Alright, here's the second chapter. I'm glad the first went over well. Hope you like this one too! Please review.

Chapter 2: Naruto's Apprentice

"There you are, Naruto."

"Neji, what's up?"

"Just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. I'll be leaving on a mission tomorrow."

"Where are you off to?"

"Lee and I have been ordered to track down a rogue ninja from the Snow Village."

"The Snow Village, really?"

"Yes."

"That's a long way away."

"I know. I hope to be back within the month, however."

"I hope so. It won't be the same, having to protect a village without you guys. It seems like everyone has missions these days. Shikamaru told me that he'll be leaving to speak with Gaara and Temari about some proposed ambassador ninja idea. It sounds good, but it's going to leave me guarding Granny alone. Especially when you think about the fact that Kakashi and Shino have agreed to team up for a mission to the Cloud Village."

"It's odd that there will only be three White Ops in the village. Are you and your fiancé planning to test the four new applicants?"

"If we have time. Sakura running the medical division has made it a bit tougher to schedule these things, and the same goes for Yamato with Root. Granny will have to make time to oversee, too."

"Well, try not to be too hard on Kiba, Choji, and Sai. They do deserve to be part of the White Ops."

"I agree. They should have been admitted last time, but they were out on missions when Tsunade spoke with the council about the eight of us."

"Well, goodbye, Naruto. See you when I return."

"Bye, Neji."

As Neji left, Naruto prepared to leave himself. He could tell it was nearly one, and he had to be sure to report back to the Leaf Village where he would be briefed on the goings-on of the village, and then sent out to patrol.

He teleported back to the Leaf and received his briefing. He also spoke with Tsunade about the admission of the four applicants. She agreed that in two days they would test the four to see if they were ready for the rank of White Op.

"Naruto-sensei, would you mind helping me train for the test?" asked Naruto's student, who would be applying for the White Ops.

"Tai, I think you're ready without any more training."

"Come on, please?" Tai Aguni was only sixteen. Naruto had started training him when he was promoted to genin at twelve. In the four years of training, Tai had shown more promise than any other ninja in the village, being chunin before thirteen and jonin only a year later. Tai was a member of the Aguni clan. The Aguni clan was famous for its golden fire-type chakra. It was said that the Aguni clan could learn any Fire-Style jutsu by only watching it. They had extremely large chakra reserves and were ferocious fighters.

Naruto had learned much of this through experience. Tai always wanted to train. Rock Lee had taught him much in the way of taijutsu, and Kakashi was only too happy to share his large knowledge of Fire-Style. Tai was quite possibly the most destructive ninja in the village, and that wasn't even half of his skills. Through rigorous training, Naruto and Tai had discovered that Tai also had an affinity for Lightning Style.

Naruto agreed and they went to the training field. Even though Tai was so young, he was still a ferocious fighter. If Naruto left any kind of opening, Tai would take it. They began with basic taijutsu. Naruto swung his fist for Tai's face, but Tai easily blocked and swung for Naruto's head. Naruto jumped back and summoned two Shadow Clones to assist. The clones and Naruto charged for Tai. They began throwing random, yet somehow coordinated, kicks and punches, looking for any hit on Tai's person. Tai easily dodged or blocked. He was too fast for this level of taijutsu, so Naruto pushed it further. He began using his own variant of basic taijutsu. This was a bit harder for Tai to keep up with, but he soon found the pattern and kept right up with Naruto. He scored a kick to the gut of one of Naruto's clones and sent it flying into the other, causing both to fall to the ground in a large puff of smoke.

Naruto kicked Tai back and jumped back, forming hand signs.

"Wind Style: Leaf Shuriken Jutsu!"

Immediately, the wind picked up and blew a large group of downed leaves from a nearby tree straight at Tai. The leaves began to spin and act just as shuriken. Tai remembered the last time Naruto used this jutsu. It was very dangerous. He'd seen many ninja think that they were just leaves, but Tai knew better. They were shuriken, influenced by Naruto's chakra to be extremely sharp.

Tai quickly formed hand signs of his own.

"Fire Style: Flame Puff Jutsu!"

Tai then released a large puff of fire from his lips. The fire consumed Naruto's leaves instantly.

Naruto only smiled. He had expected Tai to burn them. Suddenly, Naruto saw two large kunai emerge from the smoke and fire. He jumped to the side, dodging the knives, but realized that he had jumped into a trap.

"Nice try, Naruto-sensei, but not good enough!" Tai immediately formed multiple hand signs, and placed his hand on the ground. The ground began to crack and the cracks spread toward Naruto. The ground beneath Naruto suddenly exploded. Naruto barely had time to move as a giant molten claw emerged, grabbing at him.

"You're already using that jutsu?"

"You know it!"

The claw braced itself, and a giant molten dragon emerged from the ground. It roared a greeting to Naruto.

"Good to see you too, big guy! Tai, I'm getting tired of taking him down. If anyone watched us fight, they'd have you figured out in no time."

"I have to make sure I know how to control him. If I don't, it could mean trouble."

"Fine," said Naruto, already forming more hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu: Spray Toad Summoning!"

A giant toad appeared next to Naruto. It sprayed forth a powerful jet of water at the molten dragon. As the water collided with its molten scales, smoke began to rise from its body. When the toad finished and disappeared, all that was left of the molten dragon was a large statue.

"Now to finish it!"

Suddenly, a Shadow Clone emerged from beneath the statue using a Rasengan. The attack shattered the molten dragon, leaving nothing but chunks of rock scattered across the field.

"I think that's enough, Tai. I need to get back and speak with Granny."

"But we haven't even finished the fight yet!"

"I know, but the test is tomorrow, and I have to fill out the paperwork for you, Kiba, Sai, and Choji."

"Fine! But wait until you see me fight for the test. I'll be sure to use my real jutsu then!"

"I can't wait!"

The rest of the day proceeded without incident. Naruto spoke with Lady Tsunade about the new applicants, picked up Sakura for a date, and went home to rest. The next morning would be a big day. As captain of the White Ops, he was tasked with testing the four applicants to be sure they were ready. He would have to spar with each one to test their abilities. Somehow, he knew he wouldn't enjoy this.

Okay! So I know that this fight was a bit short, but believe me, I'll make up for it later. Up next, it's a whole lot of fighting!