It was only until I was safe in Konoha that I realized that I'm now a rebel arsonist. The thought gave me pause as I changed into my clothes after a shower, but I decided to keep it a secret. Perhaps if no one knew my true name, I would stay safe- I had told Yamaha's son to ask for the Rainmaker and not Hinata Hyuga, hadn't I? But as I walk into my room to sit at my writing desk and look over my shogi board, I remember I also told him I wasn't as old as I appeared. I'll have to be very careful when I get to the shrine, then.
Looking at the board, I remove one of the gold generals, a few pawns, and a knight. With only a little more work, one of the kings will be in danger. I wish I was able to get straight to the king, but in reality, that would still leave the Akiyama Group active, and the Black Dragons I heard mentioned would also still be around. I need answers about them, answers which I'll have to get from Shigekuni Yamaha's son, if he chooses to speak with me. I sigh. This all hinges on me staying an invisible third player, which isn't possible now. Ninja aren't ghosts, they have to go and return from somewhere, and it's possible my somewhere will be found out. After all, since Yamaha was looking to overthrow the daimyo, Lady Tsunade or Shizune will most likely be taking a close look at the incidents and realize who was where when the Akiyama Group's plans were foiled.
I think of backing out of the situation, but I can't do that, either. Funny how explosions have a way of making you permanently involved in things. I stand up, needing some peace right now. I get my gear on and head out to the training grounds; maybe some exercise will clear my head. I make to head to the small clearing deep in the woods once I get there, but he waves to me and I can't help myself, I have to stop to talk.
"Out on a mission again, huh?"
"No, I was just buying some sake for Lady Tsunade."
"That old grandma needs to quit drinking! If she did, she probably wouldn't be so lazy and get all her paperwork done on time and not force everyone to do it for her." With a hmph! Naruto folded his arms, and frowned for a second, though Lady Tsunade's drinking apparently faded quickly from his mind. "So anyways, uh, it's not like I was waiting for you here, but now that you are here, how about training together?"
"Oh... um, yes." Feeling brave, I motion for Naruto to follow me, and soon we come to the clearing. "Bneh- uh, Sage?" My emotions come out as a stumbling burst, but it seems Naruto understood.
"Sure, I was gonna ask about that, anyways." Naruto sits cross-legged on the grass, and I do the same in front of him. "So, the breathing exercises..." I nod and begin them with Naruto. The long, slow breaths followed by quick huffs didn't make sense when I first did them with Naruto, but I realized the secret behind them- that instated of small stillness after you exhaled, before you drew in your next breath. It was intoxicating to be so close to Naruto and breathing in time with him, and though enjoyable this made it difficult to empty my mind and sense my surroundings. The words of the shrine maiden came back to me, and pulled my thoughts back to stillness. If Naruto was doing this properly, then if I was able to sense the natural world around me I could sense him, too.
The time passes by like a soft breeze, and as my mind empties, I begin to feel the gentle calling to my awareness. My instincts tell me this is the natural energy of our surroundings, and instead of peering and poking at it, I further calm myself and let it present itself. As I do, a glow lights in my mind's eye, like a dim watercolor painting. I can sense the trees and shrubs and grass, and, Naruto himself. I open my eyes to smile at him. After a moment he opens his eyes and smiles that big grin of his, and my cheeks flush with heat. "Does this make me a sage now?"
"Nope!" He says, cheerful. "There's still a lot to do, like learning to draw it in and balance it, and I think something about chakra reserves, too." He sees the look on my face, but waves it away. "You're doing great, you actually probably got this down faster than I did. It's kinda hard for me to just sit still for hours a day." He chuckles, and scratches the back of his neck. "Maybe Granny Tsunade will let me take you to Mount Myoboku someday. There are some things I can't teach you about sage mode, and you'd have to learn them straight from the toad sages."
I sigh and nod, then blow out a stream of water at his face. He grins to get me with a water balloon(which I shouldn't have been surprised he had on him), and for a few moments, we let our worries go and just play.