Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto.
Chapter Seven- Kiyoshi's Training: The Leaf's Noble Green Beast
Shikamaru would never get used to being called into the Hokage's office. Too often as a child he would get roped into one of Kiba's or Naruto's shenanigans and was called in to speak with Hiruzen.
Back in the good old days, before any of them were Genin or had any worries, Shikamaru was always getting in trouble. He normally thought about his past as troublesome and bothersome, but he wished he could go back just for one day.
"Greetings Lord Hokage," Shikamaru bowed. He also would never get used to calling Kakashi the Hokage. To his right, Mika Sarutobi, his son's sensei and his protégé, stood directly at his side.
"Evening Master," Mika nodded her head. "I trust your previous mission was a success."
"Shikamaru has already briefed me on the details of his previous mission," Kakashi said, picking up a small pink book. He used to love Jiraiya's novels, and couldn't help, but wish there were more so that he wasn't forced to reread old writings. "But that's not exactly why we're here."
"In light of recent events, the Chunin Exams are to be held in Konoha this year," Guy said, raising a single finger.
"What?!" Shikamaru panicked, raising his voice a little. "Oh, I'm sorry Kakashi-sama." As a Chunin Exams proctor, Shikamaru would have to spend the next few months preparing for the exams with his wife, Tenten, and Genma, a task Shikamaru wasn't looking forward to. Kakashi understood the man's distaste for the news and didn't hold him accountable for his uncharacteristic outburst.
"Well, what does that have to do with me?" Mika questioned, raising both of her arms in slight confusion. "Don't tell me that I'm going to be a proctor now?"
'Mika!' Shikamaru thought, shooting her a look. 'Show him more respect.'
'Sorry Master, sometimes I forget who I'm speaking to.'
"Nothing like that, quite the opposite," Kakashi said, folding his hands. "How have the teams been fairing?"
"Squad Fourteen is pretty amazing," Mika smiled, giving the Kage a quick thumbs up.
"Good, good. And Squad Twelve?" Kakashi inquired.
"...Honorable Sixth Hokage-" Shikamaru began, but he was cut short.
"While in my room, Kakashi will do just fine," he replied.
"Fine, Kakashi. You're not implying what I think your implying? Are you?"
"I am," the Rokudaime nodded. "In one month, both squads will be entered in the Chunin Exams, and this time, we have to win."
"That's amazing!" Mika smiled.
"That's completely unfair!" Shikamaru retorted, clasping a hand over Mika's mouth.
"If the Tsuchikage sends a Genin team to Konoha and wipes the floor with us," Guy added.
"He might take that as a sign of weakness."
"If one of our Genin win the tournament, we will assert our dominance and, perhaps, force Iwagakure to back off," Kakashi continued. "That's why I need to send our best teams forward."
"Why are we here," Kiyoshi asked, raising an eyebrow. He was glad that he wasn't cursed with Rock Lee's giant caterpillar brows.
The bathhouse was a place frequented by many on daily occasions, but not today. Shikamaru had somehow rented out the entire male side, for their training session.
"Today," Shikamaru began, placing his foot over the edge of the pool of water. Almost as if it were nothing, Shikamaru stood on the water's surface, staring back at his team. "I'm going to teach you about advanced chakra control."
"H-How are you doing that?" Kiyoshi panicked in disbelief. Katsu and Akira too stared on in complete awe. They had never witnessed another individual who could walk on the water's surface.
"The secret is chakra control," Shikamaru said, raising a finger. "By emanating chakra from one's feet, a shinobi can use the repellent forces to literally walk upon water. Do you remember the Leaf Concentration game you use to play in the academy; where you would use your chakra to keep the leaf stuck to your forehead?"
"Yeah," Katsu said, hanging her head. She remembered how Inoki won every time they played. Katsu would normally place second, but chakra control seemed to come so naturally to the Yamanaka. At times it almost seemed unfair in comparison. "Yeah, I remember."
"It's essentially the same thing…only much more difficult. With the little time we have I figured we should skip the basics and move onto the hard stuff. You three were complaining you wanted a challenge." Shikamaru said, shifting into a more comfortable stance.
"Alright!" Kiyoshi nodded. He extended a single foot forward, letting it hover just slightly above the water's surface. He was incredibly nervous, but also terribly thrilled with the chance to prove himself. So far, he had been nothing but a nuisance, only getting in the way. Once, just once, he wanted to shine in front of Shikamaru.
'GO!' his mind raced.
"Wait Naru-Kiyoshi!" Shikamaru said, putting out his hand for the child to grab onto.
"Huh, why?"
Kiyoshi pushed his weight forward, offsetting his balance. Instead of using his chakra to keep his weight up, Kiyoshi plummeted into the water below. That would've been no problem, except for one thing- one tiny, minute detail that Shikamaru had intentionally forgotten to mention.
'HOT!'
Panicked by the scalding water, Kiyoshi flailed about helplessly until he managed to grab on to the retaining wall. He pulled himself up, and found the strength to roll over on his back. The child breathed heavily, attempting to drive away the momentary shock.
"Your body isn't used to the hot bath water," Shikamaru shrugged. "Every failure will be punished with warm water."
"You call that warm?" Kiyoshi panted, his skin had turned a blotchy red from the minor burn.
"You look like a lobster," Akira laughed slightly himself. "You're such an idiot."
"Then it's your turn!" Kiyoshi gave Akira a slight shove, causing him to trip forward. Head first, Akira went plummeting into the bath water below. He never even stood a chance. Like Kiyoshi before him, the child panicked, and ended up flat on his back.
"Haha," Katsu smiled. "Good job dobe."
"TEME!" Akira yelled back, jumping to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides.
'Normally soo calm and collected,' Shikamaru smiled. 'Only she can get under his skin…'
This is how the children spent the afternoon. Attempt after attempt; failure after failure. Eventually the pain from the simmering water subsided when their own desires to succeed had finally burned into the back of their skulls. Hours past, and eventually the burning sun began to set, giving way to the dark night sky.
"Shikamaru-sensei," Akira shook his head. "I'm just… just not getting it."
Shikamaru shook his head and looked away from his team. He didn't think they were ready to participate in the Chunin Exams. They were still far too young, far too green to face the dangers that awaited them within the Forest of Death, let alone the dangers they would face from the other Genin in the Tournament.
"It's unfair of me to ask you to do this after only one training session," Shikamaru said honestly, his voice low and almost inaudible. "But it's more unfair of Kakashi to have put you in the Chunin Exams."
"W-we're in the Exams?" Kiyoshi asked, his ears perking up slightly.
If that was the case, then the team was only going to have one month to prepare. Chunin Exams were held biannually, and the second one of that particular year was just a little under five weeks away. At least to the children, it now made sense why Shikamaru was pushing them so roughly.
"That's amazing!" Katsu smiled, "high fiving" Kiyoshi. "Don't most teams have to wait a full year before participating? We've been shinobi for what… four weeks? Five?"
Shikamaru just shook his head, the Genin just didn't understand. The Chunin Exams wasn't just some written test where you get a "pass" or "fail." Genin die every year simply because of overzealous sensei that believes their "ragtag" groups are qualified ninja.
"Tomorrow we'll do something different, something easier to master chakra control. I know you're all talented, but perhaps I was asking too much of you," Shikamaru sighed. "Meet me at the third training ground. With all this training, tree climbing should be simple."
"He's…an…ass," Katsu said, breathing heavily between her words.
"Agreed," Akira said, his breathing just as staggered as his comrades. "But I feel the training working. Kiyoshi, you can feel it too right?"
"Yeah, I feel like if I just keep going at it a little longer…"
"We'll get it," Akira nodded. "Come on!"
The Genin never left. They spent their time at the bathhouse deep into the night, attempting again and again to keep their balance. Each failure brought along new conviction and desires to achieve. Neither of them wanted to go home, but it became clear they weren't ready to master such a complex skill.
"Dammit!" Kiyoshi screamed, laying out on the concrete.
"We have to keep trying, for Shikamaru-sensei," Katsu frowned.
"Just…one…more…time!" Akira nodded, taking a deep breath, stepping out onto the water's surface.
"Shikamaru-senseiiiiii," Kiyoshi said, his words dragging because of his lack of sleep. "It's way too early for this." He let out a deep yawn and almost fell back. He steadied himself, making sure not to fall and look like an idiot.
"Can we sleep a little more?" Katsu suggested. "Or at least get some breakfast?"
Shikamaru shook his head and pointed the Genin towards three large trees that stood side-by-side.
"The same principles apply to tree climbing, but it's much easier as you don't need to concern yourself with the fluctuations of waves. Just make your way up, and keep track of where you reach by making a mark with your kunai. First one to thirty feet gets breakfast," the Sensei shrugged.
"Why do adults always hold food over our heads," Kiyoshi frowned, looking to Akira and Katsu. The child took a deep breath and walked over to the base of his tree. Just as he was about to try and run up the side, he stopped himself. He remembered being the first to try and walk on water the day before, as well as the failure and humiliation that followed. This time, he was going to let Akira or Katsu look like the idiot.
Akira just shrugged at his teammates, and took a deep breath, focusing a vast amount of chakra into his feet. He placed one foot on the trunk, using his other foot to propel himself upwards so that he could start his ascent. Everything seemed to go smoothly, for about a second, before he landed flat on his back.
"Ha, you-" Katsu began.
"Stop calling me a dobe!" Akira yelled, jumping to his feet. His eyes were full of fire as his anger had reached an all time high. The two Genin pressed their faces against one another, trying to see which would be the first to back down.
"D.O.B.E!" Katsu said slowly and deliberately, fully aware that each letter she spoke got under the Uzumaki's skin. Akira pulled his arm back, attempting to retaliate, but Kiyoshi held him back, desperately trying to calm the boy down.
"You need to keep your momentum going," Shikamaru began when the tensions finally died out. "It's easier to run up the side than to walk."
Kiyoshi gripped his kunai and rushed forward, closing his eyes rather tightly. As he felt his forward momentum begin to slip, he opened his eyes and slashed the tree with the weapon in his hand, doing a backflip to land on his feet.
"You went a little over ten feet on your first try," Shikamaru said, nodding his head in approval. "You really are Sakura's son."
"I think we can do this guys," Kiyoshi nodded.
"Right," Katsu agreed. "If Kiyoshi's can do this, then so can I.
Last time, Kiyoshi realized he wasn't using nearly enough chakra so he made sure to divert more of it to his feet. He didn't hit thirty feet at his second attempt, but he did almost double his distance, traveling about twenty or so feet. Katsu had reached almost the same height on her first attempt, but Akira fell short, only climbing ten feet or so.
Kiyoshi kicked of the tree, doing another flip to land on his feet. The hard landing jostled his bad arm, sending a sharp pain through most of his body.
"Shit, not again!" he exclaimed, falling to one knee while he held his shoulder in place.
"You idiot," Katsu panicked, running to his side. "You need to wait for your stiches to heal.
"She's right," Shikamaru nodded. "Falling into water was one thing, but until those stiches are fully healed… "
"No chance," Kiyoshi laughed weakly. He stood to his feet, trying his best to ignore the obvious pain.
Despite his various complaints, Shikamaru wouldn't be convinced. If the stitches didn't heal in a months time, he wouldn't be fit to participate in the Exams. If that was the case, he would become an easy target for skilled Genin and it would only be a matter of time before he was killed. Despite his rapid recovery, the team agreed it was best that Kiyoshi worked on something less strenuous while his arm fully healed.
Sunagakure didn't quite have the medical expertise that the Leaf possessed. If he had been in Konoha when he had been injured, Sakura could've easily taken care of his wounds in mere moments. However, since it was Sand Village doctors preforming the procedure, stitches were the only available option. It was too late now for his mother's medical abilities to be utilized.
"Morning Lee!" a voice awoke Kiyoshi with a shock that forced him out of his bed and onto the floor besides him. He had been having such a relaxing sleep; none of the nightmares had come around since the last incident in the Sand Village.
"What the… oh, Guy-sensei!"
Watching over Kiyoshi's bed was the one and only Guy-sensei, dressed in dark green spandex and his even darker green Jonin flack jacket. Standing at about six feet tall with a beautiful black bowl haircut, his most prominent features were his big bushy eyebrows, a trait that Guy shared with his father. It was almost eerie to see how similar they looked.
"It's time to get your training started so we can venture down the path of youth!" Guy shouted.
Kiyoshi's eyes lit up, brighter and more beautiful than ever before. His entire life had led up to that particular moment. He had thought his existence had climaxed when he first received his headband, but it was clear now that notion was not true. He was now going to be trained by Guy-sensei; his life truly began at that moment.
"G-Guy-sensei?" Kiyoshi stammered, jumping to his feet. "GUY-SENSEI!"
Kiyoshi didn't wait for any more cues from his hero. Instead the boy rushed to his prepare, grabbing shuriken, kunai, and anything else he thought he might need. If all went well, Guy would teach him to the necessary skills to become a Chunin and surpass his teammates. While they were learning to climb trees and walk on water, Kiyoshi would be learning Secret Leaf Taijutsu Techniques.
"That's right, Lee!" he said, giving the child an over exaggerated thumbs up.
Sakura, hearing the commotion, rushed to Kiyoshi's room to discover the source of the loud crash she had heard. Her first thought was that Kiyoshi was hurt, but when she saw Guy sitting in her son's room she was immediately confused.
"G-Gu- how did you get in here?" she panicked, wondering how the older man had ended up in her son's room.
"Why the window my dear," he said, as though it was obvious.
"Get. Out. Of. My. House!" Sakura yelled, the ends of her hair sticking up out of her sheer anger. Guy was always welcomed in their home, if he used the front door. Sakura felt violated whenever the shinobi would sneak inside to talk to her husband.
Guy panicked at the sight of the furious kunoichi. He grabbed Kiyoshi by the back of his shirt collar, and leapt out the window, leaving Sakura dumbfounded and slightly aggravated at his "breaking and entering" style. "Fucking idiot." She muttered as she left.
"Within the next few hours," Guy began. "I am going to teach you my best technique, one that will make your teammates green with envy!"
"Y-your best technique Guy-sensei!?" Kiyoshi said in awe, his eyes opened wise in amazement.
They had taken to the Third Training Ground, the most commonly used exercise area in all of Konoha. Rock Lee had begun most of his training with Guy at that very training ground. Even Sakura had frequented it as a young child when she had been on a Squad Seven. The area was rather small, three posts stood to practice target training or taijutsu. To the right was a dense forest for concealment training and directly in front of the duo was a large lake. Kiyoshi had hoped Guy wasn't going to try to teach him how to walk on water.
'Not again. Please not again.' He thought.
"Do you understand the principles of chakra?" Guy asked, taking a seat on one of the wooden posts. He motioned for Kiyoshi to do the same.
"Well of course," Kiyoshi smiled. "It's the physical energy that is present within everyone, as well as the spiritual energy we build up through training and experience."
"Well said Lee!" Guy nodded, giving another thumbs up. "Now do you understand how we transport chakra to say our hands to increase our strength like your mother or to our feet to walk on water?"
"Honestly, no Guy-sensei," Kiyoshi shrugged. "It always just sort off…happens."
"Well that's where you're wrong." He said, in a quieter voice. "See the body has certain pathways for chakra to travel. Kakashi calls it the Chakra Pathway System, but I refer to it as the CYCLE OF YOUTH!"
"The Cycle of Youth?"
"Exactly," Guy nodded, jumping to his feet. "As a human, we cannot determine how fast we can move our chakra throughout our body. Like blood, it flows subconsciously, going to where it is needed the most. Of course you can trap chakra in specific parts of the body, but you can't really increase the flow of chakra, unless…"
"Unless?" Kiyoshi's eyes shimmered as he watched his idol speak. Everything Guy said was like an act of God, every moment he made was a work of art. Kiyoshi was so entrance and he couldn't wait to hear him continue.
"You open one of the Eight Chakra Gates, allowing the chakra to rush to other parts of your body. By doing so you can increase your chakra output and therefore increase your strength by five times. As you know, a normal human being can only use 20% of their full strength at any given time, but after the first gate is opened, the brain bypasses that limit, allowing you to utilize a full 100% of your strength! It's believed that once an individual opens all Eight Gates, his power will soar to that of even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage."
"Wh-what? Guy-sensei, really?" Kiyoshi said, jumping to his feet as well. "I'll be stronger than Katsu and Akira in no time and then I'll-"
"But be warned," Guy said, kneeling down so that he could see eye-to-eye with Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi could pick up the change in tone of Guy's voice, feeling the full gravity of the information Guy was about to tell him. "The technique puts an extreme amount of pressure on the body, and it's difficult to keep even the first gate open for an extended period of time. You have to promise me you will only use this technique if someone you love is in danger, and that you will never seek to open the Eight Gate."
"But…why Guy-sensei?" Kiyoshi asked, confused.
"Opening the Eight Gate grants the user immeasurable power, but whosoever does…will die." Kiyoshi could see the serious look in Guy's eyes. For a man whom was normally giddy as a newborn, seeing Guy so stern was rather offsetting.
"G-Guy-sensei," Kiyoshi said, looking away. He wasn't sure if he was ready for such a huge responsibility- to be given a power that could have the potential to dictate life and death for someone in danger to his own detriment. Would he be able to choose someone else's life over his own? He wanted to say yes like he knew Rock Lee or Guy would, but he wasn't sure.
'I guess I won't know until I try.'
"Are you ready Lee?" Guy asked, giving the boy his signature 'nice guy pose'.
"Yes Guy-sensei!" Kiyoshi said, returning a 'nice guy pose' of his own.
Guy placed both hands on the ground, forcing chakra out of his body onto the grassy field. Black lines appeared from nowhere, circling Guy's fingers and eventually branching outwards in all directions. With a puff of smoke, a large scroll appeared; one almost on par in size as the Scroll of Seals.
"This is the Scroll of the Kame," Guy said, rolling it the large piece of parchment out on the ground. There were signatures written in blood, all down the side of the scroll- names that Kiyoshi couldn't recognize. The only name that the boy was familiar with was that of Might Guy.
Kiyoshi glanced at the parchment and read out the first sentence. "Ninja whom wish to fight along side the ancient turtle clan must first sign this contract? Ninja turtles…And is this blood? I thought we-"
"By signing your name in blood, and utilizing a small amount of chakra, you can summon different turtles from the Ningame Clan. The amount of chakra utilized directly effects which turtle you summon; the largest and most powerful being Ningame himself," Guy winked, putting his hand directly on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
There was a large puff of smoke and, within an instant, Guy was sitting on a rather large and rather old red turtle with strange yellow markings strewn about. He had a Konoha forehead protector tied around his neck, something Kiyoshi found to be rather odd.
"Guy, it's been a while," the turtle spoke calmly.
"Holy shit, turtle can't talk," Kiyoshi freaked, taking a large step back.
"Respect your elders," the turtle barked back.
"Lee," Guy continued. "The turtles of the Ningame Clan have shells with special properties. By touching the shell, one can heighten their spiritual enlightenment for an extended period of time. I would be honored if you would sign the scroll use this jutsu.
That's all Kiyoshi had to hear. Guy was "honored" to have Kiyoshi sign, a notion that thrilled the boy to no end. He pulled a kunai from his pocket, making a small indentation in his pointer finger, allowing red liquid to secrete from his fingertips. Besides, if Guy had wanted him to do something, Kiyoshi wouldn't let the Jonin down.
'K-I-Y-O-S-H-I L-E-E.'
As if it had a mind of its own, the scroll fluttered into the air and disappeared just as quickly as it had come. The sight of blood made the child's stomach curl, but he couldn't let that stop him.
"Opening the Eight Chakra Gates takes years of physical training and exercise, but the first is opened through simple meditation and insight. Go on, give it a try!"
Kiyoshi took a deep breath and placed his hand firmly on the ground. He exclaimed the words "summoning jutsu" just as guy had done before. A cloud of white smoke surrounded the young boy. He felt something appear beneath his feet and, when the smoke finally dissipated, Kiyoshi was left sitting on the backside of a large red turtle with intricate blue markings on its backside.
"I-I did it! Guy-sensei I did it!" Kiyoshi screamed, raising both arms triumphantly.
"Well yes you did," the turtle smiled, trying to look backwards at his rider. "You must be Kiyoshi Lee. Oh, hi pops!" the turtle nodded, looking towards the legendary Ningame.
"You managed to summon Nagame," Guy spoke enthusiastically. "How fitting that you would summon the son of my own personal summon. Ah, to be in your spring time of youth."
"Oh, nice to meet you Nagame," Kiyoshi smiled, giving the turtle a "pat on the shell."
"Likewise," came his slow reply.
"Now, simply close your eyes Lee," Guy said, giving the child a smile.
"But why G-" that was all Kiyoshi managed to say.
Everything went dark for a moment. At first Kiyoshi felt that it was because he had closed it eyes, but moments later he lost all sense of touch. Kiyoshi could no longer feel the turtle underneath him or the wind touch his face. He could no longer hear any noises or smell the flowers all around him. Everything was just so dark.
Then there was a flame. It was a single fire that illuminated the pathway in front of him. He was in a dark, dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch on at infinitum. Kiyoshi could see a bright white light illuminating in the distance.
"That is the Gate of Opening, located in the brain. By closing your eyes on Nagame's shell, you are better able to tune in to your spiritual nature." Kiyoshi took a step forward and then another, reaching for the bright light. Guy's voice seemed to rise in intensity with each step. "Go out and get it Lee! Awaken your first gate!"
Kiyoshi took a deep breath and took off running towards the light in the distance. Each step seemed to take him further away from his goal and after a moment of running, Kiyoshi seemed even further away than when he had begun. Kiyoshi through his hand forward, screaming with all of his might.
"FIRST GATE: GATE OF OPENING, OPEN!"
Kiyoshi awoke, sitting on the floor of the Third Training Ground. He felt physically exhausted, unable to breath for reasons he couldn't quite understand. However, he also felt stronger, like he could lift any weight, move any mountain, or traverse any terrain. For a moment, he thought himself invincible.
"Congratulations Lee," Guy smiled, giving the boy a small wink. "And it only took six hours!"
"Six hours?" Kiyoshi said, his eyes growing wide. "It felt like a few minutes."
"And now, there is one final thing," Guy nodded, pulling four bracelets from his Jonin Vest pocket. After tying one to each of Kiyoshi's wrists and ankles, they tightened around the young child's joints, squeezing tightly. "These are weights specifically designed to help teach chakra control, similar to the training you had with Shikamaru yesterday. Overtime, these weights will go from being five pounds each, to one thousand pounds. The only way to carry such an intense weight will be to use your chakra to help supplement your strength."
"Thank you Guy-sensei," Kiyoshi smiled, looking up at his hero and idol. Guy-sensei gave one final thumbs up before he disappeared into the trees.
"He's so cool," Nagame said in awe. "My father, Ningame idolizes him."
"Yeah, I'm sure he does." Kiyoshi said smiling.