Shades of Blue
Chapter 3
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It took Naruto a few seconds to realize that Sakura looked ready to fall over. To be honest, Naruto himself was very tired, and comparing Naruto's stamina to Sakura's is like comparing a fish to a whale. Sasuke looked ready to keel over right there, but he looked genuinely happy that Sakura was too tired to ask him out on a date.
Naruto panted as he smirked at Sasuke, "It's about time ero-sensei trained us seriously, eh teme?" Naruto said.
Sasuke grunted, seemingly in agreement.
Kakashi was reading his smut as he said, "Maa, Naruto, must you keep calling me by that name?" He asked, his voice nonchalant.
Naruto shrugged, "Yeah." He answered simply.
Kakashi had made him look at at least 15 different taijutsu styles and made him find one that suits him the best. In the end, the Roaring Whirlpool Style, a style dependent on using unpredictable hits to the opponent's joints with weaker strikes first before using stronger hits after they had been weakened to finish them off. It was actually dependent on other factors such as Suiton jutsus and making sure that your hits were unpredictable. The latter was easy enough for him, but the first was a bit more difficult cuz, ya know, HE HAD NO SUITON JUSTUS!
Naruto realized that Kakashi wouldn't teach him any jutsus any time soon. But that was alright as long as he teaches him and his teammates seriously. He hadn't learned any kind of Kenjutsu, but Kakashi had promised to send someone to teach him. Naruto didn't like the look in the visible eye of the Jonin.
"That's it for today... unless you want to do some D-Ranks?" Kakashi asked, and Naruto could feel the grin in the man's tone.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Sakura screeched, "I AM COVERED IN DIRT AND MUD! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING MORE TO DO!"
Kakashi rubbed his ear with his pinkie (hehe), "Maa, you didn't have to screech. What about you two?" He asked, looking at Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto glared sullenly at the man, "No, Kakashi-sensei, dear god, I'm tired and I'm me!" He said. Sasuke simply grunted once again.
Kakashi shrugged, "Alright, tomorrow at 8 again. Ja ne!" He said, vanishing in a Shunshin.
Sakura was too tired to ask Sasuke out on a date and so she was preparing herself to scream out a 'no!' at Naruto, but the redhead simply waved at the two and said, "Well, later, Sasuke, Sakura." He said, walking away from them.
It took Sakura a few seconds to realize that the redhead hadn't caller her 'Sakura-chan' nor did he ask her out on an annoying date. She simply blinked dumbly at Naruto's retreating figure, and a feeling of guilt and sadness overcame her as she realized what she had said earlier that day before Kakashi arrived.
Naruto himself realized that he hadn't asked his crush out on a date, but honestly, after what she had said today, he didn't really feel like it. Maybe it was about time he moved on from her, knowing that she wouldn't give him the time of the day anyway. He remembered how he had always tried to be nice to her, to be friendly to her even if she was mean to him in return. Sure, he liked the girl, he thought she was pretty, but he could only take so much. Heck, he hadn't even asked her out on a date in days, dattebayo! Naruto just realized that! He had been so busy with Kage Bunshin training and other forms of training to even remember that!
Was it superficial? He knew that Sakura only liked Sasuke because she thought he was 'hot', which does make sense considering that he is from a fire clan.
But seriously though, yes, Naruto, as much as he hated to admit it, knew that the boy was handsome. Naruto didn't know if he himself was attractive, but the orange jumpsuit probably put off any girl who liked him anyway.
So it was pretty easy to detect that Sakura's obsession with Sasuke was superficial. So it's likely that his own crush on the girl was superficial. She was cute and pretty, but other than that, her personality could use some tinkering. He felt stupid for chasing after a girl who has such a horrible personality.
'From now onwards, I'll try to look for a girl who is attractive in personality. If she's attractive physically too, then that's just a plus.' Naruto thought to himself and smiled, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. Yes, it was probably for the best.
Speaking of Shadow Clones, "Oh, right." He muttered and made a half-ram handsign, dispelling the rest of the clones that he had ordered to work on chakra control back at his place. Naruto remembered what Iruka-sensei had told him yesterday, and dispelled the clones in groups of two and waited a minute in between.
Eventually, after getting all of the clones to dispel, Naruto's legs felt wobbly and he felt truly exhausted, something that only occurred a few times in his life.
It was too early to go to bed, so he decided to go have a bowl of ramen or nine.
He reached Ichiraku's and found Team Ten just outside the shop, looking like they were about to go in. He could see Chouji nearly drooling, Shikamaru looking lazy as usual, and Ino who was looking around for someone suspiciously. Naruto decided to greet them anyway.
"Yo," Naruto said, lazily. He knew that Kakashi was rubbing off on him, but he was too tired to care. Ino seemed to groan at the sound of his voice.
"Ugh, I told you the baka would be here Chouji, but nooo! You had a craving for ramen today." Ino said bossily at Chouji, who frowned. She turned to Naruto and sniffed, looking at his attire, "Trying to be as cool as Sasuke-kun again, Naruto-baka? I don't suppose you'll go find somewhere else to fill that black hole of yours?" She asked mockingly.
Naruto gritted his teeth, "Yeah, right. Like I'd listen to someone like you!" Naruto snapped, "And in case it missed your teme-obsessed head, my clothes were ripped because I trained myself into the ground, while you continued to starve yourself into a stick so that Mr Gloom and Doom would notice!" He said angrily.
Ino simply gaped at him, with no sound exiting the loudspeaker she called a mouth and Naruto huffed, "Yo Shikamaru, Chouji. How're things?" He asked the two other members of Team 10, completely ignoring the blonde who looked angry if her face flushing was any indication.
Shikamaru looked at him, before looking over at his attire, then at his sword, "Troublesome. Hey Naruto." He said, nodding at him. Chouji waved cheerfully.
Naruto was about to speak, before blinking as his hand came up instinctively to catch the punch aimed at his jaw. Chouji gaped at him as Shikamaru had a calculating look on his face which was also mixed with surprise and annoyance at the one who threw the punch. Naruto was very surprised. Kakashi had trained him into the ground, but one of the main aspects of his training was dodging. The man had tossed kunai and shuriken at the blonde who had to dodge. Thankfully, the weapons were made of rubber so his clothes were still fine, but dammit, Kakashi was strong and he threw with a lot of force.
Anyway, Naruto decided that he had been pushed around enough by bossy people in his life. So he turned to Ino, whose jaw had dropped, "That wasn't nice." He said, his voice was cold and made Ino flinch.
Ino looked shocked, and Naruto let go of her fist. Finally, she spoke, "Y-you caught it." She said, looking shocked.
"Ya don't say?" Naruto said sarcastically. Damn, Kakashi is really rubbing off on him.
"How?" She asked, looking incredulous, "You've never dodged mine or Sakura's punches before!"
Naruto frowned, thinking back... yeah, he never has, has he? Well, it's about time he started doing that. Sakura was his teammate, but she wasn't getting away with hitting him for no reason either. Ino? Ino was nobody to him. Sure, she's a fellow Leaf Ninja and therefore, a comrade, but that's about it. She was a bully with an awful personality, just like Sakura.
Naruto glared at her, "I don't take shit from anyone, dolly. I don't care if you're you or the Hokage! You're nothing but a bully!" Naruto said, before angrily storming into the ramen shop and sat at his usual seat. Chouji and Shikamaru joined in soon, and Ino sat away from him, not looking at him. Naruto sat there, steaming angrily at the blonde's words. What did she know anyway? He shouldn't let her get to him.
"The usual, Ayame-nee-chan!" Naruto said, and the girl grinned at him.
All of his anger was forgotten as his favourite miso ramen was placed in front of him. He quickly began to devour bowl after bowl, "Another!" Naruto said cheerfully and noted that Chouji had said the same thing. The other boy narrowed his eyes.
"Two bowls, please!"
"Five bowls, Ayame-nee!"
"Ten bowls!"
"Twenty!" Naruto and Chouji glared at each other before grinning and pointing at each other dramatically, "I challenge you to a ramen eating contest!" They both said at the same time before saying, "I accept!"
Shikamaru looked torn between amusement, exasperation, and disgust as the big-boned Akimichi and the Uzumaki devoured bowl after bowl after bowl of ramen. Seriously, where does it all go? Chouji he could get, but Naruto eating so much fat and sodium yet remaining in the relative shape he is right now is pretty impressive. Now that Shikamaru thought about it, the redhead never really ate anything other than ramen and unless the boy could cook, he had to be eating ramen all the time because he never saw Naruto in any other restaurant. Despite the training Naruto possibly did, there is no way his body could process so much fat and sodium and be in such a good condition as it is. Troublesome, there is more to the redhead than meets the eye, that's for sure.
"So, what's with the sword, Naruto?" Chouji asked, patting his now filled belly. It had been a tie in the end with both of them devouring about 24 bowls of ramen each.
Naruto looked over lazily, "Oh, this? I bought this today at Higurashi's. A good thing too. Kakashi-sensei said that I'm more suited to kenjutsu and ninjutsu." Naruto replied unstrapping the sword with its sheath and looking at it with a small smile on his face.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "And the change of clothes?" He asked.
"My old ones got ruined in training, as I'm sure you noticed." Naruto answered, "So Iruka-sensei and I went to get myself some new ones. It's better, yeah?"
Shikamaru scoffed, "Going naked is better than that monstrosity." He replied flatly and Naruto sweatdropped.
"It wasn't that bad." He said weakly and Shikamaru gave him a deadpan stare and he deflated, "Dick."
"How's Sasuke-kun's training going? Bet he's much stronger than you." Ino said rudely. Naruto shrugged.
"I don't know how Sasuke's training's going. Other than teamwork exercises, Kakashi-sensei trains us all individually." That is, he started doing that today. He added internally, "I'm sure the dude's going fine. But if you wanna know how his training is going, you gotta ask him... good luck." He added, smirking, knowing that Sasuke would rather hug Naruto than talk to one of his fangirls.
Ino glared at him, "And how is your training going, baka?"
Naruto grinned, "I didn't know you cared so much, Ino-chan." He said, mockingly. Chouji chuckled and Shikamaru snorted as Ino went red in the face and went to hit him again and once again, Naruto dodged and she nearly hit Shikamaru who flinched.
"Troublesome blondes and redheads." The Nara muttered under his breath and Naruto shrugged.
"Sorry, Shikamaru, but I ain't getting hit if I can help it." Naruto said, before getting up, "Alright, later you all." He said, ignoring Ino's outraged look.
Two days later, Naruto lazily made his way to the training grounds to meet his team. He had, once again, left 25 clones to work on chakra control, but this time also focusing on the taijutsu style Kakashi had shown him. He yawned as he lazily waved at his teammates, "Yo, guys." He said, his hands in his pockets. Sasuke simply nodded at him while Sakura twitched.
"You sound a bit too much like Kakashi-sensei, Naruto." She said, looking at him and his lazy posture.
"Do I?" Naruto muttered, "Eh, who cares?" he said, walking over to 'his' tree and laying down against him.
"Dobe, I got a question for you." Sasuke suddenly said, and Naruto looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"...Okay?"
"Are you a member of the Uzumaki clan?" He asked, his onyx coloured eyes looking at him with curiosity masked with disinterest.
Naruto repeated the other boy's words in his head a few times, thinking he misspoke... then he slowly sat up and focused on Sasuke, "...There is an Uzumaki clan?"
"Was." Sasuke replied and Naruto flinched, "They were destroyed about 30 years ago after being attacked by Kumo and Kiri at the same time. I think they used to live in a land called Uzushiogakure. They were renowned for their kenjutsu, fuinjutsu, suiton, and... red hair." Sasuke finished. This was the most he had ever spoken to any of his teammates.
Inside Naruto was a whirlpool of emotions. He had a clan. He actually had a clan. Sure, they were all gone, most likely, but he actually had someone who shared the same name as him! Naruto swallowed thickly, "I... I don't think I've ever heard of the Uzumaki clan before." he said softly.
Sasuke looked unemotional as always as he said, "The wife of the Shodaime Hokage was Uzumaki Mito. She had hair similar to yours." He said and Sakura gasped.
"That's right! I remember that lesson! I was the one who asked for her last name when Mizuki-sensei didn't seem to want to say it!" She said, nodding rapidly. Naruto barely held back a scowl at the mention of the man.
"Ah..." Naruto said before sighing, "You'd think more people would know about this or at least tell me about it." he said, looking a bit sad and miffed at the same time. He had no illusions that the Hokage knew about this, heck, almost everyone's heard about this, most likely. No one ever forgets the Shodai's wife's name. That'd be an insult to the founder of the village.
Sakura looked at him in sympathy, "Hey, look at it this way, at least now you know what your clan was famous for, so you can emulate your ancestors!" She said with a smile.
Naruto thought about it. It was true. He was already learning kenjutsu. Or starting to learn anyway. Suiton was also no problem. He could learn it and his taijutsu was dependent on it anyway. Fuinjustu... well, what's the Hokage there for?
Naruto sighed, "Thanks Sakura." he said and she shook her head.
"No Naruto, don't say thanks. In fact, I should apologize for how I always treated you." She said, looking shameful, "I'm... sorry. I know that I've always put you down and hit you for no reason, and you didn't have to take it, but... I really have no excuse for it. I'm sorry." She said, looking down, but refusing to cry.
Naruto blinked, before grinning widely and patting her shoulder, "Hey, no problem Sakura! It's all in the past, right? How about we just start over? I won't pester you for dates and you don't hit me. Friends?" He asked, extending his hand to her.
Sakura looked shocked, before grinning and shaking his hands, "Of course, Naruto. Why did you do that anyway? You started asking me out of random three years ago." She asked.
Naruto blinked, "Ah, nothing. I just wanted to hang out, dattebayo. I wanted to be friends when I saw that your hair looked kinda like mine. Unique." he said, flushing slightly, "I thought you were cool."
"You... thought I was cool?" She asked, shock colouring her features, "You never said you wanted to hang out, you ask for dates!" She exclaimed, looking confused.
Naruto frowned mildly, before rubbing the back of his neck, "Uh... yeah. Is that not what it's called when a boy and girl hang out?" He asked, confused. That's what he always thought. Sasuke looked at him, looking a bit surprised and amused and Sakura looked even more confused. Clearly, that wasn't the answer.
"Not... really. It's just called hanging out. A date is something..." Sakura glanced slightly at Sasuke, who ignored her and looked away, "...Romantic." She finished with a sigh.
Naruto blinked, "Oh... I mean, I wouldn't mind that either, but that wasn't really what I wanted. Sorry, I never really had a friend other than Shikamaru and Chouji and they never explained it to me." He said, looking sheepish and embarrassed. Wow, he really made a fool of himself for three straight years when he could have had a friend a long time ago?
Sakura giggled, "Ah, right, it's fine, Naruto." She said, clearly, she forgot that Naruto was an orphan.
Naruto coughed awkwardly and there was an awkward silence for a while. Naruto decided that he might as well take a nap because there's no way that ero-sensei would be here on time. He never is-
"Yo." Kakashi suddenly arrives, waving at them lazily. Naruto could kind of see why Sakura thought he had been acting too much like Kakashi.
"YOU'RE- not... late?" Sakura and Naruto screamed at first before falling quiet before looking at him with an absolutely floored expression on their faces. Sasuke himself looked a bit shocked at Kakashi, who rubbed the back of his head.
"Maa, I'm not that bad." He said weakly.
"YEAH RIGHT!" Naruto and Sakura yelled and Kakashi sweatdropped.
"Uh, right. Anyway, today we're going to ask the Hokage if he could give us a C-Rank Mission. Hopefully, it will go a bit more pleasant this time around than it was before, ne?" Kakashi said, smiling at them.
Naruto's eyes brightened, "REALLY?! THAT'S AMAZING ERO-SENSEI!" Naruto yelled, and Kakashi waved his hand lazily, though he looked a bit miffed at the nickname. Sakura looked a bit nervous while Sasuke looked excited and even a bit... happy.
"Um, are you sure, sensei? I mean, our last C-Rank was... pretty intense." Sakura said, frowning in nervousness and concern.
Kakashi nodded, looking serious, "I understand your concerns Sakura, but I believe that a trip outside a village would help out all three of you. However, if you don't want to, I can always ask the Hokage permission to let us out of the village for a week or so." He said, "I don't want you to feel pressured." He added in the end, noting the expressions on each of their faces.
Sasuke was looking at Sakura intensely as if daring her to say no. Naruto looked torn. Clearly, the redhead wanted to go on a mission but was clearly concerned for his teammate who was unsure of herself.
Naruto patted Sakura on the shoulder, "It's okay, Sakura-chan! I don't want this mission to go like the last one, either, but not all missions are the same, right? That was just our luck. Or bad luck, maybe." Naruto said, smiling brightly at her.
Sakura still looked indecisive, "...Um, I suppose we can go on a C-Rank." She said, relenting. Sasuke smirked slightly and Naruto grinned. Kakashi nodded.
"Very well, let's go."
The trip to the Hokage Tower was a silent one. Kakashi had his nose buried in his book, giggling at times while Sasuke looked excited, but as usual, did nothing to contribute or start a conversation. Sakura looked apprehensive, and it seemed like she wanted to say something, but didn't in the end. Naruto was nearly jumping in excitement. Another C-Rank! Despite the luck, good or bad, depending on who you asked, in their last mission, it was pretty scary. Even Naruto would admit that the enemies were way out of his league in the last mission. Maybe this time around, he could see what an actual C-Rank Mission would be like.
They arrived at the Hokage Tower and Naruto barged in, "Yo, Old Man!" Naruto said, waving cheerfully.
The Sandaime smiled at the boy amusedly, "Hello Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan. Kakashi-kun, I assume you want another mission?" He asked, putting his pipe down.
Kakashi put his book away and looked at the Hokage, "Yes, Hokage-sama, but this time, I was hoping that you would give us a C-Rank." He said, looking at the old man seriously. The Hokage tilted his head while the assistant next to him sputtered.
"A C-Rank? Are you serious? You four barely survived your last one!" The woman said incredulously.
"Hey, we kicked ass!" Naruto shouted defensively and Sasuke grunted in agreement. Probably.
"No, you did not." The Hokage said firmly, and the two boys' eyes widened at the stern tone in the old man's voice, "You definitely did not 'kick-ass' in your previous mission. In fact, it was you three who were in actual danger. Kakashi is capable of handling a nuke-nin of Zabuza's calibre, but you are definitely not. Understand this, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, a good shinobi is not the one who is stubborn and proud, it the one who recognize their limits and admits their weakness. If you don't understand that, then you will get yourself, and maybe even your teammates killed someday." He said firmly.
Naruto flinched and Sasuke looked down, probably in shame. Naruto was ashamed, but what else could he do? His guts and determination were all he had, dattebayo! Yes, maybe if he had thought it out a little bit more, he could have helped Sasuke defeat Haku even easier and he wouldn't have had to resort to the Kyuubi's chakra... but still...
There was an awkward silence as the Hokage stared down the two young shinobi and kunoichi, "I will give you an easy delivery mission. I hope you two will reflect on this, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun." He said, before taking out a scroll and tossing it at Kakashi who caught it easily, "Deliver that scroll to one Yukimura Kimiko in Tanzaku Gai. I have checked extensively, and there is no trouble to be expected in this particular mission." He said.
Kakashi looked over the contents of the scroll and nodded lazily, "As you say, Hokage-sama." He said, and there was mumbled words spoken by his three students as they went out. Naruto was deep in thought as he considered the Hokage's words. The old man might be, well, old, but he was smart and wise. Naruto knew this, and he knew it well. He might not be the smartest kunai in the pouch, but he knew enough that you don't get to be a near seventy-year-old shinobi without being strong and wise.
Naruto frowned as he remembered the old man's words, 'you will get yourself, and maybe even your teammates killed someday.' It was true. His rash and cocky attitude nearly got Sasuke killed by Haku. Sure, the Uchiha survived, but it was only because Haku was kind. If Haku wasn't kind, then Sasuke would be dead and it would have been Naruto's fault. He grimaced at the very thought.
'Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei... they might get themselves killed because of me.' He thought. Naruto had 'Never give up' written into his very heart and he wasn't going to change that, but being cocky, rash and stubborn is... not the shinobi way. He thought of Kakashi-sensei. Strong, smart, and calm. He didn't give up on anyone, even though his opponent was clearly strong. Naruto wanted to be like that.
"Grab your gear and get to the village gate within the hour," Kakashi ordered and the three nodded and headed off to their respective homes.
When Naruto reached his apartment, he quickly packed a few cups of ramen, tons of kunai, shuriken, and a change of clothes. It was simply a double-layered black and orange long-sleeved t-shirt and black shinobi pants.
"Yosh! I'm going to be the best ninja I can be, dattebayo! I may not like Sasuke-teme, but I will protect all of my precious people. Just watch Haku! I'll be the shinobi you would be proud of!" Naruto said, looking up with fire in his eyes.
A thump sounded on one of the walls, "Shut up, Naruto! Some of us like the quiet!"
"Go find some other place, dattebayo!" Naruto yelled back.
"I live here, you baka!"
Naruto huffed and strapped on his backpack and got out of his home. He quickly made his way over to the village gate and found Sasuke and Sakura already waiting there for Kakashi and himself.
Soon, Kakashi arrived and they all made their way out of the village. Naruto felt excited once again, just as he was when he left the village for the first time. He was nearly bouncing in excitement, and Kakashi ruffled his hair.
"Maa, maa, Naruto, it's only a short trip." He said amusedly.
Naruto grinned brightly at the man, "Yeah, but this is only the second time out of the village, ero-sensei. I'm excited!" He said.
"Hn, dobe."
"What was that, teme?!"
The mission was pretty simple. Reach Tanzaku Gai and drop off the scroll to some chick and get back and get paid. Naruto was actively trying not to yell, trying to control his temper. His attempt was clearly noticed by everyone on his team. Sakura teased him about being a grandpa's boy and Sasuke tried to mock him. Unfortunately, it worked most of the time. The only times it didn't, was when Naruto was ignoring him. And ignoring people, to Naruto, felt as if he was turning into Sasuke himself.
At the end of the first night, they made camp. Kakashi took the first shift, and Naruto was next followed by Sasuke, then Sakura. Naruto, however, couldn't sleep, so he sat opposite Kakashi around the fire. Kakashi giggled at times while reading his book while Naruto looked increasingly annoyed by the man's consistent giggling.
Finally, Naruto snapped, "Dammit, ero-sensei, what's so fun in that book anyway?" He asked, looking at the little orange book in the man's hand.
Kakashi looked all too happy that Naruto asked, "Ah, it's something you need to read for yourself to enjoy." He said, before pulling out another book from his pouch and tossed it at the redhead, who caught it.
Rolling his eyes, Naruto then asked, "Okay, I got another question for you?" Naruto asked.
"Hmm?"
"How do I... calm down? Like, how do I control my temper? How do you do it?" He asked in rapid succession.
Kakashi fully put his book down and looked at the redhead with a visibly raised eyebrow, "Is this about what Hokage-sama said?" he asked, and Naruto chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah... I mean, the old man is the one I respect the most in the word, dattebayo! I want to be a shinobi he could be proud of." He said, looking very serious. Kakashi assessed Naruto for a few seconds before nodding.
"Fair enough, I suppose." Kakashi said, and put on a thinking pose, "Well... to control your temper... there isn't always a way to do so. Sometimes you cannot help the situation you are in and it makes you angry. Sometimes your anger is justified and it is probably a good idea to express it. And to tell you the truth, it is alright to be angry. What is important, however, is to not let the anger get the better of you. It is always important to think before you speak and act, but as I said, the situation might call for a quick decision and in those times, you cannot afford to think." Kakashi said in a lecturing tone and Naruto was looking at him with wide eyes.
"Damn, I had no idea it was that complex," Naruto said and Kakashi nodded.
"Let me give you an example. I am a Jonin and I will sometimes be chosen to lead squads, much like yours. Remember when we first fought Zabuza?" At Naruto's nod, Kakashi continued, "When I fought Zabuza, I was confident that I would be fast enough to stop him if he came for you three and Tazuna. I had the foresight to observe his battling style and make quick, yet calculated decisions. Imagine if I didn't have that foresight. If I simply charged in without thinking, then Zabuza would have simply distracted me with his clone and used a suiton jutsu to kill the three of you. It was my job as a team leader to keep myself calm and reassure my teammates and make quick decisions to make sure that everyone would survive." He said.
Naruto took it all in, "...How can I be like that, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said, frowning, "I... I admit that me simply going into the... dome thing that Haku made nearly got Sasuke killed. I was an idiot, but I don't want to be. I'm trying to read and become smarter, but I can't keep myself calm." Naruto said, looking down.
Kakashi smiled, "Naruto, you admit your mistakes. That is the first step in correcting your mistakes. Well, basically, you need to pick up a hobby that will need you to have patience. A colleague of mine was much like you. Rash and impulsive, but she mellowed out a lot over the years. She told me that she picked up a hobby of making tea. Why don't you try that? Why don't you try meditation?" Kakashi suggested.
Naruto scrunched up his face, "...I guess I can try that." Naruto allowed, "I'll ask Sakura-chan to teach me to make tea." he said.
Kakashi nodded, before looking at his book again, "I suggest that you read the book as well." A giggle, "It's pretty fun. Even if you don't enjoy the smut, you will enjoy the plot." He said.
Naruto scoffed, "Yeah, whatever, ero-sensei. Oh, by the way, why didn't you tell me about the secret of Kage Bunshin?" He asked.
Kakashi looked at him once again, "You know?" He asked and Naruto nodded, "I didn't tell you because it would strain your mind too much. Besides, any physical training cannot be transferred over." At Naruto's 'I have no idea what the hell you are talking about' look, Kakashi elaborated, "Your chakra control and jutsu training can be done by Kage Bunshin, but any taijutsu or kenjutsu must be learned by yourself."
Naruto made an 'oh' face, "Okay then..."
Kakashi smiled at the redhead, "Go get some sleep, Naruto. You've got your shift within an hour." He said, and Naruto nodded.
"'Kay, goodnight, sensei."
-x-x-x-x-x-
Again, another garbage chapter. Also, I don't know if I said this in any previous chapter, but this is just an experimental story. Please don't take this seriously. I'm simply writing this as practice. So don't take this seriously and don't send any flames. :)