The More Things Change

Chapter Four

Life couldn't get much better for young Naruto Uzumaki. After a full week of failure at the tree climbing exercise, Kakashi had moved him on to the supposedly more difficult water walking technique. It had been difficult, but he'd managed it after a few days. Even better, he'd gone back to the tree climbing exercise afterwards, and had finally gotten it down. Sure, it'd only taken him another week, but after many trials and errors, he'd reached the top. Kakashi had quickly set him to practicing sticking a leaf to his forehead. He still struggled with that one, though after two weeks of training he stopped exploding the leaf into a million tiny pieces. He knew that he'd eventually get it down.
Now, the blonde sat in his favorite stool in his favorite restaurant with two of his favorite people. He'd spotted Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino strolling through the village streets and had managed to get the two boys to agree to join him for some ramen. Ino, though she hadn't been invited, decided to tag along. Naruto had been a little hesitant about the idea, but he couldn't tell her to just bug off.
"So how's training going? Your sensei teaching you anything cool?" Naruto asked Shika in between bowls.
The pineapple haired Genin frowned. "Not really. We usually just do a couple 'missions' then some teamwork exercises. After that, we go home."
"Why?" Ino interrupted. "What are you guys doing?"
"I guess Satsuki and Sakura are doing pretty much what you guys are doing. After we did the water-walking exercise, they kinda disappear while Kakashi helps me fix my Taijutsu and work on chakra control."
"Water walking?" Shikamaru echoed.
"It comes after the tree climbing one," Naruto explained.
Choji perked up, joining the conversation. "What tree climbing one?"
"You know, where you climb using chakra on your feet and run up a tree?" Naruto was confused. It'd been almost a month since Kakashi-sensei had started them on that particular exercise. Noting his companions' blank stares, he continued, slightly confused. "Haven't you guys done that yet?"
"No," Ino said flatly. "Like Shika said, we've just done stupid teamwork stuff."
"Weird," Naruto commented, feeling a little awkward.
Choji let out a belch, causing Ino to shoot him a hard glare. Unperturbed, the large Genin turned to Shikamaru. "Do you think that Asuma-sensei expects us to learn that stuff from our parents?"
The smaller boy frowned. "It's possible. Naruto, Satsuki, and Sakura don't have shinobi parents at home to help out with their training. Maybe that's why their sensei shows them more than Asuma-sensei does with us."
"Or maybe," Ino chimed in, her teal eyes flashing. "Maybe Asuma-sensei is just being as lazy as you guys. I'm definitely going to ask him why we haven't done this so-called 'tree-climbing exercise."
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Shouldn't you have already heard all this from Sakura?"
Ino waved her hand dismissively. "We don't talk about training when we hang out."
"What do you talk about?"
The blonde shot him a coy look. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She said suggestively, a smirk spreading across her pretty face.
"Uh... on second thought... I don't really want to know." If Naruto didn't know any better, he'd say Ino was flirting with him, but that was impossible... right?
"Your loss, Naruto- kun ," Ino sighed.
"Yo! Naruto!" Naruto turned towards the familiar voice calling behind him. Kakashi-sensei stood in the entrance of the small stand, one hand lifting up the flap that separated the restaurant from the rest of the village. "Come with me."
"Sorry guys, I gotta go," Naruto said apologetically, reaching for Gama-chan. "I'll catch you around, alright? We should do this again sometime."
"I'd absolutely love to, Naruto-kun," Ino said. "Feel free to invite me again
anytime."
"Uh... sure," Naruto replied, not bothering to mention that he hadn't even invited her in the first place. "Later Shika, Choji." After paying for his meal, Naruto followed his patient sensei out of Ichiraku's and down the street. They walked in silence for a few minutes, though eventually the blonde's curiosity got the better of him. "Where are we going?"
Kakashi paused, as if he was looking for the right thing to say. "We're headed for the Hokage's office. There's someone there you need to meet."
"Am I in trouble?" Naruto asked, fear gripping his chest. He hadn't pulled any pranks since he'd become a Genin, so whatever it was, he'd been framed. "I swear I haven't done anything!"
"No, you're not in trouble," Kakashi laughed, ruffling his student's hair. "It's about your tenant and the seal keeping him at bay."
"Is something wrong?"
Kakashi sighed. "I don't know. We'll find out when we get there." Naruto nodded. He had a million more questions to ask, but he could tell that his sensei wasn't going to be any more forthcoming than he already had been. As irritating as it was, he'd have to wait. Thankfully, the walk from Ichiraku's to the Hokage's offices wasn't too long. He'd find out what all of this was about soon enough.
When they arrived, the pretty brunette secretary ushered them in without delay, giving Naruto a small smile. Naruto returned with a foxy grin. She was one of the few people who was always nice to him whenever he visited the Hokage. Her predecessor, a boring man with cropped dark hair, had been a lot less accommodating.
"Jiji!" Naruto shouted as he entered the office. "How's it going?" The blonde plopped himself in his customary chair. "Are you ready to give me that hat, yet?"
"Not yet, Naruto," the Sandaime replied, favoring the boy with a smile. "I'm doing well, thank you for asking. How about you? How's your training going?"
"Really well! I finally got that tree thing down, and I'm working on sticking a leaf to my forehead!"
"That's good to hear," the Hokage replied absently, packing his pipe. "Kakashi tells me you've been working very hard. I'm glad that you're finally taking your training more seriously." Naruto blushed, pleased with the praise and slightly embarrassed that he hadn't worked this hard while in the Academy. The old man finished packing the tobacco, lighting it before continuing. "As much as I would like to spend the afternoon exchanging courtesies, my boy, we have some important matters to discuss. I'd like for you to meet a student of mine, Jiraiya." The Sandaime gestured towards the back of the room.
Seeing this Jiraiya for the first time, Naruto was more than a little embarrassed that he hadn't noticed him when he'd entered the room. First of all, the man was huge, towering over everyone else in the room by at least half a foot. Secondly, he was exuberantly and outlandishly dressed, all in bright reds with an enormous scroll strapped to his back. Instead of the customary Konoha headband, Jiraiya wore a horned headband with the kanji for "oil" on it. He also had long, wild, snow white hair.
"Nice to meet you, Jiraiya-sama," Naruto said politely. Even though he wasn't as good as Satsuki or Sakura at village history, he knew right away who this man was. This was Jiraiya of the Sannin, the man who had trained the Yondaime Hokage. The big man gave him a small wave before nodding towards the Hokage.
Naruto turned back towards the Sandaime. The old man puffed on his pipe for a moment before speaking again. "I've asked Jiraiya here because he's the Elemental Nations' leading expert of Fuinjutsu." The blonde Genin suspected that he was supposed to be impressed, but he had no idea what Fuinjutsu even was.
Kakashi noted his student's confusion. "Seals, Naruto. Fuinjutsu is the study of seals. You should be interested in learning about them. The Uzumakis were known and feared for their expertise in the field. It's why Kumo all but destroyed the clan during the Second Shinobi War. They wiped out the entirety of Uzushiogakure just to do it."
Naruto tried to process this information. He'd never really given much thought to his family name. He knew that his parents had died during the Kyuubi attack and desperately wanted to find out who they were, but he'd never considered that he might have had a clan, or that he'd be one of its last surviving members. He suddenly felt a deep anger settle over him. Kumogakure was almost directly responsible for him growing up alone. If they hadn't destroyed the clan, there surely would have been someone from his family willing to take him in. He suddenly felt so alone. He had no clan and no parents. This must be how Satsuki feels, Naruto thought with a flash of insight. "So my clan was from this Uzushio?" Kakashi nodded. "Can I go there?"
The question seemed to take the three older ninja by surprise. "Naruto," the Hokage said, his voice filled with sorrow. "The village is nothing but ruins now. You are needed here. I promise that you can visit your ancestral home at a later date, but for now I ask for your patience." Naruto's face fell. "I know how much family means to you, my boy, and I will keep my promise. You have my word."
Naruto wiped at his eyes, suddenly filled with determination. "Well, I guess until then I'll have to learn all I can about Fuinjutsu! If that's what my clan is known for, then I want to do them proud!"
"I can help you there, kid," Jiraiya said, smiling. It was the first time he'd spoken since Naruto entered the room, and it was a lot deeper than Naruto expected. For some reason, he couldn't help but like the Sannin. "I know a few things about the subject, after all." Kakashi shot the Sannin an annoyed look, one that the older ninja didn't miss. "Don't worry, Kakashi, I'm not stealing your student. I'll just show him a few things here and there about seals in his free time."
The Jonin still looked irritated. "Aren't you leaving the village again soon? I'd hate for you to get Naruto's hopes up and then disappear in a few days."
"Nah, I think I'm going to stick around for awhile. It'll give me a chance to remind myself what I'm fighting for. Besides, there are other issues that need to be taken care of." Jiraiya's final statement was loaded with obvious hidden meanings, though Naruto hadn't the slightest idea of what he meant. What other issues?
Kakashi and the Sandaime didn't seem to have any problem deciphering the cryptic statement, though Naruto didn't feel quite bold enough to ask. However, there was another question that he'd been dying to get answered since he'd entered the room. "It's really cool to meet Jiraiya-sama and all, but why am I here? I mean, I doubt that someone so important meets and greets every rookie Genin in the village."
The Hokage turned towards Naruto, and Genin realized for the first time just how
old the Hokage was. His weathered face was creased with concern. "Kakashi gave me a rather interesting report a couple weeks ago. Tell me, Naruto, have you ever suffered from chakra exhaustion?" The blonde shook his head. "I didn't think so, not with what Kakashi reported."
"What's going on?" Naruto demanded, a sinking feeling burying itself deep in its gut. "What did sensei tell you."
Kakashi looked to the Hokage, who nodded. "Naruto, you have larger chakra reserves than anyone in the village, the Hokage included. You could combine the chakra pools of every shinobi in the village, and they still wouldn't come close to matching yours," Kakashi stated simply. "I doubt there's anyone in all of the Elemental Nations who can rival them, even other Jinchuriki."
"That's a good thing, right?" Naruto asked, not liking where the conversation was going.
Jiraiya settled himself in the chair next to him, propping his feet on the Hokage's desk. "It's like this, gaki. You shouldn't have that much chakra. It's not natural. It shouldn't even be possible. We think it has something to do with the fuzzball inside of you, which is why the Sarutobi-sensei asked me to come. I'm the only person loyal to Konoha who could even begin to comprehend the seal that the Yondaime used to stop the Nine Tails, much less make adjustments."
"So... You're worried that the seal is breaking?"
"That's right, kid. You catch on quick. Now, do me a favor and take off your shirt." Naruto hesitated before complying. "Now channel some chakra for me."
"How much?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "As much as you want. It shouldn't matter."
Nodding, Naruto closed his eyes and reached for the vast ocean that was his chakra reserves and started pumping the chakra through his network. Once he'd tapped into them, he couldn't help but keep reaching, pushing more and more chakra through his body. He'd only begun before a hand on his shoulder told him to stop. The teenager opened his eyes, noticing the slightly stunned look on the Sandaime's face.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised in the slightest. "It's as I suspected, sensei. Minato's seal work was even better than we could have hoped for even wanted." The big man turned back to the blonde, his hand still clasped on his shoulder. "Congrats, kid. You're no longer a Jinchuriki."
"I'm sorry... what?" Kakashi asked. It was strange to see his normally unflappable sensei at a loss for words.
"I can't say for certain, since the seal is all but disintegrated, but it looks like Minato added something to the seal that would leach the Kyuubi's chakra and add it to Naruto's reserves. The Kyuubi is a being of pure chakra. As Naruto grew, Minato's seal kicked into overdrive, siphoning off more and more of the beast's chakra until there was nothing left, effectively killing the Kyuubi. I didn't even consider doing that with Kushina's seal, for obvious reasons." Jiraiya leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "Minato truly was one of a kind. I've never seen anyone just get Fuinjutsu like he did. It was actually a little annoying. He'd understand in minutes concepts that took me days to learn."
"So the Kyuubi is gone for good?" The Sandaime asked, his face filled with conflicting emotions.
"I can't say or sure, but my best guess is no. It's an immortal demon, formed by people's baser emotions. It'll be back, but it's definitely something we needn't worry about in our lifetime, or even our grandchildren's lifetime." The legendary ninja stood. "Well, now that that's out of the way, I'm going to go continue my research. My books don't write themselves, after all!" He turned towards Naruto and tossed the Genin a small, leather bound book. "Read that cover to cover. I'll find you when you're done. It has all the information you need to get started with Fuinjutsu."
Naruto caught the book and looked at the cover. The Idiot's Guide to Fuinjutsu, by the Legendary Jiraiya. He looked up to thank the Sannin, but noticed that the three older ninja were giving each other very weird looks. Silently recognizing that he was no longer needed, the blonde made his way through out of the office, closing the door behind him.
"This isn't good," Kakashi said moment the door latched behind his student. "I can't believe that sensei was so irresponsible! I understand how difficult it must have been for him to force his own son to become a Jinchuriki, but this is too far!" The Jonin knew that Jinchuriki were the weapons of mass destruction in the shinobi arms race. Every major village contained at least one, with the exception of Iwa, who'd lost theirs to Kumo long ago. Konoha losing their Jinchuriki was a big deal. If any of the other villages found out that Naruto no longer contained the Kyuubi, all out war could shortly follow. At the very least, Konoha would lose its standing as the most powerful hidden village of the Elemental Nations.
"It may not be quite so bad," the Sandaime replied, refilling his pipe. "The boy does still hold the Kyuubi's chakra."
"Not really," Jiraiya argued, taking Kakashi's side. "While Naruto may hold as much chakra as the Kyuubi once did, it's still just normal chakra. It won't give the special abilities afforded to Jinchuriki." The Sannin had gone toe to toe with a Jinchuriki in the past, and it had been a harrowing experience. The man had powers that Jiraiya had never dreamed of, and though the Sannin had won the day, it had been a very close thing.
"It also won't come with any of the weaknesses, like mental instability. Also, that chakra is firmly under Naruto's command. He doesn't have to barter with a malevolent demon in order to use it."
The Sandaime was taking this way to calmly for Kakashi's tastes. "Naruto still barely knows how to use all that chakra. He can barely control it! He doesn't have the skill to wield it properly, and won't for a long time! I hate to say it, but he's not exactly the fastest learner I've ever taught."
"The same would be true if all of that chakra still belonged to the Kyuubi," Sarutobi said, puffing on his pipe. He gave Kakashi and Jiraiya a hard look. "We can't change what has happened, only how we move forward from it. It's up to the both of you to train Naruto into the warrior this village needs. If we don't have a Jinchuriki, we'll have to settle for a second coming of the Yellow Flash. Kami knows that the boy has the chakra for it."
A few days later, Team Seven finished their assigned D Rank mission, cleaning out the village's stables, and collected their pay. "Good work, team. No extra training today. We'll meet up at the same time tomorrow, alright?" The Genin nodded, and the trio turned to walk away. "Naruto, stay behind for a minute. There's something I want to talk to you about." Naruto nodded at his teammates, who had halted their departure, too. The girls left without a word, though Sakura gave him a small wave farewell. As Naruto watched them leave, his heart sank. He had a feeling that whatever his sensei wanted to talk about couldn't be good.
"Walk with me," Kakashi demanded. Naruto complied, and the pair strolled down the empty Konoha streets. Naruto preferred the village in the hours just before darkness truly settled. There were fewer people to glare at him. The Hokage Monument served as an impressive background, visible even against the dusky sky. "Tell me, Naruto," Kakashi said out of the blue as they rounded a corner. "Do you know why we generally work in four man teams?"
The teen nodded, happy that he knew the answer for once. "It's supposed to be the perfect size for infiltration. It's large enough that a team should be able to handle any situation, while small enough to remain unnoticed."
Kakashi gave him a trademarked eye smile. "Very good. There's another reason behind it, though. A four man team is perfect for assassinating a single opponent. They have the advantage of numbers, and are able to surround and overwhelm the target without getting in each other's way. I'm sure you've noticed that your Shadow Clones tend to reduced each other's effectiveness?"
"Yeah, but if I make enough of them, they get the job done." Naruto was slightly peeved at the attack on his favorite Jutsu.
"That's my point, Naruto. You have an unlimited army at your disposal. Right now, that army is untrained and unable to work together. I aim to fix that." Naruto's mood brightened. Let it never be said that Naruto Uzumaki ever turned down special training. "So, every day after our normal missions or training, you and I are going to stay behind. I'm going to help you develop your own Taijutsu style that emphasizes your strengths and your shadow clones. One thing we're going to work on is how fast you can create them. With your chakra system, you shouldn't even have to build any chakra, just take what's already flowing through your system. I want you to start practicing that tonight. It's harder than it sounds, so don't be upset if you don't get it right away. After that, I'm going to teach you a one handed Tiger seal. By the time we're done, you're going to be able to make small groups of clones on the fly, work with them efficiently, and be a lot more dangerous."