"How about you, sensei? That way we can see how it's done."
"Fine," said the jonin. "Name's Akira Akiyama, jonin of Konohagakure, also called 'Aye-aye' by some people. I got that name back in the last ninja war fighting Iwa nin. My specialty is long-range rapid-strike ninjutsu. I enjoy gardening and cooking. My goal is to take a genin team to chunin, then retire to reserve status - maybe work in ninjutsu research."
"Ah. So, my turn? My name is Konstance Yukira but I go by the name 'Kongou'! I like tea. I dislike those who judge me for these," said Kongou, lifting her right arm and clenching the fist. "My goal is to protect our village!"
"Dan Hikawa. I like oranges and keeping busy. I dislike lazy people. My goal is to create my own signature jutsu!"
"Fire-based?" asked Akira, sounding slightly interested.
"No," disagreed Dan. "A permanent henge effect. One that doesn't dispel. It should be possible."
"Best for last, eh?" declared the third, easily a head taller than the nearly anorexic Dan or Kongou. "I'm Rei. Rei Uemetsu. I'm runner-up to Rookie Of The Year! My goal is to become a legendary ninja and impress all the ladies!"
Akira considered him before shaking her head. "Not impressed. Okay, you three. Little test tomorrow. We'll see how you go."
Naruto could have gone with a tiny little button hidden out of the way. The ten year old wanted something more dramatic.
Which was why he had an enormous knife-switch with the handle painted orange. When he threw the switch, it was with a dramatic gesture.
Turbines whirred to life. Blue lights started as sparks and grew to the size of coffee cups. The big hoop in front of the machine threw tiny bolts of lightning along its length.
The Hokage glanced at Naruto. "Can you build a quieter version?"
"Well, yeah," admitted Naruto. "But isn't this cooler?!"
"So how big are the parts you can build with this?" asked the Hokage, watching as Naruto loaded a large sloping bin with a box of bent and broken kunai and other scrap.
"Maximum width and height is the size of that assembly port on the front," said Naruto, dropping the empty box and grabbing the next box of scrap.
"So, about two and a half meters?" asked the Hokage.
"Yup," said Naruto, slowly tipping the box so that parts began feeding into the box in back of the machine. "Two point seven."
"And your device in there takes apart common materials and turns them into other materials?" asked the Hokage.
"Yeah," said Naruto. "Those kunai are mainly low grade steel. There's also glass, paper, other junk. Just about anyone can put the stuff in and it'll automatically put out bars like those."
The Hokage hefted one. "Steel?"
"Yeah. Those are just processed raw materials though. Easier to stack that way. You here about the sentry units?"
"I understand that you wanted to have someone demonstrating various jutsu to you?" asked the Hokage.
"Yeah," said Naruto. "I was talking to Titmouse. She hates that name by the way."
The Hokage blinked. "She mentioned that to you?"
"Nah, I was running some of the sensor devices to check out how they was working," said Naruto. "Picked up on little changes in the fizz-ee-olly-gee. Anyway, there's ways to sneak into the village that they have trouble finding like one for hiding under the ground."
"Underground movement," said the Hokage, giving a slight nod.
"Right, but if I don't know what to look for - I can't build something to look for it," said Naruto. "Hang on. Did I say that right?"
"I get your meaning," said the Hokage drily. "Very well, conditionally improved. Titmouse?"
The slender ANBU in the bird mask appeared.
"I don't think he's gonna punish you for not liking that name," said Naruto abruptly. "It IS a pretty stupid name."
"I'm not the one who comes up with them anyway," said the Hokage. "Titmouse, line up someone who can demonstrate the most likely jutsu used to pass through the village's borders undetected. Leave one specific set open in case of emergency."
"Huh?" asked Naruto, frowning.
"If someone finds a way to turn your devices against us, a means of disabling or bypassing them would become necessary." The Hokage smiled down at Naruto. "It is necessary for a Hokage to think of such things."
"Gotcha," said Naruto, adding it to the things he needed to keep in mind. Always have a sneaky way in.
The secondary access (Fab-2) required the use of the bracer interface (Fab-1) for more than basic functions. Take materials in, use rotating high-gravity microfields to rip the material apart, centrifuge out the various "pure" materials, form bricks of the purified material - all automated and requiring little or no direction from outside. A genin team could gather trash, seperate out the materials by hand, and then give to a chunin or ANBU who'd dump it into the hopper.
Fab-2 also had a number of sensor systems, both internal and external. Internal would (among other things) keep anyone from chopping up a body and feeding it in, sending the same 'tampering' alert to the T&I bureau for investigation. External monitored the environment for a number of things, including physiological data.
Data went from the Fab-2 to the Fab-1 whenever the two were in range of each other. The Fab-1 sent bursts regularly through a microaperature n-dimensional connection maintained by the big Fabricator (Fab-A) to update information.
Chakra was first detected, then analyzed, then means of more detailed scanning was worked out. The same was true of fuuinjutsu - a means of manipulating space/time that was not within the databanks.
The large Fabricator activated another section of computers normally used for the analysis of materials, dedicating it to working out the basics of this energy and how it was shaped and utilized.
Once some basics were worked out - theories were made. Once there were theories, it was time to test.
Naruto handed Cat the blade. "Try it."
"Good balance," admitted Cat, whose attempt at the silent approach hadn't lasted very long against Naruto. Especially when the child asked so many questions. She gave a few trial swings, moved to a more clear area and then went through a kata. "A bit longer than I'd like, and single-edged where I use a double-edged blade. Not bad."
"No, try throwing some chakra into it," said Naruto, making it sound as if he thought it was obvious.
"Chakra metal?" asked Cat, looking at the blade closer and then noticing irregularities along the blunt edge or back of the sword. Flowing script? Fuuinjutsu?
CRACKLE!
"Odd, I'm not Lightning-natured," noted Cat. The implications dawned as soon as she spoke and her mask whipped around to regard Naruto.
"W-what?" asked Naruto.
"Forbidden?!" asked Naruto.
"Without close supervision and all notes and results being sealed," appended the Hokage.
"But-"
"If it leaks out we have a way of making such things, the consequences would be extremely unfortunate," said the Hokage.
"But-"
"Do you remember the little plant in my office that wasn't a plant?" asked the Hokage.
Naruto nodded.
"That person was someone who'd been born in Konoha, raised here, made chunin years ago," said the Hokage. "His tongue had a fuuinjutsu on it to keep him from speaking and he died before he could be interrogated. I was most upset that we couldn't get any information about who he was working for or how long he'd been there."
"So any of these ANBU could actually be one of Them then?" asked Naruto nervously.
"I've only had a small number who interact directly with you," said the Hokage. "Those I can completely trust."
"Even Titmouse?" asked Naruto.
"Hachidori," said the former Titmouse, sounding rather pleased behind her mask.
Naruto grinned and gave her a thumb's up before turning back to the Hokage.
"So, you see," said the Hokage, deciding to overlook the moment of indecorum, "try not to do anything that stands out too much."
The former Titmouse was well pleased. She had been professional enough not to show it, but she had HATED that name. She was sure that it was because she was not exactly developed in the whole "busty kunoichi" department. Which harkened back to times growing up or when she was off-duty and in a public bath. They were NOT mosquito bites or anything of the sort, thank you very much! No matter what that Anko might say when they were in the bath.
She was sure some people stared at her, trying to determine if she was actually a boy. Not her fault she had a thin build.
Hachidori though - "bee bird" or "hummingbird" - THAT was much more acceptable. Sure she was short, not that much taller than the child Naruto. The hachidori was a warrior though and fast. Both things she felt reflected her own skillset. She was a decent chunin of Konoha transferred into ANBU, and her speed was one of her proudest skills.
So, yeah, she was a little fond of the kid now. He'd somehow figured out she wasn't happy with that, and because he'd brought it up - she was no longer stuck with that freaking name!
Besides, he was a bright and cheerful little rugrat. Certainly could grow on you if you gave him half a chance.
Add to that and that the Hokage himself had said that she was one of a handful of ANBU that he trusted implicitly!
Going back to ANBU headquarters, she changed out of her ANBU uniform and to a more civilian garb.
Yes, things were definitely looking up!
Hummingbird paused, frowning and avoided glancing back as she left the building. Someone was following her. The tail had changed, but someone was maintaining the same distance from her as the previous. Was the Hokage keeping track of her? Or had her cover as an ANBU been blown?
She'd just head to that ramen stand and see if they lost interest.
"Okay, this sucks," said Kongou.
"I've heard of disarming someone, but this is ridiculous," said Dan.
"She disconnected your arms and legs," said Rei. "What the hell are you?"
"I'm a proud gennin of Konohagakure!" declared Kongou. "And the final version won't disconnect that easy - but these do. And that was completely unfair of her to do that."
"What if a foreign-nin did that?" asked the voice of their sensei.
"A foreign-nin shouldn't have the damn disconnect code!" stated Kongou. "Damnit. They're just the first version of those things, I'm trying to get remote controls added. Maybe a self-destruct feature."
"Well," said Rei. "At least it's obvious who should go back to the Academy."
A bell went off.
"Yes," said their sensei. "All three of you."
"Element gun," said Naruto, pointing it at a target. "Earth."
A rock slammed into the target.
"Water," said Naruto, twisting a knob and then pointing the gun at the same target and pulling the trigger. A large splash of water struck that target.
"Air." The target fell over, cut in half. "Ooooh. That was good. Let's see. Fire."
The bottom half of the target ended up with a large scorch mark on it.
"Still needs work," summed up Naruto.
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(Posted Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:33)
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