Chapter 10

First Hand Experience: Ayame's Crash Course in Survival

I own Nothing

"Alright, this seems like a good of a place as any to stop for the day." Naruto suggested, slipping off his small bag onto the grassy open space he and Ayame arrived at. Ever since they left Konoha, approximately 4 hours 37 minutes and 12 seconds, not like Naruto was counting or anything, they had been moving nonstop much to Ayame's chagrin. No matter how much she pushed she couldn't keep up with Naruto's natural stamina and years of experience.

"Finally!" she sighed drearily, dropping her massive pack in one of the small dirt patches that laced the meadow. She then plopped down next to her pack and fell over, resting her head on the slightly lumpy but very soft backpack as she took in gasp of air.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, kicking her pack to awaken his sleeping apprentice who seemed to have dosed off.

"Getting some shut eye, why do you ask?" She asked tiredly, cracking open one eye to look up at her master. He stood over her, blocking most of the sun's rays from her one visible eye. His whole face was shadowed thanks to the position he stood, well that and the fact he wore a mask. But, even his mask couldn't hide those multi-colored gems that rested behind that wooden Viper mask.

"I don't recall saying you could sleep." Naruto stated sternly, walking towards his small sack of scrolls and essentials he didn't want to have to go scrounging through scrolls to get. He pulled out one scroll he labeled, "Tents & Sleeping Bags" and unraveled in next to a clear area of land. He then added chakra and released his tent set and one sleeping bag.

The explosion of smoke caught Ayame's attention, she rolled to her side to see her sensei picking up his rolled up sleeping bag and tossed it into his already pre-made tent.

"Wait." she interjected, pushing herself off her backpack and looked at the single tent and sleeping bag, "where's my tent?"

"You didn't pack it?" Naruto asked, looking back to his student who flashed him a nervous, non-reassuring smile.

"Aha, would you believe me if I told you I forgot it?" She asked timidly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh, so you forgot it?" Naruto asked, getting a nod from his inexperienced apprentice, "well, what a shame. I hope your backpack is softer than the dirt."

"W-What?" Ayame asked, almost wishing that what she just heard come from her sensei's lips was just his own sick twisted humor. But, of course, if you have spent even five minutes with this psycho you would realize he doesn't joke about stuff like this, EVER!

"What? Do you think you're going to be sleeping in MY tent?" he asked, a slight comical inflection lifted his voice, "I couldn't possibly let you do that. It would defeat the purpose of your next training exercise."

"Training exercise?" Ayame questioned, once again her expression showing her concern and utter lack of understanding.

"Of course, you didn't think this was going to be a vacation now did you?" Naruto asked sarcastically, rummaging through his small sack of goodies and withdrew two things, one book and a kunai with a seal around the handle. "If you are going to be with me on this mission I am going to have to push you even harder than I already have. Meaning, no breaks, no wining, and certainly no more kid gloves"

"O-Okay, but what does that have to do with my sleeping arrangements?" She asked worriedly, only to see her sensei give her the small book that was labeled, "How to Build a Shelter out Of Everyday Materials."

"This portion of your training will be focusing on your survival skills. One of these skills is being able to make yourself a shelter with your surroundings." He spoke, walking to the right of his student and placed the kunai in the dirt deep enough that the black labeling was the only thing you could see.

"W-Well, aren't you going to help me. Give me a few pointers or something?" She asked hopefully, scanning the cover of the book before looking to her master, hoping to hear the response she was looking for.

"Help? I wouldn't dream of it! It would defeat the purpose; you must learn these skills on your own. But don't worry, in the morning I will give you a thorough report on what you have made." He said happily, flashing a fake, eerie smile from under his mask and surprisingly Ayame could feel the smile's non genuine feeling roll of her sensei.

"You're getting back at me, aren't you?" She asked defensively, glaring daggers at her sensei who was now leading her past the Kunai in the dirt with his hand in the small of her back.

"Me? No, don't be silly," He laughed, completely out of Naruto's normal drill sergeant persona, driving home Ayame's suspicions, "I would never be that petty." he moved his hand from the lower part of her back and took a few steps back, right behind the Kunai. "Tat tat" was all she hear before Naruto formed one hand seal before a massive chakra dome raised over him and his tented goods. Once the dome consumed him and his belongings it began to blend in, completely camouflage Naruto from view.

"What the!? NARUTO!" she yelled, walking towards the dome only to smack fast first into the disguised perimeter of Naruto's fortress. After she pushed herself off the invisible dome she ran her hand across its solid structure, truly in awe of this things mechanics, but her awe was soon replaced with rage and a slight amount of fear. This is the first time Naruto has ever left her to her own devices, he has always driven her in his own set routine, never allowing her to deviate from the plan he has concocted in his brain.

But her anger came from not being left alone but his blatant revenge against her, what is so wrong about wanting to spend time with your sensei?! Besides, it's gets boring having to stay in the same damn village for most of your life and excuse her for actually wanting to get out and explore this nation, even if it's just another village. Sure she went behind his back and took her own selfish wants and desires and forced them onto Naruto but why the hell is he so mad?

She started to bang on the structure vigorously, one fist after the other while yelling, "Naruto! Open this damn thing!" which was responded with absolute silence. What she didn't know what Naruto was sitting on a rock looking through his two way barrier, a triumphant smirk on his face as he watched his student injure her hands by banging it on the impenetrable barrier.

"You know, I feel so much better now." he thought with a smirk, watching his apprentice pound on the dome in utter silence, her words being filtered out by the barrier's privacy setting. But soon his self indulgent smirk withered away to be replaced with a hard line, his determination now turned towards a small book that he has gripped in his hand. The book didn't have a name; it was a simple leather bound pocket sized book Naruto carried around at all times with a loop on the side so he could keep a pen or pencil with him. He pops open the book and slides through the pages until he comes across his last entry, which was titled, "Transmutation Seals" with many descriptions and diagrams across the page. The most unsettling of the descriptions was a single sentence that read, "Search for a freshly killed female specimen before rigamortis set in."

"Do not worry Kurami-chan" Naruto thought to himself, slipping off his mask and hood while he began to write in his journal once more, "I will free you from that damned prison. Whatever the cost, whatever the cost"

Approximately 10:00 at night

Finishing his new journal entry which took up about 10 extra pages, he looked out towards where his student should be and noticed something rather strange and also funny in a morbid "asshole" sense. He looked up from his book to see it was now pouring down rain, pummeling against his barrier while also pounding against a rather mediocre made shelter that was squeezed in between two trees. That point was ingenious actually, keeping it in between two trees gave the shelter, no matter how poorly constructed, a cover from the rain, but it really didn't help much, because, it seemed like the rain was cutting through the canopy of the tree and pelt the mixture of sticks, veins, and moss.

He looked further through the darkness of the shelter and spotted his tired apprentice, drenched, cold, and shivering through her teeth, which actually got a small tinge of guilt to bubble up in Naruto's gut.

He understood she needed to learn this and do it on her own, he won't always be there holding her hand when they arrive on the battlefield but this wasn't practical or nice. He had no idea it was going to rain and if she continued to stay out there she could catch something, which will make Naruto's mission all the more difficult.

Or at least that's what he keeps telling himself to gear him up for the decision he has already made. As usual, Naruto hates to admit he has some form of care towards anyone, but in this case he seems to have grown rather fond of the hard-working brunette.

Her can do attitude fits perfectly with her never say die mentality; he had to say her progress in her training was outstanding! Better than any fighter he has ever seen, even the genin's that have at least 4 years of training.

Maybe it was his training or her complete adaptability to any situation but he had to say he saw a little bit of himself in her, not to toot his own horn, of course.

He sighed, locking down his decision, as he stood up from his comfy rock and walked to his translucent dome. He pressed his finger against two spots on the dome's inner structure, allowing the area within where his fingers pressed to drop, revealing the harsh outside world to him. Rain began to pelt his cloak as he slide on his mask and flipped up his hood, protecting his scaly complexion from the howling winds.

He soon arrived at his student's makeshift home and he had to say, up close it was rather impressive. She had followed the book to the letter and came up with a very well crafted shelter. Sure it wasn't perfect, nothing you try once can ever be perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than what he did on his first try, his first try was nothing more than burying himself under a pile of leaves he collected.

He noticed her trembling was far worse than he would have expected, it so violent that he would have thought she was having a seizure. Her eyes were snapped shut, trying to catch some shut eye in this hell of a storm, her teeth where chattering uncontrollably, and her arms were wrapped around while she brought her knees to her chest, trying to keep as much body heat close.

He also noticed there was nothing covering her other than the soaking clothes on her back, apparently she had forgotten a blanket too, and again he couldn't really fault her. Of course he knew to bring a sleeping bag, a tent, and a extra sleeping bag so if he lost his first one he had an extra. But that was because he was an experienced ninja who has done mission after bloody mission over and over again with little to no rest, or at least he did before he had to resign from his ANBU service.

He reached down and wrapped Ayame in his cloak, revealing his long sleeve black shirt and his scaly neck and hands but at this moment that wasn't important, he needed his student dry and ready to train in the morning, not soaked and sick. He picked up the ball of clothing and flesh while also looping her backpack over his shoulder as he heads towards his air tight dome, closing it behind himself as he slides Ayame into his dry tent.

He soon slithered into the tent as well, seeing as it's big enough for two, and took a seat in the corner, watching over the shivering woman while waiting for her to wake. As he began to see her stir, he quickly activated his genjutsu; hating having to revert back to his usual hidden self but it had to be done. Soon enough her eyes fluttered open, trying their best to focus in on anything around her. Once her eyes had gotten used to the dim light that flooded the tent, she soon realized she was not in her makeshift home; she was in something much more comfortable.

"Look who decided to wake up." his voice shocked the dazed brunette, her head wiping towards the direction of his voice. She stared at the scaly serpent for what felt like a lifetime, her eyes never leaving his mesmerizing multi colored orbs. At first her gaze was soft and slightly alarmed, trying to adjust to the lighting while also trying to place the voice to a face. But, after her vision cleared and she allowed the voice to resonate in her mind, her soft gaze changed into a harsh glare.

"Hello? Is everything okay?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow, waiting for a simple response from his student, but alas, she sits silently, glaring at her masked master.

"Okay, so I'm guessing you're a little ticked off at me, right?" he questioned, noticing the more he talked the more it seemed her glare worsened, "well, I think we should set down and talk this-" before he could finish his condescending statement he was met with his soaked cloak smacking him across the face.

"You know, throwing things makes me think you are mad at me."

"Gee, what was your first clue?" Ayame finally responded, bringing her knees to her chest after she threw away her only form of warmth.

"I don't know." he said, pulling of his soaked garb that was wrapped around his head, "maybe because you look like you want to kill me in my sleep."

"Don't tempt me." she murmured.

"Well aren't you a pocketful of sunshine." He retorted with a hidden smirk, meeting the girl's gaze with the same dull neutral stare that he is famous for.

"You left me out there to freeze, what did you expect?" she said coldly, turning her glare away from her master, knowing she probably wouldn't get any sympathy from this cold blooded serpent. "Maybe I was wrong" she thought, looking out towards the dry field their barrier created, "maybe he is just an asshole."

While her eyes were focused on the dome around them and the rain that drizzled down on it, she didn't notice Naruto who has now moved to her side, anxious and rather nervous for the closeness, not that he would show it.

"I guess it's now or never." he thought, pulling up his extremely long sleeve to find one of his many seals that littered his arm. His other hand hovered on one seal around his wrist and applied chakra, pulling a decorated box from its pocket dimension.

Hearing the trade-mark *Poof* followed by a slow trail of white smoke leaving the tent's open flap, she looked back to see Naruto about a foot away from her holding a decorated rectangular present topped off with a bow and a little piece of paper that read, "Happy Birthday Ayame".

"What's this?" she asked, confused at the delicate wrappings and pretty bow, Naruto couldn't have made this, could he? No, she couldn't even imagine it, a tall Naruto Uzumaki, with his calloused hands and quick temperament, sitting down and carefully wrapping this present with the utmost care.

"Well, if my memory services me correctly, today's your birthday." he explained, picking up the little piece of paper that he had attached to the bow and showed it to her. "I was going to wait until we were safely at base but I thought you needed a pick me up…..so here." he awkwardly ended with shoving the present towards her, keeping eye contact to a minimum.

She carefully took the box from Naruto's hands and started to look over the box. It wasn't anything special, a large rectangular box held together with wrapping paper and tape. It had a lot of weight to it, almost like it was packed with goodies which really were a plus for anyone who is given a gift no matter what the age. She ripped of the bow first, setting it aside for later, and then started to rip through the reflective paper.

She popped the top of the box and peered inside to see four things. The first thing she pulled out were two, jet black Kukri Machetes, a curved designed blade, allowing the blade to carry strength and weight with every swing. Its length reaches 19 ¼ inches and includes a nylon sheath for easy storage, it was simply beautiful.

She looked towards Naruto who was eyeing her reaction and noticed, even through his mask, he seemed almost nervous, like he was hoping Ayame liked her presents.

"Wow, Naruto-kun, these blades are amazing!" she marveled at the now unsheathed Machetes as she tested out the weight and maneuverability with a couple of practice swings. "Where did you get them?"

"I called in a favor from Tenten's father. I wanted to make them myself but he didn't trust me using his blacksmithing equipment." He said sheepishly, or something that sounded rather sheepishly, she could never really get a read on his emotions most of the time. "I decided to give you these machetes other than knives because I noticed in our training sessions your reach is to short, giving your opponent the advantage, so, giving you a longer blade was the logical next step."

"Well thank you very much Naruto-kun." she smiled warmly towards him, forgetting she had two other presents. As she slides the blades back in their nylon sheaths she reached out and grabbed her second gift, a curled up bow?

"Ummm, what's this?" she asked nervously, not wanting to hurt Naruto's feelings but also very confused on what the hell this thing actually was? It had parts that resembled a bow, the string in the back, the first few feet of the shaft, but everything else was scrunched around it, collapsed on itself like an unstable bridge.

"It's a collapsible bow." Naruto stated, taking the bow from Ayame and with a flick of his wrist, the bow opened up to reveal its curved glory. It was a traditional Curved bow but this one had a frame made of solid metal with different grooves and holes, allowing it to collapse on itself and fit perfectly in a pouch or something easily carried.

"A bow? Why would I need a bow?" She asked nicely, trying not to seem ungrateful for her new weapon.

"Even though I've been training you for close range combat your knife throwing skills are exceptional. So, I believe a longer range weapon will help you strengthen your long range accuracy." He explained logically again, trying his best to explain why he gave her these things. "Besides, those machetes aren't like kunai's. Kunai's are a dime a dozen, so no throwing those machetes, understood?"

"Yes sir!" She mocked saluted, giving him a cheeky smile which actually got a chuckle out of him, something that surprised Ayame.

She turned her attention back to the remaining gift and pulled it out, it was actually a gift in two. One was a harness that she guessed was going to be for her bow and arrows, and the other were a white, highly crafted mask. The masked had hard etching around the cheekbones, making it stick out while the design of a constant, toothy grin rested underneath. It had two red whiskers like marks on the side of each cheek while another red, triangular line came from the middle of the forehead to the back. It also had a large amount of fake black hair hanging around it, giving the wig a wild mane type look. (If you need to get a reference of what it might look like, look up Cheshire mask, Young Justice.)

"Oh may, this thing is wonderfully crafted!" she gasped, running her hand over the finely sanded edges, the wonderful white paint that lay under the red details. "Did you make this?"

"Yes, it took a lot out of me. I had never carved this type of hardened wood before, I ran through several of my carving tools on just carving out the outline of the piece." he said fondly, remembering how many curses were screamed through the halls of the Sarutobi compound.

"It's simply beautiful Naruto-kun, I can't believe you got all of this stuff for me." She said, truly in awe of all the things Naruto has thought out for her. Sure, it wasn't a piece of jewelry like most boyfriends would give their sweet hearts (not saying Ayame feels like their dating or anything *Nervous laugh*) or Chocolates on Valentine's Day, but she knew he thought out everything, nothing was given to her just because. He did this for a reason and she knew it was a well thought out reason that he has planned early in advanced.

"Why would you give me all of this stuff Naruto-kun?"

"Well." he started nervously, looking to the plain dark blue lining of his tent, "after much consideration and watching you're over the course of this month."

"Yeah." she said impatiently, her eyes growing in anticipation.

"And after asking your father for his permission…"

"Yeah, yeah!" she squealed, inching ever so closer to the zoned out snake.

"I have decided to make you my full time apprentice…...if you will have me as your sensei." he stated, nervously, his vulnerability was simply the cutest to Ayame.

"Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes Naruto-kun." she squealed, jumping at Naruto, tackling him to the tent's soft underlining while holding tightly to his neck. She quickly realized what she had done and felt the awkwardness of the situation. Naruto, laying still with his arms to his side and a far off look in his eyes while Ayame laid on top of him, blushing up a storm with her head placed on his surprisingly toned chest. She quickly popped up and shimmied back to her usual position, leaving Naruto to pick himself up and with a damp shirt, forgetting she was soaked.

"S-Sorry Naruto-kun…..I mean Sensei!" she correctly quickly, giving a slight bow in embarrassment.

Naruto just gave a low; audible chuckled before saying, "Its fine, when we are alone you can call me that."

"O-Oh, okay. Thank you…..Naruto-kun" she said with a smile, looking back down to her newly opened presents.

As he watched her admire her new gifts he couldn't help but get this good, bubbly feeling deep down in his stomach, even though he would never admit it. Everyone who has given a gift to someone they care about knows how wonderful it feels to give them a gift they will cherish forever and looking at how star struck Ayame is, Naruto knew she would do just that.

But, being the typical buzz kill Naruto is, he knew he had to address an issue that Ayame has already forgotten.

He plopped down next to his newly crowned full time apprentice and started off the conversation like he usually does, "You know, I'm not sorry for leaving you out there." with complete bluntness.

"And why not?" she asked, taking her eyes off her prices and looked deadly towards Naruto.

"Because, you need to learn how to do this stuff on your own, I will not always be there to hold your hand." he states firmly, his voice almost like how a teacher would speak to a student.

"Well you must have felt pretty bad, considering you came out and got me instead leaving me out there to "learn" how it feels to have frost bite." She mocked; shivering at the thought of how the cold gripped her with an iron fist.

"I did that because I need you in top condition for our meeting with the rebel leader in 2 days. After I train you in the ways of your new weapons for the bulk of the day tomorrow I will do the same thing again. You will hunt for you own food and make your own shelter." He said sternly, no give in his voice.

"So, you're not even going to tell me how to hunt or where the best please to put my camp is?" she asked, irritation clear in her words as she glared back at Naruto.

"It seemed like you did fine on your own today, you don't need me to babysit you." he said calmly.

"I NEARLY FROZE TO DEATH!" she yelled.

"We are going into the middle of a WARZONE Ayame!" Naruto hissed back, giving his student a hard glare, "do you not understand that you will have to KILL on this trip? Like I said, I will not always be there to protect you. You will have to kill, stab, shot, and do whatever it takes for you to survive, at any cost! I am doing this to toughen you up, this isn't me getting back at you, we don't have time for me to be petty!" He finished with a sigh, seeing the dread that has enter Ayame's eyes.

"I-I…" she tried to speak, but her words were stuck in her throat, keeping down the few words that she never wanted to say. She had to kill another person.

"Look, I might not have explained it in the best of ways but what I said is true. You will have to kill to protect yourself during this mission, so I wanted to toughen you up. Make you a little bit more self-proficient without me having to stand behind you and tell you what to do." he sighed, standing, or at least squatting, and headed for the exit of his tent.

"You can sleep in here tonight, I brought your bag in so you might want to change your clothes, wouldn't want you getting sick." he said solemnly, taking a seat next to the fire pit, leaving Ayame to undress in private.

Minutes turned into hours as Naruto continued to stare at the flame that was slowly dying off, no sleep, not even blinking, just hours of uninterrupted stares. He wondered why Ayame hadn't come out but she probably passed out after taking off her clothes, she did have a stressful day and being told you are going to have to be a murderer really isn't news people take lightly.

He remembered his first kill, he was 6, it was in self-defense, blood everywhere, some even got in his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot as he continued to pound on the corpse with his bruised hands. He didn't even see a face after he was done, it was just a pile of flesh and blood, he had truly killed someone with his bare hands.

As he continued to look back on kills of his rather dark past he didn't hear his apprentice zip open the flap and emerge in her sleep wear. A loose fitting tank top and thin fabric short shorts. She took the empty rock next to Naruto and scooted closer to the fire, still a little cold from her little weather mishap.

"N-Naruto-kun?" she asked, getting the attention of the zoned out snake.

"Ayame-san, what can I do for you?" He asked tiredly, his eyes growing dark bags under them, staying up for that long probably weren't his smartest Idea.

"...I just came out to say…..I'm sorry." she said lowly, really hating the fact that she had to apologize, even though she technically didn't do anything wrong, or at least that's what she thinks in her mind.

"There's no need, you had your reasons to be mad. Besides, I know you're not sorry." he said with a smirk, sliding off his mask to reveal his tired eyes, "no one's ever sorry." While Naruto returned his stare to the fire he didn't notice Ayame's unwavering stare at his face.

"Naruto-kun?" She asked.

"Yeah?" he replayed.

"C-Can I see your face?" she asked, getting the attention of Naruto. He looked over, giving her what she wanted only for her to shake her head. "No, not that one, your real one." which made his eyes widen ever so slightly

"Maybe I heard that wrong" he thought, soon voicing it by saying, "I'm sorry, what?"

"The Hokage told me before I came on this mission that you wore something called a genjutsu to hide your true face. If I'm going to be your apprentice I should start learning everything I need to know about you, right?" She asked, repeating the very words that old coot spoke to her after he divulged Naruto's deepest secret.

"Why in god's name would Jiji do something that stupid!?" He raged in his head as he tried to keep his outer appearance neutral. He locked eyes with Ayame, looking for any form of deception or fear and found none, all that rested in her eyes was anticipation and pure excitement. Apparently she's wanted to see his true face ever since they left Konoha.

"Do you really want to see it Ayame-san?" he asked neutrally, his eyes at half mast so as to not divulge his true feelings, fear of rejection and the pain of losing someone he has come to call a friend.

"Yes, I really do Naruto-kun." she said with a small, tender smile.

He let out a sigh before he released his original genjutsu, reverting back to his snake like features. His sun kissed tan skin was reverted back to his paler than paper complexion while a few new scales appeared on his left cheek. His multi-colored eyes were swapped out with yellow slitted eyes that looked into your very soul, like a predator. And finally, his golden locks were changed to silky smooth white strands that draped down on his head, complete contrast to his original untamed spikes.

"This is the true me, Ayame-san. Nothing more than an imposter wearing the face of a ghost." he said cryptically, keeping his eyes locked on the fire as he waited for the sounds of disguise and rejection.

"S-So, this is your real face?" she asked nervously, her eyes now zoned in on Naruto's transformation. When the Hokage spoke of Naruto hiding his true face she thought it might have just been a few scars he was embarrassed of or a birth defect but never in her wildest dreams did she think this….drastic of a change would be behind that genjutsu.

"Yes, my genjutsu complexion is what I believe I would have looked like at this day in time." he spoke, closing his eyes and taking in a hard drag of air, "now do you see why I kept this a secret? With this face many would never consider me ….. anything other than a monster."

His words snapped Ayame from her daze, "Monster?" she thought, why would anyone consider this face a monsters? Sure, it was rough around the edges and it would take a while to get used to the scales and the different hairdo, but no matter what anyone said she could still see that same Naruto that in one moment can drive her mad but in the next bring happiness and care.

"Y-You're not a monster Naruto-kun. An asshole? Sure, a slave driver? Most definitely, but you're certainly not a monster." She said with sincerity while adding a little comedy to lighten up this rather dull mood.

Naruto just give a lackluster smile and coughed up a dry laugh before saying, "I have to admit, you're more honest than most people I have shown my face too."

"Can I ask you one more question, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Sure, why not."

"How did you become…..you know, this." she said, gesturing to his face as politely as she could.

"One secret at a time my apprentice, one at a time." he smirked, seeing the pout displayed prominently on Ayame's cute little face. He got up and walked towards the firewood pit that he gathered while Ayame was busy with her little home and started to throw a few more twigs and smaller sticks in, not enough to make it roar back to life but enough to keep it alive.

As he got up from the firewood pit he turned to come face to face with Ayame who was actually able to sneak behind him, very impressive.

"Just one more question?" she asked again, getting an irritated eye twitch from Naruto.

"Jeez, I don't like constant questions so make this one your last, understood?" he said threateningly, reverting back to his usual self as he tried to keep hold of the last remnants of a cold image. He wouldn't want his apprentice to think this is an everyday thing now does he?

"When we're alone can you please keep your genjut-whatever off, I want to be trained by the real Naruto." she said with a smile as she raised her hand to his face and cupped his scaly textured cheek, finding the texture actually quite nice.

Naruto's eyes grew considerably from the surprise physical contact, but don't get him wrong, he didn't hate it, it was actually very warm. It was the first time in a long time since someone was brave or foolish enough to touch him, Kurami a month ago and Anko, also a month ago. Ayame, a civilian waitress/cook had more, for lack of a better word, balls to touch Naruto than most people who are registered ninjas.

Naruto gently but forcefully removed her hand from his cheek and said with a neutral resignation, "If you wish, then fine. I will keep my genjutsu off."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun!" she said happily, giving a wide toothy grin towards her new full time sensei. As he looked at her smile he was reminded of what he saw in her, her hope. No matter how hard he smacked her down or tried to break her, she wouldn't budge, she was a strong oak and her hope was what kept her rooted. It was something he believed he once had, but that day was long gone.

"Alright now, go get some sleep. I'm waking you up at 4 in the morning." He said sternly, shooing her towards the tent.

"Wait, its 2:30!" She realized after being pushed through the tent flap, looking at her the clock that rested in the tent.

"Yeah, I guess it is." He said with a numb inflection, "besides, I need you up bright and early if we're going to get some training in and if you complain about it I might just change my mind about helping you out on your first hunting trip."

"Really?!" she squealed, popping her head out of the flap, "you'll actually help me?"

"Yeah, but it's gonna be my type of help and it's only good for one hunt. After this one you're on your own."

She gave one more smile before sliding her head back into the tent. She grabbed her backpack and pulled out a small locket, nothing more than a simple golden, heart-shaped locket that had "love" inscribed into it. She slides her fingernail into the grove on the right side of the small trinket and popped it open with the flick of her thumb to reveal a withered old picture. The picture had rips and tears, the black and white coloring was starting to fade, but no matter how bad the picture was she was still able to see two things. A younger more "fit", if you could see that, image of her father standing next to the spitting image of Ayame with a few wrinkles here and there.

"Momma" she thought tearfully, rubbing her index finger over her mother's picture as a single tear ran down her face. "I wish you were here" she thought once again, gripping the heart shaped locked tightly in her hand as she held it to her chest, "you would know what to do, you would give me an idea of what this feeling is in my heart."

"My heart, it pounds every minute I'm with him mom. It's like a drum that doesn't want to stop beating. When I'm around him…..I get nervous, when I'm away from him I feel empty. Is that weird? I've only known him for a month or two.

And I know what you would say, "You can't pick who you fall in love with" but….is this really love?"

Those thoughts where the only things that ran through her busy head as she drifted off to sleep, she slid from the side of the tent to the padded lining, not even aiming for the unoccupied sleeping bag mere inches in front of her. Her mind and body were too taxed to care.

Two days later: a mile out from the Resistance's main camp

"Oh thank god, we're only a mile out!" Ayame sighed in relief, fumbling behind a moderately paced Naruto.

"You're lucky we kept up a good pacing for the past two mornings. It might have taken us longer." He retorted, recalling all the trials and tribulations they had to go through just to get this far. After Ayame's little talk with her locket, she was woken up about an hour and thirty minutes later by Naruto's loud, military voice barking orders in her sleeping face. After she was verbally abused for a few minutes they packed the gear and headed towards the woods to hunt, this is where Ayame learned that using a bow and arrow wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Flashback:

The scene is sat, both Ayame and Naruto stood on a tree branch giving them a good vantage point for any potential food that walks by this area. Ayame was wearing her usual training attire with a harness around her waist that held her brand new collapsible bow and a few arrows in a Quiver.

"Alright Ayame-san, the first thing you must do is unwrap your Bow." Naruto instructed, turning to his student who had her bow in her hand. She gripped the designated handle and began to survey the weapon, wondering what button or what odd switch was she supposed to press to open this damn thing.

"Use your wrist, it's a force activated weapon." he said tiredly, watching his student fiddle with it for up to five minutes.

"Force activated?" she asked, flipping the thing around and around to find what the hell he was talking about.

"Here, let me show you." he said, gesturing for her to just give him the silly weapon. She handed it over to her sensei who slides his hand into the proper area and used a forward jerk of his hand to pop the mechanisms holding the bow's interworking outwards and into place, allowing the bow to finally flap open to its full glory.

"Wow, this weapon is truly amazing Naruto-kun!" she said, still star struck at the beautiful craftsmanship to create such a delicate but deadly weapon like this one. As she continued to admire the weapon she was soon surprised when Naruto reclosed it and tossed it back to her. "Now you do it, and what did I tell you about calling me Naruto-kun in public? It's Naruto-sensei or sensei, that's it."

"Sorry," she murmured, looking over the refolded bow once again to find the proper placing, "you know, if you would have just opened it and gave me it this wouldn't be taking so damn long!" she thought angrily, finally finding the proper position and copied her sensei's forward jerk only for the mechanisms to stay in place.

"What the?" she asked, trying out the thrust one more time only for the bow to stay the same. "Come on you piece of crap, work!"

"It's not just a piece of metal you wail around Ayame-san!" Naruto yelled, causing her frantic flailing to seize, "you have to use the right amount of force, not enough and it will lock, too much and the bow might hurt you when it opens up. Keep your mind focused and your arm relaxed that is how will open the bow."

"Awe, poor Ayame-Chan, she's like a cute little puppy. You should be nicer to her Naru-kun, it's not every day someone actually WANTS to hang out with you….except for me of course." Kurami chimed in sweetly, using Naruto's eyes to see the struggling Ayame.

About a month ago, after their little late night chat, Naruto started to get serious about the remaining pieces of Orochimaru's alabret seal on his gut, keeping Kurami away from experiencing the world through his eyes. So, using all the down time he had between D ranked missions, training Ayame, and training himself, he was finally able to break off enough pieces of the seal to allow Kurami a little bit more freedom. She is now able to see through his eyes from anytime of the day, with Naruto's permission of course, but, thanks to the last bit of seal still present on the original she is deaf to the outside world.

But no matter, she would rather see than to hear, hearing leaves many things to the imagination and Kurami has a wild imagination. Thanks to her new window on the outside world she has been able to see Anko and Ayame for the first time.

As she thought, Anko was nothing more than a showboating skank who draws attention only from her flashy clothes or lack there off. "The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she flaunts, or the way she combs her hair. The true beauty is seen through their eyes and their attitude." Kurami screamed the first time she saw Anko's appalling clothing choice, but it wasn't all about her fashion sense. She didn't like how she funned on Naruto one minute and then threw him away the next, hell she didn't even talk to him the whole month she was able to see her, she just stood there like a statue. The nerve of that woman! Getting her man's attention then just dropping it like it was nothing more than garbage, even just thinking about it made Kurami growl. Sure, most would think of this as a good thing but not Kurami, she's glade Anko lost interest but the way she lost it was unacceptable.

But when she saw Ayame that was a different story entirely, Kurami saw no threat in the little civilian girls "precious" attempts of taking her Naru-kun away from her. Before you ask, yes, she was able to spot Ayame's infatuation with Naruto since the moment she saw her. He blushes, her cute little stutter, her awkward attempts at physical contact, it was actually rather cute to watch.

"I have to make sure she is strong, Kurami-chan. If I don't she'll die out there." Naruto sighed, looking at his fumbling student as she continued to try and open it with force.

"Awe, your worry over her like she was your little sister, It's so cute!" she giggled, completely blind to the growing rival for her man's love.

"Sshhhhhh Kurami-chan! I have to focus on training my apprentice," Naruto said comically, a very light blush appeared on his features; thank god Ayame or Kurami didn't notice.

"Awe, you're no fun Naru-kun," she said with a pout, cutting their link but kept her front row seat to the hilarious failure of Ayame.

"Okay, mind's open and arms lose. Let's do this," she said with a confident glare towards her weapon of choose as she gives it one more hard thrust, hoping this one was it. Low and behold the mechanisms that lined the weapon finally clicked open, allowing the individual pieces of her bow to fall into place and aligned perfectly into its proud bow form, but of course, nothing was ever that easy. Naruto neglected to mention the kickback the taut bow string created when it is strung so quickly in a fluid motion. So, one moment she is crouched on a tree branch, next she is falling backwards and crashing to the ground, thankfully she founded a soft landing in a pile of leaves.

"Good job Ayame-san." He congratulated, giving credit where credit is due, "now get back up here, that was the easy part." He said with a cocky smile.

"I hate you," she huffed, looking up to Naruto's scaly features with a glare that could kill, "so, so much."

"Awe, that's adorable. Now, get your ass up here, we don't have all day." He barked his order, getting Ayame to slowly get to her feet and climb back up the massive tree trunk until she was back on her perch.

Once she got in a comfortable position she goes for one of the arrows in her quiver, only to be stopped by her sensei's words, "what are you doing?" he asked, getting her attention.

"Getting an arrow, I can't really shot without it." She responded sarcastically.

"Not without this you're not," He argued, holding up a broad strip of thin leather with four straps that interlocked with each other.

"What's that?" she asked, confused at what a piece of leather is going to help her training experience.

"It's an arm guard, it's essential to wear when you're shooting bows for a long period of time." He said, tossing the leather strap to his student, "now put it on."

"Okay fine, it's on now. Can I start shooting or do you have a matching vest for me to wear?" she asked sarcastically, only to see Naruto produce another leather vest that he quickly wrapped around her chest, "Ah come on! I'm not going into battle, what the hell is this for sensei!?"

"The arm guard is from bow string whiplash, it's a very taut and strong string that can hurt you terribly if you don't have some protection." He said with the voice of a teacher schooling a student. "As for the vest, it's to protect your breast." Once he finished that sentence he was greeted with a hard and well-placed smack that echoed through the empty forest.

"You are a freaking perverted, sensei!" She yelled, using her hands to cover up her already covered up breasts.

"Not like that, baka!" Naruto hissed as he crack the girl over the head, leaving a lump on her noggin, "you have to pull the bow all the way back to your chest, meaning once you let go of the string it could nick your chest. Sure the first few times probably wouldn't hurt but over time it will begin to hurt and in the long run you don't want that to happen, right?"

"R-Right sensei," she said, nodding at the logic but not admitting her reaction was a little overboard. "That's his fault for talking about my breasts!"

"Alright, since I'm all dressed up can I shoot some arrows now?" she asked in anticipation, really wanting to try out her new weapon, "If you wish," was all she heard before she dug into her quiver as quickly as possible to pull out one of her broad head arrows.

"Okay…..how do I shot this?" she asked.

Naruto just sighed, looking to his eager student with a small smile, he was happy to see she was actually excited about learning this, "first off, point the bow and arrow towards the ground." He ordered, getting an immediate response from Ayame.

"Next, place the shaft of the arrow on the arrow rest," he couched, rising from his lazy slouched posture against the tree and scotched towards Ayame to make sure she had it right.

"Like this?" she asked, showing her sensei where she put the arrow's shaft.

"Yeah, next use your first three fingers to hold the arrow in place, like this." He said, holding up his hand to show his index finger is slightly spaced, allowing the arrow's butt to rest in-between the index and the other two. She quickly followed his lead and locked the butt of the arrow in place with her first three fingers.

"Good, now just pull back and let see how it looks." He said neutrally, watching as his student raised her bow and tried to pull back, key word was tried. Her first attempt ended in a loud grunt with no results, her second try was quite similar, same with the third, the fourth, and the twenty-seventh.

"This is going to take longer than I thought."

Flashback end:

After that uneventful hunting session Naruto decided to strengthen Ayame's arms up….by forcing her to carry 100 pounds on each arm for the remainder of the trip. She was ordered to wear them non-stop, when she was eating, when she's sleeping, hell, even when she's pissing, Naruto was going to make damn sure she was strong enough to use that bow come hell or high water.

As they continued walking Naruto began to recall the landscape around him, meaning they were definitely in Kirigakure territory. "Ayame-san," Naruto spoke, getting the attention of his tired apprentice, "I want you to put on your mask we just entered Kirigakure territory."

"Hai, Naruto-sensei," She nodded, stopping for a moment to fish out the mask she had hidden in her pack. She pulled it out and wiggled it on, binding her natural brunette hair in the bald cap attached to the mask while the fake, fur like hair that Naruto attached to the mask replaced it, coming down to her upper back.

"Also, I will address you as Cheshire for the remainder of the mission, understood?" he asked, even though his question seemed more like an order.

"Cheshire, Why Cheshire?" She asked, questioning why he would consider that name while she tried to situate the strap on the back of her head which kept the mask and her wig in place.

"I based your mask on a storybook creature known as the Cheshire Cat." He explained as he slid on his mask and hood while reactivating his genjutsu.

"Okay but why are you going to call me that? Why not just Ayame?" she asked once again, getting a sigh from her master.

"Because if anything happens I don't want you or your family in danger."

"Oh come on, I don't think the Mizukage is so vindictive that he would target a civilians family, would he?"

"…You would be surprised at what the Mizukage will and will not do…he is a monster incarnate….."

Mizukage's Base of Operations:

"Mizukage-sama," a lowly grunt announced, walking into the main tent that the Mizukage stood in. The small man that holds the title of Mizukage turned slightly to get a glimpse of who dares interrupt his train of thought.

"What is it you worm, I am a very busy man and I don't have time for delays" he said menacingly, his words dripping with venom and hatred.

"O-Our scout team picked up two unidentified individuals entering our borders from the east. It seems like they are heading towards the Rebel base." The grunt murmured meekly, truly petrified of the man who was an inch in a half shorter than him.

The Mizukage finally turned around, giving the grunt his full attention, "well, I guess we better send our new guests a little present, shouldn't we?" he said with a sickly sweet smirk.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy, sorry it took me so long, I've been dealing with a lot of things and I haven't really had the time or the drive to write.