While training with the Kon and the gang is always fun, Naruto had to get to his training and his Shishou didn't appear to be holding back today. His various pained grunts would be a clear sign of that. The goal was teaching him how to handle opponents faster than him by increasing his reaction time and sharpening his awareness.
"Ugh!" He was having mixed results.
"Get up, Naruto-kun, I barely tapped you."
"I think we both know that's not true." Naruto said, picking himself up off the ground.
"Kukuku, ok. But you're so durable. All my other training dummies break."
"I'm really feeling the love here, Shishou." Naruto replied, deadpan.
"That comes when you're older, I do have standards." Orochimaru shot back before going on the attack again. It was only the slimmest of margins that would allow him to avoid her strikes, a brief sound or the change in the wind. It wasn't a lot and sometimes he was doing little more than guessing. He ducked and felt her leg brush the top of his head. He rolled forward, making her leg sweep useless. Not thinking he performed a mule kick that connected with her arms but it made her pause for a moment, long enough for Naruto to go on the attack.
Using the surface walking technique, Naruto clung to her forearm, and immediately twisted, bring his other leg up for another kick. She blocked it with ease and pulsed her chakra to dislodge her student. Naruto didn't let the loss of leverage deter him as he sent a punch to her face but she evaded it without effort and tossed the red haired Uzumaki away as she still had ahold of his leg. Naruto righted himself midair but had to go into evasion mode again as she began to attack relentlessly.
Even with his enhanced stamina, being forced to fight above his level drained Naruto and he was getting slower but not sloppy, his time with the panthers teaching him how to hold himself even when fatigued. It didn't stop him from getting picked apart as she potshoted Naruto until he hit the ground, breathing heavily.
"Ok, that's enough of that."
"Good, I don't think there was anywhere left on my body for you to hit me."
"Better I do it than an enemy, Naruto-kun. Besides, you are improving. As expected." she said with a glint in her eyes. "Why?"
"Please don't make me say it."
"We had a deal and from my understanding Naruto Uzumaki doesn't go back on his word."
"Why couldn't my nindo be I'd eat as much ramen as I can? Stupid stupid me."
"Stop stalling."
"Fine. I'm improving because you, Shishou-sama, are the world's greatest kunoichi slash genius and the best of the Sannin."
"See, that wasn't so hard. Now, how is everything else coming along? You having your clones train with the Kiri swords?"
"Two of them. Samehada still won't accept me yet and I'm not going to be a meal for a sword. And the Kubichi… Kubikiri… Zabuza's sword is all wrong for my frame. Even the name is a mouthful."
"Kubikiribocho. Would you look at that, guess I can handle a mouthful. Kukuku, future reference." Orochimaru said with a wink, causing Naruto to blush slightly at her innuendo. "I'd recommend coming to an accord with Samehada, it's too useful not to. Now, how about your ninjutsu? Anything new?"
"Maybe a few developments. I wanted to have something definitive before I came to you. So, you know how we've been making plans for any pair of the Akatsuki that I may run into."
"Yes, you seemed confident you had workable plans for Kakuzu and Hidan but thought Sasori and Deidara would give you and your team problems."
"Yea. I may have the Sasori part figured out even if he's a nightmare for Kurenai-Sensei, Shino and Shika. But Deidara was the hardest for me to plan for, given he's a long distance threat and his natural counter is my worst element." Naruto said and saw her nod. "Making a long distance raiton jutsu is difficult and inefficient."
"That's the general consensus, are you about to show me something different?" she asked in excitement.
"Yep. Watch" Naruto said before performing a [Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Running Jutsu] and saw the standard looking raiton peter out at ten meters. Orochimaru didn't look confused nor disappointed as she knew her student wouldn't waste her time so she waited patiently for Naruto to continue his demonstration. Naruto then ran through the same hand signs and performed the jutsu again except this time the beast was red and didn't give out until it was twenty-five meters away.
"Red lightning? I wonder if it's similar to Kumo's black lightning."
"I don't know. From my understanding the black lightning is more powerful than standard raiton techniques. The red lightning isn't really more powerful but it can travel further distances and something else."
"What?"
In response Naruto through four kunai that were 15 meters apart and then performed another red lightning jutsu, aimed at the center kunai. To Orochimaru's surprise, the jutsu split off and hit the other kunai once it made contact.
"I called that my [Chained Lightning Jutsu]. Whereas a normal lightning technique is easy to avoid if you're not the intended target, the red lightning seeks other conductors. Best thing? Chakra sources fall into that category. Lost a lot of clones to that one."
"Could it be made to hone in on a specific target?"
"If I were more of a sensor? Possibly."
"Not having much luck with Karin-chan's technique?" she inquired
"No, there's a block. I feel like I'm right there but until it's resolved I won't make much progress with it."
"Keep at it, you'll figure something out but even now you continue to impress me. I'd suggest developing a focused piercing attack to go along with your wide area effect one." Orochimaru said after a moment of contemplation.
"I'll dedicated some clones to it, Shishou."
"Good, good. Any other new developments?"
"Some rough ideas. Once I get something more solid, I'll let you know."
"Excellent. Now, you've rested enough so unseal your sword so we can get your kenjutsu practice in."
"AWESOME. Let's get wild, Shishou!" Naruto exclaimed after unsealing his katana.
"Oh, Naruto-kun, so eager to penetrate me."
"Don't say things like that, 'tebayo!" Naruto yelled, fighting a full blush."
000000000000
Kabuto was annoyed he had to stop his work to answer the door. He knew his Mistress would not interrupt her training session with the Uzumaki and with everyone else gone, it left it to him. He'd grumble if it weren't wholly beneath him. The Nara that was on the other side of the door didn't surprise him and he escorted him toward the Uzumaki. However when he heard a feminine giggle from the training grounds he lost his footing.
The White Snake didn't giggle. She laughed in such a way to state her superiority, the predator taunting the prey. She laughed and it sent shivers down one's spine as you awaited the lethal strike or had a sense of foreboding as she knew something you didn't. She laughed and shit got done.
She. Does. Not. Giggle.
And yet he knows what he heard and it was just one of the many distressing things about their time here. Or really, since her fascination with the Uzumaki became something more. They haven't tortured anyone together in two months. When they were killing Root nin, she didn't even try to break them mentally. Just stab, stab, stab, stab. No artistry or anything. She hasn't even forcibly experimented on someone in awhile. She was becoming something different and Kabuto didn't like that. He needed his Mistress back.
The Nara and the Uzumaki left but Kabuto was focused on Orochimaru as she stared at him, which was always unnerving but double so for someone that knew what she were truly capable of.
"Whatever has been bothering you lately, you need to deal with it, Kabuto-kun." she said simply and he only nodded. She was right, he simply needed to deal with his problem.
000000000000
Itachi took his leave when Naruto made plans to go to the annual Ino-Shika-Cho picnic. He was due for a shift change but had to report to the Sandaime before he could call it a day. The Sandaime suspects Orochimaru is up to something and plans to turn Naruto against the village. It's an understandable fear but Itachi has yet to see any attempt to do so. Suggestive comments signaling a willingness to blur the lines between Master and student? Yes. And Itachi really didn't know if the Sandaime would actually prefer that to the alternative. As he arrived in the Hokage's office, he kneeled and awaited instruction.
"Report." the Hokage ordered his most loyal ANBU.
"Nothing to report today, Hokage-sama. She has stuck to the same training regimen as when she began his instruction."
"How is he progressing?"
"Well, Hokage-sama. Whatever limitations his body is presenting, they are finding ways to work around it and he takes well to her teachings on tactics."
"And his ninjutsu?"
"Innovative. He seems to demonstrate something new with frightening regularity. He may surpass the Nidaime as Konoha's greatest jutsu creator."
"A high bar, this I know from experience. So how would you rate him?"
"He would not fall under our understanding as a natural genius like Kakashi and myself were called. He is prodigious, his output has more than earned him the title but it's hard to classify."
"What do you mean?" Hiruzen asked in curiosity.
"If you judge him by existing standards he is talented but mostly gets by through his hard work. This isn't incorrect but misses the point. I believe to truly understand Naruto-kun you'll have to judge him against himself. His path won't be like anyone else's, convention won't have any relevance for him."
"A paradigm shift?" Hiruzen asked rhetorically as he understood it. There were people who could excel in the most magnificent ways in what was known, like a child that can get perfect scores on any test. But there were those, the select few whom thought so differently that they simply weren't meant to be understood by existing criteria. They broke the mold. Someone like that could be hard to train as finding out how to reach them would tax a Sensei that desired to utilize the tried and true.
It hurt Hiruzen to think this but Naruto's neglect might have been the best thing for him. Because there was no one to tell him he was wrong or wasting time, Naruto's development could chart a course none had attempted before. He didn't know what was possible or impossible and his natural Uzumaki stubbornness would insure the boy wouldn't deem something impossible until he was satisfied it was so.
His stunningly large chakra capacity, ever increasing according to the village's sensor corp, meant Naruto could do things at a much younger age than almost any before him. Throw in shadow clones and the boy's potential was bordering on infinite. Only hindered by time and imagination, it was a scary prospect.
"No way I could pry a specific jutsu out of you?"
"Sorry, Hokage-sama but it falls under clan jutsu until Naruto teaches another."
"No hints?"
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama."
"That's fine, Weasel. Is there anything else for you to report?" He asked and saw Itachi shake his head 'no'.
"So, nothing that would give me pause?" the Hokage asked.
"Nothing that is outwardly sinister, Hokage-sama."
"What do you mean by that, Itachi?"
"We've accepted she is interested in Naruto and potentially grooming him for something. The only question was what. I believe she may be shaping him into her ideal paramour." Itachi answered dryly and saw the disturbance in the Sandaime's face.
"A what?" he said in disbelief.
"Paramour. Her future lover, Hokage-sama."
"I know what a paramour is, child." Hiruzen said, dismissively. His mind now elsewhere as he wonder what his vile student had planned. Did she want a repeat of past events, a long term seduction of Naruto only to wound him so severely he too turns toward the darkness? Minato's son labeled a traitor and using all of his skill and power to attack the leaf? That would be bad, beyond bad. But it would be a fitting revenge for two of the men that denied her the dream of being Hokage. To twist the hidden Prince of the village so much he becomes its greatest enemy.
He had to get her away from him, that had always been clear. There were but so many ways to do that. With the upcoming assault on Ame, maybe he could arrange for her not to survive but if that failed he'd damn himself. Or if she were prepared and left word to Naruto he'd believe her without question. Once again, she was so far ahead of him, the game was half over before he realized he was playing. He wanted to admonish himself and his diminishing prowess but needed to focus.
She could not be allowed to break Naruto. The boy was meant for great things. He has the drive to become something special. Hiruzen knew that a lot of Naruto's loss of love for Konoha was because of him, the one person he'd trusted. He always assumed he could make the boy understand without being truthful, with kind words and ambiguous statements. That wasn't the case and he'd never mend the relationship, he had to accept that. But he did love and value Naruto, even if past actions would argue otherwise. He couldn't allow him to turn toward the darkness, her darkness.
That he helped cultivate. A seed having born fruit and looking to seed the earth again. A cycle of his own creation, built on selfishness and arrogance. He couldn't let that be his legacy, the coda to his long life. He was a flawed man but not an evil one. He'd sought peace when possible, lived to protect the King of the village. His positives were greater than his failings. He'd save Naruto from her.
"Thank you Weasel, you are dismissed." The ANBU wasted no time departing. Hiruzen then spoke to the ANBU still in his office. "Please retrieve Anko Mitarashi." he ordered. He didn't like what he was about to do, nor that he'd be playing on Anko's hatred but if he could get another woman to turn Naruto's head before Orochimaru could ever sink her fangs into him then her plan would be for naught. Naruto would only hate him more for the manipulation but it was for the best, the boy didn't understand how truly evil she was.