TaDa! The second chapter of The Melt is here. I'll try to update this periodically, maybe even work it in on my every three days schedule, but don't get any hopes up. Hope you enjoy it. Readers, Reviewers, thank you...Workin' for MCA by Lynyrd Skynyrd

CHAPTER TWO

Naruto grew quickly and happily in the Sarutobi household and the family was better off for it. His mother and father were devoted to raising him right. At age one he was toddling around the house, getting into all kinds of trouble. To Eri's distress, his appetite only grew with his age and there were several instances where she had to send a servant to the market while he was still being fed.

The little boy's two teeth had come in fully at the age of six months and at first, everyone was alarmed that they were fangs. Yahiko had put it best by bluntly spurting out…

"He looks like a goddamned vampire."

Sarutobi could only guess that it was part of the influence of having the Kyuubi sealed within him, a defense mechanism that, even while he was still technically defenseless, if someone stuck a finger near his mouth they'd be pulling back a punctured digit. The boy had quite the jaw power for a babe…

Year two saw the bundle of perpetual energy running the entire Sarutobi compound ragged. If he didn't want to be caught, he wasn't going to be caught. He didn't sleep, he took powernaps and then was back on his feet. By then he had gotten all of his teeth and was eating solids, creating an even larger food bill. Sarutobi was just glad that his family was provided for by the village. If they were to ever wonder why his food stipend was so large, they'd be outraged.

The boy ate like a horse…and what pocket dimension he stored the food in was beyond the aging Hokage.

In his third year he had begun to meet the other children of the clans. As if by some miracle (or Kishimoto's plot driven, backwards-assed, Uchiha loving mind) all the clan heads had produced heirs at around the same time. Naruto's first stop with his parents and grandfather was the Hyuuga household, where he met Neji and Hinata.

Neji was a polite little boy, always smiling, even though he had received the curse seal. His cousin Hinata was a shy girl by nature and had hidden behind her father's legs when the Sarutobis walked in with Naruto.

Her world had been filled with dreariness and brunettes, pale skin and impassive faces. An inquisitive, energetic blonde haired boy with tan skin and whisker marks was a wonder of the world to her. Sarutobi had ushered him forward toward the little girl and smiled down.

"Go on, tell her your name."

The blonde had smiled, showing off his fangs and making the little girl cock her head in awe. It was like the sun had walked in.

"Nawuto. Who you?"

She had looked down at the ground, finding her toes very interesting at the moment.

"Hinata."

Neji had approached him as well, out of curiosity. Hizashi had tried to catch him, but he was already too far-gone. Naruto saw the boy approaching and turned to him with a million-watt smile.

"Who you?"

"I'm Neji."

Naruto squinted his eyes and pointed at Neji's bandaged forehead.

"Boo-boo?"

"No."

Naruto grinned again and latched onto Hinata's hand.

"Wanna Pway?"

Sarutobi chuckled as the three toddled outside, throwing a ball back and forth. Hizashi attempted to apologize for Neji's abruptness, but was stopped by Hiashi.

"Let them be children for a while Hizashi. It won't be long until we won't be able to watch them play."

To say Hizashi was stunned, was an understatement. His brother was usually cold toward him and Neji. He'd expected worse.

Sarutobi just smiled. Naruto had that effect on people.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The other children were just as easy to get along with. Kiba was just as energetic as Naruto and the golden haired child loved going to the Inuzuka compound to play with the dogs. He'd vehemently decreed that he wanted a ninken, but Sarutobi told him no.

The boy had pouted for a solid week until his grandfather whacked him over the head with a rolled up newspaper and told him to be a big boy.

The Aburames were another interesting group to him. Shino didn't talk much but Naruto did enough blabbering for both of them. The bug users were always happy to have him over…especially since he sometimes brought them bugs he'd found.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio were usually found together at one house or another. They loved having Naruto around. He was naturally inquisitive and Shikamaru found him a natural for board games, even if they were child games. Chouji was ecstatic to find someone who ate as much as he did. Ino was happy to have another boy to boss around. She enjoyed being the queen bee.

Naruto's fourth year found a few changes in his carefree life however.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hizashi, a man he had come to like immensely, was gone not long after he had met him. He had sacrificed himself to save his village and family and several changes had occurred in the Hyuuga family as a result. Neji, for one, had become introverted and never wanted to play anymore. Hinata had become shyer because of the pressure put on her, but whenever Naruto was around, she would perk up. He was her best, and only, friend in the world and he never ceased to cheer her up.

His other friends didn't have as much time to play anymore either, as their parents began to inundate them into their clans' jutsus and training regimens. The last time he had seen them all was at a party to celebrate his grandfather's birthday.

Imagine his surprise when, the day after his fourth birthday, his grandfather appeared before him, not with his usual kind smile, but that of a man on a mission.

"Come with me Naruto. Your training for your future begins today. I've waited long enough."

Naruto stood and followed his grandfather without question. Once they were on the grounds behind the house, he felt compelled to ask why they were out there. Sarutobi sighed heavily and knelt down to eye-level.

"There are several truths that I will have to share with you at some point Naruto, but I can't right now. You're simply too young for what I have to tell you. However, that does not mean I won't start preparing you for the task I have set for you."

"What am I going to be doing?"

"I'm going to train you to be a Hokage, Naruto. I'm going to train you to take over my job when I'm done."

Naruto's eyes went wide. He didn't know what all his grandfather did, but he was a widely loved and respected man. Everywhere they went, people bowed and spoke in reverent tones to the man. He couldn't do whatever the man did! He wasn't good enough!

Sarutobi saw the doubt in the young boy's eyes and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"I know you're young Naruto and you want to play with your friends, but this is a task you were chosen for. There is no one else more qualified to lead this village after my time is up. I know you can do it Naruto and I'm going to help you."

The little blonde gave his grandfather a solemn look of determination and grinned.

"Don't worry. I won't let you down. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Sarutobi smiled and stood back up. He had a rough time ahead of him.

"That's good to hear Naruto. Now, tell me, what do you know about being a ninja?"

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Ninjas are really cool! They can do all kinds of stuff and they're really strong."

"Ah! And who do you think is the strongest ninja in this village?"

Naruto put his finger to his chin and thought for a moment.

"I dunno. Umm…I really don't know."

Sarutobi chuckled and patted the boy's head.

"I'm the strongest ninja in this village Naruto."

Naruto stared up at Sarutobi, completely baffled.

"But…but you can't be the strongest. You're…well, you know…"

Sarutobi held in his laughter, already knowing what was going to be said.

"I'm what?"

Naruto shrunk in on himself, trying to will himself smaller.

"You're…you know…old."

"Yes, I'm old, but that doesn't make me any less strong. With age comes wisdom, and while I'm not as physically strong as I was when I was younger, I have years of experience and cunning to draw on. I'm strong because of my mind, not my body."

"Jiji, can you teach me to be strong?"

"Hai, I can. And we'll start today. I want you to put on this suit and we'll get started."

Naruto grunted as he shrugged on the body suit.

"It's heavy Jiji."

"I know. That's a weighted bodysuit designed to improve your muscles. We'll work on your body during the day and your mind at night. Now hop to it and give me ten laps around the yard."

As Naruto struggled around, adjusting to his new weight, Sarutobi was having a mildly heated discussion with Eri.

"He's too young for this father. He's only four, he doesn't need to be learning everything you're going to teach him at this age."

"He needs to start now Eri. The sooner I start the sooner we can have a Hokage that can protect this village and put an end to all the petty in-squabbling of the council and people."

"But he's so little! Look at him struggling! He's not ready."

The old Hokage sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Eri, I love you like my daughter, but we've been through this several times since he turned two. He needs to start now, while his mind is young and malleable."

His face turned grim and Eri felt a little bit of fear. This was no longer her father-in-law, this was The Professor.

"His life will not be an easy one. We've given him a home and love, yes, but outside these walls is an ugly, dirty, hate-filled world. I want him to be ready for that, especially when I turn the evidence of his birth over to the public. His mother and father had many enemies within the village as well as outside our walls. He has to be able to protect himself and strike down those who would do him or this village harm."

His gaze softened a bit and his age began to show a little more.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, you know? I'm not supposed to be Hokage, and he's not supposed to be an orphan. His father was supposed to be teaching him right now, in between running a village and dealing with the neighboring villages. He was supposed to learn about his family from his parent's mouths, not from a dusty scroll or a surrogate grandfather. But either way, he is destined for bigger things than you or I could imagine. And that starts today."

He turned to see Naruto huffing and puffing on his last lap and when the boy had finished, he called him over.

"Drop and give me fifty each of pushups and sit-ups, then do thirty jumping jacks. After that, we'll begin the fun stuff. Remember to stretch out once you're finished."

Naruto nodded his head tiredly and began his exercises. If this was part of his future job, he wasn't very enthusiastic so far. Sarutobi, meanwhile, had ducked back inside, leaving a Kage Bunshin to keep watch. He stood in front of Yahiko and Eri, outlining his plan.

"Now look. I know you two aren't very overjoyed with what I'm doing, but you'll have to get past that. I need your help as we mold him into a Hokage. Eri, your job is to make sure he eats more healthy things. You can spoil him every now and then, but his diet is going to have to make a drastic change. Yahiko, I want you to teach him to read. Instill a love of literature into him. I want the two of you to also ensure that he keeps up with his friends."

Yahiko scowled and put his arm around his wife's shoulders. She was beginning to show her pregnancy and he didn't want her working too hard.

"By instill, you mean force. I don't like this dad. It reminds me of the way the Uchiha raised Itachi."

Sarutobi glared at his son and held his hands behind his back.

"The one, shining difference between the way Itachi was raised and Naruto is being raised is that I don't see him as a stepping stone to further my own ambitions. This is the only thing he can do in life. Do you think any civilians would hire him to work for them? No, of course they wouldn't. So, he'll be a shinobi and I'm training him to be the best of the best. I'm not training him to be a normal ninja, I'm training him to be a Hokage."

"But what is the difference? Itachi was raised to be the ultimate Uchiha. The boy literally has no emotions."

"And Naruto does. I won't deprive him of his humanity, but I will not leave him to the wolves unprepared. Excuse me, my student is done with his exercises."

Yahiko and Eri watched in silence as the older Sarutobi walked out.

"I still don't like this. It's wrong to decide a child's future for them."

Yahiko sighed and pulled his wife in closer. He understood where his wife was coming from and he agreed, but Naruto's future was already chosen the day he was born.

"It is wrong. But the Yondaime sealed any of the boy's alternative paths by sealing the Kyuubi within him. This is the only path he can take and dad is just making sure he can walk it with his head held high. The only thing we can do is help and make sure he retains his humanity."

Eri rubbed the small bulge on her tummy and reached up to kiss her husband on the lips.

"As long as he never loses that brilliant smile of his, I'll be happy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarutobi came out to a wide-eyed Naruto standing quietly in the yard.

"Jiji, how did you do that? You turned into smoke and disappeared."

'Excellent, an inquisitive young mind…'

"That is part of what I shall teach you in the years to come. That was a Kage Bunshin, a form of clone used for information gathering and fighting. It will be an important tool for learning later. Right now, you need the basics. We're going to learn how to mold chakra."

"What's chakra?"

Sarutobi smiled and put himself into Professor mode. He loved to impart wisdom to the younger generation.

"Chakra is made by meshing together spiritual and physical energy. You just have to unlock it so we can begin to mold it into something else."

"How?"

"Concentrate on a force inside you. A stream that seems to flow through you and try to guide that stream somewhere outside its natural flow. That should unlock it."

He watched as Naruto sat down and began to concentrate. Sarutobi was practically giddy with excitement. Here he was, with another student, about to begin the lessons that would last a lifetime. He watched hopefully as Naruto's face scrunched in concentration and struggle. Slowly, but surely, the chakra began to trickle out. Sarutobi was happy for his student and was about to tell him to stop when he felt the flow of chakra increase and his eyes widened.

"Naruto, you can stop now."

The boy apparently was in too much of a trance to hear him. His face was still screwed into that look of utter concentration. Sarutobi began to sweat when the blue chakra started to be easily seen. It shouldn't be possible for a child to produce that much.

"Naruto! Stop now!"

Naruto still didn't hear him and the chakra flow was so powerful now that it attracted the entirety of the Sarutobi household. Yahiko and Eri stood in wonder as the boy was bathed in the ethereal blue glow. Eri, who was a civilian, could even see it.

"Father, is he supposed to do that?"

"No, he's not! Naruto, stop this at once!"

The small blonde was now shaking from the force of chakra being expelled and Sarutobi did the only thing he could think of to stop it.

He chopped Naruto on the back of the neck and watched with bated breath as the blue chakra receded.

'Well, at least he unlocked it. But what awesome power!'

Sarutobi turned to his family and servants and put on his most intimidating face.

"Whatever you just saw here, never leaves here, understood?"

Aoi, despite the fact he might get in trouble, decided to ask the unspoken question.

"Master, is it normal for a child to have such power?"

Sarutobi frowned and looked back to the konked out child.

"No, it isn't. But then again, we all know he isn't normal by any conventional means. With chakra that powerful, and at such a young age…it'll probably take quite a while to train him to use it effectively. I hope not, but that is usually the case with those with power."

Yahiko picked his son up off the ground and started back toward the house.

"I think that's enough physical training for today dad. I'll start him on some history and theory tonight."

Sarutobi smiled and cracked his aching back.

"Yes, that might be an ideal thing for today. I have a few things to tend to at the tower. Tell Naruto we'll start again tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had not been happy with his schedule of learning. He remembered letting his chakra go and it flaring wildly out of control as he tried to rein it in. He remembered getting chopped in the neck and he remembered getting fussed at by his mother once he awoke.

He remembered reading about the history of Konoha and starting on a book of jutsu theory with his father, which he found utterly boring. His father had bopped him over the head with a book and told him that he needed to know this. When asked why, a contemplative look came over his face.

"Because knowledge is power Naruto. Let's say you're fighting someone. You know what your opponent is capable of. He knows what you're capable of. But neither of you have any updated information on each other for the past six months. If he tries a move you've never met before, what will you do?"

"Get away."

"Wrong. That's what normal people do. It might be a jutsu that spreads out as it goes, covering more area, but losing power. It might be a straightforward shot. You need to be able to analyze these things and choose your path accordingly."

"Then why am I reading this? Why can't I just train?"

"This is training son. You're training your mind to know what to do. The body can't react if the mind doesn't know what it's doing."

Naruto nodded slowly, letting the information seep in.

"So if I read everything I can, I'll get really smart and be able to figure things out more quickly?"

"In a nutshell, yes. It's more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it."

Naruto silently picked up his book on history and started to read again. Yahiko had never been more proud of his son, but soon, he had to help him again.

"Hey dad, what's a kawarimi?"

And so had began their nightly sessions.

Currently, Naruto was lying in bed asleep. Not that he knew it, but his alarm clock said four o'clock and a sinister figure stood beside his bed. The figure lifted its hand, with possibly a weapon, and began to tilt it downward.

And Naruto was introduced to the concept of a cold glass of water in the morning if he didn't wake up when he was supposed to…

Sarutobi watched amused as his grandson spit and sputtered and thrashed around on the bed. Once he was finished, Sarutobi cleared his throat and threw the training suit at him.

"Get dressed and meet me downstairs. We're going on a run."

Naruto grumbled as he made his way downstairs, the suit seeming to be heavier than it was yesterday. He looked around for his grandfather and found him outside, standing with his hands on his hips, twisting and bending in several directions. Naruto walked outside to find the old man in a black ninja outfit, totally contrasting his usual white robes.

"Ah, good morning. Awake now are we?"

Naruto mumbled under his breath and nodded.

"Good. Now we're going to run one lap around the village. Every two weeks we'll increase it by one lap, keeping with the same time limit."

"But JiJi, I can't run that fast."

"You don't have to run fast, you just have to complete the task. We'll worry about speed later. Right now, I want to condition your body so that you can complete whatever I give you to do. Now let's go."

"But JiJi…"

Sarutobi turned a stern eye to his grandson and Naruto cringed under the glare.

"During these times, I am your sensei Naruto and I expect you to show me the proper respect. You may not like me sometimes during our training, but you will respect me. I may love you like a grandson, but that does not mean I will tolerate insubordination from you."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"What do you mean 'like a grandson'?"

Sarutobi cursed under his breath. That had been an unwanted slip of the tongue. He put on a smile and patted the boy's head, diffusing the situation.

"It was a slip of the tongue Naruto. Now let's go."

The boy nodded his head and they jogged off into the morning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto lay on his back panting. His run had turned into quite a spectacle when they'd run afoul of a certain green clad jounin. Naruto had been fascinated with the man's eyebrows, but had remained quiet as Sarutobi and Gai spoke while running.

Gai had been impressed that a four year old was out on a run with the Hokage and had voiced his pleasure at having found one with 'great flames of youth'. He had offered to help train Naruto whenever he could in taijutsu and Sarutobi readily accepted. He couldn't be around all the time…

Naruto was happy when their run ended. He might be an endless bundle of energy but he was still a child and his muscles were not yet developed fully. Before he could enjoy the respite, Sarutobi called him over to begin his morning calisthenics. By the time they got around to jutsus, Naruto was nearly on empty…until Sarutobi told him they were going to be manipulating his chakra.

Naruto had studied the previous night with his father on some of the things that one could do with chakra and right now he was like a kid with a new toy…which he essentially was. Sarutobi was quick to remind him of the seriousness of their training with a bop on the head.

"We're here to train your body Naruto, not waste energy. If you have time and energy to jump around, then you have time to put more effort into learning."

"I'm sorry Ji…I mean, sensei. I'm just excited about some of the things I read I could do with chakra last night."

Sarutobi smiled and put his hands behind his back.

"That's all well and good Naruto, but I need to get you to the point where you can actually mold the chakra into a jutsu. You're still young and therefore your control won't be all that great but that's where this comes in."

He held up a leaf and Naruto's face scrunched in confusion.

"That's a leaf sensei. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I want you to be able to hold this leaf to your forehead, using only chakra, before I'll teach you any kind of jutsu. Once you've mastered this exercise, we'll add more leaves to different parts of your body and let you climb trees."

"How long will this take?"

The old Hokage shrugged and grinned at his student.

"That all depends on your skill, determination, and mindset. If you set out to do something, do it. Don't half-ass it. Don't skip out on this training either. I won't teach you anything until you learn it. Now try to imagine your chakra as a suction cup to keep the leaf to your forehead. I have some things to take care of at the tower, but I'll be back soon to see how you're progressing."

Naruto nodded and picked up the leaf, settling into a cross-legged stance against a tree. Sarutobi watched with pride as he put the leaf on his forehead, only to huff in agitation as it blew away. He turned in the doorway to find his son staring at him.

"Well? How's he coming along?"

"He's…impatient and brash, but then again, he's four. I've never taught a student that young. He has promise though. He kept up with both me and Gai on our morning run with us at a quarter speed."

Yahiko's eyes widened and he smiled.

"That's my boy. He'll do just fine. I'm going to make him start on the next chapter of jutsu theory tonight."

"That's good. I think we should designate a day or two where he can go and play with his friends though, especially Hinata. He brightens her and the rest of the Hyuuga's day when he visits. That family needs a good dose of cheer."

"I agree. I'll arrange a play date later. Hinata will be ecstatic to see him."

"Indeed. Well, I must be off. Someone has to kill the paperwork after all. Keep an eye on Naruto for me. Make sure he's doing that exercise right."

Yahiko nodded and went back inside the house. He found Eri sitting in a chair, lightly rubbing the small bulge in her stomach.

"Are you still fretting over the baby? Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry about it? Naruto is still a handful and to have another child running around…"

Yahiko sighed as he sat on the arm of the chair and kissed her on the forehead.

"You have to remember that not all children are like Naruto. This one will be a cakewalk compared to him when he was a baby. It won't eat as much…hopefully."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarutobi sighed as he walked back through the gates of his home. He had taken longer than he thought and had missed the rest of Naruto's training. He regretted that, but knew the boy would understand. He was thoroughly surprised to find that Naruto didn't greet him at the door.

He searched for a while before finding the boy reading the jutsu theory book with Yahiko, a leaf stuck to his forehead. He smiled proudly. Things would go more smoothly from here.

Hope you enjoyed the second helping. More on Naruto's friendships and training in the next chapter. Gonna try to take this story kind of slow, so don't expect any really big time leaps.