Chapter 20

Naruto's Training Begins

I had originally wanted to post this on Wednesday, but I was still feeling very under the weather. The good news is: we've hit 100K words for part 3! I legitimately don't know if any of the original readers are still around after my hiatus (sorry guys), but I have full intentions to finish this series.

I think I just hate mixing Arashi in with canon events and it's made writing it less enjoyable (also, life happened). I'm trying to not change too much canon-wise while still keeping her and the others in character. In part 4 there will be a little divergence that I've been planning well before I began writing this again, but I won't say what that will be. I'm just throwing this out there to let you all know that it wasn't a spur of the moment decision when we do get there. I also enjoy trying to get people to speculate. *shrug*

Outsmarted a Sannin…

The kunoichi knew that it was meant to be a compliment, but instead of endearing her to him, it made her suspicious. By his own admission he was once a member of Hiruzen's council. There was a reason for why he was no longer on that council. "I wouldn't say that I outsmarted him. He was toying with me and lost interest."

"Perhaps."

"I'm not sure how much I can tell you Shimura-san." She warned him. "I was ordered to stay quiet about what happened. The last thing I want to do is undermine the Hokage."

"Ah, yes. I see the reasoning behind keeping quiet until we are no longer under such scrutiny, but what kind of message is being sent to our own ranks by allowing a dangerous criminal access to our streets when we have the ability to take the upper hand and strike first?"

"I will not pretend to have the same foresight or wisdom when dealing with these kinds of ordeals as Sandaime-sama or the rest of his council." She replied and then added, "Current or past."

"Indeed."

While she probed him, he was probing her in his own way. Not that he was hiding it. He did say that he wanted to know her. "I'm all ears, though. I'm curious about your reasoning. What would you suggest?"

"Continue with the charade and lead him into a trap." He replied. "The Sannin are legendary. As much as it is a blemish on Konoha that Orochimaru is a criminal, it would bolster our reputation if we were to dispose of him in a well-orchestrated operation."

"It's a risk."

"Not doing anything is also a risk." He retorted. "I feel that Sandaime's hesitance to act is more closely tied into past affection for his student than it is anything else. He's always been too soft."

Arashi did not reply. All she had known under Hiruzen was prosperity. She had been the recipient of some of his favor and benefited from his leniency. Danzo's words said more about himself than they did their village's leader: he had a way with sowing dissent.

Noting her lack of response, he added, "If you think otherwise, consider this: since he himself is a sensor type, why has he not used that ability to track and dispose of his rogue student? His choice to let him go has inevitably led to more suffering, yours included."

Danzo was right, but the same could have been said about her. She could have helped with finding Itachi and giving her village more of an opportunity to eliminate him. Instead, she let him go and wrestled with the bitter emotions that his actions and her fondness of him elicited. "I won't disagree."

His lips twitched into a slight smile. "I thought you would see my reasoning."

"Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me." She told him. In truth, she could have gone without it.

"You are welcome. With that, I'm going to take my leave. Perhaps we'll speak again soon."

He rose from his seat with a groan. She listened as his joints cracked and popped. Unable to stop herself, she asked, "Arthritis?"

"I'm afraid it's a part of growing old." He replied, mulishly.

She held her hands out and motioned for him to come to her. "May I?"

"If you'd like."

"Take a seat again and let me see your arm."

She began at his wrist. Gentle but firm, she massaged the joints and worked the muscles, injecting traces of her chakra into the swollen tissue. It was not a quick process, but she worked her way up his arm and to his shoulder. As the swelling was relieved and tension was released, he relaxed under her touch. It gave her the opportunity to examine him more closely.

Despite his appearance as a frail, old man, she could feel strength coiled under her hands that belied a notable amount of chakra. "I'd say that the extra weight on this arm to use your cane is causing this to flare up." She commented. He grunted in agreement. "Are you already taking medication?"

"I am."

"Stretching in the morning and then a couple times through the day, along with some time in water like a pool or hot spring could help." She told him. "Would you mind if I worked on your shoulders and back?"

"Go ahead."

Arashi continued with her ministrations. Now that she was closer to his head, she wondered at the bandaging that covered half of his face. Behind that fabric, she noted a trickle of chakra being channeled into what she assumed was an eye. Doujutsu.

Perhaps he's like Kakashi-san?

Danzo sighed in content as the muscles in his shoulders and keck became lax. "Tell me, how is your brother? Kazika, was it?"

"Yes." She did not expect him to know her brother's name. "He's doing well."

"He's vying to become a shinobi, as well?"

"He is."

"Another medic?"

"No. He doesn't quite have the aptitude."

"Shame, but there will still be a place in the ranks for him."

"Always is."

"Naomi-san has been well?"

Arashi was at his back where he could not see her face, but she kept her expression passive. There was something about him also knowing her civilian mother's name that made her uncomfortable. "She stays busy, but yes."

"Ambitious woman. Ookami married well, all things considered."

"How long have you known my father?"

"Many years. He's a very skilled man and has done some odd jobs for me since his retirement. From my understanding, you've done well with following his example?"

"I do my best." She replied. "We've gotten most of your upper body now. Do you have a specific leg that gives you problems?"

"To an extent. It's expected after many battles and a long life." There was a grain of humor in his tone.

"Would you mind if I checked it out?"

"Have at it."

Arashi moved around to face him and knelt in front of his legs. She began at his ankles and worked her way up to his knee. He had lived a rough life, if the scar tissue and swelling was of any indication. The more traces of chakra that she left as markers, the more she was able to detect and identify. Without cutting everything away, she was able to form a picture of what she was working with.

"Such a strange thing to see how delicate a medic's hands can be when working." He commented. "I remember the first time I saw someone repurpose a chakra scalpel into a weapon and how efficient it was."

"One small incision and a person can be gone in seconds." She paused; her fingers poised over his femoral artery. Their eyes met and her lips curved into a half smile. "Does that bother you?"

He laughed. "It doesn't, but it probably should."

She chuckled with him. "Alright, now stand so I can get your hips."

Danzo did as he was told. Their small talk carried on until she was done with the process. She had him go through a range of motions to check for improvement. The one limb that she did not touch was the arm wrapped against his body. She assumed it would be more work and have extensive damage that would need to be assessed at a different time. "Ah, yes. This is better."

"I might not be the best in a fight, but I've figured a few things out." She shrugged. "When would you like to come back? I might be busy, but we could aim for you having a session of this maybe once a week? If I'm not around, I'm sure another person could take a look at you."

He thought about it for a moment. "Very well, then. I'll see you in a week. It's been a pleasure meeting you, kunoichi."

"Likewise."

Kakashi was still in the hospital when Arashi was discharged.

She had gotten rid of the hospital gown and was dressed in her own clothing again. During her stay, she figured out how to remove the seals Orochimaru had placed on her own fuinjutsu. Part of her had hoped that she would find some similarity in style between it and the mark on Sasuke, but that was not the case. Now that she was free to leave, the idea of food from home or from a restaurant motivated her as she packed and sealed things away. It was when she was finishing up that the silver haired Jounin popped into her room.

He closed his eye in a smile. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure."

He released the smile for a more serious expression. "I need to focus on Sasuke. I'm trusting you with Naruto. I've found someone to step in for me since we all know he needs training. I don't expect you to do that for me."

Arashi was not thrilled but understood. Sasuke was in danger. Naruto was not. "Got it."

"He'll probably mope and throw a tantrum, but it is what it is. He needs more attention than I can give him."

"I'll do what I can to help him. What do you think he needs to focus on the most?"

"The basics."

The basics should have been ironed out by the time he was a Genin or shortly after...

As if following her thoughts, he stated, "You probably think I'm a terrible sensei."

"No!" She lied through her teeth.

He gave her a flat look. "Mhm."

"I think you're talented and you probably took to being a shinobi almost effortlessly." She backpedaled. "You're not used to helping someone below a certain skill level. Am I right?"

He sighed. That was a yes.

It made sense. Sasuke was the one he was able to identify with – the talented one that took to things quickly and rarely struggled. Sakura was smart and had great chakra control, but her aptitude did not line up with his own. The idea to guide her toward the medical field was a good one but it was a path he was not familiar with. As for Naruto, he was hot headed, impatient, and needed a great deal of work in ways that Kakashi had never had issues. For a second, she considered the Jounin as a man that was out of his element instead of negligent.

Yeah right. Ibiki Sensei couldn't heal and didn't specialize in fuinjutsu, but he still taught me how to fight. She adjusted her glasses. "When are you going to tell Naruto-kun?"

"Well," he drug the word out while staring at her.

She squinted at him. "I'm not doing it."

"Fine, fine." He cleared his throat. "He'll probably show up wondering how Sasuke's doing soon and I'll tell him then."

"Good." She crossed her arms and tried to not look petulant. "Can't believe you even thought of pushing that off on me."

He scratched at the back of his head, sheepishly. "It was worth a shot."

"Who did you find to train him?"

"His name is Ebisu. He has a good reputation and is an excellent trainer."

Agreeing that Naruto would inevitably show up at the Hospital, she hung around until she felt his signature approaching. She notified Kakashi and went with him to greet the Genin at the front desk.

"Which room is Sasuke in?" Naruto was asking the girl at the desk.

"He is not allowed any visitors at this time."

"What?! Hey, hey! What's up with that?!"

"I'm sorry, those are the rules."

"Why, sis, tell me why?"

"Naruto, this is a hospital. Keep it down." Kakashi drawled as he and Arashi rounded the corner.

"Sensei!" Naruto brightened and jogged over to the Jounin. "I've got a favor to ask!"

"You don't need to say it." He replied. "I thought it would come to this, so I searched for someone to watch over your training."

Naruto deflated. His expression soured and he squinted up at his Sensei. "Why?!" He pointed at the man's face. "I want you to train me, Kakashi Sensei!"

"I have some things to take care of. I don't have the time to train you."

Naruto crossed his arms and scowled. He was quiet for a few seconds until something dawned on him. "Aha! You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you?!"

"Well, don't say that." Kakashi tried to deflect. "I found a sensei who's more reliable than I am!"

The Genin was unconvinced. "Who is it?"

"It's me." A man replied as he joined them.

Arashi eyed him. He wore dark sunglasses, all of his clothes were black, and his hitai-ate was a bandanna style worn on his head that reminded her of Ibiki's.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to look at him. When he saw who it was, his expression changed to horror. "You?! The closet perv!"

Ebisu pushed his glasses up his nose. "Such insolence."

"Closet pervert?" Kakashi repeated, quietly.

"Apparently?" Arashi whispered.

"Why's this guy training me?!" Naruto cried. "In the first place, he's weaker than me!"

"What?" Kakashi was mildly bewildered.

"But, you see! You see! A long time ago, with my Harem Jutsu, this guy.."

Ebisu lunged forward, caught Naruto in a headlock and covered his mouth.

"Harem Jutsu?" Kakashi and Arashi repeated at the same time.

"It's nothing!" Ebisu insisted with a laugh before whispering aggressively into the boy's ear.

Kakashi slouched forward. "I didn't know you knew each other."

"Well, they're unsavory ties, but," Ebisu continued laughing nervously while patting Naruto's head.

Naruto glared up at his new trainer. "Buy why this guy? I definitely don't want him."

"Same for me!" Ebisu snapped. "If Kakashi hadn't asked, I never would have agreed!"

"Then don't." Naruto retorted.

"Now, now, both you," Kakashi stepped forward, his arms open in an attempt to mediate. "Don't say that." The Jounin squatted next to his student and whispered, "Naruto, Ebisu is a private tutor who teaches the elite. He's a special jounin! He's better at teaching than I am. Out of Team 7, you're the worst at the basic skills. He can better teach them to you."

Naruto went on the defensive, "How the heck am I inferior compared to Sakura and Sasuke?!"

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, slowly looked over at Ebisu and shrugged. "Naruto, it's fact that you don't have the fundamentals down. No matter what you do, the basic skills are important. If you really want to become strong, be quiet and listen to what I'm saying."

Arashi frowned but remained silent. He's not necessarily wrong, as much as it sucks.

"Naruto," Ebisu cut in. "Upon obtaining your information from Kakashi-san and conducting my analysis, I believe that your chakra control is sorely in need of improvement." Documents appeared in his hands with a puff of smoke. "Here, let me explain with a series of simple diagrams. Please, take a look." Arashi and Kakashi watched as Ebisu showed the documents to the Genin and rattled off examples. It was an issue that was obvious to anyone that cared to pay attention, but it was new to Naruto. If anything, she was surprised that Kakashi had taken the time to provide information for someone to work from. "..This shows the differences between you three in a slightly exaggerated way, but Naruto, you produce too much chakra and thus expend too much energy. Your technique initiation is also unstable."

Naruto interjected, "But, there've been times when I was way better than Sakura or Sasuke!"

Kakashi jumped in to explain, "That's because out of the three of you, you just happen to have extraordinary stamina." Naruto looked at him and it was clear that he still did not quite understand the dilemma or how to address it. "Now then, Ebisu, I'm leaving him with you. Arashi has offered to help as she can, as well."

Without another word, Kakashi walked away from them. For the first time, Naruto looked at her. The kunoichi offered a strained smile. The boy was hurt and offended. She would have been, too, if their roles had been swapped.

Ebisu was the first to break the silence. "Alright, let's go."

"I'm still not convinced," Naruto stated. "Fundamentals might be important, but I won't get stronger by being taught by someone weaker than me!"

"You're calling me weak?" Ebisu was offended.

"Who else is here?!"

"Hey! I'm literally standing right here!" Arashi hissed. "I've helped you with things without you complaining before!"

"I was surprised having that indecent jutsu used on me before, but it's premature for you to judge my ability on just that."

"You were totally knocked out."

Arashi swatted the back of his head. "Be quiet and give us a chance!"

Her anger cowed him into compliance but not without complaints.

Ebisu led them to a bathhouse.

Arashi was unaware of the type of training that Ebisu had planned. She tagged along with the intention to help as she could, even if that would boil down to talking the Genin into accepting his help. That they knew each other was interesting, but she doubted she wanted an explanation for a 'harem jutsu' as he had called it. Hiruzen had wanted her to watch him and to lay low. With that in mind, she figured tagging along with monotonous training would accomplish both.

"Why did we come here? Are we gonna take a bath before training?"

"No! These hot springs are where we shall train." Ebisu replied.

Naruto stared in confusion.

Arashi frowned, "So, do I just transform into a dude to blend in or are we going to find a spot sorta outside to do this so I don't have to look at everyone's bits and pieces?"

Ebisu gave her a scandalized look. "I will not permit any disreputable behavior!"

She stared him down until he cleared his throat and turned away. They found a spring that was technically outside of the bathing areas. The kunoichi was quietly thankful for that.

"Now, here we are." Ebisu announced. "This seems safe and decent enough."

"We're going to train here? What the heck are we going to do?" Naruto questioned.

Ebisu pushed at his glasses. "We're going to walk on water!"

Naruto was shocked. "Huh?!"

Arashi found it curious that he was surprised. Surely he's seen other Shinobi do this?

"Kakashi-san told me that you'd already mastered the tree climbing exercise. This takes it to the next level." Ebisu explained. "For tree climbing, you only need to gather a requisite amount of chakra to your feet and just maintain that set volume of chakra the whole time. Because the tree is a stationary object, all you have to do is keep your foot attached like a suction cup. It's an exercise that demonstrates how to produce and maintain a set amount of chakra. In order to walk on water, however, you have to continuously emit a tiny amount of chakra from your feet into the water's surface, constantly adjusting that amount to just allow your body to float. This type of chakra control is more difficult than mere maintenance and is a type of control exercise where you learn to regulate your expenditure of a fixed quantity of chakra."

"I don't get it." Naruto replied.

"Well, it's probably easier to just show you." Ebisu focused chakra to his feet and stepped onto the water. "First, you gather chakra to the soles of your feet. Then, while you continuously emit a set amount, you fine tune it to your body weight."

"Whoa!" Naruto yelled.

Arashi laughed and joined Ebisu out on the water. "It's kinda fun once you get used to it."

"You can do it, too, Sis?!"

"Well, yeah." She pursed her lips. How useless does he think I am?

"Alright, I want to try it! first, chakra to my soles!" He formed a handsign, concentrated for a second, and placed a foot onto the water. "And then release a set amount.."

The second he shifted his weight, he fell straight in.

"I knew it." Ebisu commented.

Naruto shot out, screeching, "Hot-hot-hot-hot!"

The Jounin adjusted his glasses again. "I forgot to mention it, but this water is 60 ° C. If you keep falling in, you'll end up boiled like an octopus."

Cursing under his breath, Naruto stood, focused, and tried again with the same result. Arashi frowned. She expected failure and an adjustment period.

But this kid... it's like he's barely producing chakra. She focused on his seal and found his chakra flow to be inhibited. If he fought Orochimaru, it's possible that he placed an odd numbered seal over the even numbered one that is keeping the Kyuubi in Naruto. It needs removed. She waited until he climbed out of the water from another failed attempt. "Hey, Naruto, I need a second of your time."

He was bright red from the heat and drenched. "Sure thing, Sis."

She motioned to Ebisu to give them a moment and led him around the corner of the building to speak to him. Each step that he took sloshed. When they were alone, he looked at her, expectantly. Arashi felt awful for Naruto. "Hey, Naruto... So, uh, is anything bothering you?"

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! It's always Sasuke!" He cried out. "Why did Kakashi Sensei abandon me with this pervert for Sasuke?!"

"You've got me for what it's worth." She assured him. "I might not be a fancy Jounin, but I'm sure that Ebisu and I can help you."

He softened his tone. "It's nothing with you, Sis. I just wanted my Sensei to train me, you know?"

"I know. He knows, too. Believe it or not, he did find someone reputable to help you. You're not just an afterthought and you're no less important than your teammates."

"It doesn't seem that way!"

"I know it doesn't. I'm not going to act like this isn't really crappy, but we're going to work together and do what we have to." She replied. "Now, let me do something that should help you."

"Something to help me?"

Arashi focused chakra to her fingers, jabbed them into Naruto's stomach and pulled the Five Prong seal away in a motion that was quick and violent. It knocked the breath from him and he stumbled back.

"W-wh-what was that, you know?!" He pointed at her, his arm shaking. "What are you trying to do?!"

"Remove some fuinjutsu that was keeping you from using your chakra as well as you normally do." She explained. She chose to leave out that even his normal, uninhibited use needed improvement.

"Fuinjutsu?"

Her eye twitched. She knew that the word, at the very least, was in the curriculum in the Academy. "Yeah. I'm assuming someone did that to you. While in the forest."

"Oh yeah…" He squinted while he thought.

"Probably during a fight." She prompted. "With some creepy dude." There was another pause. "Snakes?"

"Oh yeah!" He remembered. "Does that mean you can remove that mark Sasuke has? Sakura-chan's been really worried about it."

"Sure, but it would kill him." Arashi replied.

His eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"That thing is really nasty. Maybe if I could have gotten my hands on it right when it was placed, but now it's got its hooks in him. He's in a fragile state and I'm afraid doing much with it would be too much for his body to handle. I intend to reassess later." She explained. "Anyway, let's get back to training."

When they returned to the spot they had been training, Arashi noticed a man crouched next to the fence that surrounded the women's bathing area. It appeared that he had either found a crack or created one to watch the women inside. She crinkled her nose in distaste. Naruto looked from the old man to the kunoichi and back. Ebisu followed their gazes and gasped when he saw what was happening.

"I don't know who you are or where you're from, but I will not allow indecency!" Ebisu yelled and charged across the water at him.

The old man regarded him from over his shoulder and smirked. Arashi's eyebrows rose when he formed a handsign and summoned a toad. It was large enough that he stood on its back. Seeing his approach, the toad's tongue shot out, wrapped around Ebisu and slammed him into the ground with enough force that he was left incapacitated.

"Don't make a fuss! Sheesh, you'll get us busted and what'll we do, then?!"

Arashi grabbed Naruto's shoulder, "I think it's time we grabbed our idiot and left."

The man that had taken Ebisu down might not have looked like much more than a lecher, but his chakra was through the roof and she was not in the mood to get spend time in the hospital again over something as silly as a fight over spying on women.

And there we have it for this chapter! A conversation with Danzo, a little more Kakashi interaction, and Jiraiya's sort of introduction. I'm hoping you all have been enjoying these updates and the story from Arashi's POV up to this point.

I played around with the idea of what to do with Danzo and if I was even going to have him take interest in Arashi a long time ago. I've decided, yes, but maybe not in the way you would expect. There's a lot of weight with this decision. Arashi will never get over what happened to Itachi once she finds out the truth. Imagine the disgust and trepidation that associating with Danzo on friendly terms will bring her when that does finally happen (it's looking like part 3 might end up being 40+ chapter long from what I've charted out…). It will still be a while before that happens, but seeds are being planted.

If anyone has any opinions, theories, or criticisms, please leave them in a review! I find them to be very motivating and I'd like to see what a reader not privy to my plans thinks at this point. I'm also considering writing an off-shoot series of one shots to go into scenes or interactions that would not make it into the main story. These would include young Itachi, Kakashi, Ibiki, and probably Team 7. What do you all think?