A/N: I like writing. It's fun. It seems the preliminaries are over so now, you'll see the answers to a few of your questions in the next chapter. This is one of my bridge chapters. I hope you like it anyway. Here are your review responses!
Tellemicus Sundance: Damn, I thought I made up something good with the "I'm going to heal her with everything I have, even if it sucks my chakra supply dry" thing that I had Naruto do was pretty original. I rigged the order so Naruto didn't miss any of the matches and I made it so Naruto would only miss the drawing of the final matches. You'll see how I have things work out here.
BioDragon: For starters, it's Neji. Anyway, Neji is going to have a…unique experience with Naruto.
Dragon Man 180: Thanks for the reassurance. I just needed to make sure you were okay with it. I do have another plan for when Baki and Kabuto talk to each other, though…
Gohan-Chan: Thanks
Locker87: Thank you; I get that a lot.
Amine-Boy07: I'm glad you like it. Joseph won't squish you.
Hybrid thing: You'll get your wish soon enough. It's not in this chapter, though.
Demon of Konoha: Naruto's time with Jiraiya won't be a waste, I assure you. Also, yes, all the little changes will probably lead to a major change soon enough. Okay, maybe not that soon.
Ecchi-ANBU: That's a good point, but you have to remember one thing. The Heal Gate increases stamina. It would make a person who was fighting for hours ready to fight.
Armanstay: Thanks
HELLCATontheRUN: Thanks for the advice and compliment. It's pretty difficult to not make Naruto too powerful. At the same time, it's pretty painful to restrain him. Thank you so much for the compliment. It is reviewers like you and reviewers that leave helpful advice that make me want to write this story.
Chidori vs Rasengan: Thanks for the effort of checking. I try to make my grammar as perfect as possible, but I make mistakes sometimes.
Trenchcoatgirl-Kyo: I'm glad you think so. I gave this particular battle serious thought before I wrote it. Also, Gaara the cute psychopath was a good touch; I agree. Wikipedia is the best place for my research. I use it a lot.
PopeYodaI: Um, thanks?
Causeiambetta: I see. You know, I'm not surprised. My heart wasn't in the Gaara as. Lee fight like it was during the Hinata vs. Neji fight. Sorry, I will not kill Neji in this story. He'll be heavily injured, but not dead.
NarutoNineTails: OW; what's this? (Picks up computer) Aw man, such a waste of such a good computer.Don't worry, I'll write more.
Midnight-angel-of-darkness: Thanks
Light of the Demons: Thank you for your review.
Silver Warrior: I guess I see your point. I'm the same way with math. The difference is, I read the others because I have to and stuff like that. I'm still a junior in high school. At least, I'm going to be. Anyway, I'm glad you liked Naruto's strategy. I'm a good strategist at heart so I think a little of that leaked into my story. By the way, look forward to seeing Neji's ass on a silver platter.
Conan98002: You have a pamphlet? Can I have a copy?
TomokiG: …Thanks for your commentary on my first few chapters. I did mention that I was a first-time writer, right? Anyway, I have a little defense set up, here. On your first review, you mentioned that I use Japanese phrases too much without a direct translation. I fixed that problem in this chapter and I already stopped using the phrases for anything that was not a Technique or Honorific in a previous chapter. Also, you mentioned that I use words for my scene changes or POV changes. If you hadn't noticed, spare lines are deleted when you upload your document, so I stopped using them after they were deleted after I tried to upload my first chapter. The last thing in your first review was the fact that I repeated a few phrases in the next chapter and the chapters seemed like an introduction. Well, it was my first time and I thought it was a good thing at the time. Also, the first few chapters were the introduction to the story. I have one more thing to add. YOUR FIRST REVIEW WAS ONE MILLIMETER SHORT OF A FLAME! Please don't mind the yelling.
TomokiG (continued): At least your second review seemed like a gentle push instead of a harsh shove. I've fixed what you said was a big problem in this chapter. As a closing word, may I add one thing? I would have happily changed it if you had contacted me earlier with these suggestions. I love the reviews, but I needed to bandage myself after the first one. Thank you.
Clone Daniel: Thank you for your review. I didn't think that the battles were too fast. I didn't put much thought into the Gaara vs. Lee fight, but I put a lot of effort into the Hinata vs. Neji fight.
Tsugiko: Thanks for your review.
Kitsu Maharu: Well then, I hope Guu Gagu Lolo the 6th of the Kataro Kohei Tsuki no Tsubasa tribe is having a good time. Man; that name's a mouthful but it sounds great so I like it! Also, what were you saying after that?
Arganaut: Thanks for your praise about that. I placed a lot of thought into it and it worked out perfectly. Anyway, good luck on your story!
VFSNAKE: Yes, he did, but it was an emergency, right? Also, Naruto was freaking pissed at Neji and he was a little too angry to keep up the mask. About Kyûbi, though, he will be able to speak to Naruto, but not as clearly as you think. Neji will be heavily injured when he fights Naruto, though. I do have a small plan of what will happen after the battle, though.
Kyuubidaime: Damn, you're right. I should have done that. Oh well, what's done is done, huh? Also, I gave this particular part some serious thought and I made it this way. Training with Ero-Sennin will be harder than it usually is in the manga, but Naruto will learn a lot. There are hints of a blossoming relationship in this chapter, but no solid fluff.
Anttolas: Thanks; will do.
NewSon: I'll try to do that. It will be difficult, but I'll do my best. Thanks for your review/suggestion.
Orbrey: Thank you for pointing out my spelling error. I'll fix it as soon as I can. You'll see the effects of the revelations a little later on.
ShadowBack: Exactly; that's exactly what I was going for. He's a hard worker, but he's not a genius. He's a lot like Lee, but he isn't hard to look at. Also, I love responding to good reviews. I also respond to bad ones, but you can tell if I thought your review sucked by my response. If you got a good response, your review was good. If you got a one word response, your review sucked. That's just how I do things.
Biggestboss: Okay; will do.
Chase-kun: Thanks for your little suggestion there. I'll change it soon enough. It was nice of you to point that out, though.
Songbird21: Thanks for your reviews. I'm glad you like my story. You need to read the rest of the chapters, though.
Now, on a personal note, I'm getting a little annoyed with some reviews. Don't get me wrong, I like reviews, but I don't particularly like one or two-liners for reviews. Usually, I would leave a response that matched the usefulness of the review. If you left a good review, I left a good response. "Continue, please" and "It was great" don't exactly fly well with me (Trust me, I'm picky with detail). At least, tell me what I'm doing right so I can pass the advice along to others who have lost their inspiration or something. Not to sound big-headed or cocky, but I know I'm good. I just want to know what's good and what's bad so I can respectively keep it up and fix it.
Also, I need your opinion so I can decide whether or not I will allow anonymous reviews. I didn't allow them at first since I was a struggling first-time writer, but now, I'm feeling a bit more confident and I'm thinking about allowing anonymous people to review. The catch is that I won't respond to anonymous reviewers because people can use the same names. So, give me your opinions and I'll think about it.
As a reminder, I HATE FLAMES! Any flames will be ignored.
By the way, Tenten's surname comes from VenomLord and his story "Life of Uzumaki Naruto."
Now, that's enough ranting. Here's the 18th installment of "Cheerfulness Incarnate"
Disclaimer: Now, let's see; I have either Jimmy the hamster or Vivian the ostrich. Now, which one should say, "Omegaguardian does not own Naruto"?
(Chapter Begins)
(In the Arena)
"I congratulate you all for getting this far. I congratulate you for passing the first part of the third exam. Even if two of you aren't here, I still offer my praise," Hayate said as he offered the floor to Sarutobi.
The Hokage nodded as he stepped forward. He began to speak in a majestic tone as Hayate turned to write something on a scroll.
"Now, I will explain the finals. Like I said, you will be fighting in front of everyone, representing each of your respective countries. So, thus, the finals will commence a month from now."
"So, we're not doing it sooner, why?" Shikamaru asked lazily.
"We call this the Requisite Preparation Period since we must send out invitations and results to the neighboring countries so they can send their feudal lords and shinobi leaders here for the final part."
"So, what other purpose does this serve?" Neji asked as Sarutobi continued.
"Well, it also serves as a preparation period for you genin so you can train and understand your foes. To be fair, we allow this month so you can hone your skills to blow away your opponents while analyzing your opponent's weaknesses in battle. Also, we can't have you fighting in your injured state, can we?"
Anko walked forward, carrying a box as the Hokage spoke again. "Now, before we dismiss you, I need you to do something for me. Inside the box that Anko is holding are nine slips of paper. Draw one out of the box, if you please."
As soon as everyone drew a slip, Ibiki called out to the genin, holding a clipboard. "Now, from left to right, tell me the number on your slip."
"I have 8," Dosu said.
"7," Temari said.
"5," Kankuro said.
"3," Gaara said.
"9," Shikamaru said.
"2," Neji said.
"6," Shino said.
Iruka placed his hand into the box and drew a number. "I have 1. I'm drawing for Naruto," Iruka said.
"So, Uchiha-san will be 4," Ibiki said as he marked something n his clipboard.
"Very well, I can reveal what the match order will be," the Hokage said as the genin had shocked faces.
Ibiki turned his clipboard around, showing a tournament-style match-up.
First, it was Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyûga Neji. Then it was Gaara vs. Uchiha Sasuke. On another bracket, there was Shino's name linked to Kankuro's name, signifying a match. After that, it was Temari's name, which was set in a position to fight the victor of the match of Dosu Kinuta vs. Nara Shikamaru. Each of the genin had different thoughts.
"So, I'm fighting a puppet master, huh?"
"My match is pretty late in the drawing."
"So, I have one less fight to do, huh?"
"Good, I'm not in the same bracket as Gaara."
"Damn, I have to fight an extra troublesome fight."
"I fight Uchiha Sasuke, huh?"
"This is perfect. I'll wipe the floor with that dead-last."
"Now, are there any questions?" the Hokage asked. Shikamaru raised his hand.
"Yes; so, if this is a tournament-style exam, does that mean only one person will become chûnin?"
"No, that's not it," the Hokage said simply, "the judges will grade your performance during your matches. If we see that you are worthy of the title, you will acquire it. Even if you lose in the first round, you are still able to obtain the title. In fact, all of you can become chûnin, or…none of you will!"
Shikamaru fidgeted as the Hokage dismissed the genin. The jônin and chûnin present stayed behind. The Hokage started to speak to the people present.
"Now, to allow the people to train, no missions will be given to your genin teams. Iruka, can you go and tell Naruto-kun the information that I just said?"
Iruka bowed and turned to leave as a voice called out.
"Wait," Hayate coughed out. Iruka turned and barely caught a scroll.
"Give that to Naruto-kun, if you don't mind. It's not dangerous, I assure you."
Iruka nodded and left the arena.
(Later (Same Day))
"Seems…heal…some reason…hope…idiot"
Naruto woke up with a start. "What the hell was that? That voice didn't make sense at all! Where was it coming from?"
Naruto looked around to see that he was in a hospital. He was in a room with someone else, but he couldn't see the person due to a large curtain. The lights were dim, giving Naruto the idea that it was nighttime. "Oh, great, I'm in the freaking hospital. This place really sucks. The nurses give me those stupid dirty looks so I can't trust them as far as I can spit them. Let's see. Where can I get out?"
Naruto spotted the window and smirked. He was about to leave when the door opened. Naruto immediately went back on the bed and feigned sleep as Iruka came in.
Iruka placed Hayate's scroll on the bedside table along with a handwritten scroll that described the details that the Hokage said. Iruka looked at Naruto closely before smirking and picking up the handwritten scroll. Iruka pulled out a pencil and wrote on it before placing it back on the table. He smirked one more time before leaving the room.
"Damn, he probably knows I'm awake. Now, let's see what he left me."
Naruto picked up Iruka's scroll and started reading with what little light he had.
Naruto,
When you passed out, you were taken to the hospital so I hope that answers your first question. Now, the Hokage said a few things while you were out. First of all, the third exam is basically a tournament. I've drawn a little diagram of the match—ups.
Naruto looked at the diagram to see his first match. He smirked as he saw his opponent. "Hyûga Neji; I couldn't have dreamed of a better opponent. Let's see what else Iruka-sensei wrote for me." Naruto thought before continuing to read.
As you can see, you're facing a pretty powerful opponent; but, if I know you well enough, you have something up your sleeve to take him down, huh?
Naruto smirked and thought as he mentally responded. "Of course I do! I'm making a strategy just for that purpose! You know me well, Iruka-sensei." Naruto then continued to read.
Okay, then; back to what I was saying; you have a month to train yourself before the final match. This month is used to call the nobles from other countries to watch your matches. Just so you know, even if you lose in the first round (I know you won't); you can still become a chûnin.
Now, for the personal part; Hayate-san gave you a scroll as well. It probably has to do with swordsmanship so read it after you're done here. Along with that, I've smuggled something out of the Konoha library for you. Take a look; I'm sure you'll like it.
Naruto gave a confused look before looking down on the page. Naruto found a normal chakra seal so he placed his hand over it and channeled chakra into it to reveal a yellow scroll. Naruto opened it to find that it was a technique scroll. Naruto continued to read.
I thought you'd like it. This is a scroll giving you instructions to use Raiton: Denkô Dangan no Jutsu. This is a chûnin level technique that requires a lot of chakra. But, I don't think that's much of a problem, huh? Anyway, I hope you're able to use it. Of course, I've learned this technique already and you'll have to surpass me to become Hokage, huh? I hope you do well in the finals. I'll be watching.
Umino Iruka
P.S.: I know you're awake. I've gotten a little less oblivious from your time in the academy. Anyway, I hope that you're able to visit me during your intense training. Even if you aren't able to, I'll still be cheering for you.
At the bottom of the page, there was a crude chibi drawing of Iruka. It was holding flags with his hands while having a closed-eyes smile. There was a speech bubble that said "Ganbatte, Naruto!" originating from its mouth.
Naruto only smiled while holding back tears. He thought as he resealed the technique scroll and grabbed Hayate's scroll.
"Iruka-sensei can be really nice when he wants to be. I wonder what Hayate-san wrote."
In an untidy scrawl, Naruto was able to make out Hayate's words.
Naruto-kun,
Let me be the first to say that your sword stance sucks! If you hadn't heard that already, you've heard it now. If I were to guess, you haven't received any training with it, huh?
Anyway, enclosed in this scroll are five chakra seals. Each of the seals has a basic swordsmanship scroll in it and I hope you're able to practice it during your training month. I will give you a few lessons myself and I expect you to show up. Read the five scrolls before you come to me, though. The first lesson will be within 5 days.
Personally, I don't like you very much, but I have a debt to pay back so be sure to come ready to work.
Gekkô Hayate
The only things left on the page were the five seals and an address. Naruto looked at the address and the time they were to meet. Naruto smiled as he unsealed the first sword scroll. Naruto began to read and learned a few things about swordsmanship.
The most important aspect of sword-fighting is the swordsman's stance. A weak stance will bring a weak sword slice and a weak defense while fighting. This scroll will teach you the aspects of a basic sword stance. Use it well.
Naruto looked around the room after reading the small section. Naruto spotted Hinata in the same room and he walked over to her bed. Naruto was relieved to see that she was perfectly safe. Naruto smiled with sincerity before stoking Hinata's hair softly. Hinata's neutral expression shifted into a soft smile she snuggled closer to Naruto's hand. Naruto continued to softly caress Hinata's head as a cold gust blew through the window.
Naruto was startled out of his trance by the breeze and was reminded of what he was doing. Naruto then stroked Hinata's hair one last time before looking around and leaving through the window, taking the scrolls with him.
Unknown to Naruto, Iruka saw the entire scene. He chuckled softly as he walked out of the building.
(With Naruto)
Naruto moved across the rooftops and headed towards his clearing. Naruto was looking forward to training with the new techniques and he rushed towards his private area to try them out.
Naruto arrived around 15 minutes later and landed about 50 feet from the actual clearing. Naruto focused and tried to sense if anything was around him. Naruto smiled when he found no one and walked the rest of the way. When he got there, Naruto immediately opened the technique scroll from Iruka.
Raiton: Denkô Dangan no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Lightning Bullet Technique)
Class: C-rank
Range: Low to Long-range (0-200 feet)
Description: This technique uses concentrated chakra to create a lightning bolt in the user's fingertips. The user then fires the chakra towards the target, creating a fast lightning attack which can cause moderate damage. Depending on the user's skill, the user can fire up to 5 bolts; one for each fingertip on one hand. This technique needs a great amount of chakra and moderate control.
Seals: Ushi, Inu, U, Saru, Hitsuji, Tori, Tatsu, Saru, Mi, Uma, Ne, Tori, Saru (Ox, Dog, Hare, Monkey, Ram, Bird, Dragon, Monkey, Snake, Horse, Rat, Bird, Monkey)
Instructions: First, after performing the seals; touch your right wrist with your index and middle fingers on your left hand. Focus your chakra (especially you are using this technique for the first time) on your index finger. After that, point your hand towards your target and release the chakra. The shot should fire towards your target. At first, you should be able to hit something within 5 feet. With experience, you should be able to fire rapidly with shots that go farther.
Note: With this technique active, you are still able to use other techniques. Until you fire the shots or actively disengage it, you will still be able to use the shots, though they are the most effective when they are fired within 20 minutes of the engagement of the technique.
Naruto read the scroll carefully before leaping up excitingly and approaching the nearest tree. He stood roughly 5 feet away and performed the thirteen seals. Naruto followed the instructions and was pleased to see a blue sparkle on his index finger. Naruto pointed his hand towards the tree and released the chakra. Naruto saw a large blue flash after he released the chakra which caused him to close his eyes.
Naruto heard a crunching noise and electrical sparks before he opened his eyes. Naruto opened his eyes and saw an amazing sight.
The tree had a hole in it. The hole was about 5 inches in diameter and Naruto could see all the way through the tree. Naruto was pleased and amazed by the results and he tried it again, and again, and again.
(4 Days Later)
Naruto now lay on the ground. Surrounding him were about 100 trees, each with a hole through them. Naruto's latest tree had a 7-inch diameter hole and the tree behind it, around 150 feet away, had a scorch mark in it.
"I've mastered it. This is excellent. I can make 5 shots with this technique and I can hit things 150 feet away. This is incredible."
Naruto stood wearily as he returned to his home. Naruto held a smile as the satisfaction of mastery emerged. Naruto passed by the hospital on the way back as his thoughts turned back to his hospital roommate.
"I wonder how Hinata-chan is. I should pay her a visit sometime. I'll visit her tomorrow. I know she likes company."
Naruto passed by the academy and thought again.
"I really should thank Iruka-sansei for the technique. I should also tell him I mastered it within a few hours. He'll be so jealous."
Naruto walked for a few more minutes, enjoying the cool night air (especially, since not many villagers were out that night) and arrived at his house. Naruto fell on his bed and immediately fell asleep.
(The Next Day)
"YOU DID WHAT!"
"I mastered that Raiton technique last night. I came to thank you for it, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said simply, enjoying the look on Iruka's face.
"That's impossible! It took me three weeks to master that!" Iruka shouted in response.
"Well, they don't call me the most unpredictable ninja for nothing," Naruto said calmly as Iruka continued his tirade.
"I know, but still, you must have used a lot of chakra last night! You're still recovering!"
"Whatever, Iruka-sensei; I'm just fine. I think a normal person would still be out like a light, huh?"
"Exactly; you should still be in bed!"
"I said, 'a normal person would still be out like a light.' I'm not normal, aren't I?" Naruto asked, earning a glare from Iruka. After a stagnant pause, Iruka spoke again.
"You should still be in the hospital, though," Iruka said, defeated.
"Don't worry; I'm planning on going there a little later."
Iruka smirked as he thought of something. He immediately started to tease Naruto. "Why? Are you going to visit your girlfriend?" Iruka asked with a devious glint in his eye.
Naruto cheeks became a light shade of pink as he began to stutter. "N-no, t-that's not it. I-I'm going to visit the people I know in the hospital, that's all."
"Like Hinata," Iruka said simply, earning a deep, red blush from Naruto.
Naruto noticed something at that moment and started to yell, his calm demeanor blasted away. "Hey, Hinata-chan is not my girlfriend!"
"Oh, it's Hinata-chan, huh?" Iruka asked teasingly.
"Y-you, you shut up, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled as Iruka laughed heartily.
"Stop laughing!" Naruto yelled in indignation as Iruka's laughs intensified.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop. Come on, I'll go with you," Iruka said between gasps as he regained his composure.
They left Iruka's house and headed for the hospital. Naruto was glaring angrily at Iruka the whole way and Iruka only laughed.
(At the hospital)
Naruto was nervous. Truthfully speaking, Naruto was coming to check on Hinata. Of course, Naruto was stuck looking all over the hospital due to his lie with Iruka.
"Whose bright idea was it to put all of the genin in different wings of the hospital? Geez, I have to walk a lot today."
Naruto was able to find Kiba easily. He wasn't able to find Sasuke so he mentally noted to ask the front desk.
Naruto stopped thinking as he approached what was previously his hospital room. Iruka chuckled softly behind him and Naruto shot him a glare. Iruka only tried and failed to suppress his laughter as Naruto opened the door.
As Naruto opened the door, he was relieved to see Hinata on her bed. It was as if he thought Cloud ninja would come and kidnap her during the night. He also saw Kurenai sitting on a stool. She looked up as Naruto and Iruka entered.
"Oh, hello, Naruto-san; I didn't expect you to be up so soon," Kurenai said with a smile.
Naruto was about to speak when Iruka cut in. "It's really nothing, Kurenai-san. Naruto's just here to visit his girlfriend," Iruka said, emphasizing the word.
Naruto blushed deeply as Iruka succumbed to another fit of laughter. Kurenai only looked confused as she prompted Naruto to explain.
"I have no idea what he's talking about," Naruto said, recovering from his blush, "I just came to check up on Hinata-chan. She's not my girlfriend. She's a friend who happens to be a girl, but she's not my girlfriend. There's a difference."
"Yeah, sure, Naruto; I'll leave you alone, now. I have to do something at the academy. See you later, Naruto, Kurenai-san," Iruka said as he left the room.
Naruto shot Iruka a glare before waving at him as Kurenai only gave an acknowledgement. Naruto then looked at Hinata with a true smile as Kurenai asked something.
"You like her, don't you?"
Naruto was off-guard at the moment so he hesitated in his response. "O-of course I do, she's my friend."
"That's not what I mean, but I won't prod any further," Kurenai said gently with a smile. She mentally laughed as Naruto blushed.
"I'll leave him alone for now. I'm pretty sure he could be trusted."
Inside the room, Naruto was left thinking about Kurenai's question.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Do I like her? She's a friend, but that's all. I like her, but not that way. At least, I think."
Naruto lingered a little longer before leaving. Naruto couldn't stop thinking about it as he reached the front desk.
"Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Uchiha Sasuke's room?"
"I'm sorry," the attendant said politely, "He is not accepting visitors."
"Naruto, keep it down," a voice said. Naruto turned to see Kakashi walking down the hall.
"That's right; I need to train for the final matches. I wonder if Kakashi-sensei can help," Naruto thought before speaking.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, can you…" Naruto started.
"I'm sorry Naruto. I'm busy. I know what you're going to ask and I can't. However, I found someone else to train you," Kakashi said, interrupting Naruto.
"Yeah, whatever, you're just saying that because you want to train Sasuke. Anyway, who did you get to train me?"
"I'm going to train you," a voice said from behind Naruto. He turned and looked as his jaw dropped to the ground.
"AH, you're going to let super-perv here train me! How do I train when this guy's weaker than me?"
"He's…a super-perv?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah, he even fell for my Haremu no Jutsu!"
"Haremu no Jutsu…?" Kakashi asked again.
"Yeah, you see, it was a few months ago when…mmph mmph mmph"
"Mmph mmph mmph? What are you…," Kakashi asked, but he was cut short when he looked and saw Ebisu restraining Naruto's mouth.
"Listen up," Ebisu said softly to Naruto, "I'll teach you anything you want. Just don't mention that."
"Do you promise? You can't back down later," Naruto said back at the same volume. Ebisu nodded as Kakashi spoke again.
"So, obviously, you know each other."
"Yes, we do!" Ebisu said quickly as Naruto grumbled.
"Yeah, I know him. But, why did you pick such a loser to be my teacher?"
"Loser indeed; if it weren't for Kakashi's request, I would never teach you!"
Ebisu and Naruto started a heated argument that lasted for about 30 seconds before Kakashi stopped it.
"Both of you; stop it," Kakashi said, gaining their attention.
"Also, Naruto," Kakashi continued, "Among the three genin in our squad, you're the weakest at the basics. Listen to Ebisu-sensei and get them right."
"Hold on, Kakashi-sensei; why do I come up short? I'm loads better than Sakura and Sasuke!"
Kakashi only shrugged and signaled to Ebisu. Ebisu obtained some sheets of paper and began to explain.
"Now, Naruto, upon obtaining information from Kakashi-sensei and analyzing it, I have determined that your chakra control is your weakest point. Let me explain."
Naruto looked at the papers that Ebisu showed him and blanked out as Ebisu droned on and on, saying that his ninjutsu casting is atrocious and stuff like that. Naruto thought as Ebisu spoke.
"Geez, does Kakashi-sensei really think this low of me? I'm not that bad. I'm probably as good as Sasuke at chakra molding."
Naruto started to pay attention as Ebisu finished.
"…The figures show your differences, but they may be slightly exaggerated, but you, Naruto, produce too much chakra and expend too much energy. Also, your technique initiation is unstable."
"You're right. You are exaggerating. Kakashi-sensei, have you forgotten Wave Country that easily?" Naruto asked with an emotionless stare.
Kakashi widened his visible eye and remembered what he did. Naruto continued.
"I thought so. By the way, I can do Bunshin no Jutsu just fine, thank you very much."
Naruto then performed the seals and created three clones instantly. Ebisu and Kakashi were shocked.
"Anyway, I really don't have a problem, here. I'll go with Ebisu-sensei," Naruto said.
Kakashi left soon after as Ebisu and Naruto walked out of the hospital. They spoke as Ebisu led Naruto to wherever they were going.
"So, how's Konohamaru-kun?" Naruto asked with a hint of concern.
Ebisu spoke after thinking for a little bit. "Konohamaru-sama is doing just fine. I think I have you to thank for that. You've saved both Sandaime-sama and I a lot of grief. He's really taking training seriously, now."
"That's good," Naruto said as an awkward silence came between them.
Ebisu said something after about 5 minutes. "So, why did you agree to have me as your sensei?"
Naruto smiled before answering. "I figured that you changed since last time since I helped you out on the Konohamaru "problem", if you will. It seems I guessed correctly."
Ebisu looked surprised as they arrived at their destination. Naruto spoke again. "So, is this where you're going to teach me?"
"Indeed," Ebisu said in response as he walked towards an open spring.
"So, what are we going to do?" Naruto asked calmly.
"We're going to walk on water," Ebisu said with a smirk as Naruto gave a confused look. Ebisu continued.
"Kakashi-sensei has already told me that you have completed the tree-climbing exercise. Now, we're taking it to the next level. For tree-climbing, you had to focus a set amount of chakra on your feet to stick to the tree and maintain it to stay on the tree. Since a tree is stationary, all you have to do is keep your feet on the tree like a suction cup. In water-walking, however, you must emit a tiny amount of chakra and constantly adjust it while you walk to adjust to the water."
"I don't see what you mean," Naruto said.
"Let me just show you," Ebisu said as he focused his chakra, "First, you gather chakra. Then, you emit a set amount while adjusting it to your weight."
"WHOA; that's awesome!"
By the time he finished, Ebisu was in the center of the hot spring. Naruto was excited to begin as he focused. He stepped out onto the water and…
…fell into the water. About 5 seconds later…
"OUCH! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Naruto shouted as he climbed out the water at a quick speed.
"Did I forget to mention that this water is 60 degrees Centigrade (140 degrees Fahrenheit)? If you keep that up, you'll be steamed and boiled in no time," Ebisu said smugly as Naruto grumbled and tried again.
"Damn, why can't I get this? I usually have near perfect chakra control. Is it because of that bastard's seal?"
Naruto was currently floating unsteadily knee-deep in water. Naruto was focusing carefully as he saw something.
"AHH, it's a…!" Naruto shouted before losing focus and falling into the water. Ebisu looked over as soon as Naruto got out of the spring.
Ebisu saw a white-haired man chuckling softly next to one of the women's springs. Ebisu took this badly.
"I have no idea who you are, but I will not allow any lecherous behavior!" Ebisu said before charging towards the man. Naruto watched carefully as a puff of smoke appeared. Suddenly, a tongue come out of the smoke and knocked Ebisu out cold.
"Geez, keep it down. You'll get me busted," the man said as he stood on the source of the tongue; a toad.
"Who the hell is this stupid pervert? He beat super-perv like he was nothing! Also, why does he look like he's the star of a Kabuki play?" Naruto thought.
"Hey, who the hell are you?"
"I'm glad you asked!" the man said as Naruto looked in confusion. The man danced atop of the toad. Naruto twitched as he spoke in an egotistical tone. "I am the Sage from atop Mt. Myôboku! I am the master of the frog spirits! I am also known as the Toad Sage!"
Naruto had a large sweat-drop at the back of his head after the introduction. Naruto was still a little peeved at the fact that he knocked out his instructor.
"Hey, Ero-Sennin, this idiot here was supposed to supervise my training! What are you going to do about it!"
"He was interfering with my research so I knocked him out."
"What are you talking about!" Naruto yelled as the man pulled out a book.
"I'm a novelist. I write these," Naruto nearly choked as he saw what the man held.
"Icha Icha Paradaisu (Make-Out Paradise) by Jiraiya"
"That's…"
"Oh, so you've heard of it, huh?"
"That's a dirty book! It makes most of the male Konoha population perverts!"
Jiraiya was now getting annoyed as Naruto continued to yell. "Also, research, my ass; you were just peeping in the women's bath! If you were my age, it could be written off as a prank, but you're an old man! It's clearly criminal for you!"
Jiraiya had had enough by this point. "Shut up, you idiot; I'm not an ordinary pervert! Peeping provides me with inspiration to write my…"
"LIAR," Naruto yelled, cutting Jiraiya off, "Save it for the courtroom; I just want to know what you're going to do about my training!"
"What, you mean the water-walking exercise?" Jiraiya asked before Naruto spoke again.
"Do you know it! If you do, teach me as reparation!"
"I HATE MEN! I ALSO DESPISE JERKS!" Jiraiya shouted.
Naruto shrunk back for a second and thought.
"As much as I hate sucking up to people, I have to get training."
"Icha Icha Paradaisu is the best book I ever read…" Naruto stated flatly.
"Save it; I know you can't buy it until you're eighteen. I'm too powerful to be manipulated by a greenhorn," Jiraiya said in response.
"Oh man; I'm really going to hate this. This is the reason I despise perverts."
"Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)!" Naruto shouted, turning into a pretty, naked woman. Naruto spoke in a sexy, feminine voice.
"How do you like me now?"
"I LIKE YOU A LOT!" Jiraiya shouted, making Oiroke (Sexy) Naruto pull an exasperated look.
"I have a feeling that most men are susceptible to this technique."
"What do you call this technique!" Jiraiya asked excitedly as Oiroke Naruto responded.
"I call it Oiroke no Jutsu," Naruto said with a girlish voice.
"You're a genius!" Jiraiya shouted before Naruto spoke again.
"So, are you going to train me?" Oiroke Naruto said with large pouting eyes.
"Yes," Jiraiya said as he turned around, "but, there is something you have to do for me."
"And, what might that be?" Naruto asked in the same girlish voice.
Still turned, Jiraiya responded. "Well, you…you have to …stay in that form whenever you are with me."
Naruto's eyes grew angry as he immediately changed back. He started to yell at Jiraiya again.
"You're just a plain old pervert, Ero-Sennin!"
"No, you're wrong," Jiraiya started, "I'm… a MEGA PERV!"
"He has no shame…"
"But, seriously, I'll supervise your training. Try the drill again, brat."
Naruto smiled before walking to the spring again. Naruto thought as he tried to do the exercise again.
"Focus; I need to concentrate. Balance yourself and keep a constant stream going."
Naruto lost focus at that moment and he fell into the spring. Naruto yelled again as he flew out of the pool and he landed on the ground. Naruto started to get annoyed.
"AHH, there's no reason to wear these stupid clothes!" Naruto yelled as he pulled off of his jacket, shirt and pants. All Naruto had on is his boxers. Jiraiya interrupted Naruto as he was about to try again.
"Hold on a second, kid. Come over here for a little bit," Jiraiya said as he placed one of his hands behind him.
Naruto looked confused, but reluctantly obeyed. "So, what do you want, Ero-Sennin?"
"Focus your chakra for me," Jiraiya said as Naruto looked confused again.
"Okay then, Ero-Sennin; I really don't see why I have to do this, though," Naruto said as he closed his eyes to focus chakra.
Naruto's seal appeared as Jiraiya examined it closely.
"So, this is the seal formula for Kyuubi, huh? I see; he used 2 4-point seals to create a Hakke (Eight Trigrams) seal. Any chakra that seeps through the seal will be contained and meshed with Naruto's chakra. It doesn't really surprise me. He did it for the boy's protection."
Jiraiya continued to examine it when the Gogyô Fûin markings appeared.
"I see; that's why he's such a screw up in control. Somebody put this 5-point seal on top of the Hakke seal, screwing up the seal's function. The 5-point seal is pretty rough, so, if I had to guess, Orochimaru did it. I might as well help him out."
"Hey, kid, raise your arms for a bit," Jiraiya said to the kid in front off him as 5 flames appeared on the fingertips of his hidden hand.
Naruto continued to focus chakra as he did so and spoke. "Geez, Ero-Sennin, you really like giving orders, huh? Why do you want me to do…?"
Jiraiya thrust his hidden hand forward in the middle of Naruto's statement. He hit the 5-point seal with the flames on his hand as he shouted out the technique name.
"Gogyô Kaiin!"
Naruto flew back 5 feet and hit the ground roughly. He got up relatively quickly and started to yell.
"Hey, what the hell did you do that for!" Naruto yelled as he stomped up to Jiraiya.
He just brushed off the outburst and spoke. "Relax; I just hit some points to relax you. Just try again."
"Yeah, sure you did, Ero-Sennin."
"What the hell was that? I can't say I didn't mind the result of that technique, but that really hurt! Seriously, I can't believe he did that! He could have at least told me!" Naruto thought.
"Sure, did you think you would've accepted if he did tell you?" a voice asked within Naruto's mind.
"Well, I guess not. I might as well try that water-walking thing again," Naruto thought in response, oblivious to the odd voice. He steeped onto the spring. Naruto widened his eyes at the results.
He was standing easily on the water. He didn't even need to focus.
"Wow; I don't know what's going on, but I sure like what you did, Ero-Sennin!"
Jiraiya only smiled as he thought.
"It's probably time for him to learn how to use Kyûbi's chakra."
"Hey, kid, let's save the fun for tomorrow. I'll drop this idiot," Jiraiya said as he picked up Ebisu, "back where I'm staying. Meet me here tomorrow, okay?"
Naruto only nodded as he rushed off. Naruto began to think as he rushed anxiously for his swordsmanship lesson with Hayate.
"This is great! This means I won't have to come up with an excuse later because I was late for the lesson!"
"Did you expect to train that long?" a voice asked as Naruto continued to move.
"Well, yeah; I usually do," Naruto said; keeping up his mental conversation with who he thought was his inner self.
"I see. I hope you know where you're going. You didn't even look at the address Hayate gave you," the voice said from Naruto's mind.
Naruto stopped in his tracks as he dug in his pocket. Naruto looked at the address and smiled as he realized he was going the right way. Naruto continued to run until he reached a secluded house surrounded in trees. Naruto noticed that the trees were covered in slash marks. Naruto began to read the swordsmanship scrolls again to refresh his memory. Naruto got a sword from one of his scrolls and practiced the stances and strokes that the scrolls showed.
Naruto went through all of the stances and strokes within the hour. Naruto summoned his other blade and tried to incorporate the strokes with two blades with great difficulty. Hayate arrived moments before the final stroke of one of the forms.
"The art of the twin blades are reliant on speed. Power is greatly reduced with the addition of another weapon and control is highly reduced. You must increase your speed and your rate of attack to make up the difference. Also, you must master one blade before attempting to wield two. You were doing a good job for a beginner, though," Hayate said as he walked out from behind a tree. Naruto faced Hayate as he spoke again.
"Now, before we start, let me see your swords."
Naruto skeptically gave him the blades and Hayate examined them carefully before speaking again. "These are Wave Country blades, am I correct?"
Naruto nodded as Hayate continued. "These blades are highly damaged. What did you do with them?"
"I only used them once after I got them. I used them in the Forest of Death to kill two giant snakes," Naruto said in response.
"Didn't you use them during your fight with that Kiba kid?"
"No, that was a clone in disguise."
"Where did you get these blades, then?"
"I took them from a couple of idiots who attacked my client in Wave Country. I've had these blades for about a month now."
"I see. Well, I have to say this. The person who made these blades really sucked at their art. These things need to be re-forged before you can even think of using them outside training. I'll see where you can get these swords fixed up later. For now, I need you to do some warm-up exercises."
Naruto did as he was instructed. Naruto ran many laps around Hayate's large house and punched trees and other things to increase his strength. Naruto then practiced the stances again with Hayate fixing up Naruto's nearly invisible flaws. Naruto finished up sometime in the afternoon. If he had to guess, it would be around 5:00.
"Okay then, now, I'll show you the place to get your swords fixed up. I suppose you would want to personalize your blades?"
Naruto nodded vigorously as Hayate thought. "He is just like him; enthusiastic and determined to be a great shinobi. I remember when you asked Jiraiya-sensei to help you find a good place to learn how to re-forge your swords."
Hayate led Naruto to a medium sized, two-story house with a sign out front. It had the words "Higarashi Weapon Shop" on it. Naruto recognized the name, but he couldn't but his finger on it.
"Higarashi; I've heard that somewhere. Where have I heard that name?" Naruto thought as they walked into the shop.
"Welcome to the Higarashi Weapon Shop! How may I help you?" a cheerful voice asked as Naruto looked up. Naruto widened his eyes as he recognized the source of the voice.
"Higarashi Tenten-san; is that you?" Naruto asked as Tenten recognized the orange person in front of her.
"Naruto-san, what are you doing here? Did you want to buy a weapon or something?" Tenten asked in response.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond when Hayate spoke up. "Actually, Naruto-san came to learn how to forge weaponry. Is your mother available?"
Tenten looked at Hayate and nodded vigorously before heading into the back room. Hayate turned to face Naruto.
"Higarashi Keiko is a very generous and skilled woman. She is kind but fair and she is among the best of the weapon forgers in the village. She'll teach you well. Let me do the talking."
At that moment, a woman walked into the room. Her brown hair fell down to her waist and she wore a pink dress, similar to Sakura's. She had hazel eyes and she smiled as she saw Hayate.
"Hayate-kun, how have you been? I haven't seen you for a long time now."
"Oh, I've been well, Keiko-chan. How are you? I see that your shop has been flourishing," Hayate said with a small smile. Naruto became confused as the conversation continued. Naruto just stepped away as Tenten approached him. Naruto asked a question as she got within earshot.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Naruto asked. Tenten smirked as she responded.
"Oh, it's okay. Hayate-san and Okaa-san (Mother) used to be teammates."
"Oh, so that's why they're speaking so pleasantly," Naruto said before he thought of something. "Say, do you know who the third member of their squad was?"
Tenten shrugged before answering. "I don't know. I never asked. It isn't Otou-san (Father). He was a civilian before Okaa-san married him."
By this time, Naruto got curious and started to listen to Hayate's conversation.
"Okay, that's enough with the pleasantries. I know you didn't come here to chat," Keiko said.
"Indeed, I came to ask you a favor. I have a student who wants to learn how to forge weaponry," Hayate said in response.
"Oh, really," Keiko replied, excited, "who is it?"
"He's over there," Hayate said, pointing in Naruto's direction, "Naruto is interested in the art of forging weaponry."
"Naruto; is he…" Keiko started.
"Yes, that's right. He's…" Hayate said as Naruto listened closely as Naruto heard another voice.
"Naruto-san, are you awake!"
Naruto was suddenly shaken as he turned to Tenten. As she stopped, Naruto was a little dizzy. Naruto spoke to Tenten as soon as he regained his composure.
"Sorry Tenten-san; what were you saying?"
"I was asking," Tenten said, annoyed, "if you're nervous about your match with Neji."
"Oh, yeah, I'm ready. I could take him right now, if I wanted to!" Naruto shouted confidently as Tenten smirked.
"Okay, but I'm warning you; he's really strong. He could take Lee and me at the same time and whip us both."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. I'm saying that I could kick his butt into next week right now. Imagine how capable I'll be at the end of the month," Naruto responded as Keiko walked over to him.
With a smile, she spoke. "So, Naruto-kun; Hayate-kun says you want to learn the art of the forge."
Naruto nodded vigorously as he was led into the back room. He could see Keiko wave as Hayate left. Naruto saw the area where the weapons were forged. Keiko retreated behind a curtain and Naruto stayed back since it was obvious that she was changing out of her dress. Naruto looked around while Keiko changed.
"Wow," Naruto said as he saw piles of metal and the various tools to make weaponry. He also saw a display case of two beautiful weapons. Naruto looked closely to see that it was a set of small staffs covered in designs and summoning seals. The designs seemed to be seared onto the weapon and it looked like a phoenix. He examined the seals that said various words such as "100 kunai" and "sickle".
Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Keiko in a short sleeved shirt and pants, similar to Tenten's outfit. She began to speak as she looked at the staffs.
"Those were my best staffs. I made each seal and design myself. I could use a barrage of weapons by merely channeling chakra into it and swinging the staff. These were the weapons that inspired Tenten to become a weapons specialist."
Naruto looked at Keiko as she adopted a blank look. She continued to speak. "I remember the times when I beat him half to death with these things. He always emerged from the weapons with a weary smile. It's really too bad."
Naruto got even more confused at this and spoke.
"Keiko-san," Naruto said. She didn't respond. Naruto poked her gently and spoke again.
"Keiko-san," Naruto said again as Tenten entered the room. She approached Naruto and held up three fingers. She started to put down the fingers. When she only held up one finger, she drew in a breath. Naruto did the same. Tenten put down the last finger and they both released their breaths.
"OKAA-SAN!" Tenten yelled.
"KEIKO-SAN!" Naruto yelled at the same time.
Keiko seemed to snap back to reality as she looked around. Tenten smiled as Keiko stood and smiled meekly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I get that way sometimes. Anyway, let's get started," Keiko said as she walked towards the pile of raw metal.
Naruto followed as he listened to Keiko's instructions. "Now, you may call me Keiko-san or Keiko-sensei. If you call me Higarashi-san, it will get pretty confusing since our family lives here. When you forge a weapon, you need metal. Here is where you start. You can't use this metal for forging yet because the impurities within the metal will make the weapon brittle and weak. To remove the impurities, you have to use your chakra to separate the impurities from the pure metal."
Keiko placed her hands over a large, flat piece of metal around 2 feet long. Her hands glowed blue as a silver substance rose from the piece of metal. Naruto watched in amazement as the silver substance collected in her hands. The silver substance collected into an orb about 6 inches in diameter when she finished." She gave the orb to Naruto and spoke again.
"That's the pure metal. The rest that's on the floor is the impurities."
"Are you serious! All of that is going to waste!" Naruto said as he pointed on the remains on the floor.
"Yes, the remains are useless. There is enough to use in that orb, though. That orb is enough to make a few kunai or a good dagger. I'll let you practice how to do that. Focus your chakra in that orb and memorize the way the metal feels. Then, later, I'll let you try on the impure metal," she said as she began to leave the room.
Naruto was left to practice. He was able to pick up the feel of the steel easily. Naruto put down the orb and picked up a small piece of raw metal about six inches long. Naruto focused his chakra and felt the pure metal in the slab. The problem was he couldn't pull it out.
He tried to do everything with his chakra short of taking the slab and throwing it across the room. He pushed, pulled and tried to move it, but he couldn't do it. Naruto was getting fed up as he picked up the slab and stood up. He was about to throw the metal when he heard clapping.
Naruto looked at the doorway and saw Keiko leaning against the doorframe clapping softly. She then went over to Naruto and spoke.
"You need to use more force to take out the metal. By what you were doing, I think you've got the general idea. I'll let you take this piece home so you can practice," Keiko said as she led Naruto out of the room. Naruto started to leave and he was about to say farewell when he was interrupted by Keiko's stern voice.
"Now, where do you think you're going?"
Naruto was about to answer when Keiko spoke again in the same stern tone. "You're staying for dinner. It's much too late for you to go home and cook something yourself."
It was a statement, not a request. Naruto looked frightened when Keiko suddenly started to laugh. Naruto laughed with her as he went up to Keiko. She climbed a flight of stairs and went into a dining room where the entire Higarashi family was sitting. A man sat at the head of the table and Tenten sat to his left. A young boy sat next to Tenten and there was an empty seat to the right of Tenten's father and another empty seat next to that one. Each person and empty seat had a plate of food in front of it.
Naruto looked surprised as Keiko sat down in the empty seat. Naruto just stood, confused about the scene before him. He was only able to say one thing.
"Um, what do I do?"
(Meanwhile)
"Impressive," a voice said as the mangled body of Dosu lay on top of a building, "So, that was his true self, huh?
"But, why do you seem pleased about the death of one of your Sound ninja?" Baki, Gaara's sensei, replied back.
"It's okay; his usefulness ran out a long time ago," a voice that was identified as Kabuto said, "In fact, I've already been given the order to capture Sasuke. I've screwed up in the matter, though. They know I'm a Sound agent, now."
"What?" Baki asked, "If they discover the fact that we're meeting you here, our plans will be ruined! You really are a fool, even if you are Orochimaru's right hand man."
"Actually," Kabuto started, "I wanted to be caught to see the reaction of Konoha. I still have a plan, though."
"Anyway, Sand will not make a move until the end. Kazekage-sama has commanded it."
"I understand," Kabuto said, drawing a scroll from his jacket, "Here are our plans. Let your subordinates know as soon as possible."
Kabuto started to walk away as he spoke. "We're done here. By the way, I'll take care of the clean-up," Kabuto said with an evil gaze.
"No, allow me," Baki said with a similar gaze, "One little mouse is no problem."
Baki went off as Hayate started to run. It wasn't long before Baki caught up.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Proctor. Isn't it a little late for you to be out here alone?" Baki asked.
"Well, I guess I have no choice but to fight you," Hayate said as he gripped his sword. He made a half-seal with his free hand and rushed forward, drawing his blade. There were suddenly three of them as they rushed forward. One of them was set to slash from above; another was set to slash from below and one was in the air, set to stab Baki in the chest. Hayate shouted the name of the technique as he came within striking distance.
"Konoha Ryû: Mikazuki no Mai! (Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon)"
Baki was hit in the shoulder by the real Hayate as a mysterious force destroyed the other two. Baki smirked as he spoke.
"You just used the Dance of the Crescent Moon, huh? You are quite the skilled person," Baki said as he raised two fingers on his right hand, "However; it is an obvious task to block a material blade. Wind blades are impossible to stop."
Hayate held a shocked expression as Baki thrust his fingers forward…
(Back at the Higarashi Residence)
The Higarashi family seemed confused as Naruto stood at the doorway. Keiko then suddenly smacked her head with her hand as she remembered something.
"I am such an idiot! He obviously hasn't experienced this! What was I thinking!"
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun; you sit here," Keiko said as she patted the empty seat next to her. Naruto slowly sat on the chair as if the chair was armed with a bomb. He sat on the edge of his seat as the Higarashi family said grace. Naruto was still on guard as he followed suit.
After a collective "Itadakimasu" from the members of the family and a muttered "Itadakimasu" from Naruto, they started to eat. Naruto picked at his food and spoke up.
"Um, what are we doing?" Naruto asked. Keiko gave a small, sad smile as she responded.
"We're having dinner, silly. Don't say you don't eat dinner at your house."
"Well, I do, but it's once in a while. I usually don't have enough food to give myself three meals a day so I eat breakfast and something in the afternoon; it's something in between lunch and dinner, but I didn't name it," Naruto said in response.
Naruto ate slowly as a dark cloud descended on the table. The family ate in silence as Naruto finally took a bite. Naruto widened his eyes as he tasted the best thing he has ever tasted since the first time he had ramen. Naruto broke into a smile and started to eat faster. This action seemed to loosen up the atmosphere and small conversations bubbled up. Naruto didn't eavesdrop. He was actually busy talking to the small boy across from him.
"Hello, what's your name?" the kid asked.
Naruto smiled before responding. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?" he said confidently.
"I'm Higarashi Toya. How are you?" Toya asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just taking lessons from your mother. I'm learning how to make weaponry."
"Are you really? I'll learn how when I'm 11. I'm 9 now."
"I see. Are you in the academy?"
"Yeah, I am," Toya said as he sullenly looked down and picked at his food. Naruto noticed and asked about it.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing's wrong."
"Yeah, sure," Naruto said, disbelieving every word. "Now, seriously, what's wrong?"
Toya looked up at that point and looked Naruto over for a bit. He seemed as if he was looking for any excuse to not tell him. Naruto held his gentle smile and tried to radiate a warm, inviting feeling.
"I'm just not very good at anything at school. Iruka-sensei keeps on picking on me."
"Oh, really now," Naruto said, "For some reason, I don't believe you."
Toya got angry at that point and started to speak in a cold tone. "Look you; I'm not good at anything. My ninjutsu sucks, I can't do genjutsu and my taijutsu stinks. Also, I'm not good at throwing weapons like Tenten-nee-chan. Also, Iruka-sensei keeps on calling me even if he knows that I don't know the answer."
"Now, now, Toya-kun, you should give Iruka-sensei some credit. He wants you work hard so you get good at the things you suck at and he thinks that a slight embarrassment will motivate you to do so," Naruto said as Toya's eyes widened.
"Also," Naruto said, "even if you are dead-last in class, you can still be a good ninja. I mean, look at me; I was dead-last in my class and I'm on my way to the Chûnin exam Finals."
Toya was shocked as he looked at Naruto. He began to speak in an awed voice. "Were you really dead-last? I never would have thought that!"
After that, Toya and Naruto talked animatedly. The Higarashi family smiled as Naruto spoke with the child. As they finished (Naruto and Toya finished last since they were talking so much), Naruto bid farewell to the Higarashi family after Keiko told Naruto to come back the next day.
Naruto rushed across the rooftops and went quickly towards what he called home. Naruto saw an odd sight as he went across a particular rooftop. Naruto saw a body that he identified as Dosu, dead, covered in a large scratch on the roof that looked like claw marks. Naruto started to head to the Hokage tower to report this when he saw another body. Naruto immediately identified the body as Hayate and he noticed that he was still breathing softly.
Naruto carefully picked him up and headed to the hospital. Naruto used a Shadow Clone on use Kousei no Jutsu on the way.
3 minutes later, Naruto burst through the doors of the hospital.
"I need help! Hayate-sensei is heavily injured! He needs help NOW!" Naruto yelled indignantly as doctors rushed towards him. Doctors took Hayate and placed him on a stretcher. Naruto didn't fail to notice the glares that said, "You did this, didn't you?"
Naruto sighed in relief as he went towards the Hokage's house. Naruto got there relatively quickly and contacted the Third. Naruto reported the scene on the building quickly and left as quickly as he came. Naruto drowsily opened the door to his house. Naruto then sat on his bed and started to change into his clothed. When he finished, he was interrupted by his inner voice.
"I think it's time for you to change your weights, don't you?"
"I suppose so. I'll do it before I go to sleep. I tend to forget these things," Naruto responded as he removed his weights.
Naruto removed the seal on the weights and replaced it to give him a total of a 40 pound increase. Naruto replaced the weights on his body. Naruto swore that he heard an evil chuckle on the back of his mind as he drifted off into a slumber.
(The Next Day)
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" was heard the next morning. The source of the voice was currently in bed, lying down. I know what you're asking.
"Why doesn't he/she get up?"
You see, that's the problem. He couldn't.
Naruto was currently lying on his bed, attempting to move his limbs. As soon as he lifted his arm up an inch, it fell back down. As soon as he tried to swing a leg, it was pulled down.
Naruto was stuck.
He was able to move a little easier about an hour later, but by this time, he was probably late. Naruto ran to the meeting place as fast as he could as Naruto heard an evil chuckle. Naruto disregarded it as he made it to the place where Jiraiya told him to meet. Naruto arrived as quickly as he could and he made it only a minute late. Jiraiya was facing a bush and peering through it to see a group of women frolicking in a river. Naruto caught his breath as he tried to speak.
"He-Hey; E-Ero-Sennin, are you going to teach me anything?"
"Yes," Jiraiya said, keeping his eyes on the women below.
"HEY! I'M OVER HERE! ERO-SENNIN, AT LEAST LOOK AT ME!" Naruto shouted as Jiraiya let out a perverted chuckle.
"Seriously, are you going to teach me anything! Show me the move, already!"
Jiraiya walked up to Naruto and started to speak.
"Before I show you, I need to ask you something. Have you ever sensed another chakra within you?"
Naruto was deep in thought for a moment before answering. "You know, I have. There were times when I felt this sudden rush of energy. I don't really remember much, but I do remember having monstrous strength. It did feel different, though. If I had to describe it, I would say that my normal chakra is blue and the weird chakra is red."
"I see," Jiraiya said, "Can you try and mold it?"
Naruto tried to mold it, but he only got his normal chakra. He said so.
"You really have no talent, huh?"
"SHUT UP! JUST BECAUSE I HAVE THE CHAKRA DOESN'T MEAN I UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE IT!" Naruto yelled.
"Yeah, but you need to know how to use it. There are some moves that need nothing but an extreme amount of chakra. Your training has been centered on control, but your stamina is incredible so you don't need to worry about it. You need to work on different exercises; exercises that increase your chakra and the maximum amount of chakra released."
"Yeah, yeah, what kind of moves are you talking about?" Naruto asked, irritated.
"One of them is the one I'm about to teach you; Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique).
"Are you serious!" Naruto asked excitedly, "What am I going to be able to summon?"
"Frogs, of course," Jiraiya said.
"Okay, I've heard enough. Teach it to me! This is going to be so cool!"
"But, before I teach you," Jiraiya continued, ignoring Naruto's statement, "You have to exhaust your chakra in the water-walking exercise."
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" Naruto yelled in indignation, "First of all, I could die if it goes wrong. Second of all, can't you find another way to exhaust chakra!"
"No, do the water-walking," Jiraiya said sternly as he paid attention to the frolicking women. A perverted giggle emerged from the bush a moment later as Naruto stepped out onto the water.
"I'll showyou, Ero-Sennin. You shouldn't mess with Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto placed a leaf on his head and went into the middle of the lake. Naruto did thirteen seals and pointed a charged finger towards Jiraiya's backside. Naruto whispered the name of the technique and fired a bolt.
"Denkô Dangan no Jutsu"
The bolt flew swiftly and accurately. It hit its intended target, Jiraiya's butt.
"OW, YOU BRAT," Jiraiya yelled as Naruto continued to float on the water, "Okay, you idiot, if you insist so much, let's spar!"
"Spar, why?" Naruto asked.
"First, it's a great way to burn off chakra. Second, it's a way for me to measure your current skills. Third, I get to train you in taijutsu. Fourth and finally, I get to pay you pack for that butt trick."
"Okay then, let's go," Naruto said as he charged forward. Naruto charged his fist with chakra and prepared to attack. As he was two feet away from Jiraiya, he thrust his hand forward. Jiraiya quickly blocked with his right arm. Naruto released the chakra in his hand and pulled back. Jiraiya's arm went limp as Naruto looked at his hand.
"Why is there blue sparks around my hand? Also, why is Ero-Sennin's arm limp like that?" Naruto thought as Jiraiya shook his arm. Jiraiya was confused for a second as he thought.
"What happened? I couldn't use my arm for a second there. Maybe this kid is more talented than I thought," Jiraiya thought as he dropped back into a defensive stance. Naruto was still looking at his hand and he found something.
"I'm missing a shot. There are three shots left and I only used one. Maybe…I used one when my fist was charged. Maybe…I'll be able to use it better. I wonder what would happen if I released my chakra on impact," Naruto thought as he charged forward again. As he rushed forward, he thought. "Okay, I have to do this carefully. Surround your fist in chakra and release a shot into the chakra field. Throw you punch and…"
"WHAM"
Naruto punched and released his chakra as Jiraiya blocked with his arm again and he sailed over the bush he was just looking through. Naruto was shocked at the results and he watched as Jiraiya fell into the river below. The women who were playing in the river scattered and screamed while Jiraiya wasn't coming up. Naruto panicked.
"Oh shit; I must have temporarily paralyzed him with that punch. He can't come up for air! I have to help him, even if he is a pervert. Maybe an electrical shock will help."
Naruto pointed down into the river with one of his fingers and fired a lightning bolt. Naruto hoped that it would work as the river was suddenly charged with electricity. The women were long gone. Naruto watched in anticipation as Jiraiya hopped out of the river, surprised at being electrocuted for the fourth time that day.
"AHHH! Damn it brat; when I get up there I'm going to kill you!" Jiraiya shouted angrily as he stood at the foot of the waterfall. Jiraiya puffed away in a column of smoke and he reappeared next to Naruto. Jiraiya then proceeded to kick the shit out of Naruto for electrocuting him four times. During the one-sided fight, Naruto learned a few things about Taijutsu defensive stances.
After about 45 minutes, Naruto was close to chakra exhaustion. Naruto was almost dead on his feet as Jiraiya spoke to Naruto.
"Now that you're almost out of chakra, I can teach you the move. I'll do it first."
Jiraiya then bit his thumb and spread his blood on his right hand. He then performed 5 seals quickly and slammed his hand on the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he said as a familiar frog appeared within a puff of smoke.
"Hey, that's the same frog as yesterday!" Naruto shouted as the frog handed him a scroll.
"Huh, what's this?" Naruto asked as he opened the scroll.
"It is the scroll you need to sign before you will be able to summon. The Yondaime and I both signed it before you," Jiraiya said in response. Naruto looked down at the two previous signatures and he thought.
"So, that was the Fourth's name; Kazama Arashi. That's a nice name for a Hokage. Now that I think of it, it's going to be pretty cool summoning something that a previous Hokage did, especially the Fourth."
Naruto bit his finger and he signed his name in blood. He then spread the blood to each of his fingers and pressed it to the paper, imitating the previous signatures. Jiraiya smiled as he did so.
"So, the legacy of the toads continues, huh? This is going to be good," Jiraiya thought.
"Okay, kid, now, try it out. The seals are I, Inu, Tori, Saru, and Hitsuji (Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram)."
Naruto, excited, immediately did so, pumping as much chakra as he could into the technique. A small puff of smoke appeared and Jiraiya pulled an exasperated look.
"A tadpole; he really doesn't have any talent."
Jiraiya, at that point, turned back towards the bush since he heard the women return from wherever they went. Naruto could hear perverted chuckles as he tried again, and again.
About an hour later, Naruto could feel something weird. Naruto felt different for a moment and he used the technique. Naruto slammed his hand on the ground and a larger puff of smoke appeared.
"HI," something said from the smoke. Naruto immediately stopped the small frog from speaking and he whispered.
"Hi there; I'm sorry, but can you keep it down? I don't want Ero-Sennin to know I can do this. I'm going to release your mouth now," Naruto said. The frog only smiled and nodded. He then started to speak in a whisper.
"Hi, I'm Gamatora; what's your name?" the small frog asked.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I was testing out Kuchiyose no Jutsu when I summoned you."
"I see; well, it was nice to be summoned. I'll tell you about the Frogs. We Frogs are a pretty large group. Our boss is named Gamabunta and I'm his third son. I have two older brothers, but they are a little bigger than me. I'm the runt, but I'm pretty smart for my age. Do you have any questions for me?"
"That's nice of you to tell me this. Yes, I do. Is there any special requirement that I have to fulfill when I summon Gamabunta?"
"I'm glad you asked. I'll tell Daddy about this. Daddy commands respect from his summoners, nothing more. Treat him with great respect and you'll get on his good side really fast. I've heard that he doesn't like that guy over there. His name is Jiraiya, right?"
"Um, yeah, but I just call him Ero-Sennin. It suits him, right?"
Naruto and Gamatora had a few good laughs before Gamatora returned to the summoning plane. Jiraiya, still paying attention to the ladies, didn't hear a thing.
"Damn, I really feel like placing a big sign over that bush saying 'PERVERT, HIDING IN HERE!'. He really is a Mega Pervert."
(End Chapter)
A/N: Okay, I'm serious here. Expect major delays, here. I really need to get serious on my homework and I need to finish it before school starts. If I were to make an estimate, I probably won't be updating for about 2 weeks, minimum. I hope you like the chapter. REVIEW OR RABID MONKEYS WILL DEVOUR YOUR SKIN!