be common, but that doesn't mean I'm going to account for it in every one of my actions, so sorry." He almost laughed at their helplessness as they looked to the Hokage for help.
"It would be unwise to try to steal from Naruto it seems." Was all the old man said.
"W-well then. G-give me the scroll th-that you had before, a-and we'll call it even." Denbe choked out around his teeth.
"No. You will have none of my scrolls to give to Sasuke-teme. Aside from the fact that they are mine, I wouldn't give them to him even if ordered to by Kami-sama. He doesn't deserve half of what he's already been given and he sure as hell won't be getting anything from me. Especially my personal scrolls." Once again he dared them to pursue with his eyes narrowed. "But since you seem so attached to the one in your possession you are more than welcome to hold on to it." A few of the clan heads chuckled despite themselves at the bad joke. He could see them forcefully holding back as this meeting hadn't gone even remotely how they had planned and now they had an incident happen in the room that they could do nothing about since the laws were on Naruto's side.
"Watabe-san I suggest you get to the hospital to get that looked at. Now, I trust that issues involving ninja will not be attempted to be held without my knowledge and the knowledge of the respective side of the council. That goes equally for the ninja side regarding civilian issues as well." He had to add the last bit to be fair even though an issue like that had never even come up. "For any that have no further business here, you may leave." Once again he leveled his gaze on the civilian side and watched as they walked to the door. They were then followed by Shibi, Chōza and Shikaku. This left Hiruzen, Inoichi, Hiashi and Tsume still at the table. Once again Naruto took a seat facing them all.
Inoichi was the first to speak. "I just wanted to thank you for helping my daughter Naruto-san. I would have feared for the worst had the Uchiha been allowed to go through with his intentions, not to mention Haruno-san's daughter. It frightens me to think that there are such personalities amongst our ranks, but it's also good to know there are ones such as yours there to quell them." The man got up and bowed before leaving.
Hiashi spoke next, but his voice wasn't nearly as grateful. He never took his eyes off Naruto as he spoke. "Hokage-sama I wish to have an audience with my daughter..."
"Hinata? She is not your daughter." Naruto met glare for glare.
Hiashi glared harder. "Fine...I wish to have an audience with Hinata about her position in the Hyūga clan."
"Granted, but she will be chaperoned by Naruto and it will be held in my presence." The old man stated.
"I would prefer it be alone." His voice was dangerously low.
"Because of your previous actions towards her I highly doubt that Hokage-sama would trust any of your clan to have a 'meeting' alone with Hinata-chan."
"That is not your decision to make boy."
"No it is mine, and I agree that your actions towards one of my ninja have proven less than honorable, so unless you abide by my stipulations I will revoke your right to speak to her." Hiruzen's voice was just as dangerous, making sure to get his point across.
"Fine." Hiashi simply stood and walked out the door without glance back, but Naruto could tell his byakugan was activated as he left as he could still feel the man glaring at him.
During both exchanges, Tsume had been calmly waiting for her turn to talk with the blonde, but now that it seemed to be her turn she wasn't so sure she wanted to hear what was going to be said. "So, Naruto-san. What was it that you wanted to talk about in regards to my son?"
"Inuzuka-san, I have some idea of what the Inuzuka teach about relationships, as well as how they work inside your clan. Outside of the clan walls however, you need to make sure that your son understands things work a lot differently. What he said to Sasuke-teme before he was knocked aside in the forest was that they agreed that Hinata-chan should have been his after they took me out. Whether that was meant to be in an intimate way, or just reserving her so that the Uchiha wouldn't have his way with her I do not know. I have warned him away from her numerous times already as she is my girlfriend and I do not appreciate him trying to steal her away. That he would blatantly try to claim her after teaming up with the Uchiha to take me out, by whatever means they decided to try, is unforgivable in my eyes." He could see that Tsume was angry, anyone with eyes that weren't completely blind would have seen it. Even if you were blind you would have felt it. "By your reaction I take it that this is an action that you hadn't approved of either."
She lowered her head in shame of her son's actions. "I apologize on behalf of my son Naruto-san. As you seem to know, inside the compound a male can make claim on a female and if he proves his superiority over anyone else interested in her, then he gets her. Since Hinata is from outside the clan though, he has no such rights. My daughter and myself warned him about this before, but it seems that we have to be a bit more strict."
"I'm sorry Inuzuka-san, but there is more." The woman looked devastated wondering how much worse it could get. "After his match with me he tried once again to steal a kiss from my Hinata-chan. Thankfully after training with me for almost a month we were able to increase her reaction time to where she was able to stop him from doing so. However after the matches, while Hinata was recovering in the infirmary, Kiba once again tried to see her. He was thankfully dissuaded from any action though due to the fact that I was the one who opened the door and would not let him inside."
"I...see." Tsume was now speaking through clenched teeth. "Hana will not be happy about this at all. She has no love of men who impose themselves on women, and has herself sent many Inuzuka men to the hospital because of such actions. This issue will be dealt with Naruto-san, I promise you that. Now if you'll excuse me I have some...clan matters to take care of." She calmly got up and walked to the door before turning and bowing to both of the males that were still in the room then leaving.
As soon as the door shut, Sarutobi turned to Naruto. "Well that was...interesting." He took on an appraising look at the boy while he was given a confused on in turn. "Inuzuka Tsume is a proud woman. To show anything close to respect to a male is surprising in and of itself, but to show it to someone so much younger...you continue to pique my interest Naruto." Naruto still looked slightly confused, but the man brushed it off. He would understand in time. "Now before you go I would like to talk to you about some things. First, I have arranged for you to see the one with the cursed seal. She agreed to be seen tomorrow for an hour. It's not much time I know, but due to recent events she is a bit busy. With any luck you can find something useful and seal it a bit better than we have with both her an the Uchiha. Second, I have assigned Ebisu to train you. He is the caretaker of my grandson and an elite jōnin. Hopefully he'll be able to help you train a bit until the finals.
"I don't think I need any help with the finals Jiji-san, but if he's able to find anything to teach me I am more than happy to gain any new skills available."
"...Just don't start lusting for power Naruto-kun, please. I don't think I could take another Orochimaru running around."
"Jiji-san my power is to protect those precious to me. If I ever get too power hungry remind me of that and I will gladly take myself out of commission if necessary."
"Let's hope that we never come to that point. Lastly I would like to know how you came about that scroll you were reading earlier."
Naruto smiled at the old man mischievously. "Sorry Jiji-san. Family secret, you understand I'm sure."
"Hah, Indeed. Understand that there is no one that can teach you what is in those scrolls, so I hope they left decent instructions. Especially if they entail what I suspect. Also, under no circumstances are you to take the other one outside of your estate. Nor are you to wave it around either. Though I fear the time is near that we will need to reveal who you really are, I don't want it to be known that those scrolls are in the open. There are too many people who would do anything to get their hands on them, especially your father's scroll. Practice in secret as much as possible, because once people find out you can use those abilities they will try to get them from you. I won't tell you that you cannot learn them, I can only hope that it won't cause a war once you do." The old man sighed knowing that the inevitable was coming and there was little he could do but watch and wait for all the events he had feared would soon come to fruition. Once the blond's heritage became public knowledge it was possible that the very fabric of Konoha could begin to unravel. He had a plan for that too though. "Naruto I'm going to try to do something once your identity is known, to make your life a bit easier. I won't promise that it will stop all of the attention that you'll be getting, but it should stave off a little of it."
"...Thank you Jiji-san. I can already figure out what some of the problems will be, and I thank you for any of them that you can take away, but I will do as I always have and take things as they come. You don't have to worry about the scrolls though. It's part of the reason I brought this one with me today. A demonstration of sorts. That way I can have this one out in the open for awhile and people will be dissuaded from taking it. If anything, word should travel quickly about my trapped scroll, because if the civilian council has taught me nothing else they've taught me that they can get rumors around quickly. Tell Mitarashi-san to come by my estate tomorrow at her convenience, and Ebisu that I will meet with him the day after."
"You knew it was Anko?"
"She grabbed her neck when Kin-chan told you about Orochimaru just like Sasuke did in the preliminaries. It was pretty easy to make the connection."
"I see...Well I assume you could use a break for awhile, so you may go for now unless you have anything else."
"Just one thing. I'll probably have Kin-san staying at my place until the exams are over, unless one of the other girls can take her in. I don't feel right sending her back to her teammates after what they did to her, especially with Orochimaru involved."
"Just be careful Naruto. If she really is involved with him there could be more to her than meets they eye. Just make sure she isn't snooping around in places she shouldn't be."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Naruto bowed before leaving the old man to himself.
'Naruto...things are going to get a lot harder now, but I guess that isn't something you're afraid of. I just hope nothing that happens now will be enough to break you.' Slowly the Hokage got up and made his way to his office to delve into his paperwork once again.
• • •
Naruto arrived home with little trouble, other then some harsher than normal scowls. Once again it seemed his personal life was quickly spread to the villagers without his approval, but that was nothing abnormal so he just continued walking as he ignored all of it. Upon Arrival at his estate he found that there was already a group waiting for him, again. Off to one side stood some of the group of females from that morning plus other acquaintances of his. Hinata, Haku, Kin and Ino stood with Shino, Harume, Shikamaru, Kurenai and Asuma. Right in front of the entrance though, yet also still outside of the estate, stood the two advisers Koharu and Homura, Sakura and Isako. He sighed knowing from their faces that a confrontation had already evolved and it would be up to him to settle it once again.
"I hope you all have a very good reason for disturbing my friends while standing at my gate yet again, councilors."
"You show respect boy, we aren't in the council chambers anymore and I would hate to see what our bodyguards would do if you try any of your tricks." Once again Homura snapped his fingers and the same four ANBU appeared from that morning.
"So you brought your dogs again. Well I don't think you'll need them as I can be completely civil unlike certain civilians and some ninja."
"Silence boy. Now if you do not unlock this gate this minute we will force you to open it." The Haruno's voice was beginning to grate on his nerves. "Furthermore you will cease your relations with the people present so they will be free to serve better purposes, and be able to be properly taken care of.
"You're talking about the teme again..."
"That's Uchiha-sama brat!"
"Kiss my ass." Naruto simply flicked them off, succeeding in making them even more angry. "You have no hold over me and you never will. I am a ninja of Konoha and as such only the Hokage is able to hold sway over me. Now remove yourselves from my sight before I am forced to make you leave."
"You cannot touch us boy, we are standing in a public road and you have no jurisdiction here."
"That is true, but nor are you allowed to attempt to enter my property without my permission or an order by the Hokage himself, so unless you have a viable reason to be here I suggest you move along so I can enter my estate in peace."
"You can enter your estate in peace as soon as you hand over your key demon. There are items in that house that should not be in the possession of someone like you and we intend to give them proper homes."
"You mean the personal effects of the Yondaime I'm guessing, and most likely my personal collection of jutsu and weapons. Again I say, kiss my ass. Those items either came with the house or were acquired by me through legal means. If you have a problem with that...I would say take it up with the Sandaime, but you aren't exactly on his good side right now, so I guess you're kind of screwed. Now get out of my way or I will be forced to move you out of my way." Naruto's foul mood from seeing the councilors so often was quickly beginning to worsen. Haku and Hinata were the first to spot it from being around him so often, followed by Kurenai, Harume and Shino. Ino and Kin seemed a bit wary of him but Asuma looked oblivious to the danger while amazed that a genin was taking on three of the council.
"Is that a threat boy? You would even go so far when there are four ANBU standing in the way?"
"I make no threats Haruno-san."
"That's Haruno-sama you baka. Show respect to my mother!"
"Shut up pinky." Kin stepped forward menacingly.
"Silence whore. You aren't even from this village." Isako's mouth immediately snapped shut when they started feeling the killing intent rolling off Naruto. "S-stay back you demon! If you attack us you will be executed immediately. ANBU! Restrain him before he has a chance!"
The four ANBU moved forward like trained puppies, but were stopped halfway when two people moved between them and their target. "I'm not sure exactly what the problem is here, but Naruto-san has made no move to injure anyone, so if you touch him we will be forced to take action." Asuma stood holding his trench knives out to his sides with Kurenai beside him who was already working hand seals in preparation for a genjutsu.
"You dare raise your hands to the council? ANBU take them into custody." Homura ordered and the ANBU moved once again.
"No one move!" Suddenly the whole area was surrounded by two full ANBU squads and the head interrogator Morino Ibiki.
"Good more of you. Quickly detain these three and while you're at it search the boy and give us the key he holds!" Koharu shouted to them.
Ibiki stepped forward and the two jōnin moved between, but stopped when Naruto took hold of their arms. "Ibiki-san. I trust you've found something worth bringing so many guests to my gate this afternoon. So, how many squealed and how long did it take?" The evil grin was matched only by Ibiki as the rest took an uncertain step out of the line of sight of the two.
"Heh. They squealed alright, and it only took minutes before the first one broke." Naruto looked a little upset at that. "...you think you could have done it faster?"
Naruto grinned and scratched his head. "No, no. I was just wondering what methods you used, and how well my own would have fared against them."
"...You know how to torture people?"
"I learned from the very best in Konoha." He shot a glare in no general direction, but it seemed to encompass the whole village at once.
"Perhaps we can compare notes sometime...If you would be comfortable doing so."
"Perhaps, but for now I believe you have a job to do and I wouldn't want you to get sidetracked."
"Right. Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado and Haruno Isako...you are all under arrest for multiple infractions including but not limited to: the corruption and willful degradation of the ninja system of a hidden village embezzlement of funds that did not rightly belong to you, attempted theft of the personal effects of a registered ninja, misrepresentation of your status, abuse of the powers given to you, using underhanded means to attain and/or keep your positions in the council of Konohagakure no Sato and willful endangerment of the village's safety as a whole. Come peacefully now or we will be forced to restrain you." The councilor's mouths dropped further with each accusation they heard, but at the same time they flinched. "As for you four ANBU. You will be detained and questioned as to your standing orders as well as whom those orders come from. At the very least you will be doubted of your loyalty and we will seek measures for you to prove that you are indeed true Konoha ninja."
"Y-you cannot do this! We are council members! You have no right!" Isako yelled at the scarred man.
"Mommy what's happening? Why do they want to take you away? You didn't do any of that did you?" Sakura was in tears as the ANBU got closer.
"Haruno-san we have every right." Ibiki held up a signed paper with the Hokage's signature and stamp on it, making the adviser's pale.
"This is an outrage! A piece of paper signed by that old bastard isn't enough to put us away! We are the council and you will obey us!"
Naruto walked over to the pink haired woman as he reached into his pouch and brought out a slip of paper. "Do you know what this is Isako-san?" He waved the paper right in front of her nose. Dangling it like a tempting treat waved in front of a dog.
"I have no time for your tricks you moronic, evil, little demon bast...*THUD*" And just like the dog with the treat, she snatched it out of his hand without thinking.
Naruto just shook his head and sighed. "She didn't learn anything from this morning's lesson. Never grab for anything if you don't know what it is."
"Naruto-baka! What did you do to my mother?! I'll kill you!"
"Shut up you little Uchiha slut. I never told her to take the tag, she did that on her own. Besides she's only asleep so go chase your precious emo around town or something...Oh wait you can't because he tried to break into my house and steal my things, earning himself a nice little trip to the interrogation unit." He sneered at her before moving over to his friends.
"This isn't over yet boy!" Koharu yelled at his back as her hands were being tied.
"Yes Utatane-san, I think it is. Sorry for the extra baggage Ibiki-san, but I think she'll be less of a hassle if you take her that way. Oh and a little tip, I guarantee she's a screamer so you may want to get some decent earplugs. The man just chuckled and nodded his head as he left with his new captives leaving Naruto's friends and a tearful Sakura standing in the street.
"How could you do that Naruto-baka. What did my mother ever do to you to deserve such a thing! You really are a demon aren't you. Your evil and vile and...and a demon!"
Before she knew he'd moved Naruto was at her side with a katana at her throat. "You know nothing of demons Sakura-chan. Compared to that woman you call mother I am a saint. Now I suggest you run along home and tell your father that he'll be sleeping alone in his bed for awhile. Not that he'd notice. He didn't notice back then, even through the screams..." Just as quickly as he was there he was gone and already unlocking the gate. He stood there holding it open for a few minutes before his friends realized what he was waiting for and darted inside. As Asuma passed though Naruto put a firm hand on his chest. "Asuma-san. I thank you for helping me, but I do not know you well. I will let you in, but if I find you anywhere you shouldn't be, don't think I would hesitate to make this the worst day of your life." The sheer coldness of the boys voice was enough to send a shiver down the spines of those who had heard the statement. "As long as you play by the rules though I will trust you since you are Ino, Shikamaru and Chōji's sensei. Do not betray my trust. I am in no mood to deal with such things today."
"H-hai...Naruto-san..." When the hand lowered he cautiously sidestepped the boy and entered the estate. He had only been there once when he was younger when his father, the Sandaime, had brought him to see the Yondaime. He had to admit it looked nice for not being tended to for so long. "You've cleaned it up well. Yondaime-sama would have been proud. Not to mention those seals you keep showing off."
"Thank you Asuma-san." Naruto passed him and went to the front door to let them all inside. After explaining what was off limits he excused himself to his office and left them to their devices.
"He's...interesting, I'll give you that much Kurenai, but something feels...off about him. I can't put my finger on it but he just puts out a weird aura."
"Asuma you know what's in him, and I didn't bring you along to tell me what he feels like. I want to know how strong you think he is." Kurenai eyed the other jōnin, trying to catch a hint of what he was thinking.
Asuma just looked after where Naruto disappeared to and tapped his chin. Finally he sighed. "I give up. I don't have nearly enough to go on. I saw him take out the Inuzuka boy at the prelims, but he only used taijutsu from what I saw. Then just now with the seal, and getting close to that Sakura girl that fast, it really isn't much to go on. He hasn't shown me any genjutsu, ninjutsu or kenjutsu skills either so I really can't make a judgment. All I can say is that he's exceptional for a genin. He does seem very confident in himself though and that could lead to arrogance and from there..." He didn't have to finish. They both knew what arrogance could do on a battlefield. "Without a no holds barred fight against him I don't think any of us would really be able to say how strong he really is. Hell for all I know he could be the next Itachi and be able to kick your ass and mine at the same time."
"...W-well he's already halfway there." When Asuma turned to her with the obvious question in his eyes she sighed. "Naruto helped prepare my team for the exams Asuma. He's helped them more than I thought was possible in such a short amount of time. Hinata is at least three times as strong as she was. She's still a little shy, but she won't back down from a fight, hell they made a variation of the Jūken just to fit the way she moves. He taught Shino how to use trap tags along with his bugs to have more utility without having to use chakra, and Harume he taught her the basics of two weapons as well as some jutsu for mid range fighting. Then there was me..." She really didn't want to admit the next part, but she had to get him to understand her view. "The first day my team brought me to him so he would have my approval to train them, something he requested that they do, I dueled him...and lost. I don't know how my genjutsu were so ineffective, but he basically shrugged them off like they were nothing. Then he used his speed to get in my guard, and...well I'm not a close range fighter, or rather I wasn't." She hung her head a bit ad the admittance of her defeat.
"Wait...you lost to a genin. A preteen genin...oh man that's a good one." He smiled at her, but took a step back when she glared at him. "Yo-you're serious?! He beat you, 'The Ice Queen of Konoha' that all the suitors that chased her were forced to run away with their tails between their legs?! Did you tell him your deal?"
"Yes, and thankfully he spared me the embarrassment and declined that offer...It doesn't make it hurt any less though. But thanks to him I am a bit better with close range fighting with the kodachi he gave me, and a little stronger at mid to long range deterrence with a wrist mounted senbon launcher...That one's kept quite a few chūnin away after some close calls with their prized possessions I must say." She smiled as Asuma shifted a little uncomfortably. "It's a little unnerving though, that someone his age could teach a jōnin like me new tricks. Not that I'm not happy or grateful for it. I'm proud to say that I'm no longer just a genjutsu user, but can also hold my own against some basic close range attacks. I'm no swordsman of the mist, but anything helps more than standard kunai play if someone manages to get close."
"Yeah, I can definitely see the advantage there...but man, training a genin team and their sensei while still a genin himself...maybe I wasn't so far off comparing him to Itachi."
"One word of advice. Never underestimate him...ever."
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