I'm glad a lot of you liked what I did last chapter with Jiraiya, as well as Kirabi and Yugito. A lot of you are still rather irked at Jiraiya for his actions so far, and rest assured, he'll get what's coming to him, eventually.
So I know you're all probably very eager to see the Finals, given who will be fighting who. However, please bear with me, as the next couple of chapters are very important to developing some of the characters and things that are going to happen. I promise though, that the Chuunin Finals will be worth it, especially the first fight.
Nothing else to really mention at the moment, so let's get on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Misashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively. This is a non-profit fan made fanfic. Please support the official releases.
Chapter 36
A Date and a Reunion
Hinata carefully sighted down an arrow nocked on her bowstring, before slowly letting out a breath and letting the arrow fly. She quickly drew another arrow from the storage seal on the grip and fired it as quickly as she could after the first one, repeating the process three more times in order to demonstrate her bow skill to her new extra sensei who Anko had hired to teach her.
Ryoushi, the hunter they had helped for their first C-ranked mission, watched the grouping of Hinata's arrows with a practiced eye, nodding as he saw her accuracy. "Well, you've got accuracy and a fair amount of speed. Both good traits for an archer who finds themselves in a fast-paced battle. But what I'm going to be teaching you will be pushing that to the next level," he stated. "I'm going to teach you how to shoot on the move and to fight in close quarters with your bow."
Hinata nodded in understanding as she moved to retrieve her arrows. "Like how you shoot your bow?" She asked him.
"To a degree. I can't teach you everything I know, not in a month, but I can teach you the start of what I know. And given your profession of being a shinobi, I think firing on the move will prove very useful to you," he said, before drawing his own bow and up to four arrows. "Watch me," he stated, as he held the arrows and the bow in one hand, drawing one arrow back with the other. Hinata watched as he began running to one side, drawing and firing the first arrow, and doing so rapidly with the others. He suddenly spun, drawing more arrows from his quiver as he dropped to one knee, firing the first of the new arrows, and then getting back to his feet, firing rapidly on the move again in the opposite direction.
When he finished his demonstration, he nodded towards the human shaped target, where his arrows had accurately struck every vital point, marked or unmarked. Hinata could only stare in amazement, looking from it to him as he put his bow back around his shoulders.
"Your first step will be learning to fire accurately while walking. When I see you're capable of getting consistent accurate shots over and over again, we'll move on up to running. Afterwards, we'll see what time we have left to train you in," he told her, as she nodded in understanding. "Now, let's begin."
At another training ground, Kurenai was starting her own lesson with Ino. "Genjutsu is perhaps the most refined and definitely the most subtle of the three major branches of shinobi arts," she told the Yamanaka. "It requires cunning and deception, as well as a strategic mind. You need to be able to hide your casting to fool your opponents into believing your illusion is real. And so that way, they are less likely to realize the truth and break it before you make your attack. But you also must know the right moments to utilize genjutsu, as simply throwing them out at random will not be as effective as casting one at the right moment. A single genjutsu can be more devastating than a dozen ninjutsu, if used properly."
As Ino nodded, Kurenai continued. "Considering your weapons, especially with Anko having you learn how to effectively use poison, you'll want to utilize genjutsu designed to either immobilize or distract your enemies long enough for you to deliver the poison without them realizing it. I have one in particular I'm rather fond of when striking at opponents," she said, a smile appearing on her face as she suddenly disappeared, and Ino suddenly found herself bound and restrained against a tree as Kurenai emerged from the trunk, a kunai in hand. "What do you think?"
Ino could only gape in surprise, as Kurenai ended the genjutsu, reappearing in front of her. "I didn't even see you cast it!"
"That's because I cast a genjutsu on you before the lesson even began," Kurenai said, smiling as Ino started in surprise. "You didn't expect it, and so you didn't see it until I made it obvious. This whole time, you were in my thrall and if I were an enemy, I could have ended you. That is the power of genjutsu when it is utilized properly. Now let's go over a few different genjutsu for you to start learning."
Ino nodded eagerly, moving to Kurenai as she pulled out an instruction scroll for a genjutsu.
In a third training ground, Jiraiya was studying Naruto carefully, who was demonstrating both his taijutsu and his skill with his various weapons. "Alright gaki, so you're good with your fists and with your weapons. We don't need to worry about that. How good is your chakra control?"
Naruto moved out of his stance, sheathing his ninjato on his back. "I've got both tree walking and water walking down pretty good, though I can still work on improving both. My control is fairly good overall, but the problem is I have a hard time getting really fine control over my chakra, due both to my Uzumaki genetics and the Kyuubi," he stated, knowing Jiraiya was aware of his burden and his clan.
Jiraiya nodded at that. "Uzumaki chakra is among some of the most potent and powerful in the world. It ties in with their incredible strong life forces, and what made them some of the most feared combatants on the field, when they're properly trained. But Kyuubi's chakra leaking into your own would make it even harder to control your chakra. Still, it sounds like you've got a good foundation so far on that front. How about your ninjutsu arsenal?"
"I've got Kage Bunshin down pretty well, as well as a couple katon ninjutsu and the basics of fuuton manipulation. Haven't gotten any ninjutsu there yet. And I know summoning jutsu as well," Naruto said, causing Jiraiya to blink and mentally frown at that last part.
"You know summoning jutsu already? Do you have a contract?" He asked Naruto.
Naruto just nodded at that, pulling the summoning scroll from one of his pouches. "Raphael-sensei found it during our mission to Nami, and gave it to Anko-sensei. She offered it to Hinata and I, and I took it. They're called fennec foxes, and they're highly skilled at information and intelligence gathering, as well as some being combat capable," he explained, holding the scroll up.
Jiraiya took it, looking the scroll over. "This must be a very old contract. I don't think I've ever heard of them," he murmured softly, still mentally frowning. He had wanted to have Naruto sign the toad contract like he had, as it would not only help him make a bond with Naruto, but could prove useful later in allowing the boy to learn an ancient and powerful style of jutsu that few could master. However, he also knew that the majority of summoning contracts were binding, and that the summons wouldn't allow their summoners to sign another contract. Still, he could talk to the toads and see if they would be open to the idea, and then hope perhaps these fennec foxes would be as well.
Handing the contract back to Naruto, he grinned. "Well, if you've already got summoning down, I guess I won't need to teach you that. So I guess I'll need to teach you something else…I know! You've told me you've been in contact with Kyuubi?"
Naruto nodded at that as he stored his contract away. "For a few years now. It happened after an accident during a sparring lesson in the academy. The seal was weakened slightly, enough for me to be able to contact Kyuubi. Since then, I've been trying to establish a dialogue with him, at the suggestion of Yugito-san," he said. "I'm hoping maybe to earn his trust so that we can work together, if the need arises."
"Hmmmm, and how is that going so far?" Jiraiya asked him.
"It's tough. Kyuubi has a lot of anger and mistrust towards humans. He seems especially angry after being sealed away in my mom, and…Mito Uzumaki," he said, hesitating slightly as he tried to remember the name of the first Uzumaki Kyuubi had been sealed in.
Jiraiya frowned at that, leaning back against a tree. "It was necessary to do so, in order to protect the village," he said.
Naruto shrugged. "I guess I could understand when it was first done, because he was used to attack the Shodai Hokage. But what about afterwards? Shouldn't he have been freed then, if he had calmed down enough to not want to attack Konoha?"
"Gaki, if we had let it go back then, even if it didn't destroy us, Konoha would be left without a jinchuuriki to stop the other village's jinchuuriki if they came after us. And even if they didn't, if we let Kyuubi free they'd try to seal it away to make another jinchuuriki. They'd fail unless they had an Uzumaki, but still. It's better if it's kept sealed away, for everyone," Jiraiya said.
Naruto frowned at that, crossing his arms. "The ends justify the means?" He asked quietly. "Many people have used that in history to justify all kinds of atrocities and horrors. I have a hard time agreeing with any means where other people have to suffer for the betterment of your own people or village. Not unless they were the ones who started it, and even then it depends on how far you go."
Jiraiya just groaned, placing a hand over his face. "Look, this isn't the time for a debate. I was thinking that we could practice you utilizing Kyuubi's chakra, so you can get more and more used to it. It'll be a powerful advantage when you're dealing with more powerful shinobi." He said, trying to move away from any debates or arguments that could ruin his chances of bonding with Naruto. He moved his hand down from his face, looking at Naruto. "Have you tried using his chakra yet?"
Naruto shook his head. "Not after the initial accident. His chakra caused me a fair amount of pain. And since then, I've mostly focused on talking to Kyuubi more than anything, trying to establish a dialogue or maybe some sort of working relationship."
"Well, that's what I'd like to focus on this month, if possible. Working on being able to use Kyuubi's chakra," Jiraiya said, moving to him. "Why don't you talk to Kyuubi, see if he's willing to help?"
The blonde jinchuuriki nodded, and closed his eyes, moving into his mindscape. He glanced up as he appeared in the Assassin warehouse, before moving to the part of it walled off by the bars of the seal. On the other side, he could see Kyuubi lounging, the smoking ruins of a city in the distance.
The giant fox didn't even look at him, but spoke as he approached. "I heard what was going on. You're here to ask for my chakra," he said.
Naruto nodded quietly, standing a safe distance from the bars. "You're right, I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to lend me some of your chakra, and maybe help me learn how to use it?"
"And why should I? Why should I give you my chakra, or help you in any way?" The fox asked, opening an eye and glancing at him contemptuously. "You're the one who keeps me imprisoned. Why should I help my jailor?"
Naruto bit his lip, thinking, before shrugging his shoulders. "I can't think of a single reason why you should. Sure, I can think of reasons why I want you to, but not any reason why you should want to."
The Kyuubi studied him quietly for a few moments. "…how very interesting. Not only are you honest with me, but you continue to not demand the chakra from me. This is a change from your predecessors. Mito simply forced the chakra out of me with her seal and your mother demanded and blustered at first, then forcibly took it later. I'll admit, you have piqued my interest. Very well, young brat, I'll be willing to lend you my chakra and advice. But only if you agree to one condition."
"What is your condition?" Naruto asked him, feeling wary.
"If you never demand my chakra from me, I will continue to lend it to you, as well as whatever instruction and aid I feel inclined to give. If you demand it of me or try to forcibly take it, and thus prove you're worse than your mother and ancestor by being a hypocrite, I will deny you the use of my chakra for the rest of our days together," he stated, smirking as he saw Naruto tensing slightly at the jabs at his mother.
Naruto took a calming breath, as despite the fact he didn't like Kyuubi's words, he couldn't deny that his mother very well could have acted that way. He didn't know the truth of her interactions with the giant biju. Letting the breath out, he looked up at Kyuubi and nodded. "I agree to your condition," he said, holding out his hand and moving closer.
Kyuubi stared at him, before snorting. "Do not bother, ape. I doubt we'll ever get along enough for me to touch you without killing you," he said, lying back down to rest. Naruto just dropped his hand and turned, disappearing.
In the physical realm, Naruto opened his eyes, looking at Jiraiya. "He's agreed to help me, so long as I follow a condition he set. Nothing dangerous or worrisome," he added quickly, seeing Jiraiya open his mouth.
The sannin just closed his mouth, before shrugging. "Alright. So does he have any advice on how to draw upon his chakra and not your own?"
Inside Naruto's mind, said fox began to speak. "Due to the weakened nature of the seal, some of my chakra has slowly been leaking into your own. I can use this to push a bit more chakra out, which you can draw upon. Otherwise, you won't be able to draw upon it without forcibly doing so, which would violate our condition. I will start feeding you some now, and you can learn how to feel it and start adapting to it."
Before Naruto could respond, he blinked as he felt warmth spreading from his stomach, and moving throughout his body. He focused on that warmth, trying to pull on it, only to shudder as his body was slowly encompassed by an aura of red chakra, which fluctuated and wavered as it surrounded him. He hunched over a bit as he felt an ache sweeping through his body as well.
Jiraiya frowned as he watched this, seeing that Naruto was obviously in some discomfort, as the young genin slowly straightened up, panting slightly. "It's…not as bad as it was when I was younger," he said, doing his best to adjust to the feeling.
"Well still, let's not push things too far. If it starts feeling too painful, let it go. We'll work on building a tolerance over time," Jiraiya said, as Naruto nodded and rolled his shoulders, doing his best to get comfortable. "I'll look into other things to teach you besides working on your ability to use the Kyuubi's chakra, and we'll work on all that during the month."
Naruto just nodded, as he moved and shifted, getting a feel for the energy flowing through him. 'Thank you Kyuubi,' he thought, as he began trying to adjust to the pain and feel of Kyuubi's chakra.
Watching from the tree line, Anko frowned slightly at the sight of Naruto using Kyuubi's chakra, obviously under Jiraiya's guidance. She didn't like the idea of Naruto doing so without Yugito's guidance, or having a better relationship with Kyuubi. But it seemed that Jiraiya was pushing ahead, wanting to get Naruto used to the biju's chakra. She just had to hope he didn't push him too far and actually taught him something else besides that.
Shaking her head quietly, she turned away and headed off. Her students had started the day off learning from her, sparring and training like they normally do. Afterwards they had split up to train with their unique trainers. When they were done with that, she'd get Hinata for one on one training later, while Ino trained with her dad and Naruto with Raphael.
The thought of the Assassin made her grin slightly, as she remembered that tonight was the date that she'd been waiting for since the mission to Nami. She was a bit anxious about it, looking forward to it but also feeling nervous. She was nervous about ruining things, considering they were close friends and working associates and that this date, if it went badly, could make things very awkward between them, with that being the best case scenario. But at the same time, she enjoyed spending time with him, so she was looking forward to it.
Letting out a sigh, she pushed the date to the back of her mind. For now, she needed to focus on her planned training for Hinata, and worry about her date for later.
At the assassin headquarters, Raphael set aside another report from one of his contacts; the reports having backlogged a bit while Anko was in charge due to her also training and working with Team Eight. As he did so, he let out a sigh as he glanced at the other reports he still needed to go over. For the most part, there was nothing of serious note to worry about, beyond the latest report from Suna which indicated the shinobi of Suna were mobilizing in great numbers. When coupled with his own encounter with the Suna and Oto shinobi, it definitely raised concerns in his mind.
Pulling aside a few other reports he felt were connected to that situation, he set them all aside into one pile, in order to go over all of them together at the same time and finish connecting the dots. With that done, he leaned back in the chair at his desk, letting out a sigh as he glanced at a clock set up on the wall. He shifted a bit nervously, his thoughts drifting towards the date he had with Anko later that evening. In his time spent in Konoha, he had been forced to adjust to the different ways people here socially interacted, compared to back in Rome. And one of the biggest differences was their method of courtship. Except amongst nobles, here it was far more informal even when the objective was a true relationship and not a simple dalliance or fling. Raphael just hoped that the lessons he had picked up from numerous sources, including Mukei and Ameyuri while with them, would help him at least not make a total fool of himself. Especially since this date would either improve or cripple his already close friendship with Anko.
Getting up and stretching, he decided he'd get some physical training in before he had to go and help train Naruto, to try and help relieve some of his anxiety. Moving to one of the training dummies he pulled out his sword and settled into his combat stance, soon losing himself in the instinctive dance of cuts, thrusts, and parries.
That evening
Naruto did his best to stifle a groan as he headed back home after his first day of training for the Finals. His whole body still felt slightly achy from the exposure to Kyuubi's chakra, and that had been before he then had to go train with Raphael in taijutsu and kenjutsu. Having chosen to stay and train a little bit extra on his own afterwards, he was looking forward to a nice bath to sooth his muscles and clean himself of the dirt and sweat after a long day of physical and mental training.
Rounding a corner, he blinked as he found someone he wasn't expecting standing there, waiting for him. "Kiba? What are you doing here?" He asked.
The Inuzuka boy stood there, looking a bit uncomfortable as he pushed himself from the wall he had been leaning against. He didn't seem able to look at Naruto as he moved closer, his gaze constantly moving around to look at other things. "I ummm…I needed to talk to you," he finally said, standing a few feet from Naruto.
"Okay…what about?" Naruto asked, eyeing the boy before him. He was wary of him, as Kiba had done his best to harass and make fun of Naruto as well as challenge and attack him when he could. Yet now he didn't seem interested in that at all this time, as he stood before Naruto.
Kiba took a deep breath, as he tried to speak. "Look, it…it's about…I…okay, look man. This is about how I've been treating you. I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry. I've been treating you pretty crappy for years here now, and I'm sorry for it," Kiba finally got out, as Naruto blinked at that. When he opened his mouth to respond, the feral boy quickly continued. "I mean, part of it was my instincts screaming at me to beat you because you were a challenge, a threat to me. I'm the son of the clan head, you know? I need to be strong and tough, an alpha. And you beating me, it made you a threat to that. But even still, I should have had better control over my instincts. So I'm sorry, alright?"
"Okay, I get it. It's alright Kiba," Naruto said, a bit stunned that Kiba was apologizing. And he could sort of understand part of why Kiba reacted the way he did, even if it didn't excuse it. Feeling a bit curious about the sudden apology, Naruto decided to find out why. "What made you suddenly decide to apologize to me?" He asked.
Kiba shuffled a bit, finally looking at Naruto. "You saved my life. I mean…your clones did twice, and you did once, going after the Oto genin like that. So…that's why," Kiba admitted to him. "I guess…coming that close to death, and seeing you save me, even seeing your clones sacrifice themselves for me and my team…it kind of made me realize how shitty I've been. That's why I want to apologize to you. And hope we can at least be good comrades," he said, holding out a hand.
Naruto slowly moved closer, and took it. "We were always comrades Kiba. No matter what," Naruto said, as he shook the Inuzuka's hand.
Kiba gave a weak grin. "That's good to know," he said, before his grin grew more cocky. "Don't think I won't stop challenging you though. I still got my reputation to worry about."
Naruto chuckled a bit. "I could always use a good sparring partner," he said back, pulling away from Kiba. "I wouldn't go challenging Hinata-chan again though, if I were you. She's still angry about your last spar."
Kiba winced a bit at that. "Yeah, I think I need to apologize to her too…and then probably see a doctor afterwards when she's done 'accepting' my apology," he said, rubbing his arm in memory of the pain from the last time he and the former Hyuuga fought. "Good luck in the Finals," he said, as he started to move away.
"Thanks Kiba," Naruto said, watching the boy leave. Smiling a bit, he turned back towards his apartment, feeling a bit lighter now.
Meanwhile, Anko glanced at herself in the mirror, looking over her outfit and makeup to make sure everything was fine. For her first date, as Raphael requested informal attire, she had dressed in a knee length skirt, boots, and tank top, with a short jacket that reached to slightly below her breasts. Her hair was in its normal spiked high ponytail, and she had put on some light lipstick and eye-shadow, keeping it simple. The last two she had to borrow from Kurenai, and get her help in applying the right amount, considering she had never bothered with makeup before.
She glanced away from the mirror as Hinata came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe with a towel around her hair. She smiled as she took in the appearance of her guardian, sensei, and big sister figure. "You look great," she said with a smile.
"Thanks," Anko said, adjusting her jacket. "I haven't really had any need for 'date' clothes before. Hope he likes this."
"Oohhh, don't tell me Anko Mitarashi is nervous about something," Hinata teased, as Anko just playfully shoved her.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, causing Anko to start and nervously check herself again, before going to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it, smiling as she saw her date.
Raphael stood on the other side, wearing slacks with a button down shirt with the top couple buttons undone, and a casual blazer. His hair was combed and styled, pulled loosely back in a small ponytail at the base of his neck.
Grinning, he pulled out a bouquet of flowers made up of some lilacs, orchids, and lilies, which he held out to her. "For you," he said, his eyes slowly looking her over before moving back to her face.
Anko smiled as she took them. "Never figured you for the bouquet giving type," she said, giving a sniff. "Just let me put these in water, and we'll get going."
Raphael nodded, following her after she gave a nod to him and stopping in the living room. "To be honest, giving a bouquet is actually one of the more basic things someone in my world who was going courting was expected to do. I simply thought you'd enjoy it," he said.
"Wow, that really sounds old fashioned," she said, putting the flowers in a glass with some water. "Though to be fair, I think the daimyo and other nobles still do that to. So, what are we doing for our date?"
"Well, I know you probably were expected some whole big deal, but I figured it'd be better to start off simple, and…well we'll see about the next few dates," he said with a smile. "But for tonight, we're going to get some dinner, see if there are any good movies at the theater, and then I thought end the night with a nice walk. If all goes well," he said with a smile.
"Sounds good to me. I never was one for really snooty restaurants anyways," she said, stepping back over to him, before calling out. "Hinata, I'm going out! Make sure you get lots of rest for tomorrow!"
Hearing Hinata let out a yell of confirmation, Anko grinned as she looked to Raphael. "Shall we?"
Raphael smiled as he took her hand. "We shall," he said, leading her out of the apartment, stopping so she could lock the door. "Hope you've got plenty of room for dinner."
Anko just mock gasped and lightly pushed him. "I hope you're not making a comment about my weight, good sir," she said.
"Not at all my dear," Raphael said good-naturedly. "Though I do enjoy a woman with a healthy appetite."
Anko giggled as they headed towards the restaurant Raphael had chosen for dinner. "If they've got dango, I definitely will," she said with a smile, looking forward to the evening.
Elsewhere, Gaara sat on the roof of the apartment building his team was staying in, staring up at the moon above as he did so. It was one of the few times 'mother' was silent, the other times usually being when he was killing someone. Since arriving in Konoha, 'mother' had been even worse, thanks to feeling the chakra of two other jinchuuriki. 'She' had been screaming for their blood above all else, wanting them dead. It had only been the promise of blood through other fights in the forest, the preliminaries, and the upcoming finals, that had kept her at bay.
In this silent moment though, he found himself wondering though why they weren't like him. They were jinchuuriki like him, and yet he had seen them embracing friendships, and the woman even had a boyfriend. How could they weaken themselves by worrying about others? The strong only cared for themselves. He learned that long ago, an absolute truth that so far had been proven correct by everything he had experienced. He fought only for himself, to ensure his existence by ending the lives of others, not ensuring their well-being and happiness.
He cast the thought aside. It didn't truly matter to him. Ultimately, when the time came, he would kill them both and please 'mother'. 'She' was the only one who cared for him, protected him. He glanced up at the moon, closing his eyes for a brief moment, a sick grin slowly spreading as he imagined that day.
It was past midnight when Raphael and Anko started to make their way back towards their apartment building. After an enjoyable meal at the restaurant, they had gone to the movie theater to see what was playing. Several years back, Raphael had been quite stunned when Anko had taken him to see his first movie, as he could not imagine the idea of recording a story and displaying it on a large screen like that, as if it were really happening at that moment. It amazed him at how the technology of this world seemed both superior to that of the world he had left, but also in some cases inferior as well.
Tonight though, he had enjoyed watching the movie that was playing, an action comedy about a pair of shinobi in a large city who had to work together to solve a crime. It was humorous because they were a dysfunctional partnership, one being a strictly by the books sort of shinobi, while the other was a rogue who broke all the rules to get results.
Now the pair was on a walk, enjoying a quiet moment to talk and enjoy each other's company as they wound the date down. They were currently moving through one of the small parks, a former training ground that had been repurposed for recreational use as the civilian parts of Konoha had expanded in its earlier years. Anko stopped for a moment, leaning against the railing of a bridge they were on.
"Mmmm, definitely a nice night out here," she said, eyes closed as she enjoyed the soft coolness of the night air. Raphael leaned against the railing next to her, smiling.
"Yes. And quite a lovely moon out tonight," he said, looking up at the waning moon above. "There were times where I'd simply sit on the rooftop of our hideout in Rome and watch the moon, enjoying the relative peacefulness of the night."
Anko looked up at the moon as well, smiling softly. "Ohh? Any deep, contemplative thoughts, or was it just moon and stargazing?" She asked him.
Raphael let out a content sigh, eyes closed as he thought back to that time. "It varied, from time to time," he said quietly, after a few moments contemplation. "Some nights, I simply sat back and watched the moon. Other times, I used the quiet to deal with my thoughts or troubles. I do the same here some nights when I'm still at the warehouse."
Anko turned to look at him for a few moments, before talking. "Do you ever miss it? Your original home, your world?"
The assassin remained silent for several moments, before his shoulders slumped slightly as he spoke. "When I first came here, I'd say that I definitely missed my home. I was in a strange new world, surrounded by people I knew nothing about, who could do things many in my world would consider unholy or demonic. The only thing that stopped me from doing my best to escape was the simple fact that I had nowhere else to go. But now…I still miss some of my friends, my fellow assassins back in Rome. But I have made new friends here. There is much here to make me forget about my worries and sorrows."
"Good," Anko said with a smile as she nudged him in the side. "I'd like to think I had some small part in helping you feel that way," she added teasingly.
Raphael turned to her fully, gently taking one of her hands, making her blink as he stood straight. "The truth is Anko…you're the one who's done the most for me," he said softly. "Ever since that day you started mentoring me, it has been you that has helped me to feel more at home here. And I can't ever truly repay you for that."
Anko could only look at him in surprise, a slight blush in her cheeks as Raphael gently held her hand, lifting it to his lips and giving it a kiss. Not the playful, meaningless kisses he did when he had teased her in the past. This one was more genuine, and it caused a slight tremor in her as he did so. She unconsciously licked her lips, glancing down at her hand then back to his face, as he lowered and moved to let go of her hand, only for her to hold on. As he glanced up at her, she smiled a more genuine smile instead of her usual playful or teasing one. She just tugged his hand slightly, moving away from the railing and gently leading him till he moved next to her, the two walking hand in hand together.
After a few moments of silence as they walked together, she finally spoke. "The truth is Raphael, every moment I was there for you…you were there for me," she confessed, looking at him. "Before you came along, I barely had anyone I could even trust in this village, let alone care about as a friend. Now thanks to you, I've got good friends, my own genin team, and…well I've got you." She squeezed his hand as she said that, making him smile and gently squeeze back. "So really…I don't think either of us can pay the other back, since we both owe each other."
Raphael smiled softly at her, nodding quietly. "I can live with that," he said, slowly interlacing his fingers with hers, as they moved from the park and headed back towards their apartment building.
As they drew near to the building, Anko looked to him, the playful grin returning. "I hope you don't think I'm going to put out on the first date," she said to him.
He gaped for a moment, then seeing her grin and realizing she was teasing, he chuckled softly. "Certainly not, senorita. If I was attempting that, I would have gone in a completely different direction with regards to this date. Probably some fine wine, romantic music, and seductive poetry and wordplay my mentor Ezio imparted to his male recruits for such events," he said with a grin.
Anko raised an eyebrow at that, stopping for a moment. "First off, why would your mentor be teaching you stuff like that, and second of all, do you really think that would have worked?"
Raphael gave her a grin. "Well, he taught us that in case we needed to get close to female targets or informants, and probably not. You would have seen right through it and left me bloodied and bruised, if not humiliated as well."
"Mmmm, probably would have involved you in your underwear being chased by a swarm of angry poisonous snakes through the center of the village," she mused, tapping her chin in thought, before they both burst into laughter as they headed up the stairs to her apartment door.
Once there, she pulled out the key to her apartment, setting it in the lock before turning to him. "Well I had a very wonderful evening tonight. I hope my company was satisfactory?" She asked with a smile though there was a very slight hint of worry in her tone.
Raphael just smiled at her, as he gently took her hand once more. "More than satisfactory, Anko-chan. I fear my own company must have paled in comparison," he said, bringing her hand to his lips for another kiss.
However, she pulled her hand away, and as he gained a slightly bewildered look, she smirked as she gently grabbed his chin, and pulled him into a full kiss. His eyes widened slightly at that, before he started to return the kiss as well.
She finally pulled back, releasing his chin and grinning at the stunned look on his face. "I look forward to the next date," she said, lightly brushing her fingers across his lip. "Till next time, Raphael-kun," she said, unlocking the door and entering her apartment.
Raphael just blinked as he saw the door closed, his mind returning to the present after shutting down, before he grinned as he turned away, humming to himself as he headed to his own apartment.
In her own apartment, Anko leaned against the door, letting out a breath she had been holding while blushing. She slowly waved her hand as if to fan her heated face, moving towards the kitchen as a silly grin spread onto her lips.
Passing into the kitchen, she filled a glass with water and drank it, before heading to the couch to drop onto it, pausing only to point at Hinata's door. "Don't think I don't know you were spying on us, imouto. Get some sleep before I decide to give you double the training workload tomorrow."
Hinata just giggled as she snuggled into bed, her Byakugan deactivated now. "Whatever you say nee-chan. By the way, was he a good kisser?"
"Shaddup," Anko replied, even as she grinned and touched her lips, plopping onto the couch and trying not to squeal like a schoolgirl.
The Next Morning, Uchiha District
Kakashi watched, his arms crossed, as Sasuke was punching and kicking a training target, adjusting to the weights that he was using to increase his speed to help him with the strategy they were coming up with to defeat Gaara. The first step was to increase his speed and stamina, as well as enhancing his ability to manipulate lightning jutsu.
Standing with him was a couple of the other Uchiha who were asked by Mikoto to train Sasuke as well in Uchiha fire ninjutsu and taijutsu. Kakashi was still somewhat irked at that, wanting to be able to focus Sasuke's training along the path he wanted in order to ensure Sasuke got the absolute best training and dominated the Finals, but he couldn't argue with the head of the clan. He at least could say that Sasuke was quite dedicated to his training, pushing himself to almost complete exhaustion to get every ounce he could out of his efforts. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any problems with the sealed Curse Seal, beyond Sasuke occasionally mentioning a very slight ache or itch from where it was located.
Seeing Sasuke finish his current round of sparring against the dummy, he nodded. "Good work Sasuke. Take five and then we'll put you in a real spar," he said. Sasuke nodded and moved to where a towel and water bottle waited for him. Kakashi turned away, only to stop as he saw a hooded figure watching them from a rooftop. His eyes narrowed, knowing it was one of the Assassins, this one most likely being Kiseki. Nodding to the other two Uchiha to take over the training, he shunshined away, arriving next to the Uchiha assassin. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
Kiseki didn't even turn to look at him, her eyes on Sasuke. "I'm looking out for my clansmen. Mikoto-sama has been like a mother to me, and I intend to do whatever I can to help her, especially when it comes to Sasuke," she said quietly.
Kakashi just frowned as he watched her. "He is perfectly fine and safe with me. There is no need for you to be here. Especially since the last thing I want is someone with conflicted loyalties spying on my student," he said, causing Kiseki to stiffen slightly.
"What do you mean by conflicting loyalties, Hatake-san?" She demanded, turning her hooded head towards him. "How do I have conflicting loyalties?"
"You are a shinobi of Konoha, and of the Uchiha clan. And yet you joined that group of vigilantes operating outside the full authority of Konoha. Not to mention that two of your fellow 'members' are in the Finals as well. For all I know, you could be spying on Sasuke to give them an advantage," Kakashi accused, his one eye still narrowed.
Kiseki turned fully to him now, rage evident on her face as she moved close to him, getting into his face. "Let us get one thing straight here. Even if I was that dishonest, underhanded, and willing to betray my own kinsmen, those two genin wouldn't allow me to betray my clan in such a fashion. They would attempt to gather the information on their own, to improve their own skills. So don't you dare accuse me of something like that without proof."
Kakashi remained stoic through her rant, before responding. "Even still, if you are not part of Sasuke's training, I would ask you to leave. I do not want my training methods to be leaked to his enemies and opponents. I'm sure you understand," he said to her.
Kiseki glared at him for a few moments, before snorting. "Fine, Hatake-san. If that will soothe your ego and paranoia," she said, disappearing in a shunshin. Kakashi just frowned at her words, before going to rejoin those training Sasuke.
Elsewhere, Naruto and Ino chuckled as they listened to Hinata tell them about what she saw last night, as the trio were spending a small break between training with Anko and splitting up to train with their various other sensei. Ino found it all cute and sweet, while Naruto was happy that two of the people he considered as good as family were finding happiness with each other.
"And then this morning, she couldn't stop grinning the whole time she was making breakfast and getting ready," Hinata concluded, giggling as she remembered that morning. The other two laughed softly with her, only to receive a halfhearted glare from Anko.
"That's enough chit-chat! You got enough energy to gossip, you can get to your sensei! Move it!" She shouted at them, trying to look stern.
"Yes sensei!" They chorused, still grinning at her as she halfheartedly grumbled, turning so they couldn't see the return of the grin on her face that had been present for most of the day since she woke up. The trio of genin quickly moved away, smiling to each other as they did.
"So we'll meet back up after training today, to shadow Anko-sensei and Raphael-sensei and see if they get up to any antics," Naruto said, as the two kunoichi nodded, all three grinning as they thought of the potential blackmail they could get on their sensei. Their after training plans finalized, they split off to meet up with their other sensei.
Naruto eventually arrived at the training area Jiraiya had designated for their continued training, only to frown as he couldn't see Jiraiya anywhere. Closing his eyes, he slowly focused on his senses, listening for any sign of the sannin, trying to feel any flare of chakra that might give away his position. What he didn't expect to hear was the sound of giggling girls.
Eyes shooting open, he turned in that direction, approaching carefully as he did not want to startle anyone. He soon found himself at what appeared to be a natural hot spring, being constantly fed water by a thin waterfall, which provided a cloud of mist and steam as the cold water hit the heated water of the hot spring. He blushed as he saw a few girls obviously enjoying themselves, each thankfully clad in swimsuits.
Turning to move away, he stopped as he heard a softer giggle, this one from a deeper, masculine voice. Frowning he headed to the source, where he found his sannin sensei crouched in a bush, peering at the girls and giggling the whole time in a lecherous manner, all while writing notes in a notebook.
Naruto just let out a mental groan, before deciding to have a bit of fun with Jiraiya. Moving back a bit, he created a shadow clone, who nodded before disappearing into the underbrush. Naruto meanwhile grinned as he then focused on his chakra, transforming.
Jiraiya, enthralled by his 'research', didn't seem to notice the figure in the tree branches above him. The figure, readying themselves, extended one of their hidden blades before dropping towards Jiraiya, only to be grabbed from the air and slammed into the ground, all without disturbing a single leaf or branch of the bush. Jiraiya just sighed as he looked down at Naruto, annoyance and disappointment in his eyes. "You have to get up a lot earlier than that to get the drop on me," he said.
Naruto just grinned up at him. "But I'm not the real attack," 'he' said before dispelling. At the same time, a female voice cried out near him.
"EEK! A PERVERT! PEEPING TOM!" Shouted a young woman in a kimono with a rather curvy figure and two long blonde ponytails and blue eyes. Said woman was pointing at the bush Jiraiya was in, still screaming and pointing the whole time.
The girls in the hot spring, now alerted, let out their own cries as they quickly grabbed up towels or robes, covering themselves as they began chucking rocks, sandals, and anything else they could into the bushes. Jiraiya was forced to retreat, shielding himself with his arms as he did so, while the girls rushed over to grab their things and flee.
The blonde woman smirked, disappearing in a cloud of smoke and being replaced by Naruto. He was soon joined by Jiraiya, who looked forlornly where the women had been washing and playing. "Damnit brat, do you know how much research you just cost me?" He asked.
Naruto shook his head. "You're supposed to be training me, ero-sennin. Not perving on girls. Now what should I start on?" He asked him.
"I actually was hoping to talk to the leader of your summons," Jiraiya said, becoming professional. "If you wouldn't mind asking him to meet with me?"
Naruto blinked at that, looking confused. "Why do you want to speak to him?"
"You'll learn why when I talk to the boss summons. Now if you please?" He asked.
Naruto frowned but shrugged, quickly summoning one of the fennec foxes and making the request. The fox disappeared with the message for Kikite, as Naruto waited quietly with Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, deciding to break the silence, looked to Naruto. "So, you obviously seem quite taken with these assassins," he said.
Naruto nodded quietly, feeling a bit wary. "I am, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Well I mean…you just seem quite devoted to their methods and teachings. I'm just curious as to why?" He asked, hoping to get some insight into Naruto's mindset regarding the assassins, and maybe find something he could exploit to get Naruto away from them.
The blonde genin assassin was silent for a few moments, before speaking. "I suppose part of it was because when I first was learning from them, I was really just a small kid who was latching onto the people I respected and admired. The first people who actually seemed to care about me. The way they described being an assassin, it sounded just like being a shinobi, except I'd be helping more people. I guess part of me felt like I would get to be a hero."
Jiraiya frowned slightly as he heard that, as Naruto continued. "As I grew older though, I began to realize there is more to it than just being a hero. The assassins aren't just working to protect people. They're seeking to bring about a world of peace. A world where people set aside prejudice, anger and hatred, and can exist together in harmony."
"How can they want peace when they kill people?" Jiraiya blurted out, incredulous about what he just heard. Naruto gave a rueful smile in response, thinking back to the day his younger self heard about the ironies from Raphael.
"I would have to explain a lot more about the assassins then I'm allowed to. But really, the people we kill are those who would prevent such a world from coming about. They would either force peace onto people at the tip of a sword, or they would prevent any chance of peace because of profit, hatred, or thirst for war. I think the reason I want to be part of the assassins, besides feeling like I'm part of a family, is because I want to help make a world like they describe. A world of peace, where we can all live together, and there's no need for shinobi and assassins to kill people," Naruto said.
Jiraiya just nodded quietly, while feeling himself somewhat shaken. Hearing Naruto speak like that, he couldn't help but be reminded of Minato, hearing the same conviction and strength in his voice. And yet at the same time, he knew Minato reached out to other people to try and talk to them, convince them of his ideals. Naruto and the other assassins killed those who stood in their way, removing them altogether rather than trying to reason with them.
Before he could respond though, there was a poof of smoke between them. There was a sudden blur that slammed into him, almost bowling him over, as well as a somewhat high pitched male voice crying "NI-SAN!".
Naruto, somewhat winded by the blur that smashed into him, looked down into his arms, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the canine grin on the face of his fox friend Tomo. His eyes started to water slightly as he realized he was holding his first friend ever in his arms, before hugging Tomo, who was wiggling and snuggling against him happily, his tail wagging happily.
Kikite smiled softly as he watched the reunited pair. "Naruto-san, it is good to see you again. Young Tomo was quite insistent in seeing you again when he heard I was being requested," he said.
Naruto could only smile happily as he held Tomo in his arms, unable to speak, but just nodding gratefully to Kikite. The elder fox turned towards Jiraiya, nodding his head to him. "You wanted to speak to me?" He asked.
Jiraiya however was focused on Naruto, seeing the pure joy on the boy's face, before he looked down at Kikite. "I think that can wait a bit," he said softly, unable to continue as he saw how happy his godson was and not wanting to interrupt that.
Kikite, sensing as well that what the toad sage wanted to talk about was not quite appropriate at the moment, simply nodded as he turned back to watch Naruto and Tomo.
The young fox grinned up at his human friend, tail still wagging madly. "I've got so much to tell you ni-san! And I can talk! I can talk to you! Isn't this great?" He said excitedly.
Naruto nodded, kneeling and setting Tomo down before wiping tears from his eyes. 'Y-Yeah, it is Tomo. It's really great," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "And I want to hear all about it."
Tomo barked happily, going into an excited explanation of everything he had done and seen since heading to the fennec fox realm. Naruto just smiled, listening to everything intently, everything around him fading away as he was reunited with his friend.
Desert out of Suna
The Kazekage of Suna glared at Orochimaru as he and his two bodyguards arrived. The snake sannin simply smiled at him, bowing his head. The Kazekage didn't return the gesture, annoyance in his eyes. "What are we doing out here Orochimaru? If there's anything about the upcoming invasion you need to discuss with me, it could have been done in my office."
"I'm afraid not, Kazekage-san," Orochimaru hissed out. "This is something best talked about where there are no prying eyes or ears."
"Very well, what is it?" The Kazekage asked, only to turn as he heard gurgles behind him. His eyes widened in shock as he saw both his bodyguards standing there, their necks pierced by white bone blades from an albino youth standing between them. He whirled, golden sand gathering to strike at Orochimaru, only for his chest to be pierced through by a straight blade extending from Orochimaru's mouth.
Orochimaru smirked, pulling his sword from the Kazekage's corpse, while his shinobi removed his blades from the two bodyguards. "Well done Kimimaro," he said. "With this, the final stages of my plan are coming to fruition."
"As you say, Orochimaru-sama," the albino youth stated, bowing his head.
Orochimaru just grinned, as he leaned down to the Kazekage, slowly performing handsigns and touching the dead shinobi leader. His smirk widened, as his face began to morph into that of the Kazekage, before standing again, now a perfect replica of the corpse on the sand before him. "And now, to finish preparations. Soon, Konoha will burn," he said, disappearing in a shunshin along with Kimimaro, leaving the corpses behind.
Sorry this one took so long, but honestly, I had a hard time writing this chapter. Just couldn't get it right. Still pretty sure I didn't.
I do hope however that you all enjoy this chapter, and if not, sorry for not being on top of my game. This chapter was just difficult, and I've had some problems here with one of my family members. I won't say more than that, just that it's made it hard to be motivated to write.
Thanks again to my beta's Kyuubi123 and Bill Alain for their work in betaing my chapter.
Till next time!
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