"And that's why I'm here" Naruto sat in front of Orochimaru, who was staring at him, completely speechless.
He pinched between his brows
"So you want me to-"
"Slit your stomach, yes" Naruto nodded
"..."
Orochimaru's lips twitched uncontrollably. This kid appeared out of nowhere, told him that he wants to retrieve the second half of the nine tails which piqued his interest.
But the next thing he said was that he needs to link himself with the reaper and slit his own stomach!?
"Why don't you do that, you brat" Orochimaru hissed
"Huh" Naruto was stunned
"I'll obviously die if I do that, the reaper will kill me after I use that jutsu" He waved his hands and said with a 'duh' expression...
"And I won't?" Orochimaru could believe how shameless this brat was, to just casually ask him to slit his own stomach and summon a reaper like that.
Naruto coughed
"You have stronger vitality than me, you can probably be chopped to pieces and still survive, and I'm not asking you to do it now, since you will need to wait three years to enter a new vessel to survive that jutsu" He replied
Orochimaru sighed
"Listen, I've come upon some interesting history recently, if you help me with this matter, I won't mind helping you with your task" He said
"Oh? Tell me, don't go hiding interesting research on me" Naruto leaned in with his eyes shining brightly.
Orochimaru chuckled, it was exactly this attitude that Orochimaru felt a sort of kinship with Naruto, as annoying as he is at times.
"Have you heard of Ginkaku and Kinkaku" He asked
"Hm....nope"
Orochimaru pulled out a pile of documents
"They are known as the gold and silver brothers in Kumo, they are highly regarded for their skills, but also traitors who tried to overthrow the second raikage" He said
"Oh, and what's so interesting about them that even you are interested?" He asked
Orochimaru pulled a specific document out that he handed to Naruto
As Naruto read it, he became more shocked
"They have the nine tail's chakra? Interesting, after being devoured whole by the nine tail, they actually survived and even ate his flesh for two weeks before he decided to sh*t them out" Naruto covered his mouth and gasped
'Did it hurt?'
[It hurt like a b*tch] Kurama groaned as he remembered those two brothers
He remembers very few people throughout history, with Hashirama and Madara being the top of his hate list. But if he were to choose the third and fourth place, it will no doubt be Ginkaku and Kinkaku!
[They tried to capture me, so I ate them, but I didn't expect they'd actually survive and even eat my flesh...]
Naruto rubbed his chin
"Interesting, this sounds fun, not only that, they also obtained an unusually large chakra pool after that, and even had powers similar to a jinchuriki, but it seems they can only use one tail worth of chakra" Naruto muttered
Orochimaru nodded
"My guess is that it is possible to create artificial jinchurikis, with these two brothers as proof in history" He said
Naruto smiled
"If done right...perhaps you can wield the nine tail's chakra" Naruto's eyes lit up and said with great interest
[Oi oi oi, I did not agree to letting anyone eat my flesh]
"Exactly" Orochimaru laughed
[HEY!]
"And what if the chakra of all nine tail beasts were to be gathered" Naruto smiled even more, and the more he spoke, the more Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
"Yes! I had the same thought, if it is possible to obtain the nine tail's chakra through this, then it must be possible to obtain the powers of all nine tail beasts through similar methods" He said excitedly.
[WHAT ABOUT MY OPINION! Foxes have rights too!]
Hearing Kurama's complaints, Naruto's excitement went down by a bit.
"Right, how are we supposed to obtain the chakra though, you know that Kurama cannot leave my body, and summoning him will require complete control over him, but my body isn't strong enough to do so" Naruto added
"This is the problem, the gold and silver brothers obtained it through devouring his flesh, but at the moment, you definitely cannot bring him out, which is why I am telling you this now, we need to find a way to extract the chakra even without his flesh" He said
Naruto nodded, and the two sat down and began working on how it would work. Naruto manifested Kurama's chakra and tried to find ways to extract the chakra from him.
"There is this technique, however, it is extremely harmful" Orochimaru pulled out a scroll
Naruto opened the scroll, and a frown appeared on his face
"This is a chakra extracting seal, the phantom dragon nine consuming seal, but the formation is made so it extracts the tailed beast completely from the jinchuriki, so if used on them, they will die right after" Naruto said calmly
"Indeed" Orochimaru nodded
That is what he is struggling with, his attainment in terms of seals are not great, but he felt that Naruto may be able to come up with something.
"The reason why jinchurikis die after this is used is due to chakra exhaustion, where their chakra is drained completely once the tailed beast is extracted, the seal has no limit and takes however much chakra there is, and is harmful to the body as well" Naruto said calmly as he began analysing the seal.
The seal was rather complex, however, to Naruto, who has memorised the Uzumaki clan seals and created his own, it was more like a puzzle that he needs to rearrange.
His eyes shone with interest as he began forming the seal, but was rather different to the one Orochimaru brought out.
The moment the seal was formed, he clicked his tongue and destroyed it. Orochimaru watched in silence as Naruto formed seals, only to destroy it mere moments after it forms.
"Tsk, this won't do either" Naruto muttered as he formed another seal
Every time a new seal is formed, a slight adjustment has been made to the original in order to find a formation that will work.
"Isn't it just limiting the chakra the seal will absorb?" Orochimaru asked
"No, that isn't the biggest issue, controling how much chakra is absorbed is the simple part actually, the problem lies in two other factors, the first, is the harm of direct chakra extraction, and the second is the transfer of chakra" Naruto said
"Once the chakra is extracted, a medium is needed, however, a normal person may break down under the chakra, and having it transferred to you directly may result in backlash since we can't be certain about all this" Naruto said in a low voice
"Not to mention, the nine tail's chakra is complete Yang energy, it will cause imbalance in your body if you were to absorb it as it is now" Naruto added
Orochimaru was taken aback by all this new information, what he thought to be only one issue, turns out to be three. But this only made his respect for Naruto increase, as playful as he is, he is an expert in his field.
"I see, so we need a few test subjects first" His tongue flickered
Naruto nodded
"We need someone with a powerful body who can handle the nine tail's chakra, Ginkaku and Kinkaku were both renowned shinobis, so I assume they have a well trained body, so we need to use them to set standards" Naruto said
"Indeed....I have four subordinates at the moment, you can use them as you see fit"
"Oh? Sounds fun, I'll use them once I complete this seal" Naruto revealed a wicked grin as he began fiddling with the seals once more.
Orochimaru watched Naruto work diligently, the glimmer in his eyes reminded him much of himself.
"Kid, tell me where the reaper mask is located, I'll go get it in the mean time" He said
"It's in the ruins of the Uzumaki clan, bring your subordinates to go search it, I don't know the exact location either" Naruto replied
Orochimaru left with his four subordinates right after, whilst Naruto stayed behind to work on the seal, and it took him two days to even reach the location.
Searching for the mask was by no means easy due to the state the Uzumaki clan was left in. The village was burned down, with almost no remains, so finding where the mask was stored became rather frustrating.
If not for the fact that he knew Naruto wouldn't joke about something this important, he'd have doubted the existence of that mask.
"Orochimaru-sama, I found something here" A red haired girl, Tayuya, called out after days of searching.
Orochimaru immediately headed over, and where Tayuya stood, was an underground passage that she found after digging through a building.
"Good work" Orochimaru walked down into the passage, and underneath were various scrolls and masks that were hung on the walls.
"Fascinating, to think that such a place was left untouched, take everything here" Orochimaru said
"Yes" His subordinates, the sound four, nodded and began taking everything they could
He glanced at the various masks that were taken, and a frown formed on his face. He was only told that he needed to wear the reaper's mask, but it seems that there are much more factors that need to be considered as he read through the scrolls that were taken back.
One of the biggest one is the fact that there are actually multiple reaper masks, and each of them corresponds to a different shinigami.
So in order to retrieve Minato's soul, he would need to find the correct mask that corresponds to the one Minato had used.
"Seems like the brat and I have more research to do than we expected" He said, but a smile formed on his face as a trace of excitement shone in his eyes
-2 days later-
Orochimaru returned to his hideout, and when he entered, he was shocked to see Naruto still seated in the same place, forming seals with dark circles under his eyes.
"How is the progress" He asked
"The foundation of the seal you gave me is ultimately flawed as a whole, the extraction process is simply too harmful to the body, so using this seal as a foundation is not possible, as a result, I decided it was more practical to create a new seal entirely" Naruto replied
Orochimaru was stunned
"It was that bad?"
"Mn, however, I am just about done" Naruto said as he formed a seal and imprinted it onto a scroll.
"To make sure it doesn't put any stress and harm to my body, the pace it gathers the tailed beast chakra is extremely slow, but over time, it should be enough to match what Ginkaku and Kinkaku were capable of" Naruto said
"How long exactly?" Orochimaru asked
"I'd say...a year?" He replied
Orochimaru frowned, a year is by no means a short period, but he wasn't too bothered by it.
"Alright, then to test it out, use one of these four as test subjects" Orochimaru said as he pointed to the sound four behind him.
Their ears perked up in shock
"O-Orochimaru-sama, have we done something wrong perhaps?" Jirobo, a large man with a plump figure asked with a concerned look.
"No, this is an important research, and if it succeeds, you all will benefit greatly from it" Orochimaru responded
The four turned to Naruto suspiciously, they have only met officially today, so they couldn't help but have some doubts in this young child, even if Orochimaru placed his trust him him.
"You four, names" Naruto asked
"Kimimaro" A white haired man said, his body seemed quite weak, and even frail
"Jirobo" The plump man said
"Tayuya" The red haired girl crossed her arms and said
"Kidomaru" The man who spoke piqued Naruto's interests as he had four arms
Naruto walked over and stared into Kimimaro's eyes for a short period. He did the same with the other three members before he pointed to Tayuya and Kimimaro.
"You two will be my test subjects" He said
"Any reason why those two specifically" Orochimaru asked curiously
"They have the strongest desires" Naruto replied
"Desires?"
Naruto nodded
"The nine tail's chakra is filled with rage and anger, not just anyone can use it without backlash, so the people with the strongest desires has a better chance to overcome the emotional burden as they are less likely to submit to foreign powers, furthermore, the both of them has an oddly high amount of yin chakra, which can balance out Kurama's yang chakra" He said calmly
"Eh? I need to be a test subject!? Dammit" Tayuya clutched her head and exclaimed
Kimimaro had a rather calm expression as he simply nodded
"Urgh, so what do we need to do? I won't get my stomach cut open, will I?" Tayuya asked with a depressed look.
"Nah, I'll do that with orochimaru" Naruto waved his hand and replied
!!!!!!!
The four turned to Orochimaru in shock
"Tch, I never agreed to it"
"Bah, as if you're not interested in helping me obtain the second half of the nine tails, as I said, the chakra type blanace is required" Naruto said
Orochimaru sighed, he cannot deny that he isn't interested.
"We will need to conduct more research on the masks, each mask corresponds to a different shinigami, so..." He began explaining what he found out in the scrolls to Naruto, who sighed
"Send me a copy of each scroll, I'll research it in my spare time" Naruto waved his hand and said
"And you two, from now on, you will follow me wherever I go" Naruto said
"Wait, what? But why? What even are we doing!?" Tayuya exclaimed as she scrambled her hair in frustration.
"Oh right, you two will become the first exprimental jinchurikis from now on" Naruto said
!!!!!!
"I'm sorry, but I think I misheard something, is jinchuriki a term for a special experiment now?" Tayuya scratched the side of her face and asked
"No, it's what you think it is" Naruto responded
"Wait, that's what you meant by the nine tail's chakra earlier? We're getting the nine tails sealed in us!?" She gasped
Upon hearing her say that, the other three flinched
"Hah? Why would you have that crazy thought? This is an experiement to have you two to slowly absorb the nine tail's chakra through a seal and integrate it into your body, if it works, you will have abilities similar to a jinchuriki's" Naruto replied
His explanation made things a bit easier to understand, but at the same time, it didn't. Who has heard of such a method, to integrate the nine tail's chakra into others to create an artificial jinchuriki???
"H-How does that even work?" Tayuya asked
"Stop asking questions, if we knew how it works, would we need you two as test subjects? And you need stay by my side to slowly absorb the nine tail's chakra that leaks from my body" He said
Tayuya tucked her lips
"Th-Then what about..." She fiddled with her fingers as a faint blush appeared on her face
"Bathing, sleeping, and sh*tting? Just being inside my house is enough, the range isn't big, but it isn't small to the point that you need to be next to me" Naruto replied as he began forming a seal.
"Ah...say that sooner dammit!" Tayuya shouted
Kimimaro covered his face with a hand for a moment as a faint 'pfft' escaped his lips. It was faint, but everyone caught it. When they turned to him, his expression was still calm, as if nothing happened...
"...d-did you just laugh at me!" Tayuya shouted
"No, you must have misheard" Kimimaro replied calmly as he shook his head
"Damn you!" Tayuya cursed at him as she stomped her feet
Naruto rolled his eyes as his hand stopped, and the seal was formed.
"Oi, Kimimaro, get over here" He said
"Right away" Kimimaro said as he approached Naruto
Naruto slapped the seal onto his stomach, and it faded into his body
"The seal is applied to your abdomen since it is where the main chakra reserve is located, but because of this, the nine tail's chakra will invade it more easily, you need to make sure to keep your guard up at all time, and make sure the negative emotions don't take over you" Naruto said in a low voice
Kimimaro nodded
"What do you feel right now" Naruto asked
"I don't feel anything" He replied
"Tell me if you ever expeience any changes, now, Tayuya, your turn" Naruto said as he formed another seal.
"Make it quick" Tayuya clicked her tongue and said
Naruto slapped the seal onto her abdomen, and like Kimimaro, it faded into her body.
"Feel anything?" He asked
"Nope" She responded with a huff
Naruto nodded, expecting such answers. The seal was made so it would pick up tiny fragments of Kurama's chakra that leaked from his body, which is why the progress was slow. But by doing so, it allows for them to integrate with the chakra bits at a time, allowed for a smoother process.
He then began using Kurama's chakra, and the orange chakra coated his body
"How about now" Naruto asked
The two felt a warm sensation in their stomachs, and their chakra reserve felt a slight itch, but after that, it became still once more.
"It jolted a tiny bit on my stomach just now, but that was it" Kimimaro said
"Same" Tayuya nodded, not really knowing how to explain it
"Now?" Naruto used two tails worth of chakra and asked
"No difference" Tayuya replied
Naruto nodded
He directly activated four tails, and the expressions of the two changed slightly.
"It jolted again, and...I kinda have the urge to punch you" Tayuya held her fist up and said
"Hm, I see..." Naruto rubbed his chin
"How strong is the urge?" Naruto asked
"Not very strong, but looking at you kinda pisses me off" She clicked her tongue and responded
Naruto nodded
"It's possible that Kurama's chakra is having effects on you, as small as the amount is, his chakra is dense in negative emotions" Naruto replied
"Are you sure it's not because you're annoying?" Orochimaru chuckled
"...or that, yes, hey Kimimaru, how about you?" Naruto asked
Kimimaro was silent for a bit
"I...felt annoyance" He replied
"Case closed, it's Kurama's chakra" Naruto replied
"I still have my doubts" Orochimaru replied
"Getting cheeky now eh?" Naruto rolled his eyes, knowing Orochimaru was just f**king with him at this point.
He merely tested to see how the seal would react based on how dense the tailed beast's chakra is around them, and as proven, the denser it is, the higher the absorption rate.
"From now on, I'll be keeping these two with me, you fine with that?" Naruto asked
"Use them as you need" Orochimaru responded
"Oh right, how's the Uchiha kid?" Naruto asked
Orochimaru paused
"Right, he was here as well"
Naruto's lips twitched, how did he forget? Is he not going to use Sasuke as his next vessel?
"The research materials I can go through with you are simply too interesting, especially the chemicals you provided" Orochimaru said with a chuckle
When he said it like that, Naruto felt that he understood. He too, have gotten lost in research that he forgot other things.
"He's doing fine, the curse mark is working wonders, though he has been complaining that...he's been seeing his brother as a woman in his dreams..." He said awkwardly
"Bwahahahaha, serves him right" Naruto laughed
"Oh right, if you want a better body, have him train his physical capabilities, last time we fought, I actually felt second hand embarrassment from how weak his body was" Naruto added
"Hm, alright, that is worth considering" Orochimaru nodded
"It's not something 'worth considering', it is a must" Naruto replied
"I see" Orochimaru chuckled, working together with Naruto on these materials has put him in a rather good mood, so he was quite compliant at the moment.
Naruto then stood up
"I'll be returning now, I've been gone for a week, I'm sure the others are worried" Naruto said
"Go ahead" Orochimaru waved his hand and said
"You two, grab onto me" He said
"Why?" Tayuya asked with a suspicious gaze
"Teleport, or, you can walk to the hidden leaf, your choice, really" Naruto shrugged
"Teleport, I'll take teleport" Tayuya grabbed Naruto's hand and said
Kimimaro walked over and grabbed Naruto's other hand
"When I said grab on, shoulders are fine too" Naruto's lips twitched as he used the flying raijin to return.
-In Naruto's house-
"What? He's still not back? Where did he go!?" Ino grabbed Haku's shoulders and shook him
Haku sighed
"He vanished five days ago, so even I don't know where he is" Haku replied
"Urgh, I'm so worried, what if something happened to him?" Ino's heart tensed as she thought of anything happening to Naruto.
*Swoosh*
Suddenly, a golden flash occured and three people appeared in the room.
"Oh, hey Ino" Naruto realised Ino was here and waved
Ino and Haku were both quite stunned, with Ino being a little more emotional as she ran over.
"I was so worr-..." She slowly came to a halt upon seeing Naruto holding hands with Tayuya, whilst Kimimaro was very quick witted and released his hand the moment he saw Ino run over.
"Who is this girl?" She pointed at Tayuya and asked
Naruto glanced at Tayuya
"A new slave" He replied
"Hah!? The hell does that mean!" Tayuya's anger rose as she grabbed Naruto's collar
Naruto rolled his eyes as he shook off her hand with relative ease
"She's the subordinate of a friend, I'm using these two to conduct some experiments to help them grow stronger" Naruto replied calmly
"That's better" Tayuya huffed
Ino squinted her eyes, she soon took notice of Kimimaro, whom she ignored earlier as all her attention was drawn by Tayuya.
"Really?" She asked
"Why would I lie about this?"
"W-Well, you were gone for a week, so I got a bit worked up...wait, did you spend the seven days with her?" Ino pointed at Tayuya and questioned once more
Naruto smiled
"Nah, I was meeting a friend to discuss some experiements and research materials" He replied
Ino nodded
"I sense no traces of lying, you're clear" She grinned as she gave him a thumbs up
"...Ino, did you just read my mind again?" Naruto asked
"Nope, as I said, I don't have the ability to do that, but differentiating truths from lies isn't hard" She grinned
Now it was Naruto's turn to worry, would she become skilled enough to directly read his mind in the future?
[Seems like even without that father-in-law of yours, your little girlfriend will have you under her thumb] Kurama chuckled
'...dammit' Naruto couldn't argue back on that one
[Speaking of, are you two official yet? I've seen a lot of flirting, but not a lot of proposing] Kurama's tone was rather playful
'...' Naruto paused slightly
Him and Ino...he assumed they were a thing now that they've gotten this close, but it seems she has never actually given him a verbal reply to his feelings. But they've already gone past quite a few hurdles as well, from hugging to little pecks on the cheek, at this point, the orders are completely jumbled up.
"Hey Ino" Naruto said
"Yeah?"
"When will you give me a reply?" He asked
"Eh? Reply to what?" Ino asked cluelessly
Naruto reached his hands over and pinched both sides of her cheeks.
"Guess I should spell it out to you, Ino, I like you" He said calmly
"Weh, wet gwo" (Wah, let go) Ino pulled his hands off her cheeks
She rubbed her cheeks gently, then stared him intently in the eyes.
"I like you too" she grinned
Naruto stared back in silence for a while...he then proceeded to pinch her cheeks
"Ah Why! Wet gwo ov me" (Let go of me) Ino struggled
At this moment, Naruto had a wide smile on his face as he pinched her cheeks
"Don't wanna~" He said cheerfully, the mood around him became bubbly, making Tayuya and Haku look at him with a repulsed expression.
"Go flirt elsewhere" Tayuya cussed
"You're not the only one living in this house, this better not be a daily occurance" Haku sighed as he shook his head
It as only now that Tayuya took notice of Haku
"Another chick? Why is this guy so popular?" She grumbled
Haku lifted a brow
"I'm his big brother" He said
"Yeah yeah, I kno-...roll it back"
"I'm his nii-san" Haku crossed his arms and said with a proud look
"..." Tayuya rushed up and pressed her hands on Haku's chest
"..." Haku was taken aback, she was acting so brazenly!?
She actually felt his body up and down before she retreated in shock
"Holy crap, you're a dude!? That's crazy" She gasped
Haku's lips twitched, was it necessary to feel him up to confirm it? His smile became much more forced as he raised one hand.
"Girl, what's your name" He asked
"H-Huh? Name's Tayuya, why?"
*Swoosh*
Ice began risng from her feet, crawling up her and spreading rapdily!
"What the f**k!?"
"Tayuya, good name, I'll be sure to write that on your funeral" Haku said with a smile, but his gaze was anything but friendly
"Ah! Crap, crap, crap! Kimimaro, help me out! Anyone, stop this crazy chick!" Tayuya clutched her head and screamed, she tried to break out of the ice, but they were insanely solid!
*Bang*
Amidst her screams, she heard the sound of ice shattering, followed by a loud *bang*.
"Ouch, Naruto, you shouldn't hit your nii-san" Haku sighed as he rubbed the back of his head
Naruto rolled his eyes
"I'd be bad if you killed her, I need her alive for my experiement" Naruto said
Tayuya looked down, the ice was shattered by Naruto, which made her reveal a relieved look. If he didn't stop Haku, she may have turned into a human popsicle by now.
"Thank goodness, and here I thought I was going to die at the age of fourteen" She patted her chest and muttered
"You brought it upon yourself" Kimimaro said
"Tch, why didn't you help me out?" She asked
"Oh, I'd rather not die" He replied
"..."
Meanwhile, Ino was questioning Naruto and Haku
"Nii-san? You call him your nii-san? When did this happen!?" Ino exclaimed as she pointed between the two of them.
Naruto scratched the back of his head
"Let me think...like, on the day you went on your mission, we got closer and pretty much became brothers" Naruto replied
Ino's lips twitched, how did they get that close??? Just a few days prior to that, wasn't Haku glaring at Naruto when the met, and even cursed at him with a smile? So where did this sudden brotherhood come from!?
Seeing her confusion, Naruto gave a rough rundown as to what happened that day, and after the explanation...Ino was still confused.
"I-I guess I understand...." She muttered
A thought then struck her
"Wait! Na-kun, are you sure you're straight?" Ino suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and asked
!!!!
Tayuya and Kimimaro turned over when they heard that question, with curiosity glistening in their eyes. Haku covered his mouth and nearly let a faint 'pfft' escape, but held it back quite well.
"Hah!? Where did this come from? Of course I am"
"But you kissed Sasuke and kept telling me how his lips were sweet! I know you hate him and all, but this just makes me worried this will turn into some love-hate relationship? And Haku is so pretty, even if you call him your brother, what if you two end up crossing the line?" Ino was panicking as she shook his shoulders frantically
"..."
Naruto was speechless...it seems he brought it upon himself...
He stopped her promptly
"Ino, I'll be honest...your imagination is all sorts of messed up, and I can assure you, nothing will happen between me and Haku, nor will I end up in a love-hate relationship with Sasuke" Naruto said as his lips twitched
"You won't hate f**k him?" She peeked up at him and asked
"I won't hate f**k him" He replied calmly
"..." The other three in the room listened, almost laughing if not for Naruto giving each of them a fierce glare.
[BWAHAHAHAHAHA]
'Kurama, I swear, some day, you'll get what's coming for you'
[Heh, but it won't be today] Kurama responded smugly
Naruto paused...isn't that the exact reply he gave Kurama back then? Dammit, this guy was holding a grudge!
But another matter caught his attention
"Wait, Ino, how do you even know the term hate f**k" Naruto suddenly felt perplexed, where in the world did a thirteen year old hear such a term!?
Ino froze up, but promptly replied with
"Wh-What about you? You also know it" She huffed
Naruto just knocked on her head before he replied
"Fine, I won't pry, but don't go saying things like that in front of your dad, if he assumes I taught you these things, the little trust he has in me would break" Naruto sighed
Ino nodded
"Well, that aside, I think it's fine to have you properly introduced to Haku-nii" Naruto said as he pushed Haku in front of him
Haku smiled
"Feel free to call me nii-san as well, onii-san works as well" He responded, the feeling of getting another younger sibling was quite thrilling to him, so he was rather eager to have Ino call him that.
Ino quickly became flustered
"N-N-Nii-san..." She said shyly
'I-Is this basically him introducing his family to me? He's already met mine, so does this mean we can get engaged?' She placed her hands on her cheeks and wondered
Knowing her mind was wondering off, Naruto chuckled
"You two can train together from now on, with how your chakra control is now, you can even have Ino spar with you" He said
"Sounds good" Haku nodded
Naruto then shifted his gaze to Tayuya and Kimikaro, who were standing by the side in silence.
"I have one room left, so one of you will either share a room, or sleep on the couch" Naruto said
"I don't mind the couch" Kimimaro said
Tayuya however, quickly snapped at him
"Hah? You're injured, you should sleep on the bed" She said with a huff
"Injured?" Naruto frowned upon hearing that
Tayuya nodded
"When we attacked the Kazekage and killed him, Kimimaro was heavily injured, he can hardly fight as he is now, why else would he look so sickly?" She replied
Naruto rubbed his chin and nodded
"Wait, I think I just heard something insane" Ino suddenly spoke up
"..."
Naruto pinched between his brows, he completely glossed over it, but Tayuya indeed just said something crazy! They attacked the Kazekage!
Ino narrowed her eyes
"The ones who showed up at the Chunin exam was Orochimaru, so these people..." She turned to Naruto, her gaze was rather sharp as she figured something out.
Who else can these people be but Orochimaru's subordinates? And Naruto stated that they were the subordinates of a friend of his...
"Would you believe me if I said Orochimaru's a rather nice guy?" Naruto asked with a wry smile
"Would you believe it?" Ino asked
"..." Naruto covered his face, he couldn't believe it himself, why would Ino believe it?
Naruto coughed
"Um, Haku, you can go show Tayuya and Kimimaro to the empty room, I uh..." He waved his hand and said
Haku nodded and brought the two upstairs, in which Tayuya stuck her tongue out at Naruto before leaving, mocking him for his predicament.
Now, with only him and Ino in the room, Naruto sat down and snapped his fingers. Seals around the room shone brightly, sealing off the enture room. Ino wasn't worried he'd do anything to her, but she was still quite nervous as she sat down on the opposite side to face him.
"Ino, I know this may sound crazy..."
"Oh, it definitely is, you're friends with Orochimaru, Konoha's traitor" Ino's lips twitched and said
Ino then paused
"Wait, is that why you decided not to form a retrieval party to bring Sasuke back?" Ino asked
"That prick is best gone from the village, it's either Orochimaru takes him, or I beat him up" Naruto straightened up and said with a serious expression
"Ah...I see"