Please return to Chapter 5 before reading this. It was redone with the original version.
-o-
"Move it!" Sakura shouted as Team Nine was finally getting the walking-on-water technique down. It had been about two weeks since Naruto had pretty much dumped his students on his old friends. As it turns out, though, she knew how to motivate rookies. "Do you want me to get Sasuke to 'motivate' you again?"
That was all the encouragement the genin needed. Sasuke had "motivated" them before. Tai simply did NOT want a "Thousand Years of Death, Plus Sword." The regular version was painful enough.
Tai charged his feet with chakra and ran towards the lake in front of him. He ran atop the water for a few seconds, then plunged into the cold liquid beneath him.
"Dammit!" he hollered in frustration. "Why is this so hard?"
"It's not when you finally decide to focus," said Arashi, who stood calmly above Tai, atop the water. "Leave all distractions out of your mind and focus. You may eventually be able to do this without any conscious effort."
"Yeah, whatever," Tai complained. He looked over to Asa who was also having a little bit of trouble with the technique. Well, at least I'm not the only one not getting down yet. I just wish it was Arashi who was screwing up right now.
From the middle of the lake, Naruto watched the genin as they worked. He analyzed each of their individual strengths and weaknesses. Tai was determined and ready for just about anything, but he was too easily distracted. Arashi was a very fast learner, able to pick out details that even veteran ninja would sometimes miss. However, he was also arrogant, and whenever he tried to give out pieces of advice, it would often come across as an insult to the recipient's abilities (or, in Tai's case, their intelligence).
Asa was well-rounded and intelligent, but lacked confidence in her own abilities. If she had even half of Tai's determination and a quarter of Arashi's focus, she would likely become great shinobi someday.
"They're making good progress," Naruto pointed out. "Maybe when they finally get water-walking, I'll see what chakra natures they have."
"You're finally going to take responsibility for your own students?" Sakura asked mockingly.
"Gee, you sound so surprised," Naruto complained. "I only handed them over to you guys to help them with chakra control. I can teach them anything but that."
"We understand," Sasuke said in a stoic manner. "By the way, the Chunin Exams are coming up in a few months. Are you planning to recommend your team?"
"Probably," Naruto replied. He then grinned mischievously. "If they can survive my new training program, then I'll definitely put in a good word for them."
"Hey!" yelled Asa's voice. "I think I finally got it!" At that moment, Tai stood up almost perfectly on the lake's surface. They were both cheering happily.
"Well, Naruto," Sasuke said with a sly smile. "Better get them ready for hell."
-o-
The next four months were fairly basic. Team Nine's sensei had them work harder and harder every day, both on missions and in training. All three were making decent progress. Tai was getting smarter, Arashi was (very) slowly becoming more of a team player, and Asa's confidence was getting better, though it was still a little lacking. One day, Naruto finally decided to move on to the next lesson.
-o-
"Chakra natures?" Tai asked, somewhat confused.
"Yes," Naruto replied. "You three do know what the five chakra natures are, right?"
"They are the five basic jutsu elements," Arashi stated, remembering what he had read up on in the Academy. "They are fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. All ninja have an affinity for at least one of these five natures."
"That's right," Naruto said with a smirk that his students inched away from. That always meant that he had something nasty in store for them. Instead, he then pulled out three little pieces of paper. "These papers will help us with this."
"But, Naruto-sensei," Asa said with her hand raised. "How are pieces of paper supposed to help us with our training?"
"That's a good question, Asa," Naruto replied. "I asked the same thing to my sensei. You see, these papers are made from a special type of tree that's grown using chakra-based techniques. Just let your chakra go through the paper, and that will show what your nature is."
"Okay," Tai said skeptically. "Could you give a demonstration, sensei?"
"Sure." He pulled out another piece of paper and held it between his fingers. Exactly one second later, it split in two. The students gawked at him.
"What does that mean?" Asa asked after getting over her initial surprise and confusion.
"It split in two," Naruto stated simply. "That means that I have an affinity for wind-style ninjutsu, which are able to cut, tear, and sever their way through just about anything."
"Wind, huh?" Tai said with a smile. He pictured himself literally blowing away any and all competition that came his way (namely Arashi). "All right! Gimme that paper!" He quickly snatched one of the pieces of paper from his sensei's hand. Asa and Arashi each took their pieces of paper as well.
"All right," Naruto said with a smile. "Remember: fire nature will cause the paper to catch fire. Wind will split it apart. Lightning will make it crinkle up. If you're earth, it'll crumble. Water will make it wet. It doesn't matter which element you are: each has its own strengths and weaknesses."
The students nodded and poured their chakra into the papers. Tai's immediately became moist. Arashi's caught fire. Asa's became moist and crinkled up. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Noticing his teammates' papers, Tai shouted, "Hey! Asa got two chakra natures? Is that even possible?"
"She's from a ninja clan, like you or me," Naruto explained. "It's likely that her double chakra natures give her some kind of special ability, like a kekkei genkai of some sort."
"Kekkei what-now?" Tai asked with his head cocked in confusion. Naruto practically fell over on his own face.
Was I this thick-headed? he thought, staring at Tai in mild disbelief.
-o-
After a brief explanation of what a kekkei genkai was (courtesy of Asa and Arashi), Team Nine was finally getting into some jutsu training. Naruto was quickly passing on some basic, C-rank techniques. He taught them each the hand signs for different jutsu. Unfortunately for Arashi, Naruto didn't know any fire style techniques. Instead, Naruto gave him a scroll with three fire style jutsus written down in it.
Again, Naruto found himself analyzing his students. Tai was able to memorize hand sign patterns with surprising ease. It was doing them quickly and efficiently that was the problem.
Arashi, seemed to master techniques quickly, but was too easily frustrated whenever he didn't get one down immediately.
Asa had mastered one of the techniques that he had taught her, but again, she didn't have a whole lot of confidence in herself, which was most evident whenever she didn't get a jutsu.
They went on for hours, just before the sun was about to set. Looking up at the sky, Naruto announced that it was time to go home. But as Tai and Arashi left, he noticed that Asa had stayed behind.
He returned to the training ground and saw her still training. She seemed to be struggling with the lightning jutsu he had taught her the hand signs to.
She ran through the signs again. "Lightning Style: Ball Lightning Jutsu!" Out of her hands came nothing but tiny sparks. The jutsu was supposed to launch a ball of condensed electricity that exploded upon impact. This was a shameful imitation.
She looked over at the now-decimated remains of the tree that Naruto-sensei had made an example out of using this jutsu. It had been dynamic display of raw power that was topped only by her sensei's mastery of wind jutsus. She was primarily a lightning type. She should have had this jutsu down pat hours ago. If her father had learned that she wasn't even able to master a simple lightning jutsu...
No. She had to master this technique, but not for her father. She wanted her father's approval to the point where she was desperate. But disappointing her sensei? She would rather die than have another person hate her. But for some reason, she just couldn't master this jutsu.
"Need some advice?" said a voice. She turned quickly and saw...
"N-Naruto-sensei!" she stood up immediately. "I-I'm sorry! I was just about to head home!"
"Why should you be sorry?" Naruto asked his student with a genuine smile. "I actually admire that you won't quit."
"Admire?" Asa asked in surprise. That smile of his was real, and she could tell that his words were honest. She just couldn't help but think that this was some sort of dream.
"Tell you what. Why don't I help you finish up?"
"You-you'd help me master this jutsu?"
"Of course. I am your sensei after all, aren't I?"
"R-right!" Asa said with a nod.
"Now," Naruto said crossing his arms and getting serious. "Go through the hand signs again." Asa did just that, but when she hit the final hand sign, the sign for monkey, her sensei stopped her. "Your hands are in the wrong placement. That's your problem." He quickly showed her the correct version of the sign.
Again, she ran through the hand signs. "Lightning Style: Ball Lightning Jutsu!" Out of her hands flew a ball of electricity that slammed into a small boulder and exploded on impact. When the smoke cleared, the boulder was gone, reduced to a pile of rubble. Realizing what had just happened, she smiled and started jumping up and down and yelling in excitement.
"Thank you, sensei, thank you!" she shouted, nearly crushing Naruto's spine in a bear hug.
"Okay, okay!" Naruto said with a laugh. "Let go of me before you break my back, will ya?"
"Oh," Asa said as she let her sensei go. "I'm sorry. I've just never been this excited about anything before!"
"All right, calm down." He looked up to the night sky. "It's late. We should probably get you home."
Suddenly, Asa's mood darkened. Naruto recognized that look in her eyes. He had seen only too many times as a child, every time he looked in the mirror. That look of emotional pain that no physical pain can compare to.
"I..." Asa started hesitantly. "I don't want to go home just yet. I'd rather stay here and train for a little while longer."
Naruto looked at her with what might have been some level of understanding. He nodded with a smile and said, "All right. Let's continue."
Asa stared at him. "'Let's?' You mean... you're going to keep training with me?"
"Of course. Someone's gotta stick around and make sure you don't wear yourself out. Might as well be me. After all-"
"You are my sensei," Asa finished for him happily. Naruto laughed.
"All right, then," he said. "Let's begin."
-o-
In the trees, a young man watched as Asa trained with her sensei. He shook his head in shame. Apparently, that silver-haired failure couldn't even get the hand signs for low-level lightning jutsu right without someone telling her how to do it.
Father will be most displeased, he thought with a sneer. He stood up on the branch he was hiding out on. Asa was a lost cause, of course. That was what Father had always said. But it seems as though some people refuse to realize that. One cannot improve upon what is doomed to fail no matter what. That is the way of the world, and the way it always will be.
-o-
Tsunade had just finished her third cup of sake when Shizune and Kotetsu ran in shouting, startling the Hokage and making her knock over her sake bottle.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune shouted. She seemed especially distressed.
"This had better be damn important," Tsunade said, a vein pulsing on her forehead.
"It is, milady," Shizune said. "Kotetsu, the report." The chunin nodded and handed Tsunade a file.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the file name. "'Nagano Case?'"
"Yes, milady," Kotetsu said with a dark look on his face. The Hokage opened the file and started reading. Her eyes widened as she read through it.
"Hiro Nagano was killed?" she asked in shock. Shizune nodded grimly.
"It was the same Hiro Nagano that Naruto and his team delivered that scroll to," Shizune said. "He was found cut to pieces, along with his daughter's severed head. The scroll that had been delivered had also been stolen."
"Is there any clue as to who did it?" Tsunade asked.
"Only one piece of evidence was found at the scene, Lady Hokage," Kotetsu stated. "Although the current investigators aren't certain what it represents. There should be a picture of it on the next page."
Tsunade nodded and flipped the page. On the top left of the right page was a picture of a coin of some kind, a medallion maybe. It bore the image of a blazing sun with a snake coiling around it, trying to bite its own tail.
That symbol… Tsunade thought. It looks… vaguely familiar. Then a pang of realization suddenly hit her. "No… it can't be… can it?"
"Do you know what this symbol is, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked. Tsunade stood up and walked to file cabinet on the side of her office. She pulled open the top filing drawer, pulled out a folder, and opened it. Her eyes widened.
"Damn that worthless snake," Tsunade muttered to herself. She turned to Shizune and Kotetsu. "Kotetsu, I want a squad of ANBU dispatched to further investigate the murder."
"Yes, Lady Hokage," Kotetsu said with a bow. He then vanished in a mini-tornado of leaves.
"Shizune," Tsunade said, turning to her aid. "I want Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in my office by tomorrow."
"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said with a look of worry on her face. "Is something wrong? What is that symbol supposed to represent?"
"See for yourself," Tsunade muttered as she handed Shizune the file she had gotten from the cabinet. Shizune looked through the folder, and her eyes became dinner plates.
"L-Lady Tsunade," she stuttered nervously. "This is…"
"I know," Tsunade said miserably as she sat back down at her desk. "It's Orochimaru's clan symbol."
