章 58: 57. Showing Their Growth
It was Shikamaru's turn to frown. He immediately shook his head.
"Naruto said that the toad he asked would not re-deliver a letter back, so I just never ended up getting anything sent. I should have asked Anko-sensei to send a letter for me or something. That is my fault. I'm sorry." The Konoha shinobi informed her.
"Ah. Don't apologize for that!" Kurotsuchi quickly shook her head as well. "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad! I was just saying what I was thinking."
"No, I understand. I was just saying back." Shikamaru replied. He then took a deep sigh before smiling slightly. "I… Well, to be honest, I'm probably not fully okay. Naruto wasn't kidding when he said an asshole was involved. I fought arguably the most insane man I have ever met. I saw a man who did acts and said things that seem to still haunt my dreams from time to time. I-"
Shikamaru stopped his speech, as he felt a hand touch him. He looked over and noticed that Kurotsuchi had closed the distance between himself and her and had placed her right hand on his shoulder. The kunoichi was looking at him in concern. This action seemed to cause his smile to widen slightly.
"I should be doing worse, honestly. The only reason I'm not, though… the thing that has helped me push that man's actions and words from my mind… is you." He informed her.
Kurotsuchi's eyes widened exponentially. The blush that had faded a few moments ago had returned an even brighter, redder color.
"Wh-Why?" She stuttered out her question.
"Because you said what I needed to hear. You reminded me of what it meant to be a shinobi. But more than that, you showed me how much you believed in me. And that really helped." Shikamaru answered, his smile growing wider. "Because you're a great friend and person, Kurotsuchi. And you're someone I am lucky to know and have in my life."
Kurotsuchi remained still for a moment as she processed his words. A few seconds passed by before a wide grin developed on her face, her blush developing even further.
A blush began to develop on Shikamaru's face as well, as he started to rub the back of his head as well: "I mean, I'm just-"
His words were interrupted as Kurotsuchi leaned forward, eyes closed, and placed her lips against his. She brought her hands around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Shikamaru's eyes widened in response for a second before they closed and he returned her kiss, bringing his hands around her waist.
A few seconds passed by before the two chūnin broke apart. Shikamaru and Kurotsuchi were both blushing bright red still, but they were both smiling at each other.
"What was that?" He questioned her, his smile growing wider.
"Something that I had wanted to do since the day I left Konoha last time." Kurotsuchi admitted with a chuckle. "Did you like-"
It was Kurotsuchi's turn to be silenced as Shikamaru leaned forward and kissed her. She reacted much more quickly than he did, returning his kiss and pulling him even closer to her. The kiss lasted roughly a second shorter, but the two had seemingly wider smiles after it.
"And what was that, Shikamaru?" Kurotsuchi asked.
"Something that I didn't realize until now that I wanted to do." Shikamaru stated. The blush on his cheeks seemed to grow. "And something I want to keep doing."
The granddaughter of the Tsuchikage giggled in response as both she and the Konoha chūnin closed the distance once again.
Naruto walked back inside the building and headed back to the kitchen. He quickly found Hinata, talking to Dosu and Tayuya. A smile developed on his face as he quickly poked at the Hyūga, causing her to 'eep' slightly before turning around to face him.
"Hey. Mind if we talk for a bit?" The blonde Uzumaki questioned.
Hinata nodded her head: "Sure!"
The Hyūga heiress excused herself from her conversation as she and Naruto walked off. Dosu and Tayuya exchanged knowing looks before chuckling to themselves and continuing their conversation from there.
Both Naruto and Hinata walked through the hallways of the clan compound back to his room. Upon entering, they were greeted by the sight of a shadow clone hanging up the ink scroll that Han had drawn and given Naruto for his birthday. The clone waved at them before it disappeared, having completed its task.
"You already have the scroll put up?" Hinata questioned as she looked at in closer-detail.
"Pretty sweet, huh?" Naruto grinned as he sat down on his bed. He then made a gesture around his room as he pointed to the various gifts he had received: the books, the jutsu scrolls, the equipment, etc. "I had a few clones carry everything back here. I'm going to get stuff a little better organized some other time, but for now, this'll do."
"You got a lot of amazing stuff, Naruto-kun. Everyone did their best with coming up with gifts for you." She noted with a smile. "So, did you have a good birthday?"
"Are you kidding? This is probably the best birthday I have ever had!" The Uzumaki declared, his grin growing even wider. "I can't believe you helped get everything set up for me like this!"
"It wasn't just me, you know." Hinata replied, shaking her head slightly. "Shikamaru-kun and Anko-sensei were major helps. And Masakado-san and Dosu-kun also helped."
"Yeah, I know, but you did a lot for me for this. And I really, really appreciate that." Naruto told her. His eyes then wandered to the letters that Hinata had given him. "And I can't believe you got all of those for me too!"
"Ah. I know." The kunoichi looked over to the letters and nodded. "I was hoping they'd all be able to come to, but I guess the Kirigakure shinobi are busy getting the village built back-up. They couldn't really afford to come-up." A small frown developed on her face. "I was hoping that at least Honoka-san would have been able to show-up."
"Nah, I completely get why they couldn't. I'm just happy they even wrote me something!" Naruto chuckled in response. "And I can't believe you even found Utakata to even ask him in the first place!"
"Um… the snake came back with that letter today. It took a while to find him, I suppose." Hinata admitted with a chuckle. "I suppose maybe he could have showed up if I managed to have found him earlier or sent the request out earlier. I'm sorry-"
"Hinata-chan, there is nothing you need to apologize for." Naruto repeated himself, shaking his head. "Thank you for everything! Just, thank you so much for everything!"
"I'm glad you really liked everything, Naruto-kun." A smile developed on Hinata's face as she finally sat down on the bed next to him. "I, um… I know you never really had a proper birthday celebration before, so I wanted to make sure you had a good one at least once. I wanted to do something special for you, so I'm very, very relieved and happy that you ended up having a good time."
"More than a good time!" The jinchūriki informed her, still grinning.
The two shinobi inched their faces closer and shared a brief kiss. The two parted quickly after and smiled at each other. Naruto's cheeks began to brighten as he looked at his girlfriend in the eye.
"No really, Hinata-chan… I had a great time. This is the first time I had something like this before with so many people and you helped put it all together." Naruto informed her, his smile widening. "You've always been there for me, y'know? Always telling me exactly what I need to hear and giving me the courage and confidence to believe in myself as much as I do."
"Naruto-kun, that's what you do for me…" Hinata mumbled, blushing bright-red herself at his words of praise.
"I mean it, though. You've really helped me grow as a person. I feel like I'm a nicer, more patient person because of you. And I definitely feel like I'm happier because of you." He said.
The blonde took a second to shake his eyes, resisting the urge to tear up. Despite his efforts, Hinata noticed him about to. Her eyes widened in response as she brought her hands to her chest.
"I probably don't deserve someone like you as a friend, let alone as a girlfriend. So just… thank you." Naruto told her. He rubbed his eyes, getting rid of any tears, and just smiled brightly at her. "Thank you for always being there. Thank you for caring so much for me. Thank you Hinata. I… I love you."
Hinata's eyes widened even further at his words. Tears threatened to fall from her lips as well. Despite the tears, a wide smile developed on her face as she quickly inched her face forward again and kissed Naruto.
The two chūnin pulled each other close against one another. Their mouths opened as their tongues began to explore each other's mouths. Hinata's arms were around Naruto's neck and one of her hands was in his hair, playing with it. Naruto's hands, however, were starting to rub Hinata's back over her jacket.
The two remained still like that for roughly a full minute, but it felt like a lot longer than that. They were both blushing heavily, but they seemed unable to let go of each other.
"Um… th-that was…" Hinata began to stutter. "Th-That felt good. P-Probably t-too good…"
"Y-Yeah." Naruto nodded his head, stuttering as well. "W-We should probably not go any farther than that…"
"Uh huh…" The Hyūga heiress nodded her head in agreement. "I m-mean, we're only fourteen and thirteen…"
The two chūnin remained still for a moment, not saying a word. Both Hinata's and Naruto's eyes were focused on each other. A few seconds passed by before they both finally seemed to calm down and smile at each other.
"… Y-You know, we won't go any further… but do you think we can do that again?" Hinata asked her boyfriend.
Naruto nodded his head, his smile turning into a grin as the two embraced once again.
For the first time in his life, Naruto was certain that the day he was having was the best day of his entire life. He wasn't quite sure what could possibly top this day.
It was the day he felt more love – love from others and love for others, love for Hinata and love from Hinata – than he had ever felt before.
Ten O'clock came quickly the following morning. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru all hurried to the Hokage's office at the designated time. They quickly entered the room and bowed as they approached the people inside.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was standing in the room, but he was no longer wearing his Hokage's robes. He was wearing the black combat suit he wore for battle. Standing right by his side were Homura and Koharu. Unlike the Hokage, the two were clad still in formal attire – the type of clothing they wore every day when on the job. Their eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the chūnin while Hiruzen smiled at them.
"Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru; it is nice to see you all here on time." He greeted them with a chuckle before he pointed to the two shinobi to his right-and-left. "As you can see here, these were my teammates back in the day: Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu."
"Nice to meet ya, dattebayo!" Naruto greeted them cheerfully, waving his hand.
"It is an honor to meet you both." Hinata declared, bowing slightly.
Shikamaru gave no verbal response; he simply bowed in a similar fashion to Hinata.
"It is a pleasure to meet you three." Koharu commented, bowing as well. "Hiruzen has spoken highly of you all and your skills."
Homura, in contrast from his partner, simply nodded his head in acknowledgment: "He has, so I hope that none of you manage to disappoint."
"You must forgive Homura." Hiruzen stated as he walked forward and placed his right hand on the man's shoulder. "He was never the most sociable person growing up and it has only gotten worse with age."
Homura scowled slightly in response, but gave no verbal reply. This caused the Sandaime Hokage to chuckle. He then then turned his head towards the three chūnin.
"Anyway, as you all are here, we should head out. We will begin training at the personal training ground that Tobirama-sensei trained us on." The Hokage informed the group. "Please; follow me."
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru nodded in understanding. Hiruzen proceeded to walk out of the room and the chūnin followed right behind. Homura and Koharu walked behind the group, lagging slightly.
After leaving the office and the building, the group headed in the direction of the Hokage mountains. As the group came closer, Koharu and Homura caught back up to the three chūnin and turned their attention to them.
"Has Hiruzen informed you about what type of training this is going to be?" Homura questioned.
"He said he wanted us to become stronger and that he wanted to work with this next generation and stuff." Naruto answered with a shrug. "Also said we could become like a legendary trio of ninjas like the Sannin if we worked hard enough."
"Potentially, you could. You could also become a legendary trio like us: the Tengoku no Shinobi." Koharu said. Her eyes then narrowed on the group. "Admittedly, I am not a patient woman. There was a reason I was never assigned a genin squad. I am really only assisting with your training because Hiruzen has assured me of your skills and the potential strength your development as a trio could bring to Konoha."
"He made similar claims to me." Homura nodded his head. "Therefore, I request that none of you disappoint me. There are other ways that we could be spending our time."
"You two are so pessimistic nowadays." Hiruzen called out from the front. "You should not come into training like this with the attitude that they need to not disappoint you. You should have a more positive disposition."
Koharu and Homura said nothing in response. The group proceeded to keep traveling in silence. A few minutes passed before they reached the Hokage Mountains. They walked towards the base of the mountain, directly under the shadow of Hashirama's face. Hiruzen then slammed an open palm onto the ground, forcing chakra into the ground. Immediately, a rock stairwell appeared on the ground that led into the mountain itself. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru looked at the scene in surprise.
"What the hell?" The blonde questioned, his eyes wide.
"My apologies. Did that take you by surprise?" Hiruzen commented, chuckling as he started to walk down the newly-visible stairway. "There's quite a few secrets within this village you probably do not know about, Naruto-kun."
As the Hokage walked down the stairs, Koharu and Homura followed behind. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru proceeded to start walking down as well. The further down they walked, the darker the stairway got. It felt as if they were descending into a cave with absolutely no light.
After carefully traveling down the stairs for a few minutes, the group finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Hiruzen made a hand sign, which caused the stairway to disappear. He then made another hand sign, causing seals to brighten, illuminating the area. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru could now look around at the area around them in better detail. The training ground was, indeed, a large cave with many rock formations on the walls. The cave had a flat surface on the ground, however, allowing them to walk freely. It was filled with targets, fighting dummies, and new equipment and weapons. At the edge of the area, they could see a small running spring with fresh water.
"This is so pretty…" Hinata commented, her eyes focused on the spring.
"It is. It's a training ground invented by Tobirama-sensei. He was an overly paranoid man, so he designed our training ground to be hidden to avoid any potential spies from observing our training. We were at war at the time, after all." Koharu noted, smiling slightly. "Being here again brings back memories."
"It does." Hiruzen nodded his head in agreement. He then turned his head to face the chūnin present. "I decided to bring you all here to highlight history. This is where we, as a trio, developed into the shinobi that we are today. I took the Sannin here to train once they proved that they could be an elite trio to me. I am bestowing that honor to you three. Are you all prepared for intense training?"
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru shared a mutual look with each other before nodding their heads. They then focused on Hiruzen and narrowed their eyes on him, each showing a look of determination.
"Let's do this." Naruto stated, speaking for himself and his teammates.
Hiruzen proceeded to chuckle in response: "I can see you are all focused. This will be good." The Hokage then proceeded to clap his hands together. "Let's not waste any time here, shall we? Let's begin."
Two and a half years later...
"May I come in, Godaime-sama?"
"The door's unlocked, Iruka."
The door to the Hokage's office opened up. Umino Iruka walked in, carrying a stack of papers in his hands. He bowed his head in respect as he walked over the desk in the room and set the papers down. He then turned to face the man sitting down at the desk – Jiraiya.
Despite his new title as Godaime Hokage, the 'Toad Sage' opted to not wear the Hokage's Robes while in the office. He had the robe hanging on a clothes line attached to the window directly behind his desk, visible to all who enter the room. Jiraiya, instead, wore his standard attire; a green short shirt kimono and matching pants with mesh armor underneath, a red haori over his outfit with two yellow dots by his shoulders, and a scroll attached to his back. The man, however, did wear the Hokage's Hat on his head, covering most of his spiky white hair.
Jiraiya had been doing paperwork when Iruka walked in. He looked up briefly at Iruka and sighed, shaking his head slightly before turning his attention back to the work on his desk.
"More?" Jiraiya grumbled.
"My apologies, Godaime-sama." Iruka stated, chuckling slightly. He then gestured towards the papers. "Perhaps these might interest you more, though. Those are the test results from the most recent graduation exam at the academy."
"Oh?" The 'Toad Sage' looked back to Iruka and chuckled slightly. "I know the exam was today, but you have the results already? Damn. How many passed?"
"Thirty-three students." The academy instructor replied.
"Not bad. Just a little more than the average." Jiraiya nodded his head. "And how many will pass the actual exam?"
Iruka's smile dropped slightly: "I'm expecting probably three teams. Maybe four."
"… You know, if there is one thing that needs to get fixed, it's our academy." The Godaime Hokage stated, as he moved his original paperwork to the side and moved the papers Iruka brought to him closer. "It's weird that we'd have so many students pass the academy but not enter the actual shinobi ranks. I'm thinking reform needs to be in order."
"By all means, if you have any ideas that can improve the quality of the education, I would love to hear." The chūnin replied. A small smile then developed on his face. "If it's any consolation, though, the shinobi that I do believe will pass the true exam are some of the best I've seen in years. I have a great feeling about this crop of shinobi."
Jiraiya nodded his head in acknowledgment at Iruka's statement as he began to briefly look through the list of academy graduates. Some of the names blended together, but a few names stood out just on paper.
'I see an Aburame and a Yamanaka in the mix, I see Uzuki Yūgao's little brother… Ah, Inoue Katsumi graduated. That's good to see. I always liked that girl.' The Godaime Hokage smiled as he began to look through more names. 'Let's see… a couple more civilian-born shinobi. I think I recognize the names Moegi and Udon, so that's probably a good sign they're good. Oh, is that Hyūga Hanabi on this list? Someone her age is supposed to graduate in another two years. Interesting… and looks Sarutobi-sensei's bratty grandson, Konohamaru, is in this year's group as well.'
"You got some good kids in here. I recognize a few names and I'm proud to see them. And who knows? Maybe some of the others will stand-out once the true exam occurs. I'll make sure to give you the team list and the corresponding jōnin in around three days." Jiraiya informed the chūnin. "Thanks for giving me the list this early, Iruka."
"I wanted to give it to you before you head out and watch the exhibition." Iruka admitted with a smirk.
"Ah. So you know about that?" The 'Toad Sage' questioned, smirking as well. "I figured that they were all going to keep news about that quiet. It's going to be at Sarutobi-sensei's secret training ground, so no one is going to be observing it."
"I do. I have lunch with Naruto about once every month and he mentioned it last time." The chūnin stated. "That kid… I wish I did more for him back at the academy. I wish we had a better relationship. But we're starting to talk more and he's really proved himself a great shinobi. And I can't wait to hear how this display of his goes."
"It's not just his display, you know?" Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "But I know what you mean. That kid really has gotten good. I've seen his mission records in the past two years. I've seen some of things he can do. And the funny thing is? There's more. He's been hinting and teasing at the fact that he has more tricks up his sleeves that he hasn't showed anybody else. And so has Hinata. And Shikamaru. And even Sarutobi-sensei and his old teammates have been saying the same things."
"I wish I was able to see it." Iruka sighed. "I know Sandaime-sama wanted to keep the audience as limited as possible, so I'll respect his wishes."
"Well, you could go if you want." Jiraiya offered as he stood up from his chair. "Honestly, I probably should be heading that way myself. You can come with me. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you being there."
The Academy Instructor shook his head in response: "As I said, I'm going to respect his wishes. Besides, I do have some more work to get done." He then bowed before he started to walk towards the door. "Please, inform me how it goes and how Naruto performs. And, when you get it finished, I would like to know the new team assignments."
With those words, Iruka walked out of the office and closed the door. Jiraiya was now alone. His eyes focused back on the papers that Iruka had given him for a moment. He proceeded to shake his head and smile as he walked over to one of the windows in the room and looked out.
His eyes focused in on the Hokage Mountains. Jiraiya's stone-head was now embedded in rock, right next to Minato's head. Jiraiya's eyes focused on the face of his former student and his smile seemingly widened.
'Minato, you would be so proud of Naruto if you could see him.' The Godaime Hokage thought. He then felt as if he could hear a familiar kunoichi's voice yelling in his ear, demanding recognition, which caused him to chuckle. 'You as well, Kushina. You'd be proud too. In many ways, Naruto is so much like you. He's one damn good shinobi and I can't wait to see what all he's capable of doing.'
Jiraiya turned away from the mountain and looked back at the different stacks of paperwork on his desk. He frowned at the sight of them. He then turned back to the mountain and shook his head.
'The exhibition is in another hour. I don't think Sarutobi-sensei would mind if I show up early.' The man rationalized as he made a hand sign, creating a shadow clone to take his place at the desk. 'The kids should just be getting ready to go head out that way themselves anyway. I'll probably get there around the same time they do. Maybe a little bit earlier.'
With that thought, Jiraiya opened up the window doors he was looking out of and climbed out. He closed the doors before jumping down into the streets of Konoha and walking in the direction of the Hokage Face Mountains, grinning along the way.
'Naruto… You, Hinata, and Shikamaru better bring your A-Games today. Sarutobi-sensei, Koharu, and Homura are not going to go easy on you all.' He chuckled to himself.
"Are you sure you don't want to come too?" Anko questioned with a frown.
The jōnin's physical appearance had changed in almost no way; she looked identical to how she did two years ago. The one single difference in her appearance was the large scroll that was attached to her back.
"It's not a matter of whether or not I want to come; I simply can't." Dosu replied with a sigh.
In contrast to Anko, Dosu's physical appearance had changed quite a bit due to one key difference; he no longer wore the bandages on his face. Instead, he opted for a simple black eyepatch that covered his right eye. This change of appearance allowed him to show off both of his incredibly short black hair and the burn scars on the right side of his face. The rest of his outfit changed only moderately; Dosu wore a skin-tight brown shirt with a dark green jacket over it and a pair of tight-fitted brown shorts that matched the color of his shirt. He still had his 'melody gauntlet' on his right forearm, but he also had two braces attached to his ankles that had speakers on them.
Anko shook her head: "I mean, I know that Sandaime-sama technically didn't send an invitation to you, but-"
"There's no 'but'. I didn't get an invite. I'm not going to sneak in." Dosu interrupted, shaking his head slightly. "You'll just have to inform me how it went."
"… Fine." The Snake Summoner shook her head. "Buzzkill. You need to just let loose sometimes, Dosu. Sometimes, there are rules that are okay to break just to have some fun and this is one of them. It's not like the Sandaime will punish you or some shit."
"It's the principle, though." He responded. He then let out a small chuckle. "And you wonder why Ibiki-taichou has issues with you at times, Anko-taichou."
"Ibiki has issues with me because he's a stick in the mud. He's just like you." Anko grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We are quite alike, yes, although I wouldn't call us 'sticks in the mud'." Dosu replied, frowning slightly. "I'm technically your comrade now in the T&I Department now. Is that really how you talk to your co-workers?"
"Oh bite me." She rolled her eyes. "I'm still the second in command of the place, only behind Ibiki. You are a fresh Tokubetsu Jōnin and a new appointee in the program. I can talk to you however the hell I want to!"
"Are you using your seniority and rank against me, Anko-taichou?" The former Oto shinobi chuckled. "How corrupt."
"Damn straight I am. Got to put you in your place somehow." The jōnin admitted with a chuckle of her own.
The two shinobi stopped talking for a moment as they turned their attention back to their food. They proceeded to finish their meals and leave the money on the table before they started to walk out of the restaurant. They then walked into the street and faced opposing directions.
"Last chance; I'm going to go watch the exhibition and see how my students handle it." Anko stated with a smirk. "Want to sneak in with me?"
"You're not sneaking in, Anko-taichou. You actually were invited." Dosu informed her, chucking slightly.
"Semantics, semantics." She rolled her eyes. "You in or not? Don't you want to see how much Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru have gotten?"
Dosu opened his mouth to rebuke her request again, but he stopped himself. The tokubetsu jōnin couldn't help himself; he was legitimately curious, and while hearing the news would quell his curiosity, it would be much more interesting to see it live.
'… Eh, why not?' He shrugged his shoulders before he changed directions and walked to Anko's side.
"I take it that's a yes." Anko noted, smiling in response.
"Am I still a stick in the mud, Anko-taichou?" Dosu questioned, a smug look on his face.
"Yes. You are." She stated sharply.
Her statement caused Dosu's face to drop and a frown to develop on his face. Anko proceeded to laugh loudly at his reaction before patting him on the shoulder.
"But I now know you at least can have a good time every once in a while. That's good." She exclaimed cheerfully. "So come on; let's go!"
With that declaration, the two shinobi walked off together.
"Wait, are you serious-"
"Checkmate."
Nara Shikaku had a smug grin on his face as he looked back at the shogi board. After playing the same game for roughly an hour and a half, he finally earned his victory. He immediately took a drink from a nearby bottle of sake before looking back at his opponent, his son Shikamaru.
In the past two and a half years, Shikamaru, physically speaking, had not changed horribly much in appearance. He was a few inches taller and his black hair, while still in a ponytail, was slightly longer. He wore his Konoha flak jacket over a grey long-sleeve shirt and dark blue pants. On his shirt, at the end of each sleeve, the kanji for 'three' was marked. His Konoha forehead protector was sewed into the sleeve of his shirt as well, close to his left shoulder.
"Can't believe it. I thought I had you that time." Shikamaru grumbled as his eyes focused on the shogi board.
"You were close, yeah, but not close enough. I'm still the Jōnin Commander for a reason." Shikaku reminded his son with a laugh.
His son did not immediately reply; he just simply stared at the shogi board. Shikaku continued to chuckle as he took another drink from his bottle. By the time he placed his sake down, Yoshino walked up to the father and son and shook her head.
"Are you two done with your game yet? You've been playing for a while." She noted, frowning slightly.
"No, we're done. Dad won." Shikamaru sighed. "Probably for the best, though. I got the exhibition later in about an hour, so I need to be heading out soon."
"Ah, yeah. That." Shikaku shook his head. "Are you prepared for that?"
"As prepared as I'll ever be." His son replied. "This is going to be pretty ruthless. I have all my weapons ready and I've made sure that I'm physically and mentally prepared for this." He then smirked at his father. "Thanks for the game, by the way. That really woke my brain up. I'm definitely ready for today."
"A game of shogi with me is not going to be like what you'll be doing. It'll be much rougher." Shikaku reminded him.
"He knows that, Shikaku. No need to remind him." Yoshino shook her head. She then looked at her son and smiled. "Shikamaru, words can't describe how proud we are of you. You became chūnin after your first exam, made jōnin in quick time as well, and you've survived training with Tsunade-sensei as well as the Sandaime Hokage and his teammates. You've proven yourself as a great shinobi; one much more talented than myself."
"Probably more talented than me to." Her husband admitted. He coughed slightly before continuing. "I wasn't nearly as good as you were when I was your age and I sure as hell wasn't as bright. By the time you're mine? You'll be leagues ahead of me. Which is good." A smile developed on his face. "The next generation should always surpass the previous one. You've done well, Shikamaru."
A small, proud smile developed on Shikamaru's face as he nodded his head, acknowledging his parents' compliments: "Thank you. Thank you both so much."
Shikamaru proceeded to stand-up from his chair at the shogi board. He reached for his sides, making sure he had all of his weapons and items accounted for. A small smirk developed on Yoshino's face as she looked at her son.
"Have all the explosive tags you need?" She questioned teasingly.
"He doesn't, Yoshino." Shikaku spoke-up, the same smirk developing on his face. "There aren't enough explosive tags in the world to match Shikamaru's needs."
"Ha. Funny. Still don't get why you all give me crap for them. They're a useful tool." Shikamaru rolled his eyes in response. "Regardless, I have enough. And everything else I could need. I'm good-" The Nara's eyes then widened slightly. "Wait, I do need to get one more thing."
Shikamaru bowed his head slightly as he walked away. Yoshino and Shikaku were now alone. With his son gone, the Nara Clan head immediately brought the sake bottle to his mouth and chugged the rest of it.
"Shikaku, you know how I feel when you chug your drinks." Yoshino rolled her eyes slightly.
"Sorry." Her husband mumbled as he looked back at the shogi board. "Just wanted a little more in me as I re-traced what happened in the game. That was probably the toughest game Shikamaru has ever given me. He almost won, actually."
"Really?" Yoshino looked at the man in surprise. "Someone almost beat you?"
"Yeah, I know." Shikaku grumbled, his eyes still focused on the board. "Almost had me three times. There was one where time where I thought was about to win, but I realized just in time that he was trying to trap me and set-up his victory." He shook his head. "Had to play a little more randomly from then. In the end, I barely won and, to be honest, I probably stole the game from him. He was dictating it, for the most part."
"Wow… someone finally almost beat the great Nara Shikaku at shogi." Yoshino's face developed a smirk as she placed her arms around her husband's neck. She then quickly planted a kiss on his cheek before continuing: "Good thing no one actually defeated you yet, though. That'd be the day the world comes to an end."
"Very funny." Shikaku continued to grumble. Despite his grumbling, he did have a smile on his face and he seemed quite relaxed by his wife's presence. "Still, Shikamaru nearly beat me. Honestly, if he keeps playing like that, he will beat me soon. He's definitely going to become the best tactician this village has ever seen if he keeps his progress going like this."
"That's our boy." The Nara Clan matriarch replied, her smirk turning into a proud smile.
The two parents remained still for a moment, enjoying each other's company. They turned their attention, however, as Shikamaru returned, holding a bottle of sake of his own. Yoshino let go of her husband and frowned at the sight of her son.
"I thought you weren't much of a drinker. When did you pick that habit up?" She questioned, her eyes narrowed slightly on him.
"It's not for me." Shikamaru answered with a shrug. "I'm giving it to Tsunade-sensei. She'll be at the exhibition, watching the thing."
"Oh." Yoshino's demeanor softened immediately. A smile then developed on her face. "Tell her 'hi' for me then! And best of luck Shikamaru!"
"You think as good as you did during that game, you'll be fine." Shikaku informed his so with the same smile on his face.
Shikamaru grinned in response as he waved goodbye. He then walked off and left the Nara Clan compound, sake bottle in hand, as he headed towards the Hokage Face Mountains.
"Father, I passed!"
Hyūga Hiashi had been sitting at his desk, drinking tea and doing paperwork, when the newcomer entered the room. He looked up and turned his attention to his younger daughter, Hyūga Hanabi.
While still a young girl, Hanabi had indeed grown up in the past two and a half years and changed her appearance. The girl had changed her black hair, cutting it short in a bob style. She wore a tan jacket over a blue, sleeveless shirt and wore matching blue shorts with a yellow and green scarf-like object around her neck. She, however, also had on another article of clothing: a Konoha forehead protector tied around her forehead.
"So I see." Hiashi noted, a small smile on his lips.
"Miss Hanabi has done well, hasn't she?" Another voice spoke-up.
Hiashi's eyes focused in on the 'scarf-like' object. It proceeded to lift up slightly, revealing a head. The Hyūga Clan head's eyes narrowed at it.
"Hebihiro, were you with my daughter at the academy?" He questioned. "I thought Iruka-sensei did not approve of you being there. A few of the other students were jealous of Hanabi because of you."
The comment caused the snake to immediately curl back up around neck, lowering his head: "Well, I-"
"Iruka-sensei gave permission." Hanabi answered, interrupting her partner. "It was just for the graduation test today, after all."
Hiashi shook his head in response. Despite his reaction, he was trying to resist the urge to chuckle. He did, after all, really enjoy watching the relationship between Hanabi and Hebihiro. After Hinata had successfully managed to summon the snake after she signed the Snake Summoning Contract, the snake and his youngest daughter formed an immediate bond. The two had progressively become closer-and-closer and now, after some arrangements with Mamushi, Hebihiro now spent most of his time by Hanabi's side. He had grown longer, but he was still short enough that the girl was able to wear him like a scarf and carry him around her at all times. Hebihiro had proven himself a loyal friend to Hanabi and Hiashi would always be grateful to the snake for that.
"Well, as long as he was alright with it." Hiashi stated. The smile returned to his face. "Hebihiro is right, though. You've done well, Hanabi. Congratulations."
"Congratulations, Hanabi!"
Hanabi and Hinata turned their attention as Hinata entered the room.
While Hanabi decided to cut her hair in the past two and a half years, Hinata decided to do the opposite; she grew her hair out to her lower back. The Hyūga had grown in the following years; she had grown taller and her figure began more 'womanly'. She wore a lavender short-sleeve t-shirt with a dark purple jacket over it with mesh armor underneath and black pants. Her shirt and jacket were noticeably tighter and less baggy than her previous clothing used to be, complimenting her quite well. Her jacket possessed the kanji for 'three' engraved on the back. She still wore her Konoha forehead protector around her neck. She also carried a bow and a quiver of arrows on her back as well.
"Ah. Hinata-sama." Hebihiro lifted his head slightly off of Hanabi's neck and bowed in respect at the snake.
"Hello Hebihiro-san. Hello father, Hanabi. Forgive me for eavesdropping." Hinata quickly apologized to her family. "I was just coming in."
"Don't be sorry. I'd want you to hear after all!" Hanabi exclaimed with a grin. A confused look then developed on the girl's face. "But you're still here? Shouldn't you be going out to do that thing you were talking about?"
"I'm going out right now, actually." She admitted.
"Oh." The new academy graduated mumbled in response, looking down slightly.
"Are you prepared, Hinata?" Hiashi questioned.
"Yes, father. I am." Hinata replied, nodding her head in affirmation. "This is what I have been training up to for years. I believe I'll be able to showcase my full strength today."
The Hyūga Clan head nodded his head. "That is good. I wish to hear how this goes, later. I'm curious about how strong you really are and what techniques you have developed that you have not informed me of." He then chuckled slightly. "This little 'teasing' thing that you and your teammates have been doing since the beginning of your training has been quite tedious."
"Does it really annoy you that you don't know?" Hinata questioned, giggling slightly at the idea of her father annoyed.
"No. I don't get annoyed." Hiashi replied dismissively.
"Not true." Hanabi mumbled under her breath.
"Did you say something, Hanabi?" The father proceeded to turn his attention back to his youngest daughter.
"Um… er…" She immediately began to stammer as she tried to process a response.
"We have some chores that need to get done!" Hebihiro quickly declared. "It was nice talking to you Hiashi-sama, Hinata-sama!"
Hanabi quickly followed through with the snake's quick thinking and rushed out of the room, muttering a 'bye' to her family. Hiashi shook his head slightly while Hinata proceeded to giggle at her behavior.
"That girl is too energetic. I do not know how she can manage to be that way." He mumbled to himself. "Neither I nor your mother were like that. And neither were you."
"Hanabi is Hanabi. She acts how she should act." Hinata mentioned.
"I realize. I'm not saying she should act any other way; I'm just questioning where she got her energy from." Hiashi quickly elaborated. He then straightened his demeanor as he looked his eldest daughter in the eyes. "Regardless, you have proven yourself Hinata. You have exceeded any and all expectations of mine. You're a jōnin of Konoha and probably the brightest star the Hyūga clan has produced in generations. I am proud of all that you have accomplished and I cannot wait to see how much more you develop. Please; do your best and make yourself proud today."
"I will. Thank you father." Hinata bowed in response, a wide smile on her face.
Before Hiashi could say anything back in response, the Hyūga heiress rushed over to his side and hugged him tightly. He, however, quickly returned her hug with a tight grip. The two remained in their embrace for a few seconds before she broke it. Her smile turned into an excited grin.
"Just you wait, father. I'll let you know how it goes after the fact." Hinata stated, giggling to herself. "Sandaime-sama, as well as Koharu-sensei and Homura-sensei, don't know what we have been doing here in training, so I'm sure I'll have some tricks up my sleeves for them and I know Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun have been keeping their own secrets from them as well. I'm sure this will be an interesting experience for them."
With those words, Hinata waved goodbye to her father before rushing out of the room. Hiashi chuckled as he walked back to his desk.
'Actually, Hanabi isn't the only one who's excitable. You've gotten more-and-more these past couple of years. Only difference, though, is I know precisely where you got your excitement from.' Hiashi noted as a mental image of a particular blonde shinobi entered his head. 'Naruto… You've really helped her grow out of her shell.'
The Hyūga Clan head proceeded to shake his head slightly, pushing those thoughts out of his mind. He then returned his attention back to the paperwork he had been working on prior to meeting with daughters.
'Now… how will we implement these plans of yours, Masakado-san?' Hiashi thought to himself.
"And that should do it…"
Masakado looked in amusement as he watched Naruto fill out seals on sealing papers. Upon finishing his seals, he placed the sheets of paper in a pocket before putting his pen away.
Over the course of the two and a half years since his last birthday, Naruto had grown quite a few inches taller, becoming the tallest person in his graduating class from the academy. Other than his height, Naruto's physical appearance did not change much. He wore his Konoha flak jacket, unzipped, over a black, long sleeve shirt, and had on a pair of dark orange pants that had many pockets. The kanji for 'Three' was engraved at the center of his shirt. The blonde wore the black fingerless gloves that Dosu had given him for his birthday. He also wore the red necklace Masakado had given him.
"So, you finished with making all of your seals, huh?" Masakado questioned the boy.
"Yup." Naruto nodded his head as flashed a thumbs-up at the former Uzukage. "I'm prepared for this!"
"Good." The elder Uzumaki nodded his head. "Now just because you got into the habit of pre-drawing your seals doesn't mean that you should be unable to create one mid-battle. I haven't seen you have to draw a seal in combat in a while, so I hope you have gotten rusty with that."
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about that; I haven't." The blonde replied dismissively.
"I'll be the judge of that. After all, Hiruzen did give me permission to observe the exhibition. I'll get to see how this goes, in-person." Masakado reminded him.
"I'll make a note not to screw up in front of me." Naruto replied with a chuckle.
"You're an Uzumaki. It is genetically in your blood that you cannot screw up." Masakado stated bluntly.
"What about our blood?"
Naruto and Masakado turned their head towards the source of the new voice. A young man walked up to the two with a confused look on his face. He wore a light blue t-shirt and a pair of brown shorts that went past his knees. His head was almost bald; only a few patches of red hair could be seen. His skin was very fair in complexion, but there were a few dirt stains scattered on his hands, arms, and legs.
"Hey Masamune, how are you doing?" Naruto greeted the man.
"Alright. Just woke-up not too long ago." He said. His face then became seemingly more confused. "You were saying something about our blood? Was it a shinobi thing or something?"
"No. It just a small little joke about how our clan never messes up. If you're an Uzumaki, then you excel at what you do no matter." Masakado declared with a smirk. "For us, that's being shinobi. And for you, that's doing a good job as a blacksmith."
"Well, that's good to hear. Glad to know that, while being a shinobi isn't really my thing, being an Uzumaki still gives me good luck." Masamune said with a chuckle.
Naruto and Masakado smiled at the young man in front of them. Masamune was a newcomer to both living at the Uzumaki Clan compound and Konoha in general – he had only been in the village for a little more than three months. Tayuya had met up with him while on the road and convinced him to travel to Konoha once she was able to confirm that he was an Uzumaki clan member. He became the first Uzumaki she encountered while on the road looking for clansmen and, as such, became the first family member that she, Naruto, and Masakado were able to welcome into their home.
The young man, before entering Konoha, was a blacksmith in a small civilian village in Taki no Kuni. He had no apparent interest in becoming a shinobi for Konoha. However, he was able to quickly find a job as a blacksmith in the village and was able to integrate himself well at the Uzumaki Clan compound. His presence alone brought a new sense of life to the area – more Uzumaki were out there and more could come at any moment.
"Your thing is today, right Naruto?" Masamune questioned, eyeing the blonde curiously.
"Yup." Naruto nodded his head in response.
"Well, I wish you good luck." The blacksmith chuckled in response. "Sure you want to go in using those kunai and stuff you got? I was thinking of making you a nice sword at some point. I just started learning how to make them and they make a pretty good profit here."
"Thanks, but I'm good." The Kyūbi jinchūriki replied, shaking his head. "Kenjutsu isn't my thing. It's super cool and shit, but it's just not for me."
"Eh, suits yourself. Was just a suggestion." Masamune shrugged. "Regardless, I got a get over to the shop and get to work. And I'm guessing you got to be heading out soon anyway, so I'll see you both later. Do well today cuz!"
With those words, Masamune waved goodbye before he started to walk off. Naruto and Masakado waved goodbye and watched the young man leave the room before they turned their attention back to each other.
"He's right, you know. We should be heading out too." Masakado commented. "Your friends are probably on their way there as we speak. We can't afford to be late or the last ones there. That's embarrassing."
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Naruto stated, laughing slightly. "We'll make it there. And I can't wait to show you all the things I've been working on."
The former Uzukage's eyes narrowed at his fellow Uzumaki: "So, you're going to stop being coy after this, right? You're going to be open about what you can and can't do once we see how this little exhibition goes, right?"
Naruto closed his eyes as his lips moved into a neutral expression, as if he were in thought. A few seconds passed by before he proceeded to shake his head, laughing again.
"Eh, I don't know. We'll just have to see." He stated.
"Brat." Masakado grumbled.
"Eh, don't say that. You know you love me, jī-san." Naruto stated as he placed his hand around Masakado's shoulder and pulled him into a hug.
Despite being forced into it, the elder Uzumaki smiled in response and returned Naruto's hug quickly. Tears began to develop in his eyes as he tightened his grip on the blonde.
"I do. I love you, Naruto." He said quietly. "You, Tayuya, Karin, and now Masamune have given me the family that I have been lacking for years. Thank you for being there for me. Really; thank you."
"… Don't thank me." Naruto mumbled in response, breaking the hug with the former Uzukage so he could rub at his eyes and prevent any tears of his own from developing. "You gave me a family as well. You and everyone else. I'm the one who should be thanking you."
"Let's face it; we both were lonely people who needed a family." Masakado commented, laughing slightly as he rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "Let's just say 'thank you' to each other and move on from there."
"Right." Naruto nodded his head in response. A grin then developed on his face. "And then let's head out. In all seriousness, I can't wait for you to see exactly how well training with Old Man Hokage and his team has gone. I feel stronger and I really want to see what you think of all that I can do."
"Well, believe me; I want to see. So let's hurry and get the fuck over there so I can see!" Masakado stated.
With that comment, the two Uzumaki shinobi walked together, side-by-side, as they left their clan compound and walked in the direction of the Hokage Face Mountain.
"Looks like everybody is here." Hiruzen realized.
The Sandaime Hokage entered the private training grounds under the Hokage Face Mountains with Koharu and Homura by his side.
Standing at the center of the training ground were Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru. All three shinobi bowed at the sight of the three elder shinobi. To the side were the observers; Jiraiya, Tsunade, Masakado, Anko, and Dosu were standing off to the side, by the entrance to the training ground. Hiruzen smiled at the sight of the group, but Koharu's and Homura's eyes narrowed on Dosu.
"Hiruzen, I thought we didn't want a large crowd. That's why we restricted the people allowed in. It appears as if someone was let in despite that." Homura commented.
"Hey, just let him stay." Naruto requested, frowning slightly. "One more person can't hurt; it's still just like five other people here! Besides, Dosu's our friend. He should be able to see this exhibition too if he really wanted to!"
"Naruto-kun's right, Homura." Hiruzen commented. "No need to get stressed out about the presence of one more person. Dosu can observe as well."
Homura gave no verbal response; he simply proceeded to shake his head.
"My apologies for taking a little longer than anticipated." Koharu said to the group, bowing her head slightly. "I stalled Hiruzen and Homura for a moment. I needed to-"
"Do something for your granddaughter?" Shikamaru commented, interrupting the older woman with a smirk.
His comment caused both Naruto and Hinata to laugh lightly. Koharu immediately scowled and crossed her arms. She opened her mouth to respond, but she stopped herself as she heard Hiruzen chuckle.
"Yes, she was. She was treating her to a special lunch today." The former Hokage said, still chuckling. "You must forgive her, though. She simply has to spoil that little girl to death."
"You're in no place to talk, Hiruzen." Koharu replied immediately, turning her attention to her former teammate. "We all know how badly you spoil Konohamaru and how many things you allow him to get away with. He's become an unapologetic troublemaker and prankster just like Naruto was when he was growing up and it's all because of you indulging him and letting him get away with anything."
"We get it; you both spoil your grandkids." Homura commented, shaking his head slightly. "Still don't know why you two bother with them, though. Children are awful. I'm glad I chose not to have kids myself, let alone grandkids."
"That's a decision that you and I strongly disagree on, Homura." Koharu informed him sharply. A small smirk then developed on her face. "Although, I believe I understand your point of view. You seem to have an aversion for anything that could possibly bring you joy."
"An aversion that has only grown stronger with age." Hiruzen added, chuckling in response.
Koharu's comment and Hiruzen's laughter caused a wide scowl to develop on Homura's face, which in turn caused Naruto and Shikamaru to laugh loudly and Hinata to giggle.
"I… I can believe Sandaime-sama to have this side of his personality, but I'm surprised to see his advisors are this…" Dosu mumbled to himself, trying to think of a word to describe the interaction between the three shinobi, "… petty?"
"This is the most I've seen either Koharu or Homura emote, honestly." Anko admitted with a snort.
"That's the work of Sarutobi-sensei. The two of them are humor-sucking leeches, but he seems to bring out another side of them." Tsunade said with a chuckle. "… Or, at least, he can with Koharu. Homura is still the same boring, fun-hating old man he always has been."
His comment caused Homura to turn his head towards the Sannin: "You know I can hear you, Tsunade."
"Oh, I know." She replied with a shrug.
Homura shook his head, grumbling to himself, before he turned his attention back to three jōnin on the training ground: "We've wasted enough time with this banter; can we finally begin?"
"We've been ready." Hinata spoke, bowing in respect to the man.
Her comment caused Hiruzen and Koharu to turn their full attention back to the three shinobi. They, along with Homura, each reached into their pockets and pulled out a silver bell attached to a red string. They then proceeded to tie it to their wastes.
"I believe we have informed you three about the bell test, so you all should be familiar with what you need to do." Koharu said. "We have three bells; one that each of us can hold on to and one for each of you to take. You must take the bells away from us to pass this exhibition and prove that you are ready to be finished with our training."
"Got it." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "How long do we have?"
"There is no time limit." Homura said. A small, smug smirk developed on his face. "This doesn't stop until you three can get all three bells. Even if you three can't get the bells until the next morning."
"After all the training we have put you through, and your own independent training, you three should be able to take the bells from us." Hiruzen said sharply. His eyes then wandered over to the observers in the room. "This is the first time that these people will see what you all are fully capable of. Please; do your best and try not to disappoint them."
"We won't." Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru said sharply.
The three jōnin proceeded to get into position, ready to charge. Hinata made a quick hand sign, activating her Byakugan. Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura looked at each other for a moment before they each nodded at each other. Koharu and Homura jumped directly to Hiruzen's side as the Sandaime Hokage reached into his pocket and pulled out a single shuriken.
"Then let the exhibition begin!" He declared.
Naruto immediately made a singular hand sign: "Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation!"
Seals began to appear from underneath the earth where Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura were standing. Three large tornado-like winds surged upwards. The three shinobi jumped out of the way, avoiding the wind.
"Oh? Did you rig the battlefield with some seals before we arrived, Naruto?" Koharu questioned as she landed back on the ground.
"You said it yourself; you were late." The blonde replied with a smirk as he made another hand sign. Another seal appeared, directly where she had landed.
"I was." She nodded her head in affirmation as she proceeded to jump away again, narrowly avoiding another tornado-like wind.
Four tornadoes were now present in the training ground, hitting the ceiling. Shikamaru proceeded to make two hand signs, which caused his shadow to split into four separate shadows. The shadows rushed to each tornado and began to resemble large hands. The shadow-like hands grabbed onto the tornadoes and push them, moving them towards Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu. The three then proceeded to jump away, moving away from the tornadoes. Shikamaru continued to use his shadows to move the tornadoes, but the three shinobi proceeded to keep moving away.
"Interesting idea, but it's not enough." Hiruzen commented as he tossed his shuriken at Shikamaru's body. "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!"
Within seconds, the shuriken multiplied, creating hundreds of shuriken flying in the direction of Shikamaru and his friends. Despite the approaching weapons, the Nara did not appear anxious. Hinata immediately jumped in between him and the shuriken and began rotating her hands in a circular pattern in front of him.
"Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms!"
Streams of chakra began to escape Hinata's palms. She rotated her hands quickly, allowing each stream to make contact with the approaching shuriken. The chakra streams proceeded to deflect the shuriken, causing it to fall to the ground without hitting their target. Within seconds, every shuriken was lying on the ground.
Homura proceeded to make a few hand signs before quickly stomping his foot on the ground: "Earth Style: Stalagmite!"
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru quickly jumped away just as large spikes of stone surged forward from under the ground they had been. The action forced Shikamaru to end his jutsu, causing his shadows to let go of the tornadoes. Almost immediately, the tornadoes began to fade away.
While the three shinobi were still in the air, Koharu pulled out a scroll from the right sleeve of her robe and unsealed it, revealing a kusarigama. She rotated the chain of the weapon in the air momentarily before swinging it forward, tossing the blade at Naruto. The blonde moved his body to the side, narrowly dodging the weapon. Koharu then made a series of one-handed hand signs. Naruto's eyes widened as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out three kunai with seals attached to them. He tossed them two of them at Hinata and Shikamaru while holding tightly on the third.
"Lightning Style: Electric Current!"
"Fūinjutsu: Protective Winds!"
The blade on Koharu's kusarigama lit up a bright blue color before lightning bolts shot forward in the air towards the three jōnin. The seals on the tags activated, creating a protective barrier of winds that surrounded Naruto's, Hinata's, and Shikamaru's bodies. The lightning collided against the barriers of wind, preventing it from reaching the three shinobi. It continued to pound on the wind and forced the trio downward to the ground, but the lightning soon faded, unable to pierce the defense.
The wind that surrounded the bodies of the three shinobi faded away. Before they could do anything, though, the ground underneath their feet turned to slippery mud. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru quickly fell to the ground and began sliding.
Hiruzen grinned as he began making a series of hand signs: "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Using the mud that he had just created, the Sandaime Hokage created a dragon's head made out of mud. The dragon opened its mouth, releasing bullets of mud forward. Homura and Koharu immediately got into position next to Hiruzen's side and made their own hand signs.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Homura released bullets of fire from his mouth that collided with the mud bullets, igniting them. Koharu breathed out a gust of wind that fanned the newly-ignited bullets, causing them to move faster and the flames to grow.
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru pulled themselves off the ground and stopped themselves from sliding. The blonde Uzumaki then proceeded to throw multiple kunai forward with sealing tags on them in front of him and activated a hand sign. The tags released multiple barriers of winds that covered the trio. The flame bullets collided with the wind barriers. It struggled against them for a few seconds before it began to overwhelm the wind.
'Shit, it's too much for my seals.' Naruto shook his head in frustration.
The blonde looked over to Shikamaru, who nodded his head. He quickly ran through a series of hand signs: "Shadow Protection Jutsu!"
Shadows quickly surrounded Naruto's, Hinata's, and Shikamaru's bodies. They formed a protective dome that surrounded the trio just as the ignited bullets made contact with the shadows. The bullets pounded on the dome hard, causing Shikamaru to wince in pain as he struggled to maintain it.
"Yup, they really are going all out." He commented, trying to keep his shadow dome standing. A small smirk then developed on his face. "Just what we needed, too."
"Although, this is starting to piss me off. They keep going on the offense so that way we have to play defensively and can't approach them to get the bells." Naruto said, frowning slightly as he closed his eyes in thought. "We have to finally put them on the defensive, even for just a little bit."
"I have an idea!" Hinata declared, a grin developing on her face. "Naruto-kun, did you by chance make any of those 'special' explosive tags, right?"
"Mhmm." Naruto nodded his head as he pulled out a set of five explosive tags with the 'infinity sign' in the center. Realization quickly dawned on his face as he grinned back at her. "You thinking-"
He stopped talking as Hinata pulled her bow off her back and took out three arrows from her quiver, confirming Naruto's suspicions. He immediately gave the explosive tags to Hinata, who tied them around the arrow.
"Are you done? Cause I probably can't hold on to this shield much longer." Shikamaru stated. His body was starting to sweat from all the energy he was putting into maintaining the shadow dome against the barrage of fire bullets.
"I'm ready." Hinata nodded her head as she readied her first arrow on her bow. She then narrowed her eyes as she concentrated on the incoming barrage of bullets. "I'll tell you when to drop the shadows. There's a very brief delay when they have to use their jutsus again. That's the best time to undo your jutsu; it gives us enough time to jump out of the way and dodge."
Shikamaru nodded his head as he remained concentrated on keeping his shadowy dome intact. A few seconds passed by before Hinata looked at Shikamaru.
"Now!"
The Nara immediately pulled down the dome, releasing them from its protection. The three jōnin jumped out of the way just in time to avoid another barrage of bullets. After dodging the attacks, quickly fired off her arrows one after another at Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. The three proceeded to side-step to avoid the attacks, which caused Naruto to grin as he made a hand sign.
"Fūinjutsu: Continuous Explosion!"
The explosive tags that had been attached to the arrows tore apart, turning into multiple small pieces. The paper pieces quickly floated in the air around Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura and inched closer to them. Each of the pieces glowed.
The three elders looked at each other for a brief moment before changing positions; Hiruzen and Koharu jumped behind Homura, who began running through a series of hand signs rapidly. He then held out his palms directly in front of himself.
"Ninja Art: Holy Barricade!"
Light seemed to glow around Homura's hands. The light quickly surrounded Hiruzen and Koharu. The explosive tag pieces detonated all around them, creating hundreds of explosions in the air around them. The explosions, however, failed to reach them; the light that surrounded the trio protected them.
"There's Homura's barricade." Shikamaru noted, grumbling to himself. "They don't call him Konoha's Guardian Angel for nothing. That thing is going to be a bitch to break through."
"Yeah, but it is possible. We have them on the defensive, even for the just a little bit. We should take advantage of this!" Naruto declared as he made a hand sign. Immediately, seals present at the top of the cave, directly above Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura, appeared and began to glow a dark orange color. "Fūinjutsu: Crashing Crater!"
Giant stones and boulders began to rain down from the seals, crashing downward at the three elder shinobi. Homura's light barricade continued to surround him and his teammates as the earth proceeded to crack and break apart upon impact. However, the stones and boulders continued to rain down. A small scowl developed on Homura's face as he felt a strain on his body in order to maintain his jutsu.
"Koharu, Hiruzen; can one of you do something about that earth?" He requested.
"Of course." Koharu nodded her head in understanding as she tightened her grip on her kusarigama.
She swung the blade forward through the light barricade. Her kusarigama's blade managed to cut through the raining boulders and stone and reach the seals creating them. It sliced the seals in half, destroying them and ending Naruto's fūinjutsu.
With the jutsu over, Homura dropped his barricade. Koharu immediately rushed forward at Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru. She gripped her kusarigama tightly as her body began to release electricity from itself.
"Lightning Style: Voltic Rush!"
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru jumped away, separating slightly, in time as Koharu charged forward at them, her body moving as if it were a bolt of lightning. She then quickly changed direction, charging this time at Shikamaru. The Nara jumped away just in time. Koharu then jumped into the air before descending downward at Naruto, her body moving and functioning like a lightning bolt. The jinchūriki tried to jump away in time, but the old woman managed to make contact with his left side. Her body immediately sent electricity rushing through his body, causing him to shout in pain.
Having momentarily stunned him, Koharu quickly circled Naruto's body, using the chain of her kusarigama to tie him up. Using her lightning, she moved quickly around him, tying him completely within seconds. The Uzumaki's body fell to the ground in seconds. He struggled to move, but was unable to do so against the chains.
"If this were a real life battle, you'd be dead." Koharu said bluntly, placing the blade of the kusarigama against his throat to emphasize her statement.
"That's why you were Konoha's Grim Reaper…" Naruto mumbled to himself, looking down in shame slightly. Almost immediately, however, he looked back up at her and smirked. "But maybe you're wrong about this. Maybe I wouldn't be dead, y'know?"
Before Koharu could respond, Naruto's body proceeded to erupt, creating an explosion that knocked her backwards slightly. She winced slightly in pain. Immediately after she was knocked back, Naruto jumped up from underneath the ground, reaching for the bell at her side. Koharu, however, reacted quickly and side-stepped. She then grabbed Naruto by the neck and held him upward.
"So, you managed to learn that exploding clone technique Hiruzen tried to teach you. Interesting." Koharu noted. She had an amused look on her expression. "Tell me, when did you make the clones?"
"Again, before you were here. You were late." Naruto stated cheekily, seemingly uncaring that the woman was holding him by the neck. "I hid it underground. I have to admit, I had to switch positions with it though a little late. After you hit me with the initial attack from your jutsu, I used substitution to switch places with the clone underground before you could tie me up like that."
"I was quick with tying you up after my first attack. Excellent reaction time. I assume you hid more." She commented. Her eyes then narrowed slightly on the boy she was holding. "And I assume you are one as well."
She immediately tossed the body of the boy she was holding in her hands. The 'Grim Reaper of Konoha' reacted just in time, as it proceeded to explode.
Koharu jumped back into position next to Hiruzen and Homura. Naruto, on the other, resurfaced from underneath the earth directly in front of Hinata and Shikamaru. Five other Narutos, however, jumped up from underneath the earth around the three elderly shinobi. Each of them began making hand signs.
"Hope you enjoy this little trick." The original Naruto called out, grinning slightly. "Uzumaki Naruto Elemental Barrage!"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Rock Gun!"
"Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!"
"Water Style: Gunshot!"
"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"
The clones surrounding the three elderly shinobi proceeded to use their elemental ninjutsu simultaneously. One clone breathed out a massive fireball, another clone began spitting out bullet-sized rocks from its mouth, another clone held out its hand, channeling electricity in it and releasing from its palms, a fourth clone released a bullet of water, and the fifth clone launched quick-moving bullets of air from its mouth.
The five elemental attacks closed in Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. The Sandaime Hokage, however, simply chuckled in response as he quickly bit his thumb and slammed a palm on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Smoke covered the area around the three elderly shinobi just as the five different elemental jutsus reached them. Within seconds, Hiruzen charged forward from the smoke, completely unharmed, holding a large, black staff. He quickly used the staff to destroy all five clones, causing them to disappear in separate explosions. He then stood proudly, swinging his staff while Koharu and Homura walked from the cloud of smoke, also completely unharmed.
"You summoned Enma?" Hinata questioned, looking at the staff in surprise.
"Are you really that surprised? I want to see what you three are fully capable; I need to give you all a good fight." Hiruzen stated, chuckling slightly. He then swung his staff again in a confident fashion. "Quick question; you made sure to mention the nicknames of my teammates, calling Homura Konoha's Guardian Angel and Koharu Konoha's Grim Reaper. I'm getting old, so I can't seem to recall… what was my nickname again?"
"… The God of Shinobi." Shikamaru answered, frowning slightly.
"Ah yes. That was what they called me." The former Hokage laughed in response. His eyes then narrowed slightly on the three jōnin. "Let's see if I still deserve that title, shall we?"
Hiruzen immediately charged forward, gripping the staff in his hands tightly.
"Damn, they're really going at it." Anko mumbled.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, Masakado, Anko, and Dosu remained focused on the battle in front of them. All five shinobi seemed impressed as their eyes followed the battle intently.
"I'm very impressed that they are able to keep with Sandaime-sama and his teammates as well as they have been." Dosu noted, chuckling slightly. "I don't believe my reflexes are quick enough. They are doing remarkably well."
"They are. Those three aren't slouches." Jiraiya said with a smile. "I know that they're going slightly easy on them, otherwise Sarutobi-sensei would have summoned Enma earlier, but they definitely are going in on them hard. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru are responding well and keeping up with them. I think they might actually pull this off if they keep it up."
"Probably soon, too." Masakado stated. "They've got good chemistry and seem to be working well as a team. It also helps that it seems like Hiruzen and his old teammates are going a bit easy on them."
"Still, Sandaime-sama and the others are giving them a run for their money." Anko admitted, chuckling slightly. "I'm actually going to admit; I'm surprised that the advisors are putting in as good of a fight as they are. I figured Sarutobi-sama would be able to, but I thought Homura and Koharu wouldn't be able to."
"They honestly shouldn't be." Tsunade said bluntly, frowning slightly. The Senju crossed her arms over her chest. "I know Sarutobi-sensei has kept up with his strength to some degree, since he had been Hokage and wanted to remain strong, but those two have been off active duty for nearly twenty years and they threw themselves into Konoha's politics. They have both admitted to not having trained as often as they should until they started training those three. They're pushing themselves quite hard for shinobi that haven't fought in a long time. This is probably going to have some negative side effects on their health in the next couple of years."
Silence filled the area as the five proceeded to remain focused on the events of the battle, making sure not to miss anything.
As the Hokage proceeded to charge forward, Shikamaru quickly made two hand signs: "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground of the battlefield underneath Hiruzen's, Koharu's, and Homura's feet began to change shape. It formed into a deep, thick swamp that sucked their feet into. The elders became sucked into the swamp. Hiruzen, however, applied more force to his body to pull himself out of the swamp. He quickly pulled himself out and proceeded to charge forward again, over the swamp.
"He pulled himself out?" Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise. The Nara quickly called stopped his jutsu, no longer wanting to waste the chakra on a jutsu that wasn't going to work.
"We have to change tactics." Hinata suggested, frowning slightly as she reached for her bow and pulled out arrows. "We need to focus now on just getting the bells!"
The Hyūga heiress fired an arrow directly at Hiruzen's wait, aimed at his bell. As the arrow flew through the air, it changed shape, resembling a snake. The snake continued to fly through the air and opened its mouth, trying to grab the bell with its teeth. Hiruzen, however, managed to jump away before the snake could hit him and reach for the bell.
Hinata proceeded to fire multiple arrows, launching them in the former Hokage's direction and transforming them into snakes. Hiruzen continued to avoid each and every snake while simultaneously getting closer. Seeing him get closer, Shikamaru started to make hand signs.
"Shadow Sewing Jutsu!"
Shadows developed from underneath the earth and surged upward towards Hiruzen's body. The shadows tried to reach for him and try to hold in place in the ground. The Sandaime Hokage jumped upwards, avoiding the shadows from reaching him. Shikamaru looked upwards at the man's body, causing his shadows to move upwards towards him. Hiruzen swung his staff in a circular pattern, using enough force that he physically knocked the shadows backwards away from him.
Naruto took the moment to rush forward, running on the ground of the battlefield until he was directly underneath Hiruzen. He jumped upwards, moving at an incredibly quick pace. Hiruzen turned his body towards Naruto and swung his staff downward. The Uzumaki, however, managed to maneuver his body in the air, avoiding the attack. He attempted to reach for the bell on his waist, but before he could get close enough, he felt a presence approaching him.
The blonde turned his head to the right and saw a large stream of fire approaching him and Hiruzen. Koharu was looking at them intently, fire in her mouth that connected her to the oncoming flames. Both Naruto and Hiruzen were forced to move, avoiding the attack. The flame stream, however, proceeded to circle Naruto's body as it fell to the ground.
"Fire Style: Flame Imprisonment!"
Immediately, the flames expanded, forming a circular ball of fire around Naruto's body. He made contact with the fire, causing him to shout in pain as the flames burned him. He fell to the ground, the fire remaining around him and keeping him locked in place.
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise before she immediately ran through hand signs: "Water Style: Stormy Blockade!"
Water rained down from the cave's ceiling. The water quickly crashed into the flames around Naruto, extinguishing them quickly. The water then poured onto Naruto's body, putting out the fire on him. Hinata quickly called off her jutsu once the flames were put out. Naruto groaned slightly as he pulled himself off the ground.
"Th-Thanks Hinata-chan…" He mumbled in relief as he stood up again.
Hinata smiled. She opened her mouth to say something in response, but she then noticed the ground underneath her starting to change shape. She then turned her head in time to see Homura stomp on the ground.
"Earth Style: Stalagmite!"
The Hyūga heiress tried to jump away in time, but the sharp rock formation rushed upward too fast. It ended up stabbing her in her right shoulder. She screamed in pain as she hurried away before the rock completely pierced her. She jumped right by Naruto's side, breathing heavily. Her shoulder was starting to bleed heavily from the attack.
"Dammit." Shikamaru grumbled as he rushed over his two friends, shaking his head. "You both got hit bad. How are you two? Who should I focus on first?"
"I'm… fine." Naruto stated with a groan as he shook his head. "It still burns like hell, but the fox is helping me heal. I'm fine. Focus on Hinata first."
"No, do Naruto-kun. You'll heal him faster." Hinata replied, her eyes closed in pain. Despite the pain, she reached over to her shoulder with her right hand and rubbed on her wound, coating her fingers in blood. "I… I can do something right now, anyway.
Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding. His hands began to glow a bright green color as he placed his hands on Naruto's burn wounds. While Shikamaru began to attend to his wounds, Hinata made a quick series of hand signs before slamming his open palm on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A poof of smoke filled the area before a giant blue snake with a black stripe going down its body from its head downward filled the area. His body coiled around in a circle around Hinata's, Shikamaru's, and Naruto's bodies. The snake looked down at his summoner.
"Dokueki-san, it is nice to see you." Hinata greeted the snake with a smile. "My friends and I could use your assistance. We need to get the bells that the three shinobi attacking us have. Please; assist us."
The snake, Dokueki, turned his head towards Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. The Sandaime Hokage breathed out a massive ball of fire out of his mouth directly towards the giant snake. He nodded his head before opening his mouth and spitting out a ball of water of similar size. The fire and water balls collided with each other and canceled each other out.
"Hinata-sama, you are the owner of our clan's summoning contract. No need to say 'please'. Simply summon me and I'll do what you wish." Dokueki informed her. "Consider those bells yours, milady."
With that statement, Dokueki proceeded to dig under the ground, tunneling under the battlefield as he planned his attack. As the snake tunneled under the ground, Shikamaru had finished healing Naruto. He then walked to Hinata's side and placed his hands on her shoulder, channeling his chakra into it. Naruto smirked as he proceeded to bite his thumb and make a series of hand signs.
"Not a bad idea, Hinata-chan. I'll help you out as well!" He stated as he slammed his open palm on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A poof of smoke filled the area again. Within seconds, Gamaken arrived in the area, gripping his sasumata tightly. The toad looked down at Naruto and smiled.
"Well, hello Naruto. I suppose I'm your 'go to' toad when you need to summon one." Gamaken commented with a chuckle. He then stiffened slightly as a scent entered his nose. "Wait, I smell a snake. Is there one-"
Gamaken stopped speaking as Hiruzen rushed forward at him, gripping his staff tightly. He swung the staff at the toad hard. Gamaken blocked with his sasumata, but the Sandaime Hokage pushed back with enough force that he knocked him back slightly. Hiruzen then rushed forward, attempting to swing his staff at Shikamaru as he focused on healing Hinata. Gamaken, however, quickly recovered his balance and swung his sasumata downward at the Sandaime Hokage. The sasumata exploded on the ground upon impact, forcing Hiruzen to jump away to avoid the attack.
"Can we talk about stuff like that later and focus on the fight here?" Naruto requested the toad. "Right now, the old man and the other two shinobi have bells that we need to obtain. Can you help us get them?"
"… Right, of course. I'm sorry." Gamaken said, shaking his head. "I'll do what I can!"
Gamaken immediately raised his sasumata and charged forward, heading towards Hiruzen. He swung the weapon downward at the Sandaime, forcing him to jump backwards. Just as he jumped away, Dokueki emerged from underneath Hiruzen's feet. The Sandaime Hokage was forced to jump back further, barely avoiding the snake's attack.
A few seconds passed by before Shikamaru finished healing Hinata. Once he turned his attention back to the battle, a small smirk developed on his face as he bit his thumb.
"Guess it's my turn to get in on this, huh?" He said with a chuckle as he made a series of hand signs before slamming his palm on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A third poof of smoke filled the area. A few seconds passed by before a large slug appeared in front of Shikamaru. The slug was white in color and had purple spots on his body.
"Shikamaru-sama, do you require my services?" The slug questioned.
"Hello, Sando-san." Shikamaru greeted the slug with a smirk. "Yeah, you could say that. My friends and I could use a little extra help."
"Tsunade, you allowed him to sign the Slug Contract?" Jiraiya questioned, looking at his former teammate in surprise.
For the moment, all of the observers were staring at Tsunade. The woman chuckled in response as she shook her head.
"When I agreed to train Shikamaru, I knew I had to do more than just give him some medical ninjutsu. That's what he and his mother wanted me to work with him on, and that's what we spent most of our time on, but I knew he wasn't going to become a full-time medic. So, if I wanted to actually train him, I wanted to do more than just medical ninjutsu. So, I talked to Lady Katsuyu and made arrangements for him to sign the contract." Tsunade explained. She then smirked as she pointed to the battlefield. She gestured towards the snake, Dokueki, the toad, Gamaken, and the slug, Sando. "Besides, I really needed to give him the contract. Do you see what I see there?"
"I see what you are talking about." Masakado's eyes widened in realization. "A toad summoner, a snake summoner, and a slug summoner… it's more than just a comparison; you all did train a new generation of Sannin."
'And there my students. Those were my genin.' Anko thought to herself. The jōnin resisted the urge to tear-up as she watched them. 'I… I'm so proud of you all.'
"They've increased the numbers on their sides." Koharu commented, frowning slightly as her eyes moved from Gamaken to Dokueki to Sando. "This is… problematic."
"Problematic, but expected." Homura replied, shaking his head slightly. "We knew about their summoning contracts. We are prepared for this."
"Correct." Hiruzen stated. "Stay prepared. They'll probably coordinate their attack in just a moment."
The three elderly shinobi watched as the three summoned animals began to circle them, waiting for the precise moment to strike. As the group waited in a stand-off, waiting to see who would make the first move, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru jumped onto the heads of their respective summons. When Naruto jumped on Gamaken's head, the toad immediately gathered oil in its mouth before spitting it out in a jet-like fashion. His summoner immediately ran through hand signs.
"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Naruto breathed out a large fireball from his mouth that made contact with the oil. The oil ignited, causing it to become a jet of fire that rushed forward at Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. The Sandaime Hokage immediately slammed his staff on the ground.
"Water Style: Water Mortar!"
A deluge of water rushed downward from the ceiling, forming a protective barrier between the three elderly shinobi and the fire. The water blocked the flames from reaching them, extinguishing the jet as soon as it made contact.
Dokueki then charged forward, attempting to bite at the Sandaime Hokage while he was focused on his jutsu. The Sandaime, however, managed to jump to the side and avoided the attack. Koharu then rushed over to the snake. Using the chain of her kusarigama, she quickly managed to tie the snake up slightly. He hissed as he struggled to free himself. Realizing that he was going to break free, Koharu quickly made a hand sign.
"Ninja Art: Bad Luck Chain!"
The chain on Koharu's weapon proceeded to glow a bright purple color. Koharu then quickly brought back her weapon to her side just in time as purple chakra-like chains began to surround Dokueki's body.
"Dokueki-san!" Hinata shouted as she jumped off the snake's head and went to examine the chain.
A smug smirk developed on Koharu's face. The woman took a step closer to Hinata, but she stopped as she was forced to jump away to avoid getting hit by acid. She turned her attention towards Shikamaru and Sando, who was spitting out the acid. Koharu then looked at Homura, who was currently running through hand signs.
"Earth Style: Imprisonment!"
Tall stalagmites quickly rushed up from the ground, surrounding Sando's body and preventing the slug from escaping. The slug tried to squirm his body through small cracks, but he was unable to do so. They were too narrow for him, even if he divided. He then began to make the slow climb up the rock's formation, trying to get off by going to the top.
Realizing that, for the moment, Shikamaru and Sando were stuck, Hiruzen proceeded to rush forward towards Homura and the giant slug. He shared a look with his former advisor, who nodded his head in understanding and lowered his back slightly. The Sandaime Hokage jumped into the air and landed on his back before using him as a spring board to jump higher into the air. He soared into the air above the stalagmites as Sando was nearly finished with climbing. He then pulled out a single shuriken and tossed it.
"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!"
The shuriken quickly multiplied into hundreds of shuriken that descended onto Shikamaru and Sando. They were unable to do anything about the attack in time and were struck hard. Shikamaru shouted in pain as multiple shuriken entered his body, creating many wounds. He quickly jumped down further into the pit he was trapped in to avoid more shuriken. Sando, still mid-climb, proceeded to jump down and position his body so that way he took the shuriken instead of his summoner. He then divided his body into multiple small slug replicas that covered Shikamaru's body, forming a cushion that shielded him from attacks.
Seeing Shikamaru immobilized, Hiruzen proceeded to run through a series of hand signs. Before he could finish, though, Naruto jumped off Gamaken's head and entered the air, heading directly towards the Sandaime Hokage. He created a massive spinning orb of chakra in his right hand as he approached him.
"Ōdama Rasengan!"
Before Naruto's jutsu could make contact with Hiruzen's body, the Sandaime Hokage swung his staff forward at Naruto's face. The resulting action canceled his jutsu and caused the blonde to go flying off into the wall of the cave. He grunted as he hit the wall hard before falling to the ground, coughing up some blood. Hiruzen then rushed over to Naruto's body and frowned.
"Why did you charge in at me so blatantly like that? That was foolish. I was expecting better of you, Naruto-kun." He admitted.
Naruto didn't give a verbal reply; instead, he proceeded to chuckle. Hiruzen's frown deepened slightly until a thought just occurred to him.
'Wait, he was just distracting me!' He realized.
The Hokage quickly jumped away from Naruto and turned his attention back to the stalagmite prison. Shikamaru and Sando had managed to jump out of the prison in the short time that Naruto had given him. The Nara was breathing heavily and was currently pulling out shuriken from his body while trying to attend to his wounds.
Hiruzen then turned his attention towards Hinata and Dokueki. The Hyūga heiress was currently using chakra streams from her hands to cut through the chains that Koharu had created. Within seconds, the giant snake was freed and able to move his body.
'Shikamaru jumped in when it seemed as if we were ganging up on Hinata, giving her time to free herself from her sticky situation. And Naruto did the same for Shikamaru. These really are selfless kids, willing to take hits and potentially get heavily injured just to help their comrades.' Hiruzen realized. A smile then developed on his face. 'That's the attitude of true Konoha shinobi!'
The Sandaime Hokage proceeded to chuckle to himself as he jumped back to his teammates' side. They then got into formation with Hiruzen in front, waiting for their three 'trainees' to make their next move.
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru shared a look between each other. The trio nodded, seemingly on the same page. Shikamaru then turned his attention forward and make a series of hand signs.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground underneath the three elder shinobis' feet transformed, turning, once again, into a thick, muddy swamp. All three proceeded to have their feet sink in slightly. Naruto proceeded to take the opportunity to make a singular hand sign before one hundred shadow clones joined his side. The clones then rushed forward towards Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura.
The Sandaime Hokage and his advisors, as the clones charged forward, proceeded to pull themselves out of the mud. Koharu gripped her kusarigama tightly as she stuck the blade of the weapon into the mud. Within seconds, an electric current was forced through the mud throughout the battlefield. Twenty of the clones in the back saw the oncoming attack and jumped into the air, but the other eighty were quickly electrocuted and dispelled immediately. Naruto's clones in the air then proceeded to pull out kunai with sealing tags attached to them. They then tossed the tags around the elderly shinobi in a circular pattern before rushing through hand signs in unison.
"Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation!"
The tags released multiple tornadoes that rushed up to the ceiling of the cave. The tornadoes effectively trapped them inside.
"Shikamaru?" Naruto turned his attention to his friend.
Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding as he began to concentrate on his jutsu, extending the swamp further until it was directly underneath the tornadoes, where Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura were. As Shikamaru extended his swamp further, Hinata began to rush through hand signs.
A few seconds passed by before the Sandaime Hokage and his advisors pulled themselves out of the swamp. Hiruzen then clapped his hands together before breathing out a massive gust of wind from his mouth. The wind went straight through the tornadoes in front of him, completely dispelling them.
Hinata proceeded to finish her hand signs: "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"
Water from the spring in the training ground rose into the air and formed a massive ball. The water quickly streamed forward, aimed directly at Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. Homura noticed the water approaching rapidly and immediately made hand signs before extending his hands outward.
"Ninja Art: Holy Barricade!"
Light quickly surrounded Homura's body, which extended to cover Hiruzen's and Koharu's. Hinata's massive stream of water made contact with the trio, but the light surrounding them blocked the attack, preventing it from hitting them.
"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"
"Water Style: Gunshot!"
Naruto and Hinata proceeded to release bullets of air and water respectively at Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. Sando, Dokueki, and Gamaken joined them, spitting out barrages of acid, water, and oil at the trio. Homura's light barricade prevented them from taking damage, but sweat was really starting to pour down the old man's face. Shikamaru, meanwhile, concentrated more on his swamp, extending its range. The swamp began to spread forward underneath the three shinobi, despite the barricade surrounding them. They then began to sink into the mud.
"Homura, does your jutsu not do anything about the swamp?" Koharu questioned in surprise as she and Hiruzen applied the extra force to get themselves out of the mud
The 'Guardian Angel of Konoha' gave no response; he was struggling too much to maintain the barricade around himself and his teammates. He was unable to apply any force on himself to get out. His body began to sink further and further into the mud.
'This is troubling.' Hiruzen realized. 'At this rate, Homura will be unable to resist their attacks for much longer. Koharu and I need to do something now!'
The two shinobi shared a look between each other before nodding their heads and making hand signs.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Hiruzen breathed out a massive barrage of flame bullets from his mouth while Koharu released a gust of wind from her mouth. The two jutsu moved together at the same time, the wind fanning the flames and making them grow larger and stronger.
The flames flew through the air towards both Naruto and Hinata. Seeing the oncoming attack, however, caused Gamaken and Sando to jump between them and the jutsus. Gamaken extended his sasumata, blocking one portion of the barrage for Naruto while Sando's body provided a shield Hinata. With the jutsus officially blocked, Naruto and Hinata proceeded to jump into the air and continue their assault, firing more bullets of air and water directly at Homura's barricade.
Within a few moments, the overwhelming pressure of the constant attacks, as well as sinking into the mud, proved too much for Homura; the light barricade faded and the jutsu was disrupted. The trio proceeded to get assaulted from the continuous jutsus of Naruto, Hinata, and Dokueki. Hiruzen and Koharu were knocked backwards while Homura, whose body was still stuck in the mud, was forced to remain still and take the brunt of the damage head on. He immediately coughed up blood.
'There's the chance!' Shikamaru realized as he canceled his swamp and made hand signs, working on a new jutsu. "Shadow Gathering Jutsu!"
Shikamaru's shadow immediately split into three smaller shadows that rushed forward at Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. Two of the shadows reached Hiruzen's and Koharu's bodies as they flew through the air, grabbing their bells. The third shadow rushed to Homura as his body began to resurface from the cancelation of Shikamaru's swamp technique. It immediately grabbed the bell while the man was trying to recover. The shadows returned to Shikamaru's side, who took the bells from them. A grin developed on his face as he tossed two of them to his fellow friends.
"So, that's game, right?" He questioned with a chuckle.
Naruto and Hinata caught their bells and grinned in response. They then rushed over to Shikamaru.
"We did! Hell yeah!" Naruto declared.
"Great job you two!" Hinata cheered, her grin turning into a sincere smile.
"Holy shit…" Anko shook her head, grinning widely. She was trying to resist the urge to tear up, but she failed, as they began to free-fall down her face. "My students managed to hold their own against the Sandaime Hokage and his teammates in battle! Holy fuck!"
"That was… something. Something incredibly special to have seen." Dosu noted, smiling as he looked at his friends, a sense of pride running through him.
"They did great and all, but you all know that Hiruzen and the other two held back, right?" Masakado commented, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I know for a fact that Hiruzen could have done more. He seemed to be making an effort to move a bit slower. Hell, he honestly let his teammates do more of the fighting and I know that the old monkey could have definitely done more shit to them if he wanted to."
"Yeah, Sarutobi-sensei could have done more. Honestly, he could have provided more defense for Homura. I know for a fact he can do more techniques with Enma to do more damage." Tsunade admitted. "But I wouldn't say they were going easy on them or anything. They were much more ruthless than Sarutobi-sensei was when he fought with me, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru when we were training under him. They definitely pushed them hard."
"No denying that." Masakado nodded his head. "They're good kids and they're only going to get better."
"That they are." Jiraiya chuckled in agreement. "They're all really something…"
The Godaime Hokage smiled as he watched Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru rush over to Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. He saw the three summoning animals, Gamaken, Dokueki, and Sando disappear, returning to their homes. The six shinobi then began to talk to each other about their opinions of the training. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed slightly on Naruto as an idea entered his head.
'If the next generation has shinobi like you in it, shinobi like you to lead… then I can safely say, it'll be in good hands.' He realized, smiling slightly.
"You all went easy on us." Hinata noted.
"To a degree." Homura admitted, nodding his head. "Being completely honest, we figured if you had to try to get the bells back from us when we were going all-out, we would be here all day."
"And, honestly, I have plans for later tonight." Koharu commented. "I'm going-"
"Let me guess." Naruto interrupted the woman with a smirk on his face. "Spoil your granddaughter some more?"
"… Actually, I'm spending time with my grandson this time and spoiling him, thank you very much." The 'Grim Reaper of Konoha' huffed.
"Regardless," Hiruzen coughed, getting attention brought to him, "we put forth enough force into the training that we thought would push you yet still allow you all to show your full strength. And you exceeded our expectations. You did marvelously. I am very proud of you all."
"Hiruzen is right." Homura nodded his head. His constant neutral expression softened slightly, shifting into something that resembled a small smile. "I must admit, I was hesitant to waste my time working with you three, but you definitely proved that you were no waste. You picked things up fast. I feel as if you definitely gained a better skillset from this training; both in regards to skillset and in regards to reflexes, chakra growth, and other general skills."
"The three of you will grow only more with time: as individuals and as a group." Koharu commented, smiling as well. "We've done good with work with you three and you all did an excellent job developing from here. Now, the rest of the work is up to you. Continue to keep pushing and grow from here."
Hiruzen nodded his head in agreement: "You will all make marvelous shinobi and I can't wait to see exactly how skilled you will all become."
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru smiled brightly in response to the praise from the three elders. They each gave their trainers a hug before rushing over to meet with the observers, asking them how they thought the exhibition went.
The Sandaime Hokage chuckled as he watched them greet each other.
'The future looks bright for Konoha, if you three are any example of what's to come for the village.' Hiruzen thought, smiling. He then noticed a look in Jiraiya's eye and a curious look developed on his face. 'I know that look, Jiraiya. You're planning something. What are you thinking?'
"You are Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"
Naruto blinked in response. The blonde had just gotten ready for the day and was just walking out of his compound when he was greeted by an Anbu agent with short brown hair, wearing a mask that resembled a cat with green and red markings on its cheeks. Naruto studied the shinobi in front of him for a few seconds before nodding his head in affirmation.
"Yeah, that's me." He stated.
"It seems as if you were about to leave. Looks like I caught you at a good time." The Anbu chuckled as he pulled out a small scroll and held it out to Naruto. "I have a message for you from Hokage-sama. He wishes to speak to you at your earliest convenience."
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