"Oc in Naruto"

Chapter 9

"A test of growth," Tsunade announced, folding her hands under her chin with a smile that made everyone in the room suddenly nervous. "Naruto, Sakura – you'll face Kakashi together. Show us how much you've learned.""Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Alright! We'll definitely show him how strong we've gotten, right Sakura-chan?"Aria, leaning against the wall near Tsunade's desk in her ANBU gear, tilted her head in that particular way that meant she was seeing something amusing in the near future. Her iridescent purple hair caught the light as she moved, making Naruto do a double-take yet again."Sorry," he interrupted his own excited planning, "but I still can't get over how different you look, Aria-chan! And why are you smiling like that? You know something, don't you?""She always knows something," Sakura supplied with fond exasperation. "You get used to it. Eventually.""Indeed," Tsunade smirked. "Our resident seer has become quite the asset. Speaking of which – Aria, you'll handle the barrier seals for the match?""Already prepared them," Aria confirmed, her covered eyes crinkling with amusement. "Set them up this morning when I saw we'd need them.""Wait, you really can see the future?" Naruto's jaw dropped. "I thought Sakura-chan was joking about that! And what's with the eye covering? And why are you wearing ANBU gear? And—""Naruto," Sakura interrupted with practiced patience, "breathe.""But there's so much to catch up on!" he protested. "Like, did you see how she just appeared in front of us at the gate? That was the Fourth's technique! And her hair keeps changing colors! And sometimes I think I see scales? And—""Perhaps," Kakashi's voice came from the window, making Naruto jump, "you should focus more on preparing for our match than interrogating your old friend?""Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto spun around, then paused. "Hey, wait a minute... how long have you been there?""Oh, about twenty minutes," Aria supplied helpfully. "He wanted to make a dramatic entrance, but I think Pakkun told him about my temporal perception abilities. Spoiled the surprise a bit.""Mah, mah, Aria-chan," Kakashi eye-smiled, "you're ruining my mysterious image.""Bold of you to assume you still had one, sensei," she replied cheerfully. "Especially after the Incident with the Dango Shop.""We agreed never to speak of that," Kakashi said quickly, while Tsunade poorly disguised a snort of laughter as a cough."Okay, seriously!" Naruto threw up his hands. "What happened while I was gone? Aria-chan's an ANBU who can see the future and teleport, she's got weird eyes that need covering but can still see everything, her hair changes colors, Kakashi-sensei actually trained someone enough that they can sass him back, and nobody will tell me about any of these incidents everyone keeps mentioning!""Time is a river," Aria said serenely, channeling Ryūō's most cryptic tone, "and some stories flow better when discovered naturally.""You've gotten really weird, you know that?" Naruto informed her."Thank you," she replied, making him groan in frustration."The match," Tsunade interrupted, though her eyes danced with amusement, "will be tomorrow morning at Training Ground 44's ANBU section. Standard rules apply – no Sage Mode, no Strength of a Hundred techniques, and..." she shot Kakashi a look, "no Mangekyo Sharingan.""Seems fair," Kakashi agreed easily. Too easily, in Naruto's opinion."Aria-chan," he turned to his friend hopefully, "you'll tell me what he's planning, right?""Now that would be cheating," she said primly, then ruined it by adding, "Though you might want to watch out for the ninken around the fifteen-minute mark. Particularly from above.""From above? But they're dogs, they don't—" Naruto cut himself off, squinting suspiciously at his former sensei. "What are you planning?""Mah, would I plan anything devious?" Kakashi's innocent tone fooled exactly no one."Yes," everyone in the room replied in unison."Aria," Tsunade addressed her guard, "you'll referee?""Of course. Though..." her covered eyes turned toward the window, "we might want to reinforce the eastern boundary. Just a feeling.""Noted." Tsunade had long since learned to trust Aria's "feelings" about potential property damage. "Kakashi, try not to destroy too much of my forest this time.""No promises," he eye-smiled. "My cute little students have grown so much, after all. I'll need to take this seriously.""Speaking of serious," Aria's scales flickered briefly visible with amusement, "you might want to arrive on time tomorrow, sensei. Unless you want everyone to know about that thing with the cat and the—""I'll be there at dawn," Kakashi interrupted hastily."See?" Aria turned to Naruto. "Temporal perception does have its uses.""You've got to teach me how you do that," Naruto decided. "The whole seeing the future thing seems really handy!""Ah," she smiled mysteriously, "but then how would I maintain my new reputation for being cryptic and mysterious?""When did you get so..." Naruto waved his hands expressively, "...like this?""That," Sakura patted his shoulder sympathetically, "is a very long story involving a dragon, several explosions, at least one temporal paradox, and the complete restructuring of three training grounds.""Also," Aria added helpfully, "a very angry cherry tree.""You know what?" Naruto decided, "I'm just going to focus on tomorrow's match. My brain hurts less that way.""Wise choice," Ryūō's voice rumbled in Aria's mind, making her scales shimmer with suppressed laughter."Oh yeah," Naruto pointed at her accusingly, "and since when do you sparkle?""That," Tsunade interjected before they could get sidetracked again, "is definitely a story for another time. You all have preparation to do. Dismissed!"As they filed out of the office, Naruto could be heard saying, "But seriously, Sakura-chan, what's with the eye covering? And the scales? And did her hair just turn blue for a second? And why does Kakashi-sensei look nervous when she smiles like that? And—""Naruto," Sakura's patient voice replied, "trust me – some things you have to see to believe. Just wait until tomorrow.""But—""Though you might want to work on your dodging," Aria added cryptically as she vanished in a flash of purple light. "Trust me on this one."Kakashi, watching his students go, merely shook his head with a fond smile. Tomorrow was certainly going to be interesting.Though perhaps he should warn Pakkun about that aerial maneuver situation Aria had hinted at. Just in case.After all, time might be relative, but a ninja's best friend was still proper preparation.Even if said preparation involved figuring out how to get ninken to attack from above without anyone noticing them being put in position."Challenge accepted," he muttered, already planning.In her office, Tsunade reached for her sake, only to find it mysteriously absent again."ARIA!"The distant sound of dragon-touched laughter was her only replyDawn painted Training Ground 44's ANBU section in shades of gold and shadow as Aria finished activating the barrier seals. Her covered eyes tracked the flow of energy, making minute adjustments to account for what she'd glimpsed of the coming battle."Show-off," Ryūō commented as she added an extra reinforcement to the eastern boundary – exactly where she'd seen it would be needed in approximately forty-three minutes."You're early," Tsunade observed from her viewing position, Shizune at her side with a medical kit that everyone pretended wasn't necessary."Technically," Aria replied, her scales flickering briefly visible with amusement, "I'm right on time. Kakashi-sensei will arrive in three... two... one..."A swirl of leaves announced Kakashi's arrival, right on schedule."Aria-chan's time perception is cheating," he announced cheerfully, making her covered eyes crinkle in a smile."Says the man who has three different surprise attacks planned using shadow clones that aren't even here yet," she countered."Four, actually.""The fourth one won't work. Trust me on this."Naruto and Sakura arrived together, both looking determined and just a bit nervous at their sensei's unusual punctuality."Alright!" Naruto punched the air enthusiastically. "Time to show Kakashi-sensei how strong we've gotten!""The rules," Aria announced formally, her ANBU mask now in place, "are as follows: No Sage Mode, no Strength of a Hundred Seal, no Mangekyo Sharingan. The match continues until either side yields or I call it. The barrier seals will contain any excess chakra manifestations." She paused, then added, "Try not to break too many trees. They take forever to regrow.""Begin!" She vanished in a flash of purple light, reappearing on a high branch to observe.Kakashi didn't move, his visible eye curved in a deceptively friendly smile. "Well? Shall we see what my cute little students have learned?"Naruto immediately formed his signature hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"A dozen clones appeared, charging forward – only to be met by an equal number of Kakashi's own clones emerging from the ground."Lesson one," Kakashi called out cheerfully, "never start with your most obvious move.""Who says that was my most obvious move?" Naruto grinned as his clones burst into smoke, revealing that they were actually transformed chunks of earth – right as Sakura's fist connected with the ground, sending shockwaves through the carefully prepared battlefield."Not bad," Kakashi approved, substituting away from the devastation. "But—"He cut off as he realized his new position was exactly where Naruto's real clones were waiting, transformed into rocks."Gotcha!" they shouted in unison, only for 'Kakashi' to turn into a log."Lesson two," his voice came from somewhere in the trees, "always have a backup plan.""Like this?" Sakura called, her hands already forming seals. The air filled with cherry blossoms – a genjutsu layered with real petals hiding senbon."Oh?" Kakashi's voice held genuine interest. "Taking a page from Kurenai's book?""Not quite," Sakura smiled sweetly as the petals began to glow with gathered chakra. "This is something new."The explosion of pink-tinted chakra would have been devastating if Kakashi hadn't substituted again – right into the path of Naruto's Rasengan."Too slow," Kakashi chided, flipping over the attack – only to realize too late that Sakura had predicted his dodge, her chakra-enhanced kick already arcing toward his new position.He blocked, barely, the force still sending him skidding backward. "Much better! But still not good enough to—""Catch you off guard?" Naruto's voice came from above as dozens of shadow clones descended, each wielding a Rasengan.Kakashi's eye widened slightly as he recognized the pattern. "This is...""Formation Delta," Sakura confirmed, already moving to her position. "We may have gotten some tips."In her observation post, Aria's scales flickered with amusement. She'd seen this coming – literally – and was looking forward to Kakashi's reaction to what came next.The copy ninja substituted away from the Rasengan barrage, only to find himself in a carefully prepared trap as Sakura's chakra-enhanced strength combined with Naruto's clones to herd him into an increasingly confined space."Not bad," he admitted, countering their coordinated attacks with practiced ease. "But you'll need more than borrowed tactics to—"He cut off as he realized something crucial: they weren't trying to hit him at all. They were mapping his movement patterns."Now!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison.The real attack came from all sides – Naruto's clones using a variation of the Uzumaki Barrage while Sakura's precisely timed strikes eliminated his escape routes. The coordination was perfect, showing hours of practice."Impressive," Kakashi acknowledged, forming seals faster than the eye could follow. "But if you think I haven't learned new tricks too..."The earth itself seemed to come alive, dragons of mud and lightning emerging to counter the assault. One of Naruto's clones let out an indignant squawk as it was swallowed whole by a mud dragon."Hey! Since when can you do that?""Lesson three," Kakashi eye-smiled, "never reveal all your techniques at once.""You mean like the shadow clone waiting to ambush Sakura-chan from underground?" Naruto asked innocently.Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly as Sakura smoothly dodged the clone's attack without even looking, dispersing it with a chakra-enhanced backhand."We may have gotten some tips about your favorite tactics too," she explained sweetly.In her tree, Aria's covered eyes crinkled with amusement. She'd particularly enjoyed sharing that intelligence during their preparation sessions.The battle escalated as both sides began revealing more of their new abilities. Kakashi's lightning techniques had evolved in fascinating ways, while Naruto's creative use of shadow clones combined with Sakura's precise chakra control created increasingly complex attack patterns."Time check," Ryūō murmured in Aria's mind."Three... two... one..."Right on schedule, Pakkun and the other ninken burst from the canopy above – somehow having been maneuvered into position without anyone noticing. Well, almost anyone."Incoming!" Naruto yelped, dodging left – then right as he remembered Aria's cryptic warning from yesterday."You knew about this!" he accused as he narrowly avoided Bull's impressive aerial descent."I know lots of things," Aria called back cheerfully. "Like the fact that you should duck... now."Naruto ducked without thinking, just as one of Kakashi's lightning dragons passed through where his head had been."That's definitely cheating!" he shouted, while simultaneously creating more shadow clones."Actually," Sakura corrected, using one of the ninken's momentum to launch herself into a perfect counter-attack, "that's just Aria being Aria. You get used to it.""When did everyone get so weird?" Naruto demanded, even as he seamlessly coordinated with Sakura to press their advantage."Says the guy who just made a clone transform into a giant shuriken to distract from the clone transformed into a smaller shuriken hidden in the first clone's shadow," Kakashi pointed out mildly, substituting away from the dual attack."That's different! That's just good tactics!""Speaking of tactics," Sakura called out, her hands already forming seals, "ready to try that new combination?""You bet!"What followed was a perfectly executed collaboration technique that combined Naruto's massive chakra reserves with Sakura's precise control, creating a spiraling vortex of energy that even Kakashi had to admire as he barely avoided it."Now that," he acknowledged, "was impressive. When did you develop that?""About five minutes ago," Naruto grinned. "We just figured since we're already here...""Improvisation is a shinobi's best friend," Sakura quoted primly, then drove her fist into the ground again as Naruto's clones herded Kakashi toward the impact zone.The battle continued for another twenty minutes, showcasing just how far both students had come – and how much their teacher had been holding back during their earlier training years.Finally, after a particularly spectacular exchange that may or may not have involved three earth dragons, a small army of shadow clones, and what appeared to be explosive cherry blossoms, Aria called the match."That's enough," she announced, appearing between the combatants in a flash of purple light. "Any more and we'll run out of forest.""Aww, but we were just getting to the good part!" Naruto protested, even as he swayed slightly from chakra exhaustion."Indeed," Kakashi eye-smiled, looking only slightly less winded than his students. "Though I am curious about that last combination you were about to try.""You mean the one that would have broken through your defense but also taken out half the barrier seals?" Aria asked innocently. "I thought it might be best to stop before we had to explain that much property damage to Tsunade-sama."All three combatants winced slightly at the thought."A wise decision," Tsunade called from her observation point, trying and failing to hide how impressed she was. "Well done, all of you. Though next time, perhaps fewer explosive cherry blossoms?""No promises," Sakura replied cheerfully, while Naruto finally gave in to his burning curiosity."Okay, but seriously, Aria-chan – how did you know about all the attacks before they happened? And what's with the purple light when you move? And why do your scales keep showing up when you're amused? And—""Naruto," Sakura interrupted fondly, "how about we get some ramen first? Stories are better with food.""Ramen!" His eyes lit up, then narrowed suspiciously at Aria. "You're not going to use that teleporting thing to get there first, are you?""Now would I do that?" she asked innocently, even as purple light began to gather around her."Yes!" everyone replied in unison.Her laughter, mixed with Ryūō's rumbling chuckle, echoed through the training ground as she vanished in another purple flash."Last one to Ichiraku's pays!" her voice called back."That's definitely cheating!" Naruto shouted, already running."Actually," Kakashi mused, falling into step with his students, "I believe the term is 'creative application of temporal-spatial manipulation.'""When did everyone get so weird?" Naruto demanded again, but he was grinning as he said it.Some things had changed dramatically in three years. But the important things – friendship, growth, and the promise of ramen after training – those remained comfortingly the same.

Even if his friends had gotten significantly more dramatic about it..