And here's Chapter 3. Hope you guys enjoy this next installment. Look for MOTZ next. Readers, Reviewers, thank you...Satellite by P.O.D.

CHAPTER THREE

Naruto panted as he rose from the ground. He'd been thrown there quite harshly by his sensei and it had hurt…a lot. This particular taijutsu style was hard to learn and required concentration from him on several levels. Sarutobi insisted on teaching him Shaolin Monkey-style since it was a fast paced, acrobatic style that promoted counters and quick strikes. He grunted as he stood upright and settled into the crouching stance again.

"Good. That was very good, but you need to be more flexible and not rush headlong into things. Again."

Naruto grimaced and analyzed what he saw before him. After almost a month, he was making considerable progress. He had the leaf exercise down to a fine art and constantly had a leaf affixed to his forehead, even as he sparred. The only time it fell was when he was unconscious. He'd begun to work leaves onto other parts of his body while he read with his father. His chakra control was excellent considering he started with nothing.

He rushed forward, low to the ground, and swept at his sensei's legs. Sarutobi picked his left leg up and sent it crashing back toward the ground. Naruto used the momentum he'd built up on the sweep to jerk himself into a handstand and lash out with a kick aimed at his mentor's chest. Sarutobi grabbed his foot and flung him toward a tree. Naruto caught himself at the last second by latching onto a branch and swinging up and over it, only to stop in a squatting position.

Sarutobi wiped his brow and watched his student with interest. Naruto had come quite a ways in just a month. For a four year old he was quite the astute learner and grasped things easily if given an example. Written word was even easier for him, as he could conceptualize what he had to do and figured it out for himself, usually bending it to accommodate certain aspects he found either uncomfortable or impossible.

"That's enough for today Naruto. It's almost time for you to go visit Hinata anyway. I have to go to the tower and fight a losing battle against paperwork. Be sure to get home in time for your evening lessons."

Naruto swung down from the branch and landed in a crouch. He stood upright and bowed toward his grandfather.

"Of course sensei. I'll do as you say."

Sarutobi smiled and waved him away. That signaled the end of their student-teacher role for the day and both were glad for it.

"Good. Now go have fun with Hinata and don't get into too much trouble."

"Allright JiJi. See you later."

Sarutobi grinned as the blonde made his way inside to take a bath before going to the Hyuuga household. He and Eri had begun to beat manners into the boy's head along with his training and he was pleasantly surprised to see that Naruto was well behaved…when he wanted to be. The boy was a natural born actor. If he didn't want to be seen as a child, he could imitate his grandfather to a 'T'. Just like his birth father…

Sarutobi shook the thought from his mind and went inside to change into his Hokage robes. He hated having to cut the boy's training short, especially since his stamina increased by the day. Perhaps it was time to have Gai intervene. Taijutsu was Gai's speciality and he could always keep Naruto's genjutsu and ninjutsu to himself. They'd have to find the boy a weapon soon too. He himself was more situated to bojutsu…and perhaps he'd introduce him to Enma. See what the old monkey thought about a possible new summoner.

But that was all for later…right now he had to prepare himself to stamp his name over and over and over…and over.

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Naruto hummed happily as his mother escorted him to the Hyuuga household. He loved to visit Hinata, she always made him feel wanted. It was the walk over that unnerved him. Whereas the clans welcomed him with open arms, the civilians sneered and made rude gestures toward him. Eri scowled at those who did so and they quickly turned away. She hated that they treated her son like this. They still held the Sarutobis in high regard but Naruto was treated as a pariah…and one day they'd have to explain why. She dreaded that day.

Naruto just thought that they didn't like him because he was treated well. Perhaps they didn't like that he was being trained by the Hokage. Maybe they thought it was favoritism above their own children. He just couldn't figure it out. He'd asked one of them before what he did to make them angry and the woman had gave him a look that, had daggers come out of her eyes, would have killed him.

"You know what you did. And they treat you like a king for it."

He didn't know what she meant by that. He'd asked his grandfather what she meant and the old man's face drooped and he clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"One day soon, I'll tell you the story. But until then, trust in me that all will be well."

And he did. He did trust his grandfather, but the looks were becoming more and more baleful and hateful, searing into his memory. He was always happy when they arrived at one of his friend's houses. He couldn't wait to see Hinata again.

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Hinata was in her own little world. Her mother was pregnant with her what she hoped was a little sister and she was currently rubbing her tummy, trying to get the baby to kick. Her mother chuckled and pushed her tiny hand away.

"Hinata, the baby won't kick if you poke at it. Besides, it hasn't grown enough to do that yet."

"But…I wanted to play with my baby sister…"

"And how do you know it's a little girl?"

"Because you can choose the baby you want. Right?"

Himiko's laughter rang out through the room, sounding like a hundred merry bells. She truly loved her innocent little daughter.

"That's not entirely the way it works Hinata."

Suddenly they heard the sound of pounding feet and the door slid open to reveal a burst of sun-dropped hair.

"HINATA-CHAN!"

She barely had time to turn around before she was tackled by her best friend. Eri sighed from the doorway and picked him off the poor dazed little girl by the scruff of his neck.

"What have I told you about attacking Hinata like that?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and looked down.

"Sorry, it's just I haven't seen her in over a week. I was just excited."

"It's ok Eri-san, he didn't hurt me."

Hinata's soft voice came from the floor as she picked herself up. Naruto turned to her and flashed a mega-watt grin.

"Wanna go annoy Neji? He's such a stick in the mud nowadays."

"I…I don't think we should bother him Naruto-kun. He's…not nice to be around now."

Naruto sighed in defeat and immediately put his smile back on.

"Wanna go see what Kiba's doing?"

Hinata turned to her mother and found her smiling.

"Go on, you two, have fun. Just take a guard with you."

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and ran out of the room, dragging the helpless little girl behind him, while shouting 'thank you' over his shoulder. Eri sighed heavily and took the cup of tea offered her from Himiko.

"Thank you. He is such a handful sometimes."

"Yes, but he brightens Hinata's day so much. Hiashi's too, even though he won't admit it. She needs to be around people like him. Our clan is too rigid and stoic. Neji isn't a good influence on her either."

"Has he gotten any better?"

Himiko sighed and rubbed her stomach absently.

"No, he hasn't. He's become even more withdrawn and sometimes I see him staring at Hinata with disdain. I just hope he doesn't become bitter toward her."

Eri nodded and took another sip of tea.

"So do I, because Naruto wouldn't stand for it. He's quite protective of her."

"Yes, he's like the big brother that Neji should be. If only our clan did things differently…"

The unspoken words hung in the air.

Then everything would be better.

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Naruto raced through the streets of Konoha, a puffing Hyuuga behind him, carrying Hinata. The poor little girl just couldn't keep up with her more energetic friend. He stopped outside the gates of the Inuzuka compound and turned around to see a scowling, red-faced, branch-house Hyuuga.

"Naruto-sama, I would like to request once again, that you don't run off and leave Hinata-sama like that. It's very rude."

Naruto grinned sheepishly and bowed.

"I'm sorry Hyuuga-san. I'll try to be more careful next time."

The Hyuuga mumbled something under his breath that sounded like 'I'll bet' and sat the Hyuuga heiress down. Hinata tottered for a moment and then stood upright. She huffed indignantly and walked up to Naruto. She might be shy around people she didn't know and was quiet and gentle by nature, but Naruto's influence rubbed off on her after prolonged exposure.

"You left me again."

"I'm sorry."

Hinata sighed and bowed her head. She just couldn't stay angry with him for more than two seconds. He was too kind-hearted and apologetic.

"Just don't do it again please."

Naruto stood upright and grabbed her hand.

"Ok. Let's find Kiba."

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The two children walked through the grounds with their escort quietly, searching for their missing friend. Several dogs walked up to them, but when they smelled who it was they simply wagged their tails and left. Naruto was on good terms with most of the dogs in the kennel.

"And what have we here?"

The gruff voice came from behind them and Naruto immediately recognized it as the voice of one Kuromaru, the only dog that was indifferent to him at best. The dog seemed to keep shut of him if it could, but today he had come forward. Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand and she squeezed back for reassurance. She smiled slightly since it was very rare for her to reassure him. Kuromaru made his way in front of them and sat on his haunches.

"What are you two doing here? What is your business?"

Naruto put on his best possible impassive face he was learning from his grandfather and spoke softly.

"We're looking for Kiba. Have you seen him?"

"He's busy. Go home."

"Well, if we could just talk to him for a second."

"Leave."

Hinata saw that the dog's eyes were hardening slowly and that Naruto wasn't having any luck. Time to call in her trump card…her inability for anyone to truly hate her.

"Kuromaru-san, if we could just speak to him for a second…"

The one eyed dog turned its gaze to her and she shivered. The thing was more like a wolf than a dog.

"I said he's…"

"Kuromaru, what are you doing? Hello Naruto, Hinata."

The two bowed as one and spoke together.

"Hello, Tsume-sama."

Tsume eyeballed the two and her companion. She'd overheard everything, but wasn't about to give it away. She wanted answers for her companion's abruptness.

"How can I help you two youngsters today?"

"Can Kiba play today?"

Tsume smiled at them and pointed in the direction of the kennel.

"He can now. He's being punished for messing up one of his sister's things but I'll let him go for now. He can finish cleaning out the pens later."

Tsume smiled as the two ran off to the kennels and turned to Kuromaru with a hard eye.

"What was that all about?"

The dog had the decency to look ashamed.

"Forgive me, Tsume, but I can't help myself sometimes. He reeks of fox all the time."

Tsume sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"You know he's not the fox Kuromaru. Don't be that way toward him. One day he'll be strong enough to call you on your behavior and where will you be then? Where will those ignorant villagers be then?"

She left the dog to ponder that as she went back inside.

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Naruto and Hinata tried to sneak up on their friend but, as always, he smelled them coming.

"You two really shouldn't try to sneak up on me. I'll always smell you."

Hinata giggled as she watched Naruto sulk. He really was too funny when he was around Kiba.

"One day, I'll find a way to mask my scent and then you'll be sorry."

Kiba turned around and grinned at his friends.

"I doubt it. You smell like a fox. It's pretty hard not to find you."

Naruto put a finger to his chin and thought.

"I wonder why I smell like a fox. Mom got me a stuffed fox for a present one time and I sleep with it…"

"I don't think that's why you smell like a fox Naruto-kun."

Kiba grinned at Hinata and threw an arm around her neck.

"No one can explain why he smells like that. I asked mom about it and she just told me that people smell differently."

He took an experimental whiff of Hinata and she blushed.

"You smell like flowers…and cinnamon rolls."

Hinata pushed him away and hid behind Naruto.

"I do not smell…"

Naruto frowned at Kiba and turned away.

"We were gonna ask you to play and help you get out of trouble but since you hurt Hinata's feelings…"

Kiba immediately went on the defensive.

"But…Hinata! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Please forgive me. You smell really nice."

Hinata smiled and turned around. Being around Naruto also gave her the courage to be playful.

"But you were being a meanie…"

The Hyuuga watching sighed and looked up at the sky. It should be another fifteen minutes before they left for the park. The kids always did this…

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When the three arrived at the park, they found the other children there as well. Shikamaru and Chouji were lounging on the grass, watching the clouds and sharing a bag of chips, Shino was watching a mound of ants intently, and Ino was playing with a pink-haired girl.

Shikamaru and Chouji waved at the three and Kiba bounded over to them. Hinata turned loose of Naruto's hand and padded over to say hello to Shino. Naruto watched them go and turned his attention to Ino and the girl she was playing with. He watched with careful eyes as the civilian parents gathered up their children and began to leave, but shook it off. He strode towards Ino, flashing a brilliant grin.

"Hey Ino-chan. Whatcha doing?"

Ino smiled up at her friend and turned back to Sakura.

"I'm playing with Sakura. I met her a while ago and we're friends now. Sakura, this is…"

"Uzumaki Naruto. My mommy said he's a bad person."

Ino frowned at her new friend and looked back at Naruto.

"Well I don't think he's bad. He's a little loud, but he's not mean."

Sakura glanced over to where her mother was sitting and noticed the subtle motion for her to come. She stood and said goodbye to Ino before running off. Ino turned to Naruto and frowned at him.

"Now what did you do to her Naruto?"

His eyes widened and he put up his hands in defense.

"I didn't do anything Ino-chan. I just met her today. I don't know her."

Ino glared at him and stood up, huffing. She walked away toward her mother.

"I bet you did something mean Naruto. You ran off one of my new friends and I'm not talking to you."

Naruto watched her go with tears in his eyes. He didn't like it when people were mad at him for no reason. He lowered his head and sniffled, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"But I didn't do anything…"

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Hinata watched Ino leave and comforted Naruto by sitting on the swings with him until they left to take Kiba back home. Her day with Naruto was ruined and she felt bad that Ino had been mean to him. Kiba didn't know what to do once they dropped him off, so he just mumbled a goodbye and walked inside.

The Hyuuga knew that he had to take Naruto home now and as they walked, he reflected on what he had seen. It happened every time the boy tried to make new friends and now it appeared that he had lost one. Being every bit as sheltered as Hinata, Naruto had very few chances to interact with children his age and he treasured the friends he had. Losing Ino would be a big blow.

Hinata stood silently with her head bowed as they stood before the gates of the Sarutobi compound. Naruto looked up to see his best friend's downtrodden gaze and silently berated himself for bringing her day down. He put on a big grin and gave her a hug.

"It's not your fault Hinata-chan. I know what you're thinking. Don't be like that. Ino-chan is just being a dummy-head. I'll see you next time ok?"

Hinata gazed up into his eyes and gave him a small smile. She was glad he was strong for both of them. His strength was beginning to rub off on her.

"I'm sorry about Ino-chan, Naruto-kun. She shouldn't have said such mean things."

"It's ok. I'm fine. Don't be sad Hinata-chan. Smile for me."

She gave him a big smile and he grinned as he gave her another hug. With a wave he was gone inside the compound and she and the Hyuuga guard began the trek home. Hinata gave another glance back and smiled.

'Naruto-kun will be fine.'

The Hyuuga guard smiled when he saw her perk up and walk a little straighter. He chuckled in his mind.

'Kids…'

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Naruto frowned as he walked inside the house. Those words from Ino still hurt and he still didn't know what he had done. He nearly ran into his father as he rounded a corner.

"Hello son. How was your day?"

"Bad."

"Why bad?"

Naruto looked up at his father with the beginnings of tears in his eyes and Yahiko mentally sighed.

'What happened now?'

"I don't think Ino-chan likes me anymore."

Yahiko scooped his son up and walked toward the study that they used for their nightly lessons. Eri was sitting in an armchair with her feet up, sipping a glass of mint tea. She liked to listen to them as they studied. Plus, she learned things too. Her gaze hardened when she saw Naruo's semi-wet cheeks and she raised an eyebrow at Yahiko.

"Tell your mother what you told me son."

Naruto sniffled and buried his face in his mother's dress. She rubbed the top of his head affectionately and spoke to him softly.

"Well sweetie? What's wrong?"

"I don't think Ino-chan likes me anymore. We went to the park and she was talking to a girl named Sakura and she said I was a bad boy and now Ino-chan says I'm mean and ran her friend off."

Eri let the information sink in and sighed. Apparently, this Sakura girl was from a civilian family, since the only children Naruto had regular contact with were clan children. The only clan children he didn't play with were the Uchihas and she was happy for that. Sasuke was a pleasant child when you first met him, but he idolized his cold, emotionless brother and was sure to turn out like him. Not a choice playmate for either of her children, born or unborn.

"Honey, Ino-chan is just a little girl and she doesn't know what she's talking about. This Sakura girl doesn't know you and she doesn't know what she's saying either. Everything will be fine."

Naruto sniffled and nodded his head, turning to face his father when he heard a book hit the table. Yahiko grinned and patted the chair beside him.

"Come on boy, we're studying the theory behind henge tonight. And you'll be keeping leaves on your forehead and elbows as we read."

Naruto groaned as he sat in the chair. He loved spending time reading but theory was so boring. He'd much rather learn the jutsu than read about it. But he'd promised his grandfather he'd learn from him and resigned himself to that fate. He just didn't break promises if he could help it. He started on the page assigned him.

"Henge is the ability to change the appearance of a person into something else entirely. The size and shape can be anything, but there are several theories that weight can also be distributed or even negated. What's distributed?"

"That means it can be put elsewhere to even it out."

"Oh, ok. What's negated?"

"That means it's cancelled out."

"Oh, what's…"

"That means it's not there."

"Oh, ok."

Eri giggled into her teacup and Yahiko glared at her. It was his responsibility to teach the boy, not hers. He wanted him taught right. He grinned mischievously and paid attention to Naruto.

"Hey dad, what's size manipulation?"

Yahiko smirked and cut his eyes to Eri.

"Something pregnant women wished they had control over."

A growl was his answer.

"What was that dear?"

'So totally worth it.'

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The next day found Naruto out on his run with Sarutobi again but this time the green spandex ninja was nowhere in sight. He sighed in contentment, until Sarutobi cleared his throat, a sign he was about to talk.

"Yes sensei?"

"Naruto, from here on out, Gai will be your taijutsu instructor. I'll teach you jutsus when you master the next level of chakra manipulation, but I have to start attending to other duties as Hokage."

"But sensei…"

"No buts Naruto. I don't like it any more than you do, but Gai is an excellent teacher and you'll go far under his wing. He'll have you breaking bones in no time."

'I hope he means other people's bones…'

As they came back to the house, Sarutobi took on a serious demeanor when he saw Gai doing vertical pushups, his loud boisterous voice carrying the number he was on over the grounds. The old Hokage knelt beside Naruto and looked him dead in the eye, as serious as could be.

"Naruto, I'm deadly serious here. Gai is a wonderful teacher, but if I ever catch you wearing a spandex body suit, I'll disown you. Am I clear?"

Naruto gulped and nodded. He didn't know what disown meant, but he didn't like the sound of it. He'd ask his father what it meant later. Sarutobi smiled and patted him on the head.

"Good boy. Now, I'll be helping you with some advanced chakra manipulation soon, but for now, listen to Gai. He'll help you when he's not on missions. When he is, he'll give you a detailed guideline to follow and I expect you to treat him with the utmost respect. To you, he is Gai-sensei, understood?"

"Hai, sensei."

"Excellent. Good morning Gai!"

Gai leapt to his feet and the morning sun pinged off his pearly whites.

"AH, HOKAGE-SAMA! A MOST SPLENDID MORNING IT IS! AND HOW IS MY NEW PUPIL ON THIS MOST YOUTHFUL OF MORNINGS?"

Naruto never got to answer, since they heard a window slide open and a coffee mug came hurtling out. Gai never saw it coming. It collided with his head and he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Eri leaned out the window looking bleary-eyed and both Naruto and Sarutobi cringed at her voice's volume. The woman, while a civilian, had aim that would make Mitarashi Anko jealous.

"MAITO GAI! THERE ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO SLEEP! KEEP YOUR DAMN VOICE DOWN!"

The window slammed shut and Gai leapt to his feet as if nothing ever happened. His voice was considerably lower though.

"Ah, I forgot Eri-san was sleeping. Pregnant women need all the sleep they can get, you see Naruto-kun. It helps the babies grow up strong and healthy. I've also heard however that walking in the morning before sunup can help them as well. Perhaps we should invite your mother to join us on one of our runs. YO…"

Before he could get going, Sarutobi clapped a hand over his mouth and put a finger to his lips.

"Now Gai, I know how excited you are to have a new student, but you must be quiet here. Eri needs her sleep, so keep it under a hundred decibels all right?"

The eccentric jounin nodded and Sarutobi sighed before standing back and addressing the newest master and student.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it. Naruto, make me proud. Gai, keep it down or your flames of youth will suffer."

"YOSH! I SHALL! AND IF I CAN'T…"

A swift side kick from Naruto to his shin quieted him and Gai looked apologetically sheepish. Sarutobi smiled as he shunshined to his office.

'Those two will work out fine.'

Gai turned to his student with a twinkle in his eyes. He hadn't had a pupil in quite a while and wanted to enjoy the experience, at least until he took a team.

"Tell me Naruto-kun, have you ever enjoyed the wonders of spandex?"

Naruto just sweat-dropped. This was going to be a long day.

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Eri sipped her morning coffee as she sat on the porch watching her son and Gai spar. She had to admit, the man knew his stuff. Once he entered into his teacher mode, he was serious to a point of being scary. His eye was overly critical and he tore the boy's taijutsu apart.

"No, no, no, Naruto-kun! Extend the leg just a bit more to distribute the weight. Cock your elbow more. Don't bend that knee. Let the body flow. You're too stiff."

She giggled when she saw the sour look on Naruto's face. He was trying hard, but even Sarutobi was not this hard a taskmaster when it came to the martial arts. Gai thought nothing of shoving the boy's body this way or that to straighten him up, but even she could see his expertise shining through. Already, Naruto's body was remembering the stances and katas. Suddenly Gai appeared beside her. She blinked and looked back out to the yard.

'Of course. Kage Bunshin.'

"Eri-san, I hope I did not disturb you on this most youthful morning earlier. I was merely excited about my new pupil."

Eri smiled up warmly at him and shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry Gai. I'm a little more cranky than normal in the mornings nowadays. I hope father forgives me for breaking his favorite coffee cup on your head."

Gai's laughter rang out over the grounds and she cringed. He was a nice man, but she was getting to her limit.

"Not that I mind talking to you sensei, but why are you over here?"

Gai quit laughing and his face dropped to impassiveness.

"I just want you to know that I am utterly overjoyed that I can help teach your son, but I have to know…how is it that he is still standing after his workout this morning?"

Eri cocked her head and looked at him quizzically.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Eri-san, he is just a four year old boy. I know he is a ninja in training, but even so, his muscles have begun to develop faster than any other child's and his mind is further cultivated. He is developing faster than other four year olds and that worries me."

"I know. It worries me too. But father insists that he needs this. You know of his burden Gai, you know of what it entails. The villagers shun and hate him, and he doesn't know why. We haven't told him yet. We think that his 'tenant' is helping develop his body, while we cultivate his mind. Did you know he had fully develop, sharp canines at the age of six months?"

"I did not know that. But it doesn't matter. The boy's stamina is otherworldly. No other student has kept up with my regimen as well as he has. I can only hope that my next genin team has half of his youthful vigor. Excuse me, I have to go."

With a poof, the Gai beside her disappeared and the Gai in the yard stiffened for a moment and nodded in her direction before going back to the task of correcting what Naruto was doing wrong.

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Naruto stood with his hands on his knees, after a grueling lesson on Goken-style taijutsu. He liked it better than the Monkey-style, it was more rigid and allowed for more advancement than waiting, but Gai-sensei hit hard. And he was much more critical than his grandfather. The man was critical of how he stood or held his hands or looked at him sideways than Sarutobi could ever be. But that was why Gai was a taijutsu master and Sarutobi was The Professor. Sarutobi had forgotten more than they'd ever learn, Gai had beaten the memories into his body so he wouldn't have to remember.

"All right Naruto, let's call it a day. You've done very well on this youthful morning. Now come over here and we'll outline your training schedule."

Naruto beamed at the praise and immediately bounded over to his sensei. He didn't notice Gai's wide eyes as he flopped down cross-legged before the man.

'His stamina…it's like he never did anything today…'

"I'm very impressed Naruto. You learn quickly and you don't object too much to what your sensei tells you. That is most admirable in a student. But that attitude should only apply to learning jutsus and the martial arts. Never let your true self be swayed by someone else's ideals."

"What do you mean sensei?"

"Don't let anyone tell you something that you don't believe in. Don't allow others to mold your mind for their benefit. You'll find in this world there are those who will hate you for no reason other than you're alive. You must be able to rise above them and be the bigger man. Let your sensei's mold your body. Use your mind to decide what is right and what is wrong."

Naruto nodded slowly. He didn't understand everything that his sensei was telling him, but his father could explain it in detail. Naruto stood and bowed to Gai.

"Thank you for your help sensei."

Gai smiled and handed Naruto a tiny scroll. He flipped it open to reveal his training schedule.

"Of course we'll have to get some better weights for that suit you're wearing, but that can come later. Our lives will be very busy from here on out Naruto-kun, but you and I are going to face this together. I've never trained a future Hokage before, so this is quite an honor."

Naruto looked toward the ground and his hair overshadowed his eyes.

"Gai-sensei, what do you think of me taking the title Hokage? I've read about what it is, but I don't know if I'm the best one for the job. I mean, I'm not strong or smart."

Gai knelt down and put his large hands on the boy's small shoulders. He looked him right in the eye and smiled.

"You're not strong right now Naruto, but you will be. And you are very bright for your age. You'll make a splendid Hokage one day, and I'll be happy to serve under you. My only request when you reach the office is that you never let your flames of youth die."

Naruto smiled at his teacher and Gai was pleasantly surprised to see the sun gleam off his fangs.

"Don't worry sensei. My, um, flames of youth will never die."

"YOSH! AND IF THEY EVER DO, I WILL CARRY A BOULDER BETWEEN MY TOES FROM HERE TO SUNA, UNTIL YOUR FLAMES RETURN!"

"GAI!"

"Ah yes, sorry Eri-san. Well, I must be going Naruto. Continue your studies in the evenings and make your mind as strong as your body. And don't forget about your friends. Even a Hokage needs friends. It is lonely at the top."

Naruto watched as Gai shunshined away and snatched up one of the leaves from the small whirlwind.

'I have to learn how to do that one day.'

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Sarutobi sighed happily as he entered his house and hung his robes and hat on the hook by the door. It was always pleasantly quiet now that Naruto had begun his studies and he had time for a decent smoke. He'd watched the new student and teacher through his crystal ball and was surprised to see that Naruto was coming along quickly in Goken, a greater surprise that he wasn't affronted by Gai's personal style or speeches.

He'd chosen wisely for taijutsu, but nin and genjutsu were up to him. As he walked by the window, he noticed that Naruto had a leaf on his forehead and one on each elbow and kneecap. Sarutobi smiled and stopped by the window looking in. While the leaf exercise was not an overly difficult one, especially compared to tree climbing or water walking, it was essential for the young ones to know. He'd begin the boy on tree climbing in another month or so.

Naruto saw his grandfather at the window and waved to him. Yahiko looked up and gave his father a broad smile. That is, until Naruto asked him another question.

"Hey dad, what's 'disowned' mean?"

"Why, who told you that word?"

"JiJi said he'd 'disown' me if he caught me wearing spandex."

Yahiko growled and looked toward the window where the old man had miraculously disappeared. He turned to his son and smiled.

"Remember some of those words I said I'd tell you about when you're older?"

"Yeah?"

"Add this to that list. Now you keep reading, I'm going to go find your grandfather and have a 'talk' with him."

Naruto nodded and turned back to his book. This 'Kage Bunshin' sounded pretty cool. He wondered why it didn't have any more information on it though…

PLEASE REVIEW. I'D LIKE TO SEE WHERE I STAND SO FAR IN THIS STORY AS FAR AS THE READERS GO.