-At home-
Zabuza was conducting physical training with Haku, who was sweating as he went through the regiment he was given. Zabuza was at first concerned whether he would be able to endure it, and thought of easing the difficulty, but seeing how he was so stubborn, he decided against it.
'He's growing, I shouldn't limit it' In his heart, he was very pleased with how Haku was growing
Haku wore heavy weights on his limbs whilst practicing blade techniques with Zabuza.
"Need a break?" Zabuza asked when he noticed Haku's expression paling
Haku shook his head
"I've got a monster of a younger brother, if I slack off now, I'll never catch up to him" He replied with a serious expression as he continued
His response made Zabuza chuckle
'Naruto has given me quite a few surprises, and this is the most pleasant one' He was glad that Naruto can act as Haku's motivation, even allowing him to show more emotions as time went on.
Amidst the training, he suddenly sensed someone near the house. The presence simply remained still, completely unmoved, which made his heart tense a little. That person was....too still, as if they weren't a living being.
'The breathing and chakra flow of that person is too weird...it's almost mechanical, but it's clearly a living person' Zabuza became more wary as time went on
That person simply stood a safe distance away from the house, observing from the rooftop, but it never made a move.
'I should ask that kid if he offended anyone recently' He thought to himself, immediately linking this to Naruto.
"Haku, go inside for now" He said
"Huh?"
"Just do some basic training indoors....I have a bad feeling about something" Zabuza added
Seeing his tense expression, Haku nodded and went inside obediently. With this, Zabuza sat down at the backyard, simply observing the other person in case they make any moves.
-Training ground-
After spotting Hinata behind the tree, Neji, very unwillingly, invited her over to join them in sparing. Ino and Hinata locked eyes, neither side wavering....well, Ino wavered at the sight of Hinata's fierce look.
*Clap*
"Now, now, if you two have any grudges, settle it through a friendly spar" Naruto smiled
'You're the reason for their grudge' Everyone else were a little speechless, but a spar would indeed elevate the tension.
"Na-kun, you're the reason she hates me, why is she so obsessed with you anyway?" Ino tucked her lips and asked
Naruto chuckled
"Well, I'm charming and handsome, what can I say? I'm just a charmer" He said with a smile
"....Na-kun, don't be offended, but...you're not exactly a charmer in a way that girls will fall for you everywhere" Ino said after careful consideration.
Naruto gasped
"Ino, how can you say that about your boyfriend, I am shocked and appalled" Naruto said with an exaggerated shocked expression.
Ino rolled her eyes as she turned back to Hinata since Naruto didn't answer her questions
"Hinata, why are you so obsessed with Na-kun" She asked
Her question was something that many has wondered as well, since Hinata never seemed to have interacted with Naruto, but seems so obsessed with him.
Hinata's expression changed, and behind that fierce glare, she revealed a faint blush.
"I-I...I just like him" She stuttered
"I won't pry then, spar with me" Ino said
Hinata's expression sharpened immediately
"Of course" She responded
She took out a roll of bandages and wrapped her palm up with it, tying the knot as she bit down one end of the bandage.
'She looks terrifyingly fierce' The rest gulped, Hinata's current expression was aggressive, and the way she tied the bandages around her palms did not help.
She then tossed it aside and got into her stance
"Ready when you are" She said
Ino huffed
"Don't expect me to go down easy" She said
Hinata's eyes became colder as she activated her byakugan. Her palms closed into a fist as she ran towards Ino.
*Srsh*
She kicked the ground when she got close to Ino, causing sand to fly up
[Oh ho, she's playing dirty, the Hyuga clan princess must want to win very badly!] Kurama began his commentary
Ino jumped back to avoid the sand as she took out senbons and threw it towards Hinata.
[Senbons, interesting play by the Yamanaka girl, a technique even Naruto doesn't know of is being used at this very moment!]
'It seems she has practiced it in her spare time' Naruto thought
Hinata clicked her tongue as she dodged to the side before pushing against the ground once more to close the distance. But Ino wouldn't allow for her to do so as she continued to avoid direct confrontation with Hinata.
She continued to throw senbons towards Hinata, in which she avoided with relative ease. But she saw Ino smile as she threw a small sachet towards the ground.
*Poof*
A purple mist exploded into the air, quickly covering up the area around them
"Annoying" Hinata muttered as she spun on the spot.
*Whoosh*
Hinata was covered by a powerful semicircle shaped barrier like rotational force, acting similarly to a wall of wind as she spun.
[The Hyuga clan girl used rotation, and repelled all the senbons and smoke! However, this only makes it easier to widen the distance between the two of them!]
When it ended, Hinata was gazed towards Ino, who was now even further away.
*Phew*
Hinata sucked in a cold breath as she focused on Ino. Her gaze became even more resolved as she charged at Ino once more. Like before, Ino threw senbons towards her, insisting on dragging it out until Hinata became tired, but this time, Hinata's actions caused her to freeze momentarily.
Hinata raised one hand and...allowed the senbons to pierce her hand! She kept charging at Ino, ignoring the pain as she made her way right up to her, taking advantage of Ino's momentary daze.
*Whoosh*
Her hand struck forth, stopping right in front of Ino's neck. Her gaze remained stable, ignoring the bleeding palm that had senbons piercing it.
"....I lost" Ino said
Hinata lowered her hand slowly, but Ino grabbed on
"Hold still" She said as she carefully removed the senbons
"Why did you take it head on?" she asked as she removed them
"So I can win" Hinata responded
Her response made Ino tremble slightly
"Winning a simple spar at the cost of injuring yourself like this...it's not good" She said worryingly
Hinata may be a competitor, but she does not hate her, which is why she was worried about her safety.
Ino's concern towards her made Hinata falter a little, and her expression stiffened. It made her second-think her previous actions of self harm...was it worth it? She looked down at her hand that was now properly bandaged up by Ino.
"Thanks" She muttered, as her face became a little pink from embarrassment as she took the spar so seriously.
"You're amazing, Hinata" Ino then said
"Huh?"
"I got stronger over time because Na-kun helped with my training, but you, you worked relentlessly on your own to grow so quickly, you're amazing" Ino grinned
"Th-This..." Hinata didn't know how to respond to that for a moment, and for a bit, she felt as if she returned to her past shy self, unable to find the word.
"That was an amazing fight! But is Hinata alright?" Lee walked over and asked, he was amazed by Hinata's fighting spirit when he saw her take those senbons directly in order to get closer.
"Right, I didn't expect you'd have improved so much so quickly" Tenten exclaimed
She has only ever heard of Neji complain about Hinata's ferocity, but upon seeing it in person, she was shocked.
"Th-Thanks" Hinata could only say this word after being bombarded by complements
"Yep, she's hardcore as f**k" Naruto muttered
He walked over
"Good fight, though I'd recommend not harming yourself next time" Naruto said
"Mn" Hinata blushed a little as she nodded when Naruto approached
-Outside the village-
Kakashi had brought the team to where the mission was located, and the three of them observed the bandit camp from afar, while Tayuya and Kimimaro stood on a tree above them.
"So, that's the place?" Naruto asked
"Mn, Sakura, you'll take care of the bandits and rogue shinobis, Naruto, you deal with the missing-nin, the target is Yoshika Kama, he killed a fellow jonin during a mission and is now on the run, he specialises in-"
"Ah, hold it right there, don't tell me, I wanna find out on my own" Naruto interjected and said
Kakashi narrowed his gaze
"I'll need to hear the reason for that" he said
"Experience, if I know what he specialises beforehand, I'll know how to deal with him, but I need experience in facing opponents with unknown abilities, or I'll be too reliant on information" Naruto responded
"Good reason, I'll allow it" Kakashi nodded, he had a similar thought when Naruto cut him off, but on the chance that he said it due to arrogance, he wouldn't allow for it.
Naruto nodded, but he didn't move yet
"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked
"...sensei, can I...really not use the beast bomb?" Naruto asked with a serious expression
"..." Kakashi's lips twitched, why is he so adamant on using it!?
Seeing his look of expectations, he made a decision
"No" He responded coldly
"...can I at least shoot one into the air, it's been so long since I last used it, I miss that ringing in the ear as the explosion goes off" Naruto clenched his fists and said with an indignant expression
Kakashi sighed, so he just wants to use it because he hasn't seen an explosion in a long time? But if it's into the air, it should be fine, right?
"Only after you complete the mission" He replied
Naruto's expression lit up brightly as he grinned
"Thanks, sensei" He said cheerfully
Kakashi rolled his eyes, Naruto's source of motivation is honestly lost to him...
"Naruto...why are you so obsessed with using the beast bomb or whatever it is? What even is it?" Sakura asked, clueless about the conversation between Naruto and Kakashi
Sakura's question made Naruto's eyes light up even more
"The beast bomb is the condensed chakra of a tailed beast that is fired out, the destructive power behind a fully powered beast bomb is strong enough to wipe out mountains entirely! Of course, that is only if the beast is fully released, or the jinchuriki is powerful enough to handle the full power of the beast, in my case, my beast bombs are not nearly as powerful" Naruto explained enthusiastically
"It's truly a fascinating power, I have researched many seals to try and contain the power of the beast bomb so I can-"
"Hold it, I've heard enough, and my takeaway is...you're a walking bomb, stay away from me when you fight" Sakura said
She has seen Naruto's control over the nine tail's power already, so what shocked her was the power she realised he now holds. A beast bomb, what a terrifying ability...
"Alright, enough chatter, Sakura, Naruto, get on with it already" Kakashi waved his hand and sighed.
"Kay~" Naruto tugged on the collar of his shirt, and pulled a black piece of cloth from within that covered the lower half of his face, showing only his eyes and above.
He then used transformation jutsus to turn his hair black, before he passed a face mask to Sakura.
"Wear this" He said
"Why? Also, why did you change your hair colour?" Sakura asked as she received the face mask and wore it
"I will spread poison when I enter, the poison will act slowly and paralyze the body when inhaled, as for my hair, yellow is too conspicous and vibrant" He said
Sakura nodded
"Okay, but why a slow acting one? Why not use a fast acting poison" Sakura asked, she had dabbled in medicine when learning under Tsunade, so she became curious at the mention of poison.
"So no one escapes, if it's a fast acting one, a few will see realise the danger they are in, and decide to escape rather than fight, if it's slow acting, it would be too late by the time they realise, ensuring minimal escapes" Naruto responded
"Oh!" His idea wasn't something Kakashi had expected either, as he wasn't expecting such thoughts from a child.
"And here is the antidote in case the mask gets torn or removed during combat, don't eat it right away, it is only effective if you are already poisoned, if you get poisoned after ingesting, it won't save you" Naruto said as he tossed her a small pill.
"Alright" Sakura tucked the pill away right after receiving it
Kakashi nodded in satisfaction
'It's always good to have a back up plan, so far, I have no worries about Naruto whatsoever' He mentally noted that with how prepared Naruto is thus far, he is already half way considered a proper jonin.
He initially got the rank due to his achievements and abilities, but Kakashi was still worried since he was still young. However, with how he is planning right now, it seems he was worried for naught.
"I'll enter first to attract attention, you start your assault when they have me surrounded, so they will all have their backs turned to you, if possible, take them out as silently as possible" Naruto said
"Sure" Sakura was very quick to accept his plans, making Naruto very happy that Sasuke is no longer here.
If Sasuke was here, he'd have to convince him, and if he failed, Sakura would agree to whatever Sasuke says. But now, Sakura is very quick to accept, and would execute the plan to the best of her abilities.
Naruto shifted his gaze to Tayuya and Kimimaro
"When I enter the bandit den, I want you two to be within fifty metres of me, understood?" He asked
Kimimaro nodded, while Tayuya rolled her eyes. She would do it, but she will express her disagreement till the end.
Naruto and Sakura then made their way down, the bandit den is more like a small fortress, with wooden barricades built around.
Naruto threw a small kunai at the barricade, and teleported over without being spotted. He then pressed his hand against the wall and placed a seal on it. He shifted along the wall quietly, placing more and more seals along the walls before gesturing to Sakura.
'When I give the signal, you charge in' He gestured
'Okay' Sakura responded with an OK sign from afar
Naruto then threw a kunai into the air, and teleported to it when it was high above the stronghold.
He then made a hand gesture
"Boom" He grinned
*Bang*
The seals on the walls lit up brightly before bursting into flames, blasting the wall into bits, while killing any bandit that were too close to the wall at that moment. From the information given, there are around fifty bandits in there, and with that explosion, he took out nearly ten at once.
"It's a shinobi!" The bandits looked up and saw Naruto in the sky, wearing a cheeky grin on his face.
*Bang*
He landed in the centre of the village, where the bandits surrounded him quickly. He dropped a small sachet to the ground and stomped on it as he stood up, so no one took notice of it when a faint white mist drifted out from below his feet, gradually dispersing around them all.
"So~...did you all like my welcoming gift?" He smiled, behind his back, he made a gesture to Sakura, who immediately began taking action.
"Quite the spectacle" A thin man with dark red hair walked to the front.
He had a scar across his nose, and jagged sharp teeth.
"I take it you're here to exterminate the bandits, but too bad, I guess you missed one small detail" The man chuckled
Naruto gazed at him
'He's Yoshika I think...he looks down on me right now, I can make use of it'
"And what detail did I miss?" Naruto asked
"The mission you took is probably only B rnk at most, right? Hahaha, but do you know what rank I have as a shinobi?" He asked as he stepped closer to Naruto
Naruto's eyes drifted to his neck, heart, and between his legs...
'Should I be a little sh*t, or should I be professional with my work' He contemplated
[Kid...you can't be thinking of attacking the crown jewels, can you?] Kurama asked
'Pfft, wha~t, no~...okay, yes I am' Naruto thought
[....shameless]
'All is fair in love and war'
Yoshika stared at Naruto, who didn't look worried at all
"What rank are you?" Naruto asked with a smile
"Jonin" He smiled coldly
Naruto gasped
"Wha~t!"
Yoshika's smile stiffened, although Naruto looked shocked...why did his tone sound so...playful? Could he already know that? But if he did, why is he here alone? He furrowed his brows, is this a trap?
*Bang*
Suddenly, they heard a loud impact
*Bang*
It sounded closer, and was happening very fast. Their attention turned away from Naruto for a moment to see what was causing this, and when they turned back, they were just in time to see Sakura punch someone into the air!
'I said so it quietly, but it seems this is much better, she's taking them out quickly, and left a strong impression on them' Naruto didn't mind that she didn't do it quietly, as doing it this way was much faster.
Naruto didn't hesitate and struck at Yoshika when he turned his eyes to Sakura. He held a kunai as he thrust it towards Yoshika's neck, and was mere inches away when Yoshika reacted by shifting his body to the side.
He was just in time, avoiding the fatal attack, but a faint red line was left on the side of his neck as a drop of blood seeped out.
"Sneaky brat, not bad" He smiled as he rubbed the blood off with his hand.
"Back at you, you red haired hillbilly" Naruto raised his middle finger at him and smirked
*Pop*
His veins bulged
"You're asking for it now" He reached onto his back and pulled out a massive hammer that was covered in a dark red substance, almost black in colour...blood...
"Die!" He yelled as he raised the hammer up and slammed it down towards Naruto.
Naruto didn't underestimate this man as he leapt back. He avoided the strike effortlessly, and pressed his hand onto the ground, where he secretly formed a seal that sunk in, while moving towards the crowded bandit group.
*Swoosh*
The bandits behind him quickly acted as they swing their blades at him, but Naruto simply formed a rasengan that had a powerful repulsion force, that he threw backwards.
*Bang*
The bandits behind him were sent flying, while Yoshika charged at him once more.
Sakura used this momentum to bash more people in the air, and anyone she struck were left incapacitated for a long while.
Her training with Tsunade may have just begun, but she is by no means weak like before. Her physical capabilities are now even better than Sasuke's!
"Slippery b*stard" Yoshika gnashed his teeth as Naruto avoided his blows
Every time Naruto dodged, Yoshika saw him press his hand against the floor for some reason and flip backwards to widen the gap.
Naruto quickly activated sage mode by dispersing a clone he had set prior in his house, which allowed him to create a bigger gap between him and Yoshika.
With sage mode, he stopped running and formed a rasengan in his hand. A strong repulsion force emitted from it as he dashed towards Yoshika and pushed the rasengan forth. Yoshika responded by swinging his hammer towards him.
*Bang*
Upon impact, the two were blown away from one another, and the rasengan in Naruto's hand dispersed.
"Earth style, earth bullet jutsu" Large chunks of rocks rose from the ground, and were shot towards Naruto while they were still mid air.
Naruto quickly threw a kunai upwards and teleported to it before throwing a rasengan towards Yoshika.
"Earth wall" Yoshika pressed his hands against the ground as a wall rose up in front of him
The rasengan came into contact with the wall, and a powerful repulsion force occured once more, causing the wall to crumble. But when the wall fell, Yoshika was gone.
Naruto landed on the ground, and a hand shot out from below, grabbing onto his ankles.
"...well, this is ironic" Naruto muttered, as the next moment, he was pulled underground, leaving only his head revealed.
[You see this kid, this is how the headhunter jutsu actually works] Kurama chuckled
'Bah, if my methods work just fine, then it can also be considered the headhunter jutsu, the results are the same' Naruto replied, while he was under there, he formed a seal and embedded it into the ground.
Yoshika emerged from the ground as he stood in front of Naruto.
"You're skilled, but that's it, you lack experience" He smirked as he raised the hammer up high
*Bang*
He swung down as hard as he could, causing the ground to crumble beneath this powerful strike. Dust filled the air, and a dark smile rose on Yoshika's face.
"Hehehehe, HAHAHA-...huh?" His initial sadistic laughter was cut short when he realised something was amiss.
Below his hammer, the splatter of blood was not seen, in fact, there are no traces of blood whatsoever.
He lifted his hammer, but all there is left is the crater he made, and a hole below it, where Naruto used to be...
*Tap*
"Where did he go?" He muttered
"I think he dug a tunnel down, the hole looks quite deep" Someone beside him spoke
"Right" Yoshika looked down at the hole, but paused...who spoke just now? And that voice sounded quite familiar.
*Bang*
He suddenly felt something strike the back of his head when he bent over to look into the hole, causing him to stumble, and landed head first into the hole!
Behind him, Naruto was crackling as he raised his leg
"Hah, I can't believe he fell for the oldest trick in the book" He lauged as he stomped on Yoshika's head again, causing his head to sink into the ground.
What followed was a small explosion inside the pit, caused by the seal he hid inside when he got pulled under.
However, the second the explosion happened, Yoshika's body began to crack, and the next moment, his body became stone as it crumbled away.
"An earth clone?" Naruto lifted a brow, wondering when he did this
*Whoosh*
He heard something behind him, and ducked quickly, just in time as the hammer swung past, barely brushing past his hair.
Yoshika pressed one hand against the ground, and a massive earth hand rose, slapping towards Naruto, who teleported away, and threw a kunai at Yoshika. Yoshika raised the hammer a little, and deflected the kunai, causing it to land by his feet.
"Kid, I'll admit, I underestimated you quite a bit, but no more, I will take you seriously from now on" He said in a low voice
"Mn, cool, cool cool cool...bu~t, what makes you think I'll fight you head on?" Naruto stuck out his tongue and flipped him off again
"..."
"Later b*tch" He grinned as he teleported into the crowd of bandits who were focusing on Sakura
*Bang*
The moment he teleported to her, he summoned five rasengans that he threw around them, blasting all nearby bandits back, severely injuring a few. Naruto then grabbed Sakura, and the two teleported away.
"Grrr, that b*stard!" Yoshika roared at the top of his lungs
Far from the bandit stronghold, where Kakashi was, Naruto appeared next to him with Sakura beside him.
"Sup" He raised a hand and said
"Uh, Naruto, why did we retreat?" sakura scratched the side of her cheeks and asked
"I'd like an explanation as well" Kakashi said
Naruto chuckled as he tapped his head
"Sensei, beating the enemy isn't just about strength, it's also about wits, while I was entangled with Yoshika, I was also planting seals around the area" He said
His words made Kakashi's furrowed brows ease a little
"Go on" He said
"Hahaha, knew you'd be willing to listen, you see, the seal's purpose is to-"
*Bang*
Behind him, a massive explosion suddenly occured, so strong that a powerful wind blew past them all from the shockwave of the explosion. Where did it originate from? The bandit stronghold!
Behind Naruto, they saw smoke rise, as the stronghold that stood tall earlier is now no more...
"That, it does that" Naruto pointed behind him without looking back as he grinned
"..."
Sakura's eyes lit up
"Wow, you planted such powerful seals in such short time?" She gasped
"Yep, and I timed it with the paralysis poison, the moment I brought you out was when the poison would take effect, meaning, no one can escape" Naruto's smile became wicked as he crackled with laughter.
"Hahahahaha, and with us acting as bait, we gathered them all in the centre, so the chance of survivors is low, hehehehe, HAHAHAHA, hah, this felt so good, hah, hah" Naruto placed his hands on his cheeks as he laughed strangely, panting heavily at the thought of the massive explosion.
His strange laughter sent chills down the spine of everyone watching, it was just too creepy! It gave them the urge to smack him so he would stop making such a creepy expression.
"Naruto...please, never smile or laugh like that ever again..." Sakura rubbed her arms and said with a disgusted expression
"I wanna dig my eyes out" Tayuya said with a dead gaze
"As your sensei...I recomend you to laugh less" Kakashi coughed
[As your tailed beast, I expect you to cut off our connection before making such a messed up face, you creep] Kurama cussed
"..."
Only Kimimaro was sensible enough to keep quiet, but that didn't make the words hurt less
"...yeah, you all can go f**k right on off, I'm going back to the village" Naruto flipped them off and said with an annoyed expression
"Hehehe, you all have to walk back" Realising that they were going back to the village, Tayuya was overjoyed, but before anything, she had to poke fun at Kakashi and Sakura.
She knew that Naruto will definitely bring her along, since he was experimenting on her and Kimimaro.
However...
"Hah? What gave you the impression I'll take you along? Ptui, only Kimimaro is coming back with me" Naruto snapped at her
"...huh?"
"So what if nii-san wants you as his sparing partner, I'll be damned if I let you off scot free after cussing at me" Naruto sneered
"Naruto, before going, go check if there are any survivors, never get overconfident" Kakashi said
"...sure" Naruto dropped his annoyed expression and nodded
It would be a disaster if any of them ended up getting away because he's too confident in his seals, so he teleported back to the remains of the stronghold.
[I sense no life] Kurama scanned the area and said
'Awesome, time to go home then'
He collected the headband of the missing nin before he teleported back to Kakashi and informed him of the result.
"Good, now I'll give you my feedback" Kakashi smiled as he took the headband
"Naruto, your strategy was impeccable, and your preparations are done extremely well, so I have no comments about that, all I have to say is that it seems that you don't have a good awareness for sneak attacks, the headhunter jutsu performed on you is the best example, you were unable to locate your opponent in time and was caught in it" He said
Naruto nodded, he indeed wasn't able to react to it fast enough, and didn't make any excuses.
"Otherwise, you handled the situation very well, and was able to set up a trap amidst combat, which is very impressive"
His eyes then shifted to Sakura
"Sakura, you have improved drastically compared to before, your judgement in actions is flawless, knowing when to pull back, and when to attack, you followed Naruto's plan, making adjustments to your own part as you saw fit, and it worked out nicely" He smiled
"However" His gaze became stern
"You may not have realised, but when Naruto teleported you out, you were about to get tackled by one of the bandits behind you, had he not teleported you out in time, you'd have been overwhelmed immediately" He said coldly
Sakura looked down and sighed. But she suddenly felt a hand press down on her head, and was soon faced with another smile from Kakashi.
"But all that comes with experience, you have never been in the middle of a group fight before, so what you have done is already very impressive, keep working hard" He said gently
"Sensei..." Sakura's eyes glimmered brightly as she revealed a big smile
"Yes sensei!"
Kakashi chuckled
"Alright, Naruto, mind if you teleport us ba-"
"..." Kakashi looked around, and Naruto, along with Kimimaro, were nowhere to be found...
Only Tayuya was left there, staring blankly
"H-He seriously left me behind...what the actual f**k!" She yelled