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Chapter 07: Kage's Hand

Naruto's one year training in the shinobi arts was an eye-opener for the blonde jinchuuriki. True, he was exposed to learning thanks to his goal to master Ki, Reiryoku, and Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu; but he could never deny the fact that he was woefully inept in the shinobi arts.

For the first six months, Naruto enjoyed his time with Akido and Yahiko in learning the basic Academy curriculum. Considering that the Hokage gave this chore to them as an A-Rank mission, they spent almost every day in a training ground behind the Hokage Monument to keep their activities a secret as they labored on with the training program that the Hokage personally devised for his surrogate grandson.

The first month was split between shinobi history and the use of chakra. Akido was the one in charge of this since, between the two, the Jounin was well-versed in theoretical aspects compared to physical. Of course, they didn't spend a lot of time on history since the blonde already read through most of the books in the library about it.

In the end, Akido just gave Naruto a test to determine the extent of his knowledge. Of course, Naruto didn't disappoint since he got all the answers correctly which gave Naruto some free time to pursue Fuuinjutsu on the side instead of reading history books.

Naruto learned that chakra was the exact combination of both Ki and Reiryoku in terms of use as Akido ploughed on with the various theories he knew on the subject.

Like Ki, chakra may be used to enhance a shinobi's physical capabilities – like channeling chakra to improve their speed or to add more damage to their hits. An example of the latter was Tsunade's legendary strength which could shatter a large boulder in a single punch making her one of the most feared kunoichis in the Elemental Nation.

Also, chakra, like Reiryoku, was also used to affect reality through the use of jutsus, mainly Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Fuuinjutsu though the latter required chakra to power it instead of its actual creation.

Once the theory was rammed into his head by an obsessive-compulsive Akido, it was Yahiko's turn to teach Naruto the physical use of chakra. They first started with the basic Academy techniques, like the Henge (Transformation), Bunshin (Clone), and Kawarimi (Replacement).

Of course, Naruto didn't have any trouble with Henge since it was the first jutsu he learned from the books he stole from the library.

Kawarimi took a week to master since he needed to properly utilize his chakra to reach out to a physical object and replace himself with it. In most cases, the replaced items were often logs since there were plenty of it around Fire Country or any parts of the Elemental for that matter, or other rubbles that was handy for replacement. Replacing himself with a human target would take more chakra since he had to overpower the target's natural defenses to get it done.

Bunshin, or the clone technique, was a problem for Naruto since he had too much chakra for such a minor technique. In fact, he overloaded the chakra on the construct that it always came out as if it went through a grinder. Akido explained to him that Bunshin was a form of minor Genjutsu to create an illusionary replica of himself.

Due to Naruto's large and potent chakra, illusions would never be his forte unless he reached the level of Tsunade in terms of Chakra Control which made the blonde pout but was determined to attain if possible.

Because of this problem, Yahiko got Naruto started on Chakra Control exercises starting with the Leaf Sticking exercise. Due to Naruto's training in channeling Ki and Reiryoku to different parts of his body, Naruto had this exercise down easy though he had to exert more focus in limiting the amount of chakra he channeled if he wanted the leaf to stick. He mastered this exercise in two weeks though he still wasn't able to do a proper Bunshin despite his beginner control.

Again, Akido informed him that Naruto still had too much chakra for the technique and needed more precise control to get it done.

The next Chakra Control exercise he was subjected to was Tree Walking. Naruto specifically enjoyed this one since his young mind found the idea of sticking on solid surface an adventure. Of course, knowing about it and doing it were two different things.

Yahiko told Naruto that in order to master this exercise, he would have to channel enough chakra to his feet to stick to the tree. Too much chakra then he would blow himself off. Too little and his feet wouldn't stick. It took him a week to master this exercise since Naruto was too stubborn to quit. His two trainers were enjoying the sight of Naruto getting blown off from the tree after channeling too much chakra. In retaliation, Naruto kept hitting them with Sho much to the Jounins' consternation.

It was on the third month of their six-month program that Naruto decided to continue with chakra control since he felt that he didn't have enough control over his chakra to properly utilize the Academy Bunshin. This eventually led to Yahiko introducing him to Water Walking since it was the next step after Tree Walking and was a requirement for Chuunins.

Yahiko explained that walking on water using chakra required Naruto to continuously channel chakra under his feet to keep himself above the water, as well as regulating the chakra to match the depth and movement of the water. This exercise took another two weeks to master though Naruto cheated a little by revising.

Instead of making chakra stilts as he was instructed by Yahiko, Naruto used the same principle in creating a spiritual platform but using chakra instead. By creating a platform of chakra directly underneath his feet, he could easily walk on water without having to worry about currents and waves. He even skated a few times much to the amazement of the two Jounins.

Naruto also discovered a drawback concerning chakra, he could only make a platform on a solid or semi-solid surface using chakra but making a platform on air using chakra was impossible unless one used Reiryoku or the spiritual component of chakra.

Naruto, however, was annoyed when his Bunshin didn't come out right even after training himself with advanced Chakra Control. Since he was out of options, he consulted the Hokage and informed him of his problem. The main problem was the amount of chakra that Naruto had in his body.

After their talk, Sarutobi informed the blonde that it would take monumental control, like those of a medical shinobi or someone of Tsunade's caliber, to produce a perfect illusionary clone. Due to the lack of options, The Hokage taught Naruto the Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) to compensate for his lack of a clone technique.

It took two hours for Naruto to master this Jounin-level jutsu much to the amazement of the aged leader which cemented the idea of Naruto being a prodigy since Jounins who learned this skill took them a week or a month to master.

Since Naruto learned it from the Forbidden Scroll since the Hokage was busy doing his paperwork at that time, he was able to read through the actual function of Kage Bunshin instead of working with it blindly.

The blonde found out that a Shadow Clone was mostly used for infiltration because of its ability to transfer its experience and memories back to the original after dispelling. Naruto's mind worked its way around the technique and found it to be a great training tool that only he could use. Due to his rather potent chakra reserves, as well as the existence of Kurama in his gut, he could literally make hundred of clones to help him train. This thought made the blonde drool.

With the addition of Kage Bunshin in his arsenal, Naruto's remaining months of training with the basics became more fruitful for the young shinobi-in-training.

Every day for the next three months, Naruto would create a dozen or so of clones to continue with chakra control. Even though perfect control was impossible for him, Naruto decided that it was best to keep practicing with it so he wouldn't be wasting chakra once he got started with more advanced shinobi techniques than being happy with his current control.

Thanks to Kage Bunshin to handle chakra control and reading books on history, shinobi basics, and Fuuinjutsu, Akido and Yahiko proceeded to give Naruto a run on basic Academy Taijutsu to jumpstart his physical training in the shinobi arts since he currently lacked a proper hand-to-hand combat style. Sure, he was a master of the sword but he sucked without it.

Thanks to his previous training under Kurama and Kenshin, Naruto was physically fit and would continue to improve thanks to his daily physical exercise and chakra weights. The blonde jinchuuriki learned the Academy Taijutsu style but didn't find it to his liking though he proceeded to master it since it would give him a basic foundation in learning other styles to supplement his arsenal of skills.

Yahiko decided to help Naruto in channeling chakra instead of Ki to get used to the enhancement it gave to the blonde's physical prowess. Naruto discovered that he was nowhere as fast using chakra to enhance his speed compared to Shunpo. But Kenshin told him that using chakra instead of Flash Step would give him the physical training he needed to attain the physical speed for Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Such was the case, Naruto diligently continued with his physical training program since it would benefit him in the long run.

Of course, both Akido and Yahiko didn't get out of this unscathed since Naruto was stronger than your average 8-year old. In most cases, they would end up with bruises after each spar much to the amusement of the blonde jinchuuriki.

The next six months of training introduced Naruto to the diverse personalities of shinobis in the Konoha ranks. His days were practically filled to the brim with lessons from various masters in their chosen field.

His schedule was filled but he didn't complain.

Mornings of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were spent on kentjusu practice with Gekko Hayate, while the afternoon was spent with Taijutsu and physical training with Maito Gai.

The whole day of Tuesday mornings was spent playing Shogi with Nara Shikaku and learning about tactics, as well as the various laws of Konoha to make sure that the blonde knew how the village worked. In most cases, the Nara helped Naruto expand his mental prowess by thinking fast and being logical with his actions. After was spent on Stealth Training and some poisons and antidotes with Mitarashi Anko.

Thursday mornings was spent with the lazy Hatake Kakashi on Ninjutsu; and afternoons with Yakushi Isshin at the hospital for medical training.

Saturdays and Sundays were rest days which were either spent in his new home in the Forest of Death or with the Sandaime helping out with the paperwork which Naruto didn't mind since it was fun reading through the various items concerning the village he grew up in. He prodded on with this additional chore, or in his case, training since it supplemented his lessons from Shikaku.

Speaking of personality, he enjoyed his time with his new teachers and learned a lot about them in the process.

Gekko Hayate was a Tokubetsu Jounin who specialized in kenjutsu. He was a demon with a sword and gave Naruto a work out since the Kenshin told Naruto to avoid using Shunpo so he could attain the necessary speed for it through training. His training with the sick Jounin honed his skills in swordsmanship which further improve his proficiency in using Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Naruto beamed at the Jounin when Hayate informed him that his skill with the sword made it a fun lesson.

Maito Gai, for Naruto, was a fun person to be with though he was a bit apprehensive in training with the bowl-cut Jounin since the guy was forever pushing him into wearing his trademark green spandex.

Kurama told Naruto that he would make it a very painful experience if he ever decided to take the offer which cemented the blonde's decision to say no to Gai's offer.

Naruto discovered that Maito Gai was the foremost Taijutsu expert of Konoha and was well-known in the Elemental Nation as the Green Beast as reference to his non-traditional outfit. Due Naruto's lack of a style, Gai taught Naruto Goken which the blonde found to his liking.

In response to this, Gai upped Naruto's weights to 50 pounds each as opposed to his previous 20, forcing him to carry a total of 200 pounds as part of their Taijutsu training regime. Of course, Gai informed Naruto that he would be keeping the weights on and increasing it after each month when he got used to the current weight.

Naruto was fortunate that his rapid healing factor made it bearable or the muscle pains after each day of sparring would be the death of him.

Nara Shikaku was a lady genius as Naruto observed during their shogi sessions. The man was a monster in strategy, both existing and on the fly. Throughout their six-month lessons, Naruto never won. Instead of gauging his improvement through a win, he counted the amount of time each game before he was defeated. The higher the time for him to lose a game, the better he was.

Naruto found Hatake Kakashi to be a Ninjutsu prodigy due to the number of elemental and non-elemental techniques that the man had in his arsenal. It was through the one-eyed Jounin that Naruto learned that he had an affinity for Wind and a minor affinity for Fire thanks to Kurama influence. Such was the case, Kakashi taught Naruto low-ranked Fuuton (Wind) and Katon (Fire) jutsus to start.

Kakashi's training method didn't involve showering the blonde with techniques. Instead, the one-eyed Jounin would teach Naruto a jutsu and had him master it in both chakra consumption and speed in going through hand seals. According to Kakashi, mastery of jutsu was a boon in the battlefield since it was better to know HOW to use the techniques than just throwing them on the fly.

Also, Kakashi taught Naruto some supplemental Ninjutsus as well, like Bunshin Daibakuha (Great Clone Explosion) and Shunshin (Body Flicker) to add to his repertoire. He instructed Naruto to master these techniques to the point that he wouldn't need hand seals to perform them.

Mitarashi Anko was practically Naruto's favorite. Instead of theories, Anko had Naruto play a game of tag in the Forest of Death. The aim was for Naruto to evade Anko as they ran around the dangerous forest. Of course, Naruto upped the ante a bit by considering it as a spar and Anko relished at the idea. So instead of tag, it became a game of ambush with the aim of Naruto gaining a form of win over Anko by using traps and ambush attacks.

Of course, Naruto never won since he didn't use Shunpo to gain an edge over the snake-using Tokubetsu Jounin but he learned a lot on stealth from her in the process.

Anko also introduced Naruto to poisons and antidotes commonly used in the world of shinobis, mainly on assassination missions. Naruto was an apt student and Anko found it to her liking. Also, the Snake Mistress of Konoha introduced the blonde to her partner in the Torture and Interrogation Division, Morino Ibiki, which added lessons on interrogation to the blonde's training program.

It was here that Naruto found out that his spirit pressure and demon mask was an effective tool in making criminal spill their guts. Ibiki was proud of him to the point that he offered Naruto a lifetime pass to the T and I Division if he wanted to dabble in interrogation during his free time.

Last, but certainly not the least, was Yakushi Isshin. Naruto's lesson on medical techniques started on the human anatomy and basic first aid. Since medical jutsu was outside Naruto's field of expertise due to his lack of chakra control, Doctor Yakushi helped Naruto in learning all about the human body in hopes to apply battlefield first aid if necessary.

This spurned Naruto to utilize his training in Ki and Reiryoku in the healing arts. It was on their fifth month of lesson that they discovered that an application of 10% Reiryoku and 90% Ki would allow Naruto to heal minor injuries to broken bones. It was on the sixth month of their training that Naruto was able to come up with a spell that would allow him to fire a healing beam towards a target and heal them of their injuries. The more energy was applied, the faster the injuries would heal.

It was on the last month of training that Kurama bestowed Naruto a gift. The bijuu granted Naruto a summoning contract for foxes to aid him in his shinobi career. Naruto immediately accepted and signed the contract after the bijuu told him the location of the elusive contract hidden in one of the caves deep inside the highest mountain peak in Fire Country. Of course, Naruto didn't have any problems getting there thanks to his speed.

Kurama explained that foxes weren't fighters but specialized more in tracking and infiltration. The only exception to this was Kurama himself due to his status as a tailed beast and the boss of the Fox Summons. After summoning Kurama out for the first time, Naruto discovered that the bijuu was still hindered by the Shinigami's seal. The fox could be summoned but the control of the bijuu's power was left in Naruto's control so the blonde could decide how much the bijuu would have once summoned into the physical world.

Naruto woke up from a very sound sleep two days after his one year training program in the shinobi arts was over. He couldn't deny the fact that the Hokage's suggestion made him stronger, stronger than any self-imposed training could ever accomplish. He stood up from his bed and walked to the bathroom for his morning ritual. It didn't take him long to finish since he was a bit excited to get out of his little hut in the Forest of Death and go to the Hokage's office to get his position in the shinobi ranks sorted out.

After putting a pair of boxer briefs, he observed himself in the mirror to see the fruits of his training. For a 9 almost 10 year old, he was physically fit. There wasn't an ounce of baby fat on his body thanks to his heavy Goken training with Maito Gai. His muscles were well-developed and packed a lot of strength behind it despite his young age. Also, his speed grew by leaps and bounds thanks to the training. He met the minimum requirement of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and surpassed it with ease.

Naruto couldn't deny the fact that the Green Beast of Konoha was a genius, able to bring out so much power even in such an undeveloped body. His eyes strayed to the bracers on his hands and legs – modified chakra weights of Gai's design since he didn't want to wear those bulky leg weights sold in many shinobis stores in the village.

To satisfy his request, Gai had to ask one of his friends to fashion four bracers made from a chakra-conductive metal with gravity seals on them to mimic weights. All it needed was a direct application of chakra on the seal then voila…chakra weights. Of course, Naruto paid for the items since he still had plenty of money from his bandit-raiding days.

Currently, each bracer was 250 pounds, making him carry a whopping 1000 pounds on top of his body weight. He wasn't bothered by it since he already gotten used to it though he loved to take it off once in a while and relish at the pure physical speed he could dish out with his newly-improved muscles. If he was honest with himself, he could practically match Maito Gai in pure speed with the latter wearing his weights. He didn't think that he would win with an un-weighted Gai without resorting to Shunpo. The guy was just too darn fast to begin with.

He walked over to his closet and pulled out his usual outfit of blue kimono, white hakama, orange scarf and demon mask though the latter he just hid inside his kimono to be used on missions if it was necessary. He brought Kenshin out of the storage seal on his left hand and placed it on his left hip. After slipping on his favorite pair of geta sandals, he left his bedroom and went to the kitchen for a bite of breakfast. Despite the ability to create solid clones to do it for him, cooking was one of the few hobbies that he liked to do on his own.

After a breakfast of rice and pickled vegetables, he packed the Onigiri he prepared for his surrogate grandfather and left the hut. He looked around a bit to enjoy the morning air and smiled as he noticed his vegetable patch yielding some wonderful growth. He started gardening after moving in to his new home and loved the large bounties it yielded thanks to the chakra-laced forest he lived in. Giving the clearing one last look, he disappeared in a puff of smoke and leaves.

Naruto appeared just outside the door of the Hokage's office and knocked. He entered after getting a muffled 'Enter' from his surrogate grandfather.

"Good morning, old man. I brought you breakfast." greeted Naruto before lifting the bento box to show the Hokage his morning offering.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. What is it today?" asked Sarutobi as he eyed the box hungrily causing Naruto to laugh. Ever since he started exploring the extent of his culinary talents, the aged Hokage was just too lazy to eat at home, expecting him to bring him his daily fair of morning goodness.

"Just a few Onigiris today since I ran out of spices for a home-cooked meal. I know you don't like my pickled vegetables all that much." replied Naruto. The Hokage made a face upon the mention of the preserved food.

"I don't know why you liked pickled vegetables in the first place." said the aged leader with a shudder. "I prefer meat; rare, red meat."

"You know, too much meat is not good for your cholesterol, jiji." Naruto chided the man before placing the box of Onigiris in front of the Hokage who immediately took one and downed it into a single bite before giving him a glare.

"I rue the day I introduced you to Isshin. Since he started teaching you to follow a healthy lifestyle, you've been pestering me about my diet for months." huffed the Hokage before taking another rice ball, this time, he took a small bite and chewed it slowly with a moan. "You're really a good cook, Naruto-kun. I hope you make some of your delicious sushi in the future. It's to die for."

Naruto laughed and seated himself in front of the Hokage who was busy eating his third helping.

"The salmons are still too small at this time of the year, jiji. I promise to make you some next month when the ones I'm growing are fully matured." promised Naruto thinking about the make-shift fishpond he had below the waterfall in his clearing. He would purchase some live fish from the visiting merchants and grew his own, effectively giving him a fresh supply of fish if the season was kind to him. This offering made the Hokage grin in happiness.

Naruto exchanged a light conversation with his surrogate grandfather until after the last Onigiri was shoved down the old man's gullet.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Naruto-kun. Now, let's discuss the position I had in mind for you. But before that, let me go through with the evaluation from your teachers for the past year." Naruto nodded in agreement. Sarutobi pulled out a scroll from his hidden drawer and proceeded to read from it.

"According to your teachers, you did quite well with your lessons and had exceeded their expectations of you. You're knowledge of the shinobi arts are above that of an experienced Chuunin, bordering Jounin level. Your jutsu repertoire has grown to incorporate elemental techniques though I see that Kakashi taught you some support techniques as well. Your Taijutsu grew in leaps and bounds according to Maito Gai and I'm happy that your physical development exceeded the program laid out for you. Let me see, stealth, medical knowledge, interrogation techniques, strategy and tactics, as well as kenjutsu are properly trained. I would say that you're perfect for the position I'm offering you."

"Aw shucks, old man, you're making me blush." said Naruto with an absolutely straight face but the twitching of his lips was a testament that he was holding back a smile.

"Indeed. Anyway, the position I had in mind for you is to become my hidden shinobi so to speak; a special operations shinobi under my direct command. All your missions will be assigned by me, whether alone or to work with another team. You are not allowed to show yourself in public so I advise you to keep wearing that demon mask of yours during missions. No one is to know of your existence. Only a few people know of your identity so I suggest you keep it that way. In a way, you're my trump card, so to speak."

"And what is the name of my position, jiji?" Naruto asked curiously though excitement was evident in his voice when the Hokage listed down his job description.

"You will be known as 'Kage's Hand' and the first of my Special Operations Division." Sarutobi informed him with a proud smile.

"Kage's Hand, huh? Sounds good." Naruto said with a nod. "So when would I be starting getting missions, old man?"

"Actually, I have the perfect mission for you Naruto-kun if you chose to accept it. Consider this as your final test, so to speak." Naruto nodded eagerly causing the Hokage to chuckle. "We have received word from one of our spies outside the village that the A-Rank missing-nin, Aoi Rokusho, was sighted in an abandoned village northeast of Konoha. Your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to find Aoi and retrieve that Nidaime's Raijin no Ken from his person. Aoi is to be brought in dead or alive."

"By dead or alive, you mean preferably alive than dead, right?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow and took the mission scroll that the Hokage offered to him.

"It's up to you. If you can bring him alive then good since I want Ibiki and Anko to have a go at him to see if he has any sensitive information that would be crucial to Konoha's defense. If dead then it's no loss since he is a renegade shinobi."

Naruto nodded and opened the scroll to read through his mission objective. Memorizing its content, he used a seal-less Katon jutsu to burn it, earning an approving nod from the Hokage who expected him to do so.

"I guess I better get going, jiji. The sooner I get this mission done, the better." said Naruto before standing up from his seat. He pulled out his demon mask from his kimono and placed it on. With a nod, he exited the office using Shunpo to get started with his first mission as Kage's Hand leaving the aged leader to visibly shudder at the image of the mask portrayed on the boy's skills.

"Demon indeed." whispered the Hokage before remembering the words of the Iwa shinobi who Naruto left alive after slaughtering the rest of his companions. "The legend of Konoha's Hitokiri Battousai begins. Good luck, Naruto-kun."

End of Chapter 7

Date Uploaded: July 6, 2012

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