Disclaimer: HAHAHAHAH! FOR ONCE I OWN SOMETHING IN THE FANFICTION! And, however painful it is for me to say, I do not own Naruto. Sadly, I own the OCCs...
No one was reading my story, so I thought maybe because it looks to much like a One-Shot! Here's the next chapter to prove otherwise! I would write something funny but... I... I'm becoming Shikamaru... I'm to lazy for my own good... The rating was 'K+', but I'm kicking it up to 'T' for future violence, so be warned! Oh well... My exams went well, and now that that's over with I can get more work done on these fanfictions than I could before now. Oh, and if you want to know what Minato's teammates look like, just search up Team Jiriaya. It should be on the Naruto wiki! Now, in other news, please enjoy the chapter!
Edit:Another chapter rewritten! If any of you notice any mistakes, feel free to point them out to me! I'm currently rewriting my entire outline for this fanfiction, and hopefully it will be out soon! Additionally, I'm writing another new fanfiction, which will be posted once I've finished rewriting every one of my stories' outlines, and once all of them have been updated. My gift to ya'll for sticking this wait out, though I do apologize when I say it's not a Naruto fanfiction!
It had been two weeks since Kushina had been kidnapped, and Minato had been told that the Chuunin exams would be held soon. He hadn't even gotten the chance to see Kushina since then, and prayed her team would also be participating. He liked being around the energetic redhead, even if she could be a little violent when she was aggravated; it was actually rather funny to watch, when the anger wasn't directed at him. The blond couldn't imagine not entering such a large tournament without her presence, even if they may end up fighting.
Minato's team had been chosen to go to the exam long ago, agreeing as a unit they would all go together. Since then, Minato had been training rigorously, doing his best to raise his speed. No matter how hard he trained or how fast he became, it never completely satisfied him. He wanted to be faster than light - the fastest ninja in the world! - so that he would be able to protect his village from anything at any time, as Hokage.
He stretched his leg in front of him, reaching forward to touch his nose to his knee. He was in the middle of the training grounds. Hikaru and Sari, his teammates, had not been able to make it that day. He slide into splits, leaning towards one leg as he counted. He finished his stretches easily, dropping into a push-up position and going as quickly as he could in his push-ups.
"83...84...85...,"He whispered aloud, counting each push-up. He pushed himself to 100 before he lost count, doing a few extra before standing up. His arms had gotten used to it, and didn't even hurt, though his blond hair had grown messy. He looked up at the stream that ran through the training area. He concentrated on a single leaf, floating down from a tree on the far side of the steam, then raced towards it. Without hesitating at the edge of the stream, he jumped over to a stone in the middle, then to the far end, and dove for the leaf, still fluttering down. He stopped, crouching on the ground with the leaf in his hand. Not a drop of water was left on him, and he threw the leaf to the side, standing up slowly.
"You're quiet the skilled one, aren't you,"A familiar rough voice spoke behind him. Minato spun around to find Jiraiya sitting on a rock further away. "T-Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!,"Minato stuttered in embarrassment to the praise, bowing. "No need to bow, Minato,"He laughed in that overexcited way of his,"But I want to know, why didn't you just run over the water?" Minato ducked his head. "I wanted to push my limits a bit more." Jiraiya nodded, standing up slowly as though to walk away.
"W-Wait!,"Minato called nervously. He wanted to know more - what he could do to make his abilities better and stronger. The white-haired man stopped mid-stride, turning to his student with a smile. "Come back tomorrow, Minato. I want to teach you a new jutsu,"He added, walking away once again. Minato walked over to the bar, pulling himself up, then back down, repeating the action many times. He moved much slower than he usually did, distracted by his thoughts.
I wonder what kind of ninja will make it into the Chunnin exams... I really... I really hope Kushina will make it in... I want to see her again... I hope she was able to get home from the hospital back then. She looked really tired. How did she get kidnapped, anyway? Surely she had been home at that time, and I doubt her parents would leave her home alone like that! Did she end up sleeping on those uncomfortable hospital beds? I guess I probably should have walked her home...
"Minato!,"A familiar voice called. Minato dropped down from the bar, landing neatly in a crouch. "Hikaru? I thought you weren't coming!" He smiled at his teammate's arrival. "I finished what I needed to do quicker than I thought I would, so I decided I'd come train. I found you doing chin-ups over there. I was waiting until you finished to talk to you, but you've been at it for almost an hour!,"Hikaru explained, exasperated. "What!?,"Minato gasped, holding up his hands. They were raw, trembling weakly, and for the first time, Minato noticed the stab of pain going through his arms whenever he lifted them more than a few inches. "I guess I wasn't paying any attention,"Minato chuckled with a smile, scratching the back of his head. Suddenly feeling very exhausted, Minato fell to the ground, laying down on his back and staring at the sky as he caught his breath.
"You were so zoned out, you didn't notice me training just a little bit away...,"Hikaru sighed. "Hey, Hikaru. Since you're here, do you want to do a bit of sparing once I catch my breath?,"Minato suggested between each breath. As he slowed his breathing down, Hikaru nodded, walking over to help Minato to his feet. Minato thanked his teammate, moving away from him.
Minato slowed his breathing until it was nothing more than a silent wisp of air. Hikaru backed up, taking a fighting stance, his body tense. Minato copied him, but kept his hands closer for defense. If he timed it right, he might be able to get behind Hikaru and attack from the back, but if he couldn't it was better to have his guard up. His friend had always been rather unpredictable, after all. It wouldn't do to let him land a surprise attack.
He tensed, leaning forward, waiting patiently as his azure eyes darted from left to right, scanning their surroundings carefully. Hikaru raced towards him, his hand in a fist, pulled back to attack with more force. Minato waited intently as Hikaru got close, despite his body screaming for him to move. Just as Hikaru threw the punch, Minato ducked, twisting himself to jump behind Hikaru, who fell forward with the force of his own punch, a yelp of surprise leaving his mouth.
As Minato raised his fist to attack, Hikaru touched the floor with his hands, deflecting Minato's attack with twisting feet. He brought his foot down on Minato's head, who quickly flashed through the familiar handsigns of his signature jutsu, using his teleportation jutsu to disappear and reappear a few feet away. Hitting empty air, Hikaru lost his balance, toppling to the side. Minato dashed forward just as Hikaru had scrambled to his feet, punching him in the stomach before jumping behind him, kicking him so hard he was knocked him tree. Minato winced at the thud it made as his teammate hit the trunk, but as he did so, Hikaru's body was surrounded by a puff of smoke, replaced by a log.
Before Minato could react, something hit the back of his knee, and his legs crumbled beneath him as he fell to the ground. Hikaru kicked him in the stomach before Minato could use a substitution jutsu, the force of which threw him at the same tree Hikaru had hit moments before. Minato used it to his advantage, recovering and twisting as he flew towards the trunk. He pushed off the bark, using the force of both his legs and the attack Hikaru had thrown at him to attack with an even greater strength. His arm outstretched, he flew back, hooking Hikaru around the neck with his arm and sending him toppling into a large rock. Minato was about to attack again, when an annoyed voice spoke above the noise they had been making. "I swear! I go out looking for you two, and here I find you two beating each other to a pulp!"
"Sari!,"Minato gasped, spinning around. Sari was staring at them in frustration, her short, dark brown hair tied up on the top of her head. One bang was falling into her eye, not tied up with the rest or held back by the red headband around her head. "You two are so beat up!,"She gasped, ignoring Minato's exclamation and bounding over to Hikaru, who was staring at her, a black eye swelling over his right eye. She scanned his eye, taking out a medic pack from her ninja weapons pocket. "Minato! Come over here so I can look you over, too!,"She ordered. Minato obeyed, walking over to her and sitting down beside Hikaru.
"Really! What were you two thinking, going all out on each other like that?,"She snapped as she placed a bandage over Hikaru's eye. "We were sparing!,"Hikaru whined. She sighed heavily, finishing the bandage and checking over the rest of him quickly. All that remained were minor cuts and scraps from the tree's bark and from rolling across the ground. With a nod, she finished her examination of him, moving on. "Minato!,"She called, turning her attention to him.
Minato let her look his face over for any wounds before she moved on to his arms. "Your hands are rubbed raw, but other than that, you only have a few minor bruises. Still, you need to be more careful while sparing! You'll end up killing each other one day!" Minato and Hikaru laughed happily as Sari wrapped his hands with bandages. "It's not funny! I'm serious!"
"Oh, yeah!,"Minato added, his laughter fading away," Why were you looking for us?" Sari hit her forehead, having forgotten what she had originally come for. "During the Chunnin exams, my father told me we have to go through The Forest of Death. It's a survival challenge, so I thought we'd have a better chance if I learned medical ninjutsu. I won't be joining you in your training for a while, because I'll be doing my own kind of training,"She explained,"I'm really sorry. You guys are just such idiots sometimes; I know for a fact you'll need it."
"It's fine, Sari! You're right, it would be a great help!,"Minato reassured her. "Thank you!,"Hikaru added, shaking away the comically depressed look that had fallen on his face at being called an idiot. "I have to leave now, so make sure not to get injured any more than you already have!,"Sari added, sighing as she stood up to leave. "I might as well walk you home. My mother wants me back soon anyways,"Hikaru stated, stumbling to his feet. "Be careful!,"She gasped, grasping his arm to help stabilize him. She let go of him once he found his balance, following him as he lead the way off of the training grounds.
"Bye!,"Minato called after them, standing up, chuckling as he heard Sari's nagging voice in the distance. She always seemed to treat them like she was their mother or something. Despite what she had said, he wanted to practice some more. He closed his eyes, forming a few hand-signs and concentrating on his feet. Power surged within them, but he didn't more just yet, letting it grow stronger and stronger. After a few more moments, he finally opened his eyes, bounding across the clearing as fast as his feet could carry him. Though slowed by exhaustion, Minato had gone much faster than he had expected, and he couldn't help but grin at his achievement. He looked up at the sun, finally taking note of the time. He had been training all day, and he could see the sun, drifting below the horizon to make way for the moon, sending beautiful rays of purples and oranges and reds out into the sky. He stood still, mesmerized by the sight for a few moments, before walking along the pathway his friends had disappeared along not long before him. "Time to go home, I guess."
Please, tell me what ya'll think of this chapter! I found out that I'm 89% Naruto and 11% Sasuke XD Ain't that weird? Exact opposites? :D In real life, I do have (fairly)messy yellow-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I also 'ya know' a lot and love ramen(have you tasted that stuff? It's delicious!)... I'VE BEEN INFECTED BY NARUTO! Maybe it's the fact that I've been watching Naruto since I learned to walk... XD O.o He infected me... I have the deadly Narutard disease...
Fun fact for the day: After laughing, you get momentarily high! YAY!
Anyways, if you liked the story, favorite, follow, or review my story, and I would really appreciate some new Sacred Army recruits!(still working on the name!) So to become a recruit, just follow and/or favorite my account! Tell me what you think of my story! See you next chapter! Bye -tteboy!