Thanks to all who reviewed, I hope I can keep it up. Sorry if the last chapter wasn't long, or original.
Chapter 5
Minato and Naruto stood facing each other in one of the open fields of the Namikaze estate. Much abuse showed, there were craters in the ground, scorch marks, and barren parts strewn all over. This was the only field they used for jutsu training.
"This is an advance jutsu I am going to show you." Minato explained. Naruto could barely hold his excitement, his whole body shook with anticipation. "Kakashi has told me that your chakra control is not very good for jutsu that require a small amount of chakra. So instead of the regular clone jutsu, I'm going to teach you a more powerful version of it."
Naruto watched him intently, he had his complete attention.
"Watch carefully." Minato formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Smoke enveloped them, too thick to see anything.
Naruto coughed, then saw what had happened. Many copies of his dad stood around them. He touched one, sure enough, it was solid. "Wow!" He exclaimed in awe. "You mean I can make real copies of myself?"
The real Minato nodded before undoing the jutsu. "Yup." His expression grew solemn, serious. "There is one thing though; this jutsu is forbidden. The reason is that it requires you to split your chakra evenly among the clones you create."
Naruto paled a bit. He understood what this meant, having been lectured on chakra by Kakashi. "You mean this jutsu could kill me?"
Minato nodded gravely. "Jutsu should never be taken lightly. Misusing them could result in fatal consequences."He grinned, his face softening. "But don't worry. I know you are responsible, I trust you not to show off."
Naruto was relieved that his dad knew he was ready for this jutsu. He trusted his judgment, knowing you limits was part of being a shinobi. He didn't have to scare me though! Seriously, I thought he meant I would die if I ever tried that jutsu. "I don't really like being the center of attention, so I won't use this jutsu useless it is in self defense." He promised.
"Good." He showed him the hand signs and explained how to direct his chakra. "Got that?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! Here I go!" He ran through the hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
When the smoke cleared, Minato's jaw literally fell to the ground. There were many more than what he made. Is this the power of the Kyubi? No, its chakra is sealed. Not entirely, but enough. He regained his composure before Naruto noticed.
"How was that?" All of them asked.
"That was great! Congratulations, you successfully mastered this jutsu." He ruffled his son's hair. In one try... How great will you be, my son? "Okay, undo the jutsu. We both have to go to bed early. The opening ceremony at the academy is tomorrow."
Naruto's eyes went wide. "You mean I'm going to the ninja academy?!"
"Of course you are and we both need to be rested up." Minato started walking back the the mansion. Naruto just behind him, too jittery to think about sleep. "Maybe we'll work on some more jutsu after you get back."
Naruto was in bliss. Not only was he going to the academy his dad went to, he was going to be spending more time with him. "You sure?" He asked, a bit dubious.
Minato grinned at him over his shoulder. "I promise and you know I never go back on my promises."
"Can Hinata-chan come too?" Naruto asked, wanting to include his best friend.
"Sure, if she wants."
XXX
Naruto twisted and turned in his bed. His nervousness kept him from going to sleep. He had never been around other children his age, except for Hinata. Though, she was shy and didn't go with him to the park, besides her no one his age he had talked to. Not even when he went to the park, he preferred to hang out with his father. That time with Sakura was about the most he ever talked to another kid his age beside Hinata. I wonder if she will be attending too? Maybe we can be friends?
With a sigh, he climbed out of his bed. He walked to his window and gently opened them. The rose garden was stretched out before him. Being on the second floor gave him a great view of it. The blood colored blooms comforted him some. Mom... why did you leave? He asked as if she could hear him.
He loved his dad, but seeing the other children with their moms... He didn't know why he felt like this. So lonely, his dad was going to be spending more time with him, but still. He wouldn't be able to do that for long, the job of Hokage was a demanding one.
He sat on the window sill, staring out at the roses. The perfume that came off them was pleasant. He knew that his mother toiled in the garden, working hard to make it this beautiful. He noticed his dad would get sad when he was there. "He must miss her too..."
After several moments, he climbed back into his bed. Leaving his window open, the sweet smell put him to sleep.
XXX
Minato was strolling through the garden. He didn't notice his son sitting on the window sill and vice versa. He stopped in front of the single bench in the whole garden. He remembered that his first kiss with Kushina was here. "Kushina-chan... how I miss you..." He continued onward, not looking back.
The full moon provided plenty of light so he had no trouble getting back to his room. He laid in his bed, the speech for tomorrow already formed in his head. "You would be so proud of our son, Kushina."
XXX
The next morning, they headed off to the academy. "So today's the day." Minato had his speech in his head.
Naruto nodded, feeling suddenly nervous. What if the other kids don't like me? He thought, anxious.
Noticing the worried expression on his son's face, Minato placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry so much. If it happens, it happens. Just be yourself." He squeezed his shoulder.
"Right... just be myself." Naruto steeled his nerves as the entered the academy grounds.
XXX
After his speech, Minato lead his son to his class. "This will be your class. Be sure to do your best."
"I will dad." Naruto and his dad was the only on there, except for a kid that was napping.
"I'm sure you will. I have to get back now. This is the time when the paper work piles up." He turned around and headed for the door. "See you when you get home." He said before he was gone.
"Bye dad!" Naruto went to the middle row, taking a seat near the window. "This is so cool! Training to be a ninja." Naruto daydreamed until the warning bell rang and the other students came pouring in. He was too busy daydreaming that he didn't notice a certain pink hair girl take the seat next to him.
The final bell brought him out of his daydream. He looked around the room, seeing who his classmates were. A raven hair boy sat near the front, a couple of girls were arguing about who would sit near him. The napping boy propped himself up with his arms. The chubby boy next to him was munching on chips. A puppy barking atop another boy's head drew his attention to him, but not more than a second. A boy wearing sunglasses stared coolly toward the front.
"So there are my classmates..." He muttered. To say the least, he was disappointed. He thought they would be cool and collected like nii-san. They're just like the kids at the park. "I guess I can't complain, shinobi are human too."
Then he noticed Hinata, two seats over from his. Seating next to... "Sakura-chan?"
She looked at him, smiling shyly. "Oh, hello Naruto-kun."
"Hey, didn't think you be here." He grinned. Though I was hoping. He looked around her. "Hi Hinata-chan!" He greeted his best friend.
Her face flushed and she pressed her index fingers together. "H-hi N-Naruto-kun." She stuttered.
At that moment, their sensei walked into the room. He had a scar across his nose but looked kind. The room went silent. "Okay, quiet down." He stood in front of the whole class. "I am Iruka-sensei, I will do my best to past on the knowledge that will help you in the future." He took out a clipboard. "Now, I want all of you to introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about yourself, your dreams for the future and such. First up..." He went according to rows. "Next."
The raven hair boy stood up. "Uchiha Sasuke." He said nonchalantly. "My dreams for the future are none of your business." He sat back down. The girls cooed about how cool he was, even Sakura. That ticked him off for some reason.
Uchiha... Naruto heard about him. His whole clan was massacred a few weeks before. Everyone except for his brother, Itachi, the murderer himself. I can see why he is so detached.
"Uh...next."
The blonde girl next to him stood up. "I'm Yamanaka Ino!" She exclaimed loudly. "My dreams for the future is to be a great kunochi and win Sasuke's affections!"
Iruka nodded. "Good... you there! The one napping!" He threw an eraser at the kid with his head down. "Name and dreams."
"Troublesome." He mumbled before starting. "Nara Shikamaru. My dream for the future to live an average life, meet a nice woman that's not too ugly or beautiful, have two childred, a boy and a girl. Then retire when my son becomes a shinobi and my daughter marries. Spend the rest of my days playing shoji then past away in my sleep."
He's got his whole life mapped out?... Naruto didn't pay much attention to the others. He heard some names: Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. He tuned in when it was Hinata's turn. "I-I'm Hyuga Hinata. My dream for the future is to be a worthy heir to the Hyuga clan and..." She trailed off, blushing as her gaze shifted to Naruto.
"Good, good, next."
Sakura stood up. "I am Haruno Sakura. My dream for the future is to win the respect of a certain someone and never lose to Ino." She said, glancing at Naruto and Sasuke. Conflicted emotion clashing inside her as she thought about both of them.
"You now."
Naruto stood up, trying not to look nervous or too excited. Kakashi nii-san told him that while emotion is okay to be shown, appearing calm can help in many ways. "I am Namikaze Naruto. My only dream is to become an even greater Hokage than my father." He said calmly and with confidence. "And well, to a lesser extent, revive my clan, but that's that last thing on my list." He muttered the last sentence, only Sakura and Hinata heard him.
Whispers began when they heard his family name.
"Namikaze? Isn't that the Hokage's name?"
"He's the son of the Yondaime!?"
"He's so cool!" One girl squealed with other girls showing their agreement.
"He's hot!"
"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"
Naruto was caught off guard with those last three comments. Then he realized why Kakashi had given he that advice. Nii-san... I'm swear to beat you! Having most of the girls swooning over him like the Uchina was not what he wanted. I should have listen to you dou-san! I should have been myself! He sat back down, but the damage had already been done. Already he was the infatuation of the female population.
The Uchiha looked at him, observing him. Namikaze... He didn't look strong. Sasuke had heard many stories of the Yondaime. Just because his son looked like him, didn't mean he was like him.
"Now that we are done." Iruka looked at the clock, it was almost noon. "It's almost time for lunch break... Well I'll explain what we will be doing." He wrote on the blackboard. "In the morning, we'll focus on the the theories of chakra, jutsu, study history, mathematics, and some basic jutsu. In the afternoon, we will go to the field. Working on our physical skills."
The bell rang, signaling for lunch.
"Alright, be sure to be on time."
XXX
Naruto and Sasuke were immediately approached by their so-called fangirls. Sasuke ignored them completely, walking by them and out of the room. Muttering, "Annoying girls."
Naruto, on the other hand, wasn't that blunt. With Sasuke gone, every girl was around him. "Can we eat lunch with you?" They asked.
"Uh..." Naruto had planned to spend lunch with his best friend. "Well, you see..."
"He's got plans!" Sakura grabbed his hand and lead him out of the crowd, drawing glares aimed at her.
He shot her a grateful look. "Thanks." He mouthed.
She smiled, "No prob." She mouthed back.
XXX
On top of the academy roof, they hid. "That was disturbing." Naruto finally said, they had to lose them. No wonder dad said not to mention the family name.
Sakura shrugged. "You should have keep your mouth shut about who you were." She said, pulling out a bento.
He was slightly surprised by her change in attitude. He didn't know her well and it had been a few weeks since they met, but she came off to him as the shy silent type.
She noticed him staring at her. "What?" She asked, blushing faintly.
"Oh, nothing. It's just... you were so quiet last time." He looked at her again. She had her hair tied back with a red ribbon. Besides her change in attitude, those were the only differences. "Did you convince them?"
She looked away, unable to meet his azure eyes. "Well, you could say that." She said quietly. She had made friends with Ino and she stuck up for her when facing the other girls. Only to have Ino turn against her just because she liked Sasuke too. But now, you're here... She didn't want to burst up in tears like she did when they first met, that would be embarrassing.
"That's great!" Naruto looked relieved. People weren't easily convinced so he was worried about her. "As long as they understand you." He looked around her.
"Huh?" She looked behind her. A midnight blue hair girl with lavender eyes watched them from behind the door leading to the roof. Is she a stalker?
Naruto waved at her, beckoning her over. "Hey Hinata-chan!"
Hinata shyly approached them. "H-hello Naruto-kun..." Her pale lavender eyes glanced at Sakura.
"Sorry. Hinata-chan this is Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan this is Hinata-chan. She's been my friend since forever." He introduced them to each other.
"Hi!"
"H-hello"
Naruto looked sheepish as he realized something. "I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I couldn't find you so we could eat lunch together. Those girls..."
"I-it's okay." She said softly.
Naruto looked in his bag, looking for something. "Hm... I forgot my lunch..." He looked crestfallen. He stomach roared.
"Y-you can have some of mine." Hinata offered her some of her lunch, rice balls.
"Thanks Hinata-chan!" Naruto drooled a bit as he took the rice ball. "This is deliciously!" He commented as he took a bite.
Hinata flushed at his praise. Something Sakura noticed.
So she likes him too...
XXX
Naruto dropped himself on the couch in the living room. "Man, that was a long day." He heaved himself up to a sitting position. For some reason, Sakura and Hinata were cold to each other. Did something happen between them? He wondered.
"Rough day?" Kakashi materialized in front of him, leaning against the wall with his little orange book.
Naruto threw a kunai at him. "You tricked me!" He accused.
"Hm?... I have no idea what you are talking about." Kakashi flipped a page, holding Naruto's kunai between his index and middle fingers.
"You said that I should act cool and collected!"
"And?"
"I thought it would help me make friends. Now all the girls are after me!" Naruto practically wailed.
"And that is bad why?"
"I'm only five! Even if I have to revive the clan, I want to do that years from now!" His father talked to him about that stuff. A little to early for him. "I've seen what happened to dad, I'm too young to be thinking about that stuff!"
"There are kids a little older than you that are already fathers." Kakashi told him. "I just wanted to help you. Remember, you do get to have three wives."
Naruto groaned. Nii-san's book are really inappropriate. "I shall beat you for trying to corrupt me!" He leaped at him. "AH!"
XXX
Minato felt the sweat dripped down his back. Hearing everything. He had to admit, placing the responsibility of the clan's revival to a young boy wasn't exactly a good idea. I should have waited until he was older... A crash from inside told him he should have.