Chapter 2: Improvement
* One Week Later *
Naruto was standing on a training field, the sun coming over the mountain. Naruto was wearing his jumpsuit and he was practicing using the blade while he had a clone sparring with Hinata. Naruto let out a breath of frustration seeing his hands still shaking and after redoing what he was trying not improving he twirled yelling as he threw the blade but also his jacket tearing. Naruto let out another breath to hear " You ok?" Naruto turned around at Hinata who was walking up but he shook his head and said " No." Naruto then looked at the blade and said " My form is terrible and my hands are shaking?" Naruto looked forward to seeing Hinata smile and heard " It's only been a week." Naruto just nodded then he looked down at a scroll on how to use a sword but it was mainly for basic katana's not his blade which wasn't helping. Naruto just sighed looking up to hear Hinata say " Your jacket it's ripped." Naruto looked at it then said " Of course it is." Naruto took off his jacket showing a white T-shirt to hear Hinata say " Can I see the jacket I might be able to repair it." Naruto saw Hinata look at it then up and heard " Naruto this isn't ninja clothes." Naruto just nodded knowing that already when he heard " I can repair it though." Naruto looked up at Hinata to hear an alarm go off. Naruto looked behind him at the alarm clock they use so they don't be late to team meetings so he looked forward and said " I got another one just throw it away." Naruto turned around to hear Hinata say " Naruto…" Naruto just stopped and snapped, " Just mind your own business." Naruto felt his gut twist when he heard " Ok." Naruto looked up to see Hinata turn and walk and he just watched and after seeing her gone he faced forward and thought " Shit, I didn't mean to snap. Why didn't I say sorry?"
* Twelve Hours Later *
Hinata was walking through Konoha at about six in the afternoon. Hinata sighed thinking of this morning and how Naruto snapped at her. Hinata shook his head when he heard " Hinata." Hinata turned around and to her surprise saw her old academy sensei Iruka. Hinata smiled to hear " Have you seen Naruto, we were meant to meet up at Ichiraku but he didn't show up?" Hinata just shook her head and said " No, not since…" Hinata stopped talking when he heard " This morning." Hinata looked up in shock to hear " He tells me everything Hinata." Hinata just nodded and then said " Iruka Sensei, can I ask you something?" Hinata saw Iruka nod so she said " Naruto snapped at me today." Hinata saw Iruka just looking at her with confusion so she said " His jacket ripped and I offered to fix it but also figured out it isn't even ninja gear. I pressed him and he just snapped." Hinata saw Iruka nod then heard " Hinata I know you know that the village treats him like shit. He's been kicked from every ninja clothes store and had to buy that from a clothes store that overcharged him a lot. His weapons are terrible and I can't even do anything they won't let me." Hinata nodded, then after a minute of silence said, " Naruto needs real gear." Hinata saw Iruka nod so she said " I know someone who might be able to help." Hinata saw Iruka nod then heard " Come on."
* Next Day Early Morning *
Naruto was walking onto the training ground he and Hinata trained when he saw Hinata standing there and to his surprise also Iruka. Naruto walked up and said " Iruka, what are you doing here?" Naruto saw Iruka smile and heard " Hinata asked me." Naruto nodded remembering yesterday so he looked at Hinata and said with a smile " Sorry for snapping at you yesterday I was just frustrated with how my progress with the sword was." Naruto saw Hinata smile and heard " It's ok." Naruto nodded, then said " Well Hinata, can we get to work?" Naruto saw Hinata shake her head and heard " We aren't training today." Naruto looked at Hinata in confusion to hear " Today we are going shopping for ninja gear." Naruto just gave a smile and said " Hinata my gear is fine." Naruto saw Hinata just shake her head when he heard Iruka say " I'll leave you two alone." Naruto watched Iruka walk off and after seeing him disappear he looked at Hinata and said " I don't need new gear and if I did I don't have the money." Naruto then walked past Hinata but stopped only getting a few feet and hearing " Naruto your jacket is even ninja gear and your tools chip and are terrible." Naruto just looked down to hear " Please let me help you." Naruto just shook his head to hear " Why?" Naruto didn't answer or move to hear Hinata say loudly " Why?" Naruto turned around angry but said " Hinata just dropped it." Naruto saw Hinata shake her head then saw her walk up. Naruto saw her stop in front of him then point at him and then heard " No, you're my friend I want to help. So fucking tell me why."
Naruto just let out a breath looking down and said " Hinata, I…" Naruto just stopped talking and after a couple of seconds of silence heard " I ran into Iruka yesterday and I talked to him. He told me that you tell him everything and keep some secrets including the Executioner Blade." Naruto looked up to see Hinata set a hand on his chest over his heart and heard " I'm asking you to trust me please." Naruto just nodded and then said " Ok, but I need you to do me a favor." Naruto saw Hinata nodding so he said " I want to know why you are doing this." Naruto saw Hinata look up then heard " Because I'll be a terrible friend." Naruto just smiled as he grabbed Hinata's hand that was on his chest then he said " How did I get so lucky." Naruto and Hinata just stared at each other after about ten seconds when they heard a loud fake cough. Naruto and Hinata instantly separated, both having blushes on their faces to then hear Iruka say " Come on." Naruto nodded, then followed Hinata and Iruka through the village avoiding the glares.
* Forty-five Minutes Later *
Naruto was standing in front of a big building looking up at the sign reading: Shinobi Guard. Naruto just looked at Hinata to hear " They sell shinobi clothes and weapons. The owner's daughter is my cousin's teammate." Naruto nodded and said, " I don't have any money." Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder so he looked up at Iruka to hear " I'm paying for it." Naruto just shook his head and said " I need a lot, Iruka and no offense but you don't exactly have a lot of money." Naruto saw Iruka smile then heard " You're right Naruto but the Hokage has given me some money for you to use." Naruto nodded with a small smile then he walked in with his friends.
Naruto stopped as he heard the door close and looked around to see clothes hanging on racks with a counter at the back. Naruto just started looking through the racks of clothes slowly, not dropping his guard to just hear " Only grab one outfit, I have more clothes in the back to remake your outfit." Naruto just looked at the man at the counter and nodded then started looking around. After thirty minutes Naruto chose what he liked and walked to the changing rooms.
* Ten Minutes Later *
Naruto was standing outside the changing room in front of Hinata and Iruka. Naruto was wearing a black long sleeve shirt under a no sleeve trench coat with a zipper from the waist up zipped up and a hood that wasn't on. Naruto also had on black fingerless gloves, black pants with his kunai pouch on his left thigh and he also wore black ninja sandals. Naruto had been standing there for a couple of minutes, nervous, his friends just staring at him and after a few more seconds he couldn't take it and said " What do you think?" Naruto saw them look at his face then heard Hinata say " I like it, it's just that I thought you would wear some orange." Naruto smiled and said " Orange is my favorite color but I liked the look of this." Naruto saw them nod so he smiled when he looked up seeing the man from the counter look at him then heard " I also think it looks good. I'll get you three trench coats with ten pairs of everything else including short sleeve shirts for missions that take place in hot areas." Naruto nodded and then said " Thank you." Naruto saw the man nod and then heard " I'm hoping you are here for weapons." Naruto didn't react but said " Do you just sell sheaths or holsters?"
Naruto saw the man turn and walk so he followed to hear " Yea I also do custom orders." Naruto nodded with a small smile as he saw the man go behind the counter so he said " I have a custom order but I would like no one to know about it." Naruto just saw the man nod then reach down and grab a box then heard " I just need the measurements." Naruto nodded, grabbing the scroll then setting it on the counter and unsealed the Executioner Blade. Naruto saw the man looking at the blade and about to take measurements so he said " Is it possible for this holster to have something to hold a big scroll." Naruto saw the man nod and then heard " I have a friend outside the village that is really good at making this stuff. I'll send him the measurements but you won't get it for a month." Naruto nodded as he then unsealed his big scroll. After waiting for about twenty minutes for the man to take the measurements and get Naruto's clothes they left.
* thirty Minutes Later *
Naruto sighed as he stopped in front of his apartment door then he set the bags of clothes down in front of his floor then he turned and hugged Iruka. After a few seconds he pulled back with a smile and said " Thank you." Naruto saw Iruka smile then heard " Just promise me when you become Hokage I just want everyone to know that I was the man that helped you a lot." Naruto just smiled and nodded and then said " I'll do that." Naruto gave one of his goofy grins and after a few seconds he heard Iruka say " I gotta get home but I'll see you tomorrow. We'll get Ichiraku." Naruto nodded, then he turned as Iruka left. Naruto looked at Hinata and said " You can just set the clothes next to my door and I'll take them in." Naruto saw Hinata nod then walk over and set them down then he saw her turn and start to leave. Naruto just grabbed Hinata's wrist and said " I'm truly sorry for snapping and thankful for you doing this." Naruto saw Hinata smile and nod so he did the same and after seeing Hinata walk off he whipped away the tears on his cheeks.
* One Hour Later *
Naruto sighed as he finished sealing away his outfits in the storage scroll he always carries around when he heard a knock on his door. Naruto walked over to his door putting the scroll in his pocket and opened it to just smile. Naruto stepped to the side and said " Jiji come in." Naruto saw Hiruzen smile and come in so he closed the door and said " What are you doing here?" Naruto saw Hiruzen turn around and heard " It seems like you've been improving in secret." Naruto chuckled and said, rubbing the back of his head " Sorry Jiji for not telling you." Naruto saw Hiruzen smile and heard " You are allowed to have secrets and I have a gift." Naruto saw Hiruzen hold out a square piece of paper then heard " I want you to apply your chakra to this." Naruto nodded, taking the piece then put it in between his hands. After applying chakra Naruto raised his hand up to see the paper split perfectly in half and one half crunch up." Naruto looked up to hear " You have two chakra affinities which are wind and lighting." Naruto just nodded and then he heard " Come by to my office first thing tomorrow morning for some scrolls I have for you to use." Naruto nodded then after a few seconds in silence said " Can I borrow one of those papers for Hinata."
Naruto saw Hiruzen nod and hand out a small stack and heard " Just in case." Naruto nodded while taking the stack then he said " Thank you Jiji." Naruto saw Hiruzen smile then heard " Naruto I have a question." Naruto nodded and then asked, " Do you want to learn to use the Kyuubi's chakra?" Naruto shook his head and said " Truth is no." Naruto saw Hiruzen confused so he gestured to sit and did himself then began to explain.
* Flash Back *
Naruto was standing around in his mindscape just hours after learning what he held looking around when he heard a low growl. Naruto looked forward at the gate and said " Kyuubi I would like to talk to you?" Naruto saw torches light up in the cage to show a huge fox with nine tails to then hear " You're here to demand my power." Naruto's eyes widened and shook his head then said " No." Naruto saw Kyuubi , just looked at him and then heard " Lair." Naruto just shrugged and said " Believe what you believe I just have one question." Naruto didn't hear or see the Kyuubi do anything so he said " What would you like this place to look like?" Naruto saw the Kyuubi lay his head on his arms and heard " Why do you care?" Naruto just gave a smile and said " Simple, you were forced into me defending yourself." Naruto saw Kyuubi look at him with one eye then heard " I attacked Konoha." Naruto shook his head and said " You're a huge creature and you can't just attack Konoha without being seen so you were forced somehow." Naruto didn't hear anything so he closed his eyes and after a few seconds opened them to find himself in a field so he smiled then said " Well Kyuubi have a good day to you."
* Flash Back End *
" I visit him everyday and barely get anything out of him." Naruto saw Hiruzen nod then heard " Of course you are trying to make friends with a demon." Naruto shrugged and said " Why not." Naruto saw Hiruzen nod standing then heard " Good night Naruto." Naruto nodded, then after seeing Hiruzen leave he went to bed himself.