ALL NOVEL Chapter 3: 3
Chapter 4
Shikaku body flickered into the Hokage's office with Naruto and the restrained Mizuki in tow. The late hour cast shadows across the room, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked up from a stack of reports with a mix of curiosity and concern.
"What brings you here so late, Shikaku?" Hiruzen's eyes briefly lingered on the subdued Mizuki, his expression hardening.
Shikaku gave a tired sigh before relaying the events of the night. "Mizuki attempted to manipulate Naruto into stealing the Forbidden Scroll. However, Naruto saw through his deception and dealt with him."
Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Naruto, who stood lazily with his arms crossed, clearly unbothered by the situation. The Hokage then gestured for the ANBU stationed in the room.
"Take Mizuki to T&I. Let's see what else he's been up to," Hiruzen instructed. The ANBU disappeared with Mizuki in tow.
With Mizuki gone, Hiruzen turned back to Naruto, a hint of curiosity sparking in his eyes. "Naruto, how exactly did you defeat Mizuki?"
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "I beat him at kid's games."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow and glanced at Shikaku, silently asking for confirmation.
Shikaku, hands in his pockets, simply nodded.
Hiruzen chuckled, his laughter filling the room. "Children's games, you say... how fitting for someone like you, Naruto."
---
As Shikaku and Naruto walked through the quiet streets of Konoha, Shikaku glanced sideways at his son. "So, Naruto... those swords of yours. And the games you mentioned, care to elaborate?"
Naruto adjusted the eyepatch on his face, letting out a small yawn. "The blades are a manifestation of my soul," he explained. "Their power reflects who I am, my love for games, strategy, and fun."
Shikaku raised an eyebrow, finding the concept intriguing. "Manifesting your soul into weapons and gaining abilities based on your personality... Now that's something."
Naruto smirked but didn't bother clarifying that this ability was unique to Shinigami.
---
Morning of Team Placements
The Nara family sat at the breakfast table, a familiar atmosphere of laziness and calm filling the room. Shikaku leaned back in his chair, looking at his two sons. "So... who would you two like to be paired with?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "Anyone strong."
Naruto gave a lazy smile. "Same. As long as my teammates are competent, I won't have to work too hard."
Yoshino frowned, setting down her tea with a sharp clink. "You boys and your lazy attitudes! Honestly, is it too much to hope for some ambition?"
Shikaku chuckled. "You married into this, dear."
Yoshino sighed, shaking her head.
---
Naruto and Shikamaru met up with Choji and Ino on the way to the academy. As they walked, the topic of team placements naturally came up.
"So, who do you guys hope to team up with?" Ino asked brightly.
"Doesn't matter," Naruto replied. "Just give me competent teammates so I can slack off.."
"Same," Shikamaru added, yawning.
"Lazy as ever!" Ino scolded, hands on her hips.
Choji smiled, munching on a bag of chips. "I just hope I'm with you guys."
---
At the Academy
The classroom buzzed with excitement as Iruka stepped forward, congratulating the students on becoming Genin.
"Now, onto the team placements," Iruka announced, silencing the chatter.
"Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Nara. Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."
Naruto leaned back in his seat, muttering, "Great... babysitting duty."
"Team 8: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi."
"Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."
---
Three Hours Later
Kakashi finally appeared, sauntering into the classroom. Before he could say anything, Sakura immediately began scolding him.
"YOU'RE THREE HOURS LATE!"
The noise roused Naruto from his nap, and he groggily opened his eye. "What's with all the yelling?"
---
On the Academy Rooftop
When it was Naruto's turn to introduce himself, he lazily said, "Naruto Nara. I like my family, friends, Katen and Kyōkotsu, and games. I dislike fighting. My dream? For the world to achieve peace someday."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
---
Returning Home
When Naruto returned home, Yoshino was waiting. "How did it go?"
Naruto sighed, leaning against the doorway. "Looks like I'm gonna have to carry my team."
Yoshino frowned. "That bad, huh?"
---
The Next Day
Training Ground 7
Naruto arrived first, he took the opportunity to layon the grass and went off to dreamland. When Sasuke and Sakura arrived, Sasuke's eyes were drawn to the two swords tied to Naruto's waist.
"Why does this lazy bum even have swords?" he muttered, intrigued.
Hours passed before Kakashi finally arrived, prompting another scolding from Sakura. Her yelling once again woke Naruto.
---
The Test
Kakashi explained the test and the rules, earning glares from Sakura and Sasuke cause he tricked them into not eating breakfast.
When Kakashi asked Naruto why he ate, Naruto simply smirked. "My mom told me to tell you that if you try pulling something like that again, you'll have a problem."
Kakashi paled, nodding quickly.
---
After Sakura and Sasuke were taken out of the fight. Sakura by genjutsu and Sasuke by Kakashi's mole jutsu, Kakashi waited for Naruto's move.
Suddenly, his book was ripped from his hands. He turned to see Naruto standing behind him, flipping through the pages. Kakashi quickly distanced himself.
Naruto giggled. "Gotta say, sensei, you've got good taste."
Kakashi gave him a thumbs-up. "Well, even a ninja needs a good hobby."
Naruto tossed the book back. As he unstrapped his blades, he placed them together and recited the release command" The Flowery Winds Become Disturbed, The God Of Flowers Sings, The Heavenly Winds Become Disturbed, The Devil Of Heaven Sneers"
A bright flash of light erupted. When it faded, Naruto stood holding two black curved scimitars.
Kakashi's expression grew serious. What are those?
Naruto smirked. "So, Kakashi-sensei, what do you think about games?"
Kakashi tilted his head, his eye crinkling with amusement. "Games, huh? Well, they're fun... until you realize your opponent was playing on a whole different level."
Naruto's grin widened. "Good answer, sensei. Let's see how well you play."
---
Chapter 5
Kakashi leaned back slightly, his lone visible eye narrowing in amusement as he answered Naruto's earlier question.
"Games? I like them, when they don't put my life on the line," he said with a dry chuckle, his hand hovering near his kunai pouch. "But I suppose I don't have much choice here, do I?"
Naruto grinned, holding his twin scimitars loosely. "Nope. But don't worry, Sensei. I'll keep it fun for you. Now, let's start with the rules. We're going to play a few rounds of my favorite games. Each one has its own twist. Let's see how good you are at keeping up."
Kakashi exhaled deeply, adopting a ready stance. "Fine. What's the first game?"
Naruto crossed his blades in front of him and twisted his wrists, the scimitars spinning at high speed. "This one's simple. I Spin, spin and spin! Try not to get caught in the wind, Sensei."
With a flourish, Naruto leapt into the air and began to rotate, his scimitars emitting sharp, cutting winds. As the winds converged into a massive spinning vortex, the grass beneath them was torn to shreds, and small debris flew everywhere.
Kakashi's eye widened. "Wind manipulation?" he muttered before leaping away. The swirling winds chased him, forming a tornado that spiraled toward him with devastating force.
Kakashi reached into his pouch, hurling a series of explosive kunai into the oncoming vortex. The explosions disrupted the outer layer of the winds, but the core continued to push forward.
Naruto's voice echoed through the swirling winds. "What's wrong, Sensei? Having trouble keeping up with a spinning top?"
Kakashi clicked his tongue and flipped backward, narrowly avoiding the vortex's pull. In a flash of insight, he imbued his tanto with lightning chakra and slashed at the spinning wind as it closed in. The electric surge disrupted the technique, dispersing the vortex into harmless gusts.
Landing lightly, Kakashi adjusted his headband. "That was close. So, is this how you fight? Turning children's games into deadly techniques?"
Naruto smirked. "Games are just more fun. Let's see if you can handle the next one."
Naruto stepped back, spinning one of his scimitars in his hand. As he did, glowing, translucent lily pads began to appear, floating mid-air between them. "This one's called Kaeru Jump. We leap from pad to pad, dodging each other's attacks. But if you miss or fall, you're wide open for a counter."
Kakashi scanned the battlefield. The lily pads weren't solid objects but flickered faintly, like projections. Testing one, he leapt onto it and felt a faint resistance underfoot. "Interesting," he muttered.
Naruto moved first, springing from one pad to another with effortless grace, firing bursts of wind from his blades to disrupt Kakashi's footing. Kakashi countered by leaping higher, using kunai to anchor himself when the pads threatened to fade beneath him.
As their movements grew faster, Naruto's strikes became more precise, his scimitars slashing through the air to create waves of cutting pressure. Kakashi narrowly evaded the attacks.
"You're pretty nimble for an old man, Sensei!" Naruto called out, grinning.
"You are not so bad yourself, for a lazy bum" Kakashi shot back, using the distraction to feint a retreat before throwing a kunai laced with an explosive tag. The explosion knocked Naruto off balance, but the boy recovered mid-air, flipping onto another pad.
Naruto laughed. "Not bad! But let's kick it up a notch!"
As the lily pads vanished, Naruto raised his blades, spiritual threads extending from their tips. He manipulated them with deft movements, weaving them into intricate patterns. "Welcome to Ayatori. If you get caught in this, breaking free is going to cost you, Sensei."
Kakashi watched warily as the threads shot toward him, crisscrossing to form a web-like snare. He dodged the first wave, but the threads followed, bending and twisting unnaturally to trap him.
Activating his Raikiri, Kakashi slashed through a portion of the web, only for more threads to replace it. "Persistent little game," he muttered, using his Sharingan to predict the threads' movements.
Naruto frowned as he noticed Kakashi's movements becoming sharper. "Oh? Finally using the Sharingan? About time, Sensei."
Kakashi didn't respond, his focus entirely on the threads. With a burst of chakra, he leapt high into the air, flipping over the web entirely and hurling a bunch of lightning-charged kunai at Naruto.
Naruto deflected it with one scimitar. "Not bad," he admitted, retracting the threads. "But I've got more up my sleeve."
Naruto raised a hand, spinning one of his scimitars lazily. "Time for the classic. Irooni. The rules are simple. I declare my color, Green and you declare yours."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Naruto. After a brief pause, he responded, "Black."
Naruto's grin widened. "Great choice, Sensei. Now, remember, damage depends on how much of the declared color we hit. I'll be aiming for your green, and you'll be aiming for my black."
Kakashi nodded, his expression unreadable as he shifted into a low stance, his tanto gleaming with faint chakra.
Naruto dashed forward, his twin scimitars cutting through the. He aimed for Kakashi's green flak jacket, forcing the jōnin to twist out of the way. Kakashi retaliated with a sharp upward slash of his tanto, narrowly missing the black trim on Naruto's sleeves.
"You're quick," Kakashi admitted, stepping back to create distance.
Naruto smirked. "Thanks! But you'll have to be faster than that, Sensei!"
Closing the gap again, Naruto launched a flurry of attacks, his blades targeting Kakashi's jacket with pinpoint accuracy. Kakashi parried with his tanto, redirecting the strikes expertly.
Using his Sharingan subtly, Kakashi predicted Naruto's next move. When Naruto lunged low, aiming for the stomach, Kakashi lept to the side and slashed downward, aiming for the black accents on Naruto's back.
Naruto barely managed to block, using one scimitar to intercept the tanto while the other swung wide to graze Kakashi's shoulder. The faint green edge of the fabric was sliced, but the damage was minimal.
"You're getting closer, Sensei," Naruto teased. "But not close enough."
Kakashi adjusted his stance. With his movements sharper and more calculated, he pressed the offensive, feinting toward Naruto's scabbards before pivoting to target the black trim on his sash. Naruto's eyes widened as he twisted to avoid the strike, the blade grazing the edge of the sash but failing to cut it cleanly.
"Close," Naruto admitted, leaping back. "But let's see how you handle this!"
Naruto's movements became erratic, unpredictable, his scimitars spinning like whirlwinds. He targeted Kakashi's flak jacket relentlessly, forcing the jōnin to stay on the defensive. Despite Kakashi's Sharingan, Naruto's feints made it difficult to avoid every strike.
With a sudden burst of speed, Naruto spun low, his blade carving a clean cut through the green on Kakashi's stomach.
Kakashi stepped back, clutching his stomach. "Not bad," he muttered, his tone dry.
"You're not making this easy, Sensei," Naruto said, standing tall and catching his breath. "But I think that's enough for this round."
Naruto's grin widened as he sheathed his blades. "Last game. Onigokko. Tag. The oni can attack freely, while the other must avoid being caught to retain their ability to counterattack. Katen and Kyōkotsu will decide who's the oni."
The twin spirits' laughter echoed faintly as a black mark appeared on Kakashi's chest. "Looks like I am it, Sensei," Naruto said, darting away with surprising speed.
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "So, I'm supposed to catch you?"
"Yup! But if you take too long, the roles switch, and I'll be coming after you."
The game began with Kakashi pursuing Naruto across the training field, using his Sharingan to predict the boy's movements. Naruto, however, was slippery, using bursts of wind and agile leaps to evade capture.
---
When the mark on Kakashi's chest began to fade, he realized the switch was imminent. As the mark transferred to Naruto, the boy turned on him with a mischievous grin. "My turn!"
Naruto's speed and unpredictability forced Kakashi on the defensive, the two engaging in a rapid exchange of strikes and counters. The game ended with Naruto managing to tap Kakashi on the shoulder, his grin triumphant.
---
Kakashi exhaled heavily, lowering his tanto. "You weren't kidding about keeping it fun. But those games of yours... they're more dangerous than they look."
Naruto laughed, sheathing his blades. "That's the point, Sensei. Games aren't just fun, they're a way to keep things interesting."
Kakashi adjusted his headband. "I'll keep that in mind.
With that the clock rang, signaling the end off the test.