Thoughts
Naruto continued to train for a month making great strides in improving his chakra control while also decreasing the amount of time it takes him to form hand seals and the time to cast his kawarimi. Yugao knowing that if Naruto didn't have proper control of his chakra now he would never be able to achieve perfect chakra control. With that in mind, she decided to dedicate two whole weeks to chakra control. The first part of week one was making him hold ten leaves and making each of them spin for an hour. The rest of the time was dedicated to tree walking.
"Alright, naruto we are going to work on a different chakra control this one will be much more challenging than the leaf exercise."
"Really what is it going to be am I going to have to lift rocks with chakra." I wonder if you could lift a boulder with your chakra.
"No, while you could do that you don't have the necessary control for that yet. We are going to work on tree walking instead."
"What how can you walk on trees? I know you can climb trees but walk on them that seems crazy."
"The only way I can really explain it is for you to remember that chakra can do many mysterious things. Almost anything can be done if the chakra if focused correctly. Now instead of showing you how to do it like how most senseis do to their students, I want you to try to figure it out on your own. By figuring this out you will eventually be able to do anything you think of with your chakra. However, if you do get stuck I'll give you a hint. To start you off the first hint I'll give you is that it's like the leaf holding exercise."
"Like the leaf holding exercise." All I did was just constantly use my chakra to make the leaf hold in the air so I'm guessing I'm supposed to do that but on my feet. She did say that chakra can do anything so if I focus on making my chakra sticky I could probably walk up the tree. Gathering his chakra to his feet and thing about making it sticky, not sure if he did it he tried liting his foot only to find it stuck to the floor. Okay, How about instead of just sticky I'll make it so I can also move. Using the new thought process he was able to move his feet instead of being stuck in one location. Moving to the tree he started to walk up it making it to the 12 steps up before he slipped off.
"That was a pretty go effort naruto I saw that you took my words into consideration as most people would have had made a hand sign in order to make their chakra go to there feet. Now do it again but I would recommend a running start also if the bark explodes that means you're putting too much chakra and too little will be what happened to you right now."
A bit over a week of training he was able to start walking up and down the tree for ten minutes. Hardly masted but good enough for the time being. After that, they focused on hand signs knowing that he must decrease the time it takes for him to make them. When he originally started it took him almost three minutes to make all twelve basic signs after making sure his fingers were in the right spot. After making him only practice this for the week he was able to get all the hand signs down to twenty seconds or about mid-Chuunin.
Seeing her student complete the hand signs in twenty seconds perfect most times other than a few times where his fingers may go a little higher or lower than the perfect position was satisfied with her student's progress. "Alright, Naruto we can move onto improving the time it takes you to cast your jutsu."
"Really but I haven't gotten as fast as you." He said after seeing how fast she was on a few occasions. I thought she was going to make me go until I was her speed.
"While You may not be my speed you have increased your speed to a mid-Chuuini. You must also remember that I'm an elite ninja that has been practicing for a long time." Careful to not mention being an Anbu in the open as you never know who's listening. Although she will admit that revealing her identity to naruto was pretty reckless of her.
"Really that seems way too easy for that to be mid-Chuuini." Being a Ninja seems so easy.
"The reason it was easy is that hand seals are one of the few things that everyone could be Kage level in if they put the time in but most don't put that much effort into it." But you've done a great job as most people wouldn't get to that level until after they had a year or two as a ninja. Now I want you to work on kawarimi since that is the most useful of the academy jutsu."
They then worked on his kawarimi until he mastered it after constantly replacing himself with a log for a week and a half straight. Right now they were in the Hokage office after receiving a summons from a messenger hawk.
"You wanted to see us Hokage-Sama." It must be something important if it was an urgent summons.
"Yes, unfortunately, one of my old students' bases was found recently by Inu while he was on a mission. I need you to prepare to be in charge of the cleanup as I'm sending in some new Anbu requits as I can't really spear anyone else at the moment. I will also be taking care of Naruto-kun so you don't have to worry and if you have no questions then I want you to go."
"Hai Hogake." Orochimaru most have been in the base and all veteran Anbu operatives are looking for him. At least I won't be on a manhunt for who knows how long. She thought then promptly disappeared.
"Well, Nauto-Kun since you will be staying with me for the forcible future you mind telling me about what you've done recently."
"Yeah sure." He then started to explain all that he learned to the Hokage. He himself was impressed at how fast Naruto was able to learn the academy three. He learned them faster than those in wartime conditions he must have inherited there potential too. Although his clones are a problem it seems that he would have to produce a massive amount to even do the jutsu. Well, I can always teach him an elemental clone or the Sadow clone jutsu since his Uzumaki heritage and the fox will give him enough chakra to handle it and not die from chakra exhaustion. If he's smart he may be able to figure out the secret behind the jutsu, maybe even come up with the same method Kushina came up with. If he does then I'll warn him about not dispelling them all at the same time as she did. They must have been pretty bad migraines if they stopped her from her usual antics. But if he started that training now he could potentially be the strongest ninja in the village in a few years. Maybe even a little bit of molding here and there and he could potentially be the next Hokage candidate. If I start that process now I could potentially be free in a few years and finally retire. "Is everything alright Hokage-Sama" Not enjoying the look he was receiving,
"It is However I want to give you something." If I start to train Naruto to be my successor now then I don't have to wait for a worthy candidate to appear. Reaching into his drawer he pulled out a Forehead protector and handed it to naruto. "Congratulations Naruto you are now an official leaf ninja."
"WHAT. But don't I have to go through the academy in order to be a ninja."
"Most of the time you do however there are a few exceptions. But since I'm Hokage I decide who becomes a Ninja and you happen to meet the requirements. You just need to learn taijutsu but we can just say that you need to find your own style while we work on finding that style. Now I do hope you read Neko's academy book on the history of the village."
"Yeah, I've read most of it although it didn't say anything about the village after the third Ninja war. But Neko said she was going to get me an updated version."
"Well here you go I just happened to have the new copy that was going to be released for the academy's new semester next month. I want you to read it when you can but now I want you to do something for me." He made commands to the Anbu to appear before him.
"Yes lord Hokage."
"I want you to bring me a desk and chair for young Naruto-Ku here and make it fast."
"Hai" Confused at what the Hokage ordered but still went along with it. It took him three minutes to bring it in.
"Alright, Naruto now what I'm going to do is give you mission request. You must decide what rank a mission deserves depending on the difficulty you think it will take to complete. Now I'm going to give you a few guidelines if a mission is in the village it should rank as a D. Ig the mission is out of the village it should rank from C to S. C rank should be given if the client thinks that bandits may attack them. Bandit camps should either be given the ranking of C or B depending on how many bandits there are. If there are over 50 or ninjas in the camp make it a B rank under that a C rank should be enough. A and B depend on what type of ninja our ninja may encounter. If they are under B rank in the bingo book then make it a B rank over that make it an A rank however if the bingo book says they're S class then bring it to me immediately although You shouldn't get those. Finally, if you get either seduction or assassination they will be ranked on either if the client is civilian or a ninja. If it's a civilian it will be a B unless they are a feudal lord then give them to me. Ninjas should be an A rank unless there S class then you know what to do. Now in case you are not sure here are some old missions now you must not discuss them with anyone but here they are. Now if you don't have any questions I'm going to go do my paperwork." Why didn't I think of dumping my work on someone sooner?
"Wait why am I doing this."
"Because you are now a ninja and a ninja needs to work and since you don't have a team you will be organizing missions as those can only be seen by ninjas. You will also be get paid a C rank pay and a jutsu for every hundred missions you do."
"A jutsu your on." Alright, first mission. My name is Izuhara Yasuo I'm a traveling merchant that would like a ninja protection detail from bandits. I'm willing to pay 90,00 Ryo as my cargo is very precious from the village hidden in the leaves to the land of iron. I need to leave before the week's end. Well, he said bandits and the pay is in C-rank mission range from the chart the Hokage gave me. So I guess I'll label it a C although I wonder how long this mission has been sitting here. "Hokage how long does it take before a mission is seen I think this one might have passed if it wasn't seen a week ago."
"Well the missions are usually ranked right away but when they get assigned may be longer than the date we were given. However that rarely ever happens as most clients know to request a mission in advance but if they don't then their mission might not be picked up in time."
"Okay then does a country affect the rank since this one is going to the land of iron."
"Depending on the country it might but it really shouldn't matter but just in case I'm going to give you a map with the countries we are allied with and ones that may be hostile against us." Getting a map really quick he quickly created a legend and mark the countries. He then placed it on Naruto desk. "If you have any more questions ask me."
"Okay, next mission. "Our village needs help we have been raided by bandits for the last couple of weeks. We believe that they may have two or three ninjas in their camp. Please hurry they took some women on there last raid and we fear for the worst. We are North of the village hidden in the leaves about a three and a half-day walk. We'll pay you when they are gone." Well, they said the bandits have some ninja with them so a B rank should be good.
Naruto continued to properly rank the missions for a while. His job was an important one as when a mission comes into the village without a rank it is often left last. Because of this, they don't often make the time restraint they are given as they get put away till they get ranked. This has made quite the backlog of rankless missions that need to be ranked. Though most of them are probably expired or picked up by other villages it was still a job that needed to be done. It was also a great experience to properly assess a mission with the details you have at that moment.
They continued to work at it till lunch. "I think it's time for lunch Naruto-Kun so let's take a break and go get some." He said as he got up.
"Where are we going to eat most of the places I try to go won't allow me to go inside." That made Hiruzen frown at that.
"Well, there is a place I know that will let anyone eat there." Teuchi should allow him to eat there otherwise my disappointment in the village will increase by tenfold.
"Reall then let's go old man." That made Hiruzen chuckle at that.
"Alright then let's go Naruto." They then walked to the stand with. He wasn't happy with the glares naruto received but there was nothing he could do. It wouldn't look good for the Hokage to suddenly arrest people for just glaring. Making it to Ichiraku's he was rather surprised at who was there. "Ahh, Fugaku and Itachi it's rather surprising to see you here." He said as he sat down with naruto and ordering them both miso ramen. He was surprised the Fugaku was here though as it was rather known that he hatted to eat heavy foods.
"Well I could say the same for you too but that wouldn't be fair to compare. I'm here to celebrate Itachi's success over the years and this was the only way I know to do that." What many people wouldn't know is that Fugaku and Minato had a rivalry when they were younger and would often come here after each of there competitions. "I am curious as to why Naruto here is a ninja." He said as their food came.
"You know me?" Naruto said as he started to eat his ramen.
"Many people know you Naruto but I'm curious how you got that headband?"
"Ohh I told gramps here about my training and he then gave me the headband."
"Is that true lord Hokage." He was curious about the answer.
"Yes, Naruto was able to do the academy three in a month. That much potential shouldn't be wasted so I decide to make him a ninja." That statement shocked both Fugaku and Itachi.
"Naruto how old are you?" Itachi asked
"I'm four but I'll be Five soon."
He managed to lean them when he was four. I don't think I could have done that when I was his age or the time it took. His teacher must have been very good but I wonder how far they thought him. "Really now and how did you lean them so fast your teacher must have been amazing."
I wonder if naruto knows that Itachi is seeing if he would give up information. Though I also wonder if he will reveal her identity. If he does I'll just order them to not say anything. Hiruzen thought.
Well she did tell me not to say her name to anyone and those Anbu people are secretive so I don't think I should say what her gender is. "Well, they don't want anyone to know there identity so I can't tell you it." He then went back to eating ramen.
Probably an Anbu as most people would want to say who they trained. "That was good Naruto don't ever give someone's details to another person if they are a ninja."
"Ohh so that was a test."
"Yes and one that you passed."
"Do I get anything for passing the test."
Well, I did suddenly put that on him. "Hmm, maybe a favor."
"Really so can you train me."
"I don't know if I have the time."
"It's fine Itachi you will be training Naruto for a few days. You are to teach him how to do shadow clones as his original aren't suited for anything. I was going to train him but the duty's of the Hokage get in the way." He then looked at Fugaku
"Go on Itachi go show him how hard the Uchiha train."
"I see then I shall be on my way then." He then put his hand on Naruto's shoulder then they promptly disappeared.
"I really shouldn't be surprised at what he knows."
"Well he even surprises me but that's what happens when you are a prodigy like him. Now, what did you want to discuss lord Hokage you don't usually do this?"
"Well, I was going to ask if your clan is sure of the path they want to go on?"
"While I don't support the way they are going I must as the head of the clan."
"It is often that pride that blinds us from our desires. Hopefully, you will be able to stop them before they go too far."
"That is what I hope but sometimes hope isn't enough."
"Well, one way or another there will be peace in the village I just hope the Uchiha are apart of it."
"I do too."
Naruto and Itachi appeared in a clearing that was rather plain compared to his one with Yugao. Other than a few rocks it was practically empty.
"What training ground are we at."
"This one is the 25th training ground now I am curious as to why the Hogakge asked me to train you in how to use shadow clones."
"It's probably cause I can't do them right."
"In what way can't you do them right."
"They aren't perfect."
"So you can't make a perfect clone."
"Well, it's not like I can't make one it's just I have to make so many to even make a perfect one. I know it sounds dumb but let me show you." He then made a few hundred clones. All of them having a fair share of discoloration but only one was perfect. "See I had to make all of these just to get one perfect."
"I see the reason why the Hokage asked me to teach you shadow clones." The amount of chakra he spent on just making one of the clones perfect was probably around ten. That much chakra could be utilized on something else. He could probably make a single clone if his chakra control was better but that might take a long time. "Naruto what chakra control exercise have you done."
"Well, I have done tree walking although my sensei told me I need a lot more time to master it."
So he has already done parts of tree walking. "How many steps can you go up the tree naruto."
"Well I don't know about steps but I can walk it for a good ten minutes."
He's further than I thought but getting that far and still having to produce that many clones must mean that his Yin-Yang is offset. "Well since you have worked a little bit on controlling your chakra we can move on to learning the jutsu. This jutsu is different than your typical jutsu in the fact that it requires one special hand sign to do."
"How is that going to help me isn't it better to have a clone with more hand signs as that would give me more control?"
What a smart conclusion. "While that would help you they usually require you to use a form of nature manipulation and that would take longer. This jutsu while only having one hand sign requires a lot of chakra to perform the jutsu. This jutsu requires little control since the amount of chakra needed for it is tremendous. Now the hand sign for the jutsu is a plus made with both of your index and middle fingers. You then visualize a clone of yourself then put your chakra into the sign."
"That seems easy enough." He then put his hands on Itachi said and then did as he said. Eight naruto's then appeared around him. "Wow, I can really make clones now thanks Itachi sensei." He then started to cheer and dance with his clones.
Curious at how much chakra he put into it he pulled one of the Narutos to the side. "Naruto how much chakra did you put into the jutsu?"
"Ohh I put as much as I did for the original."
"Okay, then that's all I needed. I now want you to dispel."
"Alright then." With a poof, he was gone. The other Naruto's suddenly stopped for the new influx of information.
"Itachi why did you tell mt clone to puff. Yeah. Yeah." Naruto and his clones said.
"It was to show you the reason why shadow clones take so much chakra. You see shadow clones aren't like other clones that only serve as a distraction. They also gather information that will travel back to the caster when they disperse."
"How do they do that?"
"Well the chakra in them is the reason. Once they disperse the leftover chakra in them returns to you, however, instead of getting that chakra back the information is instead given to you. So if you were to dispel all your clones you won't get their chakra back, you would instead receive the information they gathered."
"Really so if I dispel all my clones I would see their memories."
"Yes, you would see all their memories like if you dispelled them right now you would see me talking to you from different perspectives. This suits there primary purpose of gathering information as they can read and hear the enemy's plans."
"Are they really only good for that."
"No that was just the primary purpose they are however very versatile as they could be for a multitude of purposes. They are essentially another person as they can do anything a normal person would they just can't take any form of damage."
"So I could train with them."
"Yes, you could train with them. That is one of there benefits if you have the chakra capacity for it. Since you were born with above average chakra capacity that means that you could train with them. They can't be used to train your physical body but they could be used to learn jutsu and to work on your control."
"Really so they could od tree walking while I do something else and I would gain chakra control."
"Yes, that is how that would work."
"You heard the man guy go on a tree and start walking on it. Well, now that I don't have to work on my control can you train me to do other things."
"How about you first learn the in and outs of shadow clones then I'll teach you something else."
"Okay then."