Chapter 13: The Five Great Games Begin!

Chapter 13

The next morning Izaya and Iraia stood near the center of the Hyuga training grounds as he watched over her training as promised. Currently Iraia was practicing how to better control and produce a steady flow of magnetic chakra through her body. She had successfully magnetized 8 shurikens in front of her and was currently working on the last two. Sweat dripped down the side of her forehead as she concentrated on coating them with her chakra. After another minute passed by she had finally completed the task. She panted heavily at the mental strain placed on her for having to concentrate so hard. Izaya looked over all the shuriken and confirmed that they did indeed carry Iraia's unique magnetic chakra in them.

"Good job Iraia. All in all It took you 5 minutes to completely coat 10 shuriken with your magnetic property. That means you average about two shurikens a minute. This is a good start, but it's still too slow for your Magnet Style to be useful in combat. Now that I know what level of control you have over your Kekkei Genkai we'll start with improving your foundations. We'll begin with phase 1. For every odd hour I want you to build up your magnetic chakra as much as you can inside your body and simply keep it contained. For every even hour I want you to immediately expel all the magnetic chakra you contained outside of your body. Then immediately begin infusing your normal chakra again and repeat this cycle for 6 hours everyday for a total of 2 weeks. Then we can begin phase 2. That's when you'll start coating metal ninja tools with your magnetic chakra. To pass phase 2 you have to be able to coat at least 10 ninja tools in 30 seconds or less. Then phase 3. That's when we'll start training you in the unique Jutsu you've been telling me about that utilizes your Magnet Style."

Iraia nodded obediently and excitedly at Izaya's training plan and got straight to beginning her phase 1 training. As Iraia sat down beginning her training Hiroshi ran over to them. He was watching from around the corner and felt a bit jealous that Iraia got to hog Izaya for training all to herself so he decided that he'd join in as well. After all he also wanted to improve on his Kekkei Genkai.

"Dad, train me too! Since Iraia's training consists of just her building up her magnetic chakra for 6 hours everyday then that means you have time for my training as well right?"

Izaya smiled amusedly at Hiroshi. "Alright alright. Of course I have time to train you as well. So, which of your Kekkei Genkais are you trying to improve?"

"Dad, train me in the Explosion Style!"

Izaya nodded and ruffled Hiroshi's hair. "Good choice."

"So what should I do?"

Izaya simply smiled and pointed to Iraia. "Same thing. Do what your sister is doing. I want you to build up your explosive chakra inside your body and contain it on every odd hour and expel it from your body on every even hour for 6 hours everyday for a total of 2 weeks. The thing is, your training is a bit more...destructive than Iraia's and the nature of your Kekkei Genkai could cause some serious damage. So while you train I'll have to keep a barrier around you."

Hiroshi pouted a bit and grumbled, "Aw maaaan...in the end I'm stuck doing the same thing as Iraia."

Izaya just laughed and lightly patted Hiroshi's shoulder. "Come on. You got this. I know you hate monotonous training like this but you have to build a strong foundation first. Just like how you began with your Wood Style training."

Hiroshi let out a sigh in defeat and nodded as he got right to it. Izaya created four black receiver rods and placed them around Hiroshi before fueling his chakra through them and created a barrier to protect the surrounding area from being terribly damaged by Hiroshi's explosive chakra. Izaya sat nearby as he proudly watched Iraia and Hiroshi completely focus on their training.

Mn. These kids of mine...I wonder if they're forcing themselves to work this hard or if they actually want to train this much out of their own free will. Either way I wouldn't mind if they wanted to remain my cute little Hiroshi and Iraia a little longer. They're growing up so fast. Iraia's already learnt to control and focus the power of her Byakugan and Sharingan. She also has a pretty good handle on her Lava Style. She was born with a unique 3 innate elemental affinities of Wind, Fire, and Earth natures that manifested themselves as the Lava, Magnet, and Scorch Style Kekkei Genkais. All this time she's been working on her Lava Style. Now she's ready to move on to the next one huh...and Hiroshi. His potential is no less than Iraia's. He was also born with 3 innate elemental affinities of Water, Earth, and Lightning that manifested themselves as the Wood, Explosion, and Storm Style Kekkei Genkais. Hiroshi's gotten a good handle on his Byakugan and is very masterful at his Wood Style and now he has also awakened a Sharingan like Iraia. Furthermore he's ready to move on to his next Kekkei Genkai as well. Perhaps one day they might truly surpass me.

After training Hiroshi and Iraia in the morning he left for a remote training ground in Konoha to meet with Zen.

"Karasuma-sensei! You're back!" Zen exclaimed happily.

Izaya smiled at Zen's expression.

Seems he's doing better than I thought. Looks like being in Konoha has helped him a lot. And his duties as an Anbu has helped him learn more about the shinobi world.

"Zen, I heard that you've become a Chunin. Congratulations! I'm very proud of your progress. I also heard that you've been performing your duties as an Anbu perfectly and you've even taken up my name in the past as Ghost."

Zen sheepishly nodded his head. "Yes sensei...though I am unworthy of holding your title as Ghost I-"

Izaya just laughed and quickly interjected, "Don't say that. If anyone should take up my past title as Ghost within the Anbu then it can only be you Zen. No one else would be more fitting."

Zen nodded happily. "Then, sensei, is there a reason we are meeting out here in private?"

"There is. You and I will start meeting everyday in the evening here at this training ground. It's been awhile but it's time to start up your training again."

Zen widened his eyes in surprise and excitement and quickly agreed.

Sensei is finally going to train me again! It's been so long I can't wait.

The days and weeks came and went as Izaya continued with his schedule. Training Hiroshi and Iraia in the mornings and Zen in the evening. During the afternoon he would do all he could to assist Hanabi with her work lightening the load on her and if there was anything major in the village that needed attending to he would be there to provide assistance. At this moment Izaya was currently massaging Hanabi's shoulders as they had just finished their work.

"Mmmmm...that feels good Izaya."

Izaya smiled and had Hanabi lay down on her stomach across the couch as he continued to massage her body.

"Mmmm...Ngh...Izaya. Thanks for helping me with work. I'm finally caught up."

"Don't even mention it. It's something I should naturally do."

"Izaya...can I ask you a question?" Izaya moved down to her lower back continuing to massage her muscles and nodded. "What is it?"

"It's about Naruto."

"Naruto?"

Hanabi nodded. "Do you think there's something going on with him?"

Izaya simply raised his eyebrow in confusion. "And by that you mean?"

"Well...a few weeks ago on the night of father's birthday I had a talk with Hinata. And...well...Ahem...after our talk she said something about how whenever Naruto has time to go home he's always really tired and usually heads straight to bed. After recently talking with her again she said that not too much has changed."

Izaya kept his eyebrow raised in confusion. "So...ummm...sorry Hanabi I'm not really following. Are you saying that there's something wrong with Naruto?"

Hanabi thought for a moment about how to word her question before saying, "Well...I'm not sure. I was wondering if you noticed anything strange with his behavior or something. I was just perplexed."

"Perplexed? The reason?"

"Well, I mean I understand that he's Hokage and he probably has a lot of work on his hands, but no matter what I just can't fathom the possibility that he would have more work to do than you Izaya. I mean you were the Hokage as well and I feel pretty certain that the amount of work you had to do as the Hokage was greater than the amount Naruto has to deal with. After all you took over during the greatest depression the village had ever been in. I know that you put a system in place to reduce the workload of the Hokage, but even then the amount of work you had to deal with was tremendous. You worked to re-stabilize the village after the war. Rebuild its economy. Dealt with public unrest. Strengthened international relations with other lands and villages and not just the other Great Ninja villages. You solidified the foundations of the ASF and implemented major reforms to not only rebuild, but to improve on the strength of the village. For example you revamped the entire structure of the military. You designed the most comprehensive education system the village has ever had. And you reestablished Konoha's working police force just to name a few. You basically had to do everything from scratch again and in all of that chaos, stress, and work you still somehow managed to set aside time in your schedule just for me. Even when we had Hiroshi and Iraia you forced yourself to make more time just for the three of us. You were completely overworked. In fact overworked is putting it nicely. I remember the days when you would come home and were simply exhausted, but you always forced yourself to stay awake. You played with the kids and even attended to my needs."

As Hanabi recounted the memories of those days a tear fell from her eyes. Izaya took notice and gently bent down wiping the tears from her face. She couldn't help feeling a mix of warmth, love, and pain well up inside of her. "Izaya...I'm sorry."

Izaya simply kissed her cheeks. "Nothing for you to be sorry about. I'd do it all over again for you and the kids."

Hanabi could only nod. "I know. But I'm still sorry. Every time I think about those days I always feel like I didn't do enough for you."

Izaya laid down next to Hanabi on the large couch and softly entwined their hands together. "You might think like that but it isn't true. You're the reason I was able to keep on doing what I did. I should know, after all I was on the receiving end of all of your support."

Hanabi took a deep breath and nodded before she continued, "Where was I?"

"Something about my workload compared to Naruto's."

"Right. Anyways my point is, even with the workload you had to deal with you still made it home to me and the kids and you still made time for us. I understand that everyone is different and handles work differently and that Naruto isn't you, but I still feel that the amount of work Naruto has to deal with shouldn't be on the level of work that you had to deal with. Is it a chakra thing? Chakra is produced within our bodies from our mental and physical energies. The more we exhaust them the more fatigue we feel. In other words the reverse is also true. Even without using chakra to infuse Ninjutsu if we exhaust our mind and physical stamina we'll feel fatigued and be unable to produce sufficient chakra. I assume this is why Naruto is always so tired when he goes home?"

Izaya thought about everything Hanabi said for a moment but in the end he was still a bit confused. "But Hanabi...why does this matter? Is Naruto's returning home tired after work causing problems for his family?"

Hanabi slightly flinched as her cheeks turned red remembering the reason Hinata brought this up in the first place. "Ahem...I-I suppose you could say that it's causing some...difficulties."

Izaya looked at Hanabi with curiosity. "Like?"

"Errr...well...like...his libido?..."

The room became deathly silent. Izaya took a moment to take in Hanabi's comment before he burst out laughing. "Ha! Hahahaha! So that's what it is huh?"

Hanabi turned completely red and pinched Izaya's cheeks as she scolded, "Hey! What I just told you is a secret okay?! You can't mention this to Hinata or anyone or Hinata will know I told you."

Izaya just smiled amusedly. "Yes wifey. Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

"Hmpf. Good. So now you know the reason why we're having this conversation. Any thoughts? Is it a chakra problem? Is that why Naruto is so tired all the time?"

Izaya furrowed his brow in seriousness as he gave it some thought. "Hmmm...now that you mention it Hanabi I'm actually wondering myself. I haven't noticed anything strange about Naruto though. He seems fine. At least during the day. Even when we sparred awhile back. To be honest I'm not sure if it could be a chakra thing. You're right that I put systems in place so that the Hokage doesn't have to do an overwhelming amount of work by themselves. In this way Naruto should have more time to spend with his family and he shouldn't be feeling so completely drained after. In terms of chakra there isn't anyone on this planet that I'm aware of that possesses more than Naruto. Not Sasuke, not Kimimaro, not Haku, not even me."

Hanabi stared at Izaya in wonderment and asked, "You have Tailed Beast level chakra though right?"

Izaya nodded. "I do. But what does that really mean? To put it bluntly are all the Tailed Beasts even equal in chakra level? If they aren't then how do you even begin to compare a person's chakra level with that of a Tailed Beast. So let me explain. You have to first understand the Tailed Beasts and how they came to be. Hagoromo had probably intended to split the Ten Tails chakra evenly amongst the Nine Tailed Beasts, however there are several possibilities that came about. As powerful as Hagoromo was perhaps even he couldn't perfectly control his Jutsu to split the Ten Tails evenly. After all he was creating life out of chakra and life can be unpredictable in how it grows and manifests itself. During the process it could be that the chakra didn't split evenly between all the Tailed Beasts. It's also possible that they were actually even in the beginning, but as they continued to grow into adulthood the potential they each possessed was different and could have been greater in some than others, just like humans. When humans are baby's they begin pretty equivalently, but as they grow older the innate potential they each possess could be higher for some than others and if given the right environment they can tap into that potential and become even greater. It could be that one or the other happened when Hagoromo performed his Jutsu, Creation of All Things, to create the Tailed Beasts. It's also possible that both things had happened. All in all the Tailed Beasts are a bit unbalanced. In short the Nine Tails possesses the greatest amount of power amongst its kind whether it was born that way, or whether its potential manifested itself in that way. Disregarding the Nine Tails, the Eight Tails possesses the most chakra afterwards. Then the Seven, Six, and Five Tails who all contain about a similar amount of chakra. And after them the One through Four Tails who possess a similar amount of chakra to each other. In short the One-Four Tails possess less chakra than the Five-Seven Tails, and they possess less than the Eight Tails. Even though this is the case, in essence the difference in chakra can be ignored as it isn't too much of a factor in the strength a Tailed Beast possesses."

Hanabi tilted her head in confusion. "How so?"

Izaya gently brushed away a stray strand of fallen hair from the side of her cheeks as he continued, "To better understand I'll use a lake and pond analogy to describe chakra. For the sake of argument let's arbitrarily set the size of a lake to 100 acres large and a pond to 10 acres large. The amount of chakra the One-Four Tails possess is equivalent to 1 lake and 5 ponds. In other words a total of 150 acres worth of chakra. The Five-Seven Tails possess chakra equivalent to 1 lake and 7 ponds. In other words a total of 170 acres of chakra. When looking at the scales of such large numbers the difference of 2 ponds of chakra is essentially negligible. It's like pouring two cups of water into a bathtub of water. You don't really see or feel the difference. At this point what makes the Tailed Beasts stand out from each other in strength is not the amount of chakra they possess, but the unique attributes and abilities they each have such as the One Tail's Magnet Style and Sealing Jutsu, the Four Tail's Lava Style, the Five Tail's Vapor Style, and so on so forth. Now what about the Eight Tails? Well, the Eight Tails possesses chakra equivalent to 1 lake and 10 ponds. This is key. You see if 1 lake equals 100 acres in size, then 10 ponds also equals 100 acres in size. Wouldn't it make more sense to say that the Eight Tails possesses 2 lakes worth of chakra instead of 1 lake and 10 ponds? Unfortunately no. The reason? It's because of quality at this point and not quantity. You see there is a fundamental difference in the quality of a lake versus the quality of a pond. 1 pond is originally 10 acres in size. The quality of a 10 acre sized pond is obviously inferior to that of a lake that is 100 acres in size. Even if you stacked 10 ponds together to get 1 lake the quality isn't the same. That is why even though the Eight Tails possesses more chakra than the One-Seven Tails it's actually not overwhelmingly stronger than the others. It stands a better chance at a battle of endurance and can spam chakra taxing techniques a bit more than the others, but that doesn't actually make it truly stronger than the others. So long as we are talking solely about the Tailed Beasts without a Jinchuriki that is."

"Now what about the Nine Tails? For some odd reason the Nine Tails tips the balance power of the Tailed Beasts. It possesses 5 lakes worth of chakra. Not ponds but lakes. So not only is the quantity of the Nine Tail's chakra that much more immense, but the quality of its chakra is also overwhelmingly greater. Again, whether this was how the Tailed Beasts were from birth, whether it was how they manifested in strength after growing up, or whether it was a combination of the two, this is how their powers scale in comparison to each other. Now, back to the topic at hand. What do people mean when they say that someone has chakra on the level of a Tailed Beasts. They simply mean that someone possesses at the very least 1 lakes worth of chakra. Not 10 ponds, but lake. So not just quantity, but the quality of their chakra also appears to be as dense, pure, and heavy as a Tailed Beasts. Does this mean that someone possesses more chakra than a Tailed Beast or an equal amount of chakra as one? Often times no. For instance if I continue with this analogy I possess 1 lake worth of chakra. That puts me on the scale of a Tailed Beast, however the Tailed Beasts possess at least 1 lake and 5 ponds worth of chakra. I only possess 1 lake worth so I'm still lagging behind in the area of quantity. Furthermore the purity of each person's chakra is different and plays a factor as well. So even if one possesses 1 lake worth of chakra it doesn't mean that the purity of that lake worth of chakra is equivalent to the purity of the chakra of a Tailed Beasts. It may come close, but not exactly. Anyways this is what people mean when they refer to someone as having Tailed Beast level chakra. As for the topic of chakra purity and going from the level of a pond to a lake, we can talk about that another day. For now it's not relevant enough to the point I'm trying to make. Chakra purity is even more confusing to explain than chakra levels. So finally, getting back to the real reason why I'm explaining all of this. You bring up an interesting point. Naruto alone without Kurama has 1 lake worth of chakra in him. With the addition of Kurama he should have access to 6 lakes worth of chakra fueling him so fatigue shouldn't be a problem for him while he's performing his duties as Hokage. Naruto hasn't mentioned whether anything is wrong with him though. And even with my Rinnegan I can't really see anything wrong within him. I guess I can only ask if he feels something off."

Hanabi could only let out a sigh of defeat.

Sorry Hinata. If even Izaya doesn't know what's going on then I can't help you on that front. You'll just have to do what I suggested...dress less...maybe that'll elicit a response from Naruto.

Hanabi was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt her entire body tremble in pleasure. "Izaya, what're you doing?"

Izaya smiled mischievously as he laid gentle kisses down Hanabi's body. "What do you mean? I'm just continuing your special massage from earlier. Besides, enough serious talk. Let me help your body relax."

Hanabi tightly gripped the soft hair on Izaya's head as her entire body trembled in a hot mess at the feel of his warm wet breath between her now naked inner thighs. She could barely keep her eyes open as she tilted her head back from the pure blissful stimulation Izaya was currently giving her. She arched her back and opened her mouth wanting to scream in pleasure, but she was out of air so she could only suck in a deep breath to refill her lungs. It was then that her mind went blank. She saw nothing but stars as her entire body shook uncontrollably in pure ecstasy. She involuntarily gripped Izaya's soft snow white hair even tighter than before holding on for dear life as she could only scream in guttural pleasure.

"F-F-FUUUU-I-IZAAAYYAAA!"

Izaya simply grinned and licked his lips in triumph.

888

Currently within Naruto's office stood 8 people as they patiently waited for Naruto to say something. They had been summoned to the Hokage's office on short notice so they all arrived as quickly as possible, however when they all got there Naruto was still busy documenting some papers into his laptop. The only sounds in the room were of Naruto's fingers clicking and clacking away at his keyboard until finally, he let out a deep sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair to stretch his muscles.

"Whew...finally that's done."

At that moment Konohamaru, one of the 8 people summoned to the office raised his eyebrow in confusion and asked, "Umm...Lord 7th, is there a reason we're all here?"

Naruto smirked as he stood up and stared appreciatively at the 8 people in his office. "There is a reason you're all here. I've finally thought it over and discussed with Shikamaru and the Jonin Commander Neji. You 8 will be competing in the Five Great Games."

"EEEEHHHHHH?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

Moegi, who was also in the room simply stared wide-eyed at Naruto as she commented, "B-But Lord 7th, to participate in the Five Great Games on behalf of one's village is a great honor. A-Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?"

Naruto just smirked. "Nope. I mean, that is if you all are okay with it. If any of you here wish to opt out then please tell me now."

Seeing that no one voiced any dissent Naruto grinned and sat back down in his chair as he proceeded to explain some important details. "Alright, then here's how the teams will be formed. Moegi you will be the Jonin in charge of Konoha's Team 1. The three Chunins in your team will be Sarutobi Mirai, Hyuga Ken, and Kurama Rumi. As for Konoha's Team 2 the Jonin in charge will be Sarutobi Konohamaru. The Chunins in your team will be Nara Shikadai, Hyuga Hiroshi, and Yagami Zen. Unfortunately there isn't going to be a third team this year from Konoha, but I have faith in the abilities of the two teams attending. I'll finish up the paperwork for registering your team by the end of the day, but the registration process still requires all of you to sign a few things in person at the ASF HQ. So tomorrow I want the 8 of you to travel to the ASF HQ and complete your registration there. After you all complete that I want you all to get familiar with each other's abilities and build on your teamwork. The games will start 2 months from now in Iwagakure. Any questions?"

"No Lord 7th. Thank you for the opportunity, we won't disappoint you!" They all replied.

As the hours trickled by the sun began to set in the sky painting a warm orange hue over the village. At this moment Izaya sat down in comfortable silence atop his rock head on Konoha's cliffside enjoying the view. It was then he heard some footsteps behind him knowing exactly who they belonged to. "Sasuke. Good to see you're back."

Sasuke smirked and sat down beside Izaya. "I should be the one saying that. After all you're the one who dashed off into some other dimension."

"True, but I'm not the only one. You've been exploring Kaguya's dimensions haven't you? And I heard from Naruto about the trip you took to the past."

A moment of silence passed between them as they both watched the hustle and bustle of the village below before Sasuke clenched his fist and asked, "Izaya, why didn't you stop me?"

Izaya raised his eyebrow confused and replied, "Stop you from what?"

Sasuke just let out a sigh as there was no easy way to ask other than to simply ask straightforwardly. "Why didn't you stop me from leaving the village?"

Another moment of silence passed through the air between them as Izaya watched a group of kids dashing around throughout the village playing a game of tag. After a minute or two he let out a sigh. "Haaaa...are you so sure that I could have stopped you?"

Sasuke simply nodded. "I'm no fool. When Boruto, Hiroshi, and I went back in time we arrived on the day just after I had left the village. After witnessing your skills against Urashiki there's no way you couldn't have stopped me. Now that I think about it you probably had a few markers set throughout the forest at that point already didn't you? You could have teleported to one to get ahead of the Sound Four Ninja who took me with them. You could have stopped me even before Orochimaru appeared yet you didn't."

"That's all in the past. Does it matter now?"

Sasuke also stared down at the village kids who were running around playing tag. "Whether it matters now or not won't change anything, but at least for myself I would still like to know. It's bothering me more than I thought it would. To not know the answer. The reason. Why you made the choice to let me go when so many in the village like Naruto and our other classmates tried so hard to stop me."

"I see...well, I don't know if you'll be very impressed with my answer then."

Sasuke slightly flinched at Izaya's response. "So it's true. You really could have stopped me if you wanted to."

Izaya shook his head. "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I haven't even said anything yet." He took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, "The truth is I witnessed your fight against Naruto on the roof of the hospital that day. And even after that I witnessed you fighting the Sound Four Ninja during the night you left."

Sasuke widened his eyes in shock at this revelation but remained silent as he waited for Izaya to completely explain.

"If you want to know the reason why I simply turned a blind eye then I suppose the best answer would be because it was your Ninja Way. It was your choice."

Sasuke's eyelid twitched as he heard Izaya's answer. "That's it? So you just let me go because it was my choice?"

Izaya let out a quiet chuckle. "Disappointed? Are you thinking now that you would have preferred I stop you back then?"

Sasuke remained silent as he truly thought about it. "Can I hear the rest of your reasoning? I know that wasn't the only reason."

Izaya smirked and sighed in defeat. "Alright...You're right of course. That wasn't the only reason I decided to let you go. The main reason I let you go was because your heart was filled with hatred. You desired blood. Your mind was plagued by it. Revenge and power was the only thing that was reflected in your eyes. The friendships and bonds you built in the village were there too, but the way I saw it...it didn't look strong enough for you to want to remain. So, sure I could have stopped you, but what then? Take you back to the village? Tie you up? Place you under surveillance? Lock you in jail? House arrest? Like any of that would do you any good. You craved power. And at the time I don't think Konoha would have been able to give you what you wanted. Except for perhaps Danzo. Danzo would have probably tried to use your anger and drive for revenge to get rid of Itachi, but in the end he would have sent you to your death. I don't think I need to explain just how terrible the situation would be if you were left in Danzo's hands. And I don't believe Lord Third would have been able to help quell your anger. He wouldn't have known how to face you. After all he knew the truth of Itachi. He wouldn't have been able to bring himself to train you to a level where you could kill your own brother, Itachi, the person who Lord Third knew was actually a person who sacrificed so much for the village. Now, at the time you were under Kakashi's tutelage, but even then I don't think Kakashi would have been able to train you to a level where you would've been satisfied. After all, you had just witnessed Itachi's strength and were placed in his Genjutsu and sent to the hospital. Kakashi fell to the same Jutsu. The rage you built up inside of you wasn't anything anyone in Konoha could help you with. Not at the time at least. Of course I'm saying all of this in hindsight. At the time I too wouldn't have thought or known all of this."

"Essentially I let you go because it was your choice and it was what I thought was best for everyone. I was following my own Ninja Way. That night after you lost to the Sound Four Ninja they gave you a choice. And you left the village on your own accord. That means the rage and hatred in your heart was so overbearing that without some outlet to help you vent, then it would only hurt and slow your progress as a shinobi, and as a person. Sometimes the best way to help someone who is deeply sated in darkness is not to stop them, but to let them walk down the path they set for themselves. In a way it helps them realize what kind of path they had chosen and sometimes, after having experienced a bit of that darkness, they learn to better control the hatred within themselves. At that point the hatred is no longer this blinding force hammering away at their soul. Instead the person will have learnt to focus it into something more. It also becomes easier to have a conversation with that person at that point. If we had tried to talk you out of it when you were running away you would have only become angry at us. You would have directed your hatred at us as well as at Itachi. You would hate us and shun us for forcing you to stop the path that you believed was your duty and purpose. If we took that purpose away from you then...honestly I'm not sure what would have happened. Anyways there you have it. The reasons why I didn't stop you from leaving. In short you were following your Ninja Way and I was following mine. It may not seem like it but I understood a bit of your hatred. Your desire for power. To kill. To take revenge. I foresaw a path that you would walk and felt that it was a path that you needed to take. It was a gamble, but I decided to bet my chips on the fact that you wouldn't be completely lost in darkness and that you wouldn't reach the point of no return where you no longer could be saved. In the end my gamble paid off. Then later on I discovered the truth about Itachi and things played out from there. You know the rest."

At this point the sun had completely disappeared as the moon began to rise into the sky. A heavy silence filled the air between Izaya and Sasuke with the only sounds being from the villagers below. Then Sasuke let out a loud sigh as his entire body relaxed. "I see. Perhaps you're right. Back then I was completely blinded by anger and hatred and fueled by my desire for revenge. The only person back then in the village who could have helped me achieve the power I wanted would probably of been the 3rd Hokage, but as you said he probably wouldn't have been able to truly train me with all his heart since he knew what I wanted and knew about Itachi. Kakashi's strength at the time wouldn't have been enough and Danzo would have taken advantage of me. Heh...who knew you thought so far ahead of everyone else when we were at that age, but I suppose you always were perceptive and secretly cunning. You even figured out that Boruto, Hiroshi, and I were from the future. Furthermore you even deduced that Boruto was Naruto's son and Hiroshi was your's."

Izaya raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "Really...I did?"

Hmmm...I don't recall any of this, but it's true I was still in the village at the time. Right after Sasuke left, Kimimaro, Haku, and I remained in the village for a few months so Maro could recover and train under Hiruzen-sensei for a bit. After that we left for our Anbu mission. I'm not surprised I discovered who Boruto was, after all I should have recognized his face from my knowledge of the future.

Sasuke noticed Izaya's furrowed brow and knew that he was thinking hard about the events that took place and just shook his head. "Look at you. You weren't even there but even now you're deducing how you as a kid figured everything out aren't you? It's fine. You don't need to think so hard. It's one of your greatest traits and also one of your greatest shortcomings. You always tell people that they shouldn't try to do everything themselves so I think you should take some of your own advice. There's no need for you to think so hard all the time. Sometimes it's easier to just ask for the details."

Izaya flinched at Sasuke's comment and awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek. "Ah...to think I'd have to eat my own medicine one day. Right...it's a bad habit of mine. So, Naruto told me some things but he wasn't there either so he couldn't give me all the details. Now that you're here you're right. I don't have to think so hard about it. Will you tell me the whole story?"

Sasuke nodded. "Heh. Sure…"

Time passed by as the days turned to weeks and weeks into months until the day of the Five Great Games finally arrived. Currently Konoha's Team 1 lead by Moegi, and Konoha's Team 2 lead by Konohamaru were standing by the entrance of Iwagakure taking in the sights and sounds before them. The entire village was filled with festive decorations from left to right. The loud noises of the hustle and bustle of people from all over the world crowded in the area to witness not only the Games themselves, but to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the 7 day long tournament.

Shikadai awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he commented, "S-So...seems like Iwagakure and the ASF really went all out this time." As he turned to look for Hiroshi he widened his eyes in shock as Hiroshi had already disappeared. "Eh? Hey guys, where's Hiroshi?"

Konohamaru awkwardly smiled and pointed in the distance. "He's over there buying some food."

Shikadai simply let out an awkward laugh. "Well...at least one of us doesn't seem overwhelmed and is enjoying themselves."

Konohamaru nodded as he, Shikadai, Zen, and Team 1 all walked over to Hiroshi who was currently eating some freshly made Takoyaki.

"You guys should really try some of this food. There's so many things to eat. It all looks so good!"

Konohamaru just let out a sigh. "Alright, it's nice to see you enjoying yourself but we are here on official business you know. We'll have time to enjoy ourselves later but we need to report to Iwagakure's academy auditorium. That's where all the participants are supposed to gather for the formal greeting and Lord Hokage will be there as well. Let's go. We don't want to be late-kore."

With that the 8 of them quickly made their way to the designated site. It wasn't long before all the participants arrived. Aside from the 2 teams from Konoha, 3 teams from Iwagakure, 3 teams from Sunagakure, 3 teams from Kirigakure, 2 teams from Kumogakure, 3 teams from Amegakure, 1 team from Hoshigakure, and 1 team from Ishigakure arrived for a total of 18 teams in attendance for the Five Great Games. The noise of loud chatter could be heard from all the teams gathered in one area. Hiroshi took notice of some familiar faces amongst the members gathered here such as Shinki from Sunagakure, Kaito from Iwagakure, and Kagura from Kirigakure.

Hmmm...So Shinki and Kaito were promoted to Chunin huh? Eh? And it looks like Kagura is here. If I'm not mistaken I remember Shikadai saying that he was part of the team that won the very First Great Games! Heh...should be interesting. Last time we fought it was only with swords. This time I won't hold back. After training with dad I'm going to show everyone the fruits of my labor.

It was then that the entire room went dark causing the entire auditorium to go quiet, then five spotlights quickly shone down on the stage.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five imposing shinobi stood on the center stage. They were precisely the Five Kage. Konoha's 7th Hokage Naruto, Suna's 5th Kazekage Gaara, Iwa's 4th Tsuchikage Kurostuchi, Kiri's 6th Mizukage Chojuro, and Kumo's 5th Raikage Darui. As the Games were being held in Iwagakure this year Kurostuchi stepped forth to address the crowd.

"Welcome! All teams to Iwagakure. I am the 4th Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi. It is a great honor and joy for Iwagakure to be hosting the Five Great Games this year with the support of the ASF. I won't waste too much time with superfluous words. I know you all here are shinobi and are shinobi of the highest calibre. In these 7 days I hope that not only will you seek to perform your best on the field, but to build lasting relations with one another. To show to the world and each other that not only does the heart of a shinobi remain within us all, but to show that we as shinobi have time and time again overcome the hatred that has plagued the world in the past! To show that we have come together in this day and age and have built something greater! And to show that it was, and is, only possible when we do that together!"

A round of applause filled the auditorium in support of Kurotsuchi's speech for a good 10 seconds before Kurotsuchi continued, "Now then, although you all are most likely familiar with the schedule of the Games already I'll give you the formal address. The Games last for 7 days. Today marks the 1st day of the Games. There is no official competition today, however all participants are to arrive in the Grand Hall tonight at 9pm sharp. There, a grand banquet will be held to welcome all teams. This will be your time and chance to relax and learn more about each other. And I don't mean learning things like each other's strengths and weaknesses as a shinobi, but rather what interests and hobbies you all might have. It is your chance to learn more about each other as human beings. This is your time to mingle. To perhaps even...ahem...get into a romantic relationship."

At Kurotsuchi's words multiple people in the room had their faces turn red in embarrassment at how bluntly Kurotsuchi put it, however she simply smirked at the innocent and naive reactions of the participants.

Heh! They may all act tough but in truth they're still kids who need to learn to loosen up a bit.

After giving everyone a moment to recover she continued, "You will be told where to report for each game the day before it begins. Having said that the 2nd day will be the start of the First official Game, Unsealing of the Scrolls. The 3rd day will be the Second Game, The Hidden Gems. The 4th day will be the Third Game, Synergy. The 5th day is the Fourth Game, Skill. And finally the 6th day will be the Fifth and last Game, To Be Shinobi. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be announced on that day. Then the last and final 7th day will be your day to enjoy the rest of the festivities with a closing banquet in the evening. Any questions?"

After confirming no one had anything to say Kurotsuchi nodded appreciatively. "Then you're all dismissed. Don't forget to dress up during the banquet!"

With that everyone dispersed. It wasn't long before nightfall arrived and all teams were grouped together behind the stage of the Grand Hall. There were many high ranking officials, shinobi, and people of certain status gathered in the Hall from many different parts of the world. Some had connections to the feudal lords, in fact the feudal lords themselves were in attendance. Some were powerful and famous shinobi, Kakashi and Guy were amongst them. Others were affiliated with large corporations and businesses, in essence the current crowd within the Grand Hall were all important people. They had all gathered for the very special occasion of the Five Great Games and were allowed to attend the banquet to meet and mingle.

At this moment a member of the ASF stood on the center stage as he began calling out teams from certain village's so as to formally introduce the competitors. It wasn't long before Hiroshi heard their team called up so he walked on stage along with Konohamaru, Zen, and Shikadai. They were currently all dressed in a suit and tie, well perhaps except Konohamaru who for some odd reason just couldn't get rid of his scarf around his neck. After their introduction they joined the banquet party grabbing drinks, food, snacks, and making small talk here and there. Sometimes having to awkwardly do their best to avoid saying anything dumb in front of these important officials.

Shikadai raised his eyebrow and awkwardly laughed with a hint of self mockery as he took in the sight before him. Hiroshi and Zen were being crowded by a swarm of girls asking for their information. Shikadai simply shook his head.

I mean...I get that they're both good looking guys but seriously? I don't feel jealous or anything, after all, that just seems like a pain to deal with. But still...not even one huh? Guess those two are stealing all the limelight.

It was then Shikadai was snapped out of his thoughts as he hadn't even realized that Hiroshi dashed over to him. The swarm of girls followed but Hiroshi quickly said, "Ahem! Ummm...Right sorry ladies. I'd like to stay and chat a bit more but turns out there's some important tournament stuff my teammate and I have to discuss with our sensei. Right Shikadai?"

Shikadai raised his eyebrow confusedly and was just about to question Hiroshi when he felt Hiroshi's grip on his shoulder tighten. Shikadai just looked at the girls in front of them awkwardly and quickly nodded his head. "Right! I forgot about that. We should probably go now."

Hiroshi smirked. "And there you have it. Maybe next time." Without waiting for a response he quickly dragged Shikadai away over to Konohamaru who raised his eyebrow at them suspiciously. He was going to make a comment when he saw Hiroshi wink at him so he simply shrugged his shoulders and continued his talk with Kakashi and Guy while Hiroshi and Shikadai continued their own conversation.

"So, anyone you think we should watch out for?" Hiroshi asked.

Shikadai thought for a moment before nodding his head in seriousness. "I do. Team 1 from Sunagakure. Their Jonin instructor is a guy named Shira who specializes in Taijutsu. I hear he once fought a fierce battle against Lee-sensei many years ago. Not only that but Shinki is in that team and his teammates don't look like pushovers. There's also Team 1 from Iwagakure who has Kaito in it. On top of that Akatsuchi is their Jonin leader. I hear he's a formidable shinobi and used to be part of the Tsuchikage protection squad back in the day for the 3rd Tsuchikage. Kirigakure's got Kagura who was part of the team that won last time so we should be careful of them as well. Actually to be honest everyone here looks like they aren't pushovers."

Hiroshi nodded. "Guess we should just focus on ourselves then instead of worrying about how tough our competition will be."

"Agreed. So, where's Zen?"

Hiroshi smirked and nodded in the direction of the balcony. "He escaped outside."

Shikadai breathed out a sigh. "Well...seems he has the right idea. Wanna join him?"

In response Hiroshi simply began making his way over to join Zen with Shikadai close behind. And like that the 1st day of the Five Great Games came to a peaceful close.