Naruto: The First Step- Chapter 25

By: MidatoUchiha

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto was hated by the villagers in Konohagakure no Sato because of what was sealed inside him. He dreamed to become Hokage and finally earn the respect of all the villagers. With friends by his side, life had never gotten way easier, for Naruto, of course.

Kakashi sent a message to the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha via his familiar, Pakkun, a small brown pug. The Sandaime was smoking his pipe one cloudy day when a small puff of smoke appeared beside him. When it cleared, it revealed a small but familiar dog. It had a scroll on its right leg.

"Pakkun, what brings you here today?" the old Hokage asked.

"Kakashi asked me to give you this, Hokage-sama," the dog said, gesturing to the scroll tied to its leg.

The Hokage reached for the scroll and untied it from the dog. Pakkun waited for the signal from the Hokage for him to take his leave. The Sandaime noticed this and immediately dismissed the dog, saying thank you. After the dog left in a puff of smoke, he opened the scroll and read its contents.

It read:

Hokage-sama,

I wrote to report something that concerns the mission you entrusted upon us. First of all, I would like to inform and reassure you that all of us are in great shape and we are here in Tazuna's house. But I can't tell you that we are not in danger.

It started a few days after we left Konoha, when we just arrived at the Wave. We were ambushed by missing-nins and Naruto was seriously injured. Not to worry, he has recovered quickly- I suspect because of the Kyuubi inside him- and is in great condition right now. It turns out, Tazuna lied about the mission ranking because he couldn't afford a B-rank mission. Though we are a little shocked about this, we understand the dilemma he is facing at the moment.

There is this man named Gato who killed his son-in-law for standing up to him and he and his family is being targeted now by said man and his goons. He is rich and powerful so we have no doubt he will easily bring Tazuna down along with his grandson and daughter.

We know perfectly well what the consequences are when one lies about a mission rank. I will be training my team, I assure you. We will be here for a while and we are hoping that you will allow us to stay and help Tazuna. And if not, we are willing to pay for the B-rank mission.

We kindly ask for your consideration, Hokage-sama.

Hatake Kakashi

Hiruzen sighed. He can't believe Tazuna had deceived them. But after reading the letter, he came to understand why Tazuna did what he did. He was poor but he was willing to protect his family. Hiruzen understood his reason very much. He knew he'd also do the same thing for his family.

But he was worried about the Genins. He knew they could take care of themselves but he was afraid they would get hurt. He came to think of them as his own, especially Naruto. He promised his late parents that he would protect him in any way possible.

But he also had faith in Kakashi. He said he would train them and when something bad happens, he will make sure to protect the Genins. The Jounin was talented and intelligent when it comes to combat, not to mention that Sharingan enhances those skills. He was one of the best in his batch and was also a previous ANBU.

But he still couldn't shake away the feeling that something bad is going to happen. He hopes he is wrong.

Sighing, he took out a pen and parchment and began to write a reply.

"I love you, too, Sakura-chan," Naruto said in a low voice though it was full of emotion.

Sakura gasped as tears welled in her eyes. Naruto began to panic, wondering if he said something he shouldn't have. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. "Don't cry, Sakura-chan. I can't stand to see you sad," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura shook her head from his chest, her hair tickled his nose. She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes still glistening with unshed tears. "No, it's not that. These are happy tears, Naruto. I'm just so happy." She lunged at him and kissed him longingly.

When she pulled back, she asked, "So… are we…?"

Naruto smiled teasingly. "It depends. Why? What do you want?"

Sakura smiled tenderly at him. "You."

"Then you'll have me as long as I'll have you."

Sakura nodded giddily. "It's a deal, then."

Naruto laughed and proceeded to kiss her again. They kissed each other with such passion and ardor that they closed off their awareness to the surroundings and only focused on each other.

They were so consumed by each other, they didn't notice that they fell on the bed together with Sakura on top… and that Sasuke had opened the door only to have his jaw drop at the sight. Kakashi was asking behind him what the matter was but he could not form any coherent word to answer his sensei. Kakashi peaked from behind him and had to stifle a laugh. His students were on the bed with Sakura on top, their hands wandering over each other's bodies as they examined each other's tonsils. They were pressed against each other and he could see a bulging tent on Naruto's crotch. Sakura's hand gripped the bulge which earned a groan from the blond. In turn, his hands fondled with Sakura's breasts through her nightgown.

Not wanting to seem like a voyeur, looking at his students express their love to each other, he forced himself to look away and his eyes found Sasuke.

The usually emotionless Uchiha was as red as a tomato, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he gripped the sputtering Sasuke on the shoulders and pulled him away from the scene while closing the door. And like the grown-up he is, he left his students to their own devices, sure that they won't do anything inappropriate- not counting the caresses they gave each other.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura didn't notice anything and continued to love each other thoroughly. But when Sakura's hand on Naruto's crotch was proving too much for the blond, he pulled away hesitantly and he took away his hands from their pleasurable places on her breasts. Sakura moaned at the loss and tried to pull him back to her.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto admonished softly.

Sakura pouted at him, "Naruto-kun…" she shot back at him.

Naruto chuckled lightly at her. "Gomenasai, I had to. Who knows how far we would've gone."

Sakura's eyes shone with mischief. "Why? How far do you think we can go?" She then squeezed his erect member which, Naruto surmised, was still in her hand.

Naruto groaned and pulled her hand away from his crotch. "No, we can't…"

"Why not?"

"They could hear us. You don't want to inconvenience our hosts, do ya? And, besides, here's a kid barely ten years-old living here!"

Sakura sighed exasperatedly. "Fine." She got off him and attempted to smooth the creases on her clothing.

She got off the bed, saying, "I'm going to shower first." Then with a wicked grin, she added, "Unless you want to join me." She made a show of turning her back to him and slapping her rear. She disappeared into the bathroom, giggling.

Naruto groaned. "Minx…" he muttered, glaring at the tent on his pants.

"Well, good morning, both of you. I see you finally decided to show up," Kakashi casually said from the couch.

Sasuke added, "I don't think they just had a good morning, sensei. I take it was a great morning. Wouldn't you agree, dobe?"

At this, Sakura's face reddened some more while Naruto coughed to cover his embarrassment. Sasuke and Kakashi shared a playful smirk. When Sakura noticed this, she rolled her eyes. She understood they just wanted to see tease them or more importantly, Naruto.

"Come on, you two. Stop embarrassing Naruto," she scolded.

Naruto turned his eyes to his best friend and sensei and gave them a murderous glare. If only looks could kill, they'd already been decapitated. But no one noticed the mischievous twinkle behind his glare.

Kakashi coughed and began to turn serious. "I've already sent a request to the Hokage last night to stay here and help Tazuna and his family. If my calculations are correct, the message will be arriving-" he was cut off.

"Now," Naruto informed nonchalantly as a noble looking eagle flew into the room by the window and dropped a scroll on his outstretched hand.

The eagle then exited the room, leaving an anxious team. Kakashi unrolled the scroll and read its contents. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I take it he permitted us?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi nodded and read the message aloud.

Kakashi,

I am having mixed feelings towards this. I feel conflicted that Tazuna would trick us like this after what we have done for him but at the same time, I understand his plight. I probably would do what he did if my family were in danger. I grant you permission to finish the mission though I am making this an A-rank mission. I'll give you the rest of the month to finish this.

I entrust the Genins to you and I hope you will not fail this. I agree to training your team for the remainder of the mission but I can't guarantee that and village reinforcements will be sent. The village elders forbid it. However, I am going to speak to Jiraiya about this matter. Expect him to arrive there in a few days. He will be helping your mission and training the Genins.

You and I both know how dangerous this mission is so please don't make any rash decisions. Speaking of which, take care that Naruto returns here in one piece.

I hope only negotiations will solve this conflict and if possible, please avoid any fights.

Sarutobi Hiruzen,
Sandaime Hokage

P.S. Don't mention this to your students but I can guess Jiraiya will be focusing on Naruto's training more than the other two. He'll be looking forward to meeting his godson.

Kakashi kept his mouth shut after the closing, silently reading the postscript. He understood what the Hokage meant. Jiraiya should be the one to explain things to Naruto.

Sakura's eyes widened. "An A-rank?"

Kakashi solemnly replied, "With what's happened I'm not in the least bit surprised that he made it an A-rank. This will get dangerous. You all know that, right?"

Sasuke and Sakura nodded silently but Naruto seemed confused.

"Sensei, who's Jiraiya?" Naruto queried.

Kakashi merely glanced at him and said, "You'll know soon enough. In the meantime, meet me out in the backyard." And he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Naruto glanced at his friends, confused, who merely gave him shrugs. With a shake of his head, he disappeared the same way Kakashi had departed to see the older man by a tree with a little orange book in his hand.

The area was a clearing in the forest with a huge lake in the middle of it. The trees were scattered around the forest floor without coming near the lake. The area had been cleared of weeds to allow easy access to the ground. Jagged rocks were surrounding the lake. Three dummies had been lined at the edge of the lake parallel to Kakashi.

Naruto took a step to look closer at the book but managed to catch its title on the cover before Kakashi stuffed it in his pouch. Naruto's face scrunched up in thought then disgust as the title lit a bulb in his head.

He groaned loudly. "Don't tell me you actually like that! Wait, no, don't tell me. Ugh... you're such a pervert! Out of all the books to read out there, you just had to pick that, didn't you?!"

Kakashi looked at him with mirth in his eyes. "Speak for yourself. You sound like you've read it before," Kakashi sneered behind his mask but it was clear in his tone.

"No, I don't! And even if I did read that, I wouldn't do it in public, especially with minors about! You're giving off a bad influence to children!" the last part was said dramatically. Naruto gave him a mock scolding glare.

"What are you two arguing about?" Sasuke said, appearing behind Naruto. Sakura was right behind him.

"You don't wanna know," Naruto muttered.

Kakashi just shrugged and approached them. "Let's get down to business. First thing's first. Do some calisthenics for the next thirty minutes then we'll move on to our first lesson," Kakashi proclaimed.

Naruto's eyes shone with determination at being able to become stronger. They almost had a greedy glint in them for hearing the word lesson.

"For the next few weeks, we will focus on your physical strengths like your offence, defense, your agility, resourcefulness, reflexes, senses, precision, stamina, dexterity, and lots more; your intellect which should be no problem for the Top 3 in their batch; your knowledge of jutsus and other techniques in a given situation; and chakra building," Kakashi continues.

"Now, strategy is an essential part of a shinobi's offence. You have to anticipate what type of jutsus will your opponents pull off, what elements they excel at and how to counter them. You should put also put in mind of your location, position, or place when in battle. You have to expect the unexpected whether you're on land or on water.

"For instance, you are in engaged in a battle on land. Your opponent is out of sight, waiting to attack you. First, focus on your surroundings. Scan the area. Is he on your right? Your left? Behind you? Above you? Or below you? Make no mistake. We are shinobis. We can be below the earth. If you're sure he is not above ground, do not hesitate to attack below. Even if he is not underneath you, if you put a lot of power into that attack, the ground will still shake and can cause him distraction or surprise and will reveal his position.

"Now, in a team battle, as you all know, is a great offence with teamwork. Who will attack? Who will defend? Who will heal an injured teammate? That is why we are in teams, to build up out individual skills and at the same time, share them with others to help them.

"Speaking of which- you, Sakura, will be taking lessons with Tsunami and myself in between training hours on the basics of first aid and healing abilities. Since your mother's a kunoichi, I trust it will be no problem with you. We will be training for at least nine hours a day every morning while I teach you jutsus during afternoons. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei!" they chanted together.

"Good, now start stretching then jog around the lake three times."

Then he sat down under a tree and pulled out his orange pocketbook from his pouch. Snickering silently like the pervert he is, he continued where he left off…