This is being uploaded at the same time as the first, I just wanted a little separation between the chapters. This chapter starts with his 8th birthday. Without further ado, chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
To say the Namikaze household was packed was an understatement. If one didn't know better, they would assume the entire village had come for the party. While that may not have been true, members from every main clan had made it to the gathering. Included in those were Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi.
"Happy Birthday Naruto" Choji called out happily. Unlike most guests, he chose to go and talk to the forgotten Namikaze first. Right behind him followed Shikamaru.
"Happy Birthday Naruto, now, you know any place quieter, the amount of people talking in here is making it quite difficult to take a nap." Naruto nodded at this before walking out of the house and motioning for the others to follow.
They ended up in the middle of the Namikaze training ground. While it was next to the house, the grounds were so big that just by going to the edge of them was far enough away to drown out the noise of the guest. Naruto plopped down under a tree with Choji while Shikamaru sat a little father out with a prime view of the clouds above him.
"Big parties like these are always too troublesome." Shikamaru muttered. Naruto paid no attention to the remark, he was too busy talking to Choji about the start of his training.
"You know, it seemed like this day would never come. I watched my sisters trained everyday, waiting, just waiting for my chance to prove myself." Naruto proclaimed.
"I'm sure you'll do great Naruto. After all, with great teachers like your parents, you'll catch up to them in no time." Choji remarked between chips.
"Maybe after a while, I'll be able to train with you guys too." Naruto said while smiling. The other two had begun training a while ago, a fact which irked continually irked Naruto.
"I don't know why you get all excited for training. It may seem exciting, but all it does is interrupt naps and get you yelled at when you mess something up. Quite a drag if you ask me." Shikamaru muttered.
"I think that's just because you try to sleep in your training Shikamaru!" He just shrugged in response to that. Naruto wasn't wrong.
There wasn't much talking after that. A few quick words about the party here and there, but they mostly just enjoyed the silence. Choji sat contently eating his chips, Shikamaru stared at the sky above himself, and Naruto looked at the field in front of him.
He could see individual gouges in the grounds. See scorch marks and notches. He could even pick out the part of the ground that had to be replaced when Aiko blew it up with an explosive note. He knew practically everything about the training grounds. To compensate for not being able to train, he pushed his intelligence and knowledge regarding the shinobi arts well past what they went over in the academy.
Finally his eyes rested on the most noticeable feature in the grounds. It was a large scarred piece right in the middle. The entirety of it was burned with large claw marks racked across it. He could remember this moment perfectly, it had been perhaps the one time he was grateful to not be training. Because while the demonic chakra seeped out, he felt a deep pull within him. The world around him seemed to slow and his heartbeat drowned everything else out.
Badum, Badum, he could remember hearing a growl, the voice of the-
Before he could think more about it, a voice rang out across the field. It was his mother.
"Naruto, everyone is here. We're opening the first presents." Behind her stood his two sisters impatiently. Aiko had an annoyed look on her face, no doubt mad at her Aniki for taking up so much time.
Naruto ran up with Shikamaru and Choji to get to the door. His family walked in before him and he struggled to catch up to them in the waves of people. As he forced his way to the front, he heard a few calls of Happy Birthdays to his sisters and many compliments. He however got none. It definitely bothered him, but he'd gotten pretty used to it by now. Besides he found it pretty funny when people found out the shy red haired boy was the Hokage's son, they tended to freak out.
Once he broke through the crowd, he noted that his father, mother, sisters, and godfather stood in front next to the table. On it, were two large boxes. No doubt for the twins. He hadn't been expecting a big present like this, his parents often got him less than the other 2. They seemed to know just what they wanted, probably due to them interacting so much during training.
"Everyone quiet down." Minato said to calm the crowd. "We're all gathered here today to celebrate the 8th birthday of my wonderful children. For the first presents, I'd like to give Aiko and Machi these." He said while pushing the presents forward. As they opened them, a big smile appeared on his face.
"Awww, So cool!" Machi yelled out. She first pulled out a new set of equipment (Kunai and that sort of stuff) before reaching out and pulling out a brand new sealing kit. No doubt one that costed a fortune.
"While Sealing is an expensive art, we saved up and decided to buy these for you." Kushina remarked. "With a little help that is." He saw his godfather mutter, earning a punch for Kushina. They spent a while marveling at the gifts before everyone dispersed, leaving Naruto alone again. It seemed they really only wanted to gather the crowds attention for the big surprise presents. Before he could move to find more people, he felt a large hand grab his head and ruffle his hair.
"You didn't think I forgot about you." He turned around to see his godfather grinning down at him.
"Here you go gaki." He tossed a book to Naruto. Immediately earning a fake gag from Naruto.
"I don't need your Pervy Books. I see them enough with Kakashi. Wait till mom hears about this, your dead." Naruto replied with a devilish grin.
"Oh, this isn't one of those books. I'd never get you one of those books, at least not until you mature a bit." He giggled at this, earning a glare from Naruto. He sobered up a bit before continuing.
"Its the first book I wrote. Didn't hit it off on the shelves like my current ones do, but your parents seemed to like it. They even named you after the main character." Jiraiya said while walking away. "Well, Happy Birthday. I have some research I need to attend to."
Naruto paid no attention to the man walking away. He flipped over the book and looked at the title, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. Huh, perhaps it wouldn't be that bad. Jiraiya obviously got it for free as it was his book, but the thought counted more than the price. He pocketed the book before floating around the party trying to find his parents.
He ran into a few people along the way. He saw the Head Uchiha Family and Sasuke, Shikamaru's father, who was talking to Choji;s father and a Yamanaka, and Kakashi. The latter giving him his gift in his usual late fashion. Finally, after seemingly hours of searching, he spotted his fathers yellow hair alone in one of the other rooms.
-Line Break No Jutsu-
Minato sensed Naruto walking in. He had been keeping an eye on everyone at the party by sensing their chakra. He detected when Kakashi came in late and when Jiraiya left the part early, but he kept a close eye on Naruto the entire time.
After the first presents, the boy seemed to bounce around from place to place, probably searching for him. Guess the news had to come earlier than he would have liked.
"Hey Tou-san," Naruto called out hesitantly. "I was uh, wondering when we could talk about my training," Minato sighed at this before crouching down next to his son. Might as well make it as fast as possible.
"Naruto, we've decided to push back your training till graduation. The girls have just started working on the Foxes chakra. I'm sure you remember the incident. For that to not happen again they need to know sealing first, which your Kaa-san is teaching them. And, well me, things at work are getting tense and I can't even help the girls, let alone you." Minato felt all their reasons we're justified. Kushina had her hands full with sealing, an event like the last couldn't happen, and Minato wasn't lying about work.
He had just narrowly avoided the massacre of the Uchiha Clan while also discovering Danzo's hidden Root. The disbanding of that alone was enough work to keep Minato cooped in the office all day. The sheer amount of children he had found Danzo stole was disgusting. There had been a few the ages of the triplets. One of the young boys was extremely pale and seemed to lack any skill in social interaction.
Besides, it wasn't like they would actually wait till graduation. They figured that if they gave him a date a long way off, they could surprise him by starting it earlier than they promised.
Minato didn't even have time to gauge Naruto's reaction, which was one of devastation, before a voice rang out in the room and it filled with the familiar smell of smoke.
"I could help train Naruto, Minato-san." Next to them in the room was the 3rd Hokage. Unbeknownst to Minato, Naruto was praising Kami at the chance to train, if he couldn't with his parents, his jiji was the next best thing.
"Now this wouldn't be an everyday occurrence, maybe just a few times a week. I could show him a few tricks that will help in the long run." Sarutobi said with his deep, knowing smile.
Minato's eyes narrowed at this. He wouldn't lie and say he liked the idea. The fact that someone else wanted to train his son, even someone that he had the utmost respect for, hurt. He should be the one to train him, help him grow, make him into the best ninja he could be. But when he looked down at Naruto, he saw a deep pleading look. His bright blue eyes expressed how deeply he wanted this.
Minato crumbled. It wasn't often he saw the emotional side of Naruto, he seemed to distance himself more after the girls training started. They saw less of him and weren't as close as they were before. They were still family and deeply cared for each other, but the bond Minato made with the girls seemed to be lacking in Naruto.
"Fine, 3 times a week at most. I don't want you turning him into a Sarutobi, his surname is Namikaze after all." Minato said grudgingly. Hiruzen agreed to this, knowing full well that if Naruto wanted to, he would train him more than 3 times a week, but what Minato didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"Naruto, meet me at the Sarutobi training grounds at 8 tomorrow morning." Sarutobi told him, but before he could walk out, he felt a body latch on to him.
"Thanks Jiji, you're the best!" He exclaimed. Minato winched at this. This moment should've been with him, but the welfare of the village had to come first.
-Line Break No Jutsu-
Naruto waited patiently at the Sarutobi training grounds. He nervously shifted from foot to foot as he surveyed the area around him. There wasn't anything special in the grounds, they had some targets, posts to practice against, and a few trees with a river running next to them. It was noticeably smaller than the Hokage's training ground, but there was something peaceful about it.
Other than that, there were a few benches and a table at the very corner. On top of it sat his lunch. When his mom found out that he was training today she freaked out and quickly prepared the meal for him. Drilling in him that staying hydrated and keeping energy up was just as important as working hard. Suddenly a large breeze swept through the training grounds and the 3rd Hokage appeared, followed by an Anbu Escort.
"Are you ready to train Naruto?" He asked, earning an earnest nod from the boy.
"Good. As you can see, I have quite the talented group of people following me 24/7. Guarding an old man like me is quite the boring job, so I figured I'd add some spice to their lives and have them help you instead." He said, the 2 Anbu behind him didn't react to any of what the old man said.
One of them was a large, burly man. There was nothing particularly defining about him other than salamander mask and a big mane of hair behind it. What made them so interesting was the other Anbu next to him.
He had on a mask of what Naruto could only assume was a Weasel. But that wasn't the important part, what stood out was the size of the man, or should he say teenager. Compared to Salamander, this Anbu seemed like a fresh academy graduate. He didn't have big arms and a wide frame, but a small and lanky body. That however didn't affect the fear factor of the Anbu. If asked, Naruto would say the Weasel Anbu scared him much more.
To a ninja, Deceit was everything. Espionage, assassinations, treaties, all these were full of Deceit. If the man in front of him was Anbu, it wasn't from sheer power like Salamander, it was pure skill.
"They specialize in many different fields. Today I'll introduce you to who will be your main teacher. Weasel," The smaller Anbu with the Weasel mask behind him stepped forward. "Perhaps as an extra game you can try figuring out who they are behind the masks." The old man joked, earning what seemed like a glare from his guard. The former Hokage then backed up to the edge of the training ground and waited for the lesson to begin.
"Many people think ninja training is all flashy jutsu, but those are often the ones that when you try them you end up getting hurt the most. The simplest of skills often yield the greatest results. Now, I'll begin your training focusing on the physical aspect and weapon sides. Once you're proficient with these, we'll focus on more jutsu. Here, throw these at the target." The Anbu said with a surprisingly young voice, so his initial observation had been correct. He then tossed a few kunai to him. Naruto expertly grabbed them, making sure not to cut himself, before turning to face the target.
He let one of his fingers slip into the Kunai and spun it experimentally. He then took a deep breathe, before squaring up to the target and letting the first kunai loose. It sailed forward and embedded itself on the outer edge of the target.
"This is to be expected, just stay calm. Try to keep your entire body loose when you throw. If you stay rigid it will throw your aim off. Again." So Naruto threw another.
"Again" And another.
"Again" Another.
By the time he finished, he was dripping in sweat and his throwing arm's shoulder was throbbing in pain.
"Good Job," Naruto looked up at his instructor warily, good job? He had gotten a decent amount in the center, but nothing worth bragging about.
"Now, as your experiencing now, injury can severely limit the repertoire of attacks a ninja has. Now that your right arm is hurt, its time to work on your left." Naruto raised his eyebrow at this. If his first performance was embarrassing, this one would be dismal.
-Line Break No Jutsu-
The rest of the morning went like that, he would practice with one arm, then the other, and back and forth. Weasel was a strict sensei, but slowly he could see that he was breaking the cold facade the Anbu always carry around. Weasel had barely said anything after his first introduction, but as the training went on he seemed to speak out and correct more and more mistakes.
"Naruto, many view this art as the basics of a ninja, nothing beyond that. They are fools. If you truly are dedicated to this art, far beyond what most ninja do, you can achieve such things like this." The man threw a shuriken to the far right of the target and closed his eyes. The shuriken seemed to defy physics as it curved and went parallel with the front of the target. And then in a flash the man threw a kunai which found itself in the middle of the target, pinning the shuriken down by its middle hole.
"Most never put in this much dedication, its your choice whether you will. Now, from here I would like to ask you what you want to do. Many ninja specialize in certain tools, however in Anbu we must be proficient in all disciplines." After this he reached into his multiple pockets and pulled out a multitude of ninja tools. He then laid them out in front of him. Luckily Naruto had done his research and could identify a majority of the tools in front of him.
There were senbon needles with some poison, for quick and accurate throwing used to neutralize or assassinate targets. Some explosive tags, but thinking back to the hole Aiko made back home he wasn't sure he completely he trusted the things. There was a spool a ninja wire, hmm, perhaps later. Some smoke and flash bombs, but those were easy enough to learn by himself, no need to waste the Anbu's time with those. Finally he turned his attention to the beautiful sword that was strapped on the Anbu's back.
"How about Kenjutsu?" He asked warily. The man hadn't seemed to offer teaching the skill forward, but trying couldn't hurt.
"Ah, Kenjutsu. All Anbu are required to be especially skilled in this art. Beyond our own individual Jutsu, this is our main specialization. Here, see how it feels." He unsheathed his sword and handed it to Naruto. When he grabbed it, the swords weight felt a little heavy, but it was nothing a little training couldn't solve. He then took a few experimental swings. It sliced through the air easily, yet felt slightly off in his hand.
"I'm not an expert, but perhaps Lord Third could get some of the Anbu more specialized in this art to train you. What I do now is that you must be quick and agile while using a sword, but also having power behind your strikes. For this, we will have to work on your physical endurance and strength." Weasel stated, earning a loud groan for Naruto and a chuckle from Hiruzen
-Line Break No Jutsu-
Naruto's muscles ached as he finally finished his exercise. The training Weasel-sensei had put him through was grueling, far more work than anything else he had done. Perhaps Shikamaru's outlook on life wasn't so bad after all. Training was a drag and a nap sure did sound good now.
"You must find what pushes you to train, what driving force within propels you forward. For some its revenge or personal gain. Only you can discover what truly drives you." Weasel called out.
"And what is it that drives you." Naruto barely choked out between sucking in breathes of air. Without hesitation, Weasel replied.
"The Will of Fire, my family. Perhaps yours could be the same."
Weasel didn't elaborate any more on the topic. The Will of Fire, Naruto was sure he had heard his Tou-san talk about it, but couldn't figure out what it was. But whatever it was, to drive someone like Weasel, it had to be honorable.
Weasel then returned to his post behind the 3rd Hokage, who was walking forward to talk to Naruto.
"Training is a lot harder than you thought, isn't it?" He asked with a little mirth in his voice. Naruto nodded in response, obviously too tired to speak. Hiruzen decided not to tell him that the workout he had went through was many levels harder than most training kids his age did. This was what Naruto had wanted.
"Weasel was right when he said we have a multitude of highly skilled swordsmen in the Anbu. Along with that, we have writings and techniques from samurai and countless others, including my own sensei, the 2nd Hokage. I'm sure you'll grow to become very skilled in that art." This earned a smile from Naruto.
"You can come tomorrow at the same time, I'll have the Anbu find a sword for one your age and strength and request for an Anbu skilled in swordsmanship along with Weasel to train you. You're dismissed." Naruto nodded before slowly walking out of the training grounds.
"Thank you Jiji." Naruto replied before walking out of the grounds.
To say he was tired didn't do any justice to how he felt. His legs ached and every step seemed to shoot pain into his legs. He didn't pay much attention to the village around him as he walked. His eyes stayed glued on the road ahead of him in a dazed state. His thoughts were blank other than that of food and sleep. He didn't even realized he made it home until he nearly walked past the large gates.
He quickly opened them and walked inside, to the site of his mother and sisters sitting at the table practicing drawing fancy squiggly lines over and over again. Kushina quickly noticed the new arrival and gave a worried look after observing at the state he was in.
"What was Hiruzen doing? We asked him to train you, not kill you." At this his sisters too looked up at him and judging by the looks of shock on their face, he must not have looked good.
"Ah, it was nothing." Naruto tried to say while flashing a fake grin, but his mother wasn't having it.
"Nothing huh, I'll have to talk to your father about this when he gets home." She grumbled while grabbing him and inspecting him up and down for any injuries before pushing him upstairs. "Go shower, you need it, trust me."
Naruto quickly undressed and jumped into the shower, immediately feeling the relieving affects of the warm water as it flowed across his body. After a long and enjoyable rinse, he changed into new, fresh clothes and walked downstairs. The girls were still stuck retracing the sealing lines and his mother was still watching over them carefully. His father was no where to be seen.
"So, what exactly was Hiruzen having you do that was so tough." He was about to correct her saying that the Anbu were the ones that were actually helping him train, but he figured that if he told them it would lessen the likelihood that he would be able to continue training. The Anbu were serious, and if his parents freaked out and stopped him from training just because he was a little roughed up, he would be crushed.
"What roughed me up was the conditioning and strength training. Other than that I practiced my shuriken and kunai throwing. The most fun was howeve-" Naruto was about to finish before his mom quickly cut him off.
"Aiko, what are you doing?" She said while smacking the girl on the head. This earned a yelp of surprise from the girl.
"Owwwww, Kaa-chaaan. Whats one little change in the line gonna do." She complained while rubbing her head. Kushina hit quite hard.
"That one little line could be the difference between an explosive note going off like normally or not working at all, or being triggered in a shinobi's pocket without them doing anything." His mom scolded the girl.
"Naruto, why don't we talk about this a little later, I can't be having these two knuckleheads messing up again." She said while hitting Aiko again as if to prove a point.
Naruto deflated at this. Pushed aside again. Sometimes he felt as if his parents didn't even know what happened in his life anymore. Ya they could say he hung around with Shikamaru and Choji, but what about his favorite spot in the village or what his favorite book was? He could bet they wouldn't know.
He grumbled more as he walked up into his bedroom. He shut the door behind him before sitting in his bed and looking at the desk next to it. There was a mirror and at the top corner was a picture of the family from when they were younger. His parents stood behind him and his sisters, and while you could barely see it, his mothers hand had snaked its way to his side and was tickling him. It was obvious in the picture that it annoyed him, but in his eyes was happiness and belonging. Yet, when he looked up at the mirror in front of him and thought about his family. That look was seemed to be a sliver of what it once was.
He thought back to when the fox's chakra emerged at the training ground.
"I haven't forgotten my promise Hokage. Your children's lives will be hell" It growled in Naruto's head. That was the first it he had heard of it, his parents said the soul locked in him wasn't dangerous and the fox had no way of hurting him, but after that. Naruto wasn't sure.
He sighed before grabbing a book on the desk and laying down. He cracked it open to the page he was on last night before finishing the rest of the book that night.
So that's it. In case you didn't figure it out, Weasel is Itachi. Thanks for reminding me although I feel kinda stupid for forgetting that. The next chapter will be about the gap between now and Narutos graduation. It will have details about his training and relationships with people like his family and friends. After that one it will be the graduation. I'll try to make sure each chapter has at least 3k words, this one has 4.5k. Thanks for reading, See ya.