After Naruto had left the flower shop, Inoichi returned with a slight pink hue on his cheeks as he glared at Kiku.
"What? Angry that I revealed it to him?" Kiku laughed
Inoichi wanted to say 'yes', but when met with Kiku's smile, he could only sigh powerlessly as he hugged her.
"A little" He said
"Hahaha, come on, we both know Naruto deserves to know it" She smiled
Inoichi grumbled
"Not this soon" He muttered
"Fufufu, he deserves it" She insisted
Kiku grabbed Inoichi's hand
"Come on dear, you know how much Naruto has been through" She hummed
Inoichi nodded
"Yeah, yeah...but he still isn't allowed to touch her until they are both of age" He said sternly
"Of course, you compromised with me, I'll naturally do the same" Kiku smiled
The two stood there for a while, enjoying one another's company.
Naruto at this moment, returned home.
"Sensei, up for a spar today? I'll be sure to take the executioner's blade from you this time" Naruto took out the Kiba blade and smiled.
"How many times have you said that?" Zabuza scoffed as he pulled the executioner's blade from behind.
The two immediately clashed, and sparks flew through the air with each impact. In just a matter of seconds, the two clashed almost a dozen times, with Naruto being pushed back each time.
Their eyes flashed with a sharp flare as they charged forward.
*Clang*
A loud clash, followed by an obect whizzing through the air.
*Thud*
It landed, embedding itself into the ground.
"Heavy handed as always, sensei" Naruto's empty hand trembled from the impact, Kiba was no longer in his hands, now deeply stuck in the ground.
His wrist shook
"You're just not cut out to be a swordsman yet" Zabuza said
"Was that a pun?" Naruto's eyes lit up as he asked
Zabuza sneered
"Kid, not everyone is like you in that sense of humor" He said
"Boo, and here I thought you finally came around to the wonders of dad jokes, that cuts deep, I expected more from this slice of life" Naruto sighed
Zabuza's lips twitched as he turned around and left. Naruto was great in every way, except his mindset! His jokes are damn awful, and he's messe dup n the head sometimes.
After Zabuza left, Naruto picked up Kiba and began immersing himself in the previous spar, reinacting it on his own to see possible ways to have prevented that loss, a mind battle.
"Today's match ended faster than before" Haku witnessed the spar, and said when he saw Zabuza enter the house
"Mn, he's improved" Zabuza nodded
"I still don't get how faster battles means he is getting better" Haku tucked his lips and said
"It means he has begun to see the path to winning faster than before, a swordsman's true strength lies in swift and decisive strikes, a fast decisive strike is better than a drawn out battle, he can see how he can win, between him and me, the real decision maker has always been that final strike" He explained
"He's growing faster than I expect, his skills have already surpassed all the mist swordsmen, including myself from years back, he has only been training under me for two years, yet he has surpassed dozens of years of experience" Zabuza shook his head and said
Outside, he could still see Naruto practicing
"Though I'd say that with how hard he trains, it's only a matter of time" He chuckled
-Evening-
Ino finished training with Asuma, and returned home. The first thing that greeted her was of course her father, followed by her mother.
"Naruto dropped by earlier" Kiku said
"Eh? Na-kun did?" Ino asked
"He said he wanted you to have this, apparently it's something...private~" Kiku gave Ino a sly smile as she slipped the scroll over to her.
Ino blushed
'Wha-What? Pri-Private?' Ino's heart raced as she grabbed the scroll
"You didn't peek, did you?" She asked her mum
"Of course not" Kiku laughed
Ino held the scroll, her heart pounding loudly as she wondered what was inside. She raced into her own room, and opened the scroll.
Immediately, a scene began playing...
Pfft
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"
Ino burst into laughter upon witnessing the scene of Sasuke reading the book, From his embarrasent, to his anger, she couldn't get enough of it! If not for the fact that it needs to be kept a secret, she'd have shown this to Sakura as well!
She really didn't expect such a thing to come from Naruto out of nowhere
"Man, and here I was, thinking it was something 'private' between us" She smiled as she closed the scroll
After some thought, she decided to actually destroy the scroll. Though hiding it should be enough, she didn't want any chances of an outside obtaining it, and tracing it back to Naruto.
"If I ever meet Sasuke again, I'll throw that book at him, see how he reacts" She grinned as she destroyed the scroll
*Achoo*
Sasuke suddenly sneezed at that moment
[I think someone is thinking about you~ Maybe it's that Sakura girl]
"Shut your trap" Sasuke snapped
[So cold, maybe I'll just forget about training you then] Itachi-chan hummed as she leaned on his shoulders
Though he could feel her touch, her actual body felt like air, no weight whatsoever, which confirmed to him that she was definitely an illusion.
"Then forge-...tsk" Sasuke wanted to say forget it, but since he's already accepted that she won't be going away, it'll be a waste to turn down the offer of training.
His pride, however, simply prevented him from taking further action as well, resulting in a deadlock.
Seeing this, Itachi-chan chuckled
[How about this, I'll forgive you if you call me nee-chan, I'll even put extra effort into training you from now on, hm? How's that?] Itachi-chan asked with a sly smile
Sasuke's fists clenched, call her nee-chan? How can he possible say that!
[Fufu, I'll await the day you call me that] Itachi-chan chuckled before fading
Sasuke's eyes widened, she disappeared?
"Y-You, where did you go" He shouted
But no response...
"G-Gone? But-"
[Boo] Itachi suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulders, causing him to jump back in fright.
His heart pounded, he wasn't expecting a surprise jump scare from Itachi-chan, and almost fell over as a result.
"YOU!" Sasuke gnashed his teeth at the smiling Itachi-chan
She stretched her arms
[Don't be so mad, one day, you'll realise how amazing I am~ I'm going back to the dream space for now, see you when you feel like calling me nee-chan] She then blew him a kiss before fading again
This time, Sasuke waited for a bit with his guard up, but she didn't return. He heaved a sigh of relief, so she can return to the dream space.
And in all honesty, he felt humiliated, that he has to endure Itachi's banter, calling herself his nee-chan. Before, doing it in his dream was bad enough, now he had to deal with it in reality as well...
He ruffled his hair and stormed off
"Dammit" He cursed under his breathe
-Konoha-
With the second exam over, the genins now began preparing for the final exam, with many groups getting evaluated through their performance during the second exam. Shikamaru discussed the matters with Tsunade, looking through data that was received from Naruto's clones.
"What about the teams that were eliminated from outside interference" Tsunade asked
"I've sent a message to Naruto about this matter already, he's training at the moment, but he said a clone will be arriving soon" Shikamaru replied
Right when he said so, a golden light flashed in, and Naruto appeared before them, or rather, a clone.
"Yo, what are we discussing right now?" Naruto asked as he sat down
"The genins under your watch, specifically, the two teams affected by that incident" Tsunade replied
"Right, right, I do need to sort that out, huh?"
Naruto took out a few scrolls, and placed them on the table. His usual carefree gaze was replaced with a calm, serious glimmer that changed his demeanor entirely.
"Let's begin with Fu's team, here are the scenes of battle related to Fu, and her...team" Naruto said as he showcased the scenes, but the other two quickly realised why Naruto sounded so hesitant when he said the word 'team'.
Aside from Fu overpowering the foes on her own, there were no scenes involving the other two members whatsoever.
"I'll be frank, Fu definitely has the strength to become a Chunin, as for her teammates, perhaps they meet the minimum requirements, but I'd say no" Naruto said calmly
"So Fu is guaranteed?" Shikamaru asked
Naruto shook his head
"Far from it" He replied
He then displayed scenes from the first exam, with the team interacting with one another, then to the scenes in the second exam, where they never interacted again.
"The other two members holds clear contempt for Fu, resulting in poor team synergy, and lack of communication, to let these people become Chunins will be problematic"
He then shifted his eyes to Fu
"As for Fu...she is able to tolerate their attitude...but that is because she does not take her own teammates seriously in the first place, of course, it's likely due to their attitudes towards her, but she is likely the type to act independently if she dislikes her team, which will lead to problems in the future"
"Her character is too playful by nature, she seems to look down on her foes, thinking she is able to overpower them, but ran into a roadblock when she met Hinata's team, for now, it can be blamed in her youth" Naruto analysed each scenario carefully, showing no bias towards Fu.
Shikamaru and Tsunade both nodded, with the latter chuckling
"She's too playful? Are you one to say such a thing about others?" She said
"It's different~, my attitude is strategic" Naruto said with a grin
"Sure" Tsunade rolled her eyes, she'd be damned if she believed that
Naruto laughed before continuing
"My final thoughts, Fu has met the skill requirements overwhelmingly well, experience wise, she met the bare minimum, and attitude wise, she will need guidance, overall, barely passed" Naruto said
Shikamaru nodded
"I agree, her circumstances would have been better if she had a team that supported her, but even so, I believe she is able to make the cut from what I've seen" He said
"Alright, then her teammates?" Tsunade asked
"Rejected" Naruto said
"Noted, next team then"
Naruto took out more scrolls, this time for Rock Lee's team.
"First is their teamwork, this team is able to cooperate well, covering for one another's weaknesses almost perfectly, I'd say their cooperation is actually second only to the Ino-Shika-Cho formation" Naruto smiled at Shikamaru and said
Shikamaru rubbed his chin
"They are well aware of one another's strength, and places their trust in one another, it's no wonder you think that way" He muttered
"Yes, and if we consider their individual strength, each are already more than qualified to becoming Chunins, had there not been an attack in the previous exam, they'd have become Chunins by now" Naruto said
He then added
"Of course, when it comes to wits, Lee often falls short, naive even, but otherwise, I have no complaints about this team whatsoever" Naruto concluded
This was much easier to decide compared to Fu's case, as there weren't anything to pick about this team by the standards of a Chunin after all.
"And if the elders were to argue...this can guarantee them a spot" Naruto said as he showed them one last scroll, containing the fight between this team and Orochimaru.
Seeing this battle, Tsunade and Shikamaru were also in agreement that no one can argue against their promotion. Against Orochimaru, these three were able to hold their own, and if they had more preparation, they might not have fallen as easily as they did.
"Any comments?" Naruto asked as he packed the scrolls
"You're oddly mature when you were explaining this, I was half expecting you to start throwing bribes or something to get them through" Tsunade chuckled
"I have no comments" Shikamaru said calmly
"When it comes to these matters, it involves their future, I can't skimp out on it" Naruto smiled
After tacking the scrolls away, he stood up
"If that is all there is, I'll be leaving now, cya~" He waved at them before teleporting.
Shikamaru laid back and heaved out a faint sigh
"Phew...and that's all the paperwork for the exam, I'll enjoy my one week holiday now" Shikamaru got up, about to leave as well, when Tsunade grabbed him suddenly.
"Don't be so fast to leave...look, there's still so much paperwork for lil old me, a little help would be very much appreciated" She grinned as she seated him back down
Shikamaru's lips twitched
"Hokage-sama, those are your own paperwork" He said
"Yes, yes, and I also helped you with the Chunin exam ones, no? So the least you could do is help me as well" She winked
"Those were meant to go through the Hokage anyway, you were just doing what you're meant to do" Shikamaru replied with a straight face
"Ah, come on, if you leave now, I'll tell your dad that you've been slacking on your duties" She said
Her words stunned him
"Hokage-sama, you cannot slander a good man" He gasped
"Haha, who do you think your old man will believe, you or me" She asked with a devious smile
Shikamaru couldn't believe it! She got a taste of what it feels to having her burden shared, and now she refused to let it go!
'I knew this was a trap!' He screamed in his heart
But his eyes flashed with a sly glimmer
'Good thing I foresaw this, and came prepared' He made a hand sign with one hand behind his back.
Once he did so, they heard a knock from th door
*Knock*
"Shikamaru? There are matters you need to attend to" Temari's voice came from the other side
Shikamaru gave Tsunade a helpless look
"It seems I need to go, apologies, Hokage-sama" He said
With him being called, Tsunade could only reluctantly release him, and returned to doing the paperwork on her table with a half dead look on her face.
Shikamaru walked out, and gave Temari a smile. Only when they walked far enough did he speak.
"Thanks, if she kept me back, I'd still be working even when the sun rises" Shikamaru stretched his arms and let out a faint laugh
"Not willing to share the burden of your Hokage?" Temari asked with a grin
"If you want to do it, go ahead, I certainly am not going to do it, it's too much of a drag" He grumbled
"You're way too prepared for things like this, you even gave a me a scroll to send signals for when to get you out, truly, you're using your brain so much just to be lazy" Temari sighed
Shikamaru simply rolled his eyes
"I'm going to enjoy this week long holiday, the next segment will also be much simpler" He smiled
"Who is overseeing it this time?" Temari asked
"A rather famous one" He replied
"Who?"
"You'll see" Shikamaru responded nonchalantly
"Too lazy to even tell me?"
"Guess" He replied
"..."
-6 days later-
The day of the final exam had come, and the competitors had all gathered at the stadium where all other exams has been held. Looking around, Shikamaru remembered the period where he was here as a competitor...though his fight got cancelled due to outside interference...
He sighed
"How time flies" He muttered
The four teams were also gathered, two team from Sunagakure, and two from Konoha. The other villagers were practically picked off one by one on the first day, and screened off through the following days.
To make matters worse, since teams that are eliminated does not get their points transferred, it resulted in more and more teams getting into conflict due to the severe limited amount of points around.
Now, with these four teams left, they gathered just outside, awaiting for the overseer to arrive.
"Who do you think will be in charge now?" Ino asked
"Who knows" Sakura replied
"Wouldn't you know something? Like, can't you ask Naruto?" Kiba poked his head in and said
Ino graoned
"I did ask him, but he refused to answer no matter what" She sighed
"Wow, even you got rejected? Gotta admit, I didn't take him for the uptight type, I thought he'd tell you everything about the exam" Kiba exclaimed
"Right? I didn't think Na-kun would be so strict" Ino nodded
Amidst discussion, no one realised that in front of all of them, is a man in all black. He wore a fox mask, with his red slit pupils staring through the eye holes, silently awaiting.
"Hey guys" Shino interjected the conversation
"What?" Kiba asked
Shino pointed forward, and once he did, everyone's eyes trailed towards the front. A man had appeared in front of them, and they didn't even realise!
What's scary is how close he is to them, standing barely two meters away, yet his presence remained hidden until eyes were laid upon him!
"Woah! Scared the crap out of me! I didn't even smell him" Kiba exclaimed
"Gross" Sakura and Ino said
"It's my clan trait, okay?" Kiba crossed his arms and huffed
*Whosh*
As they chatted, a whistling sound blew past everyone, not just their team, but all four teams felt something brush past them. The next moment, a slight red line appeared on cheeks of each genin.
"Talked enough?" The man spoke, his cold tone made one tremble, his gaze made their legs weaken, and the pressure he gave off made it hard to breathe.
They didn't know what happened, but they did know that he moved too fast for them to react, to have cut them all in an instant, leaving no time to even react.
His blade stuck into the ground as his eyes focused on them all
"I am the overseer of this final exam, I'll make sure you are all safe and sound, got it?" He said
'Safe my a*s, you look like you'd be the cause of our deaths!' They all screamed in their hearts
"C-Can I ask who are you?" One of the Sunagakure shinobi raised his hand and asked
The man with the fox mask leaned in a bit
"Just call me Menma" He replied
!!!!
Everyone gasped when they heard that name. At this point, who hasn't heard of the new pillar of Konoha! Menma, the one who inherited the mantle of the Yellow Flash, no known as the Black Flash!
"Holy sh*t!" Kiba cursed aloud
His hands shook incredibly fast
"Bro, you're my idol!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down like a child
'If he wasn't doing that....I would' A few of them thought, understanding Kiba's excitement completely.
Menma, or rather, Naruto, waved his hand casually
"Cut the crap and get inside" He growled as his cold eyes swept past them
His glare made them shiver, the inhuman eyes made him look savage, almost like an actual beast.
The groups walked in, and as they walked by, Kiba whispered to Shino
"He's f**king awesome"
Shino rolled his eyes in response, ignoring Kiba's fanboy behaviour. On the other hand, when Hinata walked by, she stiffened a little, and turned to stare at the fox masked man once more.
'He feels familiar' But be it the build, or the eyes, it didn't resemble anyone she knew, which only confused her.
Ino and Sakura had a rather similar thought, but they couldn't put their finger on it. In the end, they both gave him a polite smile as they walked by...
'Is the flying raijin that forgettable? I use it all the time' It was understandable if others didn't realise, but Ino and Sakura should know his methods very well, no?
Menma is known as the black flash, meaning, he uses the flying raijin! Sure, there can be others who possibly learnt it, but is it that hard to have him on the suspect list?
These two didn't even suspect it was him at all!
'Ino sweetie, just because I changed my height, hair, and wore a mask...hah' Should he be glad that no one suspects him, or annoyed that no one thinks it's him?
Perhaps it's because no one would link the village troublemaker with the new village guardian...
Naruto walked behind the group, observing them closely.
With all of them here, the match orders were organised. The initial battle had nothing of interest to Naruto, as he knew that most of the members from Sunagakure will be crushed by those from Konoha.
Perhaps only against Shino and Kiba will they stand a chance, but even then, these two have been training with Hinata, resulting in a rather frightening battle sense.
The first round was Sakura going against a Sunagakure shinobi, and Naruto didn't even need to look to know who would win. With how strong she is now, she can man handle even a Jonin if they let their guard down around her!
*Bang*
"Sakura wins" Naruto said with a flat tone
The crowd was silent...they came to watch a fight, not a one hit knockout! Aside from some nobles and merchants that are affiliated with the village, there are other shinobi teams that were eliminated in the second round.
"Boo, I wanted to fight as well" Fu tucked her lips and sighed
"Enough whining" One of her teammates snapped at her
Fu huffed, then stared at 'Menma', the black haired man that watched over the battles. He looked indifferent to everything that occurs on the field.
'Why does he look so familiar' She rubbed her temples with two fingers as she thought, but couldn't think of anyone off the top of her head.
[Hehe] Chomei suddenly giggled
'What?' Fu asked
[Secret~] Chomei replied playfully
As a tailed beast, it can naturally sense Kurama's chakra emitting from 'Menma', and immediately knew who it was.
But as childish as it was, it has lived for thousands of years, gaining enough wisdom to know when and when not to talk. If Naruto keeps it hidden, then it will keep its mouth shut, especially when Naruto is a good friend of its.
Fu began pouting upon Chomei's rejection
'You know something, don't you? Tell me!' She shouted in her head
[Nope~ hehe] Chomei rejected
After arguing with Chomei a little, Fu finally gave up inquiring, and just watched the match quietly.
It was Choji against Hinata...
"Match begin!"
The moment Naruto stated the beginning of the match, Choji didn't hesitate and immediately expanded.
"Human bowling ball!" He knew that against Hinata, if he didn't strike immediately, he won't have the chance.
Hinata formed a defensive stance...? Defensive? At least that's what the Hyuga clan's gentle fists should have been, but in Hinata's hands, it became a fully offensive force.
Her palm struck out, fierce and precise. Instead of redirecting the blow, her palm struck into Choji's body, causing an indent.
"Tsk" Choji flinched in main, but didn't stop, continuing to push down on Hinata with all his might.
Hinata's palm didn't stop on the first, she stuck a second time, then a third, all so rapid that in just a few seconds, she struck out with dozens of palm strikes.
"When did she change the style of the gentle fists?" On the stadium, a pale eyed man stared at her fighting style with a faint frown on his face.
At this moment, Choji shrunk down, but simultaneously, his arm grew larger.
"Partial expansion jutsu!" He roared as his fist came swinging down on Hinata, using the spinning momentum of his rolling from earlier.
Hinata looked up with a fierce glare, not backing down at all.
*Bzzt*
Lightning gathered on the palm of her hand, crackling intensely.
"Ha!" When Choji's fist came down, she struck back without a care for defense.
The two came into contact, and lightning chained down to the ground, destroying the ground, with Choji's hand charred black before getting sent flying back.
"Tsss, I-I surrender" Choji raised his other hand and said weakly
"Hinata wins" Naruto declared
"Ouch, I could feel that for him" Kiba rubbed his arms and muttered
With Hinata in their group, they could not escape training with her, and they knew how scary those lightning clad palms were. Don't let the technique name, gentle fist, fool anyone, her fists are anything but gentle!
They are no longer soft strikes, but sharp ones, yet still targeting the internal chakra flow the same way gentle fist does.
Shino nodded in silence, and he could still remember how she was like when they first became a team. Shy, easily flustered, and hesitant to strike, but now...they find it more believable that this is someone else than the same girl they used to know!
Choji walked back to the top of the stadium with his hand wrapped up tightly.
"Hah, I couldn't even last five minutes against her" He muttered
"You did your best, Hinata's a scary opponent after all" Ino patted his back and said
"Mn...but the gap was massive" He said
"Don't I know it" Kiba, by the side said
The two stared at one another, and a sense of comradery formed between them, silently acknowledging one another's pain...
"By the way, any of you know who Menma is? He just popped up a year ago, and now he's famous everywhere" Sakura asked as she leaned on the stadium wall
"No clue, but he's cool as f**k!" Kiba said
He then pointed around the area
"Just look at all those clones, standing menacingly around!" He said, pointing at all the clones Naruto made to stand guard around the stadium.
"You're a lost cause" Ino said
"I'm not! Menma-sama is just that respectable!" He shouted
"I won't deny that" Ino hummed
The area around Konoha has become much safer after Menma had appeared, so she understood where the respect came from.
"Anyone else find him familiar?" Sakura asked
"Yep" Ino nodded
"Me too" Fu's head peeked over from above, with her flying above them, upside down.
"Eh? You too?" Ino asked
Fu nodded
"Yeah" She said
The three stood together
"Someone we all know...could it be Na-kun?" Ino asked
The two stared at her
"You're...stupid, right? How can that be Naruto?" Sakura waved her hand and dismissed it
"Eh? Why not?" Ino asked
"Are you kidding, if Naruto can be half as mature as that guy, I wouldn't be blowing my top at him every conversation we have" She huffed
"Th-That....that actually makes sense"
'No, no it doesn't!' One of Naruto's clone was nearby, and overheard it all
"Yeah, bestie is too bubbly to be that guy" Fu nodded
'Did they lose braincells?' Naruto thought
"Right? It's probably someone hidden by the Hokage, or an Anbu veteran that was trained in secret" Ino added
"Not to mention, their fighting style are completely different, one is a master of swords, while the other is a jack of all trade" Sakura nodded
'Thanks for the complement, but am I that immature in your eyes?'
In the end, the three agreed that the familiarity was probably just a misunderstanding, after all, he looked nothing like anyone they knew, which left Naruto exasperated.
'Uh...glad I didn't get caught? I guess?' He sighed, as frustrating as it was, it's a good thing these three didn't catch on
'Sakura, I thought you had the best brain of every other friends I know, seems I was wrong...'
"His menacing glare is so cool!" Kiba said excitedly
'Wonder what face he'd make if he knew it was me'
---------------------------------------
Sanity chat
Naruto: Are you all idiots!?
Ino: Na-kun, how can you say that about me!
Naruto: Let me rephrase that...ahem, are you all f**king idiots!?
Ino: How was that rephrased!?
Naruto: Ino baby honey sweetie...I said what I said
Sakura: Can't be blamed, you're a brat, while Menma looks like one of those hot husbando types~
Naruto:??? That's me!
Sakura: I know!
Naruto: Clearly not!
Author: Chill, let me explain
Naruto: Please, explain how they can't even figure out such a simple f**king thing!
Ino: Na-kun, come on, I did initially think it was you, no?
Naruto: And I give you full points for that, sadly, you lost all the points after being talked out of it being me
Author: Ahem! The reason is simple....to talk sh*t about you, HAHA!
Naruto:?????
Ino: Ooh~ I understand
Sakura: I see hehehe
Ino: Yep, Menma looks so~ much hotter
Sakura: Yep, Naruto cannot compare in terms of bearing and stature
Naruto: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻