Chương 2: Chapter 2
When Naruto first met the Bijuu inside of him, he had been truly frightened, not of those huge eyes or its size but the sheer amount of hatred those eyes directed at his presence. He was surely just an insignificant person the Bijuu could squash under its massive paws, yet it could look at him with so much hate that his body trembled. Naruto had never felt something so powerful. Over the years, he has learned that it wasn't him specifically who was hated but humans in general. The poor beast was forced to remain caged because of its power. It was a sad thing. Of course, Naruto didn't pity the beast. He didn't hate it either.
As he gently touched the waters, those huge eyes opened slightly. Naruto marvelled the size of the Bijuu, its intelligence. People were missing out by simply brushing out the Bijuu as nothing more than a source of power; A weapon of destruction. Chaos incarnated.
"Those eyes… I wonder if you stared at my mother as you do with me."
"She never visited." Kurama responded calmly. "Unlike with you, her seal was simply designed to suppress my power. The same can be said about Mito."
"So they all never used your power but just kept you at bay."
"The Shodai's words were like he has nothing against me but I was too powerful to be left alone. So his wife sealed me within her. I have been confined for years… you thinking of ending my term?" A toothy grin.
Naruto smiled. Yes those attempts. The Bijuu always attempted to entice him to let it go. To free it so it can finally breathe in the oxygen it has been deprived of for many years. But Naruto wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to do it. Releasing the Bijuu meant his death. He did not have the full genes of the Uzumaki to survive an extraction as his mother did.
"My clan was also destroyed for being too powerful. I guess we have something in common there." Naruto said. "But that isn't why I am here…"
"My power…" Kurama said. Naruto was like all humans. He wanted his power. He was the first Jinchuriki to use his power but it did give him a sense of freedom. The seal held him, if Naruto was willing; he could draw out as much chakra as he was willing to give.
Naruto nodded. "I wish to learn to control it once more."
Kurama grinned. "I thought after you nearly killed that hermit when you lost control you wouldn't want to try again."
Naruto shrugged. "It would be stupid of me to leave this power like this. You are strong and I am your host. It doesn't matter that neither of us had a choice in our union, the fact is we are together and I am going to learn to control your chakra."
"I'm not stopping you."
"Yes… because when I use the chakra, the seal weakens. I have been studying seals since I was seven. Although the old man never taught me anything special, he introduced me to fuinjutsu and said it was the legacy of the name I carry. So I know what happens with this seal and I know you laugh gleefully when I lose control."
Kurama stared at the blond for a moment before laughing menacingly. "You lose control because you can't handle my chakra human!"
Naruto shook his head. "Yes, your chakra is potent and admittedly deadly to the human body, but it isn't the potency of your chakra that makes me lose control, it is the hatred."
"Hmp…" Kurama stared. "If you can't handle it, then don't try to use it. I am hatred, it comes with my chakra."
"But you can make is worse because you want me to lose control." Naruto stressed those words. "Look up."
Kurama did and saw structures. He frowned. He knew the seal.
Naruto clapped his hands. "You are very knowledgeable about seals. Then again, you have always been sealed within seal masters…" he said. "That is insurance. You are not going anywhere unless I say you are. If more than six tails of chakra leak out the seal; that falls down on you and restrains you. With that said, it would be much simpler for both of us if you allowed me to use your chakra without doing anything funny that interferes with the process."
A human, doing this to him. A child no less. It was humiliating. "I have no plans on remaining here until you decide to transfer me to another host. I will make my escape."
"I know you will try. I'd try to escape too if I was locked up in a cage but I still won't let you go. I need your power. I know you hate humans. If you force your way out of the seal, you're likely to kill me first and then incinerate my body just to make sure I stay dead. But let us make a deal that gives you a bit of freedom. Of course, you'll still be locked but the seal is special and we can work out something."
Naruto's eyes snapped open: they sharped when saw Jiraiya's foot heading straight towards his face. It was too close for comfort and he didn't want to get any unnecessary hits. He quickly fell backwards, lifting up his face while he raised both his hands. As Jiraiya's foot passed above him, he caught him just above his ankle.
The Sannin raised both his hands up, surrendering.
Naruto let go of the Sannin. "Why are you attacking me?"
"You were open." Jiraiya said with a shrug.
Naruto stared. "Is that how we are going to play it, sensei? If one is open we attack them?"
"It's not a game but it's a one way street exercise. I am the master and you are the student here…" Jiraiya said firmly. He was certainly uncomfortable with the idea of Naruto being given the license to attack him if he was open.
"That's not fair…" Naruto said. "Here is my rule: to determine that you are still worthy to train me, I will attack you if you are open. I see no value if being helped on by someone weaker than me."
Jiraiya stared. "You still got a long way to go, brat…" the Sannin said. He sighed and sat down next to the blond.
They were still in the River Country, it has been a week and he already had plans. He would have liked to start with other things but there was something he had to do and it was important. Not to mention he still needed to see Tsunade. The woman had been forceful in her letter. He had to go before attending other agent matters that needed him and he couldn't do them with Naruto.
But even if he was to leave Naruto, it wasn't going to be much of a problem for the training the blond had to go through. Naruto did his own training when it came to Ninjutsu. Even as his sensei, he only informed Naruto of the basics and the blond did everything on his own. When they do get to fire, he would only teach Naruto the basics and a jutsu he knew. The blond would learn everything by himself. He trained Naruto with taijutsu, kenjutsu and some genjutsu. Naruto was not that good with the latter, so they'd shelved it and focused on simply being able to negate them.
"Troubled?"
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto for a moment before shaking his head. "No…" he said. "I was just sorting out my thoughts. What were you doing anyway?"
"Ah… when you interrupted me…" Naruto started. "I was having a delightful conversation with the Kyubi regarding the use of its chakra. You'd loosened the seal before to allow me to draw out as much chakra as possible but there were massive negative consequences to this."
Jiraiya frowned. He still hadn't even told Tsunade about the incident. She would freak out, possibly question why Naruto even needed to learn to use the Kyubi's power. But he believed it was necessary. Why have so much power inside of you and not learn to use it? Besides, with the way Minato designed the seal, it was designed for Naruto to control the power.
The key was for this purpose. The cage could still be unlocked while keeping the Kyubi sealed. However, if Naruto was consumed by the power, the Kyubi got free.
"Don't remind me about those consequences. The Toads won't give me the key again after that incident…" the Sannin grumbled. They'd questioned his decision. Well, he had been close to dying and releasing the Kyubi at that time. If he had died, the Kyubi would have escaped.
Jiraiya laughed bitterly at the thought. It would have been a ridiculous end to his miserable life if his last deed was unleashing a hateful Bijuu into this world. It would surely leave a trail of destruction on its path and who would be blamed for it? Most of all, Naruto would be gone. He would have ended Minato's legacy.
Naruto shrugged at this. He didn't need the key at this point. He had already copied it and memorized it. Without seeing it, he wouldn't be able to recreate it because the lock was hidden and the seal itself was worthy of Uzumaki.
"For greatness, we must be willing to take risks, sensei. If everything came easy, things would be different." Naruto said. "My conversation with the Bijuu centred on it allowing me to use its chakra freely. Of course, I can still use it freely but when forced and taken in its raw nature, it leads to situations we'd both rather avoid."
Jiraiya was silent for a couple of moments. "Did it say yes?"
"Of course not. The Bijuu wants to leave the cage…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Even so, I still want to learn to control its power. We are fine with at least two tails but anything more than that, it becomes a problem."
"I'm okay with that but you must understand that power alone doesn't determine things Naruto. You can control the power of the Kyubi and still be unable to do anything."
Naruto smiled. "Sensei, you should know there is such a thing as soft power. Believe me, I know and understand it. Orochimaru doesn't use his physical prowess to entice his mad followers, he speaks to them, a language they can understand. That is politics. But the power of words cannot be underestimated. You can change things with words. You can influence how people look at things with your words. But as shinobi, there comes a time when words cannot save your life or protect what you value. That is where this power comes into play, don't you think so, sensei?"
Jiraiya nodded. Sometimes Naruto spoke volumes. Sometimes he spoke like someone who was much older. But he was just a brat. And of course, these were just moments. "That is correct… I see sensei taught you valuable lessons in life."
"It was necessary…" Naruto said with his eyes closed. "The villagers glared at me with contempt, they said things in whispers and it crushed me. There were no jutsus there and yet my life could have been destroyed. That is just one practical example of how words can change things."
The bitter days that he hadn't seen much of… Jiraiya cursed his cowardice. Had he been a little courageous, he would have bothered trying with Naruto but he did not. Even when he came, he watched from afar. His sensei had asked him, when are going to introduce yourself to Naruto? It didn't have to be anything related to his parents. The Third was his beloved master. Naruto could have understood without too many questions.
But he hadn't. He had said he couldn't do anything good.
"Sensei was really good to you, huh?" There was sadness in his eyes.
Naruto nodded. "He was my family." He said and paused. A minute passed before he spoke again. "When do we begin?"
Jiraiya gathered his thoughts for a moment. He gave Naruto a scroll and explained. "This contains what you need in order to learn how to convert you chakra into fire before learning to use fire based jutsus. Like what you did when you learned to bend wind."
Naruto shook his head. He returned the scroll back to Sannin. "I know how to that."
Jiraiya blinked. "When did you learn? You have never even tried using fire based jutsus when sparring with me. You always use wind."
"About a year ago…" Naruto said with a shrug. "I have been putting focus on learning to use wind chakra and controlling the air around me. This requires maximum focus. I couldn't allow myself to be preoccupied with something else."
More than a year and he never said a word. Not a damn word. But then again, given that shrug, it was apparent that he didn't take it as something serious. "You still don't know any fire based jutsus…"
"I have a good memory… I most certainly remember the hand signs you have used for your jutsus. But I haven't tried it, yet." Again, a nonchalant shrug.
Jiraiya understood why Naruto never said anything. He didn't want to start learning to use fire based jutsus at that time. "We can't start your training now…. The one about the Kyubi…"
"Why?"
"We have to go our separate ways…" Jiraiya said. "I have some things to do and will be travelling a lot. You have to go to Sunagakure and try to finish your wind training there. The environment is very conducive there. I will send you a message once we are done and we can talk about concluding things."
"Last time I checked we didn't have a good relationship with the Hidden Sand…"
Suna had invaded the Leaf and they had ended up fighting. He had fought and defeated Suna's Jinchuriki. Had Konoha had bad leaders, it would have certainly marched to decimate the Sand. But good leaders avoided such bloodshed and were working on something else.
"That has been resolved…" Jiraiya said. "Tsunade soothed things out but there are still some people who are wary. They did betray us, they can do it again. At least some people are thinking that."
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. "Then I must confirm how things are there before they take things to the next level. My training is nothing more than convenience."
Jiraiya grinned. "You're not a bad student…" he said.
"Kakashi always spoke about reading underneath the underneath…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "The desert is going to be unpleasant."
"…If you get caught in a sandstorm. But it should be fine. You can always consider it a training trip."
"You really do like trial by fire sensei. You threw me in a deep pit to get me to learn how to summon the Toads…" Naruto stared. "One of these days sensei, you'll be drunk and wake up sleeping next to the old hag while posing nude…"
Jiraiya shivered at the thought of Tsunade seeing him naked before her when waking up. She'd kill him this time around. "Let us not go that far…" he said nervously. "I sent a message to the Subaku family to inform them of your visit. I thought it would be suitable they know."
Naruto nodded and looked up into the sky. "I'll camp by the border tonight and enter the desert before the sun rises." He said.
"Don't try to learn using the Kyubi's power there. We don't want you accidentally levelling Sunagakure to the ground." Jiraiya said. He could actually see that happening. The Kyubi had enough firepower to do that. The only way he had managed to even survive was through supressing the chakra. If not for fuinjutsu, he would be dead, literally.
"Eh, we shall see." Naruto responded with a shrug of his shoulders.
A day later
Hidden Village in Sand
Travelling documents; those were essential, if you were going to walk through the gates of any Hidden village, you needed them. It didn't matter if you were wearing a headband or just a civilian; you needed papers that showed who you were and where you come from. Security reasons. They didn't just want everyone and anyone entering their villages. Spies and dangerous criminals could walk through the gates if not watched and that posed a serious risk to a village.
Naruto looked up into the sky; this was his first visit in this village. He didn't know where to turn to. He didn't know anything. Perhaps this was why Jiraiya had contacted the Subaku family. Naruto didn't actually need them to get by. He could ask around.
The wind around the village was pleasant though: a gentle breeze, a warm kiss of nature. It was unlike the desert. The wind was wild, untamed – a natural force of destruction. Certainly something that could destroy you. Listening to its whispers, how it caressed his skin, Naruto was tempted to dance right here and now with his bag hanging on his back.
Someone hit him on the shoulder. That just ruined the mood. It felt like the wind suddenly disappeared on him. He looked at the man who had hit him, an apologetic smile. Naruto nodded and the man hurried somewhere. A minute later, two more people passed by him running. Naruto shook his head. A village may have different name, culture and environment, but people were still the same.
He started moving once more and finally found a room to rent – for a month long stay. There was no hurry to see the Subaku siblings. He wasn't even sure how it would go considering that the last time he met them he had been battling Gaara. Well, at least it had ended up pleasantly.
Naruto placed his bag on the bed and turned towards the window. His calling: it was high up in the wall. He frowned. He stepped next to the wall and placed his hand on it. He blinked before smiling. He almost laughed. He was thinking of creating a window that suited his needs. Was he that obsessive about this?
Naruto shook his head. The window was probably up there because of the conditions in the village. If storms came, they had to be safe. He placed his hands up and climbed up onto the window. He couldn't sit the way he preferred given the size of the walls, but it would do.
Once settled, Naruto looked outside. It wasn't a pleasant view. Then again, he never visited the window for its view.
Two hours went by before Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He thought about ignoring it for a moment. His sentimental time was being disturbed. Silently shaking his head, and went down and walked over to the wall.
A young girl, who showed him the room was standing there, with a warm smile. "Sorry to disturb you, but I just wanted to see if would take your food here or if you would eat down stairs."
Jiraiya was going to shout and curse but Naruto would only smile. He was renting a room in a five star hotel. The Sannin would cry foul over his wasted money. Naruto was usually safe with the money the Sannin gave him. He rarely spent it all and the man was more than happy to take it back. So, just this once, he could live the life of a spoiled prince.
"I will come down stairs." He said. "Can I also get a small table I can use to write on?"
"I will speak to the manager about that."
"Thank you…"
The young lady gave him the eating schedule and before walking away.
Naruto closed the door behind him and sighed. He should ease the tensions he felt on his body. Travelling in the heat of the desert as a bit rough. He would rest his body today and would go out tomorrow for training.
Hidden Leaf
A bandaged Jiraiya was sitting by the window, with a frown on his lips. Naruto didn't do this to him. But Tsunade had to greet him by pummelling him. He couldn't do his job with his body in pain. It would be troublesome if he came across trouble when his body was still suffering from the effects of Tsunade's beatings. Well, he was used to it anyway.
"I can't believe you, you damn pervert!" Tsunade sent a harsh glare towards her former teammate.
Jiraiya moved slightly. He was ready to bolt through the window if Tsunade made a move. One beating was enough, he couldn't take another one. "I just couldn't help myself, hime. When I came in, I felt that I was being called."
"Being called my ass!" Tsunade didn't ease up on her glare. "For more than two years you don't come show up and when you finally do appear, the first thing you do is go on a peeping tour!"
He didn't bother coming to see her. He didn't come through the gates. If it wasn't because of the complaints she had received, she wouldn't have known he was in the village until he decided that he was ready to see her. Didn't he know that she had missed him – not that' she would even admit that to him. He would never stop reminding her about it.
There was also too much to talk about that could not be said through letters. It has been over two years, dammit.
"I was going to come… hime…" Jiraiya said lamely. "But you didn't have to beat me like that and then tear my scripts. I'd been working on that for some time…" he complained with a glare.
Tsunade shrugged carelessly. "I should be having someone remove all those images in your head!" she said.
Jiraiya wouldn't permit something like that – he would fight tooth and nail to avoid it. Naruto let him do his research peacefully as long as he took care of everything that the blond needed. Sneaking in was a good idea though. He was already banned in most places. He just wished Tsunade wouldn't have her Anbu try to monitor him while in the village. They were not a problem, but it would just create an unnecessary problem for him.
"Anyway…" Tsunade turned serious. "What did Naruto say when you said you were going to come here?"
For a moment, Jiraiya thought of lying but he chose not to do so. He wouldn't do that to Tsunade. "Nothing." He said.
Tsunade was silent for a few moments. At this point, it was getting dangerous but she didn't want to get suspicious or cast doubts around Naruto. But he could not mope around forever. Or maybe he wasn't moping around but just had nothing to say. He hasn't had very good memories in Konoha. They certainly didn't give him anything. as far as she knew, the only good thing that had occurred for him in this village was when they cheered for him after he won his match at the Chunin exams. But that was the only thing.
All other memories were bad and the Sandaime's former advisors seemed particularly worried about this. Then again, they dined with Danzo. There was always an ulterior motive. But they kept disturbing her about Naruto's return to the Leaf. She certainly didn't want him to spend more years in the wilderness. She was sure he would be here when needed, but the Leaf didn't need another Jiraiya.
"I was thinking that perhaps he would have said something…" Tsunade said in a measured tone.
"He doesn't talk much about anything personal. We get along just fine and I think he is fine but we do need to start talking about these issues. Then again, it seems that unless I bring up something we won't talk about it unless it has something to do with training."
"But he does talk when the subjects come up."
Jiraiya nodded his head. "He isn't a silent person when you are talking to him but he can be very silent. He does this thing where he can sit motionlessly for hours like he is a statue…" there was a bit of indifference about the way Jiraiya said those words. He even shrugged in the end.
"Why don't you sound concerned about it?"
"It isn't a problem." He said. "I think it is done out of habit…"
Tsunade was silent for a couple of moments. She couldn't get any reports the Anbu made on their observations of Naruto. There was a register that said someone was observing him but there were no records of it. Not in this office, not in the Sarutobi compound, not in Anbu HQ and she didn't know who was doing it. Well, she had succeeded her sensei. If it was something dangerous, he would have made sure to keep it for himself only.
"The training is going fine… I assume… you don't really give a clear picture in your reports."
"Everything is going fine. If we end up taking more time, I will talk to the Toads about teaching him Senjutsu. But I will see what happens in the coming months."
Forget Senjutsu, "Why are you talking like you are going to spend more time away from the village, Jiraiya? You have to start talking about coming back now. There is a limit to how much I can tolerate this."
"I will talk to Naruto about it… but I did mention that we would have to talk about concluding things…" the Sannin said.
Tsunade stared at the man. He didn't sound concerned and he wasn't saying they would come back. "You're not concerned are you? You are happy you are spending time with your godson and are able to do some good for your past failures."
Jiraiya smiled bitterly. "That might be true. It may be selfish on my part but I am doing something good here. Naruto is learning and he will become a great asset to Konoha. It isn't like there is anything that really needs him here, so he can afford to focus on his training…" Jiraiya responded in a tone filled with regrets. "I will talk to him about it. Let us just give it one more year, hime."
Tsunade sighed. "The issue with Uzu is becoming a problem. Naruto is Uzumaki and his continued absence in the village is troubling to some people and to me really. If there are survivors of the Uzumaki clan there, would he decide to go there or would he come back to this village that has done nothing but treat him with contempt?"
Jiraiya frowned. He avoided thinking about this issue. He didn't want to question Naruto's loyalties. His sensei had never said anything about Naruto being a flight risk. But this was what Tsunade was basically saying. He could understand from her position. There was also the Kyubi to think about. "What are 'some people' plotting?"
"I don't know as yet, but they will eventually." She sighed tiredly. "Who could have thought that the revival of one small village could unsettle things so much…"
"Well, you could understand why it was destroyed in the first place. Our world depends on Bijuus to balance power but they had the power of making possessing Bijuus worthless. The Uzumaki's sealing prowess was something that we can never see in this world." Jiraiya said. "If they have come back, now you start questioning, are they going to come for us? A paranoid person like Danzo will also be thinking, will they also look at Konoha?"
"Why would they turn to us if they have indeed revived?"
"Konoha did nothing after Uzu was destroyed. Nothing. Mito was married to the First Hokage, we carry their symbol on our shinobi vests, Kushina was sent to this village for the sole purpose of becoming a Jinchuriki. And yet, when their village was destroyed, we did nothing."
Tsunade frowned. That just raises a new problem. "We will deal with it when it comes. But if we are looking at it in that way, they have a lot of enemies." She said. "We still don't know anything, so best we wait; have you been able to determine Naruto's standing in this?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No…" he said. "He asks questions when talking about it and poses some things that get me thinking but always does it objectively not as Uzumaki." Naruto did that often. He didn't reveal his opinion on most things despite his willingness to engage him in any subject.
"You have to find out what he thinks…" Tsunade said. "What do you have on Sasuke?"
"He follows Orochimaru closely but I think he has been around Otogakure in the past months. We never saw him anywhere. Orochimaru is the one who has been rather silent."
Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. "Since he has to change hosts every three years we can assume that his current host is starting to wear out. So he is limiting his movements…" she said. "This would be a good moment as any to apprehend him."
Jiraiya nodded. "But we don't know where he is… Otogakure is a massive web of hideouts. If you go to one, Orochimaru will know and escape. You really can't move unless you know exactly where he is…"
"I expect you to find out soon before he takes Sasuke's body. I personally don't care for the brat but we can't allow Orochimaru to have him."
"I'm going to be looking around for the next couple of weeks. I will come with something, at least I hope."
"What of Naruto?"
"I didn't tell you? I sent him to Sunagakure. He will be there for at least a month. If he didn't stop by the desert to train, he should have arrived already." Jiraiya said.
"You could have said when you came here, Jiraiya…" Tsunade said with a shake of her head. "How long are you going to stay here?"
"I will be gone by tomorrow morning." Jiraiya said. "I have to do what I need to do quickly before meeting up with Naruto. I have given him a month, it will be best if I don't keep him waiting by taking too long."
Sunagakure
Naruto was in a training ground; it hadn't taken long for him to find it. The whispers of the wind were just too much for him to ignore. The wind just felt so natural, so gentle so powerful. In the places he has been, he has had to use much of his chakra to generate wind jutsus but here, you could control the wind itself. It was a difficult adventure but nothing impossible. It could be done. You just had to learn to move with the wind and just be one with it.
In this exercise, Naruto usually meditated and allowed himself to measure the speed and density of the wind. You could not simply wish to control something you did not understand and could not measure. He meditated for about two hours before standing up.
He took a stance and breathed calmly: His breathing becoming silent, like an assassin. Once he had achieved this, Naruto lifted his hands up and then down again. He twisted around and the wind picked up. He jumped forward and the wind moved with him. He stopped and smiled.
He didn't care that someone was watching him. it was only natural for them to observe his movements. He was still a Leaf shinobi and maybe they had become allies once more, but he was using their training grounds without even talking to anyone in their ranks. And by now, they probably knew that he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. If they were willing to let their Jinchuriki run loose in Konoha, they'd think the Leaf would do the same.
Naruto shook his head. Wasn't it something that such thoughts hadn't disturbed his breathing? Then again, for how long has he been doing this? The days in the forest of death, the days sitting by the window of his apartment in the Leaf. It has been long. Many years. It was only natural for him. But he had forgotten when he started hanging out with people.
He shoved the thoughts to the back of his head and returned to his training: he waved his hand across his chest, picking up wind, this time around, with dust. He tried spinning it around, but it fell down. His concentration. Naruto stood motionlessly for a couple of minutes trying to regain his concentration. Once he was satisfied, he started moving.
He waved both his hands, moving the gentle air around him. He needed to move with it; he started walking around along with the wind. He did jumps while controlling the wind, moving it with him. he did this for an hour before halting.
Naruto waved his right hand front of him in a quick motion. His sand picked up, like a wave before it once more returned to the ground. Naruto clapped his hands together, while standing motionlessly. Sand picked up around him and then started twisting. It was like a small gentle storm. Naruto was moving around with the storm, dancing around the training ground.
He stopped, with the dust returning to the ground, sweat on his forehead, breathing a bit laboured.
Temari stared at the blond she had seen in Konoha. At first he had been unimpressive, just another brat but then he did something she never thought would happen: he defeated her brother, even though Gaara had even transformed. It was something she could never forget. He had sacrificed himself that day. He could have died. Gaara could have killed him, but he defeated Gaara and returned her brother to her.
Now he was standing there, looking at her; he had grown, he still looked slim, his hair was long, reaching over his shoulders, and it looked like it was never cut because it was messy but it could be because of the dance he was doing. He was dressed long black pants and a black long sleeved shirt with a swirling symbol in the front. He had truly grown – A bit of something to look at.
"That was impressive…" Temari said walking over to Naruto.
Naruto shook his head. He had a small smile on his lips seeing the blonde kunoichi. "It was nothing…" he said. "Just requires a bit of concentration and energy…" he paused. "You don't have a problem if a sit down, do you? I am a little worn out than l look. The exercise took out a lot from me."
Temari shook her head. She glanced at him with a curious eye as he settled down. "On first look, it appeared that you were controlling the sand but that isn't it."
Naruto glanced up at the blonde. Subaku no Temari. The eldest of the past Kazekage's children. As far as he was concerned, this village has yet to elect a Kage since Rasa was killed. This was the daughter of that man and a brother to the puppet user as well as Gaara. His memory of her was when she brutalized Tenten during the Chunin exams and looked irritated when Shikaku quit in their match. Oh yes, she did blush when she first saw Sasuke.
"What is so funny?" Temari more or less demanded.
Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, I was thinking about something. When we first met, you blushed when you saw my former teammate."
Temari sent the blond a slight glare. She didn't want to be reminded of that moment. "I thought he was good looking and impressive but he was a rude person…" she said with a frown.
"Well, you looked delightful in person to look at first glance but were rather brutal in your battle." Naruto said. "First glances don't always reveal everything do they?"
Temari looked away from a moment. He had just complimented her. When was the last time someone did that? Oh yeah, it almost never happened. She was the sister of a bloody killer. Even though Gaara had changed, to the people of this village, he was still the blood thirsty killer who killed people just for looking at him – a bitter past that just didn't seem to stay away from them.
She coughed once before responding. "No… they are not. I'd brushed you off at first glance – you looked like some weak brat who was just playing shinobi with a headband. But you truly are impressive. No, you shocked me. I didn't think you'd be able to defeat my brother."
Naruto smiled. "Well, there is really nothing that is impossible…" he said. "Brother… you are speaking of him fondly. Last time you were truly afraid of him… I guess things really did change after my fight with him."
Temari nodded with a smile. "They did… I guess that is thanks to you…" she said.
"I am a Jinchuriki; perhaps it is the territory…" Naruto said. "You really have a clean eye to be able to tell that I wasn't manipulating sand but rather wind…"
"You are looking down on Suna's strongest wind user." Temari said proudly.
"Oh really…" Naruto said curiously, a little charming smile on his lips.
Temari thought he was mocking her. She looked at him sternly. "What is with that response?"
Naruto shook his head. "No offense…" he said with both his hands in the air. He looked up in the sky. "I have been around and I haven't come across anyone who says they are the best in their village when it comes to wind. Then again, I have mostly been dealing with civilians. I am also a wind user, as you saw, so that makes me curious."
Temari stared, looking at him sceptically before finally accepting his response. "Any reason you didn't to see us when we were expecting you?"
"This is my first time in this village…"
Temari stared, unimpressed by Naruto's response. "Are you trying to say that you didn't come because you don't know where we leave?" she asked, a bit rhetorically. "And yet you still found a hotel to stay and even managed to make your way to a training ground…" she paused. "How stupid do you think I am?"
Naruto didn't respond to that trick question. "I wanted to look around the village by myself without my hosts because it is my first time being here. Being able to navigate around unfamiliar places is important for shinobi. You're not always going to go to places you know."
Temari was a bit embarrassed for her rant. She'd jumped to conclusions. She glanced at him at the corner her eyes; he had his face staring at the sky, his eyes clear. She couldn't read anything from his face but he had stopped smiling. "S-sorry…" It was truly difficult saying that.
Naruto shook his head. "I led you to it." He said.
Temari stared at him for a moment trying to understand the meaning of those words. She couldn't figure it out, so she ended up just shaking her head. "It would be of service to us if you came to our house… we are your hosts after all."
"I'm staying here for at least a month… besides that, I am more comfortable in my own private space…" Naruto said calmly. "But invite me tonight for dinner and I will come."
Temari blinked. "It usually goes the other way around, you know…" she said.
"Eh… you can't always confine yourself to the norms…" Naruto said with a shrug. He then held out his right hand. Temari looked at it for a moment before helping him stand up. "I need to rest up a bit and do some reading, but before that, you won't have a problem showing me to your house, yes?" He paused. "Oh, you still haven't said you are inviting me…"
Temari smiled. He was certainly a bit weird. Then again, she didn't deal with people she casually talked to like this. "You are invited." She said. "Come on…" she said and started walking away.
Naruto walked by her side silently. He only spoke when they arrived at the streets of the village where people could see them. He noticed the reaction of the male population and glanced at Temari – who was walking normally as if nothing was wrong. "I'm certain I will have people blocking my path when I go back to my hotel…"
Temari glanced at him for a moment before responding. "Why?"
"How often do you walk with a young man around here, Temari?"
Temari was caught off-guard by the question. It took some time for her to stutter a response. "W-why are you a-asking that?"
"Oh...?" Naruto smiled. "Well, that reaction is a bit interesting. I'm guessing you don't do that. Surprised, I am truly surprised. I mean you are a beautiful woman, I thought both lustful and mad in love boys would be throwing themselves at you."
Temari frowned. "They can't do that. They are afraid…" she paused, shaking her head. "They are afraid of my brother." She didn't explain why. "And um… thank you…"
"Hmm… for?" Naruto knew why, he just wanted her to say it. She was a tough person but yet still innocent. And he was used to dealing with the perverts that Jiraiya surrounded himself with. Not only that, but in the bars he visited, he saw some crazy things. Alcohol was a mad demon.
Temari sent Naruto a look.
Naruto laughed, raising his hands. "Forgive me for that…" he said. "I just thought it would be adorable if you said it yourself…" he said. "But there is no need to thank me. I am not giving you a favour by complementing you. You just need to smile and appreciate it because that is the truth." He put on a thoughtful look for a moment before speaking again. "Well, I can't think Gaara would complement you and your other brother…" Naruto shook his head.
"What of my other brother?"
Naruto shook his head. "Nothing," he said.
He didn't step into Temari's house; he just looked and then turned around to leave. Temari offered to walk him to his hotel but he shook his head, it was a gentleman's duty to walk a lady home. Her reaction had been a bit amusing once more.
Later night
While there was no emotion in his face, Gaara was a little happy knowing that Naruto was going to come to have dinner with them. The blond had told him some important words that changed the way he views life. He was content with his life as he was and the voices had died down. He could now sleep peacefully. it was perhaps safe to say he was at peace. He wouldn't go as far as to say he was happy but all was well. His siblings didn't look at him with fear and that was fine.
He still needed to do a lot to change things for his past behaviour. If people hated or fear him, he could understand. His actions hadn't been just and he could not excuse it by any reason. He had been wrong and he was working on to correct those wrongs. He could only thank Naruto for this change.
"Why didn't you invite him to come stay with us?" Gaara asked his sister. He had returned a bit late. Training with Baki and meetings with people who couldn't stand before him without their knees trembling was exhausting and it took too much of his time.
"I did and he said he was fine being alone…" Temari said.
Alone; this word got her thinking. Naruto was like Gaara. He hadn't been batshit crazy, bloodthirsty and frightening, but he had been lonely. He didn't have family, and he hadn't had friends. A miserable existence… the fate of Jinchurikis wasn't pleasant and with what she saw with her own brother, she could understand.
"We do have enough room here…" Gaara said. He couldn't understand why Naruto wouldn't want to come here. But if someone didn't want to do something, you didn't have to force them, lest you make them uncomfortable. "Well, that is his decision…" he said.
"Isn't it fine as things are?" Kankuro said. "The letter didn't say we had to give him a place to stay."
"That may be true, but we were asked to make him feel comfortable… and look out for him while in this village…" Gaara said calmly.
A woman who helped around the house came up with Naruto to the dining room. She then walked away. Temari realized, Naruto was dressed differently from earlier. He must have been wearing training clothes when she saw him during the day. And his hair didn't look out of place.
"Naruto… please come through…" Gaara's voice snapped Temari out of her thoughts.
Naruto nodded. There was little emotion in Gaara's voice, you couldn't even tell if he was smiling or not if you didn't look properly like an experienced shinobi. Temari had a smile and Kankuro looked… bored? He must be thinking about developing new skills for his puppets – a rare trade of skills for the Hidden Sand.
He sat down next to the bored looking man and faced Gaara. "Thank you for welcoming me to your home…" he said.
Gaara shook his head. "You helped me, this is nothing…" he said calmly.
Family dinner…. Naruto never had this. He had eaten with the Sandaime there and then, but it was not dinner with his blood family. He would never get this chance unless he forms a family of his own. What a miserable existence this was. Although he had said Temari could invite him, he was suddenly feeling a bit out of place. He wasn't used to this. He rarely even ate with Jiraiya. He really had to stop putting himself into things when he would be have difficulty carrying them out.
But he still couldn't let his discomfort show. He had to play his part. He couldn't make this awkward. He tried but he didn't speak much for the first couple of moments. He responded to questions until they finished eating and they moved to another room.
"How are things in Konoha anyway?" Gaara asked quietly.
Naruto shook his head. "I actually haven't been in the Leaf in more than two years…" he said.
Three siblings were surprised. The letter they received didn't say anything and neither had really gone to the Leaf since the invasion. It was a difficult time between the villages with negotiations between carried out over their actions in the invasion. But at least that was settled.
"Why?"
Naruto looked at Temari who'd asked. "Training trip," he said with indifference.
She was still surprised. "You haven't been home for that long and you've been just training. What else have you been doing?"
"You know, travelling around. The world is huge, there are many places to visit… that is why it is trip…" Naruto explained lightly.
"I didn't think you'd need to train more… you were already strong even when you were a genin…" Gaara said.
Naruto shook his head. "I did not defeat you because I was stronger than you. You cannot think that. I defeated you because you had a glaring weakness that I could expose…"
"I still lost in the end…" Gaara said. "Everyone does have a weakness… some people just have a better way of handling it. Power isn't always determined by your physical strength."
For the first time since he arrived here, Naruto smiled. "Well, that is something I can agree on…" he said. "How are things around here? I never followed the negotiations between the Leaf and Suna. Then again, genins are not given that kind of information."
"Wait… wait…" Kankuro said. "You're still a genin?" he asked, surprised.
Naruto nodded. "I have been away from the leaf over the past two and half years, so I haven't had time to participate in the Chunin exams. I can't imagine myself playing over that field though, I think I laughed at those who were repeat offenders."
Temari laughed at this. "We are all Jonins…" she said. "But you are not too old to enter the exams. I do think you are much stronger to be ranked a genin."
Naruto shrugged. "I don't usually think about that…" he looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking once more. "Well, I do think it might pose a problem when taking missions. Genins get to do chores while those higher ranked missions their rank."
"I'm sure they won't give you chores…" Gaara said. "Things have been a bit difficult but as you can see, we are managing."
"You are leaving out that they want to make you Kazekage…" Kankuro added in.
"It is nothing…" Gaara said.
Naruto smiled. That was something interesting, Gaara the Godaime Kazekage? In what world was he living in? There were certainly more suitable candidates but he wasn't going to ask why. It wasn't his business. Still it was good that a Jinchuriki with a past such as Gaara's was becoming a Kage. He was truly going to become the youngest Kage and since he doesn't look like a bad person, things would go well with Konoha.
"Congratulations, Gaara." Naruto said. "I think that is something special, regardless of the reasons." Certainly, they wouldn't put the Jinchuriki up as a figure head. There had to be someone they could put in that position. Suna didn't even need to pretend to be strong: it was weak. It's failed invasion in Konoha and proved as much.
"Not yet…" Gaara said. "They are still considering it. this village hasn't had an official Kage since the past Kage. There has been someone who assumed the role of leader, but no Kage… I still have to be appointed and do the job worthy of a Kage to be congratulated."
"You'll do a great job Gaara…" Temari said reassuringly. "You've got us to back you up."
Ah, family
Naruto lost his smile.
He stayed with the sand siblings for a little while longer. But once time had come for him to leave, he bid them farewell. It hadn't been a bad night. A bit uncomfortable but he had soldiered through it. There were moments but it had been quite lovely.
"Are you going to be using our training grounds often?"
Naruto nodded. "This is also part of my training trip." He said.
"I'll come and fetch you tomorrow around 9am. I will show you another training ground where you can train privately. If I feel like it, I might join you. You sounded a bit sceptical when I said I was the strongest wind user in sooner…"
Naruto smiled. "I wasn't…" he said. "But it would be lovely to have you join me, Temari. You are another wind user after all…"
Gaara alone said he would walk Naruto. Kankuro wanted to follow but he was told to stay behind and he obeyed very quickly. Then again, Gaara was someone who you listened to carefully when he spoke. They started out silently but the walk was slow.
"I actually wanted to talk to you…" Gaara started calmly. "I have come to consider you as a friend. And I hope that we can be friends."
"It can happen…" Naruto said. There was nothing stopping that from happening. It was either he said he didn't want to make friends or Gaara was just too much that he decided it wouldn't work out. There was nothing wrong with making friends either way.
"I thought so…" Gaara said. "I'm not actually being made Kazekage because of my abilities… the village council just fears me and they want to keep me happy and in control by giving me this responsibility. They probably think I will wake up one day and destroy them. My change hasn't done to anything to lift the burden; it has made them even more suspicious since they can't tell what I am thinking. They are putting me here to, say, we trust you and want you to lead us, but I know the truth.
"Even so, I will accept the job. They probably think I will fail, but I won't. I have done many things that I will probably never earn forgiveness for, but I still want to do something different. I want to correct what I did in the past. I cannot erase the past, but at least I want to protect the future. And for those who I never wronged, perhaps they will remember me for the good work I did. But even if they choose to remember my past, that is fine."
Naruto was honestly surprised by those words. He was silent for a couple of moments as digested them. "Forgiveness is truly difficult, especially when you have filled your heart with nothing but hate. But it only damages those who hate. I have never truly seen anyone who stepped out of the darkness to march in the light in the same way as you. People never truly want to accept that they were wrong and they are more willing to pretend that the past never happened. It's safer than apologizing.
"People want to be forgiven but not willing to do everything to be forgiven and when they are not forgiven, they turn backwards. You are willing to walk your path even if people do not forgive you, even if people choose to remember you for the dark days – that is special." Naruto looked up to the heavens for a moment. "You have taught me something important and I will admire your courage and willingness to stand in the mist of those who hate you and still do good… that isn't something people are willing to do."
A couple of weeks later
For how long has it been since he came to this village? Weeks, and there was still no word from Jiraiya. The Sannin had a way, don't contact me, I will contact you. He didn't even have a way of contacting the Sannin except through the Toads.
But the time here hasn't been all disturbing. Quite honestly, it has been refreshing. And he learned a lot of things about this village and the sand siblings. It was truly apparent, Gaara wasn't the most loved. It just reminded him of his past in the Hidden Leaf but at least Gaara could explain why they hated him. Nevertheless, he was truly a menace in the eyes of the villagers and yet, he was still willing to lead this village. It also didn't make things easy for someone like Temari.
She was honestly a beautiful person. Over the past month, he has been training with her, a bit constantly that he had thought he would when she offered to join. She wasn't a bad person and she was truly skilled. But at this stage, she wasn't going to get loved in here. People feared her brother. And he had noticed that Gaara was a little protective of her. If someone hurt his sister, the old Gaara was certainly going to come out and there would be a sand burial. Thinking of this, Naruto laughed.
"Someone is going to think you are crazy one day, you know…" Temari said with a raised eye brow.
Naruto shrugged a bit carelessly. "People will always have an opinion about other people, Temari. I have to come to learn that with being human, you think about what you see and you form an opinion of it. I generally don't care about what people think of me…"
The indifference, Temari realized; it was something he had about a lot of things. He smiled and spoke well, but he was obviously indifferent to a lot of things. He had opinions, but it wasn't always personal. Even now, she really didn't know a lot of things about him personally. Just because he talked and talked didn't mean he opened the doors. No, perhaps the talking was a way to keep you busy.
It was strange though, how do you spend so much time with someone and feel like you know them yet realize that you really don't know much about them? What did she know? Personal things? His views? She could never tell. He used 'I' but there was always a lack of emotion, in it; a general lack of connection between what he was saying and himself.
Was it purposeful perhaps?
"You're staring, Temari…"
He was looking at her with those clear blue orbs. They were clear, almost pulling you inside, and yet, there was nothing inside. "I was thinking." She said.
Naruto was careful about these things, so he didn't ask what she was thinking. He could almost assume what she was thinking, but he wasn't sure. "I would assume so…"
That was it! Temari could never tell what Naruto was thinking. That was the issue. She had no idea what Gaara was thinking but she felt that there was no disconnection between his words and thoughts. She had a nagging feeling that there was with Naruto and it was very big.
"Are you here for a session or do you find something interesting in my body that you like?" Naruto asked smiling. "I realize that I won't win beauty contests, but you certainly don't get eye burns from looking at me,"
Temari smiled. Somehow, he still managed to be honest. Perhaps at times a bit extremely so, but she liked that about him. "I brought my fan…"
Naruto suddenly leapt into the air. "Futon: Great Wind Breakthrough!" He released powerful gusts of winds to the unsuspecting Temari. The powerful gusts slammed into the blonde Jonin and sent her flying back wards. Temari flipped several times before landing on a knee.
When she looked up, Naruto was right in front of her, he kicked the ground and dust picked up, and into her face. Temari quickly closed her eyes to avoid getting blinded.
Naruto twisted around swiftly and kicked Temari on her forehead, sending him flying backwards once more. He didn't attack her again; he stopped and watched, almost impatiently waiting for her to explode.
"What the hell was that for!?" Temari shouted, glaring at Naruto. "I didn't say we could start; you just went on to attack me like that. What if someone thought you were really attacking me?!"
Naruto shrugged a bit carelessly, almost on purpose. "I was really attacking you…" he responded.
Temari responded opening her fan, she swung it a bit violently. The fan released multiple blades of wind that sped towards Naruto. He knew they could chop down a tree – the blades. It was that dangerous and yet, Temari released such a jutsu. She was mad at him for his careless response and was enticing a response from him.
Well she was asking for it. He did hand seals. "Violent Sand Storm!" It was like a blow of wind. Sand picked up, twisting violently and in great speed. The jutsu didn't travel much. It was short range and could be used for defensive purposes but the speed of the sand within the storm could blast through human flesh. The jutsu blocked Temari's before dying down slowly.
Temari flashed behind Naruto, some distance back. She attempted to swing her fan, but Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her. He stopped her from swing her fan by grabbing it forcefully and then pushed her back.
Temari quickly recovered her balance and stood still.
"You should really work on your short-range skills. I dislike depending on one thing because the moment you lose it, you're out of your comfort zone. Jiraiya taught me Kenjutsu, but you'll never see me carrying a sword. However, when the situation comes, I am able to handle it."
Temari was a bit annoyed by that lecture. "If you want to see my taijutsu skills, we can have a go…"
Naruto shook his head, smiling. "I've seen it… and I don't want to get hit by your fan again…" he said.
Temari was silent. "You're a bit rough though…" she said massaging her temple where Naruto kicked her. He wasn't very merciful. There were those who said they couldn't hit a woman, Naruto could hit. And he did as hard as he could. Perhaps that was the good thing about him. He didn't take it easy on her. He fought seriously.
"Gentleness is when we are naked in the bed, Temari… well, unless you like it rough."
Bam!
The fan landed on his left shoulder. A flustered Temari was glaring at him, trying to fight off the image Naruto had just painted on her head. It could be that he was a pervert. But he really did like teasing her. Was it because she was innocent? "I'm going to shove this fan down your throat if you keep saying things like that."
While massaging his shoulder, Naruto still laughed. "Don't be like that, Temari. You are not a child anymore. And I am helping you get used to such talk. You are already at that age." Naruto didn't mistake that Temari was older than both Gaara and Kankuro. And of course him.
"How can you be comfortable saying things like that?"
"You get used to it…" Naruto said. "My sensei is a man who proudly claims he is a super pervert. If you spend time with him, you'll pick up things. There were days I used to receive nose bleeds seeing him with women, but I am used to it. And I hang around that ground as well. They say things a bit for graphically while touching you."
Temari had to mentally slap herself from imaging Naruto with a woman… touching him while whispering things to his ears. "That happens in the bars? I know you go there…"
Naruto shrugged. "I don't go there to meet people or do anything."
"Why do you go there?"
Naruto was silent for a couple of moments. He was thinking if he should answer or not. In the end, he responded. "Observation… maybe drunk people amuse me and I go there for the show they put out."
"Aside from madness, what would you observe?"
"That madness…" Naruto said. "Madness aside, you see many people in bars… happy, sad, miserable… lost. People go there for different reasons. Some are running away from their problems, some are busy making deals, some are exchanging information, and some are with the wrong crowd. You see many things in a bar full of people."
"Why would you want to observe such things, if you are not going to do anything about it?"
Naruto shrugged. "Who knows… maybe it helps me understand people better… maybe I don't even go there for that only but just want to get drunk and forget about the troubles of being a shinobi…" he shook his head. "If you want to see Gaara liven up a bit, take him there and get him drunk…"
Temari tried to think about it but she couldn't even form an image because she could never imagine her brother getting drunk. Would he even agree to go to a bar and drinking? No. he would not. If he does, it was just one cup, and he'd nurse it for seven days.
"I don't think that will happen…" Temari said. "Are you done for the day?"
Naruto nodded.
"I have always been curious…" Temari started slowly. "You are always in your hotel room from noon till late, what do you do alone?"
Naruto looked up into the sky for a moment before looking straight at Temari. "In my first year at the academy, I had no friends, no one. The kids avoided me, and their parents openly told them not to play with me. During lunch breaks I sat alone, being ignored. In the streets, people looked at with contempt… so after classes, I would immediately go back to my apartment and sit there. What would be the purpose of going out if people didn't want me in the streets?" Naruto asked before shaking his head. "Perhaps these days I do it out of habit more than anything."
That was perhaps the first time he said something about himself without looking indifferent, without shrugging. She felt, those were his thoughts; his experience, that was the question he had asked himself back then. Temari felt sad. Yet, she felt there was something she was missing.
Temari felt sad, realizing just how miserable life had been for him.
"What were you thinking about while alone?"
Naruto merely smiled.
Temari realized: she wasn't going to get a response. "You ever thought of breaking that habit?"
"Eh… I hold things of the past too closely… just can't seem to let go easily…" Naruto said.
There was the indifference, yet this time, Temari didn't feel annoyed by it. "It isn't that much of a habit, is it?"
"Perhaps not…" Naruto responded calmly.
A couple of minutes later…
When Naruto arrived at the hotel, he found a message waiting by the window. Jiraiya, he thought. He opened it. Tanzaku Gai in seven days. He could do that. But he had to leave as early as tomorrow. He wanted to travel slowly by the Fire country. He could speed through the River country and rest once he crosses the border.
Hidden Leaf
"Danzo, we have to do something about the Kyubi's Jinchuriki…" Koharu said to the war hawk. "It has been more than two years and he isn't coming back… Tsunade isn't even saying on the matter."
Danzo didn't react visibly to this. This was a troublesome issue, yet nothing new. But with Tsunade present, he couldn't get close to Naruto. Well, with the blond outside of Konoha, he could make his move. Jiraiya wasn't always with the Jinchuriki. The Sandaime had stonewalled all attempts to get close. He had blocked him and threatened him. His former teammate was willing to turn a blind eye on most things but when it came to Naruto, he had been immovable like a mountain.
There had been no forgiveness; even Koharu had been told that she wasn't to bring out Naruto when they talked unless she was asking his health or how he was doing in class. If she persisted, she would be sacked as an advisor.
"He is a flight risk and we cannot afford to lose the Kyubi. We have already lost the Sharingan; we can't afford this loss…" Danzo didn't generally care for the boy, he cared for the Kyubi. "He is currently in Sunagakure training there…"
"Suna… have they selected a Kage, yet?"
"No…" He said. "If I had my way, we would have just taken control over it. There wouldn't be a need for a Kage but Tsunade has been unwilling."
"Well, for someone who has fought in wars, Tsunade can be quite naïve at times…" Koharu said. "What are we going to do about the Kyubi's Jinchuriki?"
"I have a plan…" Danzo said.
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