Ch.5- Gladius ad praxim et politics
(sword practice and politics)
xxxxxx
Konohamaru stood there, unsure of what to do in the face of his mentor's battle stance.
"What did I say, always press attack!"
Hearing his instructions again, this time the academy student charged at his idol, hands raised above his head and his sword leaning back towards the ground due to gravity. When he got within striking distance he began to pull the blade forward, but was forced to jump to the side in order to avoid the jab Naruto sent at his face.
Unfortunately, the weight of the pugio threw off his center of gravity, and Konohamaru was sent tumbling onto his backside. This left him unprepared for the foot that came down at him, leaving Konohamaru just enough time to throw up his arms in an X-block and wind up on his back. When the boy opened his eyes he was met with the tip of Naruto's gladius, and cobalt eyes gleaming with disappointment.
"That...was awful. Konohamaru, don't ever charge at your opponent like that. As you just experienced it leaves you extremely vulnerable, and just as bad, leaves you off balance. Your next mistake: don't ever let go of your weapon, because if you do...you're dead." Hearing these harsh words from his idol made the young academy student lower his head in shame.
"I-I'm sorry boss, I wasn't thinking," at this he turned his eyes up at his mentor and pleaded, "p-please, don't make me go home! I'll get it, I promise, just give me another chance!" Seeing his student so dedicated to learning, and making Naruto proud, made the blonde reconsider his earlier thought of actually sending the kid home.
"Alright, you get one more chance to prove that you're serious about this. If you do well then your training will continue, if not, then don't ever broach the subject wit me again." Konohamaru's eyes filled with hope, and then steeled in determination at his mentors final words.
'I can't afford to mess up again!'
Getting back on his feet, the boy picked the pugio up and returned to his starting position. This time, instead of rushing in, Konohamaru entered into the same stance he'd seen his teacher in moments before. However, when he went to pull his blade parallel to his face, he could feel his arms shake underneath the unusual weight; but he forced himself to hold firm and not look weak in font of Naruto.
So there the two stood, staring each other down and waiting to see who'd make the first move. Again, Konohamaru struck first, but this time far less recklessly.
He brought his sword down and broke into a run. When he felt close enough he performed a ground-roll, and when he returned to his feet, swung out at Naruto's right leg. But Naruto, acting on reflex, lifted his leg and avoided the attack, and then once again swung out with his leg and this time managed to connect with the boys cheek.
Konohamaru was sent rolling from the kick, but managed to get a hand flat on the ground, and pushed himself into an uneasy kneeling position. However, he didn't get to re-balance himself as his mentor was already upon him, sword coming down in a horizontal slash. Konohamaru was the one to act on instinct this time as raised the pugio up and tried to block.
Tried, because the blade was swiftly knocked from his hand, before he was met with a viscous back-fist that sprawled him out on the grass.
Quickly setting aside the throbbing pain in his jaw, Konohamaru sat up on his knees, and searched for his weapon. When he didn't see it he looked to his teacher. Naruto stood now with his gladius returned to its sheath and his side-arm clutched at his side in a reverse grip. He also wore a small smile on his face aimed, directly, at Konohamaru.
"You did...better. When I was harsh before you must understand, while I don't expect you to be a match for a member of the ANBU on your first practice, I still expect a degree of focus and levelheadedness that you did not show the first round" Konohamaru visibly winced at the mention of his first attempt. "But, the second time around I noticed you adopted my defensive stance, as well as thought out your plan of attack before engaging me."
Hearing the praise of his mentor and role model, the academy students face split into an ear-to-ear smile...before swiftly returning to normal, and Konohamaru's hand reaching up at his newly-bruised face. Tears started to well in his eyes, but the boy forced them back so as to again avoid looking weak in front of Naruto.
Konohamaru's actions did not go unnoticed. Naruto saw that the boy had tried multiple times during the course of their training session to keep up a strong and devoted front; something the blonde felt would come in handy, and as something he could use to help the boy become stronger. For now though:
"Hey, Konohamaru, how about you and I go and get something to eat? As a reward for doing so well during our second go-around, you can choose where we eat."
Konohamaru, although excited at the prospect of eating at his favorite restaurant, decided that he'd rather have a different reward, "Uhm, as much as that would rock boss, could I maybe...use my reward to have us keep training?"
The boys request shocked Naruto at first, but then he realized that he'd just found a very useful asset. "Well, if that's what you want, sure. Like I said, I'm new to this as well, and I need all the practice I can get right now so it'll be good to at least get a feel for handling my blade." This brought on a question that Konohamaru had kept in the back of his mind:
"Hey boss, what kind of sword is that? I don't think I've seen, or learned about it."
"Well, this is called a gladius, and you've never seen one because they aren't used anymore. And you haven't learned about them because the academy doesn't cover any history of before the Sage of Six Paths. It's sad really, so much great history swept aside because it doesn't involve flashy jutsu or funny looking eyes."
Hearing his teacher speak that way about jutsu was mind-boggling for the young Sarutobi, due mostly in part to the fact that the very first jutsu Konohamaru ever perfected was one taught to him by the blonde standing before him! "Uh, boss, why are you being so down about jutsu's when you're the one who taught me the first one I've ever got right?"
Naruto balked, he'd forgotten about that jutsu. 'Well, no time like the present to fix that little problem.'
"Konohamaru, I need to ask you to do something for me, okay?" The kid nodded and motioned for Naruto to continue, "I need you to never use the {Sexy-Jutsu} again, understand?"
Konohamaru didn't understand.
"B-But boss, why not!? That jutsu is probably one of the best ever created, you said it even managed to defeat my grandfather! And besides, isn't the {Sexy-Jutsu} one of your trademarks as a ninja?" Hearing that last part made a shiver of displeasure run up Naruto's spine.
"Konohamaru, listen, I'm asking you not only as your friend but as your teacher, don't use that jutsu again. I'm starting to take my responsibilities seriously, and I want you to do the same thing, because I want you to be the best person qualified to replace me after I become Emper—er, I mean, when I become Hokage. Do you understand now?" The boy gave a reluctant nod of understanding before his eyes brightened again in hope:
"So can we go back to training now, huh, can we? I know I sidetracked us with my question but I really wanna learn swordsmanship boss." Chuckling at his students zest for more training, Naruto nodded and after handing back the pugio, ordered his student to return to his original spot and get ready for more.
Neither one noticed the two sets of eyes on them.
oo0oo
Jiraiya sat shocked.
The Toad-Sannin's eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing, 'So this is the new Naruto? It's unreal, just a few weeks ago he'd be using the {sexy-jutsu} to get me to train him, and now he's telling Sarutobi-sensei's grandson never to use it again. And on top of that, what's with the new attitude? I mean sure, I can still see traces of the old Naruto, but is this what Yuhi-san meant when she was talking about Naruto?'
Jiraiya wasn't entirely sure what to do with this new information. Without the input of knowledge his spy network would get from Wave in a few days, the Sannin was left with an incomplete picture.
'And then there's those strange weapons and fighting stance. The kid said that the weapons are from the time before the Sage, so maybe the stance is as well. I think, if I could get more information on the weapons and the stance, I might be able to put together more of this puzzle. And what was with that slip up earlier, what was he about to really say?' With that thought, the Sannin disappeared in a swirl of leaves to report back to Tsunade.
Shikamaru's ears and eyes must have been deceiving him, because there was no way that the blonde practicing in the training field was the Naruto he'd met back in the academy!
Naruto was parrying blows, side-stepping slashes, and just using a sword in a way he'd never expected the clumsy Uzumaki capable of. Sure he wasn't perfect, but the natural talent was clear to see. Shikamaru had gone from Naruto's house immediately to the training grounds with the original goal being, to skip straight to the end of his search and just try again tomorrow, but he never thought he'd encounter something like the spectacle that played out before him.
Like Naruto, Konohamaru also seemed to posses a natural talent for swordplay, as he performed various ducks and rolls before turning them into deadly slashes and even upward thrusts. But it was obvious that, due to his young age, he'd have some catching up to do if he wanted to be considered a competent sword user.
'But still, the fact that both of them posses such skill already is mind-boggling.'And then the Nara recalled what he'd originally been sent out to investigate.
'Ino was right, Naruto's almost a completely different person now. I mean sure, he's still got some of that old "academy Naruto" in him, but not to the point anymore where it'd be considered annoying. In fact, I'd be hard pressed not to call it...charismatic. I still don't have enough information, like what he and Tazuna spoke of or where he spent most of his time on the mission. And then to top it off, he's using some ancient weapons and an unknown kenjutsu stance. I think if I can learn about those it'll give me an idea of what went on in Wave, and more importantly, what sparked this new attitude.'
Putting such questions aside, the Nara heir returned his eyes to the spar in front of him.
oo0oo
Naruto stood, gladius at his side, and stared across the field at his sparring partner.
Konohamaru stood on shaking legs, pugio held firmly in his hand. The boy was covered in bruises, grass and dirt stains littered his clothes, and a rivulet of dried blood hung out the corner of his mouth. He'd taken more hits than he'd managed to give, but at this thought he smiled, 'But I did manage to get in some hits'
True to form, Naruto had shallow cuts on both legs and even a relatively nice one on his right arm; due to the blonde being unprepared for an assault above his stomach: Naruto had returned to his ready stance, eyes following Konohamaru as the boy paced from side to side, looking for an opening and thinking about his plan of attack. 'As he should be.' Naruto noticed a change in his students eyes and tensed his muscles in anticipation for his attack. Moments later his readiness was rewarded. Konohamaru noticed a slight glaze in his mentors eyes, taking this as a sign he'd momentarily dropped his guard, the boy ran in. When he got within correct distance, instead of rolling, Konohamaru shifted his weight to his left foot and jumped with it.
Naruto, who'd been expecting the roll, was surprised when the boy leaped into the air and performed a horizontal slash at his chest. Thinking quickly, and forgetting that he'd forgone wearing his leather bracers, the blonde raised his arm and parried the blow. He followed this with a swift punch to the back of Konohamaru's head, and then jumping back to asses the damage. Konohamaru, although now with a face full of grass and dirt, couldn't hold back a smile at surprising his mentor and landing such an attack.
While Naruto thought about his student's clever tactic, across the field the young Sarutobi's mind was on how tired that last assault had made him. Konohamaru decided he would go one more round before calling it quits for the day. 'So I better make this one count!' The young Sarutobi, deciding on his initial attack-plan, rushed forward to engage his mentor in a final round of swordplay.
He started with a sweep-slash, then, anticipating Naruto's jump back, Konohamaru used the momentum from his spin and turned it into a jab. Naruto parried his jab and struck with his fist, which caught the momentarily off-guard Konohamaru in the cheek. When Naruto went to press his attack with a spartan-kick, the academy student ducked under it and went to graze his mentors unprotected side with his blade. Deciding that he'd done enough for one day, Konohamaru leaped back and dropped to his knees.
Naruto noticed his student retreat and realized he'd had enough for the day. Sheathing his gladius, Naruto walked over to Konohamaru's kneeling form.
"You did well today, I'm proud of you Konohamaru. When we started I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to handle the seriousness of the training, but you surprised me, and I think I'm going to enjoy teaching you." The blondes words made Konohamaru's pride swell and his eyes shine with happiness.
"Do you really mean that boss? I mean, I didn't really do very well, and I kept retreating without ever making you retreat once."
"Hey, that's not important. We're both just starting out so I'm not expecting either of us to be top notch fighters just yet. You managed to hold your own, and even get in a few blows on me, that's what matters right now. And, in time, you will improve and become a force to be reckoned with." Naruto allowed a sincere smile to ghost across his lips, just enough to be noticeable, and said, "Now that training's over, how about we-" the blonde was cut-off by the sound of leaves rustling.
oo0oo
'Shit, shit, shit! He heard me leaving. Okay, calm down, I'll just make it look like I stumbled on them. It works out I guess, but I really wish our meeting would've been under better circumstances.' Shikamaru thought as he stood stock-still behind his tree.
After it looked like the two were done training, Shikamaru decided he'd go home and formulate his wordplay strategy when he searched out Naruto the following day...but he'd been too noisy in his retreat. So, the young Nara stepped out from his hiding space and, doing his best to shove away the nervousness, spoke up:
"Hey Naruto, sorry if I was interrupting anything, I was just trying to find you so I could ask you about your mission to Wave."
'Why did I just say that!?' The Nara heir thought in a panic.
Naruto's cobalt eyes hardened at the sound of the other boys statement, "Why do you wanna ask me about my mission? I don't remember you ever being interested in anything I've done before, so why now, what made this...particular mission so...interesting?" The blonde wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a bead of sweat roll down Shikamaru's face.
'-sigh- I might as well tell him. Damn it all, how could I let myself be caught off-guard like this?'
"Well, Ino was going on and on about how you apparently have your own bridge, with statues and everything, and how nice the place looked now. I found it a little hard to believe, you know how Ino is, so I figured you'd be the best person to ask about whether what she said was true or not."
Naruto stared into his fellow graduates eyes for what seemed like an eternity, his cobalt gaze searching, looking for the real reason for Shikamaru's visit. While he found...something, he couldn't fully identify it before Konohamaru spoke up:
"Uh, boss, we can go get food tomorrow if it's okay. My mom probably wants me home, I didn't exactly tell her where I was going today. And besides, you should catch up with your friend." Konohamaru began to exit the training ground, stopping to find out what time he should show up tomorrow, then continued on his way home. Now the two ninja were alone.
Shikamaru felt uncomfortable standing there alone with Naruto. Had this been a number of weeks ago, the Nara was sure this feeling wouldn't exist, but now, he wasn't sure just what it was he was dealing with.
Naruto, on the other hand, recognized the opportunity that he'd just been presented. With Konohamaru gone, Naruto was now able to jump ahead with his plans. After readying himself, Naruto spoke:
"Shikamaru, I know why you're really here." The aforementioned boys eyes widened in shock, "Ino told you about my...strange behavior in Wave, and you wanted to see for yourself. It's okay ya know, I just wish you'd been more straight forward with me."
Naruto's tone, as well as his understanding for Shikamaru's spying surprised the young clan heir. He'd been expecting harsh words and icy stares, but instead he was presented with the man before him. 'Well, Ino was right about one thing, Naruto's definitely changed.'
"N-Naruto, if I offended you, I didn't mean it. It's just that Ino was wouldn't stop talking about how strange you'd been acting, and then she said she was gonna come and question you, but since I wasn't sure how you'd react I told I'd come and talk to you. Naruto, I'm not judging you or telling you to go back to how you were, I'm just...curious." Shikamaru had never been in this position before, and so he was unprepared to handle it.
Naruto was calm on the outside, but inside the "wolf" was snarling: 'Ino, that nosy bitch! I was so focused on throwing off Kurenai-sensei that I forgot about Ino and her habit of sticking her nose in other peoples business. Damn it all, how could I have been so stupid! My plans haven't even had time to begin and already I'm going to have to deal with a loose end. I'm just lucky it's only Ino, she'll be easy to handle.' Making plans to handle his fellow blonde later, Naruto returned his attention to his current predicament...getting Shikamaru on his side.
"Shikamaru, like I said, it's okay. I understand you're just looking out for a friend, and why wouldn't you? Ino's such a nice, smart, beautiful girl, and I know you'd never want anything bad to happen to her; even if it was just a scolding for her nosy tendencies. But rest assured, I have no plans to harm or be aggressive towards your team-mate."
Hearing this put the young chunin's mind more at ease, but was still curious about a few things, so he decided to broach the subject: "I'm glad to hear that. I've been meaning to ask, Naruto, what's up with the new weapons?"
"Well, I picked them up when I was in Wave country on that mission. The longer blade on my right hip is called a gladius, and this shorter one on my left hip is known as a pugio. Both are from a time before the Sage of Six Paths, when people fought with real skill and not just flashy jutsus; but you already knew that part...didn't you? Shikamaru, if you actually want to know about my weapons all you have to do is ask, I won't lie to you."
Although Naruto didn't actually know that Shikamaru had been watching him, the blonde took a gamble and watched to see the chunin's reaction. He wasn't disappointed.
Shikamaru visibly flinched, 'I thought he hadn't noticed till just a few minutes ago', and spoke up: "You're right Naruto, I should have just asked, can you tell me a little more about them? Like where their from maybe?"
'Bingo, there's the question I've been waiting for.'
"It's okay Shikamaru. These weapons are from an ancient empire known as Rome, although, Rome itself was just a small city, but it grew into an empire by annexing other cities and villages. The gladius was the main weapon of choice for their soldiers, while the pugio was the side-arm. The gladius was mainly a thrusting weapon but could be used to slash as well. Apparently, Rome became one of the small Elemental Countries after the Sage came along and introduced chakra; Whirlpool, I think the name was."
Something about the name "Whirlpool", clicked in Shikamaru's mind. Although not entirely sure where he'd heard it, the shadow-manipulator was positive he had. 'I'll go and talk to dad about it, I think I've got enough information to start putting together this puzzle.'
"Well Naruto, thank you for alleviating my worries about Ino, and for telling me as much as you did. I know you didn't have to, and it's nice to know you trust me with stuff like this. Unfortunately, I have to get going, otherwise I run the risk of angering my mother; I was supposed to help care for the deer today." Naruto nodded in understanding.
"It's fine Shikamaru, you go ahead, I have some other things I need to do today. And in regards to the information, I know I can trust you with it." With another nod, Shikamaru turned and exited the training grounds, completely missing the sly smile that slipped in to place on Naruto's face.
oo0oo
Shikamaru's mind was a storm of questions.
After leaving Naruto at the training ground, the young chunin's mind had been plagued by questions about just what all the information, along with Naruto's new attitude, could mean. Knowing that he was still at a disadvantage without knowing what Naruto found on his mission to Wave, Shikamaru decided the only real option was to speak with his father about Whirlpool, and hopefully, Rome.
'But Naruto said he trusted me, so doesn't that mean going to my dad with this information is a violation of that trust? Or maybe, he meant it in that he trusted me not to give out this information to just anyone; like Ino or even Choji.' His resolve re-strengthened, Shikamaru continued on through the village, and headed home, 'Where I hope I can get some more answers'
Shikamaru walked into his home and was met with a common sound...his parent's arguing. Rather than sit and wait for something that could take hours, the young shadow-manipulator walked into his living room and interrupted his mothers tirade:
"Hey, dad, I need to talk to you. I've been given some...interesting information, and was hoping you could help me sort through it?" Shikaku Nara was an almost, older, copy of Shikamaru. The only real difference being the scars on his face and the facial hair he had on his chin.
"Uh, sure son, we can go out by the deer and talk." So father and son walked off, leaving an enraged Nara matriarch that both men knew they'd be dealing with later.
Once outside, Shikamaru's stomach began to do flips. He again began again to question whether telling his father was a good idea, but then the thought of leaving the puzzle unfinished goaded the young man into speaking:
"Dad, what can you tell me about Whirlpool country?"
Shikaku, who had been expecting any myriad of things, was unprepared for his sons question. He hadn't been expecting his son to bring up a destroyed old village, and his shock showed in his response. "Why do you wanna know about Whirlpool son? That village has been deserted for years, no one's even set foot on its soil since the country itself was destroyed."
"I'm curious because I talked with Naruto today and he'd mentioned it, he also told me that the village also used to be called Rome, which had been a vast empire back before the Sage of Six Paths introduced chakra to the world."
Now Shikakau's interest had really been struck. How had Naruto learned of his mothers home, and more importantly, how had he learned of its ancient history?
"Shikamaru, how did Naruto come across this knowledge exactly? I know they only mention the Land of Whirlpools in passing at the academy, and there aren't any books about it in any of the libraries, so where did young Naruto learn of the villages existence?"
The Nara heir was a little disturbed to know that, not just a single village, but an entire country had been stricken from history. But, knowing that he had to push that information to the side for now, Shikamaru answered: "He went on a mission to Wave country recently, and I guess, he learned of it there. He also returned with some weapons that he says are the same types of weapons those ancient Romans used; a gladius and pugio, I think they were called."
"Really, he had weapons fashioned for himself? Well, Shikamaru, I suppose I can tell you a little bit about what you wanna know. For starters, did you know that the Nara clan is able to trace its roots back to the time of the Roman empire," the young chunin's eyes widened at this, "yep, but we weren't always referred to as 'Nara'. Our house name used to be...Crassus. And one ancestor in particular was extremely well known, his name was Marcus Crassus, and he was a part of something know as the 'Triumvirate', along with two other Romans."
"What's a Triumvirate, and who were the other two members?"
"Well a Triumvirate is a political...power I guess you could call it. As it's name says, it's made up of three men, usually the three most influential men in an area. The Triumvirate I'm speaking of was made up of our ancestor Marcus Crassus, a general by the name of Pompey Magnus, and another man named Julius Caesar."
For some reason, hearing the name 'Caesar' caused a knot to form in the young Shikamaru's stomach.
oo0oo
Ino sat in her parents flower shop, bored to tears. She'd gone home after her talk with Shikamaru and was met by her parents, both looking ready to leave. They told her that she would be responsible for the shop for the rest of the day, as the two of them had work to do; her father in the T&I department, her mother a trip to another village. So, after they left, Ino cleaned up and changed into an orange t-shirt that stopped above her naval along with a pair of white shorts that stopped mid-thigh.
Normally the young kunoichi didn't mind tending the shop, and at times even enjoyed it, but with only a handful of customers that day, and the still unsolved mystery of the new Naruto, Ino wanted to be anywhere but the flower shop. Her attention was then turned to the door as its signal bell rang.
"Hello and welcome to-" The young blonde was silenced by the figure standing at the door: Naruto.
"N-Naruto, what are you doing in a flower shop? Hoping to find a gift for Sakura I suppose?" Her guess was met with a light chuckle.
"No, in fact, I've come to the conclusion that Sakura's not worth chasing anymore. I've actually come by to talk to you, Ino."
Ino was a little unnerved by the tone of her fellow blondes voice near the end of his statement; he sounded...upset? "Listen, Naruto, if you're hear to ask me out I'm gonna-"
Naruto didn't give her the chance to finish, "Why are you snooping around my business Ino," by this time Naruto had locked the door and flipped the 'Open' sign, to 'Closed'. "And don't bother denying it, Shikamaru already gave you up. All I wanna know is, why? If you're not interested in me then I see no reason you'd take such a sudden interest in anything I do." Naruto had rounded the counter by this time, and was backing Ino against the wall; where a tall shelf that stored arrangement displays his the two blondes from view of people on the street.
Ino's face erupted into a fierce blush at how close Naruto was to her. She had put up her hands to stop his advance, and without his bulky orange jacket she could feel his developing muscles, and couldn't stop herself from lightly groping the boys pectoral muscles. In spite of how she acted, Ino had never had any experience with a guy. She tried to look away and put together a believable excuse, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from Naruto's smoldering, cobalt gaze, 'Wait, is his face getting closer!'
Naruto's face was getting closer. He brought his lips up to the young heiress ear and spoke again: "Ino, you wound me. I'd be more than happy to...enlighten you, about not only what I was doing in Wave, but also my new attitude. All I need from you is," Naruto had brought his hands up and was lightly ghosting his fingers up and down her bare sides, "silence. I don't want you running around and telling everybody about what I'm going to tell you alright?"
Naruto pulled away from Ino's ear, but now he was close enough that their noses brushed against one another. He brought his right hand up, the left still occupied with massaging Ino's side, and cupped her face in its palm.
'H-His hands are so...warm.' The platinum-blonde didn't know what to do, she felt like she was getting ready to slink to the floor. Naruto's breathe on her ear had caused her knees to shake, the hand massaging her bare side formed a pool of heat in her stomach and a lump in her throat. No longer was she trying to hide her feeling along his torso, her hands had minds of their own. She was drawn from her euphoric feeling by Naruto speaking again:
"We can talk more about this tomorrow, when you won't be so busy." Naruto completely pulled away and began walking towards the door, once he reached it and was about to leave he said: "Oh, and if those lips of yours can't keep quiet, I'm sure we can find other things to occupy their time with." And with that he exited the store and began to walk home.
Back in the store Ino, released from the spell of Naruto's eyes, finally gave up and fell to the floor.
Naruto was extremely proud of himself. He hadn't expected his meeting with Ino to go so well, he'd found another skill he had that he could use to persuade people to his side. After Shikamaru left him at the training ground Naruto had been trying to come up with a way to deal with Ino. Every idea he came up with at first involved intimidation and/or physical harm, but he knew he wasn't well-versed in intimidation yet and any physical means would be noticed by others. He'd almost gotten to the flower shop, and was going to try intimidating her, 'No time to try like the present', when he saw them.
He noticed a young civilian couple standing outside a shop flirting. The boy had his girlfriend held lightly against the store's wall, and was speaking into her ear while lightly kissing and biting her neck. Naruto stood and stared for a moment before a wolfish smile made its way onto his face again. 'I know exactly how to handle this,' the blonde thought to himself as he made to enter the shop.
With his problem with Ino handled, Naruto could now go home and focus on how he could put this new skill to use during his talk with Hinata the next morning.
'Everything seems to be coming together quite nicely'
oo0oo
The sun rose signaling the start of a new day, and one of the first people up to greet it was Hinata Hyuga.
The young heiress awoke with a smile on her face, the dream she'd had was a very pleasant one. Getting up and stretching Hinata remembered that today she was going to be spending time with her Naruto-kun. 'I wonder what he wants to talk about?'
After performing her morning rituals, Hinata exited the clan compound and began walking to her teams training ground. As usual she was the first one to arrive, so she decided to perform some stretches while she waited. As she performed a split, then reached forward to touch her toes, Hinata sensed that she was being watched. Staying in her current position, she activated her byakugan and scanned the area. Hinata quickly turned off her dojutsu and gasped: it was Naruto.
After a short rustling of the leaves, the blue-eyed blonde entered into the clearing and waited for the young kunoichi to face him.
Hinata finished her current stretch and stood to address her Naruto-kun: "G-Good morning Naruto-kun, i-is there something you needed? I was under the impression that o-our meeting would be t-taking place after my morning training."
"It still is, I just wanted to come by before your team got here and see you, if that's alright? I know it sounds strange, but I was feeling...off this morning, and at first, I couldn't understand why. But then I realized what was missing," like with Ino, Naruto had gotten close enough that he was able to wrap his arms around the bluenettes waist. "I hadn't seen you yet. I'd gotten so used to waking up to your beautiful face in the morning during that mission, that I don't think my day will ever be...right again without seeing you."
Hinata's face burned a new shade a red at, not only the close proximity of her Naruto-kun, but also his loving words that were amplified by the heart-stopping look in his eyes. She'd brought her hands up, like Ino had done, and was greeted by the same muscled chest that she'd experienced too. The biggest difference was, Hinata didn't try to hide her explorations.
Naruto felt this, but didn't mind if it helped solidify his hold on the young heiress. His coming out this early was another gamble, 'Something I seem to be doing a lot lately', but it seemed to be bearing favorable results.
"While I love that I've gotten to see you this morning, I should get going before your sensei shows up; I don't think she like me very much. But I'll be by again in a few hours to get you, okay?" Hinata, voice failing her, just nodded her head. Naruto decided to leave the girl with something to hang off of, and leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek. Then, the blonde let the girl go and walked off.
Hinata couldn't believe it. Her Naruto-kun had come just to see her, said he "loved seeing her", and even given her a kiss! Sure, it was on the cheek, but it was a kiss none-the-less; he'd even held her in such an intimate position!
Finally, with all the excitement colliding at once, Hinata fainted with a smile on her face.
oo0oo
The rest of Team 8 finally arrived and, after waking Hinata, commenced with their training session. It was quickly learned that a happy Hinata, was a productive Hinata.
Her spars were quick, she defeated both Shino and Kiba swiftly, taking virtually no time at all. This strange increase in skill intrigued Kurenai, she wanted to test the girl herself.
"Alright Hinata, since you've done so well so far, how about you and I spar? I know I usually only spar with Kiba and Shino, but you seem to be on your 'A-game' today and I'd be a fool not to test you at your best. What do you say?"
"That would be great Kurenai-sensei, thank you."
While on the outside Hinata seemed excited, on the inside she was frowning. It was true, Kurenai had sparred solely with her two male team-mates, and any time Hinata asked to spar the genjutsu mistress would say: "I'm not sure you're really up to it yet Hinata, I know you'll hold back, and I don't want to risk seriously injuring you." How was she supposed to get stronger, and show her Naruto-kun her strength, if her teacher refused to help her!?
Hinata walked over to her side of the field and entered into her gentle-fist stance, byakugan eyes blazing.
Kurenai barely had any time to settle into a stance before the young heiress rushed her. Kurenai side-stepped a palm thrust and retaliated with a right cross.
Hinata ducked under her sensei's counter-attack, and spinning on the ball of her foot, sent a roundhouse kick into the red-eyed woman's stomach, sending her back a few steps. Deciding to press her advantage, Hinata once again rushed forward with a palm strike.
Kurenai was shocked when her student managed to evade her attack and then turn it into a counter-attack. Before she could check the damage to her stomach the Jounin was again forced to evade a palm thrust, only this time it was followed up by Hinata taking hold of Kurenai's arm and tossing the women over her shoulder! Again the red-eyed Jounin's eyes widened as she righted herself in the air. Landing on her feet she was given no time to reset herself, because her student was upon her again.
Hinata's heart beat heavily against her ribcage, she was giving everything she had, pushing herself beyond her normal limits in order to do as well as she was. Normally she wouldn't have even landed a hit on her sensei, but today she felt as if she could do anything! When she noticed her teacher righting herself in mid-air, Hinata took off in another sprint, making sure that when Kurenai landed she'd be there to meet her.
Opting for a different approach this time, Hinata dropped to the ground and attempted to sweep her sensei's legs out from under her. It failed though because Kurenai jumped back to avoid it, giving her enough time to yell "Stop".
Hinata lifted herself off the ground and used the reprieve to take deep breaths, trying her best to calm her rapidly beating heart.
What none of them noticed were a pair of cobalt eyes zeroed in on the young Hyuga.
After a few more hours of chakra exercises, some more light sparring, and practicing team strategies, Kurenai realized that there was nothing left she could use to keep Hinata from meeting with Naruto.
"Alright team, training's over for the day. We're going to be taking a mission tomorrow, I've already spoken with Lady Tsunade about giving us an out-of-the-village 'C'-rank mission." Hearing this bit of news caused her female students eyes to widen.
"B-But Kurenai-sensei, you and I just got b-back from one of those. Wouldn't it make more sense for us to take some 'D'-rank missions for a while?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow at this.
In truth, Kurenai had asked for such a mission after deciding that she wanted to keep as much distance as possible between her student and the new Naruto. "While that is technically true, our last mission wasn't really what I would call a real mission; more like a trip. This mission that we're going on is a bandit extraction. You three are going to be performing your first kills."
Her last statement caused all three young ninja's eyes to widen. While they each knew that the day would come where they would have to kill, they were unprepared for it to be so soon."Before any of you speak out let me tell you, I believe that each of you are capable of taking a life."
Hinata was shaking on the inside, she feared not only taking a life, but she also feared messing up and coming home to a disappointed Naruto telling her how useless she was.
After saying another goodbye, and sending her gentle student a reassuring look, Kurenai left in a swirl of leaves. Kiba and Shino, both still shocked to silence by the news, just left without saying goodbye.
Hinata, who was staying behind to wait for Naruto, sunk to her knees and held herself. She tried to pull herself together, not wanting to have her Naruto-kun find her in such a weak state, but she just continued to shiver; eyes wide and glazed over. She was so deep in her thoughts, she didn't realize she was no longer alone until she felt a hand cup her face and she was staring into a set of gentle, cobalt-blue eyes.
"Hinata, hey, what's wrong? Hey c'mon, it's me, Naruto; I had something I wanted to talk to you about remember?"
oo0oo
Naruto had left the training ground like he said, but the blonde had returned shortly after when he knew everyone would be occupied with training, and wouldn't have noticed him.
He watched as his little pet-project dominated her two team-mates, swiftly defeating them as if they were children. Then, he had a front-row seat as Hinata gave her Jounin sensei a run for her money! That, coupled with the girls budding knowledge of medicine, and Hinata was proving that she would become a very useful addition to his army.
When he heard about their mission Naruto ground his teeth in anger. He knew immediately that Kurenai's plan was to separate the two of them, she was trying to block all of Naruto's advances. But that anger was swiftly pushed aside when he saw his perfect tool begin to break down. Knowing that he was what she needed right now, Naruto came out of his tree and walked over to her.
oo0oo
Hinata slowly came back to reality. Te first thing she noticed were a set of eyes; eyes that belonged to her Naruto-kun. Suddenly, Hinata couldn't hold it in anymore and she began to cry.
She laid her head on his shoulder and let the tears flow down her cheeks. While she didn't wish to appear weak, Hinata knew she wouldn't be able to make it through their discussion without breaking down. So, she cried into her loves shoulder, gasping when she felt Naruto put his arms around her and cradle the young heiress in his lap.
It was in this position the two of them stayed in for over a half-hour.
When Hinata's tears finally subsided she pulled away from Naruto, and sat on her knees in front of him.
"I-I'm sorry about that N-Naruto-kun, I didn't mean to fall apart on you like t-that, it's just...I'm afraid of messing up on my next mission. Kurenai-sensei w-wants me t-to k-kill, and I'm not sure i-if I can." Naruto nodded in understanding, his mind already figuring out how to turn this into something useful, when he suddenly had an idea.
"Hinata don't even worry about it, I know you'll do just fine. You may not be able to see it, but I can see that you have the resolve to kill. I understand that it'll be hard, but I want you to know that when you come back, I'll personally be here to help you through your trauma."
Hinata felt her heart skip a beat at her Naruto-kun's words, knowing that he was willing to be there for her in such a delicate time made her believe that Naruto really did care!
"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Kurenai didn't say anything other than 'I know you three will be able to handle this', and then just left while giving me this pitying look; as if she already anticipated my failure."
"Listen Hinata, if you don't feel up to having out talk I'll understand. You've just gone through a very rough time and I don't want to push you past your limits. Our conversation can-"
"No, i-it's okay, I'm fine. Please, don't worry about what just happened, I'm sure what you wanted to talk about is important."
Naruto had to hold back his smirk at hearing Hinata's words, he knew that she'd want to still have the talk just to spend more time with him. He decided he could trust her with what he'd learned:
"Okay Hinata, what I wanted to talk to you about, was what I discovered in Wave country."
oo0oo
A/N: And there's the next chapter. Naruto's discussion with Ino will take place in the next chapter, and then it will become a series of small time skips as Naruto trains his mind and his body to better fit the role of Caesar.
Speaking of Caesar, I want to say again that Naruto is going to become like the Caesar from Spartacus: War of the Damned, NOT an exact replica of the Caesar from the history books. So if you REALLY want a reference as to how Naruto's character is going to be, watch the show.
Anyway, Naruto's starting to make gambles(like Caesar was known for) in this chapter, although they are all done in hesitation. But that will subside with time. In case anyone's wondering, Sasuke is still in the hospital from the 'Itachi incident', while Tsunade DID heal him and Kakashi, Sasuke is still bedridden. Not the next chapter, but the one after, Sasuke and Naruto will have their rooftop fight and Sasuke will leave the village; then the Sasuke retrieval mission!
Any questions you may have, just let me know and I'll answer them.