Summary: What does it mean to be a ninja? This is the question that guides Uzumaki Naruto through his life as a shinobi of Konoha. Along that path, witness as he meets friends, fights evil, and keeps his eyes fixed on the ultimate dream…
Rating Warning (T): This story will include fairly intense violence, occasional suggestive themes, and occasional strong language. Please use your judgment.
Disclaimer: "Naruto" and associated material belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo.
Date: August 9, 2014 (Updated August 13)
Naruto: Birth of a Ninja
Chapter 2: Preparing the Ground
Wherein Kakashi decides to take his students seriously.
While his students had disappeared to celebrate their victory, Kakashi's day wasn't done yet. The elite jounin made his way across Konoha in a blur, arriving in a swirl of dried leaves and dust motes in front of the Hokage's administrative office. A pair of chuunin stood at attention, one on either side of the main doors which stood open as petitioners flowed in and out, making their way to all manner of offices and magistrates inside. Kakashi gave a nod to the two, who saluted in return – the chuunin weren't the main protection of the offices, Kakashi knew – that responsibility fell to the ANBU guards hidden all around.
Kakashi strode through the doors, easily parting the crowd and maneuvering up the stairs to the top of the building. The staircase led directly into a small reception office. The simple set-up, tasteful wall scrolls and plants, and mildly attractive secretary in formal clothing belied the importance of the location – the reception area for the office of the Hokage himself. The secretary, actually a highly-trained ANBU guardswoman, smiled at Kakashi – he knew the face she wore wasn't her real one.
"Hokage-sama is waiting for you inside, Kakashi-san." While the voice seemed familiar, Kakashi didn't spend overlong thinking about it – it was likely better not to blow the agent's cover. Instead, he swept into the following room, a much larger office with more plants and artwork, along with a huge window overlooking Konoha's administrative heart and facing the Hokage Mountain. Next to the window was a large hardwood desk with several stacks of important-looking papers on it, along with a bookshelf filled with books and scrolls against the wall. Opposite sat a fluffy-looking couch on which rested a pair of individuals Kakashi was very familiar with.
Sarutobi Asuma was a powerfully-built man wearing the usual Jounin outfit. Bearded, with thick brown hair and warm dark eyes, the tall, broad man was a good friend of Kakashi's. Asuma was the Hokage's younger son, the elder having gone missing on a mission several years prior; smart and well-rounded, Kakashi expected him to be promoted to the same Elite status Kakashi himself held soon – as soon as his tense relations with his father eased.
The other individual was Yuuhi Kurenai, a more recent friend of Kakashi's – he'd only met her after her jounin ceremony a few months prior. The black-haired, red-eyed Kurenai wore a set of regulation blue tights with a wrapped red-and-white bandage dress under her jounin vest. Kakashi had once wondered how she got away with wearing the decidedly non-regulation dress, until she'd informed him of its relevance to her clan. Despite being a new jounin, Kakashi respected her quite well.
The final individual in the room sat behind the large desk. Clad in flowing, pristine robes of white and red with a conical hat emblazoned with the symbol for "Fire," sat an elderly man mottled with liver spots. Sarutobi Hiruzen's age showed in his wrinkles as well as his silvery-white goatee and fringe of hair, but the canny glint in his grey eyes and long, still-powerful fingers remained active. Kakashi kept up his bored façade as he entered.
"Elite Jounin Hatake Kakashi reporting on behalf of Prospective Genin Team Seven, sir." Kakashi's roving eye caught the tension in both Asuma and Kurenai's faces. "Team Seven confirmed." Asuma nodded; tossing aside the butt of the cigarette he'd been gnawing on and drew a new one, ignoring Kurenai's disapproving look. Kurenai herself graced Kakashi with a smile which he acknowledged with a nod.
"Confirmed, hmm? Iruka-san will be very glad to hear that. He waited here for nearly an hour with us before returning – reluctantly – to the mission desk, you know." The Hokage's deep, rasping voice echoed through the room. Kakashi said nothing, suspecting the Hokage had more to say.
"You are the twelfth – and final – Jounin to report a confirmation Kakashi-kun – all of the other Jounin-sensei have returned already. Thirty-six new genin is not a bad year, particularly since four of the failing teams reported that their genin likely would pass after the remedial course. My son and Yuuhi-san both had successful teams as well." Kakashi turned his gaze to the mentioned individuals. He remembered that both teams were made up entirely of members, and in most cases heirs and heiresses, of the Great Shinobi Clans, and was unsurprised. He had been shocked that a beginning Jounin like Kurenai would be assigned a team of such high-value genin – but then, she had spent part of her service as a chuunin in the Academy, and another part as a hunter-nin – so perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all.
Asuma's assignment, on the other hand, he thought was quite fitting – that the Hokage's son would lead a resurrected Ino-Shika-Chou trio was quite sensible indeed, since the Hokage's now-deceased younger brother had led the original. Asuma was easygoing but persuasive, effective both in and out of combat – an ideal leader to a team already likely to work well together.
Kakashi realized that the Hokage had said something he'd missed while contemplating his friends' teams, and turned back to him. "Sorry, Hokage-sama?"
"I asked what your plans for your team are, Kakashi-kun." Kakashi thought for only a moment before going through with the notion he'd had while making his way to the tower.
"In that regard, Hokage-sama, I'd like to request a three-month training extension for Team 7… and for myself." The other three occupants of the room stared incredulously. While some teams required additional training time before being cleared for missions, it was quite unusual, particularly for a team with such high-caliber members as Uchiha Sasuke and his ilk. The Hokage sighed.
"I should have known you would be difficult even when you finally accepted a team. You understand that there are only nine months until the Chuunin Exams are held here in Konoha, yes?" Kakashi nodded. "And you understand that we must do everything we can to expand our image and prove our strength, Kakashi-kun?" Kakashi nodded again, replying this time.
"Hokage-sama, I understand all of that. I understand that it's unusual in the extreme for a high-profile team like mine to be given leave. However, I believe circumstances dictate that leave for training would do my team a great deal of good – enough to justify such an expenditure of time." Time, all in the room understood, was money – every day that went by that Kakashi's team wasn't accomplishing missions was funding that was draining away from Konoha – and every day that Uchiha Sasuke remained out of sight was a day the Council would wonder where he'd gone.
"Kakashi-kun, I understand that. However, it is equally true that Yuuhi-san or Asuma's teams would benefit from time to train. Yet both of them have submitted ordinary schedules – they take their first D-ranked missions on the day after tomorrow, after a preliminary assessment. Why should your team be different?" Kakashi leaned forward at this.
"Because, Hokage-sama, as we all know, my team IS different. They all show spectacular potential, and better yet, show potential to work together to become something greater still. If they'd launched their plan to retrieve the bells even a few moments earlier, they would have gotten them before the timer ran out." Asuma started at this.
"You put them through that infernal bell test?" Kakashi nodded, and both the other jounin gave him a shocked look. The Hokage gestured at Kakashi to continue.
"My team has the potential to become some of the greatest ninja Konoha has ever produced – they could do anything – but they need time. Naruto is full of rashness and unchecked energy. Sasuke is prideful and uncompromising. Sakura is nervous and relies too heavily on her natural intelligence. I need time to break their respective arrogances, Hokage-sama. I need to beat them into shape – and more yet, into a team. Give me three months, and I swear I can do it."
Asuma and Kurenai still looked doubtful, but Kakashi didn't much care what they thought. The Hokage nodded slowly and Kakashi knew his argument was won. "Very well, Kakashi-kun. You have… convinced me. I'll back your plan to the Council – you have your three months. Use them wisely, or even I will have a hard time defending your actions." Kakashi nodded gravely. The Council might not have any official authority over him or his actions, but they could make life rather difficult for the Hokage, especially if Kakashi wasted the time he'd been given.
"I will, Hokage-sama. They may yet be raw iron – but in three months, they'll be the steel we need."
The next morning found Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura back on Training Ground 21. They were all fairly certain Kakashi would show up late again, but just in case, had arrived on time – and sure enough, had been kept waiting. Sakura had brought a book and was alternately reading it and stealing glances at Sasuke while blushing. Sasuke had clearly decided not to waste his time, and was going steadily through taijutsu forms several meters away from the others. Naruto himself had decided that Sasuke had a semblance of a good idea, though he'd never say so, and had begun doing push-ups on top of a large boulder near the center of the training field.
Nearly two hours after they'd arrived (luckily having eaten breakfast this time), Kakashi appeared on the bridge in a swirl of grass blades and leaves from the nearby willow tree. Hopping off the rock, Naruto hurried to join his teammates. Late or not, he'd been brimming with anticipation for Kakashi's arrival.
"Yo!" Kakashi effusively greeted his team. A vein pulsing in her forehead, Sakura snapped in reply.
"You're late, Sensei. AGAIN." Naruto nodded vigorously in agreement, while Sasuke said nothing but stared at the tardy jounin. Kakashi scratched at the back of his neck, grinning under his mask.
"Ah, well… about that. I sort of got lost… on… the road of life?" His questioning tone belied his words, and Naruto was the first to gather himself enough to retort.
"Liar! Whatever, why don't we just get to the meeting…" Naruto leaned against the tree, frowning, while Sakura just bit her lip. Sasuke continued to stare at Kakashi without a word. Kakashi nodded slowly and uncrossed his arms. As his face sharpened into a serious look, all three genin paid close attention.
"All right, kids, I'll speak simply. You are now Team Seven – a genin team of Konoha. As ninjas, you are officially adults, with all the rights and responsibilities accompanying. I know Iruka-san at the Academy told you all about that, so I won't waste time – time we don't have. Genin squads are normally required, like most ninja, to accomplish missions on a certain schedule – or more often, if possible. Right now, the other eleven genin squads are probably picking up their first missions." The three faces before him shined in anticipation – to differing degrees, naturally, with Sasuke's "shine" being more of a look in his eye.
"You will not be doing any such thing." Kakashi gleefully watched Sakura's face descend into confusion, then into frustration. Sasuke's eye twitched and he scowled, while Naruto's face morphed into a mask of outrage.
"What? Why not?!" Kakashi grinned.
"I'm glad you asked, Naruto. It's because you all suck!" His genin couldn't have been more shocked if they'd been struck by lightning. Again, it was Naruto who replied.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kakashi wondered if his sensei was watching over him somewhere, making sure Naruto kept saying the right things.
"What it means, Naruto, is that you , Sasuke, and Sakura have a long way to go before I'm willing to trust you on real missions, representing Konoha's Ninja Corps to clients. Both apart and together, you're all disasters waiting to happen." Kakashi turned first to Naruto. "Naruto, you've scarcely taken your training seriously for one moment. You wasted your entire stay at the Academy, and it's a miracle you're here right now. Yet despite your abysmal grades, you managed to learn a high-level technique in a single night. Do you know what that tells me?"
"…No?"
"It means you have potential. You have commitment and drive, and if we can just harness that, you could be an excellent ninja." Leaving Naruto confused and thinking, Kakashi turned to Sakura next. "Sakura, your problem is similar. You relied on your natural intelligence through the academy, and your academic scores are stellar. However, your practical scores are barely average, and Iruka-san's notes indicate that you tended to become exhausted faster than anyone else in the class. No matter how smart you are, you're going to run into situations where that's just not enough – and I don't want that to happen. Furthermore, you need to learn to respect both your teammates – and respect them the right way. I've watched you defer to Sasuke in everything, even when he might not have been right, and Iruka-san noticed the same thing."
After having pointed out that Sakura was a fan-girl in the absolutely kindest terms possible, Kakashi looked at Sasuke, who seemed confused.
'Probably wondering what negatives I could possibly find in his skills. Time to enlighten the boy.' "Sasuke, you might be in the worse state of all." Sasuke's eyes snapped up to meet Kakashi's, filled with annoyance. "Your skills are superb, and your drive unmistakable – but your weakness is worse and more difficult to temper than the others'. You're so caught up in yourself and in your own problems that you have a hard time reaching out to others to work as a team. Without bonding with your teammates and working together, you'll never achieve your true potential."
Kakashi didn't think Sasuke had really understood his words, but wasn't surprised – it was a lot to take in. Neither Naruto nor Sakura had really accepted his criticisms either – but it was an opening salvo in a war to win his students over to the right way of thinking. While Sasuke simply gritted his teeth and Sakura looked a little lost, Naruto replied.
"But… Sensei, we worked together during the test, right? I'm sure we could work together during missions too…" Naruto trailed off. Kakashi shook his head.
"That might turn out true, but it's not enough, in my opinion. You don't yet show the desire to improve, and without that, I don't think you're likely to make any real effort to work together except when it's absolutely vital. You're not thinking like ninjas yet – you're not even wearing your uniforms." Kakashi passed an eye over Sasuke's shorts and shirt, Naruto's horrid orange garb, and Sakura's bright red dress. Sakura, of course, was the first to reply with a regulation.
"But Sensei, regulations don't require genin to wear uniforms except on formal occasion! We didn't know we'd -" Kakashi smirked and replied.
"Well, I'm countermanding that. From now all, all of you are required to wear regulation apparel – plain dark blue fatigues, weapon holsters, bandaged wrists and ankles, the lot. You can wear any approved pieces of clothing with your uniform, but from now on, you're Konoha ninjas, so you'll look the part at least." This seemed to be acceptable to the genin, who all nodded – Kakashi was unsurprised, since they were likely all used to wearing the outfit for formal occasions at the Academy already. Naruto spoke up again.
"Sensei, if we're not doing missions, what… are we doing?" Kakashi grinned at this.
"Go back home and change, and then meet back here in two hours, after lunch. In a word, training."
Naruto had returned home to change, and scowled at himself in the mirror. It wasn't that regulation dress looked BAD, after all – Naruto quite liked the dark clothing. Unlike most clothes he could afford with his orphan stipend (which, he reminded himself, he'd no longer receive beginning at the end of the month…), the uniform was warm but breathed well, was tailored to fit him, and was sturdy with a layer of mesh sown between two layers of cloth.
'But it's so bland!' Naruto griped silently. The blue top held a pair of chest pockets and the pants several more at the hips, rear, and knees. Fasteners on either leg allowed shuriken and kunai holsters to be attached or bandaged on. Naruto had selected grey bandages when he'd first gotten his outfit, and hadn't changed them even as the outfits had been traded in for larger ones. The bandages now cinched his ankles and wrists. Naruto had found a pair of fingerless gloves like Kakashi's own as well, though he'd never worn them before – they were a little too big, but Naruto had wrapped his hands in bandages as well, and they fit well enough.
Twisting his mouth at his own appearance and adjusting his forehead protector, Naruto had an idea, and glanced at the "Approved Clothing Items" list again. He messed about in his closet and withdrew his orange jumpsuit. Taking a kunai, he tore the arms off of the top half and cut the remaining top half from the bottom.
After all – vests were allowed.
Naruto returned to the Training Ground only a couple minutes before the time was up, the last of his team to do so. Sasuke was wearing the uniform with an Uchiha fan stitched onto the back, an outfit Naruto recalled him wearing previously at the Academy's graduation ceremony. Sakura had opted for the blue tights many of the girls liked to wear, since more clothing options were approved with them – Sakura had donned a short-sleeved dark green dress over the tights, which Naruto recalled she'd worn before as well.
Sasuke was the first to spot Naruto and snorted, even as Sakura covered her mouth. Whether in horror or amusement Naruto was unsure.
"Naruto, what are you…"
"Hey Sakura-chan! The rules say vests are allowed, so…" Naruto grinned, and Sakura sighed as she rubbed her temples. Sasuke quirked his lip slightly and Naruto gaped.
"Are… are you smiling?" Sasuke's smile vanished. Sakura seemed about to say something, but stopped. They waited for a moment in awkward silence before Sakura spoke again.
"Do you think Sensei will be late again, or is once enough tardiness for the day?" Their question wasn't answered for half an hour, at which point Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves.
"Yo! Sorry I'm late again ("No, you're not," muttered Naruto), but I got caught up in a trap someone left out!" His genin looked at him mutinously, though based on the strange brown smear on his leg, Naruto wondered if the jounin might actually be telling the truth this time. Kakashi coughed slightly, breaking the silence, and then let his smile drop into a serious look.
"Yesterday, after I dismissed you, I reported to the Hokage regarding my plans for you, and obtained leave to train you for the next three months without taking missions." The genins' faces showed the surprise Kakashi knew they would. "You all understand how rare such a dispensation is, and how seriously the Hokage takes your futures – he has entrusted me with the responsibility of making sure you are the best you can be – and I aim to deliver."
Kakashi paced before the three genin. "First, I need to understand where your strengths and weaknesses lie – and the best way is to run a basic assessment." Kakashi withdrew a scroll from his vest and unrolled it, revealing a series of exercises and techniques. "Each of you will run through this list – some of them all at once and others in sequence. Make no mistake – by the end of this assessment, you WILL be exhausted. Let's begin."
Naruto had to admit by the end of the day – the assessment was brutal. Kakashi had begun by testing the three genins' most basic abilities by having them perform push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and other basic exercises, followed by stretches, then setting them to run around the entire Training Ground. When Naruto had protested, Kakashi had pointed out that a colleague of his often ordered his students to run around all of Konoha – shutting Naruto up immediately.
Once the exercises had been done, Kakashi hadn't allowed them to rest, but instead had given them each a small red pill Sakura had recognized and identified as a "soldier pill," a chakra-based energy steroid that would replenish their vigor – but, as Sakura hesitantly pointed out, was degenerative to the muscles and lethal in large doses. Kakashi had dismissed her concern by pointing out that the pills would only be used for the purpose of his assessment, so there was nothing to worry about.
Oddly, despite Sasuke's and Sakura's panting and wheezing, Naruto had hardly felt tired to begin with, but he took the pill nonetheless. He didn't understand his teammates' reactions either, as their eyes opened, their breathing slowed, and they looked truly replenished – Naruto hardly felt a thing. Again, he said nothing. He assumed it had been something to do with the same reason Kakashi had stopped him running around the grounds once he'd done three laps more than a glaring Sasuke.
Kakashi had next moved onto what he had called "chakra exercises," ordering his genin to perform all the Academy techniques – while Sakura and Sasuke could perform the three easily, Naruto had once again failed to complete the basic clone technique, and had defaulted to the shadow clones he'd grown to enjoy using. Again, Kakashi had frowned at this and marked something down – and Naruto dearly hoped he hadn't messed something up. As the sun began to set, Kakashi had ordered the three genin to perform a basic exercise Iruka had taught them – using chakra to stick leaves to their foreheads.
Though Sakura and Sasuke easily accomplished the task, Naruto glumly watched his leaf flutter to the ground once more – when he'd been in the Academy, Iruka had once caught him licking the leaf to make it sticky – he'd been forced to copy lines for that. Kakashi stared at him with a piercing look and Naruto feared the jounin was regretting taking him as a genin.
"Naruto, next time you try that, tell me what it feels like to hold the leaf with your chakra." As Sasuke and Sakura sat nearby; Naruto took the leaf once more and applied it to his forehead. He reached inside himself, deep into his chakra core, ignoring the disrupting swirls of chakra that weakened his grip. He pulled forth his chakra and touched it to the leaf and imagined the leaf held to his head – and for a moment the leaf remained in place. As usual, though, one of the dark swirls of chakra swept up the stream and broke his grip – and the leaf slowly fluttered down.
"It… It feels like I'm trying to hold the leaf – I'm bringing up chakra and trying to hold it and this swirl of wild energy just… Breaks my grip." Kakashi nodded slowly.
"Hmm. Try something else then – try pulling less chakra, and when you feel that 'swirl' acting up, pull a little more chakra and replace the first 'touch' with the new one." Naruto nodded and again applied the leaf against his forehead, holding it. He felt inside himself as a swirl slowly drifted up his chakra current towards his forehead, and drew a second dose of chakra from the maelstrom inside himself. Even as the swirl caught up to the leaf and decayed his grip, Naruto forced the new tendril of chakra forward, and kept his tenuous grasp. As he felt another swirl rising, he repeated the process – and again. Suddenly Naruto realized he'd been holding the leaf against his forehead for nearly a minute, and Sakura was smiling. Sasuke looked slightly sullen, and Naruto grinned. His focus faltered and the leaf fell away.
"Damn it!" Kakashi chuckled and rose, ruffling Naruto's hair, sending a warm feeling through the boy – only Iruka-sensei had ever done that before.
"No, Naruto – it's all right. I think I understand what's wrong – your chakra's… UNIQUE nature is just acting up – think of it like a tornado – even as your chakra is spinning one way, that… wild energy… is spinning the other way and breaking apart your chakra's form." Naruto listened with rapt attention. Could this be why techniques were so hard for him? "We'll need to train you to keep that wild energy down – until then, try using this technique." Sakura raised her hand hesitantly.
"Er, Sensei? I have two questions… first, what's this "wild energy?" I've never heard of anyone having a problem like that. The other one… doesn't the method you're talking about… you know, restarting the technique every time as it's faltering… use double or triple the chakra it should?" Kakashi's eye glinted as he looked at Sakura, and Naruto wondered what he'd say. He found himself fearing if his teacher decided to opt for the truth – how would his teammates react?
"Both have to do with the unique nature of Naruto's chakra. He has a great deal of chakra – a truly immense amount, perhaps more than the Hokage himself. However, in turn, his chakra is incredibly difficult to control, due to that wild energy we spoke of." Sakura still looked confused, but Sasuke nodded.
"A bloodline, then? A new bloodline?" Kakashi nodded.
"Yes, something like that." Sasuke smirked slightly and Naruto realized that the reason he'd been so dour was because of how easily Naruto had managed to outlast him during the exercises earlier. Being able to chalk Naruto's superiority up to a bloodline ability soothed Sasuke's pride – and honestly, if it kept his teammates from poking around at Naruto's secrets, he was satisfied with the explanation.
Kakashi seemed to know when enough was enough. "Well, it's getting late, and we're about at the halfway point of this assessment. Head home, eat a big dinner, and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we'll finish up and we'll work out a system of training."
The one-eyed jounin vanished in a swirl of leaves and grass, leaving the three genin to trudge back to the lights of the village from the remote training field. Sakura gave Naruto a curious look.
"Did you know about your bloodline before, Naruto? You looked almost as surprised as we were." Naruto, thinking furiously, shook his head.
"I… sort of found out part of it when that whole mess with Mizuki-sensei happened, but I only know that it helped me heal faster. I didn't know about all this." Sakura smiled.
"It's really cool though, you know? Having a bloodline, especially a new one! I mean, having so much chakra, even if it's hard to control…" Sasuke spoke up then.
"It's a powerful ability. Perhaps not in the same way the Sharingan or Byakugan are, but in its own way… healing, stamina, and increased chakra reserves are nothing to scoff at. Even if you couldn't beat an enemy straightaway, you could just outlast them." Naruto nodded, reluctantly impressed at Sasuke's analysis, while Sakura took Sasuke's approval as the best recommendation possible.
Though the rest of the genins' walk home was in silence, it felt a mite more companionable than before.
The next morning began with Kakashi leaving his team to wait for nearly two hours again, but they were already growing used to this new set-up. Sasuke began to practice taijutsu forms again while Sakura, embarrassed at how quickly she'd had to give up during the exercises the previous day, began to jog around the field. Naruto, determined to improve his control regardless of the so-called 'wild energy,' performed the leaf exercise – and when releasing one tendril of chakra for the next became too easy, he began to stick two and then three leaves to his face.
It was this to sight that Kakashi arrived – Sakura panting as she jogged around for the umpteenth time, Sasuke slowly moving through his eighth form, and Naruto twitching his nose, desperately wanting to scratch it but unwilling to dislodge his recently-added fourth leaf.
"Well, I can't fault your diligence, I suppose." The genin quickly made their way to him, the leaves falling away from Naruto's face. Kakashi withdrew the scroll once more.
"All right, we covered physical fitness and chakra control yesterday, along with your basic techniques. Today, we're going to begin with chakra capacity. Each of you step away from one another, flare your chakra, and hold it as long as you can."
The genin followed Kakashi's instructions, separating and forming the Ram seal. As their chakra flared, the blue energy flowed around Sakura and Sasuke, whirling around them steadily. Sakura was the first to tire, letting her energy go. Disappointed, she turned to her teammates and froze.
While Sasuke's aura was just as she'd expected, Naruto's was a deeper shade, closer to indigo. She could even see the wisps of reddish energy that whipped through his aura, creating the strange hue. Sasuke released his aura several seconds after her, breathing heavily – but Naruto continued. The two astonished genin watched as Naruto's aura, pure and unfaltering, but wild, continued to flare and blaze around his body for nearly another half-minute before Kakashi, shaking his head, motioned the boy to stop. Naruto did, showing hardly any signs of tiredness.
"What kind of bloodline…" Sakura began, shocked, but Sasuke shook his head.
"It's Naruto's business what his bloodline does. I wouldn't tell the secrets of the Sharingan." Sakura nodded, and Kakashi smiled slightly.
"All right, I think we're done with that – the assessment includes a section on weapons, but I'm going to skip that, since if you can't hit a target with a kunai, then you shouldn't have graduated in the first place. That just leaves sparring, and any other techniques you know. I think I'll have you each spar with me – whoever's not sparring, watch and be prepared to comment afterwards." Kakashi put his scroll aside and cracked his neck. His students looked at one another and Naruto nodded.
"I'll go first." Naruto stepped forward – he knew the fight was to show how tough he was rather than to beat Kakashi, but his resentment from the humiliation of the bell test remained. Kakashi settled into a loose stance.
"Begin!" Naruto leapt forward, landing on his right foot, and pivoted to begin with a snapping kick at the jounin's head. Kakashi blocked it easily, so Naruto followed up with a pair of vicious punches – again, Kakashi deflected the blows. Naruto gnashed his teeth and spun around to deliver a back-fist, but Kakashi leaned away, and then went on the offensive.
Quickly Naruto found himself ground down as Kakashi's quick blows rained towards him. He knocked away a kick and blocked a punch, but Kakashi's next attack, an uppercut, caught him in the stomach, driving the wind from his lungs. Naruto coughed but staggered back just in time to avoid Kakashi's next punch. He tried to launch a swing, but Kakashi was within his reach before he could do so and swept his legs from under him.
Naruto looked up from the ground, regaining his breath rapidly and shaking his scrambled head. Sasuke and Sakura looked on, slightly shocked at how efficiently Kakashi had disabled Naruto's offensive, which they remembered wearing down most of the other students in their class.
"Good showing, Naruto, if a little rash. Sasuke, what are your thoughts?" Kakashi said pleasantly, helping Naruto up.
"He's reckless. He goes in too quickly and doesn't know how to defend himself when the tables are turned. And his technique is bad." Naruto's eyes flashed in annoyance.
"Oh like you -"
"That's enough, Naruto. Sasuke's criticisms are accurate, if stated unnecessarily harshly. Sakura?" Emboldened by Sasuke, she spoke seriously as well.
"Naruto fights really quickly – I mean, he's faster than most of the people in our class, and he hits hard too – but there's something off about his technique, Sasuke-kun is right. His hits aren't doing as much as they should, and he's too easy to take off balance." Naruto slumped slightly at the brutal assessments. Kakashi patted his shoulder, though.
"Now, Naruto – it's not entirely your fault. Sasuke is right – your technique is a little ragged – but the main problem is that it doesn't suit you at all." Naruto looked up, surprised. "You, like Sakura, I wager, use the basic Academy taijutsu style. It's very effective for a certain body type, and particularly to learn further styles. However, while you're fairly lean, you have more muscle than, say, Sasuke. Not to mention that while you're short now, you have rather long limbs – you're probably going to grow fairly tall, and will need a suited style." Naruto's eyes were wide.
"So… It's not that I'm bad then, it's that I need a better style, right?" Kakashi chuckled.
"In a manner of speaking. You still need to work harder on perfecting your movements. Still, I'll see if I can't either teach you a style I know or find someone to do so. Sasuke, you're next."
As Naruto clambered to take a seat on the grass, Sasuke stood and settled into a stance Kakashi recognized well – the Intercepting Fist style of the Uchiha. Kakashi had a flashback to Obito in the same stance for a moment, but it didn't fit – Obito was clumsier and shorter, and didn't have quite as perfect a position. Though Kakashi himself usually used the same style, because of his adopted eye, Kakashi couldn't picture him in Sasuke's position either – even as a young man Kakashi hadn't had the sort of fire he saw in Sasuke's eyes.
"Begin!" Sasuke was moving forward before Kakashi finished his word, beginning with a quick knife hand meant to gauge an enemy's commitment. Kakashi let his head flow backwards, away from the attack, and countered with a shin-kick that Sasuke stepped away from. Sasuke tried to elbow Kakashi to open some space, but Kakashi was out of the way before the attack was in position, and jabbed Sasuke in the shoulder. The blow didn't do much, but set Sasuke up for a vicious knee strike that followed.
Sasuke, though, was perceptive enough to spot the attack and quick enough to step away from it. Kakashi slid along the slightly wet grass to his left, whirling a low kick under Sasuke's guard, forcing the boy to jump. Sasuke realized that he was vulnerable in the air, unable to dodge, and lifted his knees high to protect his torso – but that just set up him for the spinning wheel-kick Kakashi laid across his side. Though protected from the blow, Sasuke was carried several meters by the force of it and rolled along the ground with a gasp, picking himself up in time for Kakashi to almost appear before him.
Sasuke hurled himself back, avoiding Kakashi's spear-hand, but it had been a decoy to begin with; Kakashi slammed the same hand downward, landing it into Sasuke's abdomen. The boy's attempt to reinforce his abdominal muscles with chakra weren't enough, and Sasuke was left wheezing. Kakashi helped him up and they walked back to where Sakura stood, color in her cheeks, and Naruto sat grinning.
"Excellent performance, Sasuke. Now, Sakura, what did you see."
"Sasuke-kun had great form! He reacted to your attacks and took opportunities wherever he saw them!" Kakashi's raised eyebrow quelled her a bit, and Sakura thought hard. "But… he was arrogant. He should have been more careful in judging your attacks, especially after seeing you fight Naruto."
Sasuke, who'd expected nothing but empty praise from the girl, had a pleasantly shocked look on his face. Naruto was openly surprised, but at Kakashi's look closed his mouth and coughed slightly.
"Right… uh… He had good technique, sure, but he went on the attack when it looked like his style was all about defending and countering. It's like Sasuke wasn't… I dunno… using it right." Sasuke's eyes flashed with venom, but before a spat could erupt Kakashi spoke up.
"That's extremely insightful, Naruto – yes, Sasuke's style, his family's style, in fact, is meant for defense and counterattack. Sasuke, am I correct in suspecting that since your family, you've been teaching yourself, probably from scrolls?" Sasuke nodded grimly. "That's what I thought. As Naruto said, your problem is mainly that you're using your family's counterattacking style like the Academy's more typically offensive style – and that it doesn't fit is obvious. Luckily for you, I happen to know your family's style well enough to correct your errors." Sasuke frowned in confusion.
"Wait, but how? How do you know…?"
"I fought alongside many Uchiha during the war – and one was my closest friend. It stands to reason that I'd know their style well." Kakashi felt slightly guilty about not quite answering Sasuke's question – but it was better to avoid discussing his implanted eye until a more appropriate time. Much like Naruto's seal, it was a disruptive issue that could be handled once some groundwork had been laid down. Sasuke seemed to accept Kakashi's word.
"I understand. So I don't need to give up my style?" Though Sasuke asked the question neutrally, Kakashi could hear the hot blood behind it. The Intercepting Fist was probably one of the few things left to Sasuke after his clan's demise – it was unsurprising that he didn't want to lose it.
"No. Your style suits you, as it does most Uchiha. While you may need to retrain in some techniques and tactics, the style itself is adequate." Kakashi turned to his final student, who stared nervously. "Come Sakura. Let's not waste any time."
Sakura stepped up to face him, entering the Academy starting position, much like Naruto but with a less ragged stance. Kakashi lowered himself and called out, "Begin!"
Kakashi's last student, unlike her teammates, did not attack first, but waited for Kakashi to move for her. He didn't keep her waiting, having expected this, and lashed out with a quick head-level roundhouse kick. Sakura ducked underneath and tried to lance a thrusting kick at Kakashi's stable leg, but the jounin easily bunny-hopped over it before swinging his overhead leg into an axe kick downward. Sakura dodged sideways, raising her fists, and swung hard. Kakashi blocked her first blow and leaned away from her second as the girl pressed her perceived advantage. Another kick swung low towards his knee, and Kakashi simply lifted his leg, jarring Sakura's kick with his shin.
Sakura's pained expression gave him an opportunity to move in with a flurry of swings and elbow attacks, forcing the girl away. Sakura was clearly already tiring, and Kakashi decided to end it, moving in with a nasty elbow strike to Sakura's shoulder. However, the tired girl responded with an angry swing that almost connected with the Jounin's head – and even with his arm raised to block the strike, Kakashi felt the chakra-enhanced blow jar his position. Nonetheless, that attack seemed to have been Sakura's last legs, so to speak, as Kakashi's next sweep knocked the girl's position away and left her on her back.
Naruto whooped, while Sasuke simple waited silently. Kakashi helped Sakura back to her feet. "You know the drill by now – Naruto, you first."
Naruto sobered, even as he spoke. "Well, Sakura-chan had really good form, of course – but she got tired really fast, like she did yesterday. But there was that one hit near the end that looked pretty tough!" Sakura smiled wryly at Naruto's commentary, but then turned to Sasuke.
"Sakura is weak. Naruto's comments regarding her final attack were accurate, but her attacks other than that one had little effect and she tired too quickly to capitalize." Sasuke, arms crossed, spoke quietly, but he might as well have shouted – Sakura's eyes filled with tears and Kakashi frowned. Naruto hopped up, annoyed.
"Hey, jackass, there's no need to talk like that! Sakura-chan -"
"No, he's right…" Sakura said soberly. "I… I need to exercise more. Except for when I pushed as much chakra as I could into that last hit, Sensei didn't even really have to block my attacks."
Kakashi spoke up. "Still, Sasuke, you should speak more kindly towards your teammates. And Naruto, that goes for you as well." Both boys nodded, and Sasuke had the grace to give Sakura a slightly apologetic look.
Kakashi stroked his chin, all three genin sitting before him looking impatient. "Well, we've gone through everything but any additional techniques you know. I'm sure you're pretty worn, so let's just have you tell us what you can do, hmm?"
Naruto grinned. "I can summon shadow clones! They're like normal clones, but solid! They can only take the one hit, but until then, they're real!" None of the others were surprised, having seen Naruto's clones during the bell test. Sakura shook her head.
"I… can't actually perform any techniques besides the ones we learned in the Academy. I'm sorry, Sensei." She looked ashamed, and Kakashi patted her on the shoulder.
"No, it's nothing to worry about, Sakura. Just means we'll be starting with a clean slate. Sasuke?"
"Two fire techniques, which you saw yesterday, and another one I'm just beginning to learn." Sasuke's eyes glinted with pride at the work he'd put into his techniques, and Kakashi had to admit that the boy showed exceedingly high skill for his level. That just meant he'd have to make sure his other students caught up, he supposed.
Kakashi stood up, leaving his students sitting before him. He dusted his pants off and reached into his pocket, withdrawing three strips of what appeared to be plain paper.
"This is the last thing we'll do before I render my verdict regarding your abilities so far – these pieces of paper are made from the bark of a special tree that grows by being fed with chakra. If you channel your chakra into them, they'll show what your affinities are – what elements your chakra leans towards." The students took the papers and followed Kakashi's instructions.
Naruto's reacted first, tearing itself apart quickly and fluttering as it fell to the ground. Sakura's seemed to crumble apart into dust in her hand. Sasuke's on the other hand, began by crinkling tightly before lighting aflame. Even as Sasuke let go of it in surprise, the paper burnt to ash as it fell. Kakashi smiled at all of them.
"Well, a variety we have here, hmm? Naruto, you have a very strong wind – Fuuton – affinity. Sakura, your element is earth – Doton – and Sasuke has a rare double affinity for fire and lightning, Katon and Raiton." He immediately saw Naruto's jealous look and decided to step in. "Now, that doesn't mean any one is better than another – your elemental affinity or affinities are merely what element you will find easiest to learn. While anyone can learn techniques of any element, and I encourage you all to do so, your affinities are the elements you will get the most benefit from using, since you'll be able to learn those techniques most easily." Naruto still looked a tad grouchy.
"What am I going to do with the wind, though? Blow people to death?" Sakura looked a tad sympathetic, while Sasuke said nothing. Kakashi felt a wave of sympathy for the boy that held back his irritation. Naruto had always felt inferior to his classmate, and his elemental affinity was only exacerbating that feeling. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and decided to give him a hint – just a hint – that might make him feel better.
Perhaps it wasn't the safest route, but, Kakashi thought, it was certainly the right one as a Sensei.
'It's what Minato-sensei would have done.' "Naruto, I understand that you feel a little disheartened, but let me tell you - wind, far from being weak, is often considered the strongest offensive element. Masters can slice their foes to ribbons from afar, cast armies back, and even FLY. Besides, a little secret – do you know who else had a wind affinity?" Naruto shook his head, looking uncertain.
"The Yondaime Hokage himself." Naruto's eyes filled with awe as they flickered towards the Hokage Mountain, and Kakashi felt a surge of warmth. Sasuke looked a tad grumpy, but strangely relieved, and Kakashi realized that despite his feeling of superiority, the other boy had felt uncomfortable being the source of Naruto's distress – a good sign, if nothing else, for Kakashi's attempts to bring his students together as a team. Sakura smiled happily – though she hadn't been responsible for Naruto's frustration, she was clearly happy that the problem was resolved. With his team in a better mood, Kakashi decided it was time to move on.
"Good! So gather round everyone…" His students, already sitting directly in front of him, gave him a look. "… Right. Anyways, it's time for that assessment!" The genins' eyes grew wary. Naruto let out a nervous chuckle and Sakura turned a little pale.
"Sasuke, you first. Your skills, as I've mentioned before, are excellent. You're fairly fit, have a good amount of chakra under reasonable control, can use your techniques effectively and easily, and your taijutsu is excellent. Other than the adjustments we've discussed, we will mainly spend the next three months honing your skills, teaching you new techniques, and continuing to work on your fitness." 'And seeing if we can't make a social butterfly out of that pale caterpillar…' Kakashi turned next to Sakura.
"Sakura, your taijutsu skills and techniques are well-performed, and you've clearly studied them hard – however, your fitness is lacking and your chakra reserves are very small. As if to compensate though, your chakra control is excellent. Thus, we'll mainly focus on increasing your reserves and your fitness over the coming weeks, as well as getting some comparatively low-cost techniques into your repertoire." Finally, Kakashi turned to Naruto, who was almost vibrating in anticipation.
"Naruto, finally… while you can use the transformation and replacement techniques effectively, as well as your own shadow clone technique; your taijutsu is lacking, as is your control. While the latter is partially out of your control, the former is not – and we will be working on both nonetheless. Your immense reserves mean you have the capacity to use some very high-cost techniques effectively, and I intend to help you make use of that. Additionally, there is another aspect to your training which I will discuss with you tomorrow."
With his students standing before him, impetuous and ready to go, their blood racing, Kakashi smiled. He had three months to turn these three into the best genin in Konoha – and he truly believed he could do it. They had the potential and the will – all they needed was the right teacher.
And Kakashi, he decided, would not disappoint.
Technique Library: Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique): A non-elemental E-ranked ninjutsu-genjutsu hybrid which changes the appearance of the user. The technique operates by layering chakra illusions that affect various senses onto the user, along with a thin shell of additional chakra which creates the overall surface or anti-surface (in the case of an appearance smaller than the user). Transforming into an object much smaller or larger, or of a significantly different shape than the user is thus highly chakra-intensive. Due to the chakra shell, a doujutsu user with a bloodline such as the Byakugan or Sharingan cannot 'see through' the illusion, but will be very aware that a technique is in place.
Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique): A non-elemental E-ranked ninjutsu which swaps the locations of the user and an object. The technique operates in a manner somewhat similar to "Shunshin (Body Flicker)," sheathing the user in chakra to protect them from the ill effects of rapid movement and accelerating them rapidly into the location previously occupied by the object they replace. Kawarimi also uses the basics of chakra string theory, extending an invisible string to the target object which acts as a two-way bungee cord, directing the acceleration of the object and user.
Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique): A non-elemental E-ranked genjutsu which creates auditory and visual clones of the user. These clones are not solid in any way, and so do not vanish if struck – on the other hand, concentrations of chakra such as other, stronger clones or elemental techniques can disrupt them with little difficulty.
Author's Note: Hello again, readers!
A couple replies to selected reviews (in general, thank you very much to everyone who reviewed – knowing that what I'm writing is appreciated helps me write more and better):
Poppy Grave Dreams: Indeed, it was! I enjoy dropping in references and allusions when I have a chance. Nobody loses if they're missed, and they're a lot of fun for those who see them.
HjLostDreams: First off, thanks for the review – I understand your frustration, since I share it. Kakashi's lack of presence in Naruto's life before the story will be addressed, never fear – since the story isn't being told from a truly omniscient perspective, I'm trying hard to avoid revealing things that'll be important later on.
Kakashi's training regimen, as you can begin to witness in this chapter, is a lot more representative of what I'd imagine a group of elite soldiers, even child soldiers, would have to go through. I can assure you that the characters, even those NOT on Team 7, will not end up identical to canon, skill-wise or otherwise.
Please comment/review if you have suggestions, feedback, comments, or criticism. Thank you for reading!
- The Captain
