A.N.: yes, I know i've been slacking off. i also know i haven't updated 'Konoha no Tsurugi' in almost a year, and i'm also aware that i've been very lazy and now i'm making a new story. can't help it folks. this's been in my mind for several months now, and i think if i don't make it, i won't be able to find me another idea to continue, anyway, enough of my drabbles. here hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto........

Chapter one: The path of Ashura

Mountain path, near Tsuchi no Kuni

"Ne, Ero-sennin, where are going?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"To an old friend of mine. He'll help you with your training." The old man said happily.

"Really? So, what's he like? A super strong ninja? Or a kage? Maybe a special jounin? What is he, huh? Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me." He continued like a kid on sugar high.

"Him? He… well, he's a priest."

"Hah?"

"You heard me, he's a priest."

"And what the hell is priest gonna teach me? Preaching?" the blond asked angrily.

"You'll see."

Xxxx

Jin'gan-in temple

The place where Jiraiya's friend resided was old, Naruto decided. The place looked like the set of a horror movie he had seen once in the previous city he visited with the pervert: crow calls, old, ominous looking trees, cracked floors, and most importantly; a building on the verge of collapse.

Why must it be a temple anyway? A priest was a priest, but he should've picked a cleaner, better, less scary place than this.

"Tatsuma-san, are you in?" Jiraiya called out.

"Who is it?" a voice asked gruffly.

"It's an old friend, bringing trouble."

"Well, shit." The voice said. "If it isn't Jiraiya, come in."

Xxxx

Jiraiya entered the old building after taking off his geta and beckoned Naruto to do the same, which he did after he looked at Jiraiya oddly. 'Manners,' he said.

The place had poor lightings, add to the fact that it was nearing dusk, it added to the creepy aura the temple had. Lucky for Naruto, the perverted old man told him to just stand near the door and kneel, and not stand or sit until he was told otherwise while he talked a bit with the mysterious Tatsuma.

The blond boy heard talks from the inside, but couldn't make out any of it. Now he began wondering. Was this priest somebody? Is he trustworthy? Why must he kneel like a guy about to be beheaded? Why couldn't he feel his knees? Are those centipedes crawling up his arm? And what the hell was taking them so long?!

Finally after what seemed like hours, the door opened and the old pervert, along with his old friend, a bald priest came out. "Is this him?" Tatsuma asked.

"Yeah. How is it?"

The bald priest watched and examined him, and finally after several 'hmmms' and nods, he told the boy to raise his head, which he did with difficulties: cramps and stiffness.

"This one has good eyes, Jiraiya." He said happily. "Unlike the last one you brought here."

"What's wrong with the last one I brought?"

"His eyes had too little will, too submissive. But this one, he has guts and pride." Tatsuma said proudly. "No doubt about it. This boy walks on the path of Ashura."

"Really? Wouldn't that be interesting." The sennin said, amused. "Well then, I'll just leave him here with you then. When should I pick him up?"

"Four or five years from now. After that, he'll either become strong or become dead."

"That sounds fair…." Jiraiya trailed off.

"What? What kind of sick deal is this?!" Naruto roared out as he jumped and stood on wobbly legs.

"A deal you make with me, boy." The priest said calmly with a smiling face. "A deal, in which you either gain everything or loose everything. All or nothing, what will it be?"

"Heh, isn't it obvious?" the blond said, his eyes covered by his bangs. "Give me everything you got."

Hearing the boisterous answer, Tatsuma could only laugh loudly in pride to the moon above. "Very well then, boy. I'll either make a killer out of you or kill you myself."

'What've I gotten myself into?' the boy solemnly thought.

Xxxx

Inside the Jin-gan'in temple

Tatsuma beckoned Naruto to enter his living room, a small room with no decorations and no furniture inside. The old man told him to take a seat and started their first real conversation.

"So, Naruto." he began. "Tell me, what do you know of six paths or six states of existence?"

The blond boy looked at him strangely before he shook his head and answered. "Not a thing."

"I see. This will be a long explanation, so you might as well get comfortable.

"In Buddhism, there are six paths: the path of hell, the path of hungry ghosts, the path of animals, the path of Ashura, the path human, and the path of Ten (Deva). All these paths…" the priest trailed off and continued to speak in long, difficult terms Naruto'd never heard of. The boy looked at the older man with a very puzzled look that made the old man realized one thing: this boy didn't understand a thing he said.

"You don't understand what I'm saying, do you?" Tatsuma asked in a tired voice.

"Not at all." The boy said innocently.

"Well, doesn't matter anyway. I'll just say it short, then. Those who walk on the path of Ashura, such as you exist to create balance in war and peace, harmony and discord, do you understand?"

"More or less…."

"In other words, you will make war and chaos, whether grand scale or not." He said calmly.

"Enough of the theory lessons. Go to sleep now, boy. We'll continue with the practical lessons tomorrow."

Xxxx

The next day, 1st step: Honing the body, 1st day

"Before I teach you any technique, your body must be strong enough so that you won't be winded if you do it." Tatsuma preached while pacing around the boy as he watched Naruto's training.

"If you can only do 1 technique and get tired the next moment, you're as good as dead, you with me so far?" he continued to the huffing boy, doing sit-ups.

"Yeah,…. I….. do."

"Good. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The body is one of the three most important aspects of everyone who has a dangerous job like you. Those three are: Shin, Gi, Tai (Heart, Art, Body). The body must be trained continuously while the art must be repeated constantly and the heart will follow.

"A strong body with no heart makes you an animal, a good heart without a strong body is pointless, practiced art with strong body but no heart makes you dangerous.

"So how do we get the most of everything?" Tatsuma asked. "Oh, you're done? Good, move to the next one then."

"That is to constantly train all three aspects." He continued, watching the blond boy kick a concrete block with difficulties.

"Hey, you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to target something farther than the actual target, that way you can have more power in that kick. Relax your body while you're kicking. If it's rigid you'll trip easily." The priest said as he proved his point by tripping the genin's foot, making him fall hard on his ass.

"You see?" Tatsuma questioned as he helped the boy up. "Now I'll continue. The path of Ashura persists on the body and art, the heart must also be cared for, but in a different way. Because what you do is to maintain balance between order and chaos. War and peace.

"Good, now for your punches, do the same." He instructed, leading the jinchuuriki to a brick wall where a thick stack of paper was hung in front of it. "But why should you maintain the balance of order and chaos? The answer is because it is necessary."

"War, though considered evil and will bring many hardships, don't you think that it has a purpose?" The bald priest asked.

"I… think… so," Naruto answered in between punches and huffs. "Because… if there's… no… war, we'll… be… out…of… job."

"Exactly," The old man responded heatedly. "A war makes sure that people like you have a job, and other people who'll otherwise be useless, useful."

"Now, how do you think you should maintain the balance of war and peace?"

"I don't know, creating war if the world runs out?" the blond asked after he took a drink with his battered fists.

"Right again, my you're brighter than what Jiraiya told me." Tatsuma praised proudly. "Now, let's continue tomorrow. I'm sure you'll need some time to rest you're body, with or without the Kyuubi, yes?"

xxxx

Later that night, 2nd step: training the mind

Naruto's room was a normal room, 3 x 5 meters, with a single drawer where he put his clothes and a wardrobe where a futon was stored. All in all, it was an ordinary room, lit by an ordinary room, with one exception; the extraordinary amount of books on the bottom of the wardrobe.

"I don't expect you to finish all those tonight, I do know that there are many difficult books in there, but I expect you to start reading at least ten books." Tatsuma stated as he crossed his arms.

"How do I do that? You know I'm not that smart." Naruto complained.

"Well, this would be cheating, but… fine." He sighed. "Has Jiraiya ever told you that there's more to your favorite jutsu, Kage Bunshin than meets the eye?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, simply put, anything that your clone knows, you'll know after they've disappeared. You with me?" the bald priest asked.

Seeing the blond's nod, Tatsuma's voice changed a bit as he yelled. "Then what're you waiting for? Read those books!"