"This is a hermitage?" Kimimaro asked, looking surprised.
"Our place looked like a dump compared to this," Neji grumbled.
"It's not a hermitage," Gaara said admiringly, "It's a palace!"
Naruto had to agree.
They had been forced to climb a fairly large and very steep mountain. It had taken about three days to do it, and all they had expected a small hut or even a house waiting for them at the top when they heard that Tsunade's old teammate was a hermit. What they saw had all nine children wondering just what the purpose was in working if they could be hermits and live in houses that put daimyo's castle to shame.
The house was huge and brightly colored with ornate gold designs crafted all around it. Two stone frogs about the size of ponies sat at the entrance. Marble steps led up to a pair of ornate and extremely large red doors. Everything about the house was grand and out of place for a hermit's hut.
"Some hermit," Sasuke said bluntly.
Naruto nodded.
He had been a little quieter then usual after the fight in the forest. It wasn't that he was unhappy about anything that had happened while they were there, actually he was very happy with his new name, and thought that the others' suited them as well. The dream that he had had stuck in his mind. The monstrous creature that had been in that cage stayed in his memory, and it didn't fade like most dreams did. Every night he had been having trouble sleeping because, like Gaara, he was afraid that if he slept, something bad would happen to him. Sleep would win out in the end, but he was always worried that the next time would be his last.
He looked normal, and tried to act like nothing was wrong, but he couldn't help quiet. It wasn't really noticeable anyways, after all, everyone was more quiet then usual since they had all been climbing a large mountain.
"Is he home?" Naruto asked.
"I don't think so…" Hinata said, "I don't sense any Chakra signatures."
"Aw crud, so now what do we do?" Sakura complained, "I don't to go down that stupid mountain! We already went up it."
"Well, it should be faster going down then it was going up," Sai told her with a smile.
"I don't want to go down!" Sakura almost yelled in his face.
"You're not going down that mountain again for a while," Tsunade told them all, "Eventually, he's going to come back here, if he's not here now and just wandering around in the wilderness confirming some stupid little superiority complex. He'll come back to this house, and will be waiting for him."
Naruto thought he heard her mutter something like: "and in the meantime, I get some saki…" and saw a slightly gloating smile on her face.
The look that Shizune was giving her master told Naruto that there was no way on this earth that she was going to have any sake. Naruto didn't even know what was so wonderful about the stuff. He had tried some once when it was spilled, and he had found it slightly revolting.
He wondered if he had just had some bad sake.
"Come on, mudpuppies," Tsunade called, "There'll be some food and nice beds in there, but don't poke around too much, and stay out of the library for the sake of your sanity and innocence."
"What?" Haku looked very confused.
"Don't ask, and obey me," Tsunade told him, "Trust me, you'll thank me for this."
Haku shrugged and looked like he was going to go along with it.
The members of Hakumei followed Tsunade and her assistant up the stairs.
It was strange to think of themselves as members of Hakumei. Suddenly, they weren't just a group of wandering kids who had more worried about surviving until the next morning then anything else. They were an actual group, and they were being treated like ninja in training. It was strange, they were taking themselves more seriously now and applying themselves even more to their training.
Everyone seemed to like their new names; for one thing, it distanced them from their families, since all almost all of them had had rotten lives. It gave Sasuke, Neji and Hinata an identity outside of their clans. It gave Gaara, Sai, and Naruto a true connection to the rest of them other then the fact that they all traveled together. It helped Haku and Kimimaro a way to forget the wrongs done to them.
Tsunade threw open the doors and Naruto took a few quick steps and stopped. His mouth fell open and he blinked a few times.
It was even more grandiose inside then it was on the outside.
The floors were all made of a deep mahogany, and the borders of the walls looked like they were made of solid gold. The stone walls and the ceiling that was carved with toads and what looked like heroes rescuing maidens, was only somewhat more grand then the furniture. Everything was made from expensive woods with gold and sometimes jewels inlayed in them.
"He's even more vulgar then I remember," Tsunade grumbled.
"You didn't say that your teammate was an emperor," Hinata said, looking very impressed.
"He's only the emperor of the fools," Tsunade told her, "When you see him, he's going to try to impress you with a stupid little dance that he does. Don't look at all impressed, or he'll keep on doing it. I want to break him of that stupid habit."
"He does a dance?" Kimimaro asked incredulously.
"More of a hopping thing," Tsunade admitted.
"Why?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Who knows," Tsunade told him.
"I think it has something to do with the fact that he was always teased when he was younger," Shizune told them.
"Oh, I read that that can make people do strange things," Sai agreed.
"Then he must have been really badly teased," Neji said looking around with disgust, "This is pathetic."
"I'm impressed," Naruto admitted.
"Alright," Tsunade said, leading them into one of the opulent living rooms, "Line up, Mudpuppies, we're about to have a long overdue physical examination. I'm going to assume that every single one of you has some kind of disease. So, one at a time, and we're going to find out just what's wrong with you and treat it. First, gaki, you're up,"
Naruto stood in front of Tsunade, who ran a complete exam on him. She didn't seem surprised when she found out that he had no sickness that wasn't worms or fleas. She simply assigned him to drink nothing but cranberry juice until she said otherwise and give him a soup that killed parasites.
Gaara went by just as fast, other then the additional statement that she would be knocking him out every so often. Gaara seemed happy about this, saying that the monster could eat him like that.
For the first time, Naruto truly believed him.
Neji was diagnosed with worms and fleas as well as a small cold and undernourishment. She was very interested in his forehead, where, according to her, there were Chakra signs that there used to be some kind of seal there. The mark seemed to have been removed forcibly, and Tsunade had thought that kind of thing was completely impossible.
Hinata almost gave Tsunade a heart attack when she activated the Tenshi Byakugen. Apparently, she couldn't use the normal Byakugen anymore. The fact that the Tenshi Byakugen wasn't supposed to exist had Tsunade in some sort of ecstasy. She was asking all sorts of questions about what the Tenshi Byakugen was and how it worked. It took about a half hour simply to drag her away from questioning poor Hinata.
Sai's physical was slightly boring. There was nothing wrong with him that Tsunade couldn't have seen from the very beginning. She dismissed him with some things for killing parasites, saying that if she saw him eat anything weird again, she'd murder him.
The only thing interesting about Sakura's physical was that Tsunade said that she had a tremendous about of potential, and that Tsunade would be sure to be the one to train her. After that, Sakura was dismissed.
Haku was probably the sickest of all of them, which was logical, since he had been out on his own for the longest of the group. He had plenty of parasites on him, and he also had a chronic cold that was threatening to turn itself into something much worse. Tsunade was surprised that he could have passed himself off as so healthy.
Sasuke's physical showed that after he was both sick and very cranky. He didn't want to be examined in front of everyone, and he let Tsunade know. Tsunade didn't really care, and she continued as usual. According to her, the only reason that he wasn't as sick as Haku was that he had as many tomatoes as he could have under the circumstances. That had allowed him to fight the sickness more then Haku, who didn't really like fruit much, and had allowed Sasuke to eat his share in exchange for something of Sasuke's.
When she reached Kimimaro, Tsunade looked shocked, shock her head, and congratulated him on seeing her.
"What's wrong with me?" Kimimaro asked, looking worried.
"It's an illness that only appears in families when kekkei genkai. It doesn't really have an official name, but people call it Tainted Blood."
"What is it?" Haku asked, looking upset.
"The closest thing to it is Hemophilia, but Tainted Blood progresses as the person ages. Apparently, Kimimaro hasn't begun to suffer from the effects, yet. This is a good thing, because I can cure it in its initial and medium stages, but I can't do a thing about it in the advanced stage. You're a lucky kid."
Tsunade put her hand on Kimimaro's chest and it began to glow. She stood there for about three minutes, staring intently at him.
"Alright," she said, she sounded out of breath, "It's done. You're now completely cured, and you never had to suffer from the effects of it."
"What's Hemophilia?" Naruto asked.
"It's when your blood doesn't scab and if you get cut or bruised, you bleed until you shrivel up," Sai told him.
"WHAT!?"
"Don't worry about, gaki," she told him, "I'll tell you more about it later, but right now, I want a break. That's not an easy cure to do, even for me."
"What's so special about her," Neji muttered under his breath.
"Did someone say something?"
"No,"
"Good, let's keep it that way," she muttered.
That night they all stayed in one room after Tsunade had had to spend a little over two hours trying to find everyone when they had gone off exploring. The house was enormous, and Naruto had to wonder just how many people this teammate usually had in his house. He couldn't possibly live in it by himself. How was he going to clean everything up?
Everyone, other then Gaara, was asleep by this time. There was a muffled groan as Neji kicked Kimimaro, who hadn't remembered to get away from him. Naruto heard the sound of Neji's gasp as something that was probably a surprisingly sharp bone poked him.
He turned around and stared at the window. There was a flash of something white, and Naruto sat up and ran to look out. He couldn't see a thing other then the trees and the sky. Naruto bit his lip and wondered if the thing that he had seen was going to appear to him in his waking life as well as that dream. He knew that Tsunade was strong, but this…thing…was more then just strong, it was almost invincible.
Something moved behind him, and Naruto noticed Gaara stand up, not noticing Naruto and sneak out of the room.
Out of sheer curiousity, Naruto followed. Gaara led him to the front door and outside. He walked down the steps and stopped at the clearing that was the front yard, looking up at the sky.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.
Gaara jumped and turned around. He looked a little sheepish.
"I…When we were traveling, I liked to look up at the moon when because I couldn't sleep. I really wanted to see it for some reason tonight. It always calms the monster down. I don't like him. He's always trying to come out and kill everyone, so I have to stay awake. Tsunade-san was really nice and sometimes knocks me out, so I can rest without the monster hurting anyone."
"It's really real isn't it?" Naruto asked, "I…I didn't believe you at first…but I saw something when I was knocked out… it was a real monster."
"You did?" Gaara looked thrilled, "Was it huge? Did it want to eat you?"
"Yes…" Naruto replied hesitantly.
"Then I'm not alone." Gaara looked even more thrilled, "You have one too!" Then he looked somewhat annoyed, "but you can sleep. I guess yours is caught better then mine."
"What the devil are you two doing out here in the middle of the night?" the annoyed, rather tired voice of Tsunade cut into the conversation. She marched up, looking like she was going to pick them up and toss them both back inside, "Get to bed,"
"But," Gaara began, "I wanted to ask you something too…"
Tsunade didn't stop, "Tomorrow,"
"I don't want to ask in front of everyone," Gaara protested, "I didn't really want to ask in front of Naruto, but this is better then everyone."
"This had better be quick," Tsunade grumbled.
"What's pain like?" Gaara asked suddenly.
"What?" Tsunade and Naruto both asked at the same time.
"Well…my sand always protects me…and I've never been hurt…so I wanted to…what's it like?"
Tsunade looked at him thoughtfully, and walked over to where they were standing. She stopped and sat down on her knees so that she was face to face with Gaara.
"I never thought I would have to explain something like thing, but it makes sense. Pain is when your body tells you that there's something wrong with it. It's a very unpleasant feeling that makes you want to stop everything that you're doing and pay attention to it. It's sometimes unbearable, and sometimes it's only a small feeling," she explained patiently.
"I see…" Gaara looked thoughtful and looked at Naruto, "Do you hate me?"
"What?" Naruto was completely taken back by the question.
"Well, sometimes…when we trained…by sand would attack you, and you would sometimes bleed and cry out because it hurt…do you hate me?"
"Of course not!" Naruto said in an annoyed voice, "What kind of creep do you think I am? I asked you to train with me, and so did Neji and Sasuke. If we hadn't wanted to get hurt, we wouldn't train. Besides, it didn't hurt that long."
"What?" Gaara asked.
"Well," Tsunade took over, "People were meant to get hurt. That's just the way things are, so we were made with all the things we needed to stop hurting. Wounds heal, and then they don't hurt anymore. Also, there are people called Medics who learn how to make things heal that may not heal right normally."
"I think I understand," Gaara grabbed his chest, "When I was in Suna, there was always this pain here, but it wouldn't go away. It hurt so bad, and it hurt even more when I watched my brother and sister or the children playing…but when Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Neji, Sai, and Hinata came, that feeling went away…"
Tsunade smiled gently at him, "That's a kind of wound, but not one that you can get from a kunai or that your sand can give someone. It's a worse pain, and one that hurts more then any other. It's called loneliness. It's a pain that has been known to drive people insane, and even kill them. It stopped when the proper treatment, love and friendship, was giving to you. You're very lucky, Gaara, to have been given that cure. It's very hard to come by, and even more precious. It's a troublesome cure, and you must give the same thing to those who give it to you. You must acknowledge their existence the way they acknowledged yours."
Gaara was silent for a while and then nodded with a bright smile.
"I understand, Tsunade-san," he said, "and Naruto and I are the same, aren't we? We both have monsters, so neither of us is alone in that way either. Even if the others don't believe us, we know."
He seemed so happy about this that Naruto didn't have the heart to tell him that it was probably just a nightmare that he had had.
Tsunade looked long and hard at Naruto, and then back at Gaara.
"Gaara, go back to the others, I have something to talk to the gaki about, do you mind?" she asked.
"No," Gaara shook his head and wondered back to the mansion.
When the door closed behind him, Tsunade turned to Naruto.
"What monster?" she asked.
"Well…I…had a nightmare when I was knocked out." Naruto explained, "I was in this sewer, and there was a cage, and there was a monster in the cage. It said that it wanted to eat me, and it told me to come to it. I didn't want to, but my feet moved to it. I was so scared that it was going to kill me, but then I woke up, so…it was just a dream right?"
Tsunade looked up at the sky thoughtfully, then back at Naruto.
"Has anyone ever told you the story of the Yondaime and the Kyuubi?" she asked him.
"I heard the old bat at the orphanage told the kids about it once. The Yondaime was so cool! He killed a demon fox! It must have been really amazing to see!" Naruto told her with a grin.
"Yeah, that's what they would have said," Tsunade agreed, "But, the Kyuubi couldn't be killed, since it's not being kept alive the way most people are."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"In the world, there are special creatures with Chakra the same as we have. Those animals can speak in human languages and some can even turn into people. Some humans have been lucky enough to sign a contract with these creatures when they have proven themselves worthy of the friendship of these creatures. But they are much like humans in that there are good and bad ones. The nine Bijuu were once like the animals that we call summons. They were leaders of their kind, but they hated humanity. These creatures allowed their hatred to grow until it consumed them, and they were given a gift by Izamami, a goddess who had sworn to kill off mankind, and they were turned into living oceans of Chakra. They terrorized the world, causing natural disasters, and killing thousands. They exist to this day, in one form or another, and they are considered invincible. There is, however one thing that humanity could do."
"What's that," Naruto was fascinated with the story.
"There was a group of special seals that could force the Bijuu into a living person, an infant. This person would hold all the power of the monster captive, a living prison known as a Jinchuuriki. This person would live with the monster inside of them, and when they died, it would die. Many people saw these monsters as potential weapons that would make their country great, but the monsters couldn't be controlled, sadly, that didn't stop anyone from trying."
"So, what happened when the Kyuubi attacked?" Naruto asked.
"The Yondaime was forced to use a seal that he was working on. It was meant to bind the demon so tightly that the Jinchuuriki would never even notice the presence of it unless they were in a state of fear or rage. Those emotions would weaken the seal, just a little so that it would help them. There was no other way to stop the Kyuubi, but the cost of the seal was the life of the one who used it."
"So he sealed the monster away?" Naruto asked, "Why did they say that it was killed?"
Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, "It was to protect the person who was the Jinchuuriki. The Yondaime truly believed that that person, just an infant at the time, would be seen as a hero, but the people of Konoha saw them as the Kyuubi himself and wanted them dead, so the Sandaime forced a law to be passed that no one could say what happened to the Kyuubi or who was the Jinchuuriki."
"Who is it?" Naruto asked, his voice had taken on a new level that showed that he had already guessed who it was.
Tsunade smiled bitterly, "the Yondaime was truly an idealistic fool. Don't get me wrong, gaki, I liked him. Everyone liked him. It was impossible not to like him and to believe in him, but that don't chance the fact that he was an idealistic fool to have such faith in people. What's worse is how he did everything for those people. He refused to use anyone's child for the sealing but his own, even though others had been born around the same time. I guess that he felt that he couldn't ask anyone to take on the responsibility that he was afraid to take. He sealed the Kyuubi into his own son, but as a precaution, the Sandaime had to keep it a secret from everyone, the boy was given his mother's maiden name and the father was never known."
"What should his name have been?" Naruto whispered.
"Namikaze…Naruto,"
Tsunade wasn't able to get a word out of Naruto for the rest of the night, so she sent him to bed so that he could think his life over. She knew that she had been anything but gentle in her revelation of the truth of his past, but she also knew that the longer she kept it from him, the worse things would be. He needed to know, even at that young age. He could handle the knowledge, and besides, she had to admit, there was a test involved in this as well.
If Naruto could still wish to protect people who had lied to him, kept the truth of his family from him, and hated him for no reason, then he was truly worthy of being called Minato's son. A Hokage had to be able to protect and care for the people who hated him as well as those who supported him. That was what made Orochimaru unworthy of that title. His gaining power would have been wonderful for herself, Jiraiya, and those who he trusted and who had seen him as more then a weapon, but, like most people, he would have only cared about those people. A Hokage had to be in a class of their own. They had to judge people on ability, not whether they liked the Hokage or not. It was up to the ANBU and the advisors to make sure that traitors were rooted out, but…the council was corrupted if they had let Danzou take over. That warmonger couldn't care less about the city's people, he cared for power, and nothing but power.
A part of Tsunade prayed that Naruto would be up to this test. If he hated the people of Konoha for what they had done…then what would become of them? It wasn't like it was everyday that a group of kids with that kind of power fell into someone's lap. They had the potential, with some training, to be just what Konoha needed to be rid of Danzou, and maybe even the council. They had always caused more trouble then they were worth. Maybe there would be a new council, one that fulfilled its original purpose…
Tsunade took a drink of her lemonade and mentally gagged. She didn't seem able to find Jiraiya's stock of sake. When he finally came waltzing in, she would murder him for hiding it so well.
Well, she supposed that the early morning sun was nice to feel without a splitting headache.
Tsunade was actually the first one up. Gaara seemed to like to wait for the others before he came down for breakfast, and Shizune was a late sleeper at times. Tsunade set out breakfast, Ninja Puffs, and left the house.
Tsunade bet that Jiraiya was a whole lot closer then she thought. If he was at this mountain, and if she wouldn't have to sit around and wait for the idiot to turn up in a few months, when he had gone back here to write his trash, there was one other place where he would go. Especially if he wanted to impress her.
Tsunade had only been here once before, and that had been a very long time ago, before they were even known as the Legendary Sannin. This had been the place where Jiraiya had first met one of the frogs that he learned to summon into battle.
It was about an hour's walk to the place where she was headed, but it was pleasant to hear her own thoughts for once. Tsunade had been more time having to worry about nine little monsters then anything else. The only thing that compensated it was that she had Naruto, the most disgustingly lucky human being ever born, and that the kids had to potential to change Konoha.
At first, she thought that these kids weren't anything to even really think about other then that they were too dangerous to allow to wander around. Then she realized that these kids were strong enough to force change around them. It wasn't like the system was really bad, it was simply that people who were totally corrupt and self-seeking had taken power, and probably always had power. She had been too young to really understand her grandfather's Konoha or how it had worked.
Tsunade stopped as she reached a very large waterfall. She carefully climbed down a set of stone steps that had been set up for the purpose, and descended to the base of the fall. When she reached it, she saw the form of a man meditating under the falls.
Thankfully, Jiraiya was wearing his clothes. He had allowed himself to appear closer to his real age then Tsunade, who worked very hard to defy time, and his clothes were slightly more wealthy then hers, though just as traditional. Tsunade had once told him that only circus performers wore clothes like his anymore, but he hadn't seemed to care. His long white hair was just like it had been the last time she had seen him.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a bored tone.
"I knew that you would come here," Jiraiya didn't seem to have heard her.
"So, you were peeking in the windows and saw us?"
"You have come to me in your hour of greatest need," he continued wisely, "but don't worry, I will be the father that you need and deserve…" his manner changed suddenly from wise sage to very interested jerk, "So…just for a question…who is the father?"
"Um, Hyuuga Hiashi, Hyuuga Hizashi, Uchiha Fugaku, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Kazekage, who's name escapes me at the moment, the head of the Kaguya clan, Haruno Kaito, some farmer in Water Country, and I really don't know about Sai…"
A perverted grin appeared on Jiraiya's face.
"Tsunade, you naughty girl…I never thought-"
Tsunade took three steps forward and lifted the Gama Sannin up by the front of his shirt.
"-and their mothers are Hyuuga Honoka, Hyuuga Hotaru, Uchiha Mikoto, Namikaze Kushina, the Kazekage's wife who I think had a first name like Noriko, the head of the Kaguya Clan's wife, Haruno Youko, some farmer's wife in Water Country, and I really don't know about Sai,"
Jiraiya blinked a few times and his manner changed again from perverted to sentimental.
"It's beautiful, Tsunade!" he cried, "just beautiful. The ratings would be wonderful. A beautiful young woman, already having experienced the cruelties of life, takes into her heart not one or two, but nine orphans and runaways!"
"If you're talking about me and the mudpuppies-"
"Giving them the pet names of her favorite animal and the joy of rainy days. Having nowhere else to go, and no one to turn to, she seeks out an old friend; hoping against hope that he at least will not let her down the way the rest of the world-"
"Oh, would you shut up?" Tsunade growled, "Before I have to brain you?"
"You don't understand what a wonderful novel this could make," he sulked.
"Sorry if I don't see anything cute about a bunch of half wild, half spoiled, partly starved, neglected children who have the potential to be ridiculously powerful, and have good reasons to want to destroy the world. What's worse, I haven't had sake in about three months!"
"Of course not!" Jiraiya looked shocked at the idea of her drinking around the children, "at such a young and impressionable age? There won't be a drop of the stuff around them. At least…not until they can appreciate it…
Tsunade gave him a dirty look.
"And what about that drivel you call literature?" she asked. Her tone told him that if he wished to live, he'd answer the question the right way.
"It's in my library, locked up," Jiraiya told her, "You have to be eighteen to read it anyways."
"That's never stopped you before," Tsunade grumbled.
"What do you mean," he asked innocently.
"Kakashi,"
"Erm…well…that was an accident…"
"Some accident,"
"Well, I had to do something to get him to stop talking. The ladies seem to get very upset for some reason,"
"…There is truly no fool like an old fool…"
"She who lives in a glass house ought not to be throwing stones,"
"What did you say," Tsunade's voice was a deadly calm.
"Um,"
Tsunade grabbed his ear and started to drag him off, amid his sputtered protests.
"Come on," she growled, "I'm going to introduce you to the mudpuppies you're going to help me train."
"You didn't say anything about training! I thought you wanted my help,"
"I do. Training the little beasts. I don't even have to punish you for that last comment. They'll probably do it for me,"
Naruto woke up later then usual, he had a lot to think about. He was the son of the Yondaime. Why hadn't anyone told him? He understood that no one else had to know, but he wouldn't have said anything. He kept all really important things to himself.
He had never told anyone most of the secrets that he held. He knew things about the people in Konoha that would have surprised them.
He walked into the kitchen and ate his Ninja Puffs in silence. The others weren't there, so they were probably out with Shizune or Tsunade training. That was fine. He really didn't want to have to talk with him right now anyways.
Kyuubi…
Everything made so much sense now. The hateful looks, the willful ignoring, the fact that few restaurants had ever allowed him to eat in them made sense now. They hated him because that he carried the greatest treat to Konoha inside of him, but it wasn't his fault. He wasn't Kyuubi. He was Uzumaki Naruto. Why couldn't they understand that?
He hadn't killed all of those people.
It wasn't fair that they hated him the way they did.
A horrifically simple thought crossed Naruto's mind: He had the power to make them all regret it. He had the power of Kyuubi. All he needed to do was learn to use it.
For a moment, it all seemed so easy. All he would have to do was train like mad, and return. Konoha would face his wrath and there would be nothing left of the Hidden Village. All he had to do was finish what Kyuubi started. Or better, he could manage to see the monster again and tear the seal of. Then Kyuubi would do it himself.
It was so easy…
His hands balled into fists and his eyes seemed to turn red just for a moment, but he stopped. A sadder look came on his face and a small smile appeared. It wasn't his usual huge grin; it was a softer, more understanding look. He sighed a little and closed his eyes. For a moment, it looked like he had aged into an adult, but it was gone in an instant.
"Yo, guys, what do you think you're doing leaving me alone like this?" Naruto yelled, leaving the room.
A small scratch in the table, very thin but surprisingly deep was the only thing that proved just how close Naruto have been to insanity.
Tsunade appeared at the door around two, dragging a man by the ear.
Shizune had been carefully overseeing everyone's training in basic taijutsu, occasionally stopping one of them and giving pointers. When Neji and Hinata had tried to tell her that they had their own kind of taijutsu that they were trying to learn, Shizune told them that what she was showing them was the basics for almost every style on the face of the earth, including Jyuuken. There was nothing that the two could say about that.
When she appeared, everyone stopped their training to stare at the odd couple.
The man had very long white hair that was somewhat tied back in a ponytail. He had what looked like tattoos on his face, and he was wearing very traditional, if not out dated clothes. A large scroll was attached to his back, but that was the only thing that made him looked anything like a ninja.
"Mudpuppies, meet my teammate. Jiraiya, meet the assorted mudpuppies," Tsunade said, letting go of Jiraiya's ear.
"Who are you?" Haku asked, looking like he was something between curious and freaked out.
Jiraiya put his hands out in a pose and hoped a little on one foot as he introduced himself.
"I am the great and wise Gama-sannin, Jiraiya-sama!" he exclaimed, "Woman love me. Evil doers fear me. I make little kids stop crying and old men feel young again!"
Naruto stared at him then opened his mouth.
"Ero-sennin," He said in a monotone voice.
"WHAT?!" Jiraiya yelled at him.
"Ero-sennin," Naruto repeated in the same tone.
"I am the Gama-sannin!" he said indignately.
"Ero-sennin," Naruto said, this time a little more forcefully.
"Gama!"
"Ero!"
"GAMA, GAMA, GAMA!"
"ERO, ERO, ERO!"
"GAMA, GA-"
Jiraiya was cut off by Tsunade hitting him upside the head.
"All of you children knock it off," she growled, "I'm not in the mood to hear it."
"Why'd you hit me?" Jiraiya complained.
"Because he's seven, and you're the one who's supposed to be an adult," Tsunade crossed her arms and glared at him, "Alright, assorted Mudpuppies, line up and introduce yourselves to your new teacher. Tell him something about yourselves. Your name, likes, dislikes, and goals should do fine."
Without a word, everyone lined up, facing Jiraiya.
"Ok, Kimimaro first," Tsunade commanded.
Kimimaro took a step forward.
"My name is Haka no Kimimaro. I like the rest of Hakumei and learning how to use my kekkei genkai. I dislike enclosed spaces, especially if they're dark. I want to help out everyone here with their dreams and to prove that not everyone in my clan is a bloodthirsty nutcase.
"Alright, Haku, you next," Tsunade said.
"Hai," Haku stepped to stand with Kimimaro, "My name is Hara no Haku. I like everyone in Hakumei, learning about medicines, and helping out the others. I don't like to fight, even though I will if my friends are in danger, people who hate other people for no reason, and when Kimimaro starts trying to scare people. My dream is to protect my precious people and to help them with there dreams. Also I'd like to make a clan from my kekkei genkai."
A cheesy grin appeared on Jiraiya's face.
"Jiraiya stop giving him that look, you'll scare him. Gaara, you're up."
Gaara took a shy step forwards, looking somewhat nervous about talking to Jiraiya.
"…My name is Sabaku no Gaara. I like my friends and playing with my sand. I don't like the monster that keeps me from sleeping and my father or uncle. I…I don't know what my dreams are yet…"
"That's fine Gaara," Tsunade said with a small smile, "I'm sure you'll find out in time. Hinata you go."
Hinata stepped up, but she didn't look afraid.
"My name is Gesshoku no Hinata. I like everyone here, other then you since I don't know you, training, learning how to control the Tenshi Byakugen, pressing flowers and…" her eyes trailed for a second to Naruto, but snapped back just as fast, "I don't like perverts, people who think I'm weak because I'm don't like to hurt people if I can avoid it, and people who hurt any one of my friends. My dream is to become the head of the Hyuuga Clan, to unite the Main and Branch families, and to end the use of the Cage Bird Seal."
Jiraiya looked at her with surprise. It was rare to see a little kid who was so focused.
"Neji!" Tsunade barked.
Neji stepped forwards.
"I am Rasen no Neji. I like to train, learn new jutsu, and do things with the others. I dislike my imouto's father and most of the Hyuuga Main House. I share my imouto's dreams of uniting the Main and Branch House and destroying the Seal. I also want to reach S-class and become ANBU captain."
"Sai!"
Sai smiled and took his step up.
"Hello, I'm Shin'en no Sai. I like Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Gaara-kun, Neji-kun, Haku-kun, and Kimimaro-kun. I also like to draw and paint. I don't like Danzou because he is responsible for the death of someone I cared for. My dream is to return to Konoha and to help turn ROOT into something good."
"Sakura!"
"Shannaro!" Sakura exclaimed, "I'm Nisshoku no Sakura. I like to train, hang out with everyone, cook, and Medical Ninjutsu. I hate people who make fun of my forehead, and rude, mean people. I want to became the world's most powerful kunochi."
"It's a second Tsunade…" Jiraiya muttered.
"Sasuke, you're turn," Tsunade said.
Sasuke didn't bother to step up.
"I am Arashi no Sasuke. I don't like many things other then training, my friends, my aniki, and tomatoes. I dislike a lot of things: Fangirls, stupid people, and Ninja Puffs are the most important. My dream is to show my parents that I can be just as strong as my aniki." Sasuke crossed his arms and looked rather pleased with himself.
"Naruto, wrap it up."
"Got it," Naruto took two steps further until he was a little ahead of everyone.
"I am Shippuu no Naruto, Leader of Hakumei. I like my friends, getting stronger, and ramen. I hate people who ignore me, the three minutes it takes for instant ramen to cook, anyone who tries to hurt my friends and Kyuubi. I will become Hokage, stop Danzou, and help everyone else as much as I can."
"You're the leader, gaki?" Jiraiya asked incredulously as a Tsunade was giving him a relieved look.
"Yeah, Ero-sennin," Naruto grinned at him.
"Tsunade, these kids are anything but cute," he complained.
"I never said that they were," she told him, "I'm going to make Sakura my apprentice, she has all the requirements. I'm also going to train Hinata and Haku. They need some one to learn Medical Techniques. Shizune agreed to take on Neji, Kimimaro and Gaara, she's just going to oversee them and give them hints. That leaves you with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai."
The three in question smirked at him.
"Why does the phrase 'divine punishment' come to mind?" he asked himself.
Naruto sat on the roof of the house and stared up at the sky. He had snuck out after dinner while Sakura and Hinata, joined by Sasuke, annoyed Sai by running around the room with his drawing scroll, threatening to destroy it in some way. He had his arms around his legs and his hair was lying flat.
"So, I see you put on a good face for your friends," Tsunade sat next to him something behind him told him that Jiraiya was there too, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok," Naruto smiled at him, but when they both gave him unconvinced looks, he sighed again, "Ok, I guess I'm still a little upset, but I'm not mad anymore."
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked him.
All this attention was making Naruto uncomfortable.
"Well, when Ba-chan first told me, I was really mad at everybody in Konoha. I…wanted to get them back…but then I realized something. If someone I cared about had been killed by a monster…I'd be really mad at it, and I'd want to kill it. Even if someone said that it was seal away in some kid, I wouldn't be convinced. If it's a real monster, couldn't it just kill the kid's spirit and take over the body? For all I'd know, the monster was just waiting until the body it was in was strong enough to finish what it started. I understood why they hated me. They didn't hate me, they hated Kyuubi, and that made me feel better."
"So what are you going to do?" Tsunade asked him, there was something in her tone that made Naruto answer carefully.
"I'm going to prove to them that I'm not that stupid fox. I'm going to come back and become Hokage, and I'm going to protect all of them, and be the best Hokage in the world. Even if they hated me! Because once they understand that I'm not Kyuubi, they won't hate me anymore, and even if they do…I'll still protect them…just to spite them all!"
"Come here," Tsunade said motioning him forwards.
Naruto leaned forwards, and was surprised when Tsunade leaned forwards and kissed him on the forehead. Something was slipped over his neck.
"That's for luck," she said, "You had better become a Hokage like the world has never seen, or will ever see."
"You're a lot like your mom, you know that?" Jiraiya asked, "She was just as stubborn as you are, but you're just as willing to overlook the mistakes of others as your dad was. I'm sure they're both really proud of you."
"You knew my dad?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"Knew him? I taught that ungrateful little twit," Jiraiya laughed a little at the memory, "I'm also your godfather, gaki."
"What does that mean?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Be ready to train yourself into a stupor, gaki," Jiraiya told him. "I think you have the stuff to be my apprentice."
"What about everyone else?"
"They're going to be trained too, but your going to be the one to sign a contract with toads when your ready, and don't laugh, gaki, I'll introduce you to Gamabunta tomorrow. Hopefully, he'll be in a good mood and won't remember the incident in Kumo."
"Train begins tomorrow, gaki," Tsunade said, "get some sleep."
Naruto carefully made his way off the roof, not knowing that the next five years were going to be the toughest he'd ever had to face.
END PART 1
Omake: Gaara's Insomnia Continues.
Gaara stared at the ceiling of the room that the boys shared and wondered if his head would explode from boredom. He had been staring at the ceiling for almost four hours. Normally he could just meditate or find something to think about, but tonight was different. For some reason he just couldn't concentrate on one thing.
As he sat there, a thought occurred to him. There was a library on the second floor, and he could read something to pass the time.
Slowly, he got up and made his way into the library. He stared at the huge shelves for a while and finally he picked one up. There was a picture on the front of a laughing girl being chased by a happy looking man. The title was Icha Icha Paradise by the Great Jiraiya.
Slowly he opened the book.
The next morning at breakfast, Gaara came to breakfast with very wide eyes.
"Hey, Gaara, what's wrong with you?" Tsunade asked.
Gaara ignored her and pointed at Jiraiya.
"SICKO!" he yelled.
"What?" Jiraiya's eyes darted around.
"Did you read one of his books?" Tsunade asked sternly.
"…yes…" Gaara confessed, "I read three pages."
All of a sudden, Gaara was enveloped in a bone crushing hug.
"Oh, you poor baby, you've been traumatized! Don't worry, auntie Tsunade won't let the nasty man scare you anymore. JIRAIYA IF I EVER FIND THAT YOU LEFT OUT ONE OF YOUR BOOKS AGAIN, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!"
Celebratory Omake: Ninja Puffs
"I refuse to have this one more time!" Sasuke said pushing the Ninja Puffs away, "I'm waiting till lunch."
He walked away completely unaware of the glint in Tsunade's eyes.
At lunch, Sasuke returned to find his bowl unmoved, the only difference was that they now resembled Ninja Boogers. Everyone else was served their favorite dishes, and Tsunade was snacking on whole tomadoes.
"I'll wait till dinner," Sasuke grumbled.
At dinner the bowl was still there, only it was now Ninja Snot. Once again, everyone else had their favorite foods.
"I'll wait till breakfast," a very hungry Sasuke told himself, "she wouldn't make me eat it then."
The next morning, the bowl, now filled with what looked like Ninja Puke was still there.
Sasuke took a bite and almost puked himself.
"I guess you'd have to be a ninja not to puke when it gets like this," he mumbled, and noticed that Tsunade was looking at him.
"Can I have a fresh bowl?" he asked, "Anything's better then Ninja Puke."