~or~

Why Sasuke Doesn't Talk Much

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==A Little Bit Later==

Naruto collapsed exhausted after his hundred and seventy fourth pushup. Naruto had been struggling for the last hundred and forty or so, only forcing himself to keep going through sheer determination. Akaryu looked over at him without stopping. Naruto stared in slight awe. Akaryu was doing his pushups while Konan-sensei sat on him, and doing them effortlessly. Akaryu had explained when asked that he normally used a sandbag or five, but he had always wanted to do it with a beautiful woman on his back instead. Konan-sensei had laughed and sat on him, then been surprised when he actually started just calmly doing pushups.

Akaryu had made it to ten and then looked over and challenged Naruto to see who could do more. Now as Akaryu kept going and cranked straight through three hundred before putting one hand out to the side and continuing to do his pushups one-handed like it was the easiest thing in the world, Naruto knew he hadn't stood a chance. "How many are you going to do?" Naruto asked after a moment.

"I usually do a hundred basics, but Konan-sensei is only about a third the weight I usually use, so I thought I'd do three-hundred with both hands and then a hundred and fifty with each going solo. You were trying so hard though, I decided to just do basics until you ran out of steam. Surprise, surprise, you ran out before I did three hundred," Akaryu replied, "You can move on to crunches while I do my one arms if you'd like."

Naruto thought about it for a second and then flopped onto his back and started doing crunches, stopping after twenty to sit up and wonder what to do next. Akaryu actually paused and looked over at him, "Is that all you're going to do?" Naruto blinked in confusion and then realized what Akaryu meant. Akaryu went ahead and said it anyway, "Wimp." There was no venom in his flat tone, but nevertheless it stung.

Konan ruffled his hair as he went back to his pushups, "Now, now, Akaryu-kun, keep in mind what I mentioned about your level. You're well above most people in basically everything, physical attributes included."

"That's mostly because of the medical jutsu," Akaryu replied, "Anyone can learn it if they want to bad enough, and the other forty percent of it is hard work. Naruto could probably actually surpass me easily if he put in even a fraction of the effort. He wouldn't even need the medical jutsu."

Konan and Naruto looked at him in surprise and Konan asked what he was talking about. Akaryu grinned, "Mizuki spilled the beans and you read his file, I can actually talk about this now! Being the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails has granted Naruto just utterly stupid levels of accelerated healing. He hasn't even noticed it, but I've been testing and observing it for years. He recovers from light flesh wounds with zero scarring in less than an hour, small ones in minutes. Deep ones might take more than an hour, but I doubt anything less than being just utterly mauled would take more than a day. Broken bones heal in about two days for light breaks and judging by what I've observed, I wouldn't be surprised if he could recover from virtually anything. I suspect it's something to do with his seal, but I didn't have a chance to study the previous Jinchuriki."

"Anyway," Akaryu continued, "Basically if Naruto were to actually do a daily exercise routine like I do and eat something other than cup ramen so he could get some protein to actually build a bit of muscle, he'd probably catch up to me in a VERY short amount of time, since I suspect muscle would actually build on him faster than even my medical jutsu can allow. His physical capabilities could eclipse any normal person who doesn't workout with an intensity that makes mine look paltry, so once you introduce him to Guy-sensei, that is who you were talking about right Sensei?" Konan confirmed it was and Akaryu nodded, "Once Naruto starts working out like me and Guy-sensei's team, he may become the most physically powerful person alive in short order. Tsunade doesn't count, that's chakra-based tactile telekinesis."

Akaryu was quiet for a moment as that sunk in, then he added, "We should see about getting him a really big axe or a hammer or something to take advantage of that."

Konan looked at him in shock, "Chakra-based what?"

"Tactile Telekinesis. Tsunade-sama hasn't got the muscle mass to do what she does. Nobody does. So instead she infuses her chakra into the things she touches and uses that to make them do whatever she wants, be it move as she commands or just crumble. It's the ultimate extension of what medical and genjutsu users do with chakra infusion to produce the effects we do. I don't know if she actually has to be in contact with what she's affecting or if that's just a habit from when she was developing it as a combat handy medical jutsu. I intend to surpass her use of it. If I ever have enough chakra, I hope to thoroughly eclipse her the same way I intend to do Orochimaru-sensei and Jiraiya-sama."

Konan raised an eyebrow at him, "So you aim to surpass not just one but all three of the legendary Sannin?"

Akaryu grinned, "Even if I can only rival all three of them, that's still enough to make me a legend myself. I'm taking a leaf from Lee's book. I'll prove that I can be just as legendary as any of these people who are born with unbelievable powers. Those three are among the greatest shinobi the Hidden Leaf has ever produced. I surpass them? I get that distinction too, with no special powers or lineage at all. There needs to be at least one or two from every generation like that. Give people like me and Lee and Tenten some hope."

Konan considered that for a moment and then nodded, "So you seek to be a legendary shinobi so that you can be a beacon for those without special gifts to pursue their own dreams of greatness. That's very admirable."

"But what about me?" Naruto exclaimed, "you said you and Bushy-brows and Tenten, and I know you were listing off people without anything going for them, but what about me?"

Akaryu looked at him flatly as Konan looked utterly perplexed by that declaration. "I told you eight years ago Naruto," Akaryu said coldly, "When you realize why you were made the fox's container, you're going to understand everything, including why I don't categorize you as someone without anything going for them. Like I said, you're actually quite the opposite."

Konan glanced at him sharply, "What exactly did you tell him?"

"I didn't break the law," Akaryu replied with a glance over his shoulder, "I just told him it exists and that I know why it's there. I also mentioned that he was probably a shoo-in for Hokage whether he actually wanted the job or not."

Konan took a moment to consider that, "You abused the shit out of the exact wording of the law didn't you?"

"Damn skippy," Akaryu replied, "I can't tell him, and you can't tell him, but that doesn't mean I can't subtly point him in the right direction. I can't believe he hasn't figured it out yet. Now that you're in the picture though, I think he'll probably figure it out pretty quick. He'd have to be totally daft on top of being an idiot not to."

Naruto frowned in confusion, "But back then you sounded like you hated the idea of me being Hokage!"

"I do," Akaryu replied bluntly, "I really REALLY hate the thought of the next Hokage being already picked out. However," he added, "I'm not one to hold onto biases. Prove you can do it and do it well, prove that you're willing to actually put in the effort and earn my respect even though I know what I do, and I'll back you all the way. Thus far though?" He shot a flat look at Naruto, "You've done none of the above. Like just now, you stopped at twenty like a civilian. A shinobi would do at least fifty. A shinobi honestly aiming for the top? I'd expect nothing less than the same I do, or more. So get back to work instead of just sitting there staring at me Naruto, cause you know something?"

Naruto felt a distinct dread settle in his stomach, "What?"

"As of right now I'm adding Get that hat to my list of goals," Akaryu said with a sinister grin, "So you'd better hurry and catch up, cause I've been working a lot harder for a lot longer and I've made a lot more progress than you."

Naruto's eyes went wide in horror and he immediately threw himself back flat and began doing crunches with almost manic fervor.

Akaryu smiled thinly and calmly kept going. Konan looked at them in surprise, He's actively trying to spur Naruto on?

==An Hour of Working Out Later==

Konan looked from one of her students to the other, "Alright, now let's see you two go all out so I can see how you fight and hopefully see where you need to improve. No jutsu for now, just hand to hand. No weapons, including bombs," she added with a glance at Akaryu who she knew very much liked bombs.

Akaryu nodded and settled into a stance, "Sounds good to me." Konan placed a hand between them and then raised it, "Begin!"

Naruto charged with a yell and was immediately sent flying as he ran face first into a full bodied punch from Akaryu, which was about the same as charging face first into a steel post. Akaryu blinked in surprise as Naruto crashed into the river two hundred and fifty feet away, "Dang, I didn't think he'd fly that far."

Konan gaped and then she and Akaryu ran to fish Naruto out. Naruto required medical attention. Akaryu's punch had driven his teeth through his lip, shattered his jaw and had cut his tongue half off when Naruto's teeth were slammed shut on it so hard that several of them broke. There was quite a lot of blood coming out of the blonde's mouth.

"Good thing I didn't aim for his nose…" Akaryu muttered while he and Konan pulled the unconscious blonde out of the water as he considered the very real possibility that it would've pushed the blonde's nose into his brain.

==An Hour Later==

Konan looked at her godson as the med-nin worked to regrow his broken teeth, "So Naruto, what have you learned today?"

"Don't tharv A'aryu," Naruto mumbled through his mouthful of slowly healing teeth. Konan nodded, "Right. That applies to everyone and everything, but especially people who you know for a fact have punches that will flatten you."

Sasuke for his part was staring at Naruto's utterly wrecked visage from his hospital bed. Sasuke turned to Akaryu, still not quite believing, "You did that with one barehanded punch?"

Akaryu nodded, "To be fair, he ran into it as hard as he could."

As Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, the door flew open, "SASUKE-KUUUN!" Ino flew in and tried to tackle hug Sasuke only to fold around Akaryu's outstretched arm, which was once again, like running into a steel bar. Ino folded almost double and would've fallen if Akaryu hadn't reached out with his other hand to steady her.

"Calm down Ino," Akaryu instructed as he held her back, "and whatever you do don't jar him. The genjutsu's fragile now, any hard shocks could risk it dispelling the rest of the way and doing massive brain damage. You touch him now, you might just turn him into a vegetable. Until he's recovered, treat him more carefully than glass."

Ino wanted to argue, to tell Akaryu not to get between her and Sasuke-kun, but Akaryu was usually right about most everything. She also remembered quite vividly what Akaryu was like when he got angry, and snapping at him usually didn't end well. That first day of Kunoichi class where Akaryu had beaten holes in the ceiling with his own face to get loose from where Hikari-sensei had him hanging tied up from the rafters was firmly ingrained in her memory.

"I'm hearing that your brother did this to you?" Ino asked Sasuke, "That's awful! What kind of big brother would do that?"

"To be honest, I'm a little more upset about him killing everyone else in the family right in front of me," Sasuke replied dryly. He didn't quite get why Ino found that gape worthy.

"Sasuke's talking…" Ino muttered, "In full sentences…" She looked around, "Am I in some sort of genjutsu right now?"

"Mr. Strong Silent Type Sasuke actually probably was a result of the genjutsu," Akaryu answered, "He may be just as chatty and friendly as Naruto once they finish getting it out of him. Nobody knows. Hopefully he'll retain his abilities."

Ino then noticed Naruto and Konan-sensei sitting at the foot of the bed. "NARUTO?! What happened?!"

"He ran into a punch from me," Akaryu replied.

Ino looked at him disbelievingly, "A punch?"

"A punch," Akaryu replied as he pulled a small steel bar from somewhere in his cloak and bent it into a U shape like it was made of clay. He handed it to Ino for her to examine and Ino realized as she took it that it really was steel, and Akaryu really had apparently done that with nothing but his bare hands and raw physical strength. Ino was now even more glad as she returned the steel bar that she hadn't snapped at him. Akaryu treated girls a little more gently than boys, not a lot.

"Um, Akaryu," Ino asked tentatively, "If you don't mind me asking, just how strong are you?"

Akaryu raised an arm and flexed. The baggy material of his sleeve was suddenly tight around his bicep. Akaryu indicated it calmly with his other hand as Ino stared, "Pretty strong. Also, you're being a little rude," he added, "You haven't said hi to Konan-Sensei or Mr. Med-nin yet."

Ino started slightly as she realized that indeed she hadn't and turned with a small bow, "Oh! Um, hello, I'm Ino Yamanaka, these guys are all old classmates of mine. It's very nice to meet you both."

Mr. Med-nin nodded without saying anything and then turned back to trying to repair Naruto's face. Konan-sensei smiled, "It's very nice to meet you Ino."

"Sooo…how long did you make them wait?" Ino asked, "I know they were still waiting like an hour after my sensei had introduced himself."

"She didn't make us wait a minute," Sasuke replied, "We had a different instructor assigned to us, but Akaryu blew him up and we traded him in because he was lazy, a liar and apparently useless. Lord Third busted that guy's chops and I think was in the process of banning him from being a shinobi, and then we got Konan-sensei who in less than an hour discovered the genjutsu on me, adopted Naruto because it turns out she's actually his godmother, said nobody had ever let her know and she thought Naruto was being taken good care of, and revealed that Akaryu's basically a Jonin-grade badass and a hero even though most everything he's done has been kept super under wraps. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ino was staring, "I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk all at once. It's kinda weird."

Sasuke pouted at her, "I've been under a genjutsu for years you know."

Ino blinked, new Sasuke seemed a lot more approachable, maybe… "Um, do you want to get lunch or something sometime?"

Sasuke blinked at her in confusion, "Are you asking for a date?"

Ino blushed pinker than Akaryu's hair and nodded nervously. Sasuke frowned, "I thought you were dating Akaryu?"

Akaryu snorted in surprise and tried not to laugh as the color drained from Ino's face. "NO!" Ino exclaimed, "Akaryu's…NO!" Akaryu just started howling with laughter. Ino pointed at him, "You see?!" she asked Sasuke, "I just declared him so un-dateable I can't even put it into words and he's just laughing his butt off!"

Akaryu laid a hand on Ino's shoulder as he calmed his cackling for a moment with a grin, "It's hilarious for reasons I don't really expect you to get Ino-chan, and like you, I can't really explain it either, but I think the word is friend-zone."

Ino took a second to register that and then a stunned expression settled over her face, "You friend-zoned me?"

Akaryu sat back smugly, "What? You thought that was a one-way thing? You and me are friends. I like the dynamic we've got now, and I don't want to screw it up or make it awkward. It's pretty simple I think. You're too good a friend to lose to my hormones."

Ino opened her mouth to protest and then closed it back and thought about it for a second. Then she smiled, "Thanks Akaryu." She turned her attention back to Sasuke, "So, Sasuke, date?"

"Um…maybe after I get out of the hospital," Sasuke replied. "KYAH! I FINALLY GOT SASUKE-KUUUUUUUUN!" Ino squealed.

"But not if you ever do that again!" Sasuke declared, looking more than a little spooked. Ino looked stunned and Sasuke explained, "That was disturbing. Not to mention very hard on the ears. Please don't ever do it again."

Ino agreed quietly and thus began possibly the first real conversation she'd ever had with him. They got surprisingly into it and neither noticed Konan, Naruto and Akaryu leaving half an hour later. Akaryu twitched as he heard the bell ringing to signal that it was four o'clock in the afternoon, "Crap. I'm late."

Konan and Naruto looked at him, "Late for what?"

"I always go to help out at the surplus store at around four o'clock. Usually I'm there at straight up four." Akaryu explained, "It's how I've been getting food and supplies since my parents ditched me. I work and Mr. Goten gives me any extra food pills or supplies that aren't selling. The deal was that I'd do it until I made genin, but I didn't make it over there yesterday and I need to tell him and Ten-chan I made it."

Konan smiled, "Well let's go then. I need to thank Mr. Goten for taking care of you."