"This is the portable form of the attunement seal," he told her, then handed a small wooden disc to the recovering blond. "Here; make sure you're always carrying this when you try and go in here."
Naruto stared at the innocuous object resting on his palm. "I will," he said, and meant it.
"Uzumaki-kun's academic, taijutsu, and chakra-molding skills are as to be expected given the circumstances surrounding his training - that is to say, poor, to put it kindly," the Jounin said, and contintued on into the building. "But other aspects of those same circumstances mean that the actual amount of chakra available to him exceeds that of anyone else in the squad by an order of magnitude. That aside, his physical conditioning is quite adequate. Overall, weak, but likely to improve greatly with proper training."
"Circumstances?" Sakura asked. "You mean, his not having a family?"
"No. If you pass, you will be briefed fully. Until that happens, all you need to know is that their nature and details are classified on pain of death."
Anyone who had been through ninja training, or even been raised in an area where ninja were a major presence, was not going to be shocked by the idea of using a death penalty to keep a secret. It was to be expected, given the nature of their work. But Konoha policy imposed such sanctions only rarely - rarely enough to have been worthy of remark even if they hadn't been concerned with so unlikely a subject as that Naruto. All three of the youngsters were subdued as they considered that, and Naruto shifted uneasily under his teammates' curious looks as the young man leading them flung open a door and led them into an immense, low-ceilinged space that was incongrously well lit for a place so full of repressive silence.
A few steps inside the room, rather than leading them down one of the narrow aisles between the looming, pack bookshelves that filled every part of their vision, their teacher stopped and turned to face them. "As for myself, my name is Nathan Baxter - Bakusuta Neshan, as your script and custome render it - and I hold the rank of Special Jounin for the Village Hidden by the Leaves.
"Behind me are the Archives of Konoha, and, in a very real way, the root of much of the village's power. Every ninjutsu, every genjutsu, every strategy and every taijutsu form, every individual ninja ever encountered by a Leaf-nin is described somewhere in these halls, and for the next twenty-four hours, the three of you have been granted Jounin-level access to them."
Sakura's eyes widened, Sasuke's narrowed, and Naruto looked confused.
"At the end of that time, you will go to Training Ground Eight and retrieve these-" they were three small paper scrolls, perhaps the length of Sakura's hand and the thickness of her wrist "-from the shrine at the north end of the area. Due to seals on the scrolls, a given person may only carry one. I will be your opposition." He paused and checked their reactions, and was pleased with what he saw. All of them were reevaluating him; none looked intimidated. "I would advise that you use this time wisely. The stakes, for you, are high; the Academy's tests rated your skills - this one will rate your personality characteristics, and if you cannot show the proper ones, you will not be permitted to become Genin."
===============================================
"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"
Naruto stared at the innocuous object resting on his palm. "I will," he said, and meant it.
"Uzumaki-kun's academic, taijutsu, and chakra-molding skills are as to be expected given the circumstances surrounding his training - that is to say, poor, to put it kindly," the Jounin said, and contintued on into the building. "But other aspects of those same circumstances mean that the actual amount of chakra available to him exceeds that of anyone else in the squad by an order of magnitude. That aside, his physical conditioning is quite adequate. Overall, weak, but likely to improve greatly with proper training."
"Circumstances?" Sakura asked. "You mean, his not having a family?"
"No. If you pass, you will be briefed fully. Until that happens, all you need to know is that their nature and details are classified on pain of death."
Anyone who had been through ninja training, or even been raised in an area where ninja were a major presence, was not going to be shocked by the idea of using a death penalty to keep a secret. It was to be expected, given the nature of their work. But Konoha policy imposed such sanctions only rarely - rarely enough to have been worthy of remark even if they hadn't been concerned with so unlikely a subject as that Naruto. All three of the youngsters were subdued as they considered that, and Naruto shifted uneasily under his teammates' curious looks as the young man leading them flung open a door and led them into an immense, low-ceilinged space that was incongrously well lit for a place so full of repressive silence.
A few steps inside the room, rather than leading them down one of the narrow aisles between the looming, pack bookshelves that filled every part of their vision, their teacher stopped and turned to face them. "As for myself, my name is Nathan Baxter - Bakusuta Neshan, as your script and custome render it - and I hold the rank of Special Jounin for the Village Hidden by the Leaves.
"Behind me are the Archives of Konoha, and, in a very real way, the root of much of the village's power. Every ninjutsu, every genjutsu, every strategy and every taijutsu form, every individual ninja ever encountered by a Leaf-nin is described somewhere in these halls, and for the next twenty-four hours, the three of you have been granted Jounin-level access to them."
Sakura's eyes widened, Sasuke's narrowed, and Naruto looked confused.
"At the end of that time, you will go to Training Ground Eight and retrieve these-" they were three small paper scrolls, perhaps the length of Sakura's hand and the thickness of her wrist "-from the shrine at the north end of the area. Due to seals on the scrolls, a given person may only carry one. I will be your opposition." He paused and checked their reactions, and was pleased with what he saw. All of them were reevaluating him; none looked intimidated. "I would advise that you use this time wisely. The stakes, for you, are high; the Academy's tests rated your skills - this one will rate your personality characteristics, and if you cannot show the proper ones, you will not be permitted to become Genin."
===============================================
"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"