June 26 2013 A/N: Chapters have definitely changed from when you last read. Chapters 1-5 are basically going to be a longer 'old chapter 1', with subsequent chapters flowing much more smoothly.

"Normal Speech"
'Normal Thought'
'"Talking within mindscape"'

"Tenant Speech"
'Tenant Thought (rare?)'
*"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"*

"What will we find when we unearth the last mystery,flip over the last stone, and map the final coast?
Our selves are not mapped in the stars,
and destiny is foggy at best."

- "A Hole in the Heart", author unknown.

The next morning

Naruto woke up shortly before his buzzer would have gone off, tired but excited. Today he'd show Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei how a real ninja trained! 'It's awfully early, though...' The previous night felt dreamlike, almost ethereal - if he'd known what the word meant. His pleasant thoughts were drowned out, however, by a blaring of the aforementioned alarm - which promptly found itself flying towards the ceiling. Of course, this meant that Naruto promptly found himself ducking out of the way. Morning hazards aside, the blonde ran quickly through his routine - boil water, get dressed, do laundry, make ramen, wait for ramen to finish, remember he has food left over, eat that, wait for ramen... Eat ramen! Brush teeth, lock door.

As if the earth beneath his feet had pushed him there, Naruto found himself at the training grounds. The walk there forgotten, his excitement already building, he stood fidgeting until the two Chunin motioned him to sit down. Both were working - Iruka was tinkering with some kind of weird device, with handles and a screen. The man was cursing frequently - or at least, he had been, until he noticed Naruto. Meanwhile Mizuki was setting up a great stack of paperwork. He'd set up a folding table underneath the tree Naruto had hung from the day before, in order to organize everything. Cat was nowhere to be found, but Naruto and his regretful teachers knew he would be hiding nearby - the blonde's guardian angel. That knowledge pacified Naruto somewhat, and before long, he'd begun to daydream.

Pranks were foremost on his mind. Cat may have bullied the two teachers into being his personal tutors, but that didn't mean Naruto was going to let them off without his own brand of justice. 'I''ll need three Mice, a bicycle pump, some wire...' the blonde wondered if he could get a blunted kunai somewhere, to complement his array of firecrackers. He could always get the bicycle pump from Ichiraku's, and mice were never in short supply... Suddenly, a loud 'BANG!' jostled him from his reverie. With some additional 'BANGS', and some 'POPS' thrown in for good measure, the device Iruka had been working on roared to life - a small, if noisy, engine fueling an assortment of blinking lights on the previously blank screen.

With some satisfaction at completing his task, Iruka motioned the blonde over. "This device is a treadmill, Naruto. It'll let us keep an eye on you while you run, so we can correct your technique." He'd come to expect the boy's confused expression by now, and continued without preamble. "When ninjas run, we use Chakra to speed ourselves up, as well as to improve the distance that we can cover, by converting our spiritual energies into physical stamina." He demonstrated by zipping around the training grounds. Naruto's head to whipped back and forth trying to follow him, and the boy fell, dizzied, after stumbling over his own feet. When Iruka returned, he wasn't even breathing hard.

"The problem is," Iruka continued, "you've been running like a civilian your whole life." Naruto's look of indignance was priceless, truly a treasure. "So, what we'll do is fix it the good old fashioned way - with lots and lots of hard work!" He motioned Naruto up onto the tread before starting it - the blonde stumbled slightly, but quickly regained his bearings and began to jog. Naruto smirked - running was easy, and he could do it all day. He had done it all day, more often than he'd have liked to. Still, he'd love to be able to run like Iruka. So fast that no one could catch him...

Naruto frowned as Mizuki finally came over. Iruka began yet another explanation - early morning, and he'd already been explained to more than he dreamed was possible in a day! "While we fixing your running, Mizuki will be teaching you to read. I'll let him take over from here." With that, the scarred Chunin stepped back and took the handles for the treadmill. As Mizuki began to slowly teach Naruto the importance of the alphabet, Iruka was carefully controlling the speed and incline of each step the blonde took. At first, the boy's steps faltered - he stumbled frequently, and was barely managing to keep up with the modest pace Iruka had set. Both Chunin settled in for a long day of little progress.

The machines were wonderful, however - Iruka could teach a class to run from his desk with enough of them, which is why they were being tested. The tread itself, made up of a material extremely sensitive to shape manipulation, allowed the scarred Chunin to alter almost any property of it - which meant that, after the first couple of minutes, Naruto had already began adapting to the shuffle-hop of Ninja running. Iruka began checking points off on his worksheet, carefully documenting various data for the eggheads in R&D, as well as continually adjusting the treadmill to correct the blonde's flow.

As Naruto's gait improved throughout the early hours of the morning, enough for him to spend a little focus elsewhere, Mizuki began to read off letters and common words associated with them. However, the silver-haired Chunin soon became annoyed, having repeated the letter "C", and various animals, shapes, and common items associated with it, far too many times. He snapped at the blonde, mindful of his wording this time. "If you're too stupid to even learn your letters, then why are we even being forced to waste our time with you? Don't think for a second that you can become a ninja if you can't read - we don't let retards into the Academy!"

Naruto didn't like that, at all. People ignored him, mostly, or spat at him. They called him names, of course - bullied him, beat him up, chased him. But he wasn't stupid. He just couldn't focus on something so boring while he was running. Running was as close as he'd ever come to being free, in his life. It was also the first step in his training to be a real ninja. 'Running is freakin' awesome! I can't help it if words and letters suck.' Still, the blonde wouldn't stand for some bastard belittling him to his face. Reaching deep within himself, he did the unthinkable - he paid attention. It was unbelievably boring; the blonde swore that stories would be told about this day. 'When I'm Hokage, no one will have to do anything this boring, dattebayo!'

"F - Fable, Fear, Fight, Fox, F&*#!" the jinchuriki added a few of his own choice words from then on, enjoying every iota of Mizuki's disgust and annoyance. Still, sometime around 'S', Naruto began to weary, now of the treadmill's pace. It had become boring, once he'd gotten used to the required gait. While his letters tutor went off to pick up the next sheaf of papers, the blonde began to complain.

"Iruka-sensei, when do I get to run fast like you did?" The scarred Chunin had, of course, noted that the blonde's adjustment to the running style was almost complete. "I suppose I could turn the speed up, while you get used to channeling Chakra to your feet - be careful! Naruto, it's a lot harder than channeling to your hands, or forehead, and it's not something you should do outside of this test!" Iruka had been forced to re-correct Naruto's pace, as the blonde nearly shot off the treadmill. Luckily, the material could stretch and suction to the boy's feet, keeping him firmly in place.

As Naruto slowly worked his way back to a respectable pace, this time using Chakra under Iruka's guidance to aid and guide his movements, Mizuki began with examples of words, this time forcing the blonde to read and sound-out each letter they contained. He was determined to prove himself to the sneering Chunin, to show that he wasn't just some little brat that could be disregarded and spat upon. Still, the tingling in his legs was distracting, as was the feeling of power and energy simply channeling Chakra brought.

'If I could just focus better...' Naruto lamented his failings, unable to keep his attention on the lettering for more than a few minutes at a time. His mind kept wandering, enjoying the slight breeze and the scenery of the training grounds, the natural high of using Chakra, and the exhilaration that running brought him. "You know, Iruka," the blonde took advantage of a lull in Mizuki's administrations to talk. "I really like running - though, if I ran like this through the town, I'd probably be chased." The boy's regretful teacher didn't have to ponder his statement for long, as their silver-haired companion chimed in. "You'd probably deserve it too - defacing property, pulling pranks, disturbing the peace. You're lucky that Hokage-sama likes you so much, or you'd be-!"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Naruto bellowed. Iruka had to increase the speed and traction on the treadmill to stop the blonde from shooting toward his partner - the boy's running was now something many second-years in the Academy could be envious of, and he was getting faster. Determined and stubborn, Naruto seemed to be going all-out in an attempt to attack Mizuki. At first, the boy's flaring Chakra had cowed the Chunin - an innocent inkling of the boy's as-yet unformed killer intent. But Mizuki's teaching career had honed his senses, and his reactions, and no sooner had he recovered from the outburst than had a solution presented itself.

"Iruka, I think the brat's simply got too much energy to focus properly," his eyes twinkled maliciously. "Perhaps we should wear him out first - give him a real run and then we can start him on taijutsu kata." It wasn't a suggestion. Iruka sighed - his partner was correct, and they did need to get off the treadmill soon. Naruto had ran for longer than he'd expected of the boy. 'But that's no excuse for disrespect.'

Palm to face, Iruka addressed the blonde. "Alright Naruto, grab some water. We're going to do a forced run, and then you'll move to some taijutsu - that should give you time to settle down." He then turned to Mizuki, his eyes hardening. "Mizuki, you are my assistant in this scenario - and a ninja of Konoha. Try to show some restraint, and set a good example for our student." He hoped it would be enough to stem the back-and-forth for at least a little while - at least Mizuki had looked suitably chastised.

As he readied the treadmill to accept a higher tolerance out of the blonde's run, Mizuki and Naruto sent glares toward each other, their gaze sparking somewhere in the middle. "Naruto, cut it out. You're going to begin running. I'll amp up the speed, while you just focus on keeping form. When you need to stop, just jump off - don't try to keep going if you think you're going to fall." The boy nodded, excitement and eagerness showing on his face. They quickly reached the speed that Naruto had used to attempt his attack on Mizuki, before surpassing it ever so slightly. The blonde looked like he was exerting himself, but not nearly as much as he should have been.

Curious, Iruka increased the speed even further. The boy's pace matched it, though his form began to falter. The Chunin both frowned when they saw how - roiling blue had begun to pour from the boy's legs, an indication of just how far Naruto's physical state had to improve. The blonde was shedding Chakra at a rate that would've killed many Genin in seconds, just to move at a speed that many of the more advanced Academy students could keep up for hours without breaking a sweat.

When Naruto began showing signs of Chakra depletion, not to mention raw, physical exhaustion, Iruka cut him off. "Alright Naruto, that's enough - let me finish some paperwork, and we'll move on. You should wind down with a couple of slow laps around the training grounds, be sure to keep your form!" Iruka was truly afraid of the boy's reserves at this point.

They'd known since recently that the boy had had a veritable ocean of Chakra, but knowing and witnessing its use were two different things. Still, it wouldn't do to let a student - even this student - try to get by in the ninja world on reserves alone. The boy would learn to run and fight without wasting a city's worth of Chakra every five minutes, even if they had to go buy more of the horrendously expensive inhibitor seals. 'Actually, that's not a bad idea.' Iruka made a note beside the boy's progress report, before switching to mark off the paperwork for taijutsu.

After being kicked around the training grounds by Mizuki, and later Iruka - with Cat's consent and vigilance, of course - Naruto was in awe again of just how far he had to progress. Even when they'd let him go all out - channeling Chakra into his arms and legs until he practically glowed - the boy couldn't so much as touch either of his teachers when they didn't want him to. Mizuki especially had taken care to upstage the young jinchuriki in every possible way, tripping him frequently and leaving him hanging in the tree, by the collar of his orange jumpsuit. The example they set here was more than enough to prove to Naruto that Chakra alone didn't mean anything.

Finally, exhausted and starving, the blonde terror of Konoha sat down to work on his lettering. "Now Naruto, to help you focus, you'll get food for every word you complete without error." Iruka hadn't wanted to do it this way, but Mizuki's plan had so far turned out to be as effective as it was inhumane. Nothing else was as powerful a source of motivation to the blonde as food. Having been banned from Ramen whilst at the training grounds, this meant that the two Chunin were in complete control of the boy's diet for 8 hours a day.

After another two hours of (possibly the most mind-numbingly boring) literacy training - involving pictures of colourful animals and bright, block letters - the blonde was finally allowed to work on his Chakra control once more. This meant he got to practice with kunai again - a treat he'd been looking forward to all day. When the two Chunin finally left - packing up most of the paperwork, but leaving the table and treadmill where they were - Bull once more made himself known.

"Oniichan!" Naruto looked like a tree going through winter molt, as leaves fell or burned from his covered tenketsu - forgotten in his excitement. "I didn't know if you were going to show up again, Bull! Are you gonna teach me more?" At the ANBU's shake of denial, Naruto pouted. "But then how am I gonna become a super-cool ninja like you and Cat? I've gotta be the best if I'm gonna be Hokage dattebayo!"

Bull sighed at the blonde's antics, ruffling the kid's unruly hair. "If you want to become the Hokage, it's not about just being the best. You have to be ready, willing to do anything to protect everyone in the village, Naruto." The jinchuriki tilted his head, like a dog or fox would upon hearing a new sound. "Well duh. Being the Hokage's like having everyone as your family! I've gotta be strong enough to protect you, and Cat, and Jiji, and Iruka-sensei, and..."

"The shop owners, and the people on the street who spit on you, and Mizuki. Naruto, everyone means everyone." The Anbu was thankful for the mask, which currently hid a grimace. 'I hate you, old man.' Of course he'd been found out last night. Dog had been watching, and reported to Hokage-sama. Sarutobi had, in turn, wanted to know everything about the blonde's new ninja ambitions...

And for disobeying direct orders, Bull would be the one to pry. Even if Naruto hated him for it. His orders had been clear - although interrogation wasn't Bull's strong suit, his Anbu training covered both information retrieval and child psychology. Subtle misdirection was a way of life for the elite Jounin corps, in speech and in action. The blonde would pour his heart out, even if Bull lost his trust and admiration in the process.

Naruto, however, continued to look as if what Bull had said was obvious. "Hokage-jiji doesn't like everyone in his family, but that doesn't mean he won't protect them! And he's so strong! Stronger than Iruka-sensei, because he's the Hokage dattebayo!

Bull didn't have time to correct all the flaws in the blonde's reasoning. "You've gotta teach me, oniichan! I've gotta be the strongest, so everyone will notice and look up to me dattebayo!" The boy's verbal tic was as annoying as it was endearing, and there was something about him - a charisma, part physical, part... something else. Bull eyed the blonde warily, attempting to dispel any genjutsu - he didn't normally feel compelled to do anything, let alone something for free, for a kid he barely knew.

But tonight would make it twice in a row he helped the brat out. 'Troublesome.' He'd still have to weasel everything he could out of the blonde, but at least he could enjoy himself while he was at it. Flipping the bird at Dog, wherever that perverted bastard was, he finally capitulated. "Alright Naruto, we'll train some more tonight - but you're going to have to show me what you've been over today, and you're going to have to tell me why it's important for a ninja, especially a great ninja, to master what he knows - even if it's boring." His eyebrow, raised comically and visible even behind the mask, caused Naruto to laugh.

"You've got yourself a deal, onii-chan! Watch, this one's my favourite!" The blonde was happily making a mess of the running form that the two Chunin had attempted to drill into him. Bull knew the two teachers weren't inept - their methods had hardly changed since he'd been in the Academy, and many notable ninja had learned their basics similarly. When Naruto finished his ABC's, Bull had formed the beginnings of an idea that might help the boy. Following the hunch, he formed a shadow clone, who snuck off into the village. There was research to be done, and no better place for it than the Library.

"Naruto, let's go back to your throwing techniques for a minute - I want you to practice a special technique, and then we're going to come back to your running and reading." Having captured the blonde's attention with the words, "Special Technique," Bull capitalized on the time it would take his shadow clone to return in order to test another theory. Besides, he'd started with the boy many hours earlier, compared to the previous night. He was sure the boy would surpass his expectations again.

"Instead of leaf-sticking while you throw, I want you to hold your arm back, as if about to throw - there! Now, visualize your Chakra flowing into your arm, taking the same shape as it. Channel your Chakra - hold it in the image of your arm, and don't let any escape." Naruto tried, confused at how this could be a special technique. He was awarded with the tingling feeling he'd came to associate with Chakra movement. "Keep the image in your mind, Naruto - don't lose focus, or the technique will fail. Now, what you need to do is imagine this Chakra following the throwing motion we practiced. Let's start slow, move your arm as if you were throwing - but don't let go just yet! Slowly, Naruto."

The boy practiced a few times, making sure the Chakra stayed where his arm was. It was harder than it looked - if he imagined it outside his arm, or if he moved his arm without making the Chakra follow, it would shoot out from his tenketsu - causing his arm to wobble and jerk. He almost stabbed himself, but Bull had intervened, the kunai clinking harmlessly off his bracer. A few minutes of practice turned into half an hour, and Bull was getting worried - his clone should have returned by now.

Finally, he received a burst of memories. "Naruto, why don't you keep practicing the technique for a bit - I've got to attend some business in the bushes." Without checking for the blonde's compliance, Bull quickly retrieved the bundle of books and scrolls he'd left himself in a tree nearby. His nose was bleeding from trying to process the information - shadow clones were notorious for causing brain damage, schizophrenia, and all sorts of other mental problems if they weren't dispelled quickly - or if one used too many. In this case, his clone had been cornered by none other than Dog, who'd made sure he hadn't been intending to cause any more of a ruckus with the jinchuriki.

His return trip was hastened by a shout from the practice range - then another. 'Why didn't I leave a clone with the boy?!' With a Shunshin, he hoped to make it back before it was too late...