Chapter 2.
"You have your choice of walking dogs, sweeping the steps of the library, or painting a shed." listed the Hokage as Team Nine stood in front of him with varying degrees of shock and horror written across their face. Despite Iruka's warning the night before over ramen that missions wouldn't be anything like he had envisioned, Naruto had still held out a small amount of hope that he would be wrong. It would seem that Hinata and Sakura hadn't had any type of warning as to what their missions would be like as their expressions her easily the most extreme of the three. Yugito looked down at her team and honestly felt a little sorry for them... but every shinobi had to suffer through D-rank missions in the start of their careers. Some just had to suffer through them for longer periods of time than others, her own team had only went on three D-ranked missions before moving on to higher ranking missions.
"Y-You're joking, right?" asked Sakura, almost pleading for the elderly man to finally start laughing at them before giving them their real mission. After all, they were shinobi, granted that they were only newly graduated shinobi but shinobi none the less and certainly not maids!
"In the beginning every shinobi must perform D-rank missions, this is so that they can learn to work together with their new teammates while still performing a service to our village. Think what you will about them but these are missions and so they will be done at a level our customers have come to expect from my shinobi." explained the Sandaime Hokage, sounding as if he had given that speech far more often than he would have liked during his time as Hokage.
"We will walk the dogs." Yugito announce, believing that she had chosen the lesser of the three evils. While she herself didn't mind dogs in the slightest, they seemed very reluctant to come any where near her. She assumed that they could feel the presence of Nibi inside her and realized that it was by no means a normal cat.
After Yugito stepped forward and retrieved the scroll for their mission, she bowed to the Hokage before leading her team out of the room and soon out of the building all together. She said nothing as she continued to lead them further away from the administrative building before stopping suddenly. Only then did she speak.
"I will be honest with you." she began, pausing only for a moment to glare at the scroll in her hands as if it had grievously insulted her. "The Hokage was correct when he stated that these missions are an important part of your development, but despite this I would much rather use my own methods of instilling the importance of teamwork on the three of you."
"B-But the mission..." Sakura cried despite herself, she fell silent under her new sensei's look. She had hated their choice of missions but they were still missions, as much as she hated to admit it.
"The importance of this mission is so that you learn the importance of teamwork while also performing the task set before us by the client, correct?" Yugito asked, only continuing once she noticed that Sakura was nodding her head softly. "If this mission were completed and I taught you the importance of teamwork, do you believe that the Hokage cares about the methods used?"
"H-How w-would we complete t-the mission?" inquired Hinata, her voice barely audible to even those standing directly beside her.
"Uzumaki, read this."
Naruto fumbled with the scroll that his sensei had tossed him but with a stern look from that same woman when he turned his attention towards her and not the scroll, the blond quickly opened it and began to read.
"Ten clones should ensure that the task is completed swiftly." she stated calmly once Naruto had finished reading, effectively confusing everyone present.
That is until Naruto's face suddenly came alive as understanding washed over him. Even before this expression had completely faded, the young blond shinobi had formed a cross shaped seal before shouting. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
When as a small area around them became covered in a thick smoke, Sakura still found herself very close to mentioning Naruto's past results when it came to creating clones but the words died in her throat when ten exact copies of Naruto exited the white clouds. After a quick glance to her right, she felt slightly more at ease when she noticed that a certain young Hyuuga was easily as shocked as she was, although there was something else hidden in her expression. Sakura couldn't quite put her finger on it but she got the impression that Hinata was very pleased with Naruto's achievement.
"As there are ten of you I expect this mission to be completed in less than an hour, any longer and there will be consequence." Yugito ordered, and things for the young pair of kunoichi only got worse when the small gathering of Narutos immediately dismissed themselves and went off to do what they were created to do.
Before this woman had appeared in their lives only the Sandaime Hokage and Iruka had been able to control the blond whom everyone had long since decided had limitless energy. The fact that this woman could do the same and after only one meeting... Sakura wasn't the only one that found herself regretting that she hadn't stuck behind and eavesdropped on the conversation the two had after their meeting.
"Now that the mission is taken care of, I want the three of you to go to the training ground we used yesterday for our meeting. I have something I wish to take care of before I join you." said the white haired Jounin before turning and disappearing from their sight.
"I'm not sure if I like her much." Sakura muttered, speaking more to herself than to her new teammates, as they began heading towards the training ground. Not allowing those next to her a second to respond, Sakura looked towards Naruto. "How is it that you failed the graduation exam because you couldn't create a single clone and yet just then you used some strange technique to create ten of them?"
"I failed the exam because at that time I couldn't create a clone. Thanks to Mizuki I was able to learn a different technique for creating clones."
"H-How w-will an i-illusion be able to com-complete o-our mission?" asked Hinata, finally asking the question Naruto had been hoping one of them would ask. He was very proud of his new technique and wanted to brag about it a little bit.
"Because the clones I just created are physically real. They can bleed and perform any jutsu just as I can, but a solid blow will usually be enough to destroy them. I didn't read much of what the scroll said about them but I'm sure sensei will be able to tell you more about them if you asked." he explained before the trio fell into a slightly uneasy silence. While Naruto himself seemed perfectly fine with the situation, Sakura and Hinata found themselves trying to understand how he could learn such a technique when after years of practice he couldn't create one clone that was simply an illusion.
It had only been mere moments since the three had arrived inside the training ground when their sensei suddenly appeared as a streak of lightning crashed down before them. If Naruto had been impressed with Yugito before, it was nothing when compared to how he felt after seeing her use such a technique, and if was apparent that Sakura and Hinata were feeling much the same. They had been so surprised by her sudden appearance that they had almost missed the three boxes in her arms.
"Before we begin I want each of you to come and take one of these." Yugito said before each of the members did exactly that. She watched with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned as they opened their respective box to find clothing inside, clothing that seemed to greatly mirror her own current attire. When her students began to send her questioning looks, she decided to have mercy and explain. "There are many shinobi that seem to take certain... liberties when it comes to their everyday attire. While I do not agree with those that take such liberties, it is their right to do so as a person who is willing to sacrifice their life for this village. However, until the three of you solidify your place on this time, you are not shinobi and therefore you do not have such rights. Even after you do, you will continue to wear these until I state otherwise. I will return in ten minutes, by which time I will expect you to have changed."
Once again their sensei turned away from them and seemed to disappear in an instant.
When Naruto turned to try and gauge the reactions of his teammates, he found himself taking a step backwards as Sakura appeared mere moments away from attacking him. He didn't exactly understand why, it wasn't like he had given their sensei the idea of giving them uniforms.
"I may not have much choice in whether or not I change into these things but if you even think of peeping..." she hissed as she gathered her things and took a slightly trembling Hinata deeper into the surrounding forest.
"I-I wasn't..." he stuttered but the two had already disappeared from view. Of course the idea had occurred to him, as it would have any young man his age, but he hadn't even harbored the intention of acting on such thoughts for even the slightest moment. Not only would Sakura beat him within an inch of his life, but he was sure that his new sensei wouldn't exactly have kind things to say about his actions if she knew.
With a heavy sigh, Naruto began to change into his new outfit. Unlike Sakura, and possibly even Hinata, Naruto didn't mind in the slightest that he would have to give up his orange jumpsuit. He loathed the thing almost as much, if not more so, then everyone else around him. It may have been that very reason why Naruto had stripped down to his boxers in what must have been record time.
The first article of his new clothing that Naruto put on were the pair of slightly baggy, black pants so that at least he wasn't standing in the middle of the clearing in only his boxers if Hinata and Sakura happened to finish changing before him. When he pulled the nearly skin tight, black tanktop over his head and down around him, he wondered if it was strange how excited he felt about wearing his new clothing. Finally, once his new boots were tied and the black tape had been applied to the bottom of his pants, all that was left in the box was a roll of white fabric, which he assumed was to take the place of the gloves his sensei wore.
When he began experimenting wit his new cloths, testing to see how they felt when he moved about, Naruto found that a black band had been placed inside the left pocket of his pants. It was around then that he realized what it must have been for when his hitai-ate slid down slightly, revealing a deep blue band. As loathed as he was to admit it, it had taken him quite a few tries before the medal plate was attached to the center of the cloth. The cloth he had been given was far larger than his last one so he was forced to fold it a few times before it looked right.
He had just finished tying the now black band of his hitai-ate around his forehead when his sensei and fellow Jinchuuriki appeared behind him in yet another streak of lightning, he was definitely going to have to ask her to teach him that technique. When she began looking him over, Naruto felt an odd sense of pride when she began nodding in approval.
"The others?" she asked suddenly, and at once panic gripped Naruto's chest. Yugito seemed to realize what had caused the change in her student and raised her hands as if to placate him. "They still have time, it has only been eight minutes."
"They went to change right after you left so they should be done soon." he finally replied, but sadly his sensei knew that he was greatly underestimating how long it would take his female teammates to change.
As she began counting down the time once it reached thirty seconds, Yugito heard Naruto sigh gently when Sakura and Hinata reappeared. When the young blond had seen the two entering the clearing, he found himself hoping that he wasn't staring to hard. The pink haired Haruno appeared as though she believed her old cloths had suited her much better, and she would have been right if you asked anyone other than Naruto. While she didn't seem to like them, she still wore the clothing with far more confidence than the poor girl trying to hid behind her. Hinata attempted to cover far more of herself with her arms and hands than she was physically able, she also appeared as though a loud noise would send her fleeing from the clearing, if not the village altogether. Their new black tanktop was not all that revealing, since it only left their arms bare and fell just short of revealing any cleavage, but it was still a far cry from her large and bulky jacket. It was also far tighter and Naruto was beginning to wonder if Hinata had always been so well endowed. Even Yugito had been a bit shocked when the twelve year old had stopped in front of her, but thinking back to her own youth had her realizing that she herself hadn't been that much smaller than the Hyuuga. Hinata's chest was by no means unnatural but she would certainly be considered large among other girls her age. In the end Yugito, and Naruto despite how much he wanted to deny it, felt very pleased with her choice.
"Now that everyone had gathered, we shall perform an exercise that has proved itself useful throughout my career as a shinobi." Yugito announced even as she seated herself on the ground before motioning for them to do the same. As each of her pupils sat down in front of her and tried to mirror her posture, the former Kumo-nin continued. "Meditation is a tool used by many for a great number of reasons, two of the greatest being simple relaxation and to clear ones mind. There may be a time when you are asked as a shinobi of this village to do something that goes against everything you stand for and it will be during those times that you realize that the ability to clear ones mind is an irreplaceable asset to someone in our line of work. Because of this, before every practice, I want the three of you to close your eyes and allow your mind to drift."
"I thought that meditation was used to clear our mind?" Sakura inquired, wondering for a moment if her sensei had simply spoken wrong.
"To a trained mind meditation can bring about many results, however it would be foolish of me to expect the three of you to be able to completely clear your minds. Not only are you still very young, but none of you have ever trained in this art before now, correct?" Yugito paused to allow her team just enough time to begin nodding. "Then for now you are to do as I instructed. Relax and allow you mind to drift wherever it may. Do not direct your thoughts, even if they led to something that you do not wish to think about. It is during these times that we sometimes find ourselves realizing who we truly are as a person, and perhaps realizing that we have been making mistakes throughout our lives."
As he followed his sensei's lead and closed his eyes, Naruto soon found that he was one of those whose mind longed to drift in the direction of thoughts he would rather not deal with. Not only did he have far more perverted thoughts than he would ever admit but Naruto came to realize that his sensei's meditation exercise would make it very difficult to continue living behind his mask. When his thoughts turned towards the villagers and their treatment of him throughout his life, Naruto felt himself frowning and knew that there was nothing he could do about that. There was no way he could force himself to continue smiling like a fool with those thoughts racing throughout his mind. Still, he couldn't believe how liberating it felt to do something as simple as frown.
"You may open your eyes now." their sensei instructed, her own crimson eyes slowly fluttering open. As she looked at each of her students in turn, she found herself struggling not to smile when she noticed Naruto's frown. Oddly he was joined by Sakura in frowning. "I want each of you to tell us what you found yourself thinking of the most. While personal, sharing information with your teammates will help build a level of trust between you. I myself found myself thinking of my life before coming to Konoha but admitting that I have never been more happy in my life. Hyuuga-san, please tells us what you thought of."
"M-My family." Hinata whispered, clearly uncomfortable about the subject.
"What about your family?" Yugito pressed. Being one who was never actually able to 'build a level of trust' with anyone in her old village, the Jinchuuriki of Nibi was left hoping that the Hokage had been correct when he had told her that such an exercise would help them all. In the end she felt that she played the part of expert fairly well, at least to her is seemed as though she knew what she was talking about.
Hinata appeared for a moment as if she were thinking about ignoring her sensei's question and simply taking whatever punishment she was given rather than answering. After a quick glance into the cat-like eyes of her sensei, she knew that not answering wasn't an option. "H-How they treat me. I-I th-thought about m-my tou-san and how n-nothing I do is ever g-good enough for him. H-He doesn't seem to r-realize how hard I try, o-or that all I w-want is for him t-to smile a-at me like he did before my k-kaa-san died."
Nothing was said as the young Hyuuga finished speaking, it wasn't for lack of trying but none of them could think of a single thing to say. None of them knew what her life had been like, Sakura because her own parents had loved her unconditionally her entire life, and the two Jinchuuriki because they had never even known their parents. None of them knew the pain of being surrounded by ones' family and still feeling unloved and unwanted. In the end it was Naruto who spoke first.
"Your tou-san is an idiot."
"Naruto!" cried Sakura, shooting a nervous glance towards the young Hyuuga only to find her close to tears. "You shouldn't..."
"What? What else would you call a person who could treat their family like that? If you ask me, Hinata is too good for those bastards!"
"Luckily no one asked you, now both of you be silent." snapped Yugito and immediately her pupils did as she ordered. Once they fell silent Yugito turned her attention back towards Hinata and continued. "Your tou-san is an idiot."
"S-Sensei! You shouldn't... Naruto, shut up!" shouted Sakura once again while the only male member of their team continued to laugh and cheer loudly.
"I happen to agree with Naruto. If her tou-san is too blind to see that our Hinata is one of the kindest and most gentle people in this village than I will treat him as the fool that he is. I told you the first time we met that I read your files and in them were notes from your past sensei-tachi from the academy. The most helpful I found were from your Umino Iruka. In his notes he explained that while Hinata's shyness and lack of confidence would make life as a shinobi difficult, he felt that she was a compassionate person. Iruka stated that this kindness of hers paired with her phenomenal chakra control meant that she was an ideal candidate to act as a teams medical support. The ability to harm others is often sought after but the ability to heal is one without equal in our world. Why else do you think that your own Tsunade is so well known? It is not because of her destructive powers but the fact that she can heal wounds no other medic could heal. However, do not believe for one second that Hinata is completely without the means to fight against others. If she were trained as a medic-nin, she would have the knowledge to inflict the most pain on her opponent without ever threatening their life."
"W-Will... W-Will I really b-be able to train as a m-medic-nin?" Hinata inquired, for once her team found a look of excitement in her peal-like eyes. It was a look they all found that they wanted to bring out in the shy Hyuuga more.
"I'll be honest with you, Hinata.... You don't mind if I call you Hinata, do you?" she found herself asking, only to continued why her pupil quickly shook her head. "As I was saying, I don't know many medical jutsus because I rarely find myself in need of them but what ones I do know I would be more than happy to teach you. If, when you finish learning what I have to teach, you find yourself wishing to learn more, I will ask the Hokage to grant you access to the hospital's library."
"Th-Thank you, sensei." whispered Hinata, and although she was still speaking in a hushed tone the others noticed that they didn't have to struggle as much to hear her.
"Now that we've decided that Hinata's tou-san is an idiot, Sakura please continue."
"I thought a lot about Sasuke-kun and an old friend of mine." Sakura replied, looking as though she hadn't enjoyed her thoughts at all. This confused both Hinata and Naruto because any time the pink haired girl was around Sasuke she appeared to be at her happiest.
"And?"
"M-My friend was like a nee-chan to me and I threw our friendship away over a guy who has never shown any interest in either of us. I never thought about it before but I must have hurt her feelings pretty badly... I-I really did, and still do, like Sasuke-kun but is it really impossible to like the same guy and still be friends?"
"I-I... I do not think so." Hinata answered when she noticed that for once her sensei and Naruto had chosen to stay silent. She could understand why Naruto wouldn't want to offer his own advice but their sensei was so beautiful and confident, surely she would have some sort of advice for Sakura. "I-If a friend of m-mine liked the same guy as m-me, I don't th-think I would want to l-lose that friend even if I g-gained the attention of the b-boy. I-It would feel t-to much like be-betrayal. P-Plus I don't think that whether or n-not you and Ino-chan are fr-friends truly m-matters to S-Sasuke-kun."
"W-Who said I was talking about Ino-pig?!" the kunoichi shouted, ignoring the looks of disbelief that were being sent her way by her teammates and sensei. When Sakura crossed her arms across her chest and began staring at a spot on the ground in front of her, her sensei decided to take pity on her and turned towards Naruto.
"Before you go, Naruto, I believe that I will take my turn." she stated before turning to the two girls and looking at each of them in turn. "My thoughts will require a bit of explaining on my part and regardless of how you feel about me in the end, you must remember that I am still your sensei and you have yet to prove to me that you are capable as a shinobi. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sensei." Hinata and Sakura replied at once, Naruto would only stare back at his sensei in disbelief. Would she really tell his teammates about what she truly was? Did she not fear that they would despise her or think that she was nothing more than a demon?
Yugito sighed deeply to calm her nerves before pushing herself to her feet and turning her back to her team. She closed her eyes and heard a startled gasp sound out from her team when the large seal in the small of her back came into view as she lifted her shirt slightly. While shocking to see such a seal for the first time, she knew that two of the three had no idea of its significance.
"You see, I am what is known as a Jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice that was used to seal away the soul of one of the Bijuu. This seal was placed on me mere moments after my birth and marks me as the vessel of Nibi no Nekomata. At the cost of her life, the Sandaime Raikage called upon the powers of death itself and tore the beast's soul from its body before sealing it inside of me. It was a sacrifice that keep my village from becoming nothing more than charred ruins hidden away in Kaminari no Kuni."
When she returned her shirt to its original position, Yugito turned around to face her students and wasn't truly surprised to find them staring back at her in disbelief. When Yugito saw Sakura drop her gaze to ground, she reassured herself that she was an intelligent girl, that she would think everything through before reacting. Hinata, however, was forced to deal with more than the simple fact that her sensei was the vessel for one of the Bijuu, but was also from the country that had cost her so much.
The fear in the young kunoichi's eyes told her everything she needed to know. "Hinata... I realize that my former village has taken so much away from you, but I need you to understand that there is a reason why I am no longer a part of that village. I was nothing more than a tool to them, something that they could use to their hearts content before tossing it aside whenever it suited them. I despise that village and I'm sorry for ever being a part of it, but I cannot change where I was born just as I had no say in becoming what I am."
"A d-demon." Sakura whispered fearfully but before Yugito could ask her what she meant, Naruto leapt to his feet with a look of rage contorting what was usually his happy-go-lucky expression.
"DON'T CALL HER A DEMON!"
"I-I'm..." Sakura tried to say but seeing her teammate, seeing Naruto of all people, this angry had honestly scared her more than anything she could remember.
"Naruto, calm down and let her speak!" ordered Yugito, although she could understand why Naruto had responded in such a way. After all, if they believed her to be a demon than the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi must surely be the same.
"I-I was just shocked, I didn't mean that sensei was a demon!" Sakura shouted, now feeling more angry towards the blond than scared. In all honesty Sakura would later find herself wishing that she had stopped speaking then. "Why are you so upset anyway? What exactly does my opinion of sensei even have to do with you?!"
"I was scared!"
"Scared of what? Stop dancing around the subject and just spit it out already!"
"I was scared that you and Hinata would think that I was a demon!"
"Why would we..." Sakura started before being cut off by her sensei.
"Because Naruto is also a Jinchuuriki." Yugito announced even as Naruto turned away from his team and began roughly wiping the tears from his eyes. Almost at once Sakura and Hinata both forgot all about their own troubles and began staring at the blond's back in horror. "He feared that if you both believed that my demon and I were one and the same, then the same would be true if you ever found out about his. Despite what you have been told, the Yondaime Hokage did not destroy the Kyuubi but rather sacrificed his life to seal it's soul inside Naruto. The Sandaime Hokage saw that the villagers had chosen to ignore the last wish of the Yondaime, which was that Naruto was to be seen as a hero, and upon returning to his post as Hokage was forced to create a law to protect him. This law stated that nothing of what truly happened that night would be told to the younger generations, that they would be told that the his predecessor had destroyed the Kyuubi at the cost of his life. He believed that this law would allow Naruto a chance to grow up normally, to perhaps find friends among those his age. Sadly the law was not perfect and it did not stop the parents of this village from telling their children to stay away from him, some even told their children that he was evil."
If he were honest with himself, Naruto would admit that he was simply waiting for his teammates to scream at him and call him a demon before fleeing. What he hadn't been expecting was for someone to throw theirself into his back and wrap their arms around him tightly. As he spun around, taking the person holding him with him as he did so, Naruto found his sensei and Sakura staring at the person on his back in disbelief. Since he was looking at the pair it was pretty obvious who it was holding him from behind, regardless of how hard it was to believe.
"H-Hinata..." began Naruto but the usually shy Hyuuga cut him off.
"I-I'm sorry. C-Can w-we just stay like t-this while I t-talk?" Hinata asked, her face beginning to flush a deep crimson. This was obvious to Yugito and Sakura but Naruto couldn't see her face so was still terribly confused. He had no way of knowing that the Hyuuga had hugged him on impulse and was now far too embarrassed by her actions to allow him to see her.
"S-Sure."
"I-I just w-want to tell you th-that I believe the Y-Yondaime, t-that I b-believe you are a h-hero. I-I'm s-sorry for the pain it has c-caused you b-but I want to th-thank y-you for your sa-sacrifice, because w-without it I w-wouldn't even be a-alive."
"Besides, your too loud and immature to be a demon." added Sakura with a smirk. "I also can't remember there being any stories which depict the Kyuubi as having a ramen addiction, or being a midget."
"I'm not a midget, I just haven't hit my growth spurt!" cried Naruto, his vision began to fade as tears began swelling up in his eyes. "A-And I'm n-not addicted to ra-ramen, I c-can stop eating it any t-time I w-want!"
Yugito watched as Hinata and Naruto returned to their seats with a small smile in her face, the elderly Hokage had been right about revealing to her team that she was a Jinchuuriki. Everything had turned out far better than she could have hoped and she almost felt bad for what she had done to him the previous evening during her 'demonstration' of her control over Nib's power. Oh well, there is little about it I can do now aside from apologizing.
"Hinata." Yugito began, drawing the attention of Hyuuga away from her crush. "I need to know if you are comfortable being a member of this team. I would like for you to answer me honestly and regardless of your answer it will not effect your chances of becoming a shinobi. If you do not feel comfortable I will ask for you to be transferred to another team, not sent back to the academy."
"I-I... I-I want to s-stay."
"I cannot tell you how pleased I am to hear that, Hinata. Naruto, I believe that it is your turn." she said as the young blond became the focus of the three females. For some reason this made the would-be Genin slightly nervous if his shifting eyes were any indication of his true feelings.
"D-Do I have to?" he asked, or rather whined. The look he received from his sensei was more than enough to answer his question. "W-Well, I couldn't help thinking about how nice everyone looks in their new outfits and that j-jackets should be made illegal."
If anyone had been confused as to the nature of his last comment, they wouldn't have been after Naruto found himself sneaking more than his fair share of glances towards a certain Hyuuga. She didn't know why Sakura appeared to be so outraged by his comment but none the less Yugito found herself holding back her pupil as she attempted to exact punishment against the pervert. The poor Hyuuga in question looked torn between fainting and looking pleased that Naruto had finally noticed her, although she would have rather he noticed a different part of her.
"Naruto is a soon-to-be thirteen year old boy, and it is completely natural for him to begin to notice members of the opposite sex. Also, I was the one that forced him to tell us what his thoughts had been of, so we cannot get upset with him for being honest. Just be glad that he had the decency to word his thoughts the way he had, I can think of much more vulgar words he could have used."
"Fine." spat Sakura, as if the very thought of allowing Naruto to live had left her with a bad taste in her mouth. She would never admit it to anyone but Sakura was secretly pleased that the only male member of their team thought that they looked nice in their sensei's outfit, and also couldn't blame him for noticing Hinata's... development. A small part of her felt glad that the Hyuuga liked the blond next to her and hadn't decided to go after Sasuke. After all, she had the unfair advantage of developing earlier than the other girls in their class, herself included.
"Now that it has been decided that Naruto shall live, there is a small test I wish for the three of you to undergo." Yugito announced as she reached into the small pouch that rested just behind her right hip and pulled out four seemingly innocent pieces of paper. "While I am no longer a shinobi of Kumo, there are some traditions that they practice that I believe will be helpful to you. The foremost being the testing of chakra affinity during a teams first practice."
"Chakra affinity?" Sakura asked, a familiar look in her eyes. She often had said look when Iruka began a new lesson while they were in the academy.
"As you are all no doubt aware, there are five major elements; Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water. Each shinobi is aligned to one or more of these elements, that means that learning a technique of the same type as the one they share an affinity for will be far easier. At your age most are only aligned to a single element but as you grow in abilities, it is possible to awaken an affinity for a second or even a third if you are powerful enough." Yugito explained, and after thinking it over for a few moments the only member of their team with a Y chromosome decided to speak.
"So if I have an affinity for Fire, Katon(Fire Release) jutsus will be easier for me to learn than Raiton(Lightning Release)?"
"Correct. However, if you are aligned to Fire than a Suiton(Water Release) jutsus will be more difficult for you to learn than lets say a Doton(Earth Release) jutsu. Every element has a strength but also a weakness. Fire is weak against Water but strong against Wind, while Wind is strong against Lightning, which is strong against Earth, which is strong against Water. There is no supreme element, making it possible to overpower a shinobi of greater ability if the right technique is used."
"Other than finding out what techniques will be easier for us to learn, does knowing your affinity do anything else?" questioned Sakura, who was already thinking of what element she would like to be aligned to.
"There is a way to change the nature of your chakra into the element you are aligned to but that is something none of you are ready for. That is a very high level technique that, paired with shape manipulation, ventures into jutsu creation." Yugito answered and while she noticed the undeniable look of excitement shinning in the eyes of her team, she knew that she was correct in stating that they were not ready to learn such an ability. After handing each of the three a card, Yugito held up her own and began to chakra her chakra into it. Almost immediately the paper crumpled. "This paper is designed to react to your chakra in a way that will tell you which of the elements you are aligned to. My own paper has become crumpled which tells me that my natural affinity if for Raiton jutsus. All you have to do is channel a small portion of chakra into the paper, the rest will happen automatically."
As they turned their attention towards the piece of paper in their hand, each of them began to channel what they believed to be a small portion of chakra into it. Hinata, Yugito noted, had a reasonable level of chakra and incredible control, she couldn't help but feel pleased when the young woman's paper crumpled much like her own. Sakura easily had the best chakra control of the three of them but sadly it was simply because she had the least amount of chakra to control, when her paper became damp, Yugito began thinking over all the Suiton jutsus she knew. Then came the last of her pupils, and her fellow Jinchuuriki. She hadn't wanted to mention it because she feared that he would become arrogant but Naruto's affinity would matter very little. In terms of potential, Yugito had never seen anything like him and if he wished, he would have no problem learning any jutsu put in front of him. Still, when the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi channeled a small portion of chakra into his paper, small meaning three times more than what Sakura and Hinata had used, his paper quickly slit down the middle. Fuuton jutsus were not one of her specialties and so she knew very little of them, she would have to find someone else to teach him if he wished to learn more than what she could teach.
With one last nod towards her students, Yugito began explaining what each of the reactions had meant. "Hinata, I think you know what element you are aligned to, keep in mind that this means that learning Fuuton jutsus, while possible, will be difficult. Sakura, you are aligned to Water and so Suiton jutsus will be easiest for you to learn, and you will find Doton rather frustrating. You are aligned to Fuuton jutsus, Naruto, so I hope you didn't have your heart set on Katon jutsus."
"Does this mean that Hinata is weaker than me?" Naruto asked gently, as if to take the sting out of his words. It may have helped as Hinata simply looked at their sensei as if curious herself.
"You may very well be stronger than Hinata but that has little to do with her element. What I meant by strengths and weaknesses was that if you attempted to use a Fuuton jutsu against her, and she countered with a Raiton jutsu of equal power, the Fuuton jutsu would win out in the end. Now if you used that same jutsu and she used a Katon jutsu, it would be you tasting defeat. Remember that how and when a technique is used will effect its effectiveness greatly. A powerful jutsu used idiotically can amount to nothing more than property damage while a weak jutsu could eliminate an enemy far more powerful than yourself."
"Are you going to teach us a technique now that you know what element we're aligned to?" Naruto asked, appearing mere moments away from jumping up and down at the prospect of learn a new technique.
"Nope." Yugito stated simply and nearly laughed as the blond's mouth fell wide open and his shoulders drooped pathetically. She had nearly laughed but her team made no such efforts to restrain themselves as Sakura appeared to be struggling to breath and even Hinata had begun to giggle softly while hiding her face behind her knees. With a smile Yugito motioned for him to stay silent when he looked as though he wanted nothing more than to attack her. "I will be teaching you a new technique but it will not be a Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Taijutsu. I'll be honest with all three of you, you have your problems. Because she has received training from such a young age, Hinata is the most well rounded of the three of you in terms of chakra. Sakura, you have the greatest control of any of you but this is only because you have a severe lack of chakra. Naruto, as a Jinchuuriki you have massive chakra reserves but they are so vast that you are unable to properly control them. This is why you are able to perform the Kage Bunshin technique while not being able to produce a simple illusion of a clone. The technique I am about to show you will not only increase your level of control, Naruto, but it will also increase the shear amount of chakra you have at your disposal, Sakura."
"If I have so much chakra, why does control matter so much?" Naruto asked while Yugito could only sigh gently. He was still hiding behind his mask. Naruto may have wanted to know the reasoning behind his apparent need for control but he had asked it in such a way that neither Hinata or Sakura thought twice about it. It would appear as though she would have to do something more drastic to force Naruto from behind his mask.
"Not all techniques are like the Kage Bunshin. With your current chakra control you will never be able to learn Genjutsu as it requires a very precise level of control. You may also come to realize that without control, most of your chakra is going to waste. When you created those ten clones earlier, if you had Sakura's or even Hinata's level of control you would have been able to create twice, possibly even three times, as many for that same amount of chakra."
"And me?" inquired Sakura.
"You have the control that is required to master both Genjutsu and medical techniques alike but you lack stamina. As you are now, even if you could perform a medical jutsu or Genjutsu, you lack the capacity to sustain either for very long. However, your lack of stamina will be far easier to fix than Naruto's lack of control, mostly because of what he is. As a Jinchuuriki, our reserves are forced to grow larger in order to handle the strain of the demonic chakra coursing through our system. This means that until Kyuubi has been fully absorbed by the seal, Naruto's reserves will continue to grow larger with each passing day, even if it is only by a normally insignificant amount. Since his reserves only continue to grow larger, it would normally take Naruto years to gain the kind of control that is needed to perform most jutsus."
"Normally? Does that mean that you know a way around this?" asked Naruto, fear evident in his eyes. The very idea of having to spend the next some odd years training to control his chakra while those around him because increasingly stronger frightened him greatly.
"Perhaps. Naruto, I want you to create a clone." Yugito ordered. Her resolve to make him learn how to control his level of chakra only increased when she noticed how much chakra it took him to create a single clone, or rather how much of it had gone to waste. "Hinata, now I would like for you to look at both of them with your Byakugan and tell me what you see."
Yugito and Sakura would have given anything to be able to read the young Hyuuga's mind upon hearing her sensei's words. Although her crimson face said it all, they still would have like to have known what she thought even as she formed a one-handed and activated her families kekkei genkai, the Byakugan.
"I... I-I -don't know..." Hinata whispered as she looked from one copy of Naruto to the other, but even with her eyes she couldn't figure out which one was the original. It was almost as if Naruto had managed to separate himself into two, giving each its own chakra system to work with.
"Meaning what?" Yugito pressed, she already knew what the young woman saw but wanted to hear her say it.
"T-They're exactly a-alike, e-even t-their chakra c-coils are id-identical."
"Naruto, what exactly do you know about that technique?" asked the Jinchuuriki of Nibi even as her pupil dispelled his clone.
"I explained to them earlier that the clones created are physically real, meaning they can bleed and perform jutsus just as I can. The scroll said that when the user creates a clone, their chakra is divided evenly between them, which is probably why Hinata couldn't see any difference between the clone I created and myself. Aside from the fact that they will be dispelled after one or two solid blows, I don't remember much else."
"The Hokage told me that you may not have read the entire description before learning how to perform the technique." sighed his sensei, Naruto could only laugh nervously and scratch the back of his head as he waited for her to continue. "When you explained that your chakra is divided up evenly amongst your clones, you failed to properly express how dangerous this can be. Earlier when you created those ten clones you effectively divided your chakra into eleven, this is something most people cannot afford to do, which is why that technique was sealed away and labeled a Kinjutsu. If you had not been a Jinchuuriki, you may well have died upon creating one single clone, let alone the thousands your created the night you learned it."
"B-Baka!" shouted Sakura as she smacked the blond in the back of his head, even the shy Hyuuga appeared as though she wanted to do just that as well.
"Easy, it is also true that if Naruto hadn't been able to, it would have resulted in two deaths instead of one. He was lucky this time, but do not do something that stupid again, do you understand me?"
"O-Of course!" Naruto replied quickly, he breathed a sigh of relief when his sensei nodded her head and continued her explanation. Apparently he would survive another day.
"Since I am not originally from Konoha, I have never heard of such a technique before so I was informed by the Hokage what exactly the technique entitles. While the ability to produce a clone that can perform any technique that the original knows is a plus, it is so much more than that, as Naruto would have known if he had bothered to read what the scroll had said."
"Ok, I'm an idiot! I should have been more careful! Can we please move on?" cried the Genin hopeful as his sensei and teammates smiled, or smiled and laughed in Sakura's case.
"The reason these clones are considered so powerful is that they have the ability to help the original in ways other clones never could. To best explain the technique I want you to think of Naruto and his clones as separate people, each as real as the last. If I were to ask Naruto, the original, to have tea..."
"Can't we get some ramen?" Naruto interrupted. If the looks he received told him anything, they told him that it honestly didn't matter what he and his sensei were doing during the hypothetical situation.
"Fine. If I were to ask Naruto to accompany me for a bowl of ramen, it doesn't matter what kind of ramen it is so don't bother asking, and then asked the others to use that time to study different techniques, when they were destroyed or if they dispelled themselves, their knowledge would be transferred to Naruto. Everything they saw or learned would become known to the original as if he had done it all himself."
"B-But earlier y-you said that N-Naruto-kun had cr-created t-thousands before." Hinata whispered, the others weren't sure if her stutter was from the shock of how powerful the technique could become or if it was her usual stutter. In either case both she and Sakura continued to stare at an equally shocked Naruto in awe and disbelief.
"This, of course, makes these types of clones ideal for scouting and infiltration. In a way this makes Naruto an even more able scout than any Inuzuka simply because he could send multiple clones into an enemy village and learn everything they saw without ever having entered the village himself. Even the Hyuuga Clan's Byakugan is not without its limits in terms of distance. Still, this has nothing to do with chakra control." Yugito admitted, slightly pleased with herself that her team looked as though one last shock would be more than enough to make them faint. Luckily she had a few more left to deliver. "Knowledge is not the only thing that can be transferred back to the original once the clones are destroyed. If he were to create ten clones, Naruto could have those clones practice chakra control exercises for five hours while he lounged in the shade of a nearby tree. Once gone Naruto would have increased in his level of control as if he had trained for fifty hours straight."
"P-Please tell me that's it." pleaded Sakura but those words could have just as easily fallen from the mouths of any of those on her team. Naruto, it would seem, wanted her to finish speaking simply because as she continued to list its abilities, it made him feel even worse that he had passed them off a mere clones.
"Not quite. This last part has to do with the transfer of knowledge but I felt that it should be explained separately. If Naruto were to create nine clones, meaning there were ten Narutos in all, and I gave him a technique to learn it would take him one tenth the time to learn it than if he had attempted it by himself. If the technique would usually take a person ten days to learn, Naruto and his clones would learn it in one. If he were to create one thousand clones, it wouldn't even take him a half an hour. To put it simply, the only thing Naruto cannot use his clones for is physical training, that he will have to do himself."
"That almost seems unfair." Sakura muttered softly.
"Even as a fellow Jinchuuriki, I doubt that I will ever be able to create as many clones as Naruto does and if I could it would not be until Nibi is completely absorbed into the seal. Sadly, aside from an accelerated healing rate, it is one of the only positives to being a Jinchuuriki. Does having an abundance of chakra seem worth it to you if it means you will have to go through life knowing that your village will forever deny your very existence? To our kind... finding love and acceptance is a dream that, I fear, may never come true."
After listening to her sensei's words, Sakura tried again and again to apologize but try as she might she simply couldn't find the words. Her frustration and anguish almost seemed to make the air heavier around them, and in the end both Naruto and Yugito shook off her attempted apology. They knew that she would have had no idea what their lives had been like, so how could they expect her to understand how her words had sounded to them?
"Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known." Yugito assured her before turning back to her team and straightening her shoulders. "Now back to our original discussion, chakra control. I'm sure that you have studied one or two methods of attaining control over your chakra but the one I have in mind is far more advanced. Please observe."
The would-be Genins watched as their sensei turned and began walking towards the edge of the clearing. When she came upon a rather large tree, their mouths dropped when she simply continued up it without breaking stride. Yugito found herself smirking ever-so-slightly when she walked out onto a branch and stared down at her team of shocked pupils, perhaps it was the fact that she was hanging upside down from said branch that had them staring up at her in shock.
"This is a method of training known as 'Tree Walking' and it is an advanced Genin level skill, so don't be disappointed if it is rather difficult to grasp. This training is to teach you how to bring out the proper amount of chakra and direct it to the proper area of the body. As I explained to Naruto earlier, control is very important or else most of the chakra you call upon goes to waste. Now then, the amount needed to climb a tree is small, but it requires precise control, and it is said that the bottom of the foot is the most difficult area of the body to gather chakra. If this technique is mastered, a shinobi will be able to master any jutsu they are presented, theoretically anyway." Yugito explained smoothly, but it was obvious that her pupils were all too ready to begin their new training. "There is a second meaning to this training and that is to help you develop the stamina to control your chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra properly can be very difficult as a shinobi will usually be gathering his or her chakra during a battle. Those types of strenuous situations can make controlling ones' chakra even more difficult. So that's it as far as explanations go, the rest will be up to you. The three of you have kunai, correct?"
"We're shinobi aren't we?" asked Naruto as he and the others pulled the knife-live projectile from their respective holsters.
"Not yet you aren't." Yugito replied, ignoring the slightly defeated looks of her team. "I want you to use those kunai to mark how high you've traveled, make that mark your goal and try to surpass it with each attempt. Also, you may wish to have a running start as the momentum may help you."
After channeling what he believed to be a small amount of chakra into his feet, Naruto learned something very important as soon as his foot came in contact with the tree he had chosen. He had used far too much chakra which resulted in him lying flat on his back on the forest floor with a foot shaped hole in the bark of the tree. Without getting up he scowled at the tree as if it had somehow been it's fault that he had failed before he turned his attention towards Hinata and Sakura, when he did he felt his eyes widen slightly. Sakura had managed to make it almost completely up her tree while Hinata managed to reach nearly the same spot on hers. As the two landed after marking their progress with their kunai, Naruto noticed that they both appeared reluctant to say anything after looking towards him and his 'progress'.
"I did tell you that Sakura had the best control out of the three of you, and that Hinata had received training since she was young." Yugito commented as she dropped down beside him even as the two young females turned back to their trees to begin again. "I'm sure you realize by the fact that there is a foot shaped hole in your tree that you still used far too much chakra."
"I barely called on any chakra at all, so how am I supposed to call on less?"
"By decreasing the amount of chakra you have to call upon. In short, create a number of clones to work alongside you." Yugito instructed calmly before turning and walking towards her other students. After glancing over her shoulder, she found that Naruto had already created twenty copies of himself and all of them were beginning to channel their chakra towards their feet. Sensing the amount of chakra they were using, Yugito found that they were still not perfect, but they would allow him to make at least some progress if he was persistent enough. Persistence was something Yugito felt Naruto had in spades.
When the white haired Jinchuuriki arrived at the trees Sakura and Hinata had been using, she wasn't terribly surprised to find the pink haired kunoichi breathing rather shallow after only her fourth or fifth attempt. As Hinata dropped gracefully back down to the forest floor after having reacted the top of her tree yet again, Yugito decided to speak.
"Sakura, I'm sure you've realized by now the difference in stamina between Hinata, Naruto, and yourself?"
"Y-Yes." breathed Sakura as she watched the Hyuuga make her way back up her tree once more. In the academy she had never put much thought into training, believing that if she were able to pass the academy's final exam that she would be in a good position as a Genin to begin training. She knew now that she had been not only wrong but foolish.
"For now I want you to walk, not run, to about halfway up the tree before walking back down. With your level of control you should have no problem walking but with your lack of stamina it could be dangerous for you to climb any higher than halfway. After each attempt I want you to take a few minutes to rest before beginning again. I also want you to have Hinata perform this same exercise once you've noticed that she is struggling to continue. If you need me I'll be over with Naruto making sure he doesn't somehow manage to kill himself."
It was nearly four hours later when Yugito finally called an end to practice and when she did even Naruto appeared ready to pass out from exhaustion. In her mind, however, it had been well worth it to push her team to such an extreme because each of them had increased in control and stamina more than she had expected. With the short breaks between her attempts, even Sakura was able to go the entire four hours without collapsing. In the end Yugito believed that her increase in stamina was almost as impressive as Naruto's increase in control. Hinata had increased in both areas as well but Yugito hadn't really been worried about her, she was, after all, the only one on her team that had levels of both control and stamina that were above average.
As her team collapsed to the ground in front of her, Yugito came to a realization. They had not only accepted both Naruto and herself for what they where, but Hinata had even been able to overcome her fear of Kumo-nins to accept her as her sensei. Not only had they done this but they had even thrown themselves into her training and gave it their all, the fact that they couldn't even stand was proof enough for that. In the end it would come down to one thing.
"Let me ask you something, is this the type of effort I can come to expect from the three of you or is it just something you plan on doing until I solidify your place on my team?"
"That would be kind of stupid wouldn't it? I mean, we've been training for years to become shinobi, we can't just suddenly stop training because we achieved that, can we?" replied Naruto, who appeared to be the only one capable to speech between them. Still the others found themselves nodding along with him to show their sensei that they felt the same way.
That was all she needed to know.
"I am pleased that you feel that way because starting now you three are officially members of Team Nine, and as such I will expect the same type of effort I saw from you today." she announced but her newly formed team continued to stare back at her as if they expected her to begin laughing and tell them that she had been joking.
"A-Are you serious? T-That quickly?"
If Sakura's words were any indication, her and her teammates had resigned themselves to being almost Genin for quite some time. Having done this, they never would have believed that their sensei would allow them to pass her passive exam after a single practice. Yugito watched her team struggling to their feet and decided to take pity on them.
"I assure you that I am completely serious. Sakura, Hinata, you both excepted Naruto and I when few others before you have, and that alone told me most of what I needed to know about the two of you. Hinata, you allowed yourself to look past where I was from and see me for who I am and not just another Kumo-nin, this was something I was honestly worried about when I learned that you would be placed on my team. I then watched as the three of you threw yourselves into my training without even a hint of hesitation, and as a fellow shinobi and as your sensei I can say that I was very pleased by your work ethic. I had faith that the three of you would eventually pass my exam but to be honest even I never thought that I would be making this announcement after a single practice."
"That's what you get for underestimating us." teased Naruto with his usual smirk.
"I suppose it is." agreed Yugito before addressing her students as a whole. "I have a few more announcements to make before I dismiss you. First and foremost being that I want each of you here by five o'clock tomorrow morning, and Genin or not you will not enjoy your punishment if you are late. Also, until I state otherwise, missions are to be carried out by Naruto's clones, I would much rather spend my time training you than watching you repair a fence. Sakura, Hinata, you are dismissed until tomorrow morning, Naruto, I would like to speak with you about your training."
Upon hearing this neither Hinata nor Sakura moved from their spot. It was obvious to their sensei they the pair were torn between their curiosity of what said training would entitle and their belief that perhaps Yugito planned on favoring the blond Jinchuuriki. Yugito's first impulse was to brush their look aside and allow them to think what they wished, however she quickly realized that if she allowed their feelings to fester it would only lead to problems amongst her team.
"I want the two of you to know that any time you wish for me to teach you something, you are more than welcome to ask. The reason Naruto is being offered extra training is because the Hokage and I believe that it would be best if he learned how to call upon and control the Kyuubi's chakra as quickly as possible. As the only other Jinchuuriki within Konoha you should realize that I am the only one qualified to teach this to him."
"W-Would... W-Would it be a-alright if we w-watched?" Hinata asked gently.
"No!" snapped Yugito, only to sigh heavily and run her hands over her face tiredly when she noticed the young Hyuuga flinch as if she had been struck. "Please forgive me, Hinata, but you do not understand how dangerous this type of training can be. I am sure that you have heard stories of the Kyuubi's power and so you must understand that this is the same power that Naruto will be learning to control. If he were to become overwhelmed by the demon's chakra then you would be in grave danger. While Naruto himself would never harm a teammate, if he lost control he would attack anyone around him without hesitation."
"I-I un-understand."
"During tomorrows practice I plan on teaching each of you a ninjutsu that is suited to your specific alignment. Perhaps after the three of you are dismissed I can begin teaching you and Sakura a few medical jutsus or genjutsus?" Yugito offered and immediately knew that the situation had resolved itself when the pair of kunoichi smiled and agreed readily enough.
As he watched his teammates leave the training ground, Naruto was pleased that his sensei had managed to appease them. He wanted desperately to learn how to harness his demon's power but if it would upset the others and cause problems for his team than Naruto would have told his sensei to forget about the extra training. He couldn't even begin to describe what it would have been like if he had been the one ignored by his sensei so that she could train one of the others, and since he couldn't even describe how betrayed he would have felt, Naruto never wanted to make them go through it.
"Before we begin there are a few things you must know about this type of training." Yugito began and immediately she noticed that her pupil had given her his undivided attention. "It is extremely dangerous and until I tell you otherwise, you are to never practice this without my presence. You must also give this training your undivided attention. Is that understood?"
"Of course, sensei." replied the blond, a wide smile spreading across his face as if to say 'how could you ever doubt me'.
"Since I am giving up my own valuable time you train you, I have a few conditions you must fulfill before I begin teaching you." Yugito began as she turned away from her student. She knew this was a lie. Even if he had not been on her team or required no training, she would have been at there anyway training herself. "First, you are to stop hiding behind that foolish mask of yours. I hereby order you to frown when you feel like frowning, to smile when you feel like smiling, and if you ever hide behind that mask while in my presence again, I will drop you as my student. This training requires a certain level of emotional control and I need to know if you can handle that, but I can't if you are always hiding what you are feeling. You are not a fool, Naruto, and if you wish to pretend to be one, do it on your own time. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sensei." sighed Naruto, his expression almost immediately relaxing into a passive, almost thoughtful look.
"The second condition is that I want you to teach me how to perform the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." she said, rolling her crimson eyes when she saw her student smirk. The white-haired Jounin felt that this condition was the most important. If she were able to learn said technique, then she would be able to teach her students individually and never have to worry about whether or not she was neglecting one. Not to mention how valuable they would be to her own training.
"I can live with that. Do you want me to teach it to you now, that way we can begin training tomorrow after our usual practice?"
Yugito tried to keep her face as passive as her students but even an untrained Genin would be able to see the excitement gleaming in her eyes. Naruto was no different. He watched as his sensei tried to look indifferent as she agreed but he just couldn't shake the feeling that on the inside she was jumping up and down.
"From what I remember, here is how you perform the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." stated the blond before he began resiting everything the Scroll of Seals had said about performing the jutsu. As he spoke, Naruto began to demonstrate each step, almost as if he had forgotten that he was teaching the move to his own sensei. A sensei that was considered by most to be a genius in the shinobi arts.
While it had taken Naruto a little over an hour to learn the technique even without someone to teach it to him, once the blond was finished explaining and demonstrating, it only took Yugito a few tries before she was able to create five perfect clones. He watched in awe as his sensei continued to create more and more clones each time and before long the clearing was completely covered in smoke, and when it cleared he found himself looking at a small army of clones. As quickly as they had arrived, all but one of the clones had disappeared in yet another cloud of smoke.
"Naruto, please whisper something into my clones ear. I wish to know what it is like to absorb knowledge through this technique." Yugito ordered only to watch as her clones walked towards the blond and bent over slightly so that he would be able to whisper into her ear. When her clone suddenly disappeared, Yugito smirked. "I'll be sure to try their ramen soon if it is as good as you say."
"Make sure you try their deluxe bowl." Naruto said with a slightly dreamy look in his eyes.
"Which reminds me. I have been told by the Hokage that I am to limit the amount of ramen you consume in a day." When she saw the outraged expression on her pupil's face, Yugito decided to continue before the blond tried to assassinate their Hokage. "Eating ramen is fine in moderation but you are almost thirteen years old, you need far more nutrients than what is in ramen. Did you ever think that the reason why you are one of the shortest kids in your class might have something to do with the fact that you eat ramen for just about every meal of every day?"
"B-But..."
"I am not a cruel person. For now I will only cut you back to having ramen for one meal a day, later I will cut it back to only once every other day. While a Jinchuuriki can survive on very little, or meals with very little nutritional value, such as ramen, we are not immune to the side effects. To be honest we are at greater risk than most because we do not notice these side effects as quickly as we would have otherwise."
"Fine." muttered Naruto, his arms held a crossed his chest as he glared at the ground in front of him. That is until he remembered that Teuchi had mentioned adding a few new things to their menu. Now I can follow sensei's orders and still eat with those who actually seem to care about me.
"The Hokage is not a fool, Naruto."
Naruto looked up to find his sensei speaking to him once again.
"He knows the reason why you choose to eat there more often than not and it was also he that suggested to the owner that he expand his menu. The owner and his musume, while they love having you as a customer, have been worried about you eating nothing but ramen. Ayame, I believe her name is, has been sneaking pills and vitamins into your food for the past few years so that you will get at least some of the nutrients that are needed." Yugito explained, enjoying the look of shock that was clearly visible on her student's face. As she walked past him on her way out of the training ground, she paused for a moment and rested her hand on his shoulder. "You are very lucky. While there may not be many of them, those that care for you would give anything to see you with an honest smile on your face. Hokage-sama thinks of you as his magomusuko, Iruka thinks of you as a touto, and those people at the ramen stand care about you enough that they would ban you from their shop and happily take a large decrease in income just so you would eat more nutritious food. There are even some that care about you greatly that you have not even noticed yet. My advice is to open your eyes, hold those you love close, and protect them with everything that you are."
With that Yugito left Naruto's side and quickly disappeared from view, leaving the blond to himself as he struggled to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. With a pained sob, Naruto used the back of his hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. He knew she had been right. He may not have been liked by many but those that did, cared for him more than he would ever know. After forming a familiar cross shaped seal, Naruto created two clones and together the three of them exited the training ground before splitting up.
()()()()()()()
Looking out over the stacks of paperwork that cluttered his desk, the Sandaime Hokage couldn't help but sigh. It was not the first time that he wished that his predecessor had lived simply so that he wouldn't have to deal with the annoyance of endless files that needed his signature. Of course the fact that the man had been their most powerful Hokage to date, and a wonderful man, only made it all the more depressing when he realized that the man was gone and nothing was going to bring him back.
His tired eyes seemed to light up as the sounds of shouting came from directly outside his office doors. The Hokage knew of only one person who could cause such chaos simply by appearing and if anything he welcomed the coming distraction. If there was anything Uzumaki Naruto was best at, it was causing at distraction.
"I'm here to see Jii-chan, and it's going to take a lot more than two mask wearing pansies and a secretary to stop me!" shouted the blond as he entered the office, slamming the door behind him just to prove his point to his ANBU guards and secretary. While he was always pleased to see the young man, he didn't know how many more raises he could offer the poor woman before she quite from the stress Naruto caused her. If she chose to leave than he would have to find yet another secretary, and that would just be more paperwork for him to fill out.
"What can I do for you, Naruto?" asked the Hokage only to sigh heavily when the blond marched right up to his desk and slammed his hands against it. "So she told you."
"Damn right she did!" roared Naruto, who found himself struggling not to end his little game by cracking a smile.
"Child, you must understand..."
"I don't have to understand anything!" he countered, causing a single bead of sweat to appear on the back of the Hokage's head. "I only came here to tell you what I think and how I feel about your little order!"
"And that is?"
"I... want to thank you." yelled Naruto before finishing his sentence at just above a whisper.
"W-What did you..." started the Hokage but the blond once again cut him off.
"I said 'thank you'. Thank you for looking out for me all these years and for always being there for me when I needed you most. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be a shinobi of Konoha and for showing me that this village is worth protecting. I just... want to say thank you for giving me a chance when no one else would." whispered Naruto gently, his eyes focused on the paperwork that littered the man's desk. When he finally looked up, the Hokage found himself staring into a pair of cerulean pools that were glossed over with unshed tears. After clearing his eyes of the tears, Naruto smiled widely and continued. "Above all else I want to thank you for keeping that seat warm for me when I become Hokage!"
With that the clone disappeared.
Even after the cloud of smoke dissipated, the elderly Hokage could only stare at the spot where the clone had been as his own tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. Abandoning any thought of completing his work, the Sandaime Hokage turned his chair around and began staring out over his village. With a laugh that came out as a sob, the elderly man couldn't help but believe that allowing Nii Yugito a place inside his village had been one of his greatest decisions.
()()()()()()()
Umino Iruka found himself in a position not unlike the Sandaime Hokage, although he didn't detest paperwork nearly as much as the older shinobi. With his current classes graduation, Iruka found himself right back where he started when he first began as a teacher, teaching the first year class what it meant to be a shinobi. Luckily, however, he had a few weeks to prepare for the brats.
"You should really pay more attention to your surroundings." came an all to familiar voice as Iruka looked up to find one Uzumaki Naruto sitting on top of the desk in the first row.
"And this must be the first time I've ever seen you enter the academy without being forced and also, sitting in the first row? Are you feeling well?" he countered, chuckling when the blond gave a mocking laugh to show his appreciation for his comments. "So why are you here? Please tell me you didn't piss off your sensei and get sent back here."
"Like that would ever happen! Yugito-sensei even told us after our training that we had solidified our place on her team and were now officially Genin of Konohagakure no Sato. She's even going to begin teaching me how to control Kyuubi's power since I taught her how to perform Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
"Apparently she also told you that orange was not a color a shinobi should wear." he said as he suddenly realized that the Genin wasn't wearing his usual orange clothing.
"I didn't have much say in that, neither did Sakura-chan or Hinata-chan. Yugito-sensei told us when she gave these to us that since we weren't really shinobi of Konoha, that we didn't deserve the same rights as them; meaning the right to dress how they want. Even though we're officially Genin, it doesn't really matter since she told us to wear them until she said otherwise."
"How much do you actually know about her?"
"I know that she used to be a Kumo-nin, that was something that scared Hinata-chan even more than when she admitted to being a Jinchuuriki. She's really tough but at the same time you know that she honestly cares about us regardless of what she says or does. Yugito-sensei even showed us a new chakra control technique and also tested our elemental affinities. So far Hinata-chan is the most well-rounded of the three of us because she's been trained by her family for years, but Sakura-chan has near perfect chakra control so she's going to teach them genjutsu and medical jutsus. She told us that I'm going to have the hardest time out of all of us because of what I am but thanks to my clones I can do the equivalent of weeks worth of training in days."
"She's already done more than most in her position do in a month." breathed Iruka, pleased that the beautiful former Kumo-nin was working out so well. Admittedly, he had been a bit skeptical of her at first, mostly because she would be in charge Naruto, but he trusted the word of the Hokage and vowed to let her actions determine whether or not she deserved his trust. The fact that Naruto already spoke so highly of her told him everything he needed to know.
"Because Yugito-sensei admitted to being a Jinchuuriki, I was able to gauge Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan's reaction. In the end I was able to admit to being one as well, and for the first time in my life I have people my own age that seem to care about me despite knowing what I am. I... and I wouldn't even be in this position if it weren't for you. You pushed me to better myself and helped me when I was struggling with something, despite how you felt about me at first. You were the first sensei I ever had in this academy that looked at me and saw me as I am, and not as the Kyuubi. I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me."
"You've helped me more than you know, Naruto." Iruka said calmly, using his many years of training to hide the fact that his ex-student's words nearly had him in tears. "Before I realized that you were nothing more than a loudmouth brat, I was in a bad place and I despised who I was. Thanks to you I've become a better person and because of you I'm smiling more than I have since my parents were first taken from me by the Kyuubi."
Iruka watched while smiling ever-so-slightly as his former student hopped down from his place on the desk, his face an impressive shade of red. The smile became more pronounced when the Genin before him scuffed his foot while mumbling something he couldn't quite make out. When that very same Genin erupted in a cloud of smoke, Iruka began laughing at the ridiculousness of his current situation. After all, it wasn't every day that one has a heart to heart with a clone of the last person one would expect to have such a talk in the first place.
()()()()()()()
"How much do I owe you, Ayame-nee?" Naruto asked the auburn haired woman in front of him. He knew the prices for the different sized bowls of ramen by heart but before he could even open his mouth the fiery waitress stated that he was not allowed to order ramen. While it wasn't ramen, he had to admit that the food had been wonderful and actually did make for a nice change of pace.
"This one is on us, Naruto-kun." she replied, her tou-san nodded in agreement as he put the finishing touches on another customer's meal. Normally when they told the young blond that his meal was free, he would cheer happily and run from the stand as if they would change their mind. With the amount of ramen he eats on a normal sitting, it wasn't a completely illogical assumption. This time, however, Naruto stayed seated and appeared to be slightly uncomfortable about something. "Was there something else you needed?"
"My sensei told me that you have been putting pills and vitamins into my food for the past couple years to make sure that I got at least some of what my body needed."
"N-Naruto-kun, I was just so..."
"I understand. I... I just wanted to thank you and Jii-chan for looking out for me and to thank you for allowing me to eat here and for not chasing me off like the others did. I can't tell..."
This time it was Naruto who was cut off as Ayame all but dove across the counter and wrapped her arms around the young Genin's neck. Startled by her behavior, Naruto tried looking at her tou-san for help but found the man turning to face the other direction.
"Y-You don't have to thank us, Naruto-kun." Ayame whispered as she held him tightly, despite the rather uncomfortable position. "You deserve so much better than what you get and there is so much more we wish we could have given you. You are always welcome here and it has been our pleasure to call you our favorite customer."
"Thanks again, Ayame-nee, Jii-chan." he said one last time before hoping down from his seat and exiting the shop. He spared them one last look before he began to walk off in the direction of his apartment. "For everything."
