DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (IT COSTS LIKE WHAT? $10.3 BILLION ACCORDING TO GOOGLE, HAHA I WISH I HAD THAT KIND OF MONEY TO OWN THIS IP)
- Sly Fox -
A couple of days have passed and Team 10 were now back at their village but Shino and Ino were still not at a hundred percent to get back into the swing of things. Naruto on the other hand had some inside help to speed up his recovery, and this was partly due to his Uzumaki lineage and his tenant.
Both Shino and Ino woke up from their long sleep back at the inn but Asuma and Naruto had to assist the both of them all the way back to Konoha so that they won't push themselves which caused their journey back to Konoha to take a bit longer than it needed to be.
Naruto and his sensei then took a break to rest after their long journey from Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests) back to Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) and back to their beloved village. The next day came and the both of them were good to go once more, Asuma and Naruto decided to do some C-Rank missions in order to be productive only to find that there were no extra missions at that moment. Not wanting to waste a day, Asuma told Naruto that they would just train for a bit which Naruto gladly agreed to.
- At The Training Grounds -
"For the last time Naruto… Your hands are fine, they just look like they're on fire so calm down…" Asuma explained to Naruto
This was the fifth time he canceled the Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique) due to freaking out. Naruto was essentially wasting chakra, but this is basically nothing for him at all. Asuma sighed at Naruto's antics, he thought that sometimes Naruto is really smart and sometimes he's kind of an idiot. Though Asuma found it rather amusing, he could never really tell what was going on inside his mind.
"Cast the jutsu again, and don't worry about burning your hands and arms. Cause they won't, trust me" Asuma said to him
Naruto nodded and took a deep breath as he tried to perform the jutsu once more, "Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique)" Naruto said as his fists were set ablaze, he then saw that his hands were on fire and this made him anxious.
"Hold it Naruto, don't cancel the jutsu. You got this, it's just a mental thing" Asuma replied
Naruto's heart rate began to decrease the longer he kept the jutsu active, Asuma was right for saying that it won't hurt him at all. Now that Naruto has overcome the mental barrier, now it was a matter of concentration.
"Now remember, this is similar to your Nebaiken (Sticky-Fist) style. You just have to keep pumping chakra to your fists to keep the jutsu active, I'm pretty sure you can pull this off. And another thing is that the more chakra you pump into your arms, the hotter and stronger the flames would be. Any questions?" Asuma asked
"Do I have to deactivate the jutsu if I want to get something from my pouch, I'm guessing the answer is yes" Naruto returned
"That's right, just because your arms are immune to the fire doesn't mean other things won't set on fire. So don't scratch your body while the jutsu is on, got it?" Asuma reminded him just in case.
"Got it!" Naruto gave him a foxy grin which he found amusing
Asuma was impressed at the fact that all three of his students were fast learners, though each of them learns differently. Shino and Ino both prefer the conceptual side of things whereas Naruto is a visual learner and prefers a hands-on approach to things, at this rate they'll surpass him in the near future and he guarantees it.
"Want to put those fists to the test?" Asuma asked
"You bet Asuma-sensei!" he said as he pumped his fist into the air
"Just tap out if you forfeit, got it?" Asuma said to him to which Naruto grinned and gave him a thumbs up
"Alright, I'll be counting down to three then" Asuma said, Naruto then readied himself for the incoming battle.
"3…"
"2…"
"1…"
"Begin…" Asuma said, Naruto then threw a smoke bomb on the ground in order to conceal himself from his sensei. Naruto then ran out of the smoke alongside two other clones. Asuma then thought to himself that he probably applied the whole quantity-quality concept he thought to him back at Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests).
"Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique)" Naruto yelled, all their fists were then set on fire. They ran in random patterns in an attempt to throw him off, Asuma smirked since this would surely be interesting.
"Ohhh, it's on" he said to no one in particular
Asuma stood his ground and waited for Naruto and his clones to get closer, he decided he would go on the defensive and see how Naruto uses his new jutsu. A combination of the Nebaiken (Sticky-Fist), the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique), and his new Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique) is quite intriguing.
Naruto rushed towards Asuma and attempted to land a series of punches at him but Asuma saw this coming from a mile away and he easily dodged all of it by strafing left and right, as well as ducking from time to time. One of his clones then used the original's back as a platform, the clone jumped off the original's back and performed a tornado kick.
Asuma was quick to react though as he caught the clone's leg, the clone then smirked as it applied the Nebaiken style with the use of its leg. Its leg then stuck onto Asuma's hands, "Crap…" Asuma thought to himself. The clone then used one of its free arms to punch Asuma, but Asuma was also able to catch the punch. Asuma gritted his teeth due to how hot the clone's fist was but he pressed on and just ignore the pain.
The clone delivered one last strike by using its other leg to land a kick on his head, but Asuma used the length of his arm to block the kick. Not allowing the clone to land any more hits, he then performed a knee strike. Asuma put in enough force to dispel the clone since he assumed Naruto used more chakra to make these clones tougher. He then realized that one of the two clones was missing, Asuma then felt a presence from behind. He turned around and saw that the clone threw a dozen shurikens, "This should be easy enough" Asuma thought to himself as he was about to get a kunai from his pouch but then he saw the clone perform a separate jutsu.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto yelled, the twelve shurikens he threw then turned into a hundred.
"Nevermind…" Asuma thought to himself, he performed the following hand seals: Tiger – Ox - Dog – Rabbit – Snake, "Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)" Asuma's cheeks puffed up significantly. He spewed out the air in his mouth which released a powerful gust of wind that blew away all of Naruto's shurikens and dispelled the clone that threw them.
"Hey!... No fair!..." Naruto complained
"How's that unfair?... I didn't say I'm not allowed to use jutsu, so quit complaining and more fighting" Asuma taunted Naruto. Usually, Naruto would get provoked but instead, he felt even more determined to win.
"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto yelled out and created a horde of clones, the clones filled up most of the training grounds which left Asuma all alone in the middle, "Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique)" all the clones shouted in unison.
All the clones then rushed toward Asuma in an attempt to overwhelm him through sheer numbers but Asuma knew that dispelling these clones would be easier since Naruto decided to pick quantity over quality.
Asuma dodged and weaved through every single attack that Naruto's clones performed, one clone was coming at him with a cocked fist but he was quick enough to duck and punch the clone in the abdomen thus dispelling it into a puff of smoke. He then felt another presence coming from above and saw that one of the clones was about to land a moon kick on his head, Asuma then dodged to the left and caught his leg. He knew he couldn't hold on to the clone's leg for too long due to Naruto's Nebaiken (Sticky-Fist) style, Asuma spun around with the clone's leg in his grasp, after which, he threw the clone at a group of incoming clones.
The clone hit all of them thus creating a large puff of smoke, dozens of shurikens then emerged from the smoke and all of the projectiles were coming at him at high speeds, "Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)" Asuma said as he erected a wall made of earth which blocked all of the shurikens.
Asuma then left his cover and continued to move in order to avoid being caught by Naruto's clones, he dispelled clone after clone but they just kept on coming. Asuma knew to himself that Naruto could do this all day due to his insane chakra reserves but he was fine with that because it would also take a lot more than that to beat him and he was sure that Naruto's patience would run out faster than his chakra.
Asuma faced a seemingly endless wave of Naruto's doppelgangers, he dodged and ducked as he moved around the battlefield but one of the clones somehow managed to grab a hold of him, Asuma tried to break free from the clone's grasp but it was too late since the clone already applied the Nebaiken (Sticky-Fist) style which made it difficult for Asuma to weave through countless clones with ease. Soon, more and more clones were able to grab onto his body and quickly applied chakra to stick onto him. And finally, they were able to dogpile him as a result, and luckily for him, all the clones' hands weren't on fire because if they were then all the clones would dispel due to one another.
"I win, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted with joy and pumped his fist up into the air to celebrate, but then he heard his sensei's voice underneath all his clones.
"Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)" Asuma repeated the same jutsu earlier which blew away all of the clones that were on top of him, most of them dispelled right away and some were launched high up into the sky and fell down on the ground thus puffing into smoke. The original was also pushed back by the strong gust of wind that Asuma released but he was able to apply chakra to his feet and stick to the ground and avoid being blown away altogether.
"Oh come on!" Naruto yelled from afar. Asuma grinned and found it amusing to mess with Naruto.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that Naruto" he taunted. Naruto tried his best to ignore his sensei's taunt but now it was beginning to annoy him, Naruto gritted his teeth in response and that's when Asuma knew his taunts were working.
Naruto kept trying to get up close with Asuma but his sensei would just repeat the same jutsu and foil all of his attempts, he tried many things but none of them seemed to work. Naruto increased the number of shurikens he threw but Asuma would just blow all of them away, he tried to swarm him with more clones but his sensei was able to dodge and dispel most of them with ease.
Naruto was stumped, he did not know how the heck he was going to get close to his sensei without being blown away by the same jutsu. This went on for quite a while and as a result, he began panting which was rare and Asuma noticed it, "Had enough?..." his sensei asked.
The combination of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique), Nebaiken (Sticky-Fist) style, and the Katon: Moeru no Ken no Jutsu (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique) uses up a lot more chakra than Naruto expected and this took slight toll since he still wasn't used to it.
"A-Are you kidding?... I'm just… Barely getting started… Asuma-sensei…" Naruto replied while catching his breath
"You sure?... You seem tired though…" Asuma tried to taunt him more. Naruto clenched his fist in frustration but suddenly an idea popped into his mind and he just hoped that it would work this time.
Naruto took a couple of deep breaths and stood up straight, "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto created another batch of clones that were ready to attack Asuma. This time only half of them used the Katon: Moeru Ken no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Burning Fists Technique) for some reason. The other half then took out a kunai from their pouch and held it tightly in their palm.
Asuma noticed this and was confused at first but then he connected two and two, he saw that Naruto was panting earlier which probably meant that Naruto was conserving chakra. It sounded bizarre in his mind at first, the idea of Naruto conserving chakra seemed silly because why would he though? He had a ton of it, Asuma then decided to drop the entire subject and just focus on their spar.
He stood his ground and prepared himself by entering a fighting stance, Asuma dodged, weaved, ducked, and countered each clone's attacks with skill. He was able to decrease the number of clones on the battlefield overtime but Asuma then noticed that some of the clones were now circling him, he observed their hands and saw that they were about to weave the hand seals of the Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu).
Asuma quickly prepared a jutsu to counter the clones' attack, the clones then released a volley of fireballs at him from all directions. "Doton: Taju Doryhuheki (Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Wall)" four walls made of earth erupted from the ground and blocked each and every ball of fire.
He was protected from all sides except above and below, Asuma was expecting a pair of hands to grab his ankles from underground but nothing happened. Asuma looked up and saw a group of clones with kunais in hand, he deactivated his earth-style jutsu to escape. The walls of earth then crumbled to the ground which gave him a way out, the first few clones missed but the others continued to pursue him. Asuma simply used taijutsu to deal with them, he was able to dispel most of them.
Asuma noticed something was coming from behind and he knew it was a clone or so he thought, he delivered a powerful kick that sent Naruto flying across the training ground. Naruto hit his back against a tree which caused a crack sound, he groaned in pain and remained on the ground for a while. Asuma knew he messed up because he realized that he kicked the real Naruto a bit too hard.
"Crap…" Asuma thought to himself as he quickly approached his student to check if he was alright, judging from the crack he heard, he was certain he was injured.
He quickly kneeled on the ground and checked if Naruto was alright, "Naruto… You alright? I thought you were a clone back there…" he said to his student. Naruto's eyes then shot open and he smirked as he got up and grabbed his sensei's arm, another pair of arms then emerged from the ground and held on to Asuma's ankles.
"What the?!..." Asuma said
"I-I didn't tap out yet Asuma-sensei, hehe…" Naruto replied
He then sensed another presence coming from above, a clone was coming down with a kunai in hand. Asuma quickly performed a kawarimi (body replacement) in time, the clone then stabbed a log instead of Asuma. A shuriken then hit the pair of arms that were jutting out of the ground which caused it to dispel, "Doton: Sokonashi Numa (Earth Release: Bottomless Swamp)" Naruto's body began to sink into neck-deep mud which was very thick thus immobilizing him.
"You sly fox…" Asuma said to his student who was struggling to get out of the mud
"Damn it…" Naruto replied
"Don't be too hard on yourself Naruto, you did well. Honestly, I'm impressed with what you did there. Tricking me right there, good work Naruto but you seriously could've been badly hurt back there " Asuma said
"Y-Yeah... I knew it was a huge gamble but it almost worked hehe" Naruto chuckled
"I guess so... Does it hurt?" Asuma asked
"A bit..." Naruto answered
"I'll take you to the hospital to see how bad it is, and if it's not, what do you say we go grab lunch?" Asuma asked Naruto to which he nodded in agreement
"Alright then, cause of that lunch is on me. Where do you want to eat?" Asuma asked as he pulled Naruto out of the mud
"Is that even a question Asuma-sensei?" he said
"*sigh* Ichiraku Ramen then it is…" Asuma said. He knew his wallet would become extremely light after this.
(A/N: Hey there, so remember the part where Kimimaro stabbed Naruto's clone and it didn't dispel? Yeah... I forgot to add the part where Asuma thought him the concept of making durable clones, brain fart right there haha. I already fixed it so yeah. I also removed Kirigakure in the upcoming Chunin Exams, I misunderstood the wiki, I thought Konoha and Kiri were on good terms since Yagure was replaced with Mei back then but apparently not so yeah. Also, that's it for this chapter, Naruto trying out different kinds of jutsus but don't worry, I won't give him too much. I mean we all try different things and see what works and what doesn't, this is exactly that, Naruto's trial and error phase of what works for him and stuff like that. I also think I'll be separating the TLASC mini-series from this fic after a week but it is connected since I mentioned Team 10's return to Konoha in the beginning there, it will be mainly world-building stuff, I plan on doing a lot of it cause the Naruto world is so rich of unexplored things that we didn't see much of or didn't receive any explanation or something. Anyway, I hope y'all liked this chapter, my eye is feeling a bit better now haha. Show me some love, RnR if you'd like, and yeah, cheers! ^^)