Chapter 2: A Test of Grit

Naruto had arrived at the training ground early, so he began to warm up with some stretches. He had set his seal to forty percent gravity so that he could fight at a higher efficiency, and now was making sure that he could fight effectively at that weight.

Honestly, lowering the seal was something that took getting used to. The moment the weight went down Naruto would feel like he was suddenly floating upward, except he wasn't. It was the strangest feeling in the world, and he had to practice and hone his skills with a lowered weight to make sure he wouldn't overextend his reach due to his new speed. Jiraiya emphasized the importance of training as much without the seal as with it, which was why Naruto wasn't currently carrying twice his body weight right now. It was pointless to be fast if he couldn't control his speed.

"You're here early." He heard from his left. Naruto looked to see Shikamaru entering the clearing, standing as nonchalantly as ever.

"Morning, Shika. I'm surprised you're not sleeping in." The white-haired boy commented.

"I would have, I really would have, but my troublesome mother woke me up and nagged me to get over here." He sighed, sitting down on the grass. He observed Naruto running around the training field. "I'm not surprised you have energy to go around."

"I've always got energy." Naruto said, grinning. "I'm just warming up so I can keep my game going when Asuma-sensei shows up."

The lazy Nara shook his head. "Too much work."

"I had no idea you felt that way." The bone wielder commented sarcastically. He came to a stop, chuckling to himself. "But I'm not gonna boss you around. I have a feeling Ino's gonna do that for us."

"What was that baka!?" They heard from the distance. Shikamaru groaned as Ino approached. "Bossy am I?" She demanded. Naruto paled.

"I said no such thing!" He defended himself futilely. There was no hope. He put his arms over his head to block the incoming fist.

"Ow!" Ino cried as she punched his arm. "That was like punching a brick wall!"

Naruto shrugged. "Was it? Maybe I'm just good like that."

"Maybe you're just that dense, more like." She rebutted.

Naruto pouted, but realized her unknown truth. "Maybe I am."

She raised an eyebrow at his words, but said nothing as they all noticed their sensei approaching. Asuma smiled. "Good job, you all are here. That means we can get started."

He noticed them standing apprehensively. Naruto was already in a defensive stance. Good, they were prepared. This would be a good test. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a zippo lighter, the one he used for his own cigarettes.

"I want you to take this from me. Whoever does manage it passes. Whoever doesn't… well, that's why there's a 66 percent fail rate. Come at me with the intent to kill." Asuma said. He lit a cigarette and took a drag off it. "Ready… go."

Ino and Shikamaru immediately jumped into the surrounding foliage. That was good of them; they were trained well. What he didn't expect was Naruto to suddenly come flying at him with the momentum of a bullet train. Asuma barely dodged to the side as Naruto collided with a tree, sending it tumbling down.

"Geez, you're ready to go, huh?" Asuma said, observing Naruto as he turned around. That punch was massive; if he had been hit by that his ribs would have been destroyed. "You don't even have to use the Shikotsumyaku to send things tumbling to the ground, do you?"

Naruto said nothing, assuming a stance once more. Asuma noted the rigid stance, while it had similarities to the Goken it was leaning much more on the defensive aspect of it. It seemed Jiraiya wanted him to focus on the defensive abilities granted by his bloodline. He took a drag off his cancer stick. Well, might as well test it.

Asuma moved toward Naruto, sidestepping at the last moment to send an elbow to the boy's flank. Naruto, who had been expecting a frontal assault, put up last minute defenses and blocked with only an arm. As Asuma expected, the haphazard defense was still more than enough and deflected his elbow easily. He retrieved his trench knives and jumped backward.

"Taijutsu's going to be completely ineffective on you, isn't it? Those bones are harder than steel." He remarked. Naruto grinned at the hidden complement, but then took his stance again.

His sensei was tough, and quick, as expected of the Hokage's son. Jiraiya had taught him how to maintain a rock solid defense, which because of his bloodline, was incredibly easy. If he could shut down one of the three major branches of the ninja arts, then that was all the more effective for him. Unfortunately, the man was savvy to that now, and he was most likely going to use ninjutsu. There wasn't much that super-solid bones were going to do against a huge ball of fire. Ninjutsu was going to be his Achilles heel. Fortunately, Jiraiya had taught him how to circumvent that also.

Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense.

Naruto noticed Asuma preparing hand signs and acted quickly. He pumped chakra into his gravity seal to lower the weight to zero percent before sending himself flying at Asuma. His sensei barely performed a substitution before the bony spike brigade known as Uzumaki Naruto soared past.

So he's revealed it. Asuma noted. He knew that Ino and Shikamaru were watching. I wonder how the other two are taking this.

Naruto stood up and frowned, his shirt torn again by the bones. He didn't want to tear it, but he hadn't expected to have to use his ribs so early. The jonin kept dodging his attacks. Obviously, he was just testing him. He pondered his next move while Asuma stood there. He didn't know any real ninjutsu besides the substitution and the transformation – his taijutsu was essentially all he had. There was nothing he could do at this point if Asuma could dodge him all day and night. It was time to retreat.

"Commercial break!" Naruto called as he jumped into the trees.

Shikamaru watched the fight attentively, flinching a bit as bloody bones erupted from Naruto's body, but observing nonetheless. He didn't know that Naruto had a bloodline or that he was so powerful. He would be having a word with him soon.

He felt the branch bow beside him, and turned to see Naruto. The boy looked at Shikamaru for a moment before looking back at Asuma.

"I was completely ineffective." The bone-wielder said.

Shikamaru turned. "What are you talking about? You're a freaking juggernaut."

Naruto shook his head. "I guess I am, but if he keeps dodging me, I'm useless. What I need to do is get a good, clean hit on him."

Shikamaru's mind started racing. A good, clean hit, huh? He could come up with a plan for that. As they tracked Asuma, they noticed that he came up to Ino's hiding spot. Perhaps they could gain more information on his abilities here…

Ino didn't even notice until the last second when Asuma was behind her. She leapt out of the tree in fright, landing on the soft grassy ground. Asuma dropped down, shaking his head.

"You need to keep your senses up, Ino."

She would have normally done, but she was too busy thinking about how those bones suddenly exploded out of Naruto's body… They were covered in blood and everything; it must have hurt so badly.

She parried Asuma's trench knife when it came, but barely dodged the second attack. He pressed forward, attacking relentlessly with his trench knives. She could barely keep up with it, blocking and parrying with a kunai could only help so much, and for an experienced kenjutsu user like her sensei… well, she might as well give up now.

Something crashed into Asuma and she was pulled into the foliage, her scream muffled by a hand over her face.

"Ino!" The voice whispered. Through her shock, she recognized it to be Shikamaru. "Keep quiet."

She nodded, still stunned.

"Naruto's keeping Asuma-sensei busy. For now, I need to let you in on the plan…"

"Plan? We're working together. Who gets the lighter?" She asked.

"Naruto and I agreed to cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we actually need to get the lighter, and that's where you come in."

Ino considered it, then she nodded. "I can't take him alone. Let me in on it."

Shikamaru smirked. "Ino, how much genjutsu do you know?"

Asuma strolled about the training ground languidly. Naruto had retreated a while ago, stating that jumped in only to save Ino and still hadn't come up with a plan himself. The man shook his head. Such recklessness…

He looked up. Miraculously he had lost track of the three, unnerving him somewhat, but at the same time, exciting him. His nerves were on edge, and he was looking forward to the moment when they would see the true point of the test.

Of course, he would still defend the lighter with everything he had. He'd make them work for it.

His senses flared, and he noticed a shadow streaking across the grass to his right. He dodged it easily, hopping backwards as the black shape snaked toward him. He noticed a shape in his peripheral vision, and leapt forward around the shadow as Ino ambushed him from behind.

"First, we need a genjutsu to disorient him a bit. Just a bit, so he thinks his senses are still sharp. Do you have something like that?" Shikamaru asked her. Ino thought for a moment.

"A mild hit of the Yamanaka Mind Destruction Jutsu should do the trick." She said.

Ino's assault was different somehow. It seemed more coordinated, but it he figured that he was just paranoid. He blocked and deflected strikes as usual, staying very close to her in order to get that moment to counterattack.

"He'll be attacking you from close range. He knew that worked last time, and if Naruto isn't around to save you, it'll work again." Shikamaru noted.

"What'll we do about that then?" She asked, hesitant to face that barrage again.

"Here's the kicker, Naruto will always be around. It won't be you delivering the ambush, Ino, it'll be Naruto. But he'll be too disoriented to notice."

Ino overextended one of her assaults, and left her midsection wide open. Asuma's eyes widened. He saw an opportunity.

"But when he counterattacks, that'll make him vulnerable to capture."

He moved inside Ino's guard to counter with his trench knives, but almost had a heart attack when Ino's ribs erupted from her body and constricted him.

"The ribs will keep him still long enough for me to get him."

Asuma felt the shadow constrict him and he knew it was all over. With the Shadow Possession jutsu, it would be impossible to escape without… he felt it. The bones receded, and he felt himself reaching into his pocket and obtaining his lighter. And against his will, he handed it to Ino, who, in a shroud of smoke, transformed into Naruto. Or, perhaps, transformed back into Naruto would be more like it. It was then that he realized what happened. But it was too late. Naruto was happily twirling the lighter around with his friends.

He shook his head. "Good job, you three. You got me. That was some exemplary teamwork there. But now, you face a new problem. Naruto, you pass. Ino, Shikamaru, you two fail."

Naruto shook his head and tossed the lighter behind him. "If they fail, I fail too."

"You would sacrifice your dream to be Hokage for these two?" Asuma snorted. "Naruto, your bone techniques had me on edge the whole time. It was you that allowed you three to incapacitate me. You are superior to these two."

The white-haired boy frowned. "No way. I may have caught you with my ribs, but it was Shikamaru who incapacitated you. And the plan wouldn't have even worked if Ino wasn't fucking with your mind the whole time."

Asuma's face lit in realization, and he smirked. "Clever, but the point still stands. Would you make the same arguments if your life was on the line?"

Naruto nodded, determination burning in his gaze. "Absolutely."

Asuma sighed, looking disappointed. "Very well. It would have been nice to apprentice you Naruto. You would have made an excellent student. But it looks like I'll have to treat you three the same. You three all…"

They prepared themselves for the bombshell.

"Pass." He said, grinning.

They all looked at him in shock, and Asuma merely chuckled. "You all pass. Like I said, that was some fine teamwork, and you are willing to put your teammates ahead of you in a situation like this. And you completed the mission and got the lighter. There is no reason why I shouldn't pass you."

They nodded, the suddenness of the situation leaving their systems as they listened to their teacher.

"I'll ride on the coattails of a colleague of mine a bit and quote him. 'A ninja who does not complete them mission is trash, but a ninja who does not support his comrades is worse than trash.' You all worked together, and Naruto was willing to support his comrades the entire time. A fine demonstration of what being a shinobi is all about. You should all be proud of yourselves." Asuma grinned, watching Naruto fist bump Shikamaru.

"Alright. Let's have some barbeque on me." Asuma suggested, and the three agreed immediately.

"So, Asuma-kun, how did your team function?" The Hokage asked, looking at his son who seemed to be beaming with pride.

"Excellently." He said. "They exceeded all expectations. Individually, they are skilled, and together, they are exceptional."

"Excellent." The Hokage smiled. "I expect that you will begin taking missions, then?"

"I plan on giving them D-Ranks to begin, but I expect that they will grow out of them quickly." The bearded jonin said. "I may not do too many in one day, however, and save time for training."

"A good idea." Hiruzen agreed. "So what do you plan on doing with them individually?"

"I will follow Jiraiya-sama's lead with regards to Naruto. He's done a good job with him, and I expect that he has plans for him. He is a beast one-on-one and, as Shikamaru described, a pure juggernaut. Nonetheless, I will make sure he has a ninjutsu base to go off of should his taijutsu be ineffective. I figure he also has bad chakra control, but he didn't use any jutsu besides the henge so I couldn't get an accurate guess."

Hiruzen nodded.

"Shikamaru is brilliant. I was told that the plan that they employed to bring me down was his idea entirely. He has a mind for thinking and leading – if you can motivate him. However, one-on-one, he is lacking. I will bring his dueling skills up to par and teach him versatile techniques and maneuvers, but above that I will teach him advanced tactics and leading strategies. He is destined to lead, Hokage-sama."

The third Hokage noted the form of address, but did not say anything.

"Ino is interesting. From what I can tell, she's very suited toward genjutsu and subterfuge. She got me with a Mind Destruction Jutsu during the test and it was so subtle I didn't even notice until they told me afterward." He admitted. "I probably will have her do some lessons with Anko and Kurenai to brush up her genjutsu and poison skills, but the rest of it will be jutsu training and one-on-one."

The Hokage nodded. "Why the emphasis on single combat?"

Asuma was expecting this question. "Frankly, Hokage-sama, their teamwork is already flawless. Yes, it can be improved, but there's no point in fixing what's not broken. Shikamaru and Ino aren't as skilled as Naruto in single combat and I don't want them relying on him as their frontline combatant, otherwise if he's not there by chance they'll get creamed."

"Astute judgment." Hiruzen said. "You're right when you say your team has potential, and I agree with your emphasis on addressing their weaknesses rather than increasing their strengths. I believe Jiraiya-kun is going to increase Naruto's capabilities with the Shikotsumyaku for a bit longer before going into fuinjutsu."

"Fuinjutsu? Really?" Asuma said. "I wouldn't have pegged Naruto to have the patience for that."

"Jiraiya is of the opinion that Naruto absorb it like a sponge, and frankly, I agree, despite all preconceptions." Hiruzen nodded. He seemed to have an idea. "You know, if you want to work on their one-to-one skills, I recommend you test their chakra natures."

The bearded jonin nodded.

"You know, I think Naruto's training right now, if you want to have a look." He produced the crystal ball, and Asuma looked into it.

"Again." Jiraiya said. Naruto grimaced, and bones emerged from his body. His collarbones, elbows, knees, palms, wrists, and shoulders each grew long pointed spikes from them. Jiraiya counted. "So, your limit at this point is twelve bones at once. Not bad, but I expect better. At some point, I expect that you'll be able to manipulate your entire skeletal system at once."

Naruto gaped. That was like, a hundred bones!

The Toad sage laughed at his student's expression. "Not right now, of course. That will take time. But eventually. For now, let's do a taijutsu spar. Offensive or defensive is up to you. Don't lower your gravity seal."

Naruto nodded, and he assumed a different stance than what Asuma had seen. His fingertips opened as his distal phalanges extended, becoming wickedly sharp bone claws. The top ridges of his fingers then sported emerged bones connected by cartilage in order to support his new weapons. Jiraiya had made sure he knew how to grow claws in preparation for his training with the Kyuubi's chakra. It was likely that the fox would make him more feral with its chakra, and as such, claws were a good idea to optimize that trait.

"Offensive it is." Jiraiya muttered, knowing Naruto was going to unleash some serious speed in a moment. It happened, and the Sannin parried Naruto's claw with a kunai before going in and delivering a punch to the boy's side. He then followed up with a few kicks to the side and watched the boy collapse. The Sannin crossed his arms. "Tsk tsk. Don't leave your guard open."

"You hit like a freight train…" He said, spitting blood.

"The same could be said about you." The white-haired sage retorted. Once Naruto was fully healed up again, he jumped backward and prepared for Naruto's strike.

Naruto growled at Jiraiya and rushed him once more, beginning with a feint in order to ward off the imminent parry and attack with his southpaw. But the Sannin predicted this and knocked him to the ground again.

"Don't be predictable." He said to Naruto. "Varying your attacks is fine, but make sure your opponent can't figure it out."

Naruto sighed and stood up, feeling his balance return. The Kyuubi was a godsend. "Fine. Let's do that."

Naruto swayed forward and ran toward Jiraiya, who dodged this time. Naruto returned with a spinning heel kick and sprang forward, slashing Jiraiya's chest with a bone from his knee. The young bone-wielder then spun around and slashed Jiraiya's arm with his claw. It would have been his face but the Sannin managed to block that one.

Jiraiya held up a hand and sighed. "Good, good. I'll probably have a few new scars after sparring with you for so long. I was thinking that we could wrap up our work on the Shikotsumyaku for now."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, not the Kyuubi. I still have to work on a sealing array that will make learning to use its power much easier. For now, I figured I would start teaching you fuinjutsu."

Naruto didn't know what that was, so he asked Jiraiya. The Sannin figured as much so he divulged the topic information. Basically, it was working with and creating seals such as the ones on Naruto. Seemed easy enough.

Then Jiraiya divulged that it would take years of training and theory to even begin making custom seals. Naruto scowled at the mention of theory, but otherwise didn't complain. He was visibly upset at the mention of the time it took to create custom seals but he understood. If the fourth Hokage had fucked up the seal on Naruto's stomach, well, the village might as well have not existed.

Jiraiya finished. "Alright, I think that's all we'll do for now. After all, I have research to do!" He gave a lecherous chuckle and bounded off toward the hot springs, leaving behind a fuming Naruto.

"Ero-Sennin!"

"Also, Jiji, you said something about a picture?" Naruto asked, still somewhat beat up from his training. He was too busy being beat up by and beating Jiraiya to receive the ANBU summons.

"Why yes I did." Hiruzen nodded, reaching into his desk drawer. "You were absent for understandable reasons, but I expect that you will make up your appointment at this date." He scribbled a date and time onto a voucher and handed it to Naruto. "Other than that, it seems you are free to go. My student is getting his wounds treated and they should not scar, although if you keep training the way you do I figure he'll have quite a few to show for it."

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, Jiraiya-sensei said that we'll start doing fuinjutsu. I guess he's just tired of getting beat up by me all the time." Naruto laughed.

Hiruzen shook his head with a smile on his face. "Trust me Naruto, if he didn't want you to beat him up, you wouldn't have touched him." Naruto deflated. "But you performed well. I heard from Jiraiya that you are progressing very well with your Shikotsumyaku."

"Yup, although I still need to be able to work with more bones. I don't even know what half of them are!"

"I'm sure a bit of anatomy reading will help with that." Hiruzen said. Naruto made a face at that thought. "Well, it was good talking to you, but unfortunately, the paperwork never rests."

Naruto stood up to leave. "Good luck old man. When I become Hokage, I'll ban paperwork."

Hiruzen chuckled. "If only."

The door barged open. Naruto was immediately on guard, but Hiruzen merely sighed. "Not again…"

A little boy emerged. "Gramps! I'm gonna beat you up and take your hat! Hiyahhh!" Then he ran and tripped over his scarf in a very anticlimactic fashion. Naruto almost laughed, but scowled as the boy stood up and accused him of laying a trap. Naruto walked right over to him and yanked the boy up by his scarf.

"I laid a trap? Brat, you tripped on your scarf!" Naruto yelled in his face. The boy was unperturbed.

"So what're you going to do to me? I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru, the third Hokage's grandson. You can't do anything to me?"

"The old man's grandson. All I see is a petulant brat!" Naruto socked him in the face and dropped him. "Don't live in people's shadows kid. Exceed them." He turned to the Hokage. "I'll see you later Jiji."

Hiruzen nodded as Naruto left. Another man came rushing in. "Please excuse me Hokage-sama. I'll keep a better eye on Konohamaru in the future."

The Hokage nodded. "You'd better start now, Ebisu."

Konohamaru was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto stretched his arms, enjoying the crackling of his back as he did so. It was a nice day for just walking around, and the Uzumaki planned doing exactly that. He entered the training ground area when he noticed something sneaking behind him. He sighed and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Come out, Konohamaru. I can see you." Naruto sighed.

"Aw man! How'd you see me?" The diminutive figure stepped out from behind the corner he was in, his camouflage blanket thrown over his shoulder. Clearly this boy hadn't been trained very well in stealth.

"You were holding your blanked the wrong way so the fence planks were sideways." Naruto said, turning to him. "And you thought using a fucking blanket to hide was a brilliant idea."

"It was!" The young Sarutobi said. "And if you're so much better, then you're going to train me!"

Naruto's eye twitched. "Say what! Look brat, I don't have time for this, alright?"

Konohamaru shrugged. "You were just aimlessly walking around the village. I don't think you have a lot to do right now."

He scowled. "Not the point. I'm not going to train you."

"But my teacher is so bad!" The younger boy whined. "All he does is talk about how he's going to teach me the shortcut to becoming Hokage, but he's doing nothing!"

Naruto frowned. Either the boy was exaggerating or his teacher was a real piece of work. Shortcuts? There were no shortcuts in life, especially not that of a shinobi. Who did this man think he was? Outwardly, Naruto sighed. "Alright, kid. If there's anything I'm going to train you in, it's that there's no shortcuts. Not ever, and especially when it comes to becoming Hokage. The old man has mastered over a thousand techniques, and each one of those took hard work and dedication." He looked at Konohamaru. "Why me anyway? Kid, I'm just a genin, why do you want me to train you?"

"That's just it!" Konohamaru said. "You call me kid or brat or whatever! You punched me in the face! People don't normally do that, they just go all like 'Oh, you're the Hokage's grandson,' or 'Tell your grandfather I say hi,' when they really should be focused on me. I don't want people to think about my grandfather when they see me, I want them to think about me."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought. "Huh. That was a pretty darn impressive speech for a squirt." Said squirt fumed. "But yeah, I see where you're going with that. Remember what I said about living in people's shadows?" Konohamaru nodded. "Don't take shortcuts. Don't expect special treatment. If you don't want to be seen as the Hokage's grandson, then don't be the Hokage's grandson. I'm not saying to completely forget about him, but learn to be your own person as well. Let people know."

The boy nodded, taking in what Naruto said.

"Honorable Grandson, there you are!" A voice in the distance hollered. "Come now, we must continue our training so that you can become Hokage!"

"Ebisu!" Konohamaru noted. "Not now, I want to listen to what the boss has to say?"

"Boss?" Naruto's eye twitched.

"Such a disgrace. You shouldn't associate with such ruffians. It is below your stature." The bespectacled jonin said flicking his glasses. "Now come, and let us continue our lessons."

Naruto twitched, glaring murderously. "Below your stature you say? Oi, I challenge you to a duel, Ebisu or whoever you are."

The jonin paused, interested. He pushed up his sunglasses. "You may have a victory against Touji Mizuki, but you will find, Uzumaki, that I am an elite jonin. You would do well not to press your luck. But I believe a spar is in order to show Konohamaru that I am indeed a superior teacher. I am not averse to sparring now, if you are not."

"Born ready." Naruto grinned. He lowered into a crouched stance.

"Very well. Let us begin." Ebisu moved forward with a kunai held in reverse grip, delivering a basic slashing attack. Naruto immediately knew that Ebisu was going to scout his abilities out, so he made sure not to reveal too much of his stance and habits when fending off the basic attacks.

Ebisu left an opening, and Naruto made to take advantage of it. That was when he realized his first mistake. The experienced jonin parried the punch Naruto threw and, using the opening that he just created, swung for a solid hit to Naruto's torso. Hastily, the white-haired boy projected his collar bones to deflect the punch.

"The Shikotsumyaku, an interesting ability if I do say so myself." Ebisu said. "The defensive applications are impressive."

"Glad you think so." Naruto said, retracting his collar. He stepped back, gauging his enemy's stance for a moment. "But the cat's out of the bag now!" He extended his distal phalanges once more to form the claw-like blades of his offensive stance.

Ebisu merely adjusted his glasses while dodging the rapid claw attacks easily and fluidly. He scoffed at Naruto's attempts to touch him. "You must predict your opponent's movements, lest they dodge you forever."

"I'm trying!" He barked, attacking for the kill each time. Continuing to be dodged, Naruto's frustration only increased. There was a significant power difference between Academy teacher and active jonin, he discovered as he attacked. It only emphasized the fact that during spars, Jiraiya went easy on him.

Prediction. He repeated it in his head like a mantra. Prediction was key to winning in a fight. Predict and be unpredictable. That was the goal.

Ebisu made for a counterstrike, and that was when Naruto made his move. He stepped backwards and caught the man's arm in a grapple. Using his superior stance, Naruto flipped the Jonin over his shoulder and made to slam him onto the ground, only to slam a log into the ground instead. He cursed. A substitution jutsu!

His reflexes reacted, and synapses fired accordingly. Ebisu barely stopped his rear assault as Naruto's vertebrae distended into sharp skewers of bony death. They retracted just as quickly, and the young Uzumaki whipped about and threw his foot at the jonin, who dodged and jumped backward.

"Alright. We have seen that your taijutsu is exemplary, but what about your ninjutsu?" Ebisu made hand signs and drew in a breath. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Naruto's eyes widened and he barely dodged the great fireball that erupted from his adversary's mouth.

"You'll be disappointed to know that I barely use Ninjutsu." Naruto grinned. "For now, my taijutsu is my best bet." He charged at Ebisu again.

"A ninja who specializes is a dead ninja." The man taunted, making seals for another fire jutsu. "Katon: Zukkoku!" A small burst of flame came from his mouth this time, but the ground it touched exploded into flames, forcing Naruto to leap. He retracted his claws and made to attack with just a brawny punch as he landed, but Ebisu dodged that as well. The ground exploded as Naruto made impact, but he didn't let the earth's reaction force deter him.

"Enough." Ebisu stopped the radial spike by catching it in his hand. "I have seen enough. You fought well, but I'm afraid you cannot beat a jonin yet."

Naruto frowned. He figured as much. He would have to step up his training with Jiraiya, tell the old fart to stop holding back on him, as much pain as that would cause him in the future. "You're the real deal."

Ebisu nodded. "While you are exemplary for a genin, you still have a ways to go. I am aware of your chakra situation. I would suggest ninjutsu training at some point in the future."

Naruto nodded, accepting his advice. "Why are you suddenly teaching and helping me? Weren't we having a fight a few moments ago?"

Ebisu pushed up his glasses. "First and foremost, I am Konoha's elite instructor. It is my duty to assist in the potential of Konoha's ninja to be realized."

The bone wielder nodded. "You should probably teach Konohamaru then." He looked over at the boy, who had been silent the whole time. "Tell him that there are no shortcuts to being Hokage, only hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. He has to work for it."

"Sound advice." Ebisu said, smirking. "Young man, you may not realize it, but you may be cut out for teaching as well, but not theory rather than practical skills and mindsets. That is, if your leadership skills don't make you Hokage."

Naruto gaped. Did he just say that?

The special jonin spoke again. "It was a pleasure testing your abilities. I am sure Hokage-sama will be pleased with my report. Konohamaru, come. We shall speak to your grandfather."

The boy nodded, and turned to Naruto. "See ya boss."

Naruto waved nonchalantly, before turning to face the other direction. As the other two left earshot, he sighed. "So it was a test after all. I should have known the old man would do that."

"Ah, before you leave…" The Hokage had interrupted. Ebisu turned and bowed slightly.

"What can I do for you, Lord Hokage?"

Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe. "Test Naruto's abilities for me. Give me your perspective on his skills."

"Of course." Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses.

The Hokage nodded, placing his hands on the desk. "It's good of you to think so highly of him, despite him not knowing it. I am pleased that you think so well of his abilities."

Ebisu bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Think nothing of it. Your drive to improve the skills of everyone is apparent, and I commend you for that. I appreciate your work. You are dismissed."

"Yes Lord Hokage." Ebisu bowed again before turning and walking out of the room.