Hey guys, welcome back to chapter 2 of my story, thank you so much for reading. I have most pairings settled in my mind already, as well as character deaths, but there are still a couple undecided. The first person to guess the identity of the Vulture will get to pick one half of a pairing. I'll provide the male half, then they get to pick from three female options. Only one guess per person, and the winner will be announced when his identity becomes revealed. Good luck

Special thanks to YamiChaos27 for the writing tips.

I don't own Naruto. If I did I would have a much nicer computer.

Kurama speaking

Thoughts

"Spoken words"

"Sign language"

Training is Supposed to be Fun!

The next morning, after having stayed up all night memorizing sign language, Naruto made his way to the training ground from before, arriving just after dawn. While not fluent, he now understood the basics of sign language, though he didn't understand why he would need it yet. As he walked onto the field, labeled Training Ground 79, he saw the masked man already waiting for him. The man was wearing standard black pants with tape around the right leg, an equipment pouch attached to his thigh. Also black was his open necked shirt, the sleeves of which ended at his elbow, with forearm protectors covering the remaining part of his arm. Over the shirt was a gray flak jacket vest, with dozens of pockets on the front for ninja tools, and the hilt of a sword could be seen over his right shoulder. And as always covering his face, was a reinforced porcelain mask with the visage of a vulture. Standing in the middle of the field, he was an imposing figure. Naruto also noticed that in his hand was a bamboo cane, which he didn't understand the purpose of. I mean, it wouldn't make a very good weapon. As Naruto approached the man, he signed a single word. "Stay."

Naruto stopped in his tracks, standing about five feet from the man. Neither one moved. After several minutes of this, Naruto began to feel impatient, as well as a little nervous. Why did he call me here, the young blonde thought, and why isn't he doing anything? He couldn't take it anymore. He had to break the silence. "So, why-" His question was cut short by a strike from the cane across his back. Pain shot through him, and he turned behind him to see the man now standing behind him, in the same stance as before, the mask impossible to read. I didn't even see him move thought Naruto.

"You are too impatient. Remain still. Don't speak until I tell you to. Every time you speak, or move, you will be punished. Beginning now."

Two hours later Naruto was covered in quickly healing bruises. Although after the first couple hits he was able to keep his tongue in check, he had a lot of trouble keeping himself still, always fidgeting and moving around. But finally the ANBU, for that's what the masked man was, sat down on the training field.

"Sit." Naruto sat down in front of the ANBU, legs crossed. Normally he would be bursting with questions, but he noticed the cane was still too close for comfort. He decided to remain quiet, waiting for the other man to speak. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long.

"You may ask me questions. I will answer those that deserve an answer with one, and those that don't with the cane." signed the masked figure.

"Who are you?" Naruto slowly signed, fingers not used to the movements. A loud crack was heard as the cane struck the top of the boy's head.

"Why would a man in a mask reveal his identity because of a simple question? I'm an ANBU, so my identity is only known to a select few people I deem trustworthy, and you are not among them. You may call me Vulture. When we hold conversations I will use sign language to speak, as is the law, but I expect you to use your voice unless I tell you otherwise." Vulture signed.

Naruto nodded that he understood, and thought for a few more moments before asking, "Why did you save me?" Another crack sounded through the deserted training field, this time leaving Naruto massaging an aching wrist.

"Another stupid question. Why did you save the girl? Why do you fight for those whose families resent your existence? You're a member of this village, a village I swore to protect. I will always fight for all of the people of Konoha. You may ask one more question, make it a good one."

"Will you train me?"

The next morning saw Naruto one again on Training Ground 79 as the sun rose. And once again, Vulture was waiting for him. "Good morning, sensei." the blonde boy greeted him.

"I will be testing you to see what you can do, before we decide on your training. This version of me is what's known as a shadow clone, and that's how I will be training you most days. Shadow clones are unique to the village, and are special because all memories are transferred to the original when this one dies. Not that I expect you to be able to dispel this clone, but I have other duties I must attend to, so for now this is the best way for me to train you. Now, attack me. If you can land one hit, this clone will disappear, and tomorrow as a reward, I will train you personally."

Naruto nodded, pulling out a kunai from his hip pouch. Although of cheap make, it could still be a deadly weapon. Plus it was the only one he could afford, spending this week's allowance on some basic ninja tools was a tough decision for him, but he knew it was a wise investment, even if it meant he would go a little hungry. Kunai in hand, charged at the clone of Vulture, swinging the knife in an arc in front of him. The clone merely placed his hands in his pockets and leaned back, avoiding the weapon. As Naruto readied for another slash, a foot slammed into his wrist, knocking the knife away and sending a shock through his arm. Quickly, Naruto tried to grab the foot to throw his opponent off balance, but wasn't fast enough to touch the clone. As the clone backed up, the blonde boy lunged forward, aiming for a punch directly to the masked man's stomach. The clone simply side stepped, bringing his foot up in a spinning kick directly to the gut of Naruto, who was thrown backwards from the impact. Naruto got back up, and found his kunai pressed up against his throat.

"You're dead."

Naruto nodded, a disappointed look on his face, as he collapsed back onto the ground in a seated position. "How can I get better, sensei?" asked the young, defeated boy.

"The only way anyone does, training."

"Wow, what are you gonna be teaching me? New jutsu? How to throw kunai? Sword fighting?" the blonde asked at a fast pace.

"Before you can learn any new moves, or pick up an advanced way of fighting, you have to be able to move faster, hit harder, and you need to be able to improve your chakra reserves and control. So the first thing we will be doing is four hours of physical training, and then you will try to hold this leaf on your forehead using only your chakra for the next four. We will do this every day until I say you're strong enough to move on to the next step in your training." signed the masked ANBU

"What, but I thought training was supposed to be fun!"