Naruto:A New Path

New Sensei! Naruto's Torture!

Hiruzen Sarutobi tried not to groan in annoyance at the council members sitting before him. First there were the heads of the Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clans. Next were the three elders, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura. Lastly there were a few members of the civilian council, only in the room for formality. Their constant bickering was getting on his nerves.
"I don't understand why we're making such a fuzz about a kid's eye," the head of the Hyuuga clan, Hiashi Hyuuga, responded in a bitter tone, "It's not as if the sharingan is needed in the village."
"The sharingan is needed not only because of its power but its reputation," Danzo responded simply, "With the other villages knowing that we have an Uchiha in the front lines they will certainly be intimidated."
"But he attacked a fellow ninja," the head of the Nara clan, Shikaku, stated calmly, "Such an attack's punishment is usually prison or death."
"But he's the last of his clan," Danzo countered, "We can't have a clan die out just because of a brat not controlling his emotions."
"What about the other brat's punishment," one of the civilian council members argued, "He attacked the last of the Uchiha and took his eye. The brat should be put to death."
"Don't even try to pin this on the kid," Inoichi responded with his eyes narrowed, "He attacked the Uchiha for the well-being of his entire team, he should be praised for taking him down. Besides, you have no business here. The only reason you're sitting here is because none of us want to do the paperwork and you, being the lowest rank, have to."
"That's enough," the Third scolded, suppressing the urge to chuckle at Inoichi's previous comment. The Hokage cleared his throat before continuing, "I have already assessed the situation and have come up with a proper punishment."
"And what would that be Lord Hokage?" the Inuzuka clan head, Tsume, asked.
The Hokage let out a breath before gazing at the council, "Sasuke will be put back in the Academy."
"That is nonsense," Koharu, the Third's old teammate, declared with a frown on her face, "We need him to develop his sharingan. How can he do that if he's not allowed to go on missions?"
"That is what I have decided," the Third declared, "Also, he will not be able to leave his compound for any other reason than going to the Academy."
Danzo kept a calm expression on his face as he set his eyes on the Hokage, "Lord Hokage, this is most unreasonable. We cannot hinder the progress of the young Uchiha."
The Third stood from his seat, "It has been decided and not up for discussion. By placing him back in the Academy I'm not endangering the future of his clan in any way. There's nothing else to discuss."
Danzo watched the old man leave, thinking of how to turn the events to his favors. By keeping Sasuke secluded from the outside world he finally had a chance to approach him without the risk of any spies. This way he could train the boy and forge him into a ninja of his approval.
Yes, he would not only control the Kyuubi but one of the last Uchiha as well.
Ino smiled as she and Naruto sat on her home's table. They had gotten home a few minutes ago. Her mom, Miki, had been ecstatic to see Naruto again and offered to make them dinner. The young kunoichi had been glad to see that her boyfriend was a lot more comfortable around her mom, though he still kept a small distance from her.
Miki emerged from the kitchen with a smile on her face, carrying a large bowl of rice, "Here we are."
Ino's mom set the rice on the table before turning to walk away. "Mom do you need help with setting up the table?" Ino asked with a small grin before turning to her boyfriend, "Naruto would love to help out. Right?"
Naruto's eyes widened slightly before smiling nervously, "R-right."
"Well then come on," Miki smiled as she and Naruto entered the kitchen.
Ino watched them leave, letting out a small giggle at her boyfriend's nervous face.
"I'm home," came her dad's voice from the front door. Inoichi entered the room with a smile on his face, "Hi princess, how did your training go today?"
"It went great," she informed as her dad sat on his usual seat, on the chair right in front of her, "How did your meeting go?"
Inoichi frowned before turning at the sound of the kitchen's door opening. Naruto entered the room with a plate of food on hand, eyes widening when seeing the older ninja. Inoichi smirked in return, watching the young ninja stand there nervously.
"So you're back already?" Inoichi muttered with a frown on his face.
"Y-yeah," Naruto smiled nervously as he set the food on the table and sat next to his girlfriend, shrinking under the man's gaze.
Miki entered the room, instantly smiling at seeing her husband back. "Hi dear how was your day?" she asked as she set the plates of food she held on the table.
"It was alright," Inoichi responded with a smile of his own.
"Good because I made a lot of food today," she explained before an apologetic look washed over her face, "But since there's no spare chopsticks, I'll have to give Naruto a spoon."
Naruto's heartbeat rose as she set a spoon in front of him. "Isn't that great kid?" Inoichi asked with a smirk. The blond Chunin managed to nod as he took hold of the 'deadly weapon.'
"I guess I'll get going now," Naruto stated as he rose from his chair. His meal had been finished for a few minutes and they had just talked about anything that came to mind, it was fun but he felt like he was intruding by being there.
"It was nice to have you over," Miki assured with a smile. Naruto nodded in return and gave a small wave before beginning to walk away.
"I'll walk you out then," Ino announced as she followed after her boyfriend.
The couple reached the door and walked out, welcoming the feel of the cool breeze that greeted them as soon as they set foot outside.
Ino suddenly took hold of his hand and pulled him towards her, her lips meeting his in a light kiss. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before closing as he returned the kiss a little clumsily. The two broke apart and gazed into each other's eyes, a smile gracing the girl's features, "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Naruto responded as he gave her a quick peck on the lips before walking away, turning to wave one last time before continuing on his way home.
He let out a sigh of relief as soon as he was alone. Inoichi made him really nervous and he swore that he saw him scanning the spoon a couple of times. The blond let out a chuckle as he made his way home, at least he would be safe for another day.
"Hey Naruto," a familiar voice called from behind him. The blond turned to come face to face with Inoichi. A sudden wave of fear struck him as the older man walked right past, "Follow me."
Terror can make a person do stupid things, in this case it made Naruto follow after the man knowing full well that it would put him in danger. The older man suddenly jumped into one of the nearby rooftops, throwing him a look before leaping away.
"Wait up," Naruto called as he jumped after him, leaping through rooftops while making sure not to strain his arm.
Inoichi simply went faster, much to the annoyance of the young Chunin. He followed after the man with no idea of where they were going. He looked around the area and noticed that they were heading straight for the training grounds, a wide open space that was perfect for combat and testing out abilities.
' He's finally going to kill me,' he screamed in his head.
The older ninja jumped once more, disappearing into an area filled with trees. Naruto followed after him, preparing to land on a branch but stopped when seeing Inoichi standing in a small clearing. The Yamanaka made his way towards two decent sized rocks and sat in one of them, motioning the blond to do the same. The blond Chunin sat on the rock next to Inoichi and put on a look of confusion, having no idea of what the man would want.
"I just want to have a talk with you," Inoichi stated as his gaze turned to the star-filled sky. Naruto watched the man anxiously, expecting any kind of threat. "I wanted to thank you for spending time with my daughter," he hadn't been expecting that, "She's regaining the determination she had back when she was younger. I can tell that she's really happy."
Naruto turned his gaze to the sky also, watching the bright stars illuminate the sky.
"You two actually remind me of Miki and myself when we were dating," he stated with a chuckle, "But anyway I came here to tell you something important."
"What is it?" Naruto asked with a look of confusion.
"I know that I'm a little intimidating but remember," he began before turning to Naruto with a small grin, "If you're ever in trouble of any kind and need help. Remember that my family and I are always willing to help you out."
Naruto's eyes widened as the man stood up, dusting his pants as he let out a sigh. The man turned to the blond and gave a light wave before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
The young Chunin couldn't help but smile. He guessed that Inoichi wasn't that bad.
It had been two days since Naruto's team got back from the Sand village. On those two days big things had happened. A few Leaf ninja had been sent over to the Sand to negotiate with the council and maintain peace. They agreed on a shinobi exchange program where they would send a Genin or Chunin to each other's villages as a sign of trust.
Another thing that had happened was Sasuke finally being let out of the hospital. He had been outraged about going back to the Academy and made it his duty to get out of it as soon as possible. None of the Rookie 9 had seen him though since he had been placed under house arrest and he wouldn't let anyone enter.
It was now morning as Naruto walked out of the hospital with a smile plastered on his face. He wore his usual outfit but no cast, something he had been waiting for. No cast meant that he could train once again and this time he would train harder than ever. Since he wouldn't be able to use the fox's chakra he would need to train until he dropped in order to get stronger. He didn't want to have anyone hurt on missions anymore.
' What should I train in first,' Naruto wondered as he made his way to the training grounds where he and Jiraiya would usually go. It was away from the rest of the training grounds and had a river that he could use to expand his training. He thought back on his last mission with a frown. He had lost all of his chakra rather quickly and forced to use the fox's.
"My jutsu still take too much chakra," he muttered with a frown. Jiraiya had explained that the worse the chakra control, the more chakra wasted when using them. "Looks like I'll need to train my chakra control," he concluded with a grin.
"Talking to yourself kid?" a familiar voice called out. Naruto turned around to see his master standing before him with a grin on his face, "Looks like you've healed up."
Naruto smiled, throwing his right hand in the air, "I'm all better now Jiraiya-sensei. Now I can train even harder than before."
"Did you already forget?" Jiraiya sighed out in annoyance. Seeing the confused look on his student's face he got his answer, "I have a surprise for you now that you can use your arm again."
Naruto's face immediately lit up. "I remember now!" he exclaimed in excitement, "So what is it? A new jutsu?'
Jiraiya crossed his arms with a frown on his face, "What did I tell you about jutsu?"
"Jutsu doesn't make the ninja…" Naruto muttered with a roll of his eyes.
"Exactly," the toad sage grinned, "Anyway. Your surprise is in the training grounds we usually train at. Just go there and you'll see your surprise."
"Thanks Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto smiled before running off towards the training grounds, excitement filling his eyes.
Jiraiya watched him leave with a smirk on his face, "Don't thank me yet kid."
Naruto made it to the training grounds, his eyes darting around the area. There was the usual waterfall on the side, the small river and the many trees that surrounded the area but he found no sign of what could be a surprise.
His head suddenly perked up when hearing something whizzing through the air. Not thinking twice he leaned his head to his left, avoiding a kunai that managed to grace his cheek, leaving a trail of blood that ran down his face. He prepared to move away but was stopped by two hands holding his shoulders firmly.
"What the…" Naruto trailed off before feeling something wet and hot run across his cut. The young ninja shivered in disgust but couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity.
"Do you remember me brat?" Anko asked as she pushed the blond away.
Naruto rose to his feet and glared at the older ninja, "You're that crazy lady from the Chunin Exams."
Anko smirked at the nickname. "I guess you could say that," she began before taking out a kunai. She felt a tinge of amusement as the blond ninja's stance grew tense. The snake mistress placed the kunai on her index finger and began to spin it in place with a smirk on her face, "And you're the big-mouthed brat from the Chunin Exams, right?"
"What are you doing here anyway?" Naruto asked with a frown. He was not comfortable around her, she reminded him of Orochimaru somewhat.
"I owe the big pervert a favor," Anko began with a frown on her face, "He asked me to teach you some taijutsu and other useful skills for a shinobi."
' So this is his idea of a surprise,' he thought bitterly, picturing his master's grinning face. The Chunin looked at Anko with a scowl on his face, figuring that more training couldn't be a bad thing, "So, when do we begin?"
Anko smiled as she licked her lips. She stopped twirling the kunai on her finger and flicked her wrist, sending the projectile straight for the blond.
Naruto, not one for getting hit by the same thing twice, sidestepped the incoming weapon but froze when he realized that Anko had disappeared from sight. He slipped into his taijutsu stance and focused his eyes on the area around him, waiting for anything that would give out her location. A sudden blur threw him off-guard, the snake mistress appearing before him in a cloud of smoke.
"Now!" she declared as she threw a punch.
The Third Hokage sat behind his desk with a pipe on his mouth. A trail of smoke left his pipe as he stared at his old student with a serious look on his face. It had been only moments ago that Jiraiya had arrived saying that he had a new lead on the Akatsuki and had to leave the village once more.
"When do you expect to come back?" the Third Hokage asked as he took a drag out of his pipe.
Jiraiya shrugged with a grin on his face. "I'm not sure but this leads always take about a week," he began as he crossed his arms, "But the thing I came here for was to tell you that I plan on taking Naruto on that training trip when I get back."
"I see," the Hokage nodded, "I'll get the paperwork ready. Remember that Naruto will still take missions on occasions."
"I got it old man," the toad sage responded with a grin, "It will be helpful on his training anyway."
The Third let out another trail of smoke, his expression growing tired, "I'm planning on naming my replacement. Being Hokage is draining and I'm getting tired."
The toad sage smirked. "I guess you're going to get Tsunade to run things, right?" he asked. The Third simply nodded in response, showing that he was correct, "That's great. She's qualified for the job and I'm sure she'll grow fond of the idea."
The Third let out another trail of smoke, "I really hope so."
Ino panted with her hands on her knees, trails of sweat running down her face. Tsunade stood in front of the Genin with a smirk on her face, a sign that told Ino that their training hadn't even started.
The two were on their usual training spot that was a little secluded from the rest. Ino found it to be a calming place since it was surrounded by trees and covered with healthy grass. She had arrived only an hour ago and was already getting tired. Tsunade had greeted her with a taijutsu-only spar that was still going.
Her eyes narrowed when her master began to approach her, both fists held back as she ran. Ino stood her ground, her eyes focused as her fists clenched. Ino watched as Tsunade threw a right hook, aiming right at her yaw. She quickly ducked the blow and quickly turned to her master's left hand, seeing it already heading straight for her face. Without thinking, Ino met the punch with an open palm, avoiding getting hit.
Her victory was outlived as Tsunade's punch pushed her hand aside and made contact with her right cheek. Ino let out a cry of pain as she sailed through the air before falling on the ground.
"That's enough of taijutsu," Tsunade declared, a proud look on her face. She walked over to her student and extended her hand to help her up, "You did good to block my attack. It looks like you're finally grasping the basics of your new taijutsu stance."
"Right…" Ino muttered as she tapped the bright red mark on her cheek. The kunoichi yelped in pain before letting out an annoyed sigh, she was sure that it would swell in a few hours. Turning to her teacher she crossed her arms, "Can't you heal this?"
The medic smirked. "I told you before," she began, "From now on I won't heal any of the wounds you take during training. You have to do it yourself. Take it as a way to motivate you." Ino grumbled, further amusing the medic, "We're starting a new training exercise that will help you control medical chakra better."
"Really? What is it?" Ino asked in interest.
Tsunade set her fist in front of her before a blue chakra flared around it. "I will be teaching you how to use chakra to enhance your attacks," she declared with a grin. Ino smiled in excitement, really liking the new training. The chakra left Tsunade's hand as she crossed her arms and began to explain, "The more chakra control you have, the more powerful your attacks will be. I don't expect you to get this quickly but practicing it while you're taking your fist steps into medical jutsu will help you out a lot."
"Alright," Ino declared with a grin, "Let's start already."
The medic smiled, "Alright then."
"Is that all you've got?" Anko taunted as she ran at the blond brat once more. She had never seen the toad style taijutsu before but was sure that it wasn't being used to its full potential, after all the taijutsu style came from a sannin.
Naruto growled as he ran at the snake mistress. From what he'd seen, Anko's taijutsu style relied on close combat meaning that his only choice was to attack then move away before she could retaliate. Not what he usually did but he decided to give it a try since it seemed that Anko was to engrossed on the spar.
His eyes narrowed as the kunoichi threw a jab aiming for his midsection. The blond pushed the jab away with an open palm, leaving her exposed. Not wasting any time he threw a punch with his right hand, aiming at her stomach. Anko smirked as she used her other arm to cover the attack.
Naruto watched a light twitch on the kunoichi's leg and quickly jumped away, barely avoiding a kick. He tried to turn his body so that he could land on his feet but suddenly felt something wrap around his ankles tightly. His eyes widened when he noticed the pair of snakes coming from Anko's sleeves. The kunoichi smirked before slamming him against the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust and gaining a loud cry of pain from the blond.
The blond growled as he sat up, eyes glaring at the older ninja, "What the hell was that? I thought that this was a taijutsu-only spar?"
Anko smirked, "I never said anything about not using ninjutsu." More snakes emerged from her sleeves, wrapping tightly around the blond's midsection. Her smirk grew when she watched him struggle, she hated to admit it but the old perv had been right, the brat had a lot of promise. From light taijutsu spar she was able to get an idea of how the blond fought and was impressed. "Alright then. You passed my little test," she announced as she dropped her hold on the blond, watching him kneel on the ground with trails of sweat on his face, "I'll teach you some kickass moves."
Naruto looked at the woman oddly, what kind of test had that been?
"Now get your ass off the ground so we can get started," she scolded with a disapproving frown.
"You're the one that knocked me against the ground," he muttered bitterly.
"First thing I'll do is teach you the stances," Anko informed with her hands on her hips and an exited smile on her face, "That'll take about a minute or two so we'll have the rest of the day to see you use those stances in a spar. If you use any other style other than what I'm about to teach you, well let's just say that it won't be pretty."
Naruto's right eye twitched. It was impossible to learn a new taijutsu style that quickly, much less use it in a spar so quickly. He was lucky to have clones since it would keep him from getting his ass kicked too bad. On top of that, if she sparred like she did only moments ago then he would be lucky to walk the next day.
"This woman is trying to kill me," Naruto concluded as Anko smirked.