DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT. NARUTO IS THE PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO.

Author's Note: This took a little longer than I expected to finish, but I did it. Here's the second chapter of Hitomi's story. It goes off with another slow start, but it picks up near the end. Critique is once again appreciated and I hope you, my readers, enjoy.

Chapter 2: Preparations

Hitomi couldn't wait for her school day to end. She shook in excitement as she sat on her chair, eagerly waiting for her extra lessons to begin. When her teacher finally dismissed the class, Hitomi nearly jumped out of her seat with a cheer. She waited for her classmates to leave the school before she approached her teacher.

Her teacher gave her a smile and folded his papers. "Glad you could stay, Hitomi. I'm glad you've taken this chance to take the small steps towards becoming a teacher. Now, for the first day, I only want to impart some nuggets of wisdom to you. Nothing 'hands on' yet. You don't mind?

Hitomi nodded with a determined look in her eyes. "I want to learn, teacher. Any lesson will help me." She took a spare chair from the nearby closet and sat in front of her teacher's desk.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear!" Her teacher laughed happily. "Now, for my advice…treat your students equally and offer as much advice as you can. Even for the so-called "dead-lasts."

Hitomi looked at her teacher curiously. "Dead-lasts?"

"A 'nickname' adopted by some of the arrogant students to demean the students who are not doing so well. Now, of course, if those students reject all advances to help them, then it's on them. However, that doesn't mean you should give up easily either. Seek out ways to help them if they are struggling. That's the mark of a great teacher. Its basic things, but it will apply to everything you do.

"I understand," Hitomi said with bow. She took out a small book and started to write what her teacher said. "Start off small…just like any other lesson…"

"Haha, you are quite right. Teaching is a role that requires a lot of patience. To rush in without giving consideration for the smaller things can lead to the students missing simple, yet valuable lessons."

Hitomi leaned against a desk and pondered. "Rush in…that reminds me. A kinsman of mine talked to me yesterday evening; Kojiro Uchiha. He asked me why I wanted to become a teacher. He said becoming an officer is the right choice for the clan…He doesn't look at the smaller things."

"A solid connection, Hitomi. You're already showing signs of a developing mind. That is a growing problem today…ninjas these days are failing to notice simple things and want to jump straight to complex situations they have a little understanding of. Particularly…the Uchiha." He looked at Hitomi, ready for a shocked expression. To his surprise, Hitomi's expression remained the same.

"My father told me already, teacher." Hitomi gathered her belongings. "I think I'm close to finding a reason to become a teacher; a real reason instead of for the sake of it. Thank you, teacher."

"Now remember, Hitomi: You can't become a full-fledged teacher until you've achieved the rank of chunin. While you are taking these extra lessons, do not forget to pay attention to your normal obligations as a student and train yourself hard. You will need to develop those skills first, as well as pass the graduation exam soon. I know it seems like I'm putting a lot on a girl your age, but these are things to consider in advance."

Hitomi shook her head. "I like a challenge. Besides, I plan on seeing this to the end. I'm ready for anything that will come my way. Be ready to see my name at the graduation ceremony, teacher. Hitomi Uchiha is taking off."

With that, Hitomi bid her teacher farewell and left the academy. Their conversation repeated over and over in her mind. As her anticipation grew, her mouth stretched into a big smile. She ran straight home and opened her front door.

Her father nearly jumped out of his chair due to Hitomi's abrupt entrance. "Sheesh, Hitomi! You nearly scared me to death!" He is holding his chest and gasping for air. "I'm not getting any younger, you know. Can't risk getting a heart attack…"

Hitomi chuckled and bit her lip. "Sorry, father…say, mind if I asked you something?"

"Of course, Hitomi," Said her father, who has quickly settled down. "What is it?"

"Since my graduation exams aren't that far away, I was wondering if I could learn anything from you beforehand."

"Eager to learn more…are you sure you can handle cramming more information, Hitomi?"

"I'm very sure, father," Hitomi said defiantly. "The more I learn, the closer I am to realizing my own reasons for choosing my path. And now, I'm so close…"

Her father smiled and got up from his chair. "Very well, my daughter. If you feel that strongly about your path, then I will help in whatever way I can. Now, follow me."

He leads Hitomi to his room. It's a simple room with two small tables and a large bed in between them. With a single hand motion, a seal appeared on the floor and the tiles moved to the side. Hitomi's eyes widened as she sees a descending set of stairs. She stepped forward then looked at her father.

"I can see you're surprised, Hitomi," Her father said with a small smile. "This is the training area your mother built when we moved in this house. I…I haven't opened this seal since her funeral. You were only three when she died. Please, go first, Hitomi. You and this area are her legacy.

Now feeling some weight across her body, Hitomi slowly descended the steps. After walking down about five steps, all she could see was darkness. "Ah…I can't see a thing…father? There's no light down here."

Her father remained at the top of the stairs. "No surprise there…are you afraid of the darkness, Hitomi? This is your first lesson: pierce the darkness with light. You will use the clan's fire to do so. Do you recall lessons on manipulating chakra? Try doing the same thing, but the focus point of your chakra will be your chest. When you feel the chakra build up, that's your time to unleash it. The seals for the FireBall Jutsu are Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. There are shorter versions, but by performing more hand seals, you can focus chakra more efficiently. Can you do it?"

Hitomi stared at the darkness in front of her and planted her feet firmly on the floor. "I'm sure can. I KNOW I can."

Without blinking, Hitomi performed the necessary hand seals and focused chakra in her chest. Once she felt a sudden pressure in her chest, she released the chakra through her mouth. A stream of fire shot from her mouth, which briefly illuminated the area before dying off. Unhindered by this short-coming, Hitomi quickly repeated the process and accumulated more chakra in her chest. Once she had built up the necessary chakra, instead of forcing it all out, she released the chakra in a steady way. As a result, the fire formed a sphere, which slowly revolved. Once Hitomi was able to see her surroundings, she noticed several candles placed around. She slightly increased the size of the flame, which increased the size of the fire-ball. This was enough to ignite the candles.

With a sharp inhale, Hitomi dropped to one knee and grinned. "At last..!" Hitomi yelled to herself. She turned her head and saw her father standing on a stair, who had seen Hitomi's performance.

"My daughter…I am already proud of you…that was incredible." Her father helped Hitomi to her feet and looked at the scrolls organized in many cabinets.

Hitomi chuckled and hugged her father before walking towards one of the cabinets. "That was just the beginning, father. There is still a long way to go…" She picked up one of the scrolls with Earth written on it. "Time to get busy and get to work…"