"Speaking"
'Thinking'
Chapter 3: Training and an Old Friend
"I can't believe I'm going to get personal training! And from the way you used that sword earlier, you must be super strong! That'll show Sasuke! Then maybe Sakura-chan will start liking me and not that teme!" said Naruto as he walked alongside Kaito. Kaito could only laugh at the boy.
'He sure does talk a lot' thought Kaito. They finally made their way up the stairs and stopped in front of Naruto's door. Kaito looked at the beaten and old door. On it could clearly be seen the remnants of words like 'demon' or 'monster'. They could be barely seen as someone had tried to wash them off. Naruto unlocked the door to the small apartment and stepped inside with Kaito following.
'How could Hiruzen let this happen?' Thought Kaito as he tightened his fists once more. Even on the inside you could barely see 'killer', 'get the hell out', and 'die demon'.
'I am so sorry Naruto' Kaito thought as Naruto began to rummage through his apartment. Kaito looked around the small 2 room apartment. The small living room had an adjoining kitchen. There was a door to his right which he assumed was the bathroom because the door to his left was open and he could see a bed amongst the sea of Naruto's clothes. He went to the kitchen and frowned as he saw the rotten or stale food.
"Aha! Found them!" said Naruto as he walked out of his room with a kunai holster and weapon pouch. He placed the pouch on the back left of his waist and tied the holster to his right thigh.
"Ready to go!' said an exuberant Naruto. Kaito turned his attention back to Naruto and smiled.
"Let's get going then" said Kaito, he turned and walked out of the apartment with Naruto following close behind as they made their way out into the streets once again.
It was a normal day for a certain lavender eyed girl. The sun shone brightly on her dark violet hair as she hummed a sweet tune to herself. Hinata Hyuuga was walking along the busy road; waiving and smiling to the villagers around her. As she rounded the corner, she ran into the person she had not expected to see today. She fell to the ground, dropping the bags she was carrying. Dazed for a moment; she opened her eyes to a pair of cerulean blue eyes.
"I'm sorry Hinata, I didn't see you there" said Naruto. As soon as Hinata realized who it was; a blush crept across her face.
"N-Naruto-kun, n-no it was my f-fault. I wasn't w-watching where I was going." Hinata said as Naruto offered his hand. Hinata stared at the hand for a moment before taking it. Her blush deepened as her hand made contact with his. Kaito smiled at the small interaction then noticed the groceries on the ground.
"Excuse me Miss Hyuuga; I'm sorry for the trouble. May we carry your groceries for you?" Kaito said politely. Hinata turned to Kaito.
"It's okay, Y-you don't have too." Hinata said in a soft tone. Kaito shook his head.
"Please I insist." Kaito said warmly.
"She just said it was ok." Said Naruto; who in turn received a small knock on the head from Kaito.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"Be polite Naruto and grab her bags." Kaito said as he looked at Naruto, his eyes slightly glowing. Naruto grumbled as he picked up Hinata's groceries.
"We'll have to work on your manners as well" said Kaito as Naruto sent him a glare. Hinata giggled softly.
"Please Miss Hyuuga, lead the way" Kaito said and smiled. Hinata nodded and began to walk in the direction on the Hyuuga Compound. As the three of them made their way to the Hyuuga's, Kaito couldn't help but notice Hinata glance at Naruto every few minutes. Something that went unnoticed by the blond. They made small talk until Hinata stopped in front of a pair of guards that were standing at the gate, their byakugan active. The two guards moved aside after she explained the situation. They walked into the large estate, passing a few other Hyuuga's on the way. They also passed by a huge garden full of flowers of various sizes and colors, the flowers sweet aroma wafting through the air. Naruto stared in awe of the colorful plants, but continued on until they reached the kitchen. Naruto set the bags down on the table.
"T-Thank you for the help… um…?"
"Kaito Draconiz, It's a pleasure to meet you, Hinata" Kaito said as he gave a small bow. Hinata smiled and bowed in return. She then turned to Naruto as the small blush appeared on her face once more.
"T-Thank you as well, N-Naruto-Kun" said Hinata.
"No problem, Hinata!" said Naruto as he grinned.
"Well if it isn't Kaito Draconiz." Said a new voice from behind Naruto. All three of them turned to see Hiashi Hyuuga walking towards them. Kaito smiled as he met the man halfway. They both reached forward and grabbed each other's fore arms.
"How have you been Hiashi?" asked a grinning Kaito.
"I have been well, yourself?" Hiashi said with a small smile.
"I've been alright"
"Where have you been all these years?" asked Hiashi as they released each other. Kaito glanced at the two children and then back to Hiashi.
"A tale for another time, my friend." Kaito said.
"F-Father? You know him?" asked Hinata. Hiashi looked to his daughter.
"Indeed I do, Kaito and I were on the same Anbu team when we were younger." Hiashi replied.
"You were in Anbu?" Naruto asked Kaito. On the inside, Naruto was becoming even more excited about training with Kaito. He turned to Naruto.
"Yes I was, but that was a long time ago." Kaito answered before turning back to Hiashi.
"And Father?" Kaito asked. Hiashi nodded in response.
"Wow a lot has changed" Kaito said and laughed.
"So what do I owe the honor?" Hiashi asked.
"We were just helping Hinata here with her groceries. Naruto ran into her." Kaito answered as Hiashi shifted his gaze to the blond. Naruto could practically feel his blood freeze as his eyes met Hiashi's.
"Is that so?" Hiashi said, not once looking away from Naruto.
"That's right, but unfortunately we must take our leave. We have training to do. I'll stop by soon and we can catch up." Kaito said as he patted Hiashi on the back. Hiashi nodded again and smiled slightly as he looked back to his old friend. Kaito then turned to Hinata and gave a small bow.
"Good day Lady Hinata" Kaito said. Kaito motioned for Naruto to follow and walked back down the hallway.
"See you at school Hinata!" Naruto said before running after Kaito.
Naruto and Kaito were once again trekking through the village, but before they got very far, the two were stopped by Hinata once more. She handed Naruto a small jar.
"I-I thought you m-might need this. If your g-going to train." Hinata said. Naruto opened the jar and examined the medicinal cream inside, meant for bruises and small cuts.
"Wow, thanks Hinata!" Naruto said and smiled at her. Hinata's blush increased at the smile. She quickly turned around and made her way back to the compound.
They rounded the corner where Naruto had run into Hinata. This time being careful not to run into anyone else.
"So, she was nice." Kaito said breaking the silence. Naruto looked up to Kaito.
"Yeah, I guess. I don't really talk to her though."
"Why not? She didn't seem to have any negative feelings towards you." Naruto shrugged his shoulders in response, but on the inside he knew Kaito was right. Hinata had never shown any dislike to him. He looked back towards the road and met eyes with a young girl with bright pink hair. Naruto was just about to call out to the girl, when suddenly memories of all the times that Sakura had hit him, made fun of, or ignored him flooded his head. He broke eye contact with her and continued on his way. They were just about to pass her when Sakura spoke up.
"What do you want now, baka?" asked Sakura. Naruto looked up at her for a moment then continued on his way; not saying a word. This confused Sakura to no end as she thought he would have asked her on a date or something, but no he just kept walking. That was when she noticed the tall man Naruto was walking beside and talking too. She stared at them until they rounded another corner and continued her on her way.
"Who was that?" asked Kaito.
"That was Sakura. She's the smartest in my class." Naruto said in a dull tone. Kaito glanced at the boy, noticing the lack of chan added to her name.
"She seemed loud. Like a banshee" said Kaito, which in turn made Naruto continued until they reached a small grove of trees. They walked into the grove that seemed to be abuzz with life. The birds were chirping and singing and colorful flowers could be seen along the roots of the trees. They stopped in front of a large archway that Naruto guessed was made of stone. There were 3 symbols etched on every other portion of stone on both sides of the arch with another symbol at the very top.
"Ready?" Asked Kaito.
"For what?" Naruto replied. Kaito smirked at the young boy and took a few steps towards the arch. Kaito used his right hand to make a single hand sign. Naruto stared at him as nothing happened for a few moments. Suddenly chakra burst from Kaito. It began to swirl around him and took the form of blue flames. Slowly one by one the symbols lit up until all 7 were glowing. Naruto stared in awe at the pure intensity of Kaito's chakra; he had never before seen blue flames. It was then he noticed that the image inside the archway changed from the dark trees behind it to a sunlit field. The image rippled like he was staring through water . The blue flames began to die down and Kaito turned to Naruto.
"Let's go, Naruto." Kaito said as he turned to the arch and walked through it, disappearing into the rippling image. Naruto gulped and slowly followed Kaito through the arch. As soon as Naruto passed through, the image changed back to the trees of the forest and the symbols ceased glowing. When Naruto reached the other side his vision was blurry and he felt ready to throw up. He went down to all fours and tried to keep from spilling the contents of his stomach.
"Sorry about that, the first time through the portal is always the roughest." Kaito said as he softly patted Naruto's back.
"Ugh… What the hell was that?" asked Naruto.
"It's a portal; it connects my land to the leaf village." Replied Kaito. The feeling in Naruto's stomach finally subsided and his vision became clear again as he began to stand back up. As soon as he looked up he saw the sunlit field he had seen in the archway. Across the large field he could see another tree line. As Naruto and Kaito walked away from the arch and exited the grove of trees he noticed that they were exiting a tree line of their own. Naruto looked to his left and saw that both tree lines began to converge at the end with a small opening and a dirt road at the end. He could also see the leaf that seemed to be only a few miles away. He then looked to his right and his eyes widened in shock. There stood a colossal structure atop a steep over hanging cliff.
"Welcome to the Draconiz Estate" Kaito said proudly as he began to walk towards the giant building. Naruto stared at the building for a few more seconds before catching up with Kaito. As they neared the estate it only seemed to grow larger and larger. Naruto had never seen a building as big as the one before him. They veered off to the left and made their way down a gradually descending slope. At the bottom of the slope was a big pond with a single cherry blossom tree by its side. Kaito sat underneath and leaned his back against the tree and sighed.
"It's good to be home" said Kaito as he took a deep breath of the fresh air around him.
"So what are you gonna teach me first! Am I going to learn a super cool jutsu! C'mon tell me!" Naruto said.
"Enough Naruto" said Kaito as he glared at Naruto. Naruto was surprised by the sudden change of tone in his voice.
"From now on, you will address me as Kaito-sensei and you will listen to my every command without question, understood." Kaito said with authority in his voice. Naruto squirmed under the intense glare.
"Y-Yes Sensei" Naruto said as he nodded.
"Good now before I begin to teach you jutsu, we must first work on a few other things."
"Like what?"
"You must have the stamina, strength, and control to counter a jutsu's drawbacks. You have 4 months before the next exam. In that time you will train to increase your stamina, strength, chakra control, and your studies. Most importantly, your manners." Naruto gave Kaito a weird look.
"I know the last two sound a little weird, but sometimes brute strength and jutsu cannot complete a mission. Sometimes all you can rely on are your smarts. Whether it's a diplomatic mission or taking on a rogue ninja; I guarantee that you will graduate as rookie of the year!" Kaito said as he smiled. Naruto became all the more excited.
"Yes! I'm ready sensei!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he pumped his fist into the air. Kaito couldn't help but smile wider at his new apprentice.
"Alright then, give me 500 laps around this pond" Kaito said, resuming his authoritative tone. Naruto took off as his training had begun.
Well here it is, Chapter 3, Thanks for reading! If you guys have an suggestions on how my story could be better then let me know! Until next time! -Spirit