Chapter 2:::Shouting and Inspirations
"As you all know Henge no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique which every ninja learns here at the Academy. Henge allows you to transform yourself into any person or object. This will allow you to move with stealth or to trick your opponents. Concentration is key. Picture who you want to turn into and mold your Chakra the way I taught you. Today we are going to review this technique before moving onto something more difficult. I am going to demonstrate, then each of you will do the same when I call your name."
Iruka formed the correct hand seals then closed his eyes. "Hedge no Jutsu!" Instead of Iruka standing there, it was now the the perfect image of the Hokage, wrinkles in all. In another puff of smoke Iruka stood in front of them once again.
"All right, you will transform yourself into Hokage-sama." He called each up in alphabetical order. Everyone got it seeing as they had gone over this technique for the passed three years.
"Fukishima Nami"
Nami, who had been sleeping shot up hearing her name, almost hitting Hinata. "Present!" She looked around when everyone started laughing. Blinking she looked at Iruka, he was glaring, then at Hinata for an answer.
"It's your turn to preform Hedge no Jutsu." She whispered softly.
Nami smiled and stood up. "Right! My turn!" She walked to the front and stood in front of Iruka. She formed the hand seal, but paused looking up at Iruka.
"Who am I turning into?"
Iruka sighed annoyed. "Hokage-sama."
She nodded and formed the seal again. "Transform!" The spiting image of the Hokage stood where Nami was. Iruka nodded.
"Very good."
Nami turned back into her self and yawned, going back up to her seat. Once she sat down her head immediately went onto the desk, making a loud thud as it did. Iruka sighed once again and called the next person, Haruno Sakura.
Naruto was sitting to her right, but wasn't sleeping. He was watching everyone intently as they transformed. Finally when he was called he walked up to the front confidently. He did the proper hand seal and concentrated on molding his Chakra.
"Transform!"
He thought he got it when he saw the that he was wearing the same robes as the Hokage. Then the class started laughing and he noticed that he was the same height as he was before and that he had a big nose. He dispelled the technique and looked up at Iruka, laughing.
"That was a joke, I did it on purpose."
Nami sat up and frowned, reveling that she wasn't really asleep.Naruto...
Iruka pointed a finger at him. "Quit fooling around, Naruto! This is your third year at the Academy! Do it again, you fool!"
Naruto quickly did the seal again. "Transform!" Once again he got it wrong.
Iruka had a shadow over his eyes. "Are you doing that on..."
Everyone laughed again, except for Hinata and Nami.
Kiba was laughing the loudest. "Is this for real? You've been in the Academy for three years, and you still can't transform properly?"
Nami glared at him.
Naruto also glared at them all. "You all just watch...I'm going to become the real Hokage one day!"
Everyone laughed louder.
"Are you stupid? You? Hokage?" Kiba once again laughed the loudest.
Nami slammed her hand on the desk and stood up. "SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU! IT'S NOT FUNNY! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF WE ALL LAUGHED AT YOU WHENEVER YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG?! YOU WOULDN'T! SO STOP LAUGHING AT NARUTO!"
Everyone looked at Nami shocked. They'd never seen her that angry before. Even Iruka looked shocked and Naruto looked surprised, but thankful.
Nami sat down and laid her head back down on the desk, not looking up as she waved a hand. "Continue Iruka-sensei. I believe Ino is next."
Iruka blinked and nodded. "Take you seat Naruto. Yamanaka Ino."
Hinata was looking at Nami in awe. She also wasn't laughing and hated that they were laughing at Naruto, but she wasn't brave enough to actually do what she did.
"Hey Hinata?" Nami didn't sit up, so her voice was muffled
Hinata jumped and blushed, thinking Nami had caught her staring at her. "y-yes?" She asked quietly.
"You didn't laugh at Naruto." She sat up and rested her head on her palm, looking at Hinata. Making sure Naruto couldn't hear her as he sat down. "Why?"
Hinata blushed and looked down at her fidgeting hands. "B-because it-it isn't nice to-to laugh at other's mis-mistakes."
Nami smiled. "Right. And why is that?" She questioned as if teaching a class.
Hinata glanced at Nami. "B-because, everyone ma-makes mistakes?"
Nami laughed quietly. "Don't be so nervous Hinata! I'm not testing you or anything. Relax. I'm glad didn't laugh, because I'm not friends with people who laugh at other's mistakes." She shot a glare at Kiba, who didn't even notice.
"F-friends?" Hinata muttered to herself, but Nami heard.
She looked back at Hinata. "Well, yeah. We've been sitting next to each other in every class. What, you don't want to be my friend?"
Hinata quickly shook her head, then nodded. Nami laughed and patted Hinata on the shoulder. "Relax. Breath. In. Out. In. Out."
Hinata smiled and nodded. Nami smiled back, then turned to Naruto, who was looking at the two of them questionably. Hinata blushed when he looked at her, eyes immediately looking at the table.
Nami, although she was a girl, had no idea what the sighs or a crush were. Except for the very obvious Sasuke-crush that most of the girls in class had. She thought Naruto had upset her. She hit him over the head.
"Look what you did! Bad Naruto!"
He put his hands over his head when she hit him again. Hinata's eyes widened. "Na-Nami stop."
Nami stopped and looked at Hinata. "Huh?"
The next day Nami for some reason had woken up very early, earlier than usual on a weekend. Sighing she got up and got dressed. After leaving her room she automatically went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Once done she done she set the food on the table and ate her portion. When she was done she left the her house with a certain destination in her mind, Naruto's place.
She ran all the way there and up his stairs. When she reached his door she started banging on it. "Naruto! Wake up! It's me Nami! I'm-"
The door opened and she smiled, but it turned into a frown when she saw Naruto. A runny nose, blood-shot eyes, and he was coughing...Naruto was sick.
"Not feeling well, Naruto?"
Naruto shook his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve, making Nami recoil in disgust. "No, I'm sick. I can't come out today, sorry."
Nami shrugged, but looked concerned. "It's okay Naruto, go back to sleep. I'll come by later to see if your feeling better."
Naruto nodded and closed the door.
It wasn't long until Nami was bored just walking around, no one was up yet it was So she decided to walk through the woods as a morning exercise, but that soon became boring too since she was alone.
Sighing she sat down at the base of a tree, closing her eyes.
I never noticed how boring things are without Naruto around...what's that?
"330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335..."
Nami stood up. "Who is that?" She followed the voice that was counting for some reason. When she got closer she could hear a thunking sound, like someone was hitting something. She hid behind a tree and peeked around the side. Her eyebrows raised when she saw a boy, probably a year older, kicking a large log. What was surprising was that there was a large splintered gash on the wood.
"350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355"
Nami's eyes widened. How can he do that many kicks?
Nami decided to ask. Running up she jumped on top of the large tree stump, and sat Indian style. He didn't seem to notice her, even though she was only three feet above him.
She watched him for a moment, taking in his features. Weird eyes, thick eyebrows, long braided hair...Not very cute, but strong. I wonder if that hurts...
"Doesn't that hurt your leg?" She asked, making her presence known.
He looked at her surprised, but didn't stop kicking. "Pain doesn't matter. 356. I need to get stronger. 357. I need to work hard. 358. Who are you? 359."
"Fukishima Nami. You?"
"Rock Lee. 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370."
She watched him for a moment. What a weird, but interesting, guy. "Do you mind if I stay to watch you train?"
"No. 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403. If I can't finish kicking this log 500 times, I'll have to do 1,000 squats! 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429...430...431...432."
Nami noticed he was going slower. "Come on Lee-san, you can do it!"
That seemed to give him the spirit to continue, but for on about 20 more kicks. He fell to his knees. Nami silently handed him her water pouch.
"Thank you...After this short break I will do 1,000 squats!"
Nami jumped off the log. "I'll do them with you, and if I can't do them all I will do...1,000 punches!"
Lee nodded. "And if I can't do them I will do...2,000 punches!"
Both began their squats. Hours later Nami finished 500 before she stopped, but Lee kept going. He reached 800 by noon. Nami laid flat on her back, her legs were aching.
Now I have to do 1,000 punches! Damn, why did I agree to this? She mentally whined before hosting herself up. Wincing when her legs began to burn. "I really have to start exercising more." She muttered to herself as she started punching the the log. Lee only did 50 more squats before he too began punching the log.
By the time they were both close to 1,000, Nami's knuckles were bleeding. When she finished she sat on the ground exhausted, both arms and legs burning. She winced and she wrapped bandages around her hands. It was getting darker and the stars shown bright, but neither left. Lee because he wasn't finished and Nami because she could move.
"2,000 punches! If I can't do them, I'll have to jump rope 2,000 times!" Lee yelled.
Nami closed her eyes and smiled, glad that she actually finished punching the log. Because if she promised to jump rope too, she'd do it. Nami never broke a promise. It was the influence she got from her first cousin, once removed, Maito Gai. Luckily for her mother, sister, and herself the eyebrows came form Gai's father, who married Nami's mother's mother's sister.
Nami lifted her head and looked at Lee. He looks like Gai-itoko, somewhat...weird. She let her head fall back onto the ground. She soon fell asleep...Only to be woken up hours later by someone shaking her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Lee.
She sat up. "Did you finish jumping rope and your punches?"
Lee nodded and helped her stand up. "Why did you train with me Nami-san?"
Nami shrugged and tried to stand on her own. It hurt, but she did it. "One because I had nothing else to do, and two because I know training alone can become boring and ...well, lonesome. So I can't feel my arms, I still had fun! And my itoko would be ashamed if I didn't finish all those exercises after I promised to do them! I think it's amazing how you can withstand the pain Lee-san, do you do this everyday?"
Lee blushed a bit and nodded. They began to walk out of the woods. "Yes."
"Why?" Nami asked curiously. "I mean, it can't just be because you want to train, there has to be another reason behind it."
Lee looked down. "I need to improve my Taijutsu to prove that I can become a ninja. My skills in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are weak, so Taijutsu is all I can improve in. I want to show everyone that by working hard I can prevail!"
Nami looked thoughtful. He even sounds like Gai-itoko. She looked down. I suddenly feel bad about sleeping in class. I have it easy compared to Lee-san, I should start working harder too!
Nami smiled up at Lee. "I admire you Lee-san, from now on I'm going to work on my Taijutsu too. And I'll practice my Genjutsu and Ninjutsu twice as much, for the both of us since you aren't about to do them. So I'm going to train with you from this day on. Now I'm going to run home, and if I don't make it I with have to do 100 push-ups! Sayonara Lee!"
She began to run home, leaving Lee before he could blink.
