Ch 3: Reunion

" .. and,Kakashi had the runs for a full week after that."

"Serves the pervert right, and thanks again for taking me out to Ichiraku's Iruka-sensei. "

"You just got out of the hospital, and I was gonna take you anyway after class, but the.. incident happened"

"Don't worry, Teme won't get the future Hokage with the same trick twice." Naruto grinned cockily

"He just got out of the hospital yet he is so full of energy, what a strange kid" Thought Iruka with a smile. He had been in the hospital for two weeks with burns that would have killed anyone else. Sasuke was suspended for a month due to his rash action. The full scope of the burns were not all his fault though. If Naruto hadn't poured the chakra equivalent to gasoline into the fire, since he apparently had a wind affinity, his burns would have been far less severe.

" Later Iruka sensei!" Iruka snapped out of his delirium. Teuchi approached with a greedy glint in his eye and handed the scarred chunin the bill. The blonde had eaten half his spending money, again. Iruka left the stand with a significantly lighter wallet, and the stand had a proportionately happier Teuchi.

Back at his favorite training ground Naruto decided to try making a few tricks that he thought of. At first Naruto seemed to only stand there, a grimace of concentration on his face. After all, infusing the ground with chakra was hard work. Slowly, the blonde started to sink into the ground. Suddenly, he stopped.

"My idea worked!"he shouted in excitement. He then started to jump in victory, and immediately realized that something wasn't right. "My feet are stuck. somebody help me!" He received no response, just the wind being a prick and whistling nonchalantly. After he stopped hyperventilating he tried to reassure himself. "Alright Naruto you got yourself into this mess, and you can get yourself out" The ninja in training instantly calmed his nerves and got to work freeing himself "Focus the chakra into the earth, when it is being wasted the earth is ready" Naruto then put on his grimace "Feel the earth. Move every granule. Flow like water" Soon Naruto found his feet in two small craters.

"Earth manipulation for the win!" Naruto held out a peace sign to no one in particular. Naruto then began practicing his new trick to gain a fuller mastery of the art.

Naruto's days went on pretty much like the new normal. First learn the boring stuff at the academy, then train his balls off at the clearing. His physical workout was nothing to laugh at, he did push ups until he couldn't lift himself, then straighten his arms in push up position and meditate till he could no longer hold the position. Then sprint till he could no longer move his legs. Needless to say he had trouble moving his body after the training. He then worked on bending the earth to his will. He was coming up with all sorts of limits on his technique. How high he could lift himself, how deep of a crater he can make, how many levitating rocks he can juggle at the same time , and the speed at which he could take control of the earth just to name a few, and he was pushing those limits every day. He would practice from the time he got out of the academy till the sun went down, then off to Ichiraku's.


Two weeks later

"Saaaskayyy-kuuunnn we are so glad you're back!"

"Hn."

"Duck butt actually graced them with a response this time, weird"

"Naruto"

"Sasuke"

They still haven't forgiven each other for their actions in the spar

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Sasuke sank under a high roundhouse kick

"You're getting pretty good dobe"

Naruto weaved around a flurry of punches

"This is nothing teme."

"What in the world do you have to hold back dead last?" Sasuke smirked

Naruto's knuckle grazed Sasuke's cheek. Opening a cut that wiped the grin off the Uchiha's face

"Nothing, of course." the blonde tried to grin like a fox, but it just looked awkward. "After all, I don't have a family to teach me." Naruto didn't see the agony and rage in Sasuke's eyes. "Or a cool ninja bro to show me ju- HOLY CRAP!" Sasuke leaped into the sky and unleashed an inferno nearly half the size of the circular arena. A blistering shockwave swept through the spectators.

"WHAT THE HELL SASUKE!?" Iruka shouted

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Sasuke brushed past the blonde, hurrying to get to his seat.

"Sasuke" the last Uchiha looked back at Naruto, who had by then heard of the massacre. " I'm...I'm sorry for what I said in the spar. I didn't know." the golden haired child looked to the ground then back up at Sasuke. Onyx voids met cerulean maelstroms, the air chilled. After a lengthy staring contest, the air warmed to it's normal temperature.

"I forgive you idiot. And, I'm sorry for launching jutsu at you. That was way out of line, no matter what you said."

"Apology accepted." the blonde flashed a bright smile. A flash of smoke suddenly materialized at the front of class.

"Time to learn kawarimi no jutsu." said Iruka, his hands were in pockets, and his chunin jacket flew open as he gracefully stepped out of the parting smoke

"Iruka-sensei is so cool." thought the majority of the class as they quickly settled into their seats.

"Dag gummit" thought a certain blonde "Why can't we learn a cool jutsu like fireball?"

Iruka talked to the class, and held their attention throughout. Everyone who didn't know kawarimi yet learned something amazing. Naruto, of course slept in the back of class. And when Sasuke got up to practice the technique, he brought his chair up with him.

"NARUTO!"

"That was for roasting me. Besides, that was a lot easier on you than what I originally had planned."

"VENDETTA!" Sasuke screamed as he waddled from the class.

"I really hope this doesn't count as pranking the village." Naruto thought worriedly.

Soon, the kids went out to practice the jutsu. Many results were futile, producing smoke, but nothing of value.

"Sasuke-kun you're so amazing!" for once the fan club was right. Sasuke managed to get it on the first try, only having time for one, being indisposed thanks to Naruto's stupid prank. Naruto on the other hand, seemed to be having a bit of trouble compared to his duck butt haired counterpart.

"HAAAAAAA" A look of immense exertion appeared on his face, sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Are you trying to do jutsu, or poop your pants?" Ami said, with an air of superiority about her. After all, she at least managed to form smoke.

"Take a wild guess." a pink haired girl approached the conversation. Ami had nothing more to say with Sakura there and went away.

"Thanks Sakura."

"What are friends for?" Sakura grinned, showing off her cutest 'one tooth missing' smile. Sasuke smirked as he walked up to the his two fellow ninja in training.

"Sheesh Naruto, you may have beat me in taijutsu, but you can't even pull off substitution?. You suck!" Kiba laughed.

Naruto promptly substituted himself with Kiba.

"You were saying dog boy?"

Dog boy skulked off and minded his own business after that.

Soon everyone went back into class, and learned about the Hokages. Naruto watched with rapt attention as Iruka lectured on the Hokage.

"The Nidaime, Tobirama Senju, finished building what his brother started. The Villiage Hidden in the Leaves. Under his lead the will of fire waxed strong and Konoha continued to be a great city. Many great shinobi grew up under him and he even instructed the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"Iruka-sensei what jutsu did he use?" Naruto shouted, his eager hand a blur in the air.

"He used immense water jutsu without large sources of water to draw from."

This answer drove Naruto deep into thought. The rest of class was a haze in his memory. Even now, on the training field the blonde was still delving through his mind in search of an answer.

"Time to try my new idea!" Naruto announced as he approached his clearing. Naruto blazed through his training and was tuckered out far faster than usual "Finally, I can't move." Naruto accessed his near bottomless chakra reserves, but this time did not turn his chakra to the ground. He turned it to the air. Naruto found that he completely understood the earth when he infused chakra into it. Why wouldn't it be the same for air, or even the water in the air?

"What in the world was he doing this time?" Kakashi was watching from a tree just like usual when he felt a strange sensation, and Naruto disappeared. "Where did he go?"

"Strange ANBU, how long have you been watching me?" Naruto demanded.