Pink Petals and Ninja Science: A Naruto Time Travel Quest

[Richard Simmons]

[X] Go to the library and continue your research on…
-[X]Fuinjutsu

 

[Skywalker-Kylo]

[X] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly.

 

[Buaidh]

[X] Go to the library and continue your research on…
-[X] Fuinjutsu.

 

[Parzival95]

[X] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly.

 

[Inbetweenaction]

[X] Go to the library and continue your research on…
-[X]Fuinjutsu

Intelligence used, trap and utility increased.

 

[iwantedauniquename]

[ ] Hashirama Senju's Wood Style
[ ] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly.

Three months won't turn anyone into a taijutsu prodigy but getting it on with Lee would be good. If you can somehow recreate or learn about senjutsu from wood style then it would massively improve your combat potential.

 

[drake_azathoth]

[X] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly.

Fuuinjutsu is probably too dangerous to study right now after riling up Kakashi and his curiosity.

 

[Dixitt]

[ ] Throw yourself into training with Lee. You need to cover your weakness in Taijutsu quickly

"Hey! Are you a Konoha-nin, too?"

Rock Lee halts dead in his tracks and turns to stare at you from below your window, his already wide eyes expanding more as he stares at you in shock. You're purposefully wearing your headband in an attempt to garner more of his attention, which appears to work.

You paint a grin over your face. Though you may not feel it, it's somewhat… cathartic to try and experience the same enthusiasm your green-clad acquaintance does.
"Are you looking for someone to share the Springtime of Youth with?"

The next month goes something like this; Running laps around the village with Lee at 5:00 AM, doing monotonous D-ranks with Team 7 and then throwing yourself into Taijutsu training with Lee in the evening when he's not with his own team.

Lee seems really happy to have someone that isn't Neji or Tenten to talk shop with, though "talk" pretty much means discussing stances and forms while beating the tar out of you. That's not a bad thing, though, and you improve enough to hold your own against Lee by the end of the month even though you're not on the same level that he is.

Taijutsu leveled from: Sub-Par to Average

Then the Wave Mission arrives.

Like before, it starts off with Naruto complaining that Team 7 hasn't had any "cool" missions, which makes the Third unfurl a scroll and explain what the various rankings are before noticing that Naruto has turned around to explain the various flavors of ramen to you.

"Silence!" The Third bellows, and you roll your eyes at the antics as Naruto turns around to glare at the old man.

"You're always lecturing me like you're my grandfather! But I'm not a little brat anymore! I'm a ninja, and I want a ninja mission!" Naruto turns around to pout, and you spot the Third taking a toke from his pipe while grinning.

"So be it. I'm giving you a C-Rank mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey."

"Who?! A princess?! A counselor?!"

Naruto's hopes are subsequently shattered by the sound of the door sliding open as Tazuna, master bridge-builder and resident drunk, stumbles into the room. He peers at the three of you incredulously for a moment before pointing at Naruto.

"You, the little one with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

"Who's the one with the stupid look-" Naruto says with a chuckle before he glances at you and Sasuke in horror as he realizes that he's the smallest of Team 7 and promptly tries to rush Tazuna out of anger. Kakashi merely hoists him by the back of the collar as the old man introduces himself.

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder, and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge that will change the world, and I expect you to get me there safely. Even if it means giving up your life."

Really laying it on there thick, old man.

-

"What are you packing for?" Mom's voice emanates from the doorway, and you look up to see her staring down at you, confused as can be. You stop packing your bedroll and assorted spare clothing and contemplate your response before replying.

"A mission. We got assigned to guard a bridge builder on his way back to Wave." You state neutrally, because this didn't go over well with Mom the first time you told her. Her eyes widen, and for a moment you can hear her breathing heavily, as if trying to contain herself, before murmuring;

"Please… stay safe." There's a moment of silence before you stand up and hug her.

"I will, Mom. I promise."

-

"Yeah! All right!" Naruto bellows our the moment you are out of Konoha's front gate, but his words sound like they're coming from a thousand miles away. The last time you were here was with the Sound Four...

"What are you gettin' so excited about, boy?" Tazuna slurs irritatedly, and Naruto throws his hands in the air in gleeful celebration.

"This is the first time I've ever gone outside the village! I'm a traveler now." Your teammate's celebrations do nothing to reassure Tazuna, who glares at Kakashi while leveling an accusatory finger at Naruto.

"Am I really supposed to trust my life with this runt? He's a joke." You stifle a snort. Yeah, a joke that went toe-to-toe with one of the Akatsuki and survived.

Oh shit.

The Akatsuki… Goddamnit. That's… a whole can of worms you don't even want to think about right now, considering that you're a Genin (albeit one that was once wanted in multiple countries.) and you're going on your first real mission.

By the Sage, what a mess.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Sasuke giving you a strange look of mild confusion and irritation, which you return by...

[ ] A small smile.

[ ] Raising an eyebrow before looking away.

"Hey! Don't insult me, geezer! I'm going to be Hokage one day, ya' know!"

"The day you become Hokage I'll sprout wings and fly, half-pint."

-

God.

Now you remember why one of the reasons you hate traveling with non-ninja; the pace they set is unbearable.

Not that you're disparaging civilians, of course. You yourself are technically a civilian, though that's mostly a term the clans made up to justify being greedy bastards towards tradesmen, so it doesn't really matter.

It just takes a certain kind of person to transition from civilian to ninja, though, and most people aren't that type. They're slow, and grumpy, and get in the way sometimes.

Which is why this road trip is/was made even worse.

Save for the moments of sheer terror that accompanied Zabuza and Haku, you don't really remember the more monotonous segments of the mission to Wave.

Probably because Naruto was being an annoyance, Sasuke brooded (was this really the overly-emotional dastard you once knew?) and Kakashi no doubt was entirely disinterested beyond keeping the five of you alive.

Wait... alive… wasn't there another incident that happened on this trip?

Your memory is proven correct the moment you step across a small bridge hanging over a creek as two signatures barely flicker on the edge of your senses.

The Demon… Brothers, wasn't it? A pair of two-bit Kiri-nin hired by Gato to assassinate Tazuna, and the reason Wave went from C-ranked to A-ranked in the first place, if you recall correctly.

Great. This'll be… interesting.

What to do about the two assassins on your tail?

[ ] Alert Kakashi about them. It'll get you in his good graces after the Bell Test catastrophe, and maybe even end this confrontation before it begins.

[ ] Merely wait and then use a Phoenix Flower Jutsu to incinerate the both of them.

[ ] Why should there even be a confrontation? Genjutsu is your forte, after all.

[ ] Let things play out as they did. There's no reason for you to potentially screw things up before they even begin.

-

I really have no excuse for taking as long as I did to get this chapter out. Sorry.

 

[Kwame]

[X] Alert Kakashi about them. It'll get you in his good graces after the Bell Test catastrophe, and maybe even end this confrontation before it begins.

Sakura is shit at everything except chakra control and average at Taijutsu. Also don't wish to bring up questions as to why she knows phoenix fire jutsu as a civilian. We can't let things play out because Kakashi is very observant and that may cause problems if he noticed Sakura noticing.

[X] A small smile

Hoping this repels Sasuke and lines up to what Sakura's former personality was.

Edit: We are actually good at genjitsu so that could be an alternative but we need Naruto's head in the game. So he has to get injured here for his vow.

 

[Parzival95]

[X] A small smile
[X] Why should there even be a confrontation? Genjutsu is your forte, after all.

Kakashi doesn't need to be alerted, and I think he would know that we knew and did nothing, and the fire technique is too out of left field for us to know.

We've already demonstrated skill in genjutsu, so just play it easy. Give no sign that we know they're there, whammy them, and then mop up easy.

 

[Edifier]

[x] Why should there even be a confrontation? Genjutsu is your forte, after all.

 

[Kwame]

[X] A small smile
[X] Why should there even be a confrontation? Genjutsu is your forte, after all.

Kakashi doesn't need to be alerted, and I think he would know that we knew and did nothing, and the fire technique is too out of left field for us to know.

We've already demonstrated skill in genjutsu, so just play it easy. Give no sign that we know they're there, whammy them, and then mop up easy.

Click to shrink...

The reason why we shouldn't use genjitsu to just end it is it gives a chance for Naruto's vow. Without it the Zabuza fight is going to be hellish.

It also doesn't matter that Kakashi knows. This builds up trust with him.

 

[iwantedauniquename]

[ ] Let things play out as they did. There's no reason for you to potentially screw things up before they even begin.

 

[drake_azathoth]

[X] Alert Kakashi about them. It'll get you in his good graces after the Bell Test catastrophe, and maybe even end this confrontation before it begins.

Kakashi will tell us not to alert the others and defend the client anyway, so Naruto will get his chance.

[X] A small smile

Best not to get too OOC.

 

[Austrichh]

[X] Alert Kakashi about them. It'll get you in his good graces after the Bell Test catastrophe, and maybe even end this confrontation before it begins.

[X] A small smile