Namikaze Naruto- The Unpredictable Shinobi

Chapter 49: Rejected Offer and a Diamond

Jiraiya and Naruto found a safe spot in the dango shop. They began chatting when Naruto placed a cone of silence around them. "Sensei, do you have a scroll?" Jiraiya raised a brow, but gave one anyway. She unsealed a brush and ink and began writing on the scroll. "Don't have a pen, Gaki?" He asked. Naruto gave a sheepish smile. "I like using ink and brush better." 'Just like Minato.' Jiraiya thought. "Sensei, I found some information from the small network I have. I think you already know, but if not, then it'll be helpful for you." "Is this what you meant by making it up to me?" Jiraiya asked amused. Naruto nodded. "I have found about four people from Akatsuki.
Iwa no Deidara- clay user, bombs specialist, crazy about art. Makes explosive clay bombs, from as large as Manda Hebi to as small as sand particles. Blonde hair and blue eyes- not like me!- with something like a camera on one eye. Paired with Sasori.
Suna no Sasori, or Akasuna no Sasori- puppet user, grandson of Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure. Suspected to be making puppets out of his victims. Poisons specialist. Puppet tricks include occasional swordsmanship and poisoned senbon. Also crazy about art, but doesn't shout like Deidara.
Hoshigaki Kisame- former member of Seven Swordsmen of Mist. The tailless tailed beast with his live chakra consuming sword Samehada, shark summoner. Paired up with Tobi.
Tobi- unknown origins with small speculations. Has the ability to phase through things or disappear using a space-time jutsu that seems to be a bloodline limit.Also a genjutsu specialist. Deceives others with the façade of a child. Face hidden by orange mask with a swirl pattern that is centred at a lone hole for the right eye. He also has a sharingan- what his right eye shows anyway- owned or stolen, we don't know yet. I'm working on the possibility of his origins from Konoha." Naruto explained as she wrote on the scroll.

Jiraiya's face was solemn. He said slowly, "I might've known about one or two of the list, but a Sharingan user? How will you check it out?" Naruto smirked. "I have connections with an influential Uchiha. And no, it's not Sasuke." "Then who?" "Who knows?" she chirped. Jiraiya stopped himself from pursuing as she definitely didn't want to tell him. As long as she was safe and knew what she was doing, he was alright with it. With the blonde's bright personality, she could sway anyone to be her friends. Okay, maybe not Danzo, but you get the idea.

He ruffled her head, "I'm proud of you, Gaki. I hope you will take up on my offer." "Yes I will. But you have to wait." The invisible cone was dispelled as they continued joking. They parted with Jiraiya leaving the village and Naruto going to the Hokage's office.

Once Tsunade saw her, she asked, "Gaki, why did you not take up the offer immediately?" Naruto tilted her head with a deadpan at the blurt. Tsunade sighed and sent away her ANBU. Once they were alone, Naruto said, "I have been recruited in ANBU recently. How can I leave the village so soon? I need to stabilize my position there. Also I have to get the Byakugou seal. I will be leaving to train and the training could interfere with the process of the seal. Hence the wait."Tsunade nodded, satisfied with the answer, and continued the daily routine of assigning missions and paperwork. Sarutobi hadn't told her yet, the secret which Naruto had told him years ago.

(cough)the gender(cough)

Time flew through the next few months. Sakura was now working at the hospital as a nurse. She was progressing well, but had ways to go. Sasuke had joined the Police Force, still under probation, working on the attitude that had miles to go. Or perhaps it was just his personality by birth. Shikamaru was handling a part of his father's work as strategist. He was a chunin in the team under the captaincy of Sarutobi Asuma. His teammates were Izumo and Kotetsu. This team was the general team he would go with. Ino, learning her clan techniques, was also learning about flowers from her parents, who were florists at 'Yamanaka Florist.' Chouji, apart from training with his clan also worked part time at a restaurant to improve his already great culinary skills.

Shino was training under his clan and Kurenai, and simply observed nature during the times of rest. He occasionally collected rare species of bugs and tried to see if any of them would help as useful weapons. Kiba was working out trying to please his feral mother, Inuzuka Tsume. Hinata was training with Neji and sometimes with her sister Hanabi and father Hiashi. She was trying to create a new technique that suited her better. The jutsu 8 Trigrams: 128 Palms was a hard one to reach. Tenten was experimenting on new weapons and tried to incorporate weapons with her Taijutsu. Lee was practising in his gates and various techniques that only he could use as an only Taijutsu user. Neji training under Hiashi had soared high and was turning out to be a prodigy of decades. Hiashi wondered if there was any way Neji could be made the clan head after him. He had the right skills as a shinobi and also good leadership skills.

Naruto was studying the scrolls she had fom her parents and the first two Hokage. Her quest to Edo Tensei without sacrifices was still incomplete. There were some pieces of puzzle missing, but mostly, she hadn't any time to try out her theses. There were her duties as Jounin and ANBU. The Commander would push work on his Second, who in turn would push it on his team, just to prove his sadistic streak. She was also working at the Hospital as Tsukumo Kiyo. There was also the Byakugou Seal that needs chakra accumulation and fine-tuning. The new reserves of chakra were to be built and stabilized. It was not a simple bridge building as Tazuna did.

One day, Naruto was doing the regular exercises of chakra control when she felt her reserves were full. There was another source of chakra other than the one close to heart and the one in her stomach- Kurama's chakra. It was more than a month and year since the training with for the Uzumaki seal began. She checked herself in the mirror, and found that her clear forehead had a mark in the middle in the shape of a diamond which was more blue than green.

She was overjoyed that her training had paid off. The seal was ready and the new source of chakra was too stable to come off with a mere jolt, until a life-threatening situation comes. It had been difficult in the beginning. Having large reserves as an Uzumaki and Jinchuriki of Kyuubi made fine-tuning difficult. Kurama, thankfully, had given her tips to control and harness the large amounts of chakra. 

Naruto turned back to her feminine self and looked again in the mirror. The diamond suited her well. With whiskers, she looked cute. Without whiskers, she looked like a female Minato, with some of Kushina's features blended. Naruto smiled at the resemblance as she disguised herself as her male self. She applied some powder on her forehead and covered the diamond with a fringe of her spiky hair before she set off to find Tsunade.

Tsunade was grumpy as usual with all the paperwork. Having Shizune by her side always pestering her to complete her work and denying her her right to drink made her even more grumpy. All of a sudden Naruto barges through her office without knocking. She was about to scold Naruto when she saw the rare expression of unveiled joy on the teen's face. "Naruto what's wrong?" Said girl took a moment to compose herself. "Shizune-san, I am borrowing Tsunade-sama for a while." She said as she grabbed the Hokage's hand and flashed them to the Forest of Death. Releasing Tsunade, she put a barrier around them and turned to the older lady and waited for the question. "Naruto, what's going on?" "Nee-san, look!" She said excited as she removed the obstructing fringe of hair and wiped the powder to reveal her accomplishment.

Tsunade blinked, "Is that...?" Naruto nodded, successfully containing her excitement. "Yes, Shishou (Master). I have completed your lesson." Tsunade had tears of pride as she looked at the diamond seal oh-so-similar to the one on her forehead, on the forehead of her little student who had achieved what even Shizune couldn't, in a short time.

Tsunade had always been composed, except when her brother and lover had died. The teen before her might not have been related to her by blood, but she felt a strange connection with 'him'. She let down all her barriers before 'him', something she wouldn't have done for any other student other than Shizune. She embraced her sibling before pulling back to examine Naruto's face. "Will you hide it?" she asked with her hand brushing 'his' face. "Maybe... Maybe not..." was the trailed off reply. 

Tsunade ruffled 'his' hair. "Well, Gaki, this diamond gives you a unique touch."