"Is this really how she got stronger?" Haku tucked his lips as he tried his best to hold the ball of water in his hands.
Naruto sat in front of him with his arms crossed
"All our training begins with the basics, now keep going, Haku"
"You're forgetting something" Haku responded as he continued to focus on the water ball in his hand.
Naruto clicked his tongue
"H-Haku-nii..." He replied
"Fufu" Haku smiled faintly as he continued to control his chakra to hold the ball of water
Naruto now spent his early mornings training with Guy, his breaks with Haku to train his chakra control, and his evenings with Zabuza to train his swordsmanship. At night, he would sometimes go visit Orochimaru to conduct more research on the curse mark.
'It's been two days since the clone entered the other timeline...at this point, I can assume that either the memories can't be transferred even if it disperses, the clone failed to reach the timeline, or it is still there' He sighed, he didn't know what was with the hold up, but he hoped that it was option three.
"It's about time for me to talk to Tsunade about you two as well" Naruto muttered
"Hm? The Hokage?" Haku asked
Naruto nodded
"Hiding you two won't be a long term plan, I mean, I can definitely hide you two, but it will become much more convenient for you two if I can get you two proper identities here in the Konoha" Naruto said
"You're right, always staying in here has me a little pent-up" Zabuza sat down next to them and said
Haku was still a bit worried
"Don't worry too much about it, Tsunade is like a sister to me at this point" Naruto waved his hand and laughed
"Isn't she old enough to be your grandparent?" Haku asked
"Don't mind the small details" Naruto smile
"..."
Zabuza scratched the back of his head as he sighed
"Then how will you explain it to her? You don't expect us to just meet her and ask for an identity, do you?" He asked, knowing full well that his identity as a missing-nin isn't something any village can accept.
Naruto smiled as he patted Zabuza's back
"Come on sensei, be more open about it, I've got a grea~t plan" Naruto spoke with confidence, however, that only made Zabuza hesitate even more
"And what plan is that?" He still asked despite knowing it's going to be something absurd
Naruto's grin didn't help with his confidence in him one bit. In fact, it's actually making Naruto seem much less trustworthy than he normally would be.
"Well, the plan is..." Naruto suddenly grabbed Zabuza's wrist and the two of them vanished from the room...
Haku looked up, realising the two of them were gone, and went back to practicing his chakra control...
-Inside the Hokage's office-
"..."
"..."
Tsunade looked up, staring at Naruto and a one-armed man she didn't recognise...
"Naruto, this better be important" She groaned, her hands never once stopped writing the reports on her desk.
"Not really, I came to introduce my sensei" He said
"Oh, cool, and who is he?" Tsunade asked as she glanced back down on the paperwork
"Zabuza, demon of the mist" He replied
"Oh, him, well, he's a great swordsman so-....roll it back" She looked back up and asked as her expression became a little lost
Naruto laughed as he scratched the back of his head
"It's Zabuza of the hidden mist" He said
Tsunade's lips twitched
"And you brought him here because?"
"I need proper identities for him and his son to live in Konoha" Naruto replied
"..." Tsunade dropped the pen in her hand and placed her hands together
She took a deep breath in, then breathed out
"Phew...okay, now, in one sentence, give me one good reason as to not kill him and beat the crap out of you" She said with a calm smile
"...I mean, he's my sensei, very experienced fighter if I must say so myself, and he's a doting father, I mean, come on, who wouldn't like him? Also, I brought you some wine as a gift" Naruto slid a large jar of wine onto the table as he smiled
"..."
'Is that his plan the whole time? As if the Hokage will be bought with such cheap tri-'
"Oh my, if you needed my help with his identity, you should have come to me sooner" Tsunade smiled as she tucked the jar away
"Now that's my sis" Naruto laughed as he reached out his fist
Tsunade chuckled and bumped her fist onto his
"Sure, his identity is rough, but if you've got so much trust in him, why shouldn't I trust him? But it's better to have him live under a new identity rather than just giving him a rank in Konoha" She added
"Yeah, just say he's an Uzumaki survivor who dyed his hair black to escape the massacre, Zabuza Uzumaki, what do you think of this?" Naruto nudged the still stunned Zabuza, who couldn't understand how easily she accepted all this
After Naruto nudged him, he coughed
"Is it that easy? I mean, I don't mind, but will the elders accept this?" He asked
"Why wouldn't they?" Tsunade revealed a sinister smile
"You're just an Uzumaki survivor after all" She said
"But I'm known as the demon of-"
"Demon of the mist? Who's that? I only see an Uzumaki survivor here, someone who is adept in swordsmanship and just happens to share the name Zabuza with a random mist swordsman" She continued to smile at him, but it gave him a sense of unease
"Sensei, with this, your identity is sorted out, what do you think?" Naruto grinned
"..."
Zabuza didn't even know what to say, Tsunade really just agreed to all this for a jar of wine? Or did she really just trust Naruto that much?
"I will get things sorted out for you and your son, I'll have you both start out as Chunins, and if you make any achievements, you will be able to move up to Jonin" Tsunade said as she returned to working on her paperwork.
"S-Sure" It was all so easy...
He glanced at Naruto, everything he does is just so unpredictable, yet it always seem to work out in his favour.
"Before you go" Tsunade added
"Yeah?"
"I've received information about Orochimaru, and I'm thinking of sending a squad to make a final attempt to retrieve Sasuke, what are your thoughts" She asked
Naruto stared back at her
"No, the village is still not completely stabilised as of yet, you have just become Hokage, and sending people out for someone who betrayed the village isn't worth it" Naruto replied calmly
'I can't have you interrupting Orochimaru right now, we're just getting to the good parts of adjusting the curse mark' Naruto grumbled in his heart
Tsunade rubbed her chin
"That's what I thought so as well, though I also thought you'd want your teammate back, but I guess not" She shook her head and waved her hand
"If you aren't feeling urgent, then neither will I bother about it, you may leave now"
"Sure" Naruto grabbed Zabuza and teleported them back to his house
When they arrived, Haku was still trying his best to hold the ball of water in his hand, but it would constantly fall apart when his hand moves.
"How's training" Naruto sat down and asked
"Annoyingly difficult" He groaned
"Hahaha, don't sweat it, you'll get it eventually" Naruto grinned from ear to ear
Haku smiled wryly, just from this training alone, he felt a massive rift in strength between him and Naruto. He thought his chakra control was rather good, but when Naruto introduced this training method to him, he realised how small his world has been.
"Naruto"
"Yeah?"
"What motivates you to become stronger?" Haku asked
"Survival, and living a good life" Naruto responded
"I see...mine has always been so I could be of use to Zabuza-sama, but now, I guess it's so I don't fall behind you two" Haku smiled gently
"Aw, how are you so precious" Naruto placed his hand on his own cheek and said
Haku chuckled faintly
"I'll take that as a complement...as long as you call me Nii-san"
"You're still on about that? Is calling you Haku-nii not enough for you?" Naruto gasped
"It'd be a waste if my cute little brother doesn't call me nii-san" Haku responded
"Cute? Me? Seriously?" Naruto was taken aback, cute is not a word he'd ever associate with himself
Haku nodded
"Naturally, I can still remember the first time you asked me out"
"Oi oi oi, that was part of the plan so you'd return to Zabuza and let me bomb you both" Naruto snapped back quickly as he noticed Zabuza's playful gaze linger onto him.
"Of course" Haku chuckled
"...I'd really much rather you hate me at this point, you're way too hard to handle" Naruto covered his face and wept.
"Call me Haku-nii again" Haku said eagerly
"No"
"Come on, we're family now" Haku insisted
"..."
"You'll need to say it sooner or later" Haku smiled as he continued to practice his chakra control
Naruto sighed, but his lips curved into a smile
'Family eh? I like the ring on it' He chuckled, thinking back on his past life, would he have turned out differently if he had a family?
-In Boruto's timeline-
"So~...what did everyone learn today?" Naruto smiled as he stood in front of the six kids who were beaten black and blue.
None of them came out unscathed, almost completely covered in dirt, and oddly enough, all of them had a massive bump on their head...
"The headhunter jutsu can be used by anyone with enough brute strength" Inojin cursed under his breath as he muttered
"Aw, glad you took notice of that" Naruto grinned as he waved his fist around
"I hate you" Inojin spat
"Wha~t? I'm such good friends with your dad though" Naruto smiled
Seeing that Inojin stopped replying, Naruto chuckled
"Jokes aside, I'll say that all of you did terribly today, but better than yesterday, Sarada, stop relying on the Sharingan, it may be great, but if you are against a veteran, they can use your own eyes against you like I did today" Naruto said
Sarada lowered her head, when she used the Sharingan on him, she saw multiple possible attacks that changed constantly, confusing her during combat. What the Sharingan can do is predict the attacks a person may perform based on the movements of their muscles, but because Naruto simple flexed his muscles in ways that seems like he would attack, it filled her vision with many false attacks that were all faked.
"Mizuki, your skills are above average, but you couldn't coordinate with your team at all, all you did was attack on your own, had you attacked with the team, you might have been able to take a hair from me" Naruto turned to the pale boy and said
Mizuki nodded
"Yes, sensei"
"I like your attitude, much better than your old man, Orochimaru" Naruto nodded his head in satisfaction, skill wise, Mizuki is the most skilled of the six.
"Boruto, your skills are mixed, you have experience in taijutsu, as well as ninjutsu, especially that vanishing rasengan of yours which is mixed with lightning attribute...but all of this is complete and utter garbage" Naruto said in a low voice
"H-Huh? Isn't having variety good?"
"Yes, knowing taijutsu and ninutsu is something every shinobi should be doing if they can, but you, your taijutsu is half baked, and your ninjutsu doesn't help in any way, all I can say is you need a better foundation, your chakra capacity is good, but you're not using it to its full potential" Naruto said
"O-Oh...you're seriously harsh" Boruto sighed
"I'll be going soon, I need to pump as much information as I can into you" Naruto replied
His gaze then turned to Chocho
"Chocho, you did well today, you executed Shikadai's plans perfectly and knew how to improvise when cooperating with Boruto's team" Naruto said
"Hehe, thanks"
"Inojin, I know your clan specialises in the mind jutsus, but you cannot rely on the others to keep the target still in order to land your jutsu, skilled Yamanaka clan members are able to create their own openings when necessary, but your timing was excellent, had you all been against a lower ranking Jonin, it might have landed"
"Mn..."
Naruto then turned to Shikadai
"Shikadai, your plans weren't bad, and even allowed for Inojin to use his jutsu, but I guess it revolved solely around Inojin, right? You need to create backups in case the first plan falls through, do not think your first plan will work, strategists need to expect the worst case scenario"
"Yes" Shikadai nodded earnestly
It was evening by the time he wrapped everything up and dismissed the six students.
"Phew...alright, what do you want to talk about?" Naruto turned to Boruto and asked
"My mum wants to meet you again" Boruto replied
"Why?"
"Dunno" He shrugged
"Fine, what's the worst that could happen"
-Boruto's house-
Naruto entered the front door, and was greeted with a young girl with black hair, and whiskers on her cheeks.
"Another kid? I didn't know you had a sister" Naruto said in surprise
"You never asked" Boruto responded
The young girl ran over with a perplexed look, she then turned around and took in a deep breath
"Mum! Dad had another kid outside!" She yelled
*Bang*
Naruto and Boruto both stumbled as they walked in, how old is she to be saying things like that!?
"That's my sister, Himawari, she's ten" Boruto scratched the side of his cheeks and said
Naruto stared at the little girl who turned back around as she placed her hands on her waist.
"How old are you" She questioned
"Thirteen" Naruto replied blankly
"You're older, but I won't call you big bro" She said with a proud look
"...unlike you, she seems to have a backbone" Naruto turned to Boruto and said
"..."
Naruto turned back to Himawari
"I'm not your brother" He said
"Of course you're not, not until I acknowledge you" Himawari shot back
"Hey, she's funny, hope that if I have a kid in the future, she has this attitude" Naruto said to Boruto, whose lips twitched constantly
It was then that Hinata walked over, she heard everything they said and couldn't hold back her laughter as she walked in.
"Himawari, he's not your brother, he's...hm, he's your dad when he was thirteen" She said, not knowing if Himawari will understand
"Him? Dad!?" Himawari turned to Naruto, then at Hinata
"Sup, I'm Naruto, just don't call me dad" Naruto waved
"Come in, I prepared some tea" Hinata invited him into the lounge room
The four of them sat down, with Himawari staring intently at Naruto, whilst Boruto had his arm behind his head as he leaned back on the couch.
"The cookies taste great, I wish I could bring them back with me" Naruto said as he ate the snacks she prepared
Hinata chuckled
"I called you here to ask about a few things"
"Go ahead"
Hinata's smile became a little more faint
"Well, as you know, you're from the past, so I wondered if you would be curious about future events, perhaps even tragedies that will befall people of our village" she asked, her expression slowly became serious.
Naruto stared back at her, but he chuckled
"I'll be honest, I've had thoughts about such things before...if I knew the future, I can change a lot of things, however...is this even the future of my timeline?" Naruto asked
"H-Huh?"
"Comparing our timelines, we have many differences as is, so can I take your word that anything you say to me will actually happen? Perhaps major events could still occur, but what of some small scale events, can you say for sure that a certain person will definitely die on a certain day with how my timeline is moving forward" Naruto replied
He has long felt that his vague knowledge of the anime was becoming more and more useless. In the first place, there has been so many cases where he already forgot the events of the original timeline until it actually happens, not to mention, he is also actively changing everything. Whatever event from the original timeline he still remembered were rendered useless, and the Urashiki incident is the greatest proof.
It was somthing that never happened in Naruto, meaning that such unpredictable events can happen again.
Be it teaming up with Orochimaru, or saving Hiruzen. Even helping Sasuke is a massive change to the original timeline, not to mention how powerful Ino is now.
"I see...so you've thought things through already" Hinata smiled
"Of course" Naruto nodded
"Fufufu, I still can't take it seriously when I see you speak so seriously, it overlaps with the Naruto in my memories, and the contradiction is just so vast" Hinata suddenly laughed
Naruto scoffed
"Don't compare us, I'm a genius, unlike him, not to mention, I'm more handsome"
"You are literally the same person" Boruto interjected
"Bah, as if we're the same person, can't you tell by my dashing brows and sharp jawline? I will grow up to be a man who charms many" Naruto said with a proud grin
"Pfft, hahaha" Hinata was shaking as she laughed
"I literally inherited your brows and jawline" Boruto cussed
"As if, if you inherited my handsome looks, you wouldn't be struggling to win over that Sarada lass" Naruto scoffed
"You! I-I don't have any feelings for her!" Boruto yelled
"Whatever you say"
Boruto groaned as he sunk back into the couch, whilst Hinata smiled gleefully.
"One last thing, how is...the village treating you?" Hinata asked
"The village as a whole? They're as annoying as ever, but some of the adults has warmed up to me, whilst the kids are still trying to pick fights with me" Naruto shrugged, the Chunin exam was the biggest turning point for his reputation.
Though not everyone knew what happened, some who were at the scene could see what he had done there, and the hostility has reduced by a bit, though most people still stubbornly hold onto that anger in their hearts.
"I see...do you hate them?" Hinata asked
"Nah, it's like a child throwing a tantrum if you ask me, we may all be humans, but after becoming a shinobi, I just feel that their hostility towards me shouldn't be taken seriously, if a shinobi is to get angered by citizens, then they will end up commiting acts of atrocities against them the next day" Naruto responded calmly
His response left Hinata at a loss for words, his maturity was simply too not suited for his age.
"Not to mention, I have people by my side who keeps me in check" Naruto grinned
"That's good...I don't think you'll be able to return once you leave this timeline, but if you do, we'll always welcome you" Hinata smiled
"Fufu, maybe, I do like the Sai of this universe" Naruto chuckled
"Sai? Then I guess you'll be friends with the one in your timeline as we-"
"No" Naruto cut her off with a low voice
"H-Huh?"
"I like him because he and I can share our interest about Ino without worries, but the one in my timeline? If he shows an ounce of interest in Ino, I may very well need to bury him six feet under" Naruto said as he gestured with his thumb across his neck.
"I-I see"
-Back in Naruto's timeline-
The ship Ino's team were on finally landed after three days, and after the first attack, there hasn't been another attack on them since. The island they arrived on wasn't small either, and the location they had to go to was up the mountain at the centre of the island, though their only mission is to bring them o the base of the mountain. The rest will be up to the siblings, the first to arrive at the top and perform their clan inheritence ceremony will become the successor.
Shikamaru had Ino survey their surroundings even before the ship landed, and after making sure no one was nearby, he relaxed a bit more.
"We're almost there, just one last trip and we'll make it to our clan's ceremonial ground" Erin said with a smile
"Mn...the sun is setting already, we will set up camp further up and finish the trip tomorrow" Asuma looked up at the sky and said
"Sounds like a plan" Erin nodded
The eight of the began setting off, and didn't walk too far before they set up camp.
Naruto sat down next to Asuma after the fire started and leaned back.
"Asuma sensei, can you teach me how to coat my weapons with elementa chakra?" Naruto turned over and asked
Asuma lifted a brow, but chuckled
"Getting greedy now, are we? It's not that I can't, but I'd rather you focus on what you know at the moment, from what I heard, you are doing body training with Guy, and practicing seals at home" He said calmly
"You used that excuse last time as well sensei, and the training with Guy sensei is just physical workout, I can push it aside for now" Naruto cussed
Asuma stared back at him
*Tch*
He looked to the side and clicked his tongue before turning back with a calm gaze
"You're just lazy, aren't you?" Naruto asked
"Yep" Asuma replied with a calm expression
"...like father, like son, I guess" Naruto muttered as he remembered Hiruzen's unwillingness to be Hokage due to paperwork...
Asuma sighed
"Well, I can't exactly just say no to you because I'm lazy, I'll teach you once we return to the village" He said
"That's fine by me" Naruto smiled
Naruto gazed into the woods and his smile dropped a little. He couldn't help but shift his eyes to Ino for a moment, and thought about something for a while. In the end, he decided to just remain quiet, and wait by the side.
"Hey Shiki, did you guys come up with the human wrecking ball on the spot when you saw Ino's puppet?" Naruto nudged Shikamaru and asked
Shikamaru glanced at him
"Ino came up with the idea, I just followed along" He responded
"So, how was it? Was using a puppet more efficient?"
Shikamaru couldn't help but smile at the thought
"More than just efficient, the human yo-yo had one flaw, which is the fact that the Nara clan members are the ones controlling it with the shadow, but with the addition of the puppet's strength and control, the force we can apply is improved dramatically" He said with a hint of excitement.
Naruto grinned, he knew that despite his lazy attitude, Shikamaru values his team's strength greatly.
"I assume you had Ino learn puppet control" He added
"Yep, I felt that if she can manage it, she will be strong enough to defend herself" Naruto nodded
"Defend herself? This is no longer on the realm of self defence, this is self offence" Shikamaru said with a wry smile.
Naruto's eyes lit up
"What a great term, as expected of you, Shiki, I'll use that from now on, self offence, hehehe" Naruto giggled
Ino, who overheard their conversation covered her mouth as she laughed to herself
"Naruto, sometimes I wonder...are you the same Naruto we knew before graduation" Shikamaru suddenly said as he stared at Naruto
His doubtful gaze made everyone pause for a moment, all except Naruto.
"Hahaha, Shiki, you're amazing, you're the first to notice, I'll be honest" Naruto grinned
"Hm?" His words made everyone's hearts tighten, especially Ino who was confused as to where this was going. What did he mean? Be honest? Is he not Naruto?
Naruto knew that their hearts were in shambles, but he was grinning from ear to ear cheerfully
"I actually met my mum and dad" He said
"Y-Your mum and dad? On that note, who are they? And why were you an orphan if you met them?" Ino asked
Asuma, however, knew who they were, so he was bewildered by Naruto when he stated he met them. After all, his parents both sacrificed themselves to protect him during the nine tail's attack.
Naruto tapped his head
"They're not alive, but they sealed a part of their consciousness inside me...they taught me everything they knew before passing on into the pure lands..." Naruto said
Ino fell silent when met with his words as she knew he has been through a lot. He is but a boy who lost his parents at a young age and was outcasted by the village, the burdens he carries isn't somehing many can relate to.
"Shiki, you're half right, I'm not the same Naruto as the one before graduation, because from that point on, I knew I had parents who still loves me" He grinned
*Whoosh*
Ino ran up and hugged Naruto tightly
She looked up at him in the eyes
"Na-kun, you won't be alone, ever again" She said as she revealed a grin, though he could see her eyes moisten.
Naruto grinned back
"Yep" He responded cheerfully
Moments like this, he understood that being an orphan in his past life is really what made him the psycho he was at that time. Had he experienced care like this, things could have been different....well, somewhat, he will still be a mad scientist, that's for sure.
Asuma watched silently
'So he knows who his parents are...I heard he can wield the nine tail's chakra freely, and even broke the seal...how did he forgive the beast if he knows what happened?' He wondered
Slowly, his admiration for Naruto grew, to be able to get along with the very beast who killed his parents, it was impressive.
"Naruto, I have my suspicions, but who are your parents?" Shikamaru asked
Naruto glanced over
"Huh? Oh, right, you guys don't know, my dad is Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage, and my mum is Kushina Uzumaki" Naruto replied
"...pardon, I think I misheard" Ino smiled as she rubbed her ears
"I think I heard the fourth-sama from your mouth" Choji added
"I guessed as much" Shikamaru sighed
Asuma's lips twitched, way to drop the bomb on them without any preparations!
Naruto laugehd as he waved his hand
"Come on, Shiki got it already, let me guess, is it my yellow spiky hair? Or is it the fact that my mum was the only Uzumaki in the village? Ooh, maybe it's because I'm using dad's signature moves, the flying raijin as well as the rasengan" Naruto asked
"..."
When he puts it that way...Ino and Choji felt like idiots for not putting such simple facts together...
How did they not guess that he was Minato's kid!? Everything points at it, be it his physical traits, to the skills he mastered! Not to mention, Kushina is the only Uzumaki who would match Naruto's birth, and her husband is none other than Minato, so how in the world was this overlooked!?
"Physical traits, you resemble the fourth quite a bit, not to mention, I've never seen anyone else with hair colour like yours, the closets being the Yamanaka clan, but yours is more vibrant than theirs, so it wasn't hard to guess it was the Namekaze clan traits" Shikamaru replied
Naruto laughed
"So, what do you all think? Hehehe" Naruto rubbed his nose with a pretentious look as he smirked
*Bang*
Ino slapped his back
"Come on Na-kun, how can you hide this from us" She puffed her cheeks up and said
"I wasn't exactly hiding it, am I? It's just that no one ever asked" He shrugged
W-Well...he indeed revealed it immediately when he was asked
Naruto grinned as he tapped Ino's forehead
"Ask whatever you want, I'll answer anything you want me to" He said
"Anything?" Ino asked
"Anything" Naruto nodded
Ino stared at him, her gaze became empty as she opened her mouth
"Did you enjoy your kiss with Sasuke" She asked with a dead pan expression
"...why is that the first thing you ask?" Naruto's lips twitched
"Answer" She said
"I didn't" Naruto replied
"Really?" She grabbed his arm and leaned closer with her cold, desolate gaze.
"Really" Naruto said
"You won't turn him into a woman" She asked
"Only as a prank" Naruto replied
"I see..." She leaned back and smiled
"That's good to heard" She said cheerfully
"..." The rest were all speechless as they listened to the two, especially Ino's questions which made left them at a loss for words.