Chapter 4

Sakura's POV

Dear Diary,

Today was one of the best day's of my life. After we ditched Sasuke, Naruto started showing me his true self, the very side of him that I fell in love with. Having enough energy inside our bodies after our meal, we played a bit of hide-n-seek, Naruto was hiding, I was seeking. The fun part was, he created about thirty shadow clones. At first, I found it to be so annoying but he really made it fun for me. After that bit of fun, he took me on top of the Hokage monument, where we sat on the head of the fourth Hokage while feeding some birds and watching the sunset. Well, I can't say we were doing that the whole time. Watching the sunset was a beautiful experience but after about half of it, I'm not sure how it began, but we just started making out. He tasted so good, Diary, and we kept it going until way after sundown. We went back to his apartment at around night time. My mom wasn't and wouldn't be home for the next few days so I decided to sleep over at my boyfriend's house. Since no one's home and I hate sleeping in a house with no one else in it, why not take advantage of the situation, right?

Oh, sorry Diary, I have to go. Naruto-kun is kissing my neck and it feels so damn good!

Sakura Haruno

Sakura closed her cherry blossom colored notebook and took out a scroll. Making several hand seals, the small book vanished into the scroll. With its purpose finished, Sakura put it away to the side of the table. Naruto was the only one home and even he didn't know the hand seals she performed, so the secrets in her diary were safe, not that she wouldn't tell him if he asked though, well, that's if he asked. Sakura turned to her boyfriend and kissed him back. She loved doing this, it was like a dream come true. All her life, she wanted to find a decent guy who had the capacity of treating her right, was strong, reliable, and compassionate. The feeling probably came from being bullied through most of her childhood years for having such a big forehead. Of course only Ino was the one that mentioned that past memory but the feeling of being somewhat empty was still there, keyword...was...

After their passionate make out session which lasted for about five minutes, Sakura's eyes wandered off to Naruto's alarm clock (yes they were in Naruto's room) and noticed that it was eight o'clock pm. Nearly forgetting what she was supposed to do, she pushed Naruto away a bit. Puzzled, Naruto raised an eyebrow as his girlfriend walked to his bed and knelt down, only to pull something out from under his bed. It was a medium sized, box shaped object inside a plastic bag. He glanced at Sakura, who's next few words were one of the phrases that he treasured the most in his life, especially when it came from his precious people.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun," she said as she stood up with the box and placed it on his bed. Naruto closed his eyes and smiled to protect a tear drop from falling down to the ground. The blond walked over to her and sat beside her. He looked at the box before him as if he, Sakura, and this object were the only things left in the world. He did it for a while until Sakura's voice brought him back to the land of the living.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" she asked. Naruto whipped his glance to her and slowly nodded. Carefully taking the box from the bag like it was a piece of glass, he placed it in front of him and slowly removed the top of the box. Inside it was a set of clothing similar to what he wore except it was larger and the part where his clothing was blue, was black on the new item before him. Naruto held the jacket and the pants up high to further examine them, when something fell out from in between the clothes. Shinobi-like reflexes kicking in, Naruto caught it before it touched the bed. The blond's eyes twitched as he held the items.

'Are these metal...?' he asked himself as he gripped them tighter. He looked up to Sakura, only to see her nod her head.

"That's your second present from me, Naruto-kun," she said as she motioned for him to take the item out of its bag. Naruto placed his new clothes to the side and took the objects out from their container. Naruto eyed them carefully. They were kunai, that were held together by several rubber bands, but not silver like all the other kunai knives he's held in his life. They were black ones with very intricate engravings of leaf symbols on the handle and a swirling design, similar to the demonic seal on his stomach, on the blade parts. The blond shinobi just slightly touched the tip of one of them and felt a few droplets of blood pour from his finger and onto the kunais.

"Ouch... that's sharp..." he said to himself as he glanced at his already healing finger. Sakura didn't notice it but there was definitely something happening to the kunais. Naruto took a closer look and noticed that his blood, instead of sliding down and falling from the kunais, were being absorbed into them. Not only that but the kunais started pulsating a very foreign yet somewhat familiar aura. Naruto winced at the blades.

'Isn't that... my chakra signature...?' he asked himself as the aura subsided. Sakura noticed his unease and glanced at him.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" she asked, in a worried tone. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, just examining the kunais. What are they made of?" he asked, knowing full well that they could not be made of regular steel, due to their color.

"My father gave me those kunais when I was very little, before he went away. He told me that they were made from strange meteorites that supposedly came from a meteor shower about ten years ago. Most of the meteorite particles were carefully disposed of, since we didn't know what it was at the time. Without anyone else knowing, my father kept a fair amount of the meteorite. My father's reputation wasn't very well known back then so we didn't have very much money but he really wanted to create something special with the meteorite that he kept. So, during one of his missions in a very foreign land, a nearby volcano started to erupt and the mission was to evacuate the villagers and lead them away from the volcano.

"My father's squad led the people out of the village. Everyone was rescued but the volcano wouldn't stop its rampage, and sooner or later, the lava would reach other neighboring villages. Being the squad leader that he was, he told his squad to rescue the other villagers while he tried to hold off the lava. Despite the protest from his squad, they obeyed and left him to face the volcano alone. He tried all of his jutsus but the lava kept coming and he was running out of techniques to use and chakra to spare. Since he was a wind and water affinity, he used a very powerful jutsu that combined what was left of his chakra with a powerful tornado and a tsunami that he conjured from the nearby shores, to battle the volcanic force before him."

"After what seemed like an infinite struggle between good and evil, my father, using what chakra he had left, gave one final push and eventually defeated the volcano, immensely cooling down the lava at a miraculous rate. Knowing that the chakra depletion might have killed him, he ate a food pill that replenished his chakra. He knew that his squad was waiting for him and was about to return when a sparkling something caught his eye. He ran towards it and saw several rocks of obsidian where the lava once raged. He remembered the meteorite that he had been saving and decided to make something out of the obsidian and the meteorites. When he and his squad returned to the village, after a quick celebration, he visited a nearby furnace and created what he could from the minimum obsidian and meteorite pieces that he had. The kunais you now hold in your hands, Naruto-kun, are the very same blades that my father created all those years ago," she finally finished.

Contrary to popular belief in him being an idiot, Naruto was able to follow with what his girlfriend was saying. His eyes wandered to the kunais that he held. He started fantasizing many possibilities that could come to pass with the powerful knives that he grasped. It could have gone for a while longer but his other senses kicked in.

"I can't accept them, Sakura-chan," he said, handing the weapon back to her. Sakura was slightly taken aback. "If they came from your father, and he gave them to you as a parting gift, then I'd be considered selfish to take them from you."

Sakura recomposed herself and smiled at him. She wrapped her hands around his, and closed it, along with the kunai.

"No, Naruto-kun. I want you to have them. My father would have wanted me to cherish them but I cherish you just as much, and well, I think you should have them," she said, as Naruto pulled his hand back.

"Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yes, just cherish them as much as I did," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him. Naruto put the blade to the side along with his new clothes. This was definitely the best birthday ever, and one that he would never forget.


NEXT MORNING

Naruto had woken up early to start on his morning training. He took a quick shower and scribbled a note to Sakura, saying that he had woken up early to get some training done, since he had not done any the day before and wanted to train longer today to make up for the lost time. He put on the new clothes that his girlfriend had given him. After being fully dressed, he eyed the black kunais and decided not to take it with him, knowing he might accidentally throw them at a target and have them scratched or ruined. Naruto, careful not to prick himself like last time, removed the rubber bands from the knives and placed them under his bed before walking out the door, to the team-7 training ground. As he walked down the streets of Konoha, everyone was just waking up and setting up their stores. Feeling a slight grumble in his stomach, Naruto made his way to his favorite food stand. When he arrived, he saw team Gai, already there. The blond took a seat next to Lee.

"Hey guys," he said, announcing his presence to the team. Lee looked up at him.

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun," he said while continuing to much on the ramen inside his mouth. Tenten waved hello, Gai did his signature thumbs up pose, and Neji looked at him once before going back to his meal.

"So, what will it be today kid?" said Teuchi.

"Beef and pork miso ramen, please," he stated. Teuchi nodded and started cooking the boy's breakfast. After a few minutes, his food was ready. "Itadakimatsu!" he said as he started eating.

"So, what are you guys doing today?" Naruto asked, glancing at Gai-sensei.

"Today, we're running two hundred laps around the village, as well as five hundred push ups, five hundred sit ups, then after that, we'll be working on some taijutsu practice," said Gai, as he finished his last bowl or ramen.

Naruto actually stopped eating his ramen and raised his eyebrow at the deranged man that his friends called a sensei. He glanced at Neji, who had the look in his face that said 'you're not alone, I think he's a bit crazy as well'. Pushing all other thoughts aside, he remembered that he had to work double time for missing out on yesterday's training. Although it was fun, he had to be stronger in order to become Hokage.

"Think I can join you guys on your training?" Naruto asked somewhat hopefully. Lee and Gai's eyes sparkled.

"Anyone who's flames of youth burns brightly inside their hearts are always welcome to train with us!" said Gai as he stood from his chair and made one of his signature poses. Naruto, Tenten, and Neji had similar thoughts.

'Is he for real...?'

After the meal at Ichiraku's, they proceeded with running the two hundred lap and the five hundred push ups and sit ups. After a few hours, they all finished. Having trained on Gai's absurd standards, Lee, Neji, and Tenten finished rather quickly and ready for more. Naruto on the other hand, was having stomach cramps. Seriously, the way these guys trained, how is it possible that they still sometimes fail missions? No wonder Neji and Tenten thinks so low of their sensei. He's strong but sometimes his expectations were a tad bit higher than your everyday sensei, like Kakashi for example. But maybe that's what made him a better sensei, not because of his strange ideals, but his will to get stronger along with his students, and to teach them the value of hard work and determination. In a strange sort of way, Naruto's respect for the green spandex clad sensei had grown to a new level. After finishing his last sit up, Naruto got up quickly.

"Now that Naruto has finished, we will go on with our taijutsu exercises," he said as he pointed at Naruto and Tenten. "You two are up first!"

Naruto's mouth hung from his jaws.

"Are you serious?! I just finished some grueling exercise and I now I have to--" before he could finish, a fist connected with his face.

"Do not question my teaching methods Naruto," said Gai as he stared down at him. "These are the very same training exercises that I give my students everyday and they have benefited well from it. Maybe Kakashi has been lenient on your squad but when you train with mine, you will suck up! Do you understand me?!" he shouted like a drill sergeant.

Naruto stood up quickly and saluted the drill sergeant in front of him.

"Good, now, you may use any trick or weapon in your arsenal. Fight with the intent to kill, but do not kill your opponent, understood?!"

"Sir, yes sir!" said Naruto and Tenten in unison.

Both shinobi (well, shinobi and kunoichi actually but you get the idea) jumped a fair distance from each other. Tenten was the first to attack by throwing a shuriken at Naruto. Naruto dodged it effortlessly and charged at his opponent. When he got within distance, he threw a punch at her, aimed at the face. Tenten quickly raised her arm to block. The kunoichi aimed a kick at the blond's side but he blocked it too. They fought long and hard for at least twenty minutes. Tenten was getting desperate. Knowing that Neji was watching, she could not lose to Naruto, even though he was proving to be quite the challenge. Naruto himself was panting hard. Who knew fighting a girl would be so hard. Tenten was almost as skilled as a chuunin. The sparring match was dragging on too long, and had to be put to an end. Tenten resorted to her twin dragon scrolls. After performing the necessary hand seals, the two scrolls gave the desired effects by rising up at least twenty feet. Tenten jumped up and grabbed several ninja tools and threw them at Naruto at a rapid rate.

Having little energy left to evade the attacks. Naruto made the hand seal for the kage bunshin no jutsu. Just as he was about to perform it, it backfired. He had no chakra left. Gai, Lee, and Neji saw Tenten's weapons flying to Naruto with deadly speed, too fast for them to make it in there in time to save the blond. Naruto closed his eyes and shielded his body with his arms. This would really hurt but it was nothing that he couldn't survive. As the weapons drew nearer and nearer, Naruto readied his body for the pain, but it didn't happen. Naruto opened his eyes and saw about four shuriken, five kunai, and seven sickles, all cut in half or into smaller pieces. The young demon vessel was baffled. How the hell did that happen? Naruto glanced at his friends, they shared the same look as he did.

"What in the world are those?" said Neji as he pointed at Naruto. Three objects circled around Naruto's body (think of Mario Card, when you get the three turtle shell power up thing). Naruto glanced at the object and gasped. They were the kunais given to him by Sakura. But how were they circling around him?

"What kind of jutsu did you use, Naruto-san?" Tenten asked as she dropped to the ground, her twin dragon scrolls circling around her.

"I didn't do anything," said Naruto, still completely amazed at the floating kunais around him.

'I thought I left these back at home...' he thought to himself.

"Whatever it was, it won't last long!" said Tenten as she grabbed more weapons from her scrolls and threw them at Naruto. Naruto was about to move out of the way when he noticed the kunais move to block the first shuriken that was coming to him. Neji winced and activated his byakugan. The kunais were not only blocking the incoming projectiles, but also cutting them up at breakneck speed and accurate precision. Naruto just stood there as his kunais were defending him from the barrage of ninja weaponry that was coming his way.

After about a minute, Tenten's scrolls vanished. She was amazed to see that not a single one of them even came close to her target. It wasn't possible though. She threw them, not only in a single direction, but also aimed for other parts of the body and the kunais shredded them all without any of them coming even an inch from Naruto. Due to chakra depletion and extreme tiredness, Tenten collapsed. The black kunais stopped flying around and dropped. Naruto quickly caught them with both of his hands like last time and examined it. Gai, Neji, and Lee ran to Tenten, to make sure she was still breathing. It seemed like she was going to be alright. Gai looked at the blond and walked to him.

"Naruto-san, what did you do to those kunais to make them do what they did?"

Naruto slowly looked at him with a blank expression.

"I have no idea..."

"Gai-sensei, will you please move aside? I wish to try a little experiment," said Neji. Gai looked confused but complied. With great speed, Neji pulled out a shuriken from his holster and threw it at Naruto. Taken by surprise and having little to time to evade, Naruto could do nothing but stand there. He placed his arms over his body and heard metal clash with metal. When he placed his arms down, he noticed that he was no longer holding his kunais. One of them were floating in front of him while the other two were circling around them protectively. After another second, the kunai joined the other two in circling around Naruto's body.

"As I expected," said Neji as he walked towards Naruto. "I don't know how you did it Naruto-san, but you have created something that is similar to Gaara-san's sand defense."

"What do you mean, Neji?" Naruto asked. Gai and Lee had already caught on.

"Just as Gaara-san's sand defends him from up coming attacks, your kunais do the same. If four or more attacks come towards you, those black kunais will cut up the closest one and block the upcoming one. I have noticed that they will not slice every weapon or attack that comes to it. Only if they know that they cannot cut the next attack, will they block. But it seems as though they move at speed that is faster than light, so I'm not exactly sure whether they will not be able to cut the attacks. They seem to be very powerful too, and I am most positive that they have the capacity to defend you from even chakra related attacks, such as jutsus," explained Neji.

"You mean these kunais can probably protect me from a rain of fireballs or a storm of large icicles? But how can they with their size?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, but when I examined them with my byakugan, I saw a strange looking chakra coursing inside them. It is not a regular shinobi's chakra, nor is it that weird chakra that you used in our battle in the chuunin exams. If I had to take a very well educated guess, I'd say it is those two chakras mixed together as well as something else, to form something more lethal, powerful, yet controlled and less aggressive," he said, turning off his byakugan. "It is also my hunch that those kunais will only protect you, seeing as though I sensed some of your chakra inside them. And, I believe that they will come to your defense, regardless of their location. When I threw a shuriken at you, that kunai teleported from your grip and in front of your body to protect you from my attack."

"I see, but how can they protect me from all sorts of attacks? Won't they break?"

Neji shook his head.

"I thought about that but," he said paused as he grabbed the kunai from the air, "when I examined them, I noticed that all three of them are made of a tough earthly mineral called obsidian. But they are also made of something that I cannot quite place." When he finished, the black kunai vanished from his grip and ended in Naruto's enclosed fist, as if somehow squeezing itself in there. "The last thing I noticed is that they take an interesting liking into you and will not let others possess them for too long, as they will return to you after a little while."

Naruto glanced at the kunais again and placed it inside his holster. Neji placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I don't know how you came into possession of such amazing knives but you should consider yourself very fortunate," he said as he walked back to Tenten and the rest of his team.

"We'll have to cut training for today, Naruto-san," said Gai. "We need to take care of Tenten first."

Naruto nodded in understanding as team Gai vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto walked out of the training grounds and back to his apartment. He expected to see Sakura but instead, saw a note on his refrigerator door with a magnet on it. It said that she went to work at the hospital and wouldn't be back until around night time. Naruto nodded and threw the sheet of paper in the trash can. Seeing as there was nothing to do in his home, he left and wandered around the streets. Before he was able to gather his thoughts about his new weapon, the sound of at least three shuriken were coming his way. He heard them coming but didn't bother dodging as one of his black kunais appeared from his holster and sliced up the deadly stars. The kunai repositioned itself into his grip. Naruto looked to his side and saw who threw the shuriken at him.

"Hey dobe, wanna spar?" said Sasuke with his all time freaky grin.

"Bad timing, Sasuke-teme. I want to but I have to think about a few things," he said calmly, as he started twirling his black kunai.

"Think about what? And what's that black kunai you're holding?" he asked.

"That's what I'm thinking about. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to head on to Baa-chan's office to ask her what this is exactly," he said as he tossed the kunai up in the air. It was about to land in his grip when Sasuke quickly snatched it.

"Looks kinda cool, dobe, where'd you get it?" he said, examining it.

"You wanna hang on to it? Fine, go ahead," he said as he started walking away as he mumbled something that Sasuke was unable to comprehend.

'If you can...'

After taking several steps away from the raven haired boy, the black kunai appeared back in Naruto's grip as he started tossing it into the air again. Sasuke stood there, unable to comprehend what just happened.


Well, that's it for now. I think I might change the genre for this story. With this sudden black kunai thing, it isn't really turning out as a the romantic/dramatic story I once envisioned, so I might change it into romance & action/adventure. There will still be a lot of romance between Sakura and Naruto, that part won't change, so I hope you guys don't get pissed off or anything.

EDIT: I'm sorry about this mistake. As I said before, you don't have to review for this chapter, but if you wish, you can and it will be greatly appreciated. Also, if any of you have any ideas for upcoming chapters, other than the romance parts (I will personally take care of those), simply include them in your reviews and I will take them into careful and absolute consideration.

Sharinyakugan