Title: Battle of the Jinchuuriki
Author: Rokudaime Kunoichi
Rated: T
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Summary: Set after preliminary round. Naruto doesn’t fight Neji. Instead, he fights Gaara!! What secrets will be revealed? Light SasuNaru. Shounen-ai.
Warnings: Light Angst, OOC-ness, Drama, Child Abuse, shounen-ai, etc.
Disclaimer: Naruto and co. belong to Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright/trademark infringement is intended. No profit is made from the making of this story.
A/N: Ever since I watched the episode when Naruto and Gaara fight for the millionth time, this idea refuses to leave me alone. I hope you enjoy this. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.
Chapter 1
Uzumaki Naruto gulped inaudibly. He had just picked a number and now he was reading the chart that showed who fights who. Why the fuck did he have to fight that psychopath!? Gaara looked at him, and smiled a small, eerie smile. Naruto narrowed his eyes and tried to look tough, but it wasn’t working out. He could hear some of the other contestants’ whisper how he was going to get pulverized. Well, they’ll just see about that. Naruto was going to train super hard and he was going to show everybody that he, Uzumaki Naruto, Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja, was not to be underestimated. And when Kakashi-sensei sees that he’s better, stronger, and smarter than that Sasuke-teme, he’ll want to train only Naruto. The blonde chuckled to himself at his plan. It would work.
***
“What do you mean you can’t train me!?” Naruto screeched. His hands were balled into fists at his side, and he glared at the silver-haired man in front of him.
“I’m sorry, Naruto, but I have to train Sasuke. Don’t worry, though, I found you a teacher that is very competent at what he does. He’ll be able to train you for the month, alright?” Kakashi asked, reading his porn book and giggling.
“I guess I don’t really have a choice, now do I, sensei? Let’s hope he’s more competent than you,” spat Naruto, huffing and stomping away. “Tell this competent teacher to meet me at Ichiraku’s!!!” Kakashi blinked in surprise. He expected Naruto to react badly, but he had no idea that the blonde would actually imply that he was an incompetent teacher. He was competent, dammit!!
***
Naruto glared at his ramen, stabbing the vegetables in it. Why does Kakashi always favor that stupid Uchiha before him!? He was so much better than that teme! And besides, teachers weren’t supposed to favor students. The blonde grumbled and growled at the unfairness of it all. He picked up his chopsticks, mumbled a quick “Itadikimasu,” and then digging in. Noodles flew all over the place as he gobbled down the food.
“Ugh, your table manners need some major improvement,” groaned somebody behind him. Naruto wiped his face with a napkin before turning around to glare at whoever said that to him. His cerulean eyes widened as he noticed who exactly was behind him.
“What are you doing here you closet pervert?” Ebisu glared at the blonde.
“I am here because Kakashi-san requested that I teach you this month so you can prepare for your match with that Suna nin. What was his name again? Garlan?”
“No, it’s Gaara. And why would he ask you to teach me?” Naruto scowled. Could his day get any worse?
“How dare you, you impudent little snot!! I am one of the elite jounin!” Ebisu seethed. How dare this blonde moron speak to him with such disrespect! Dammit, he should’ve just told Kakashi no.
“I don’t care who you are! You were still defeated by my Harem no jutsu, so you can’t be all that great!!”
“Whatever. I don’t have to teach you. You should be grateful that I owe Kakashi-san a favor,” muttered Ebisu, adjusting his glasses slightly. “Now, finish your meal and we shall begin training.”
Naruto glared at Ebisu before ordering three more bowls of ramen.
***
“Now, Uzumaki-san, we shall start with the water walking exercise. Just apply chakra to your feet and walk over the water,” explained Ebisu, as he stood on water. After Naruto ate all the ramen, the two left to go to the onsen. Naruto did as he was told, applying the chakra to his feet, before stepping on the water. Instead of standing on top of it, Naruto plunged straight into it. The blonde arose to the surface spluttering.
“What the hell! I did what you told me to, you stupid pervert!!” Naruto yelled, getting out of the extremely hot water. Ebisu allowed a chuckle to escape his lips.
“You must apply an even amount of chakra to your feet. If you don’t, you’ll fall into the water. That is more-than-likely the reason for your falling in. And I’m not a pervert, you impudent baka,” the jounin instructor replied, glaring at his temporary (‘Thank god,’ he thought) student.
“Shuddup! You’re a sorry excuse of a teacher! And yes, you are a pervert!” Naruto said, his cheeks puffing out. The blonde continued to grumble about his temporary (‘Thank you Kami-sama,’ the blonde internally growled) teacher’s incompetence before concentrating and applying the chakra to his feet. Naruto cautiously stepped onto the surface of the water. He wobbled a little, and thrust out his arms in an attempt to remain balanced. Ebisu began to slowly smile.
‘He’s getting it…’ Naruto let out a small shriek of terror and indignation as he once again plunged into the water. Ebisu’s smile left as quickly as it came. ‘Or not…’
“Try it again,” commanded the elite jounin as Naruto climbed out of the onsen. Blue eyes fiercely glared at him. Pink lips curled into a vicious smirk, before tan hands formed familiar hand signs. Ebisu’s eyes widened as he realized what exactly was going to happen.
“Harem no jutsu,” muttered Naruto. Immediately fifteen clones appeared and transformed into a naked blonde. Ebisu gulped as his eyes wandered up and down. The blonde female had medium-sized breasts, a flat stomach, curvy hips, slender legs, feminine hands, and long hair. His throat closed up as he heard all of them giggle at the same time. A trickle of blood ran down his nose, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and Ebisu passed out. The clones disappeared and Naruto stood where one was.
“Tch, pervert.” The blonde sighed and ran a hand through his head. Damn that Kakashi! This was all his fault. Why couldn’t the stupid jounin just train him or find him an awesome teacher? Now, he was stuck fending for himself. Naruto glared at the unconscious form of Ebisu one last time before stomping away. Well, he would’ve stomped away if he hadn’t heard a sound he was all too familiar with. Naruto’s eyebrow twitched as he followed the noise—the perverted giggle—all the way to the women’s side of the onsen.
‘What the hell is with all of these perverted old men!? Don’t they have anything better to do than to peep at naked women all day?’ Naruto huffed, staring at the white-haired old man who was the culprit. The man was scribbling stuff in a little notepad, a large smile dancing on his face and his eyes glazed over. The blonde let out an evil smirk. Well, if the old man wanted to see a naked woman, he was going to.
“Oorioke no Jutsu,” whispered Naruto. There was a puff of smoke and in his place stood a naked blonde woman. He grabbed a leaf and whispered a quick substitution jutsu. The leaf changed into a towel, and he wrapped it around his body. “Let’s see how he likes this.” Naruto walked to the old man, swaying his hips. The white-haired pervert looked at him and started drooling.
“Excuse me, sir, but what are you doing here? This is the female side of the onsen,” muttered Naruto in a feminine voice, biting his lower lip and blushing.
“I was just doing some research! Nothing to worry about, pretty lady,” assured the pervert. “Say, would you like to be a part of my research? I could turn you into a star.” Naruto appeared thoughtful on the outside, but on the inside he was rolling his eyes.
‘Jeez, could this guy get any weirder?’ he thought.
“Um, no thanks.” The pervert looked disappointed.
“Aw, are you sure? With a body like yours, you’d be my number one star!!”
“I’m sure you tell that to all the women you meet,” mumbled Naruto, tears welling up in his eyes. “How can you be so heartless!?” The pervert looked shocked.
“No, I don’t tell this to everyone! You got to believe me!”
“Well, I don’t! PERVERT!! PERVERT IN THE FEMALE SIDE OF THE ONSEN!” Naruto shrieked at the top of his lungs. The white-haired man had a look of extreme horror on his face before he was pummeled by at least fifteen women who had ran out of the onsen after hearing Naruto’s exclamation.
“You creep! Do you have no shame!?”, “You’re an enemy to all women!”, and “Wait till my husband finds out! You are so dead!” were a few things that the women yelled after beating the living stuffing out of the white-haired man. Naruto laughed, tears streaming down his face before changing back into his original form.
“That was fun,” murmured Naruto happily. “Now, to find myself a teacher...” The blonde started to walk away when a strong hand gripped his shoulder, eliciting a squeal of surprise. He was shocked to see the white-haired pervert glare at him.
“You little runt,” the pervert started. “What the hell is your problem!? What did I do to deserve that mean trick you pulled?” Naruto looked at him incredulously.
“Are you for real? You’re a pervert! You shouldn’t have been spying on those women anyways! And how did you know I pulled that prank on you?” The pervert punched Naruto on the head, surprising the blonde with the force behind that punch.
“For one thing, if I didn’t know, you just told me. Another thing, I’m no idiot. And lastly, I’m not a pervert!! I’M A SUPER PERVERT!” A vein popped in Naruto’s head.
“Irregardless! You’re still creepy and you deserved every single blow that those ladies dealt you. So there,” Naruto stuck out his tongue.
“Jeez, it seems like Sarutobi-sensei and the rest of this village are allowing bakas to become shinobi. I wonder how long it’ll take before Konoha crumbles,” muttered the man. Naruto’s eyes widened.
“What did you just say!?” The man looked at him lazily.
“I do believe you heard me, therefore I don’t feel the need to repeat myself.” (1)
“Why, you—!” Naruto furiously launched himself at the man, who dodged the move swiftly. The blonde absentmindedly wondered how an old man could move that fast. Naruto jumped a few feet away from the man and smirked. This man was obviously a shinobi and from what Naruto could tell, he was good.
‘This’ll be great practice! Maybe if I beat him up, I’ll be strong enough to take on that psycho!’ thought Naruto. His mind was turning wheels as he thought of ways to defeat this man.
“You shouldn’t let your guard down,” muttered a voice behind him. The blonde’s eyes widened as he felt the man punch him in the back. He fell forward, and turned around quickly to glare at the person.
“I’m gonna get you for that! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,” said Naruto, his hands already performing the correct seals. The pervert’s eyes widened as he obviously recognized the jutsu.
“Who taught you a Jounin-level technique?!?” he demanded, his eyes narrowed. Naruto smirked.
“Like I’m really going to give away that information. What if you’re an enemy of the leaf or something? And besides, at the moment, you are my enemy. Plus, I don’t have to tell you anything, you creep!” The man’s eyes narrowed even further.
“Are you an idiot? Wait, don’t answer that. And I’m a Konoha shinobi, baka. My hitai-ate is right here,” the man explained, pointing at his thigh that did indeed have the hitai-ate on it. Naruto flushed a deep red.
“Sorry, but last time I checked, that was a headband, not a thighband. Idiot,” retorted the blonde, happy at his comeback. “Anyways, that’s enough talk!” The pervert’s eyes widened as he realized that while they were talking, the clones successfully surrounded him and the perimeter around them.
‘Very smart. Not bad considering how much of an idiot he really is,’ thought the pervert.
“While I have to admit, you distracting me was pretty good. Unfortunately, it’s not good enough.” The man formed quick seals and muttered something that Naruto couldn’t hear. Then the man slammed his hand on the ground, seals appeared, and then there was smoke. The blonde coughed, and the smoke dissipated. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the man sit on a rather large frog.
“What the hell is that stupid frog doing here?” Naruto screeched. That was sooo cheating!
“Who the hell are you calling stupid!?” the frog yelled, his displeasure at being called stupid written all over his face.
“What the hell!? Frogs don’t talk!!”
“I’m a summon, you stupid blonde!!” (2)
“I am not stupid!”
“Yes, you are! Moron!”
“I’m not a moron either! You stupid reptile!”
“I’m an amphibian!!” The frog and Naruto glared at each other. The pervert looked extremely bored.
“GamaTsuki, you may leave. This idiot is not worth your time,” ordered the white-haired man.
“Damn straight, he isn’t,” grumbled the frog as he ‘poof’ed away.
“Listen, kid, why don’t you go home to your mommy or something? It’s obvious that you are not ready for the life of a ninja. Just give up while you’re ahead,” said the pervert as he walked away. Naruto’s fists clenched as he remembered what the villagers had said.
‘Why don’t you just die, you monster!?’
‘Haven’t you caused enough trouble, you stupid murderer!?’
‘Nobody will ever love you, so just stop trying you pathetic waste.’
‘Demon!’
‘Monster!’
‘You’ll never be Hokage, so you should just give up.’
Naruto growled, glaring at the man’s back.
“YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU BASTARD! I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP ON ANYTHING! NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU OR THE VILLAGERS TRY! I’M UZUMAKI NARUTO, AND SOMEDAY I’LL BE HOKAGE! JUST YOU WAIT!! I’LL PROVE YOU AND EVERYBODY ELSE WRONG!” Naruto yelled, panting heavily before he turned and started to run to the village. If he stuck around, he would’ve noticed the pervert had stopped and turned to look at him, disbelief written all over his face.
‘That was Uzumaki Naruto? The kid that holds the Kyuubi inside him? Arashi-kun’s son!?’ His eyes narrowed into slits. ‘I suppose I had better have a talk with sensei.’ The man disappeared in a swirl of leaves with no evidence of him every being there in the first place.
***
Naruto gripped the ropes of the swing tightly. His throat stung, and his eyes were starting to get blurry. Taking deep breaths, he willed himself not to cry. Why did everybody always assume that he was good for nothing? Was it because he was the container for the Kyuubi? It’s not like it’s his fault that the damn thing was sealed inside him! The blonde angrily kicked an innocent rock, sending it flying.
‘I’ll prove them wrong! They’ll all regret the day they messed with me,’ thought Naruto darkly. He sighed and got off of the swing. He did enough moping around for one day. First, he was going to get a teach—grumble. Naruto sweatdropped. Um, first he was going to get something to eat. And then he’d get a teacher. A smile firmly planted on his face, Naruto ran all the way to Ichiraku.
“Four orders of miso pork, please!” he yelled happily. The old man smiled and began to make the food. Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out four coupons for free ramen. Thank goodness he had decided to shove loads of coupons in his pocket before he left his apartment this morning.
***
“Sensei, you have an awful lot of explaining to do,” growled the white-haired man as he sat down in the Sandaime Hokage’s office. His old sensei seemed to have been anticipating his arrival since his facial expression remained one of indifference.
“Jiraiya, how nice to see you again after all these years,” greeted the old man, inhaling from his pipe.
“Cut the crap, Sarutobi-sensei. What’s the deal with the way the villager’s are treating Arashi-kun’s son?” The old Hokage sighed, and stared at a picture that was framed on his desk.
“You weren’t there, Jiraiya. All you did was help in the battle against Kyuubi and then you left right after Arashi-kun died. You didn’t stay to here the announcement I made. Arashi-kun asked me to create a law prohibiting anybody and everybody who remembered the Kyuubi incident from telling the next generation about it. He wanted his son to be treated like the hero he is. But, that’s not what happened. The pain, anger, and hurt from losing their loved ones made the villagers go crazy. They wanted to kill him, Jiraiya. They almost succeeded, too. If it weren’t for the few members on the council that saw Naruto as Arashi wanted him to, they would’ve executed an innocent child.
“Unfortunately, while I was able to stop them from killing Naruto, I wasn’t always able to stop them from hurting him. I had to assign ANBU to watch over him. More than fifteen times did he nearly die. The only thing stopping that was Kyuubi healing him. I think the only reason why that fox heals Naruto is because of the seal placed on Naruto. If Naruto dies, Kyuubi dies. Otherwise, Naruto-kun would’ve joined his father in the underworld a long time ago.” Jiraiya sat still, his face in shock. He hadn’t realized just what type of trouble his favorite student’s son would have gone through if he left.
“I should’ve taken him with me,” mumbled Jiraiya. “I should’ve done something to help Arashi-kun’s son.” Sarutobi smiled sadly at his student.
“It’s not your fault.” Jiraiya was about to say something when the door burst open. Both old men turned to see Uzumaki Naruto in the flesh. Naruto took one glance at Jiraiya before yelling.
“YOU!?”
A/N: Hope you like it. Reviews would be nice.
(1) I say this all the time.
(2) I have nothing against blondes, being blonde before myself. I just thought it’d be funny in this story. :D