"Naruto, you're working on chakra control," decided Jiraiya.
"Aw, I wanna really cool jutsu!" The little boy looked like he was going to protest.
"Naruto, look around you," said Jiraiya. "I'd prefer being near a city, but we have to make do with way out here because when you're practicing - things blow up."
"Awwww," said Naruto.
"So, chakra control," said Jiraiya. He held up a kunai then knelt and tapped the ring end against a rock. When he retracted his arm, the rock came up with the kunai.
"WHOA! How'd you do that?!" asked Naruto.
"I extend my chakra into the kunai, and then into the rock from the kunai," explained Jiraiya. "I want all of you to try this, the first one to do it gets one of these jam buns."
"RING end, Naruto. It's too easy to do it with the pointy end," chastised Umi.
Jiraiya walked out of the woods with a pair of dead rabbits in one hand. "I see Fuu got it done first."
"WHAT?!" yelped Naruto.
"All right, Fuu-chan!" congratulated Hikaru.
The rock fell away as soon as her concentration slipped.
"You have to start somewhere," said Jiraiya. "Any of you know how to hunt and forage?"
Hikaru raised her hand. Hikari, her nin-dog, wuffed softly.
"Figures, you said your clan split from the Inuzuka - and they're first class foragers," noted Jiraiya. "You two will team with Umi. Start showing her what to do and what to look for. I'll continue drills with Fuu and Naruto. Later you'll switch off. I brought some fishing equipment for that. I plan to spend four or five days here, unless of course Naruto blows up the campsite."
"That only happened once! I've got better control now!" protested Naruto.
"Why did you want us to learn about mushrooms and things? Why are you having Naruto and Fuu fishing?" demanded Umi after they'd come back.
"Because one day you'll be ninja, and not all missions are done within easy range of a town," said Jiraiya as he tended the fire and boiled water for pouring into containers. "There are missions, in fact, where you want to stay away from towns and villages. Knowing how to survive in the wilderness is just part of your ninja training."
"Still..." griped Umi, who was after all a very young girl not used to "roughing it" at all.
"Don't worry, tomorrow I'll have you doing combat drills in the morning," said Jiraiya. "Tomorrow you'll be fishing and Naruto will go out with Hikaru for his foraging lesson."
"Joy," said Umi, not minding the fishing part but not liking the idea of what came after.
"No, no, no, no, no," said Jiraiya. "Arm down like this. NOT out like you were doing."
"Like this, sensei?"
Jiraiya looked over Fuu's stance briefly then nodded. "Better. Still needs work. NARUTO! Stop moving the shoulders!"
"Why would I need taijutsu?! I can use kenjutsu!"
"Because, Umi, you never know when someone's going to take that sword away from you! Now let's see your punches. Step forward as you strike. Like this, see!"
Jiraiya sighed as he had them working drills. This was way too troublesome. If only there was a cute girl, or a town with cute girls, or better even than that: a hot springs inn!
Instead there was this. Well, best to get them well-grounded on control. ESPECIALLY Naruto. Then he could arrange to do some resupplying in town!
"Huh. Someone's campsite?" asked Hikaru as she and Hikari skirted the edge of the little clearing.
"Huh, that's weird. I thought sensei was trying to get away from people." Naruto sniffed and made a face. "Ick."
Hikaru sniffed herself. "Oh gross."
Hikari sniffed and made a retching noise.
"Seven bottles," said Naruto. "That I can see at least."
"We go WAY around then," said Hikaru firmly. "We don't..."
"HEY! ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?!" yelled Naruto.
"Oh heck," said Hikaru as she heard sounds of someone waking up.
"Not bad," said Jiraiya admiringly. "That one's pretty good size."
"Hai, Sensei!" said Umi, who'd gotten a bigger fish than Naruto had the previous day and was more than ready to rub that in his face.
Jiraiya was about to say something else when he stiffened and slowly stood to his full height.
"Sensei?" asked Umi.
"Killing Intent, and lots of it," said Jiraiya. "Umi, Fuu. Get close here. Be ready to run if it looks like I'm in trouble."
"Se-sensei?" asked Fuu, reaching for her little bow.
"It feels familiar, but it can't be that," said Jiraiya, looking around.
"Did the ground just shake?" asked Umi, looking down and beginning to get nervous.
"Earth techniques? But we're not anywhere near Iwa," noted an already nervous Fuu.
"There shouldn't be anyone other than the occasional merchant or hunter in this area," said Jiraiya. "So..."
"AHHHHHH! MONSTER! OGRE! TROLL!" yelled Naruto, running a few steps behind Hikaru and Hikari as they dashed out of the woods and towards their camp.
"I have a feeling I'd be better off if it WAS a troll or ogre," said Jiraiya. "Especially if it turns out this is-"
BLAM! went a tree, becoming shards of wood launched at high speed.
The woman in question stomped forward, looking about two notches past "royally pissed off" and fast approaching "omnicidal rage" or something equally destructive.
"Oh hell," said Jiraiya. "Uhm. Hi. Tsunade. Long time no -"
"Jiraiya, you-" Tsunade stalked forward, fists clenched.
"You know this old lady?" asked Naruto.
"What. Did. You. Call. Me?" said Tsunade, turning towards the boy.
"Oh hell, you're drunk," figured out Jiraiya. He knew of two ways that Tsunade tended to be when drunk. One was the morose brooding drunk, which was normal for her. Then there was the unspeakably violent drunk which happened when she was annoyed out of the brooding drunk mindset.
"Naruto, how's your chakra reserves?" asked Jiraiya as Tsunade approached.
"Uhm, I dunno?" asked Naruto.
"If you had to put a shield up around an angry attacking ninja, how long could you manage?" asked Jiraiya.
"Uhm, fifteen minutes or so I guess," said Naruto.
Tsunade had paused, her gaze tracking towards where the kids had gathered. "What are you brats-"
"SHIELD!" declared Naruto, putting a dome of white light up around the woman.
"What the hell?" asked Tsunade, who then tightened a fist and struck the barrier. She expected it to go down like any other barrier she smashed.
Tink!
Tsunade blinked. "Wha?"
"Now, see, Tsunade. We're just training here briefly, didn't know you were anywhere nearby. So just stay there, and we'll pack up and go and leave you to - well - whatever it was you were doing out here," said Jiraiya. "Everyone except Naruto - start packing. Naruto - you just keep the shield up."
Tink! Dink! Bink!
Tsunade regarded the barrier, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Jiraiya was experienced in having to take apart a campsite in quick order. He had set things up specifically so it COULD be done in a hurry. Because ninja lives were noted for untimely interruptions of which this definitely qualified.
Tsunade opened her eyes.
WHUNK!
Any medic-nin of any talent could purge alcohol from their own system. As far as poisons went, it was a very well known agent. All that was required was control and experience.
So she was on an all-time bender when she closed her eyes, and completely sober when she opened them. Which was a real pity as it was a waste of a perfectly good drunk.
The white translucent dome remained.
Using her full strength in her technique, she noted that the surface had NO damage. Which was impressive considering the various materials she'd been able to punch through in the past.
The boy maintaining the technique winced and seemed to shake for a moment before regaining his footing.
"Interesting," said Tsunade, who then brought a leg straight up and then down again. The ground shook in response.
As she'd figured, the boy stumbled as the shockwave went underfoot. The technique dropped.
Tsunade smirked as she strode forward, ready to yell at the boy for disturbing her solitude while waiting for Shizune to finish her work in town.
She saw the boy recover and then look absolutely panicked at her approach - which was the effect she wanted. That would get him to leave her alone. That would-
Whatever that red-purple stuff was that was appearing between his hands - it was NOT that dome-material.
Jiraiya heard the stomp and had a feeling he knew what he'd see. Which was Naruto sprawling and Tsunade moving towards him.
Followed by something he had dreaded seeing. Naruto losing the control necessary for Force and just going with Plasma.
Shunshin got him there and he directed Naruto's hands off to the side just before the blast went off.
She was ready for whatever the kid was getting ready to do. Except that Jiraiya had used a flash-move to direct that attack off to the side and away from not only her but the rest of the camp.
The ball of whatever-it-was shot off, crackling like some Lightning-element attack, which she could easily have blocked or weathered.
Except for the near-deafening sound of an explosion, the way the light formed a stark shadow stretching out in front of her, and there was a cloud of wind and dust blowing past her.
Slowly she turned. "Was that a bijuu-dama?!"
"Not quite," said Jiraiya. "Naruto. What did I say about control?!"
"Well," said Tsunade calmly. "I see why you're out here in the middle of nowhere training the kid in control."
"Just a note, don't scare him to where his control is shot," said Jiraiya.
"I see your point," said Tsunade as the smoke began clearing. "Wasn't there a hill there a moment ago?"
"Ah, yeah. I think so," said Jiraiya.
"The little girls?" asked Tsunade.
"He learns better that way," admitted Jiraiya. "Three heirs from minor clans back in Konoha. The Shido broke off from the Inuzuka back in the Second Hokage's day. The Ryuuzaki are originally from Wave, water-users and textiles I believe. Hououji are primarily wind-users, but also deal with transport."
"And the kid?" asked Tsunade though technically all four of the children were about the same age.
"Kushina's son," said Jiraiya, noting the way Naruto jumped and stared at him with that note. Good, kid's mind was taken off of panicking. "New bloodline, unstable. That Force technique shows promise of being able to provide a near-absolute defense when he's got it trained."
"Then keep them AWAY from my camp," said Tsunade, turning and walking off. Giving the crater a wide berth though.
"Will do," agreed Jiraiya.
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(Posted Tue, 05 Nov 2013 09:38)
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