I don't own NARUTO!

"Shadow-clone jutsu," Sasuke asked flatly, crossing his arms. "That's too easy,"

"What's that?" Naruto asked, swatting at a persistent gnat.

"It'll be an efficient way to insert chakra," Kakashi defended. Sasuke sighed, and glared at Naruto.

"How come," Naruto asked, squinting against the sun. "What is Shadow Clone Jutsu?" In response, Sasuke groaned loudly.

"It's a jutsu where you make a clone of yourself with chakra," Kakashi explained. Naruto chuckled mischievously, while Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's very useful; you make a team of yourself. Sasuke," he glared. "Can you help me demonstrate?" Sasuke huffed his okay.

Kakashi made a hand sign that, to Naruto, looked like a cross. In two puffs of smoke beside him, were two life-like clones of Kakashi. Naruto's mouth dropped open, and Sasuke made the hand sign. Two clones appeared from puffs of smoke beside him.

"Okay," Kakashi started. "Now, this looks great, right? There are more players to help me fight."

"That looks perfect!" Naruto corrected.

"Wrong," Kakashi said quickly. "If I were hit one of Sasuke's shadow clones," He punched one, and it disappeared in a white, curling puff of smoke. "They disappear."

"Oh," Naruto said. Sasuke sighed at his lack of knowledge.

"But," Kakashi said. "If you control your shadow clones correctly, they don't get hit, and they can act as though they're you."

"That's awesome," Naruto smiled. Sasuke leaned against one of the trees. "I could have, like, three shadow clones doing my chores!"

"Kill me now," Sasuke murmured under his breath. Kakashi gave him a quick glance, and told Naruto to start practicing. Naruto's first hour was a complete failure, and didn't think he was going to get it in the next hour. Sasuke was practicing running up the tree, which brought Naruto even lower on the confidence scale because Sasuke was making progress.

They'd give each other heated stares and resume their training. Kakashi would look up every once in a while, while he read his book. The day was sunny, but pleasant under the shade of the school buildings.

"Yes!" Naruto shout in triumph when he saw a puff of smoke appear beside him. When the smoke cleared, it cleared too quickly. Naruto wailed in frustration when the shadow clone was in a gray heap in the ground.

"Great shadow clone, Naruto," Sasuke taunted. Naruto cracked his fists, debating weather to hit him or not. Kakashi was looking up, so Naruto unraveled his fists. He stomped the clone, and focused contently on the jutsu. His heart was pounding to the beat of Sasuke rushed footsteps against the tree. He shook his head, and refocused. Another puff of smoke came up, and Naruto looked through his hands while the smoke cleared. This one was on the ground, but it wasn't as gray as the last.

"Man," Sasuke said. "And who would have thought…" Sasuke left it at that, shaking his head at the clone. Naruto gulped down half his anger.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked slowly, keeping his voice down forcefully.

"That there is some greater power deep, down inside of you," he faced the tree again.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked confused.

"Forget it," Sasuke sneered.

"Hey, take that smirk off your face!" Naruto shouted. His frustration wasn't helping, and Sasuke's negative and confusing comments were frustrating him even more. He felt his patients were being grated against a grater, harder and harder. His anger was building up as a rolling snowball inside him, faster and faster.

"I'm not taking orders from someone as retarded as you," he said, looking at the tree.

"I've had enough of you, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed; Sasuke glared at the nothing now.

"Hey," Kakashi warned, feeling the heat getting hotter. A fight was about to start, and he was going to stop it before it started.

"Let's see how this is going to-"Sasuke was stopped by a blow in his face from Naruto's fist. Naruto looked at his red fist in surprise, and Sasuke was shock for less than a second. He returned the hit, sending Naruto backwards. Naruto was done playing around. He flipped backwards before he hit the ground and swiftly got to his feet.

Naruto equipped one of Sasuke's extra kunai's on the ground, and held it back ready to strike Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed a nearby kunai, and held it up, ready to guard any of Naruto's next moves. Naruto moved at a brisk threatened pace. They were at each other's throats when Kakashi pried them loose, and pushed them back hard. They looked at Kakashi in surprise at first and were thrown back into reality.

"What's the matter with you two?" He asked. Naruto huffed, and Sasuke glared, with new sweat dropping down his face. They were quiet for a long time, and the wind blew refreshingly on Naruto's sweat-moistened face.

"I thought you guys were at a mature age to not do this," Kakashi said with his eyes closed.

"Do what?" Naruto asked with a forcefully tone.

"To not use it against each other," Kakashi admitted rubbing his neck. Naruto massaged where a lump was swelling. He watched Sasuke ignore his swelling cheek. Naruto had done that, and he was impressed with his own strength. Naruto wiped a drop of blood from his neck. Sasuke had been pressing hard with his kunai. The next time he went to wipe the blood it was gone, and he didn't feel the sting of the cut.

It had healed pretty fast. Sasuke eyed Naruto's hand; he had noticed his speed-healing.

"Did you see Sasuke?" Ino asked Sakura while she busily did homework while eating lunch.

"Hmm, nope; at least not today," Sakura said in between bites.

"The news is all over school!" Ino exclaimed, excited and annoyed. "Sasuke got in a fight with Naruto!"

"Naruto?" Sakura choked.

"And he has a mark," Ino informed. "On his face." She whispered the last part. Sakura dropped her pencil and stared disbelievingly into space. "And you haven't heard," Ino mumbled ashamed. "I can't belie-"

"When," Sakura said, trying to regain her thoughts. "When did this happen?"

"Like, yesterday," she said, and jumped pointing. "Don't look now, but here he comes." Sakura turned around anyway, and gasped at the purple raised lump on his cheek. He glared nastily at everyone who looked at him. Sakura wanted to say something comforting as he pasted by, but only a stare continued. To her horror, he stopped and looked straight into her eyes.

She jumped, but held the gaze. He walked away, and didn't look back. She lightly touched her cheek, and looked at Ino slowly.

"You're blushing," Ino said, crossing her arms.

"He…" she twirled her hair, and picked up her pencil biting it fiercely. "Why do you think he did that?" Ino shrugged.

"He's odd like that," then she smiled. "But hot as well." Sakura smiled.

"He's so cute with that war mark on his face," she said.

"That bully Naruto," Ino whined. Naruto was sitting a few tables away, and he and Sasuke had kept eye contact for a long time. Nobody knew what truly happened, so the teachers didn't discipline them in anyway. Kakashi hadn't said anything.

That week passed painfully slow, but Friday came and Naruto didn't want to know what barrage of complaints Sasuke had that day. When Naruto entered, he was surprised to see a substitute sitting at the teacher's desk. Naruto sat down slowly in his chair, and eyed the sub.

He had dark, circled glasses on, his hair was hidden behind a black bandana, he had a solemn look on his face, and he wore a nerdish looking vest and a tan shirt underneath. Naruto tried seeing through his glasses, but they were so tinted you couldn't see a thing.

Sasuke finally arrived, and sat a across the table from him. They glared at each other, until the sub talked. He cleared his throat.

"I'm Ebisu," he greeted. Naruto noted how dorky he talked. "I'm subbing for Kakashi."

'No duh,' Naruto thought.

"He had me print out these worksheets," Ebisu said.

"Say what?" Naruto exclaimed. "Worksheets, in this class?"

"Yes," Ebisu passed out the worksheets to them, and Naruto slouched over the paper. Sasuke stared at it, like he wanted it to burn up and shrivel into ashes. For the next hour, Naruto daydreamed looking at the paper, being detracted by an occasional giggle from Ebisu.

"What are laughing about?" Sasuke finally asked annoyed.

"Nothing you kids would find interesting," he said in between chuckles. Naruto boldly got up, and looked over Ebisu's shoulder at what he was looking at. He was looking at girls in tiny bikinis.

"Oh my-"

"Hey!" Ebisu covered the screen with his hands, covering the girl. Naruto chuckled, and sat back down. Then the door opened. In walked a mischievous-looking man, with red painted streaks under his eyes, with white, spiked hair in a pony tail, red shirt, motorcycle gloves, and khaki pants. He looked at Ebisu, and frowned.

"You can take a break," the man said. "They sent me here." Ebisu looked up, nodded fluttery, and walked out. The man sat down, and Naruto watched him carefully.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm someone your teacher sent here for extra training." He said. He glanced at the screen, and was silent for a while, smiling.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said doubtfully. "Sent you?"

"What you don't believe me?" he said. He reached into his pocket, and had a folded up piece of paper in his hand. "It's from him." Sasuke looked at Naruto with such annoyance, that Naruto had to mirror his face.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked again. "I mean your name."

"I'm Jiraiya!" he greeted cheerfully. "You guys ready to go outside?" Naruto and Sasuke got up, trying to beat each other to it. They went outside, and Naruto looked at all the thin marks Sasuke had made running up the tree and striking it. "Now what were you guys working on?"

"I was working on Shadow Clone!" Naruto announced.

"I was running up the tree," Sasuke said pointing at the tree.

"Okay, then!" Jiraiya said clapping his hands together. "Lets see what you've done so far, Naruto." Sasuke huffed, picked up a hidden kunai, and began practicing. Naruto did the cross resembled hand sign, and closed his eyes in concentration. A puff of curly smoke came up, and a gray Naruto appeared… again.

Naruto growled in frustration, and didn't want to look at Jiraiya. He tried again, and got the same results.

"Why can't I do it right?" he grumbled in frustration. He rustled his hair, and heard Jiraiya sigh.

"You're getting yourself too worked up." He said. "In order to control chakra, you need to relax and focus.

"Relax," Naruto repeated, breathing deeply. He closed his eyes, and felt a shift in his body. He felt like all his cells were working and a force was building up. He made a hand sign and saw smoke. "Please, please, please, please," He prayed, with his hands clamped together. The smoke cleared, and a life-like, cross armed Naruto appeared.

"Yahoo!" Naruto cheered, hugging his shadow clone. It was gone in a puff of smoke, and Naruto pressed his arms around himself. "Did you see it? I did it!" Sasuke jumped down, unaware of what had just happened.

"See, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I did make a shadow clone!" Sasuke grunted, and kept running up the tree. Naruto laughed, and looked at Jiraiya happily. "Thanks,"

"Can you make a second?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto thought for a second.

"Let's see," Naruto responded confidently. He relaxed his shoulders, felt around for the shift in his body as he focused, and made the hand sign. One clone came out perfect, and the other was dead on the ground. He groaned, and straightened. "I can't give up yet!" He exclaimed. Jiraiya watched intently.

On his second try, two efficient shadow clones were standing beside him, and Naruto smiled proudly, waiting to gloat to Sasuke.

"I did it, Sasuke," he gloated. "See?" He pointed at his shadow clones, and laughed. Sasuke looked at them and quickly returned to focusing. He couldn't let Naruto distract him, or let him make more progress than him. He ran, and felt his feet adjust to the tree as he ran up it. He glared at the sky horribly, angry at the fact that Naruto was improving quicker.

He shouted in determination to himself, felt himself tipping backwards, and struck the tree. That was the farthest he had made so far. He was going to get to the top of the tree, and the top of Naruto.

So? Whatcha think? Sorry this one might be a little slow for others. Others think it was interesting… please review!