DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (FOR I AM NOT A JAPANESE MAN NAMED MASASHI KISHIMOTO FOR THERE COULD ONLY BE ONE HAHA [I LOVE YOU KISHI FOR CREATING NARUTO])

A Weapon A Few Dare To Touch

- At The Hospital -

"Do I have to…?" Naruto complained

"Of course Uzumaki-san, this will help you recover much faster" the nurse said to Naruto

"But it tastes awful… It's disgusting"

"Now Naruto-kun, good medicine often tastes bitter. And it is in your best interest to get all the treatment that you can, not unless you want to stay here longer…" the Hokage interjected.

"*sigh* Fine…" Naruto reluctantly agreed and took his medicine, he was right for thinking that it was bitter. The bitter taste made his face scrunch up as a result.

"See? That wasn't so bad, right? Anyway, you can go home tomorrow since you're pretty much back to a hundred percent. I'll be leaving now Hokage-sama" the Hokage nodded and thanked her for overseeing Naruto's recovery.

The only people left in the room were Naruto and Hiruzen, "So Naruto-kun, how are you feeling?" he asked

"I feel much better than I did back at Kaneshiro-san's ranch"

"I heard you got quite a beating Naruto-kun"

"*sigh* Yeah…"

"Look, there is nothing to be ashamed about what happened to you. In fact, you should feel proud that you were able to come out on top"

"I guess so Hokage-jiji, I'm guessing Asuma-sensei told you huh?"

"Yes he did tell me about you feeling disappointed about yourself, I was simply concerned about your well-being Naruto-kun. I apologize if I intruded upon your privacy"

"No it's okay Hokage-jiji, I'm not mad about that. There's this other thing that bothers me"

"And that is?"

"I killed someone… A-And I don't know how I should feel"

"I see... Well, there comes a time in a shinobi's career when they have to kill for the very first time. It is part of our job Naruto-kun, you should get used to it from here on out. Though you should not relish the deaths of the people you kill for that will lead you into a very dark path Naruto…"

"A dark path?"

"Indeed Naruto-kun, we kill because we must and not because we want to" Hiruzen explained to which Naruto nodded.

"Do you have any plans when you get out of this hospital, Naruto-kun?" he asked

"Well… I was gonna check on Shino and Ino first and foremost to see how they're doing. Next is to go to Ichiraku Ramen, haven't had a bowl of ramen in so long… Lastly is to go train"

"I see… About your third plan, what do you intend on training upon?" Hiruzen asked

Naruto wasn't able to answer the Hokage's question as he did not know what to practice in the first place

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" he asked

"Oh! Sorry, Hokage-jiji I must've spaced out" he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Naruto never fails to amuse Hiruzen, the boy was always able to make him smile Hiruzen mused to himself.

"So what do you want to learn Naruto-kun?"

"Wait… ARE YOU GONNA TRAIN ME?!" Naruto asked enthusiastically. Just the thought of being trained by the Hokage made him all giddy and excited.

Hiruzen chuckled once more at Naruto's antics, "Not necessarily Naruto-kun, but if time allows then we'll see if I can at least teach you a thing or two" he replied. This wasn't the answer Naruto wanted to hear but it was enough to satisfy him.

"Okay then… And to answer your question Hokage-jiji, I don't have any idea what to practice…" he said sheepishly

"I see… Well why not head to the library once the hospital releases you"

"The library?"

"Indeed"

"What am I gonna do there though, Hokage-jiji"

"Why read, of course, you could learn so many things there Naruto-kun. Knowledge is a powerful weapon that only a few people dare to touch. And all you have to do is look for it"

"How can I get strong by reading?"

"Think about it for a second Naruto-kun, why do you think I am referred to as "The Professor"?" he asked

"Because you pretty much know all the jutsus in Konoha"

"And how do you think I know all of them?"

It took a while for Naruto to realize the answer all on his own, but after some time, it hit him. "By reading…" Naruto answered

"Exactly, well… technically yes. But some of the jutsus I know are not open knowledge, it was available to me since I was elected as the Hokage back then. But that's beside the point, my point is that knowledge is a powerful weapon. And it is a real strength to put that knowledge into good use" he replied

"I see… Well alright then, I'll head to the library tomorrow. Will I be allowed there?" he asked

"Now that you are a shinobi of this village, you are allowed to access sections of the library that are restricted to civilians. But your corresponding rank is the level you are allowed to access in the meantime. And since you are a Genin, some stuff in there is still off-limits for you. Do you understand Naruto-kun?" he asked Naruto. Fortunately for him, Naruto understood him the first time around. 'The boy is truly growing' he thought to himself, making him smile.

"I'll inform the library of your arrival tomorrow, so there's nothing to worry about. Just head there and they'll know what to do"

"Thanks so much, Hokage-jiji I really appreciate it" he said as he hugged Hiruzen from his bed. This made him smile in return as he patted Naruto's head. "It's my pleasure Naruto-kun, I best be going now as I have work to do" he said as he left Naruto to his own devices.

- Later That Night At Naruto's Room -

Naruto was laying on his bed, he had just finished eating dinner a while ago. He began contemplating what he was going to look for in the library tomorrow, if he was going to scour through books he thought it would be best to look for something that would pique his interest as well as fit his style.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the door to his room opened to reveal his sensei and his teammates.

"Asuma-sensei! Ino! Shino! What are you guys doing here?" he asked

"To visit you duh, Shino and I barely got to visit you since we were recovering back at home as well" Ino replied

"Are you guys alright though?"

"Yes we're fine Naruto, the real question is if YOU'RE alright" Ino emphasized the "you're" to him. "Out of the three of us, you're the one who got the most beatings" she added

"I'm doing better, thanks for asking Ino"

"We brought you something and if we're not mistaken, this is your favorite which is Miso-"

"MISO CHAR SIU!" Naruto cut off Shino, though he didn't mind

"Yes, it was Ino's idea to get you ramen"

"Really Ino? You did this for me? And you remembered my favorite?"

"Yeah yeah… And how could I not remember that, it's all you talk about" she jabbed

"Yeah just like you and your Sasuke talk"

"I do not talk about Sasuke-kun all the time!"

"You do!"

"I don't!"

"You do!"

"I don't!"

"*sigh* Seems like Naruto is back to full health, he's already bickering with Ino and he isn't even released by the hospital yet" Asuma said

Naruto sighed and decided to drop the whole argument, "Thanks though you guys, this means a lot to me" he thanked them sincerely

"No worries Naruto, we'll be going now since it's getting pretty late. See you tomorrow Naruto" Ino said to him. Shino didn't say anything more but nodded at Naruto instead and then left with Ino.

Now Asuma was the last one there with him, "What about you Asuma-sensei? What brings you here?" he asked

"Remember when I told you to dispel your clones?"

"Oh yeah! You did tell me you were gonna explain it some other time"

"Yes, and I thought why not now so listen to me carefully okay?"

"Okay Asuma-sensei, I'm listening"

"Good, let's differentiate first a clone and a shadow clone. A clone is simply an illusion, they do not have physical bodies as they simply serve as a diversion or decoy. But a shadow clone is much better, it can do all the things a normal clone can and more. Tell me Naruto, why do you think the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) was in the Scroll of Seal?"

"Because it's forbidden?"

"Well yeah obviously, but what makes it forbidden?"

"I-I… Honestly don't know Asuma-sensei…"

"It is forbidden because it puts the user at risk, the jutsu works by dividing the user's chakra evenly among the clones he/she creates. If you create one clone, your chakra pool is divided into two. Create ten clones, it'll be divided into ten portions. Make fifty, your chakra will be stretched thin in order to distribute enough chakra to each clone. So and so forth, but what's the big deal with diminishing your chakra reserves?"

"Chakra exhaustion?"

"Exactly, if you create more clones than you can handle then there's a high chance you'll either pull it off or die due to depleting your chakra pool. If you pull it off then you'll be weakened as a result and you'll have the clones you made though they'll be weak as well since they have so little chakra much like the user. If you don't pull it off, then you'll die. This is why this jutsu is forbidden, and only people who either have high chakra reserves or people who know how to utilize the jutsu know of it" Asuma explained.

"But what does this have to do with me dispelling my clones back then"

"I'm getting there, what makes a shadow clone useful is not limited to its physical body but also the information you get from it"

"Information?"

"Remember when you sent a clone to follow those three? And you did not know where your clone went? Once you dispelled all of your clones, all of their memories went to you instead. Not only is this justsu used for battle but for reconnaissance as well"

Asuma's explanation made complete sense to Naruto, this realization blew Naruto's mind as well. "HOLY CRAP! THAT'S AWESOME!" he replied

"It is"

"But wait… If I get the information my clones gathered once I dispel them, then maybe I can use this when I go to the library tomorrow!" Naruto said

"In theory, it is good but not necessarily"

"Huh? But I thought I'll get the information they have…"

"You will, but there's a catch. Overuse of this jutsu's ability is not good for your brain, if you create let's say 5 clones and make them read 5 different books then that's no issue at all. But if you make a hundred clones or more and dispel them all at once, a surge of information will rush to your mind. It'll make you lose consciousness or even cause brain damage which you certainly do not want for yourself Naruto"

"Okay, then I'll make a few clones and learn some sweet moves"

"And another thing, there's a difference between learning a concept and muscle memory"

"Huh?"

"If you make your clones practice a move you find in the library, you won't instantly be able to perform that move. You'll learn the steps on how to do it but the execution is a different topic, you have to practice it yourself. Did you notice that when your clones get injured, you don't?"

"Come to think of it yeah, they get punched and stuff but I feel none of it"

"And that's why it doesn't work like that, physical training is a different can of worms. Sure you can use clones to train by yourself, but in that case, you're the one who's practicing"

"I see… But why are you telling me this Asuma-sensei?"

"I am telling you this cause you have potential Naruto and I want you to reach it using what you can at your disposal. I figured dad would advise you to go to the library to get stronger, I just wanted to teach you this before you hurt yourself. This will also be beneficial to you in the long run, I'm basically killing two birds with one stone" Asuma explained.

"Thanks Asuma-sensei, I really appreciate it that you're looking out for me"

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad I can help you" Asuma then placed a cigarette in his mouth and bid Naruto farewell. Anyway, you should rest now so that you can get out of here tomorrow. Take care Naruto" Asuma said as he waved goodbye.

- On The Way To Konoha's Library -

Naruto was finally released from the hospital and the first thing he did was head straight to the library. This was the very first time Naruto was going there as he wasn't necessarily interested in reading in the first place, but if reading would make him stronger then so be it. He would read every book in there if he has to.

Though he was worried if he would even be allowed to go there, sure Hiruzen told him that he has nothing to worry about but he just couldn't help it. He usually wasn't allowed to enter most stores for some reason, ever since he was a child he often encounters people are just mean and awful to him which explains his fear of being chased out of the library.

There it was, Konoha Archive Library. The building looked like it has seen better days but it was still in good shape, Naruto opened the door to shelves upon shelves upon shelves that were filled to the brim with books.

"Oh! You must be Uzumaki-san, Hokage-sama has informed me that a boy with blonde hair with whiskers would come here. I am Imada Keiji, it's a pleasure to meet you Uzumaki-san" he smiled

"Good morning Keiji-san, it's nice to meet you too"

"So how can I help you today?"

"I am looking for books or scrolls that contain jutsus, not sure what type of jutsu though"

"I see, well then follow me Uzumaki-san. I know where to find those"

Naruto and Keiji walked further into the library, the building was rather empty though Naruto saw some people here and there. Some were civilians while the others were shinobi. Naruto was expecting the library to be all dusty but to his surprise, it wasn't the case.

After a while of walking, they finally arrived at the section that met Naruto's criteria. A section filled with various ninja arts ranging from taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and many more. And at the same time, this section is accessible for those who are of the rank Genin.

"This is it Uzumaki-san, feel free to browse through all of these. Just be sure to take good care of these and return them properly. Do you have any questions? Keiji asked

"Uhhh… am I allowed to make a clone of myself to help me find stuff to read?"

"I would prohibit the use of jutsus in this library but Hokage-sama has informed me about this, I will allow it only if you use it responsibly. If you need any help, you can find me in the lobby. I hope you find something useful Uzumaki-san" Keiji smiled before leaving.

"Okay Naruto, you got this" he said to himself. He then did the hand seal to create clones, he almost yelled "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)" out of habit but luckily he remembered he wasn't allowed to shout in the library.

He made a dozen clones to help him look for scrolls that would prove useful to him, he also made sure to remind the clones to be well-behaved to which they agreed.

"Okay guys, spread out and look for stuff we can use. Regroup after an hour, and be quiet alright? We don't want to get kicked out of here" he said as he went his own way to find stuff he could use.

- With The Original Naruto -

"What to read? What to read?…" Naruto mused to himself as he kept browsing for books and/or scrolls to read. And there he was yet again, he didn't know exactly what he was looking for.

"What the heck should I be learning in the first place?… I guess I should work on some stuff I am not good at or need improving upon" he said to himself. After a while of thinking, he had an idea to do. He quickly returned to Keiji and asked for a pen and sheets of paper which Keiji gave him without any qualms.

Naruto sat down and placed the papers on the table and began to make a list of the things he felt he needed to work on.

"Let's see… I did get my ass beat once again cause I wasn't able to grapple the guy effectively, alright then I'll add this to the list" he said as he wrote down "Way to grapple enemies".

"I do want to learn how to use weapons, I'm pretty sure there's stuff about that here right?" he thought to himself as he wrote down "Weapons"

Naruto then remembered what the enemy called him before, "That jutsu again, you're a one-trick pony kid" and "This is getting tiresome boy! Is this all you know? Some shinobi you turned out to be…" echoed in his mind. He was right, that was all he knew. Naruto then decided he finally needed some diversity in his arsenal as he wrote down "Other ninjutsu"

Naruto was quite happy about his list and how well it is turning out to be, granted it was all about his shortcomings. But admitting that you aren't good at something is nothing to scoff at. Sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something after all. Naruto kept thinking to himself about what he should improve upon and continued to jot down stuff on his list.

- An Hour Later -

"Alright you guys, let's what you guys found" he said to his clones

Everything they found was placed on one table. Before Naruto was a pile of books and scrolls as well as his list and pen. Naruto sighed at the thought of looking at each and every one of those. This was the price of seeking knowledge, and he didn't know if he has the will to pay it.

Naruto began to check each one to see if it is useful for him. If he found something useful he will set it aside, if not then he returns it to his clones so that they can return it where they got it.

"Water Ninjutsu: The Art of Flowing Water" Naruto read the title, "Uhhh… Do we even know what our… What do you call it, uhhh… Chakra nature, that's it! Do we even know what it is?" he asked his clones to which they just shrugged and shook their head.

"Welp, can't use this then. Maybe some other time then" he said as he gave back the book to one of his clones.

Naruto kept looking, book after book. "Nebaiken (Sticky Fist): The Art of the Grappler Volume:1", Naruto's eyes shot wide open. This was exactly what he was looking for, something to supplement his fighting style, he was starting to enjoy his visit to the library thinking it would be a bust. He was mistaken for thinking that as he set aside the book and kept it for later reading.

This went on for hours, and there was this time he saw a ramen cookbook in the mix, "What the heck is this? Who brought this?" he asked his clones.

"I did!" one of his clones said proudly

"And you found this in the jutsu section?"

"Of course not! I got this somewhere else, duh"

"Then why did you get this then?"

"We can't be strong on an empty stomach, can we?" the clone argued

All the others clones agreed and kept murmuring, Naruto sighed but agreed with his clone, he did have a point though. He decided to keep and read it later, this made the clones happy as a result.

Naruto was almost done as he was about to check the last two books, "Fuinjutsu: The Art of Sealing - For Beginners" and "Advanced Fuinjutsu - M.N." were the titles of the book. Naruto checked the contents of the two books to see if he can use these. One was suitable for his rank and the other was out of reach for him as it was rather complex for him to understand.

"Return this to where you got it, we can't use it right now. Apparently, it's for High-Chunin and above" he said to his clone as he handed him the book.

Now that Naruto was finished gathering stuff to read, it was now time to actually read. Naruto sighed once more, the price for knowledge is truly difficult to pay.

(A/N: Would you look at that, Naruto's beginning his grind to be stronger for upcoming battles. This fic already has 1.5k views and it's only been a couple of days haha, thank you for those who enjoy my fic. And also! Shoutout to Ogremen for your wonderful PM to me, I appreciate your support to this fic as it warms my heart to see people truly enjoy what I put out there haha. I would also like to make it clear that I will not be giving Naruto a billion jutsus to jerk him off, no haha. I still plan to make his arsenal diverse but I won't replace his core techniques such as the Kage Bunshin and Rasengan (coming soon). Also, expect clone training but for knowledge only, I mentioned it above that there's a difference between concept and muscle memory. So I kinda nerfed it so to speak, but yeah that is all for me and thanks for stopping by, cheers ^^)