𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗: 𝙺𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒'𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐
Naruto woke up, squinting her eyes through the glare of the sun that had went past the gaps in the ribs, and down her face. Judging by the way the clones had successfully dismissed themselves, the night went well and it was currently about eight in the morning. Eating the leftovers of last night's dinner, she let out a smile, anticipating a fun match today. It's been quite a while since she had a proper fight, and maybe one of the jounins will give her just that.
Kakashi would, but it was clear that he'll try to squeeze his answers out of her when he had the chance.
Naruto wondered just who the jounins in the test were.
Gai? Highly possible. His skill in taijutsu is extraordinary, after all, and she believed that he had some amazing jutsus in his arsenal.
It was likely that the jounins are around their age so it would be less difficult. If she remembered correctly, wasn't Azu―Asuma― already a jounin around this time?
Ugh, her forgetfulness is worsening with each passing week. Naruto was sure she knew the jounin senseis of her generation and Gai; she could say their names without a second thought just the other day.
She realized that she could remember the faces of her closest people clearer than her acquaintances. The images of the Konoha Eleven, Sai, Kakashi-sensei, Gaara's team, Lee's team, Konohamaru, Iruka-sensei… Sasuke… They all burned strongly in her head.
The villagers and the faces of the people she had met a few times were already blurry and unfamiliar.
She still remembered the faces of the Akatsuki, of course, which is what she's most thankful for. Nagato, Konan, and the corpse of Yahiko were still etched in her mind.
Tobi, the masked man, was still scratched into her head painfully.
Although remembering his face―or the mask―was important, she wished that she could just throw it away like every other memory. He was the man she absolutely didn't want to remember. In his place, she wanted to remember the every faces of her beloved village and keep her precious memories of her former life. Her precious memories of her close friends and people.
Sighing, Naruto stood up, her breakfast properly digested. She had to go find the ninth chunin participant, after all.
might even be the slightest chance that she likes you back! Don't you think it's worth a try for fuck's sake?"
Not wanting to hear any further, the Hatake flashed away.
The purple haired girl… Naruto felt that she was very familiar, which should mean that they had met a number of times in the future. Maybe a short-term sensei?
Purple, spiky hair tied up at the back. Who was it?
Naruto let a small frown mar her face as she hopped from branch to branch at a rapidly high speed. She couldn't waste time on finding this one person, and8ting dangerously at her. "Oh, just curious. Since you weren't part of the team, like Obito, Rin and I."
It was obvious Anko doubted her, judging by the skeptic glare. "Coming all this way to find me? I find that hard to believe. Or are you just stupid?"
"Females are meant to be curious creatures."
"Curious, eh? I admit, you're strong, but if you're this dumb, I don't think that accounts for it."
Naruto frowned, "Huh. It's been a while since someone's tried to insult me before. You're Mitarashi Anko, right?"
"Yeah, so what? Wanna fight?" Anko sneered, "I don't have a scroll on me."
"I wasn't here for a scroll, but it would have been nice if you had one. Just wanted to see how strong you are." It wasn't technically a lie, since she really wanted to see how much skills the future woman had now. "Orochimaru's pupil, correct?"
"Stalker, much? But yeah, I'm his student. Got a fucking problem?"
It was clear that Anko's getting irritated with the questions. "No, no problems. Just wanted to make sure." Naruto brought her index finger to her chin, as if contemplating a thought. "But now that I've talked to you, I think I want to get to know you better. You know, friends."
She knew Anko was startled at her words, and the suspicious tone in the purple-headed kunoichi was expected. "Don't make me laugh. Friends? I'd rather drop dead."
"Then why don't you? If you can't do that, then be friends with me." Naruto smirked. She was about to say more, before flickering her eyes to the left.
She threw a kunai to the leaves of the tree that hid the ninja. "Quit hiding. It's annoying me." Well, isn't this a cruddy time for her to return back to normal? She didn't show the small exhaustion she felt as an aftereffect of the sage mode. It would wear off soon anyways.
It was a jounin she has never seen before, but he looked vaguely familiar. She must have seen him around the streets or something. She turned to see Anko raise a brow at him.
"Genma? What are you doing here?"
The senbon between his teeth stayed as he spoke, "I'm not a jounin, but I'm still close to one. Elite Jounin, remember?"
Naruto blinked. She scanned the boy's appearance, before coming to a conclusion that he was the same age as her. He had brown hair, that was covered with a bandana that served as a hitai-ate. Just where has she seen him before?
He noticed her staring, and bowed his head, "Shiranui Genma. You?"
"Namikaze Naruto." She finally managed to stop her habit of using her other surname.
He nodded in acknowledgement, before frowning as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, two against one isn't really fair."
Anko scoffed, "Since when was life fair? And who said I was teaming with her?"
Naruto rolled her eyes, "If life's unfair for everyone, then doesn't that make it fair? You don't have to team with me if you don't want to, but I want a scroll. I'm sure you do too. You got someone you want to prove to, don't you?" Naruto crossed the two fingers of both her hands together.
"Kage Bunshin!"
Genma whistled, "You sure have a lot of chakra to summon that many."
Five clones were by her side, as Naruto cocked her head to the side and smirked. "That many? You haven't even seen a cent of it, honey."
Anko frowned, before bringing an arm up. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I'll work with you. But who'll get the scroll?"
"How 'bout we fight him first, and then talk?"
"Just who is that guy?" Naruto asked incredulously, furiously blocking the flurry of needles with her kunai. She caught the senbons and put them in her own pouch, much to Genma's annoyance.
Anko replied for her, evading the medical weapons. "Shiranui Genma, tokubetsu jounin. Age is fourteen, soon fifteen. Future candidate for Hokage's personal guards."
Now that the blonde thought about it, she might have seen him in the future a couple of times, but not as much as to be able to remember him clearly. Wasn't he also a proctor in the chunin exams? She also―very vaguely―remember seeing him in the Fourth War.
Her eyebrows knit together as she tried to think harder, whilst evading the numerous amounts of senbons―didn't he run out of stock yet? She scowled when he got out a scroll from one of the pockets in his green Konoha vest.
Ah, that explains it. She thought, her scowl deepening when he had popped the batch of needles to existence.
As if she'll let him have his way!
"Futon: Reppuushou!"
The big gale of wind caused Genma's use of the needles to backfire, and it made its way to the bandana boy. Genma cursed as he jumped out of the way from the senbons, but was knocked a few feet off the ground.
Judging by the elite jounin's performance, Naruto guessed that he was low on chakra now. Anko seems to notice as well, grinning madly as she boasted, "Had enough?"
The blonde rolled her eyes―she was the one who did most of the work, after all.
Genma sighed, "Yeah, yeah." He nodded once to Naruto, much to Anko's frustration, and body flickered away.
The jinchuuriki turned to her new comrade when Anko's words were now pointedly directed at her. "You were skilled in fighting, I guess."
Well, that was as close as Anko could get in trying to be friends, Naruto figured dryly.
In the end, Naruto and Anko decided to work together, Anko claiming that she only joined her because she "wouldn't quit bugging" her if she didn't. And since it was getting dark, the two decided to go back to Naruto's camp.
Naruto was already poking her head inside the ribs before she remembered that Anko can't get in.
Once she got that sorted, the blonde formed two clones, and pointed to one of them, "You go get firewood, while you―" this time pointed to the other, "―hunt for food."
Once the two clones left, Naruto sat in front of Anko, face completely serious and the shadows made by the bones above given it more effect.
It was becoming quite a habit to get out of her clumsy, obviously-too-cheery appearance.
"I believe we should plan the next eight days a little something like this…"
She listed the schedule she thought was best; starting tomorrow they will try getting scrolls for themselves. Once they had achieved two, they would continue to get extras in case. The following days afterwards would be relaxing, but also staying on guard.
Naruto was confident that the both of them would win.
"I see, so that's what she was planning."
Jiraiya smirked, "You sure you don't want her to stay?"
The blonde man blinked in surprise, before shaking his head lightly. "Well, I do, but I know that she'll be safe under your care anyways. I just don't see how she claims to not have mastered the seals yet. I've seen her performance with them, and I'd say that she might be getting close to my skills." He frowned, "But still a little far from Kushina's though."
Jiraiya sighed, rolling his eyes at the memory of the girl. "Probably just using it as an excuse! Girls, ladies, women of all ages can't stand to part from me after all!" He said with a cheeky grin, before it dwindled to a calmer one. "Or, she might just be trying to review everything so she doesn't forget them. From what I hear, her memories are clearing away at a rapid speed."
Minato raised a brow, "But didn't she seal her memories so that she could access them and remember them again?"
"Yes, but she isn't sure how long those would last either. She thinks that if she uses them too much the seal keeping them shut will weaken."
Nodding in understanding, Minato sighed. It made sense. Not all seals were permanent, and the ones that were usually cost a great loud of chakra. Even life force.
Speaking of which… "Does Naruto know if she's going to have to get back to her own time period?" Minato didn't need to keep his voice down―this was his house, after all.
"She highly doubts it." Jiraiya furrowed his brows in thought. "She thinks she might have to kill herself to get back, if she can, to her own time, or that she'll disappear once the brat's born. Kurama doesn't think the latter's likely though, so we probably won't have to worry much."
Minato let out a shuddering breath, "If we don't manage to stop Tobi's attack, does she plan on sealing the Nine Tails into herself? I know she is aware that she can survive the sealing. I don't doubt her, nor do I doubt Kurama has much―if any―ill intent anymore. But―But the Kurama in Kushina doesn't know that."
Jiraiya contemplated Minato's words, "I believe that she would choose that idea. I think both Kyuubi's will fuse together, and it's up to them to see who overpowers who."
If that was all true, then just which one would win? Yin or Yang?
"Sleep, Anko." The girl froze. Naruto knew she was faking her sleep. "I won't do anything bad. I won't leave or betray you intentionally. You're a Konoha shinobi, and I am too. We're comrades, got it?"
Somehow, just somehow Naruto knew about her insecurities. How? How? Anko was absolutely sure that her attitude didn't betray her fear of being left behind. She was sure no one had seen through the façade. She had been so sure, because that very façade was starting to seem like it was her!
As if sensing her thoughts, Naruto explained, "I've met many people and lived in isolation for quite some time to recognize certain things quickly. And I also am the type of person who would never, ever betray their friends. I see you as one, so I'll treat you like it. You aren't alone, Anko. There are many people around you." She smiled a smile that was hinted with a flicker of sadness. "You just need to open your eyes. Well, now, I don't mean that literally, since you really need to sleep. Don't worry about the shifts―my clones would take care of that."
In what seemed to be like a very long time since, Anko slept through the night, feeling safe.