Chapter Two – Explanations
Naruto opened his eyes and almost screamed as he found himself staring at a masked figure that was regarding him quizzically. After a few near-panicked seconds, recognition dawned and he relaxed.
"Inu." Naruto said.
The figure nodded and handed over a bowl of ramen. Naruto's mouth watered and with a heartfelt "thanks!" he grabbed the bowl. It exploded. Both Inu and Naruto froze as the ramen splattered them both and the crushed remains of the bowl dropped to the ground. Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet or tried to. When he pushed against the ground, he found himself soaring into the air, arcing across the street and landing with a thud on the roof of the building opposite.
"What the..?" Naruto asked confused.
'Kit, you remember when I was trying to boost your strength and you got rid of the seal? well...'Kyuubi said inside of Naruto's mind.
The kyuubi sounded embarrassed and Naruto frowned.
"What happened?" Naruto asked.
'Just think your questions. You don't want anyone over-hearing, they wouldn't understand.' Kyuubi said.
'What happened?' Naruto said in his mind.
'The seal was resisting the strength boost and I kind of... put too much power into it. When you broke the seal, the power rushed out before I could pull it back and... it kind of made you far stronger than I intended. I managed to alter your skeleton, ligaments, skin and other important things so you won't tear yourself apart using your strength, but... sorry.' Kyuubi said.
'Why are you sorry?' Naruto gasped, grinning madly. "That was awesome!"
"How did you do that?" A voice asked.
Naruto looked round to see Inu crouched next to him.
"Oh, Hi, Inu!" Naruto said.
'Kit, don't tell him about what we did! Say you don't know what happened.' Kyuubi said.
"How did you do that, Naruto? And why do you have some blood in your hair" Inu asked. Naruto shrugged.
"I don't know. I was trying to get to my feet. And the blood, no clue. Um, help?" Naruto asked.
Inu took the proffered arm and carefully pulled as Naruto remained as still as possible. Once he was vertical, Naruto smiled.
"Thanks, Inu. Ummm, can you take me to see Jiji? I don't know if I dare to move at the moment..." Naruto said.
The silver-haired masked ninja nodded and picked Naruto up. Tucking him under his arm, he leapt off the roof towards the Hokage's tower.
At the Hokage Tower
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, had seen many odd things in his life. He had fought against ninja with Kekkai Genkai that allowed them to reshape the battlefield, mow down hundreds of enemies in a single move or even predict the future. He had seen his pupils summon creatures larger than buildings and had witnessed the greatest jutsus of the age, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin.
None of that had prepared him for the sight of his favorite orphan effortlessly knocking down a wall and looking embarrassed.
"Sorry, Jiji. I was just trying to lean against the wall. I wasn't sure I could sit down without destroying the chair." Naruto said.
"That's quite alright, Naruto. I was thinking of expanding the office, anyway." Hiruzen said calmly. "I must say, though, that you've become very strong. Any idea how or why?"
'Tell him that a man threw a stone at you last night, and when you woke up you were strong.' the Kyuubi whispered. 'Let him think it's a new bloodline limit. In fact, it is, I tweaked it to make it one after you left.' Kyuubi said.
"I got hit by a stone last night and woke up strong." Naruto grinned with a shrug. "I don't know why, but it's pretty cool. Except for all the breaky stuff, that is."
Inu and Hiruzen exchanged a long look, then their attention returned to Naruto.
"What were you doing out last night, anyway?" Hiruzen asked gently.
"Ah, the orphanage threw me out." Naruto pouted, missing the sudden flare of anger in Hiruzen's eyes. "The nasty lady in charge said I was a monster and shouldn't be around real kids."
"I... see." Hiruzen said slowly, ignoring the crushed remains of his pipe in his hand. "Normally, I'd try to find a better orphanage, but with your new strength... you're going to need help controlling it. Otherwise you'll be unable to even feed yourself."
"I know." Naruto sighed, rubbing his stomach. "I saw what happened when I grabbed the bowl of ramen. How do I learn control?"
"That, I'm not sure about." Hiruzen admitted. "But you'll need some specialized equipment at the very least. Your clothing, for instance, you need new things to wear."
"Can they be orange?" Naruto asked.
At a shop
The ripping noise echoed through the shop, followed a moment later by an embarrassed chuckle.
"Ummmm, Jiji..." Naruto said.
Sarutobi lowered his head into his cupped hands, then gave a pleading look to the shopkeeper.
"Do you have anything stronger?" he sighed as the tailor gaped at Naruto and the shredded item of clothing now being dropped onto the pile of similar items. Like the other items, it hadn't been the seam that had split.
"That... that was leather! Double-thick reinforced!" he gasped. "I... I don't have anything stronger than that here!"
"No choice." Sarutobi said, standing up with a hidden wince. "I guess that we're going to ANBU HQ to see what they have that'll stand up to you. Oh, send me the bill for those items."
At the ANBU HQ
"This is SO COOL!" Naruto said.
Naruto almost leapt out of the changing cubicle, only remembering at the last instant that such an action would probably launch him through the ceiling. Even normal walking tended to cause him to take unplanned arcs through the air, so he carefully shuffled out, placing each foot as lightly as he could.
"That does look good." Sarutobi nodded. "Reinforced chainmail with leather backing makes a great choice of clothing fabrics for you, as long as you don't try to pull it on too fast."
Naruto blushed slightly at the reminder, then turned to admire himself in the mirror. Due to the cost of the material, he was clad only in loose trousers and a sleeveless tunic made of chainmail, sandals made from metal with a thick leather lining and a belt comprised of reinforced metal links with an oversized buckle that he could undo without inadvertently crushing it which he had done with the previous three belts. Metal plates surmounted his shoulders with the Uzumaki spiral on the left one.
"You look fine, Naruto." Sarutobi said, tapping Naruto's arm to break his fascination with his reflection. "Now come on, we need to find you somewhere to live, and get someone to watch over you."
Naruto nodded and reached for the bag containing the other, almost identical outfits, then he paused just before touching it.
"Jiji, is the bag strong enough?" Naruto asked.
"I don't see why it shouldn't be. Now come on." Hiruzen said.
Naruto slowly placed the bag over his shoulder and edged to the door that the Hokage had gone through. Reaching out, he gave it a slight push.
As the Professor God of Shinobi, Hiruzen's reflexes had only slightly dulled with age, so he was able to easily dodge the door that sliced through the air, embedding itself in the wall of the building opposite.
"Oops... sorry." Naruto said.
"It's okay, Naruto." He sighed without even bothering to look round. "Just remember to check to see which direction the door opens next time. That one opens inwards... or it did, anyway."
"Sorry." Naruto said.
Naruto paused before sliding the door open as gently as he could. Sarutobi winced as the door slammed against the frame, and shattered.
"Ummm, maybe a normal apartment isn't such a good idea... I know. Come with me." Hiruzen said.
At Naruto's new home
"This bunker dates back to the founding of Konoha, but when Konoha expanded, it became surplus to requirements, but was too well-built to knock down. Well, what do you think?" Hiruzen said.
Naruto stepped into the abandoned hill-side bunker and looked around. Although well-hidden from the outside, slit windows allowed enough light in that lamps would not be needed during the day. The entry hall led to a large room which had a spiral staircase leading both up and down.
"The stairs lead up to a half-dozen observation rooms and a quartet of windowless barracks, you might want to use one of the observation rooms as your bedroom. There's also a hatchway that leads to an open area at the top, originally intended as a training area." Sarutobi said. "There is a small washroom through there, but you should be very careful while using it, and there are two communal bathrooms upstairs. The kitchen and dining halls over there, it's designed to be used for ten squads of ninja, so it'll be more than big enough for you. Down there are more storage rooms and a couple of large sparring chambers, as well as an archway into a natural cavern that has a lake in it, giving you plenty of water. There's also an armory, but it was emptied out several decades back. As you grow older, you may want to use it to store your weapons and scrolls."
"This has to be the most awesome place ever!" Naruto said with a grin, heading for the roof access. A gentle tap slammed it open and Naruto stepped through and whooped with excitement.
"I have a garden! I can grow flowers and vegetables and fruits... hey, jiji, is there such a thing as a ramen plant?" Naruto asked.
"Ummm, not to my knowledge." Sarutobi said, joining his near-grandson in the yard. He glanced round, seeing the rich soil and the tree growing at the back, the petals on it promising a good crop of cherries.
"I love it!" Naruto laughed, bouncing round, then remembering about his tendency to achieve high-arc trajectories and standing still. "Is it really mine now?"
"Yes, yes it is." Sarutobi smiled at the obviously-overjoyed young boy. "From today, this bunk… er… I mean house is yours. Please try not to break it. Now, I'll get a mattress delivered for you, as well as some shelves, I'm not sure that anything with doors is a good idea yet, and tomorrow we'll have your new strength checked and see about training for you."
"Great! Ummm, I'm hungry. Can we have ramen?" Naruto asked.
Sarutobi paused.
"Ah. I'm not sure that the chopsticks would be able to stand up to your newfound strength, Naruto. Maybe some takeaway barbeque with dango to follow."
"Ah man." Naruto moaned, looking depressed for the first time that day. "Strength sucks."
With the Hokage
"Boar, you have a report?"
The Anbu who had just appeared bowed, but something about him seemed... off. Had Sarutobi not known about the high levels of professionalism that Anbu held themselves to, he would have sworn that Boar was... smirking... under his mask.
"Naruto is fast asleep, Tora is currently watching over him. On his way home from your meal with him, a group of civilians, fifteen of them, tried to attack him. The results were... amusing."
Sarutobi blinked, then he started to massage his forehead.
"What happened?" Hiruzen asked.
"Before we could move in, Naruto started to throw the civilians who were attacking him into the air. He was rather gentle about it, but we had our work cut out catching them as they came down... two blocks away. The rest of them ran after one of them hit him with a club... and it shattered. We don't think he even noticed it." BOAR said.
Hiruzen slowly put his pipe down and continued to massage his head.
"How long before the council..." Hiruzen started to ask.
"Sarutobi, have you heard what that beast has done!" Councilor Haruno howled as she burst through the doorway, followed by almost half a dozen other members of the civilian council. "He went on a rampage and attacked a hundred people without warning! It was a massacre! He needs to die!"
Sarutobi continued to massage his forehead. Why was it that over ninety percent of his problems revolved around one small child?
With Naruto
'You forgot to grab the dagger I made for you.' Kyuubi said.
For a moment, Naruto blinked without understanding, then a specific memory reappeared and he swore underneath his breath.
"Ah! I forgot with Inu there! I'll go get it now!" Naruto said.
'No need. Just hold out your right hand, picture the Fang in your mind, and say "come".' Kyuubi said.
Naruto stared blankly at the wall for a moment, then did as he was instructed.
"Come!" Naruto shouted.
As if out of nowhere, the Fang materialised in his hand and Naruto gasped.
"Wow! Thanks Kyuubi! You're really amazing! It's incredible, and it looks really sharp." Naruto said.
'It is sharp, so sharp it can cut through anything. The blade is thinner than a piece of parchment, yet stronger than the strongest steel. And the reason for that is that it is not made of anything other than pure Youkai.' Kyuubi said.
"Youkai?" Naruto asked confused.
'It is a form of Chakra unique to demons and Biju. The Fang is comprised of the bits of Youkai that get through the seal and it absorbs those bits to remain solid. As you grow, you will be able to use the Fang, you will be able to change its size and appearance, but that will not happen for many years. Now, place it on your right leg so the point of the blade is near your knee... that's good. The Fang will remain there until you choose to use it. And you need not worry about anyone else using it against you. For anyone else, except those you give it to, it will be intangible. They will be unable to pick it up, to even touch it.' Kyuubi explained.
Naruto admired the dagger in the fading light.
'Thanks, Kyuubi, this is the best thing anyone has ever given me!' Naruto thought.
'You're welcome, kit. Now get some sleep. I think tomorrow will be a busy day...' Kyuubi said.
"Okay." Naruto yawned as he sat down on the futon. Reaching down, he grabbed the thick canvas blanket and pulled it up as he settled down.
"Good-night, Kyuubi-sama." Naruto said.
'Good-night, kit.' Kyuubi said.
The Next day
The dawn light lanced through the window, hitting Naruto's face. Muttering under his breath, he slowly slid out from underneath the canvas sheet and stretched before trudging to the bathroom. Moving to the line of showers, he reached out to one, then froze, his hand a bare inch away from the taps.
"Ah heck, how do I do this without breaking it?" Naruto said.
'I would suggest carefully, and as lightly as possible. Don't grab, just place your finger and move it like you're drawing round the tap.' Kyuubi suggested.
Naruto followed the instructions and was rewarded with a spray of water. Reaching for the soap, he sighed as most of it promptly liquidized in his grip, some of it squirting out to decorate the shower walls.
"I guess I need to work on that." Naruto sighed, ignoring the laughter echoing in the back of his mind. "Oh well, a quick scrub and then breakfast."
'Yes, that would be a good idea. Your new body will need food.' Kyuubi said.
Naruto nodded and rubbed the remnants of the soap into his hair, then used the resulting lather to clean the rest of his body. After a few moments of scrubbing, he let the shower wash him clean, then with as much care as possible, he shut off the flow.
'I don't think a towel will last... try to focus your chakra. Make a ram seal with your hands like this... yes, that's good, now focus on your chakra and push it into your skin.' Kyuubi said.
Naruto closed his eyes and a moment later, he was dry.
'Nice work, kit. Now, why not get dressed and grab some food, then we can head out and see if you can get some training in how to control your new strength.' Kyuubi said.
Naruto nodded as he walked over to the clothing. First, he tied on the special underpants, carefully knotting the ninja-wire-reinforced side-strings, then he slowly pulled on a pair of trousers and a new tunic. Donning the belt, he looked at himself in the mirror and, with a satisfied nod, moved to the kitchen where a bag of rolls was waiting for him.
At a training ground
"A very youthful morning to you, young one!" A voice shouted.
Naruto's startled jolt launched him into the air and he grabbed onto the first thing he encountered. As reality re-asserted itself, he found himself up a tree, with a somewhat-perplexed bushy-browed green-clad ninja looking up at him almost ten meters below.
"Ummm, help? I think I'm stuck." Naruto said.
"Of course! I do apologise, it was most unyouthful of me to suprise you like that. But that was a most amazing leap, are you already training in the way of the Shinobi? And if so, who is your instructor? He must be excellent to fan your flames of youth to such an extent." The same voice shouted.
Naruto blinked a few times as he tried to decode what the obviously-crazy man was saying and then he shrugged.
"Um, can you get a ladder or... no, a ladder wouldn't work, I'd break it... can you get me down? Please?" Naruto asked.
"Of course I will, or I will climb every tree in Konoha!" the obviously-completely-insane ninja declaimed before he made a hand sign and strode forwards. Reaching the base of the tree, he didn't pause, but instead strode up the trunk of the tree, much to Naruto's shock. Reaching him, the ninja reached out and gently plucked him from the branch, then turned and walked back down to ground level, placing him back on the ground.
"I am the Mighty Green Beast of Konoha, Might Guy! Might I know your name, o one who blazes with the passion of youth?" Guy asked.
"Um, Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. What are you doing?" Naruto said.
Gai took a pose and Naruto blinked as the sunlight glinted from his teeth.
"I was merely performing my normal early-morning exercises with a brisk run around Konoha." Guy said.
"Can I come too?" Naruto asked. Guy nodded and they took off running around Konoha.
At the Hokage Tower
"Yes, Guy? What is it?" Hiruzen asked.
"Hokage-sama, while on my early-morning jog, I encountered a young lad who has potential like nothing I have ever seen before! He was able to keep up with me during my morning training! During my talk with him, I learned that he has a Kekkai Genkai that grants him incredible speed and strength which he struggles to control, and he has no family to aid him." Guy said.
Hiruzen blinked as he considered the energetic Jonin in front of him.
"Guy... would this youngster be one Naruto Uzumaki by any chance?"
"Yosh! That is indeed the name of the most youthful boy! You know of him, I assume?" Guy said.
"I do." Hiruzen said. "His strength is quite destructive, so he lives in a bunker that should be strong enough to withstand him. What's your interest in him?"
Gai took a thinking pose and Hiruzen sighed at his dramatics.
"As you know, I have agreed to sponsor the son of a good friend of mine to the Academy in two years, even though he lacks the ability to use chakra, but it will be a while before I can truly begin his training. This Naruto needs help if he is to control the conflagration of power inside him, with your permission I would like to oversee his training before he enters the academy. Once I have helped him learn how to control his power, I think he would make a great sparring partner and friend to Lee." Guy said.
Hiruzen thought about it for a few moments.
"Have you seen where he lives?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yosh! I have visited the family of my apprentice-to-be Rock Lee several times." Guy said.
Guy's declamation was met by a blank stare.
"Hokage-sama?" Guy asked.
"I... was talking about Naruto, Guy." Hiruzen said.
"Ooooohhh! Then no, I have not seen the... did you say bunker?" Guy asked. Hiruzen nodded.
"Yes, the old bunker which was used by the second defense unit prior to Konoha's expansion. You should know it, if memory serves; you were Genin to one of the Jonin who worked there." Hiruzen said. Guy's face lit with recognition.
"Yosh! I do indeed remember that bastion of youthfullness! But to have a young boy live there alone... I have an idea! Hokage-sama, may I become young Naruto's guardian until he has control over his newfound conflagration of youthful energy?" Guy asked. Another blank stare was sent his way as Hiruzen tried to work his way through the request.
"Every instinct I have is going into red alert... Apart from exercises, what can you offer him?" Hiruzen asked. Guy dropped his 'nice guy' pose and turned serious.
"Hokage-sama, young Naruto is suffering from borderline malnutrition which is going to stunt his growth if left unchecked. I know how to cook, I learned since none of the restaurants could provide me with the food I needed for my training. I can also instruct Naruto in several styles of Taijutsu that will teach him control and let him use his new strength to its fullest." Guy said.
"...alright. I know that there are several spare rooms there, so if Naruto agrees, you can move into the bunker temporarily to keep an eye on him. However, I will be assigning someone else as well and you'll both be getting ongoing C-rank pay for this, along with a small stipend for supplies." Guy said. Gai caught the small envelope and glanced inside it before standing to attention.
"I understand, Hokage-sama, and with your permission, I will go and purchase the foodstuffs that I will need. And if I cannot do that, then I will..." Guy started to say.
"Fine, dismissed!" Hiruzen barked. As Gai vanished, he placed his head into his cupped hands.
"Why do I suddenly feel worried... I really need someone to offset Guy's eccentricity... I have it!" Hiruzen exclaimed.
"SQUIRREL." Hiruzen called. A moment later, SQUIRREL appeared.
"You called for me Lord Hokage." SQUIRREL said as she was kneeling down.
"Get me INU. I have a C-Rank Mission for him." Hiruzen said. SQUIRREL nodded and vanished. Ten minutes later, INU appeared kneeling in front of Hiruzen.
"INU, I have a long-term C-Rank for you. You will be partnered with Guy while you and him will see to young Naruto's training in honing his super strength skills. And as you know, Kushina had the tiger summoning contract and was going to be inducted into the Kagetora clan but died before she could. And before Minato and Kushina died, they left Naruto scrolls for their Jutsus. Minato also mentioned that there could be possible two or three bloodlines that Naruto will inherit. I already know that Naruto's Super Strength will be a bloodline. They didn't mention what they are. I'm curious to know what they are. Do you accept this mission?" Hiruzen asked. "Also go by your own name."
"Hai, I accept this mission." INU said.
At Naruto's Bunker
Guy stared at the figure in front door, then reflexively dodged as Naruto barreled through, forgetting his strength once again.
"Inu! It's good to see you! Why are you here?" Naruto said.
INU laughed and pulled off his mask, revealing that he was wearing a second mask across his lower face as well as having his Hitai-ate angled across his left eye.
"The Hokage asked me to help look after you and teach you a few tricks." He said with an eye-smile at the excitable youth. "Guy may be the best Taijutsu master in Konoha, but when it comes to Ninjutsu, I'm the best. May I enter?"
"Sure, come in!" Naruto bubbled. "You already know Gai-sensei then? He's agreed to look after me and he cooks really nice food, it's almost as good as ramen!"
"He does indeed know me, my youthful apprentice." Guy said, recovering from his surprise. "Indeed, Kakashi Hatake is my eternal rival!"
"Did you say something? Guy?" Kakashi said as he ignored Guy.
"Curse your hip and cool ways, Kakashi!" Guy exclaimed.
Naruto giggled, then looked up at INU... no, Kakashi.
"Are you staying as well, like Guy-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"If you don't mind, then yes." Kakashi said with another eye-smile. "And while Guy helps you get your strength under control, I can help you with your chakra. I can tell you have a great deal of it, at least as much as a high-level Chunin if not a low-level Jonin, so you'll need to practice... and I think I may have an idea on that one, but I'll need to check with the Hokage first."
Naruto cheered and Guy lightly placed a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from launching himself into the ceiling.
"Now, my young apprentice, you remember the Kata of the Gentle River that I showed you earlier? Good. Head to the sparring hall and practice it while my eternal rival and I talk, then I'll teach you some more." Guy said.
With another cheer, Naruto dived for the descending staircase. Both Guy and Kakashi winced as he bounced off the side of the stairwell and rolled out of sight. A laugh sounded after the final thud, along with an "oops", causing both men to relax.
"Thank Kami you're here, Kakashi." Guy said quietly. "I'm working on getting his strength under control and his reflexes balanced, but he needs more help than I can give him by myself. He doesn't even know how to read or write! I have no idea what that orphanage was doing, but it was most unyouthful of them."
Kakashi nodded his gaze on the stairwell as he pulled a storage scroll from his pocket.
"I see. Once you're done with him for the day, I'll try to run him through some basic chakra-control exercises. Leaf-balancing won't work, so I'll have to start with tree-climbing. In the meantime, I have my stuff sealed here, so which room should I take?" Kakashi asked.
"Up the stairs. Naruto has the middle-left window-room, I have the leftmost. I'd suggest you take the one furthest on the right. Oh, and Kakashi, please make sure that those unyouthful orange books you read are out of his reach. He is much too young to be exposed to those things." Guy said.
"Don't worry." Kakashi said as he ambled up the stairs. "I may be a pervert, but I don't corrupt kids. That would just be wrong. I did get a book that he might like, though. And don't worry, Guy. There's no smut in it at all."
Gai stared at him and Kakashi's visible eye widened as he thought through what he had just said.
"Romance! No romance in it at all! Besides, it's not smut, its art!"
Gai shook his head and moved to follow his student.
In the Bunker's Kitchen
Guy stirred the pot as he glanced over to where Kakashi and Naruto were sitting. With Naruto slowly working his way through the green-covered book that Kakashi had produced. Snatches of the story drifted across and he grinned as he heard the character's name, it was Naruto.
"I must admit," he mused quietly, "I had my doubts, but The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi was probably the best choice for teaching him to read. Despite the fact that it's by the same author as that most unyouthful Icha Icha series. I may just get a copy for myself and one for Lee." Guy said to himself.
From the dining table, Kakashi looked up at him and gave a discreet thumbs-up before gently correcting Naruto as he sounded out the next word. Gai smiled and added some seasoning to the simmering liquid, then took a slight taste.
"Alright." Guy called out as he dished out the soup into two ceramic bowls and one tempered-steel one. "Put the book away, my cute youthful apprentice and my eternal rival, it's time to eat."
Naruto nodded and carefully placed a bookmark before allowing Kakashi to close the book and move it to a nearby shelf. Guy took advantage of the newly-vacated table to slide the bowls into position, then he grabbed the spoons, noting again with wry amusement that the one Naruto used was of incredible strength compared to the other two, and still had dent-marks from his accidental squeezes as he ate.
"Itadakimasu" they said almost in unison before picking up their spoons. Guy started to eat, then glanced across at Kakashi, who had somehow managed to already inhale a third of his bowl... without seeming to remove his mask. On the other side of the round table, Naruto was eating slowly but steadily, managing not to deform the handle of the spoon any more than it already was.
"This is wonderful, Guy-sensei." Naruto said between sips. "When I get my control good enough to not chop through the worktop again, will you teach me how to cook like this?"
"I would be glad to." Guy said, giving him a thumbs-up and a glinting grin. "And when your control has improved to the point that I think you can help me to train my other youthful apprentice. He is a year older than you and has an unfortunate inability to use chakra, but his flames of youth are a match for yours! I believe that you will help inspire him to new displays of youthfulness! He is already training hard with weights and has a chance to reach through hard work the level you have achieved due to your Kekkai Genkai. In fact, I would not be surprised if you go to the Academy together."
Naruto grinned and Kakashi spoke up.
"You'll need to work more on your chakra control, but I've finally got permission from the Hokage to teach you something that could help. It's called the Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone Jutsu). With your reserves, you'll never be able to do a regular Bunshin (Clone), but Hokage-sama said any form of Bunshin would work. Using it, Guy will be able to help you with your physical control while I oversee your chakra control at the same time. That way, you'll be able to learn twice as fast, or even faster." Kakashi said.
"Cool!" Naruto enthused, then he froze as a familiar clinksounded. Looking down, he sighed at the sight of the broken handle in his hand and the end of the spoon lying by the side of his bowl. "Oops."
"Never mind, Naruto." Kakashi said, ruffling his hair reassuringly. "That one lasted a full two weeks, a new record. Wait a moment."
Naruto looked sadly at the broken spoon as Kakashi rose and retrieved a new one from the reinforced cutlery drawer. Returning to his chair, he handed the spoon over to Naruto, who gingerly accepted it with a smile before resuming his meal.
At a training field
"Hello, are you Guy-sensei's most youthful student, Naruto?" A voice asked.
Naruto paused in practicing his kata and looked round. Seeing the one who had spoken, it was all he could do not to ogle. At the edge of the clearing stood a lad only slightly older than himself, but that wasn't what transfixed him.
Like Guy-sensei, the boy was clad in a green unitard with orange legwarmers wrapped around his lower legs. His hair was black and cut in a bowl-shape while his eyebrows were... were they really eyebrows? Surely no-one had brows that bushy. Except for Guy-sensei, that was...
"Who are you?" Naruto asked. The boy grinned and took a thumbs-up stance so much like Guy that Naruto blinked.
"My name is Rock Lee, soon-to-be apprentice of the Sublime Green Beast of Konoha, Might Guy! Guy-sensei told me that you are also studying under him, although he said that you were seeking to control the conflagration of youthful fire you have gained in order to prevent damaging others with your flames of youth!"
Naruto blinked several times as he slowly worked his way through what the boy had said, his experience with Guy proving very useful.
"If I may," Lee continued, "May I ask what my wonderful sensei-to-be meant about your conflagration of youthful fire?"
"It's easier to show you." Naruto said, moving over to one of the boulders surrounding the clearing. Sliding one hand underneath, he felt around for the balance point so that he wouldn't drop it, then he lifted it one-handed to over his head. Lee's already-wide eyes somehow grew larger.
"It's a Kekkai Genkai." Naruto said with a smile. "But it activated wrong, and now I have too much strength and not enough control. Gai-sensei has been helping me to learn to not use my strength. Heck, I still occasionally rip my tunic when I put it on, and Kakashi-sensei says it's tougher than ANBU armor."
Lee stared, a wide grin forming on his face.
"Yosh! You are indeed a most youthful person, Naruto-san! I hope to one day be that strong and thus prove that one can achieve through hard work what is gifted to others!" Lee said.
"I'll be glad to help." Naruto grinned, enjoying Lee's almost-infectious excitement. "Lee-san, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..." Lee nodded.
"I believe that it will be. Let's continue with training. Shall we." Lee asked.
Naruto nodded and continued practicing his Kata while Lee went on running around the practice field.
Two blurs raced along the streets of Konoha towards the Academy. Although neither were even Genin, they were moving at a speed that most Chunin and even a few Jonin would have been envious of, leaving two almost-parallel lines of dust behind them as they dashed through the main gate of the Academy and skidded to a stop.
"So..." panted Naruto as his grinned at his brother-in-all-but-blood. "Who won? I... I kind of lost track there."
"I do not know myself." Lee grinned as he pulled out a small scroll and held it out. Naruto channeled some Chakra into it and a pair of weights materialized from it. Placing them on his legs, Lee adjusted his legwarmers to hide them and then took a few experimental paces. "I know that if I had been wearing my weights, you would have beaten me."
"You're getting better way faster than me, though." Naruto laughed. "If we'd done this last month, I would probably have won."
"I cannot disagree with that statement, Naruto-nii-kun." Lee grinned, doing a few stretches to cool down. "I have been improving very fast since we first met, I am glad that my hard work in fanning my flames of youth to match your conflagration of youthfulness is starting to pay off."
Naruto grunted as he stretched, then he turned back to face Lee.
"You may be unable to do the rest, but in a straight Taijutsu spar, I think you'd flatten any Chunin. And once we get through the academy, you'll be unstoppable, nii-san." Naruto said.
"We will be unstoppable." Lee corrected with a wide grin as they started to stroll towards the main entrance where several children and their parents had already assembled waiting for the academy to open. "I will prove that a lack of chakra does not prevent one from being a great ninja."
"And I'll cheer you on and spar with you to fan your flames of youth." Naruto finished, lightly throwing one arm across the taller boy's shoulders and giving him a gentle one-armed hug. Well, gentle for him. Lee laughed as Naruto released him.
"Your control is improving, Naruto-nii-chan. That was only five times as strong as someone your size could do." Lee said.
"I thank Kami every day that you and Guy-sensei are tough." Naruto admitted with a wry grin. "I'm still scared to actually touch anyone else, but you two have the best chance of surviving if my control slips."
"Speaking of control, I saw you sending out Kage Bunshins again this morning." Lee noted. "How many, and what for?"
"My chakra control's still shaky. Shaky, heck. It's still terrible. I sent out three hundred, a hundred each on tree-climbing and water-walking and the rest are practicing hand-signs and the three jutsus."
"Ah, my best friend and eternal rival, there are times that I feel my youthful flames are dim beside yours. I sometimes wonder how things would be had I been gifted with the ability to use Chakra even a quarter as powerful as yours. But I am not depressed; I see it as a challenge!" Lee sighed.
Inside the Academy Classroom
Naruto sat down gingerly on the chair that had been specially reinforced for him at the Hokage's request, and placed his steel-encased notebook on the steel-and-oak desk. Around him, the rest of the students were filtering in and seeking out spaces to sit. Naruto glanced left to see Lee give him a grin and a thumbs-up.
"Do not worry, my most-youthful friend, our flames of youth shall let us overcome all obstacles so that we may become great ninja!" Lee exclaimed.
"Does he always speak like that?" A feminine voice said.
Naruto jolted at the unexpected voice, causing his chair to creak in protest, and then he turned and looked to where the voice had come from. A girl clad in a wrapped-top and loose trousers were looking at him, her expression quizzical.
"Ahhh, yeah. But you get used to it. He's Rock Lee, I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said.
" I'm Tenten Higurashi." the girl said, staring at him intently. "Um, why is your chair reinforced like that?"
"Naruto-nii-kun's flames of youth are a veritable conflagration, granting him incredible strength." Rock Lee exclaimed and Naruto had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "His youthfulness also grants him great speed and superior senses, but..."
"But I have some control issues with them." Naruto interrupted. "I've got my usable strength down to under ten times normal, but it's hard to not accidently damage anything around me."
Tenten's eyes widened in suprise.
"It's a Kekkai Genkai." Naruto explained almost sheepishly. "Trouble is; it activated wrong when I got hit by a stone. It was meant to make me stronger as I aged, but it went from off to full without warning."
"Wow." Tenten whispered. "I wonder how you'd do with kunai and shuriken, if you're that strong."
"Alright brats, listen up!" came a strong voice from the front of the classroom. "My name is Akema Akamichi and I'm your teacher. Now, time for register. Raise your hand when I call your name."
Academy Training Grounds
"Hehehe, oops?" Naruto sheepishly said.
Everyone was staring at the training dummy which had a hole punched straight through it. Behind the dummy, a tree had an almost identical hole, as did the tree on the other side of the path, the stone wall behind the tree, the wall of the house behind that wall and, judging from the cursing going on, several items of furniture inside the house in question.
"Umm, you did say to throw it hard, sensei." Naruto said.
Akema tore his gaze away from the path of destruction and sighed deeply.
"Okay, until further notice, you are to throw shuriken and kunai as lightly as you can without sacrificing accuracy. I heard you were strong, but... hmmm... come over here. Now, punch the training log." Akema said.
Naruto nodded, took a deep breath and settled into one of the stances that Gai had taught him. Ducking slightly, he unleashed a powerful uppercut.
The airborne log dwindled as it arced towards the horizon, a trail of splinters marking its path, the rapidly fading thwip thwip of its passage the only noise in the practice field.
"...okay... Naruto, you are excused from sparring..." Akema sighed.
"I'll spar with him, sensei!" Rock Lee exclaimed excitedly. "Naruto-nii-kun has been my sparring partner for over a year and it helps us fan our flames of youth to unmatched levels!"
Akema stared at Lee, obviously unable to form a coherent thought.
"Excuse me; did I hear you say you sparred with him?" Akema asked flabbergasted.
Naruto turned to look at the speaker, who turned out to be a boy with long black hair and pale eyes that lacked pupils.
"You... you're Neji Hyuuga, right?" Lee asked.
The correctly-identified boy nodded, his gaze fixated on Lee who spoke in his usual excited tone.
"Regarding sparring with Naruto-kun, I do indeed, and it helps my speed and strength to reach heights unsurpassed by any but my beautiful sensei, Might Guy, and my most youthful friend Naruto!" Lee said.
"You spar with the boy who just punched a training log out of Konoha?" Neji asked.
"I hold back." Naruto protested. The silence of the onlookers told him that his protest hadn't helped his situation in the slightest.
"Well, if you're certain, Lee. You two get the first spar. Try not to kill each other…" Akema said.
Lee grinned widely and Naruto replied with his normal foxy grin as they entered the ring. Naruto settled into his Gentle River stance while Lee straightened into a classic Goken stance.
"Hajime!" Akema said.
Both figures seemed to blur as the sound of rock-hard flesh hitting rock-hard flesh echoed through the academy grounds. Clouds of dust obscured the blurred figures from the onlookers gaze as they exchanged blurring combinations of punches and kicks, and then one of the figures was launched out of the circle and straight through a tree. All the watchers gasped.
"My youthful friend, are you alright? I did not hurt you, did I?" Lee asked.
"I'm fine, Lee." Naruto laughed as he pulled himself upright, absently breaking the branches that had landed on top of him as he did so. "That was quite a move you pulled at the end. I wasn't expecting that one. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen it before. What was it?"
"A most youthful variation of the Rising Leaf Fist taught to me by our wonderful sensei." Lee grinned. "I was unsure that it would work against you, but when you did that mid-air attack, I realized that you would be unable to resist it."
Naruto laughed and bowed to Lee, who returned it.
"It worked. It would have been a KO against anyone apart from me. Get the strength up, and it'll probably take me out as well." Naruto said.
"I shall practice it most diligently!" Lee laughed with pleasure. "And I shall use it to enhance our flames of youth to levels unmatched by anyone else!"
The shocked students watched the two walk off, then one of them spoke in a trembling voice.
"Are… are they… even human?" A student asked in shock. Nobody answered him.
In the Academy lunchroom
Tenten sat down and pulled out her bento box, then glanced over at the two boys that the class had almost unanimously designated as the Dangerous Duo, when they weren't being called the Twin Dragons of Destruction or the growing-in-popularity Oh Kami, It's Them, Run Away, Run Away!
Her eyebrows rose at the sight.
Naruto was carefully eating ramen, using metal chopsticks. Despite the obvious care he was taking, the chopsticks had slight dents from where he had obviously squeezed too hard, while the metal bowl containing the ramen was almost an inch thick, and was likewise boasting a number of small pressure-induced dents. And she recognized them. Her father had made several sets like that a year or two back, and he occasionally had to make replacements.
Lee's choice of utensils was also surprising. Like Naruto, he was using chopsticks, but his chopsticks were made of lacquered paper and a small box by the side of his meal held several more of the thin paper tubes. The box in which his sushi was placed was obviously made out of very thin paper with a thin layer of lacquer preventing it from collapsing. She had to ask.
"Pardon the intrusion, but why are the two of you using such… odd chopsticks." Tenten asked.
"Metal ones are the only sort of things that don't break for me at the moment." Naruto said. "And Lee is working on enhancing his control by using chopsticks that are as fragile for him as these ones are for me."
Tenten's eyes widened. She had helped to make some of those metal chopsticks, high-grade rolled steel with a strength rating better-suited to a club or sword. And they were as fragile as paper tubes to Naruto? Just how strong was he?
"That is indeed the case, my youthful friend has great difficulties with fragile items, or even items that people like you would not consider fragile, so he needs those metal chopsticks to aid him in practicing his control while he eats. And since it is such a youthful training method with many advantages, I use these paper chopsticks to train myself in the art of… oh bother." Lee said.
Lee sighed as he put down the broken chopstick that he had, in his excitement, accidently tapped against the table, causing it to bend out of shape, and took a new chopstick out of the box.
"Don't worry, Lee." Naruto laughed. "I blame the table for that one."
"Yes!" Lee shouted. "I shall buy the most delicate table I can and use it to help me train my control!"
"It might be cheaper for you to make a table, rather than buy one." Naruto warned quickly, then he face palmed. "I can't believe I just let myself get sucked in like that. Fragile tables. I'm not sure that that's a good idea, Lee."
Tenten tried to hide her giggles, and then her gaze slid to the knife which was seemingly glued to Naruto's leg.
"Naruto-san… where did you get that knife from? It's… amazing!" Tenten exclaimed.
Naruto paused, and then pulled at the knife. To Tenten's astonishment, it was not held in place by a hidden strap or anything like that.
"How did it do that?" Tenten asked.
"It's a… mystical knife that was a gift to me by someone who believed in my potential." Naruto said as Lee picked up a leaf and gently lowered it onto the blade. The blade cut through the leaf without any resistance at all, and Naruto placed the knife on the table and motioned for her to examine it. Tenten eagerly reached out… and her hand passed straight through the handle as if it wasn't there.
"What the..?" Tenten asked.
Naruto and Lee both smiled at the shock on her face.
"Only I can use that knife. And I can call it back to me at will." Naruto said, holding his hand up and curling his fingers, whispering the word "come" as he did so. An instant later, the knife had appeared in his hand. "It is only solid in my grasp, although the blade remains sharp if I throw it at something. No-one except me can use it and I have been told that as I grow older and gain more control over my chakra, I'll be able to make it change shape."
Tenten's eyes widened and she stared almost reverently at the blades Naruto returned it to his thigh, where once again it affixed itself without any noticeable support.
"That… that is… I've heard of the Raijin, a sword made out of lightning, but that knife… what is it?" Tenten said.
"My youthful friends' most incredible knife is called the Kitsune's Fang." Lee said before popping another bit of sushi into his mouth. Swallowing, he continued. "It is a most incredible blade, able to slice through anything and will surely be part of Naruto's most youthful legend when he becomes a fully-fledged ninja!"
"Ummmm… yeah. What Lee said. Kitsune's fang, wonderful knife. Sharp." Naruto said.
Tenten giggled again.
At the bunker
"Hello, my cute and youthful students! Does the Academy continue to fan the flames of your youthfulness?" Guy shouted.
"Yosh, Guy-sensei! I am learning new things every day and I shall prove that being a Genius of Hard Work allows even one who cannot use Chakra to become a truly great Shinobi!" Lee said. Naruto smiled at Lee's enthusiasm.
"It went great, Guy-sensei. Today, most of the class started to learn the leaf exercise. After I caused it to explode for the fourth time, they agreed to let me practice by doing the tree-walking and water-walking." Naruto said.
"Naruto-nii-kun and I had a most youthful spar today!" Lee added. "We fought each other to a standstill, showing that our Flames of Youth were undiminished!"
"Excellent! I have prepared another meal to provide fuel for your Flames of Youth." Guy said expansively as he waved them in. From where he was sitting at the steel-braced table, Kakashi gave a lazy wave, sliding an orange book into his pocket as he did so.
"You need to eat well so your Flames of Youth remain undimmed! Is that not so, my eternal rival?" Guy asked.
"Hmmm? You say something, Guy?" Kakashi said.
"Arrrgh! Once again with that hip and too cool attitude, Kakashi!" Guy exclaimed.
Naruto managed to stifle his snickers as he sat down and looked at the food before him. Guy-sensei, for all his eccentricities, was undoubtedly the best chef he had ever met. A knock sounded at the bunker's door. Lee got up and answered it. It was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Good afternoon." Hiruzen said.
"Ah, Hokage-sama. Please, come in, be seated. We were just about to eat." Guy exclaimed and Naruto looked across.
"Hi, Jiji!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Hello, Naruto, Lee, Kakashi." Hiruzen smiled, removing his hat and sitting down as Gai started to serve the meal. "I hope you don't mind me joining you, but I wanted to check on how you were doing. You are half-way through the first year, is everything going well?"
"Sure is!" Naruto grinned. "I've made several new friends and… thanks, Guy-sensei, this looks wonderful, as always. Ummmm, where was I, ah yes. Several new friends and I've learned loads. Some of it is a bit boring, but Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei said that if I wanted to be one of the best ninja ever, I should learn it, so I did."
"That's good to hear." Hiruzen said, and then he shifted his attention across. "And Lee how is your studying going?"
"My flames of youth are truly being fanned to a veritable inferno of youthful energy and passion with the studying at the academy and the spars I have with my most youthful friend Naruto here!" Lee said eagerly. "I am making progress despite my handicap and I hope to join the ranks of the Shinobi under our command, where I shall prove that being a genius of hard work is superior to being a genius of simple skill!" Lee exclaimed.
Naruto hid a smirk at Hiruzen's blank and slightly dazed expression.
"I… see. That is… good to hear. Oh, thanks, Guy. Mmmm, this smells wonderful!" Hiruzen said.
"Thank you Hokage-sama. Everyone dig in." Guy said. Everyone dug into the delicious meal that Guy prepared.
Au Note:
I'm back everyone! I am sorry for not updating this story as promised but life is cruel and I got a new job that I love. I work nights from 4 till whatever time in the morning which makes it hard to update my stories like I want to but I'll manage. I am combining chapters to make them longer and it will make the story short but oh well. I am also working on chapter 8 for my Jonin Sensei: Naruto Uzumaki. If anyone has any input for chapter 8, PM me and I'll give you a shout out in the chapter.