Edit Notes: April 24, 2005
Well, not much change in this chapter rather than how Naruto felt for Hinata.
Honestly, when I wrote this fic, I was leaning for a Naruto/Hinata pairing. But since I believe that there should be a viable choice for Naruto and that the scene in this chapter seems to sprout a sudden Naruto crush on Hinata. So that has got to go.
Hmm… And to think that I replied something in the next chapter defending my claim on the Naruto and the Hinata thing. Well I think I will edit that too. LOL
Also, I'm changing the title of this episode from Episode 4: Naruto's realization! The Blue Haired Girl with a Pure Heart! to Episode 4: Naruto's realization! A New Precious person to Treasure and Protect!
End of Edit Notes
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… -cries- But maybe I could be a stockholder of the Naruto franchise! Oh wait, Naruto is in Japan and it would take years for me to come up with the money to go to Japan -cries again-
Author's Notes: My, my! I must say that I am very pleased of all the reviews I got. It really is an ego-boost in a positive kind of way. I never thought that I would get this much seeing that there are other good stories here in onto answering those reviews;
Dragon Man 180 – Ha! Ha! Yeah, that would very much happen to Naruto if he was to over exert himself in training. But then again, Kyuubi is within him so chances are that he has fully recovered by now.
Max Knight – No, you're not confusing me at all. Thank you for thinking that my fic is good.
Are there really too many YAOI in this category? Well, we can't blame them. It's their fic and it is what they believe what might have happened if a boy gets interested with another boy. But we need not to worry, a friend of mine said that there were YAOI fics that were written well. Though, the idea that it is YAOI still prevented me from reading so I don't really know about it first hand.
About the village thingy, I didn't really know about that. I thought that any village could have a "Kage" if they so wished. Hmm… I think I better have a cover up for that.
Well the idea why the Sorakage (Uehara Hogumo) gave up the jutsus of their village so easily is because, well, it's really a secret which will be revealed later as the story moves along. But I can assure you one thing, the giving of the jutsus has a very good sense in it. I think…
Finally, thank you for liking the length of the fic. I always strive to make at least eight pages in MS-Word when writing this fic.
mikaii – Is the proposal really too fishy? Hmm, now that I think of it, yeah it does sound fishy. But I can assure you, the reason behind that will be revealed as the story moves along.
I can see that you like Sasuke eh. Ha! Ha! I'll see what I can do about him. But as to ease you, Sasuke will be a part of this fic for the longest time, maybe up until the end. But definitely a major part specially in the development of the story.
blader-takao – Thank you for thinking that the previous chapter was great. And yeah, this fic will not be YAOI. Thank you for thinking that the chapter length is nice too.
Grand Admiral Gin – Thanks for thinking that the fic is great. Also, thank you for providing informative sites. These will truly help in the development of the story. Not only the jutsus but the major information about Naruto itself.
KyLewin – Thank you for taking the time in reading my work. As for the Sharingan thingy, it is true that Sasuke might believe that in order to achieve the full potential of the Sharingan, he must kill his best friend. But, Sasuke is reluctant to kill Naruto, well at first I think he is. During the course of the manga, I found out that Sasuke's Sharingan did develop without having to kill Naruto he found out that Naruto believes that there is a "bond" between them (oops! Sorry for the spoiler!). So I believe that Sasuke didn't really want to kill Naruto, just to render him incapable of following him anymore.
I'm glad you liked the little skirmish between Lee and Kinjiro. And yeah, that stipulation of the doing "300" push-ups sounds cool. I'll try to do that if the idea presents itself. Sakura indeed grew fond of Lee in the later chapters of the manga and the anime. But still, she still loves Sasuke that's a fact. With the Tsunade and Jiraiya scene, I got the idea that Tsunade considered Naruto her little brother during the anime when Naruto challenged Tsunade and proved a point. It is there that Tsunade became the Hokage of Konoha. So yeah, I believe that Tsunade does consider Naruto like a little brother.
Yeah, I think that there could have been more with the Lee and Gaara scene. Well, I'll make sure that they do interact more next time.
Thank you for your insights about my story. It has really helped a lot and provided me with more ideas for the fic. Again, thank you!
swtiemz – You feel that they are bad huh? Well, it is really quite a shocker that one would just give away their secrets but then again, I will assure you that they happened for a reason. It's okay to think that way, it really gives me more ideas on how to approach the story and how to come up with a better scene to consider in the future.
Thank you for thinking that the story is well written. I will do my best not to disappoint you in the future.
Tiffyki – Thank you for your comment. I really appreciate that you think my fic is cool! Thank you very much.
zornoid13 – Thank you for thinking my story is great. I will try my best to keep it that way.
Dargon Shiento – Thank you for finding my story interesting. I will try my best not to disappoint you in the future.
rasenganVSchidori – Thank you for pointing that out. But then, I truly believe that Sakura does like Naruto. Not in the sense that she liked him the way she liked Sasuke. Naruto saved Sakura's life from Gaara before and that he has fulfilled his promise to her of bringing Sasuke back to her (in this fic that is) so I think Sakura has matured enough to be able to call Naruto with the "kun" phrase.
Unless the "kun" phrase signifies that a person likes that person more than being a friend, I guess I'll stay with Sakura calling Naruto "Naruto-kun"
But thank you for your insights, they really do help me a lot.
TigerWolf – Thank you for thinking that the story is great. All will be revealed in time if the sky is really good or bad.
About the pairings, well, all I can say is that some are already shown in this chapter. And as for the love triangle, well... I don't know yet. -smiles-
Once again, I thank you for reading my fic. I'll be sure not to disappoint you in the future.
Edit Note: April 24, 2005 - Well, it is revealed but not that concrete for I'm still finding to look for a way for Naruto to have a choice on who he wanted to be with. But that love-triangle thing sure will make it interesting now. Let me see what I can do.
nonengel – I'm happy to see that you are glad that Naruto is awake. Is it really that scary that the Sorakage is so friendly? -laughs-
Like what I said before, all will be revealed in due time. -smiles-
Well, that's it for the reviews. Again, I thank all the reviewers of my fic. It really does help a lot to know that there are people reading my work. Simple as the review may come, it still gives the idea that the person reading my work is satisfied and is having fun in reading. For that, I can't thank you enough -bows his head to his reviewers-
With all that said and done, let's move on to Episode 4 of the fic. -smiles-
Episode 4: Naruto's realization! A New Precious person to Treasure and Protect!
Another day has passed. This is the day that he was waited. He couldn't sleep last night because of excitement and the idea of training once again.
"Tomorrow, we will meet on the bridge where we usually meet. Sakura will show Kinjiro the way there later so that he will know where to go tomorrow. Naruto, if you will be out tomorrow, then I suggest you go to the bridge at 1 o'clock. The team will have a meeting there."
Naruto remembers Kakashi's words. The idea of a meeting sure pumped him up since training would commence if he was in tip-top shape.
"I finally get to train! It's been a while since I trained! I can't wait to see what Kinjiro is capable of. It would also be a good chance to show-off to Sakura." Naruto thought. But then, he remembered something.
"Please! I beg you Naruto! Please bring Sasuke back!"
With that Naruto slumps his shoulders and sighed. "Then again, Sakura truly loves Sasuke… Sakura-chan won't consider me more than just a friend. That ego-freak making Sakura-chan cry! I should have broken his bones when I had the chance!" Naruto thought while pondering on how he would beat Sasuke up to a pulp.
"I can't go back… Naruto… I wish to become stronger… To become stronger to kill my brother for I am the avenger…"
Naruto sighed once more. "That ego-freak! He is already strong as he is! How couldn't he understand that simple thing. I wouldn't regard him as my rival if he wasn't strong! Damn you Orochimaru for doing this to Sasuke! Damn you for showing him a twisted view of strength!"
"You have to protect the ones you love. Only then that you will truly become stronger…"
With that one more thought, Naruto's eyes were filled with determination. "I will become stronger! I will become stronger to protect the ones that are precious to me! I will never let anyone hurt the ones important to me even Sasuke! I will protect them all!"
And with that, Naruto vowed to himself unknowingly that there was another entity who heard his thoughts. "This boy is getting more and more interesting as the time progress…" the Kyuubi thought while hearing the thoughts of Naruto.
Just when Naruto was about to jump off his bed, a person suddenly entered his room. Naruto looks puzzled for a moment but then smiled with his trademark foxy grin.
"Hey Gaara! What brings you here?" Naruto inquired.
Gaara seemed surprised to see Naruto up already but then dismissed the thought since he fully well knows that the kid is not normal.
Naruto seemed to be in shock at the next thing he saw. "Did he just smile! I swear I thought Gaara just smiled!"
Gaara then moved closer to Naruto which broke his trance.
"So I see that you are already awake…" Gaara said while examining Naruto.
Naruto then grinned with yet another foxy grin. "Well you know me! I don't go down that easily! I am the future Hokage of this village you know!"
Gaara's left eye twitch. "You? Hokage? How can a loudmouth and hyperactive person like you become Hokage?"
Naruto's face turned in anger. Veins started popping on his forehead and his eyes turned white. He swore that Gaara is sounding more like Sasuke every minute. "Why you…! I will…!" He leapt from his bed and was about to strangle Gaara when he heard a faint knock on his door. Gaara took this chance and moved out of Naruto's way sending him crashing to the ground. A small smile escaped Gaara's lips seeing Naruto lay on the floor with his face flat on the ground. Naruto at the moment is seeing starts moving around his head.
Gaara moved towards the door and opened it revealing a female genin with blue hair and white attire, and a seemingly silver pair of eyes. Her Leaf head protector was tied along her neck. The genin on the other hand has shock written all-over her face. Gaara noticed this and decided the best course of action.
"Hey Naruto, you have a visitor…" Gaara spoke.
Upon hearing Gaara, Naruto immediately rushed for the door and saw a familiar figure.
"Oh… Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto said flashing his foxy grin.
Hinata, upon seeing Naruto, quickly had a change of expression. She looked down with her face flushed red while twiddling with her index fingers.
"This is interesting… One moment she was afraid of me and now she's blushing…" Gaara thought while he examined the blue haired kunoichi.
"I need to go now Naruto. I'll see you again sometime." and with that, Gaara started to leave leaving Hinata and Naruto for themselves.
Naruto looks on towards Gaara while Hinata kept quiet and looking down on the ground. After Gaara has disappeared from sight, Naruto faces Hinata. "Come on in Hinata-chan." He said with a smile on his face.
Hinata reluctantly entered Naruto's room and found a seat right next to his bed. Naruto on the other hand climbed on top of his bed and took an "Indian-sit".
"So what brings you here Hinata-chan?" Naruto inquired with a smile on his face.
Hinata snapped out of her trance and looked at Naruto. Her face suddenly flushed red once more that she quickly looked down once again on her lap. Naruto notices this and immediately, his face is marked with confusion.
"Come on Hinata! Say something! He might think you're weird!" Hinata pondered on her thought scolding herself.
Naruto was about to say something when Hinata finally decided to speak. "I-I'm g-glad y-you are f-fine now N-Naruto-kun" Hinata stammered.
Naruto smiled at her and jumped off his bed and flexed his muscles. "Yup! Look! Uzumaki Naruto is at 100 percent and ready to kick ass!" He said while striking a pose and giving Hinata his famous foxy grin.
Hinata smiled at him knowing well that what the boy said is true. "W-Well… I-I was w-worried about y-you when I heard y-you collapsed after b-bringing Sasuke back." Hinata stammered once again this time twiddling her two index fingers together.
Naruto felt warm inside. "She was worried about me! Wow! Thank you Hinata-chan! Now I have one more person that acknowledges me! Life can be so happy at times."
Naruto then thought of playing Hinata a joke. With a grin on his face, Naruto uttered; "Well… It's not like anyone will miss me if I die… No one cares for me…" His face looking saddened while his voice emitted with sadness.
Naruto never expected the next thing that happened, he was so surprised that his brain took its time to process the information.
Hinata stood up from her seat and immediately grabbed Naruto into a hug. She cried and cried on his chest. "No! You're wrong Naruto-kun! I don't want you to die! You're the one that acknowledge me even thought others didn't! You're the one that gave me strength when I am weak! You're an important person to me Naruto-kun!" she uttered almost in a shout as she continued to cry on his chest.
"Whoa! That was a different reaction. I didn't think she cared for me that much. That makes me so happy. Thank you Hinata-chan, thank you for acknowledging my existence." Naruto thought to himself.
Without knowing, Naruto hugged Hinata back to ease her crying, occasionally brushing his hands on her back. "I'm so sorry Hinata-chan… I didn't mean to make you cry! I was only playing with you about no one will miss me when I die! There's Iruka-sensei who will most likely be the first one to cry when I'm gone. There's also Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Oba-chan, Ero-sennin, and maybe even Sasuke. Besides, I can't die! I will become Hokage!" Naruto said while looking at the sobbing Hinata.
Hinata looked up to Naruto still teary eyed. Naruto wiped Hinata's tear with his right hand and flashed him his famous foxy grin. "And besides…" Naruto uttered while breaking their hug and putting his hands on Hinata's shoulders. "I have one more person that cares for me. And that is you Hinata-chan. Arigato." He continued while looking Hinata in the eye.
Hinata smiled back at Naruto. Though, she immediately looked down once again on the ground to avert from his gaze. Her face now flushed crimson red.
Naruto straighten himself up and looks at Hinata once more. "Well… I need to meet up with my team. Would mind accompanying me outside of the hospital?"
"S-sure!" replied the still blushing Hinata.
Inside another room in the hospital, a female genin is looking at the laying figure of Neji who seems to be sleeping.
"Neji-kun… Please be alright…" the female genin uttered.
Her concerns were answered when Neji started to wake up. The first thing Neji saw was the ceiling painted in white.
"W-Where am I?" Neji uttered groggily.
"You're in the Hospital Neji-kun." replied a voice, a female voice to be exact.
Neji turns around much to his discomfort because of the pain all-over his body and found a certain brown haired kunoichi. "Ten-Ten… How long have I been here?"
"This is the 3rd day that you are here. You awfully took quite a beating. You've broken several bones. Luckily, our Hokage is the great medic-nin." Ten-Ten replied while peeling off an apple.
"I see…" was all Neji could answer while gazing back at the ceiling and in deep thought. He was however cut-off from his thought when Ten-Ten came up next to him.
"Neji-kun, would you like some apples?" Ten-Ten inquired.
"Sure…" Neji replied.
Neji tried to move his hands to reach for the plate but soon found out that he can't do so. The pain on his arms was too great to even make it move. Ten-Ten saw this and she immediately stopped Neji.
"Don't move too much Neji-kun! Here, I'll feed you the apples." Ten-Ten said while placing the apples near Neji's mouth.
Neji reluctantly opened his mouth and ate the apple Ten-Ten is feeding him. A blush suddenly flushed on her face realizing what she is doing. Neji on the other hand wasn't spared that he too flushed a crimson red. Nonetheless, they continued on, Ten-Ten feeding Neji and Neji eating the apple Ten-Ten brought to his mouth.
Suddenly, the door burst open revealing their famous sensei Maito Gai who seems to be in a hurry. The sudden outburst startled the two which in turn made Ten-Ten slip the apple on Neji's mouth along with her index finger. Neji caught Ten-Ten's finger between his lips enough for his tongue to touch it. Crimson Red burned on Ten-Ten's face as well as Neji's. Ten-Ten immediately removed her finger from Neji's mouth and looked down on the ground.
Gai on the other hand seemed oblivious of what has happened and approached Neji's bed. "So, feeling better Neji?"
"H-Hai… Gai-sensei…" Neji answered still flushing red.
Gai noticed that Neji is turning red. "Are you sure? You look like you're having a fever. You're turning red all over!"
Neji turned more red if it was even possible at his comment. "How could he be so insensitive?" Neji thought.
"Anyway, I came here to tell you that the Chuunin Selection Exam will be re-held here in Konoha two months from now. So I suggest that the both of you start training if you want to be in it." Gai uttered while moving towards the door. "While you're at it, maybe you should see a doctor too Ten-Ten… You seem to have caught fever too!" and with that Gai left and closed the door behind.
The two were left in the room both still blushing. Both were silent for a while, unable to say something from the incident that happened before. The silent atmosphere was soon broken when Neji started to speak. "So… We must train in order to be part of the exam… Do you wish to take part in it too Ten-Ten-chan?"
"Ten-Ten-chan! He called my name with chan? Does he acknowledge me now?"
Ten-Ten's thought was soon cut-off when she saw the questioning look on Neji's face. She felt blood rushed to her face once more. "Y-yes! Let us both participate in the exams." she replied.
Neji smiled at her which almost melted her right there. But the next phrase he uttered definitely took the cake.
"So… Shall we continue where we left off? You know, me eating and you feeding…"
Ten-Ten stood there awestruck but then recovered and gave Neji her best smile. She continued on where they left and started feeding Neji again with apples.
"To protect someone precious to you is the way of becoming strong." The phrase played in Neji's mind.
"I think I just found a person precious to me for me to protect…" Neji thought as he looked on towards Ten-Ten feeding him with a blush on her face.
Outside the door, Gai was seen walking out of the hospital with a grin on his face. "My students are starting to grow… The power of youth is such an amazing thing."
Not far away from the hospital, Naruto and Hinata are seen walking side by side not really talking to each other.
"Ah this is really starting to be a great day. First I can go on o start training again. I wonder what Kakashi-sensei has in-store for us. Then there's Hinata-chan. Another person who acknowledges my existence. Another precious person." the blond haired boy thought to himself. His face emitting a bright smile.
"I can't believe I'm actually walking side by side with Naruto-kun!" Hinata thought to herself while trying to hide her blushing from Naruto.
But time was not on her side. They have now reached the intersection that separates their training grounds with each other. The two both looked at each other.
"So, I guess this is where we separate then Hinata-chan…" Naruto uttered while scratching the back of his head.
"H-Hai… I guess so…" Hinata uttered in reply with a blush on her cheeks.
Naruto then approached Hinata. "You know Hinata-chan, you're weird."
Hinata's head slumped down on the ground with a puff of air coming out her mouth. Most of the people said that when they encounter her. She was used to it but for that to come out from Naruto is really heart breaking.
Just then, Naruto did the most impossible thing that he could have done. He slowly enveloped Hinata into a warm hug which left the blue haired kunoichi awestruck. "Thank you Hinata-chan… Thank you for worrying about me… You just gave me another reason to become stronger… And that reason is you…"
Naruto then released the hug and looked Hinata into her eyes. "You know, I've said this before Hinata-chan…" Naruto then turns around and walks towards their meeting place. "I like you… Hinata-chan… You are a good person." Naruto finished while starting to run towards team seven's meeting place. He waved once more at Hinata and continued on running.
"He said he liked me! He really does like me!" the phrase kept playing on and on in her mind. She suddenly flushed a deep crimson red and also turns around towards their team's meeting place and started walking. With another glance at the direction Naruto has run to, she whispered to herself; "I will become stronger too so that I can protect the most precious person to me… So that I can protect you Naruto-kun"
And with that, Hinata's eyes glowed with a new found determination a she ran towards her team's meeting place.
Naruto was now running towards their meeting place. A bright smile on his face. "Another person who acknowledges me. This day is really great. Life can be so giving at times. I hope it doesn't leave me hanging."
He didn't have time to finish his thought because he was now in front of their meeting place, team seven's meeting place. He noticed Sakura sitting by the bridge's railing while Kinjiro is on the opposite side talking to Sakura.
"Oi! Sakura-chan! Kinjiro! I'm here!" Naruto shouted while he approached the other two genins.
Sakura looked on at the running Naruto while Kinjiro waves his arm to acknowledge Naruto's presence. Seconds pass, Naruto has now reached the two panting heavily.
"Hey! How are you now Naruto-kun? You looked liked you were being chased by demons." Kinjiro inquired while looking at the blond shinobi panting in front of him.
"Kinjiro's right Naruto-kun! Don't over-exert yourself, you just got out of the hospital." Sakura uttered with concern on her voice.
Naruto suddenly brightened by Sakura's comment. "Thanks! Say… Would you mind going out with… me… on a date then Sakura-chan?"
Sakura smirked and stuck her tongue out. "Not by a long shot Naruto-kun! I will only go out with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura blushed at the mere mention of Sasuke's name. Then she smiled back at Naruto with a cheery smile.
Naruto on the other hand felt his dreams of being with Sakura crumbled. Good thing Kinjiro brought him back to reality.
"Don't be so glum Naruto… I'll teach you a jutsu to make you feel better." Kinjiro uttered while patting Naruto's back.
The magic word worked liked a charm and Naruto was now looking at Kinjiro pleadingly to teach him a new jutsu. Naruto was even going to go on his knees to beg when Kakashi suddenly popped out in front of the two.
"Yo!" Kakashi uttered while waving his right hand.
Sakura and Naruto immediately pointed a finger in Kakashi's face. "YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!" the two chorused with irritation for their sensei marking their face.
"I got lost in pondering the meaning of life…" Kakashi uttered while scratching the back of his head.
"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY" the two once again chorused. Kakashi could only laugh while Kinjiro sweat dropped.
Several minutes later, team seven and their new member Kinjiro are now on their training field led by their jounin instructor.
"So, for today, let us introduce ourselves once again for the benefit of our new member Kinjiro" Kakashi explained while looking at his students.
Sakura went first. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I am good with Genjutsus and a few Ninjutsus but not very proficient with Taijutsu. And my dream is to have a family of my own with…" Sakura trailed blushing.
Naruto and Kakashi both sweat dropped at this. "That same dream again…" both thought at the same time.
Naruto then went to introduce himself. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I know Ninjutsus and a little Taijutsu. I sucked at Genjutsus though. My favorite move is the Rasengan and my favorite food is ramen! My dream is to become Hokage someday!" Naruto finished with a big grin on his face.
Kinjiro clapped in acknowledgement of Naruto and Sakura. He then soon went on to introduce himself. "My name is Uehara Kinjiro. I usually prefer using Taijutsu and I know a few Ninjutsu. I also sucked at Genjutsus but know a few. My favorite past time is to read scrolls and train and my dream is to become a great ninja."
The others also clapped in acknowledgement to Kinjiro.
Kakashi was next to introduce himself. "My name is Kakashi and I will be your instructor for the rest of the term until you become chuunins. Now, since the introductions are now finished, let's get on with training." Kakashi uttered with a smile from behind his mask.
The training commenced with mostly consisting of chakra control. Sakura as always was at the top followed closely by Kinjiro. Naruto on the other hand failed a few times occasionally cursing at himself but then came around to finish the exercise.
It was now 3 o'clock in the afternoon and the training is now over. After the chakra control exercise, Kakashi thought of dismissing the team with the excuse saying that Naruto is still not 100 percent much to the disapproval of the blonde. But then, Kakashi had his way and sent the three genins on their way home.
"Man! I never thought chakra control could be so tiring!" Kinjiro complained.
"Yeah… I'm almost drained… I think Kakashi-sensei overdid it…" Sakura uttered while massaging the back of her neck.
Naruto on the other hand still got energy left to complain. "Hmph! Kakashi-sensei is just lazy to train today!"
Just then, Kinjiro snapped to attention remembering something. "Say, I still didn't get to teach you a jutsu Naruto!"
And with that, the blonde boy seemed to be filled with renowned vigor, his fatigue from before completely gone.
"Well, go on and train more you want you two. I think I'm going to pass." Sakura uttered while walking along towards her home.
Kinjiro and Naruto bid Sakura farewell and went on back to their training field.
Meanwhile, in another training field, two figures are clashing at each other.
"Konoha Reppuu!" Lee growled aiming a kick at Gaara's chin.
Gaara immediately evaded the attack by bending backward. A hand of sand suddenly appeared on Lee's side aiming to trap him within its' grasp. Completing another turn, Lee released another kick this time aimed at the hand of sand. "Konoha Senpuu!" Lee roared as he delivers a kick on the hand of sand shattering it to pieces.
Gaara then straightened himself and faced Lee halting him in his next attack. "That was really good Lee…"
"Hmph! You're not bad yourself Gaara-san" Lee uttered while taking his famous stance.
"You know, there is another way of increasing your speed…" Gaara uttered while crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Really? How?" Lee asked quizzically.
Gaara then took a stance unfamiliar to Lee. In another instant, the training field was swirling with sand. In a matter of seconds, the ground was now filled with sand. "Now, put your weights on and try to attack me." Gaara uttered.
Lee did what he was told and put on his weights. He readied himself to attack Gaara and without another second to spare, Lee charged at Gaara.
The sand on the ground has dramatically reduced Lee's speed. With his weights on, Lee could only move as like a normal person. The load of the weights would help in sinking Lee in the sand much to his discomfort. "Wow! This is harder than I thought." Lee uttered.
"That is the idea…" Gaara replied.
Lee then straightened himself up and faced Gaara. "Say Gaara-san… Why are you doing this? I mean… Why are you helping me in becoming stronger?" Lee uttered while looking at the ground clenching his fists.
Gaara then looked on towards Lee with a solemn expression on his face if that was even possible. "Consider this as my apology for nearly ending your shinobi career…"
Lee looked up towards Gaara. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Slowly, a smile crept on Lee's face. "Don't worry about that Gaara-san. I have long forgiven you for what you have done. And besides, that was a match and you had to do what you had to do." Lee uttered dismissively.
Shock marked Gaara's face. "You mean you forgive me even though I almost ended your life?"
Lee nodded to Gaara. "It doesn't matter to me now. Besides, we are now comrades." Lee uttered while giving Gaara a smile.
"Comrades… Friendship…." Gaara uttered in his thoughts. "Thank you… Lee…" Gaara uttered while facing Lee. "Come! Let us continue our training!"
And with that, Lee grinned and charged towards Gaara.
On another part of Konoha, two individuals are revealed.
"So Naruto, what I am about to teach you is basically a Taijutsu form of attack. Observe…"
Naruto observed Kinjiro as he took on a stance and faces a large boulder in front. Taking the Kaitsuu-shitsuke opening stance, Kinjiro gathered chakra on his right hand. As soon as the chakra had gathered, Kinjiro charges the boulder.
With a swift movement, Kinjiro strike the boulder with his right fist. Upon contact, an explosion occurred leaving smoke all-over the place. As the smoke cleared, the boulder was left with a huge crater 3 ft in diameter. Naruto's mouth dropped open at the sight.
"That technique is called "Happa-atemi" or Explosive Strike. What happened is that upon contact, the chakra surge from my hand exploded thus creating this crater. The larger the chakra surge, the larger and greater the damage. The only drawback is that, the chakra gathered must be condensed in order for the explosion to occur. It's kind of like the Hyuga Gentle Fist but with this, you let the chakra on your strike explode." Kinjiro explained.
"Yosh! What do I need to do then?" Naruto asked with determination in his eyes.
"First, you must learn how to channel your chakra and condense it to make an explosion." Kinjiro uttered.
"Yosh! Let's start!" Naruto stated enthusiastically.
After 3 hours more. The sun started to set. Naruto on the other hand has just started to learn how to condense his chakra on his fist. Everytime he tried to hit the boulder, the chakra gathered on his hands would either disperse or just won't go off.
"Let's call it a day Naruto-kun. We have plenty of time for practice tomorrow." Kinjiro uttered with a smile on his face.
"I guess so… Man this is so tiring!" Naruto uttered while he plopped on the ground.
Kinjiro chuckled. "If it was that easy, then it won't be that much powerful."
Naruto smiled at what Kinjiro meant. He then got up and started to walk back towards his apartment.
On the way, the two genins chatted most of the time laughing and grinning.
"You know Naruto… You seemed to be out of place a while ago during the chakra control exercise. What's on your mind?" Kinjiro inquired as they walk the streets.
At that comment, Naruto remembered why he was so spaced out. During the chakra exercise, Naruto couldn't help but think about Hinata. He just couldn't simply take her off his mind.
"I know! You must be thinking of a girl!" Kinjiro uttered bringing Naruto back to reality.
The outburst by Kinjiro made Naruto blushed. "Ack! Busted!" he thought. Kinjiro on the other hand had a wide grin on his face for hitting the bull's eye.
"Come on! Don't be shy! Tell me who it is! Is it Sakura-chan?" Kinjiro inquired playfully.
Kinjiro was shocked to say the least when Naruto disagreed with him. "Whoa! You mean there is another girl? Come on spit it out!"
Naruto seemed reluctant to say who it was but Kinjiro was so persistent. Naruto sighed in defeat and slowly whispered the name… Hinata…
"You mean Hyuga Hinata! The heir to the prestigious Hyuga Clan of Konoha!" Kinjiro roared in amazement.
Naruto quickly grabbed Kinjiro's face to cover his mouth. "Baka! Stop shouting or someone might hear you!" Naruto said while looking around to see if there was someone who heard.
Naruto then released Kinjiro from his grip after he promised to keep quiet.
"So you like her huh? Wow! That's great! Have you told her?" Kinjiro inquired playfully with interest on his face.
Naruto looked confused for a moment but after realizing what Kinjiro meant, Naruto's eye widened. "N-no… Not that kind of like!" Naruto shouted.
Now it was Kinjiro with a confused face.
Sighing, Naruto continued. "I mean I like her as a friend. Also, I am happy because a have a new precious person and a new friend."
"Oh… Well in that case, I'm happy for you Naruto. Say, would you happen to know where we can grab a bite to eat. That training really made me hungry." Kinjiro uttered while placing his right arm on Naruto's shoulders.
Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto replied with the words that seems to be the most obvious words in the world. "Well, then let's go to Ichiraku for ramen!"
And with that, the two teammates walked on towards the place Naruto considered his second home.
End of Episode 4
Author's notes: Whew! Another chapter down the books. Thank you so much for reading my story. I really appreciate it.
As for the above, think there arouses some questions.
One is that; people might ask, "Why is Gaara so talkative?"
Well the reason behind that is that, I found Gaara rather talkative. During the course of the anime, he did talk a lot. He talked during the time he was in the hospital ready to end Lee's life. He talked during his match with Sasuke, and He talked and talked during his match with Naruto, he even talk a lot during his match with Kimimaro!
My theory is that, Gaara talks away to people he seemed interested in. Then why doesn't he talk with his siblings? Simple, he hasn't considered them that important to him… yet…
Two; You're giving Naruto a powerful TaiJutsu attack! Wouldn't that make him over powered?
The reason I'm giving Naruto that jutsu is because, 1. Naruto doesn't really have that much, and 2. The Happa-atemi is not really that powerful.
Three; What's with this Happa-atemi? Tsunade could destroy a boulder with only just strength! Anyone powerful enough would be able to make a crater out of his punch!
That's another thing that will be revealed in the future. But to satisfy curiosity, each strike a person would do exerts a force and if blocked would receive an equal amount of force. With that said, the explosive capability of the Happa-atemi would give the attacker the benefit of damaging its' target even though the attack is blocked as though the attack was not blocked.
Well, that's all I can say and think of saying. Please, by all means, fell free to state your opinions about this chapter. I feel that there is something missing but I can't seem to get my hands on it.
So until then, take care you all and God bless!