Chapter 2: Nothing in Everything

Greetings all!

After that short first chapter I felt the need to write this to finish setting up the story.

Now announcements:

After some thought I realize that hand signs for Mu Release may be unnecessary, if Mu is a state of mind then Naruto only needs to be in that state of mind to use the techniques, I know this seems cheap but I don't remember hand signs for Yin, Yang, or Yin-Yang techniques. If someone does, please refresh my memory.

I would like to thank enigma1995 and MrBojangles3154 for their input.

enigma1995, I will use your ideas because they are better than what I could come up with, but that won't be for a while yet.

MrBojangles3154, Naruto will use all of Xemnas' techniques especially the Ethereal Blades and create a style that lets him fight like the Unknown in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Birth by Sleep and like Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts 2. The Ethereal Blades will be the first thing he creates.

Naruto will also create a jutsu that can erase objects or people.

Information on the dark matter can be found on Wikipedia.

Now on with Chapter 2!

When the last of his students left Iruka allowed his fatigue to show and slumped into his chair. "I don't know what I am going to do with those kids," he said to no one in particular.

"A ryo for your thoughts?" a playful, feminine voice questioned.

Looking over to the side Iruka spied a beautiful purple-haired woman in a mesh shirt and tan trench coat. It was his sort-of secret girlfriend Mitarashi Anko, the two didn't actively try to hide that they were together, they just didn't advertise it. At least not after Morino Ibiki and Yuuhi Kurenai decided, on two separate occasions to make sure Iruka's intentions were pure. A smile, albeit a tired one found its way to Iruka's face as he asked, "Anko-chan, when did you get here?"

Anko replied, "I've been here for a while now, I just wanted the gakis to leave."

"For the first time in a while so did I," Iruka stated, remembering why he was tired.

"Naruto goofing off again?" questioned the Special Jonin.

"No, the class was ganging up on him, he was actually on his best behavior today," answered Iruka.

"Oh?"

"It was meant to be a routine lecture on chakra and ninjutsu," Iruka started to explain.

"But?" Anko pressed.

"But then Nature Transformation was brought up," Iruka continued. "That wasn't the problem though," he added seeing her confused look.

"Then what is?"

"I mentioned the Yin, Yang, and Yin-Yang release and that caught Naruto's interest," Iruka said. "He then asked for details about who mastered the three releases."

"The Rikudō Sennin," Anko stated.

"Yes, but then he asked a few questions I found very interesting," Iruka stated.

"Which were?" Anko asked

"He asked about the six paths and how they related to Buddhism," Iruka started.

"I see he's been learning from the monks in his spare time," Anko noted.

"I think he's just happy someone besides me, Teuchi, Ayame, and the Sandaime don't glare at him," Iruka replied. He then continued, "That wasn't what caused the problem though, he asked about a fourth release."

"And that was," Anko asked, now fully immersed in Iruka's story.

"Nothing."

"Not funny Iruka, don't think I won't cut you off from this for the next month if you do something like that again," Anko reprimanded while rubbing her hands up and down her body in a provocative manner.

"B-b-but Anko-chan that is exactly how he phrased it," Iruka stammered. The citizens of Konoha may think I'm some kind of saint but I have needs too dammit! Iruka thought hoping to appease his snake mistress.

"Wait…what?" Anko asked, her frustration forgotten, her emotional frustration at least. Well at least he didn't call my bluff. She thought remembering why she came to the Academy in the first place.

"He said the monks told him about Mu, nothingness." Iruka answered.

"I'm not sure I follow," Anko admitted.

"I didn't either honestly, but I tried to answer as best I could. I was just happy he was participating," Iruka confessed.

"I still don't see the problem," said Anko.

"It's just he then became determined to be the first to create the Mu Release, I didn't want to dash his hopes so I kept my mouth shut. Unfortunately, the other students didn't share my thoughts on the matter," Iruka lamented.

"Why, what happened," Anko asked, she didn't know Naruto personally but if he was important to Iruka, he was important to her.

"Sakura decided to voice her opinion. She said it should be easy for Naruto to do something like that," Iruka stated.

"The pink-haired girl, I though she didn't like him, much less believe he can do anything," Anko said.

"She doesn't, she meant it would be easy for him because he is, and I quote, 'a big nothing," Iruka finished. By this time he was shaking with anger.

He wasn't alone; Anko was seething after hearing that. Both she and Iruka knew how it felt to feel like and be treated like nothing. It brought back bad memories of just after Orochimaru abandoned her. She also remembered what Iruka's life was like after the Kyubi attack almost twelve years ago.

"Fortunately, the discussion carried us to the end of class so I was able stop things from escalating," Iruka said.

After calming herself Anko said, "From what you've told me Naruto isn't someone who would attack Sakura, let alone raise his voice to her."

"That isn't what I meant; the class likes to gang up on him when things like this happen," Iruka stated. He then continued, "But this is different too, the kids laugh at his dream but none of them have called him 'nothing' before."

"And yet his classmates, and the Village at large, do all they can to make him feel that way," Anko stated.

"I know," Iruka said solemnly. "He should be alright though, Hinata went after him, she'll make sure he's okay."

"Ah, the lengths we kunoichi go to for our shinobi," Anko joked. "But let's change the subject, shall we."

"Yes let's," Iruka said, happy for the opportunity he needed to ask a question of his own. "Anko-chan," he started.

"Hmm."

"How does a romantic evening with just the two of us sound?" asked Iruka.

"You mean we're gonna do it in one of the T&I holding cells tonight?" Anko asked semi-seriously.

"No. Well, maybe if you really want, but I was thinking more like dinner," Iruka managed to get out.

"Wait, did you say 'maybe' to the sex at my workplace idea?" Anko asked incredulously.

That's what caught her attention? Iruka mentally asked himself as a sweatdrop formed. "If that's what you want just so long as we could do the same here one day," Iruka answered.

The beautiful kunoichi glomped her boyfriend and said, "Oh, Iruka-kun I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"The nice ones always have a taste for danger, got it memorized?" Iruka responded, looking forward to where this evening would take him and his beloved Anko-chan.

Hyuga Hinata, the heiress to the prestigious Hyuga Clan was a girl on a mission: Find one Uzumaki Naruto and make sure he was alright. With her Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, finding him was easy. Her real problem is what to say to him when she did find him. Hinata was a shy girl, even more so when her crush, Naruto was near, but after what Sakura said in class, Hinata believed that she would have to at least ask Naruto if he was alright.

Hinata knew that Naruto would usually brush off what others said about him, no matter how hurtful the comment, but this was different. No one had ever actually called Naruto "nothing" before, it was usually: baka, dobe, and for reasons she couldn't fathom demon. Hinata knew what it was like to feel like nothing, most of her clan made her feel that way all the time. She always wished she had someone to lean on when that happened, but no one in her clan would help. She decided that she was going to be there for Naruto though.

After twenty minutes of searching she spotted him, no one else in the village wore as much orange as her blonde hero after all. He was talking to the monks who had stopped at the village.

Naruto-kun, she thought happily, you're alright. I'm glad. Now that she spotted him though, Hinata was quickly losing her nerve, a common occurrence much to her annoyance.

"Ah, it seems we have a visitor," one of the monks noted. "Is she a friend of yours, Naruto-kun?"

"Huh, oh hey Hinata, what's up, dattebayo," Naruto greeted enthusiastically.

"A-a-ano, Naruto-kun, I was worried about you after what happened in class. What Sakura did was uncalled for," Hinata manage to get out, while blushing a color Naruto had affectionately dubbed Hinata-red.

"Yeah, I thought so too, but I've gotten used to it," Naruto stated sadly.

"What exactly happened?" questioned the eldest monk, Ichiro. Ichiro was a man in his mid to late sixties and was very much the image one would have of a monk, bald with a long white beard.

"A girl in our class called me nothing is all."

"Hmm," Ichiro mused. "In a way she is right you know."

"Wh-what," Naruto stammered out.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I mean that each of us is like the vacuum of space," stated Ichiro.

"How so?" questioned Hinata, now curious as to what the monk was going to say.

"Are you two familiar with the idea of dark matter."

"Dark matter?" Naruto questioned?

"In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is a type of matter hypothesized to account for a large part of the total mass in the universe. Dark matter cannot be seen directly with telescopes; evidently it neither emits nor absorbs light or other electromagnetic radiation at any significant level. Instead, its existence and properties are inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter, radiation, and the large-scale structure of the universe. Based on the standard model of cosmology, the total mass–energy of the universe contains 4.9% ordinary matter, 26.8% dark matter and 68.3% dark energy. Thus, dark matter is estimated to constitute 84.5% of the total matter in the universe and 26.8% of the total content of the universe," Ichiro explained.

"So it might not exist?" questioned Hinata.

"Correct, Hinata-chan," Ichiro stated.

"But what does that have to do with humans?" Naruto questioned.

"On a molecular level, everything looks like space," Ichiro stated.

"I still don't understand," Naruto admitted.

"The bonds between molecules are loose, much like the distance between planets," Ichiro stated.

"Are we filled with dark matter too?" Hinata questioned.

"If it exists then we most likely are," Ichiro finished. He then continued, "Going back to our original topic, what did you want to know Naruto-kun?"

"I was wondering if you can teach me about Mu, I want to try to create a set of ninjutsu based around that," Naruto reminded the monk.

"Interesting," Ichiro mused.

"Really, you think it's possible?" Naruto asked.

"I can't say for sure Naruto-kun, many people would think you're crazy for suggesting such a thing," Ichiro said. He then continued, "But, and most people don't know this, people thought Senju Hashirama was crazy before he and Uchiha Madara created Konoha."

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Careful, Naruto-kun," Ichiro warned, "if such a thing is possible it will be far more difficult than creating a ninja village. Mu is a state of mind, first and foremost, you will need that to get started and you are still so young."

"I know, but I'm not afraid of a challenge," Naruto stated.

"Hmm, what do you think Hinata-chan?" asked Ichiro.

"Ano, I think Naruto-kun can do anything he puts his mind to," Hinata stated with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Ah, but that would be the problem wouldn't it," Ichiro stated.

"Oh, I think I understand," Naruto stated.

"We shall see, come Naruto-kun, I shall help you achieve a state of Mu," Ichiro stated.

"Awesome, arigatou Ichiro-jiji," Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto-kun!" a mortified Hinata admonished. "Gomennasai, Ichiro-sama."

"Now none of that, Hinata-chan, I am a man just like any other," Ichiro stated. He went on to say, "I actually find Naruto-kun's energy to be refreshing. He's also doing me a favor."

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, Mifune-sama of Iron Country has requested help in teaching samurai hopefuls to achieve a state of Mu," Ichiro stated. He went on, "If I can help someone as energetic as Naruto-kun to achieve Mu, I should have no problem with the young trainees."

"Hey," Naruto stated, sounding slightly hurt.

"My apologies Naruto-kun, I just fear that your energy and youth will work against you in this," Ichiro responded.

"I'm not afraid of a challenge Ichiro-jiji; I'll achieve Mu and create the Mu release before the school year is up," Naruto proclaimed, practically radiating confidence.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Naruto-kun, we haven't even started yet," Ichiro reminded him.

"Okay, Ichiro-ji-er, Ichiro-sensei," Naruto quickly corrected.

"That's a good first step Naruto-kun, let us go somewhere with less traffic," Ichiro said. He then asked, "Care to join us Hinata-chan, friends of Naruto-kun are welcome to join us."

"Yeah, come on Hinata-chan, it will be great!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata-chan, was echoing inside the poor Hyuga girl's head as she finally fainted.

"Ah, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said with worry.

"She will be fine Naruto-kun, she just fainted," Ichiro pointed out. "Come let us take her home."

"Okay, thank you Ichiro-sensei," Naruto said.

"Hm, for what?"

"For coming with me to take Hinata-chan home, the Hyuga Clan doesn't like me very much, most of the Village doesn't."

"I am sorry to hear that Naruto-kun, I have only known you for a short while but I see nothing to dislike."

"Sniff, Thank you so much Sensei," stated Naruto holding back tears of happiness.

"You don't have to thank me for being honest Naruto-kun."

"Hey, Ichiro-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you think Hinata-chan fainted? Is she sick?" Naruto asked in all seriousness.

Oh Naruto-kun it seems you have much more to learn, hopefully what I teach you will help with this too, Ichiro thought. He then said, "I do not believe so Naruto-kun, but I am sure Hinata-chan will tell you why herself one day."

And with that the two made their way to the Hyuga Compound to drop off Hinata, before beginning Naruto's training.

Chapter 2, End.

Couple of things: Ichiro and his colleagues won't be permanent fixtures in Konoha, but they will be recurring characters.

Secondly, Axel/Lea and Umino Iruka share the same English voice actor Quinton Flynn, I couldn't help but add, "Got it memorized?" and there will be more of that wherever I can fit in.

The next update may be a while, between searching for a new job and working my current one free time is something I don't have a lot of. I will however try to update regularly every week or week and a half.

Until next time,

Reviews are always welcome here, get that memorized.