Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor any of the characters, beside the main OC. All credit for creating this amazing series goes to Mr. Kishimoto

EDITED: 26th January 2013

Author's note:

1) ACADEMY: I've wondered a lot of times, how many years does the Academy exactly last? I don't think it's specified neither in the manga nor in the anime. Anyway, I decided to make it four years. Another problem there: Naruto failed the exam three times and yet graduated alongside the other rookies who also happen to have the same age. ? Therefore he probably started earlier, right?

In this story he started Academy at six. He attempted the exam when he was ten, then when he was eleven – just before the prologue in fact. I assumed he simply joined the class of the other rookies under Iruka-sensei after the first failure, before attempting the exam another time. Since he is friend with Akimi, he will actually wait another two years of courses before attempting the third time. So both Akimi and Naruto start here the third year of Academy, i.e. the second to last.

2) HINATA: In this story, Hinata plays a very minor part. In fact, she isn't the age of the other rookies. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against her. I think she is an all right character, but she just doesn't fit in the story. This way I can get the three original rookie teams, without having to make it four, which would cause to create at least three other OCs. It would just be... troublesome. I personally like the way Sakura has developed during the series, especially in Shippūden, so I could not "cancel" her. (nobody else would really suit as Tsunade's apprentice anyway). Ino is a part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, so I could not "cancel" her either. Therefore Hinata was the one to go. I may use her once I arrive to Shippuden (if I arrive there), but nothing is certain.

ACADEMY YEARS

December, 29th 211

"Well, how did it go?" Naruto asked from the kitchen.

Akimi entered into the room, smiling. She shrugged. "It was like... easy?" she said. "Easier than I excepted, really. I asked Umino-sensei if I needed to learn the katas of the Academy Style and he said no. Thank the Kami, it would have been a total drag doing it."

"Did you just say drag?" Naruto laughed. "You spend too much time with Shika."

"Maybe so, but he is good at shogi and I do like myself a challenge. He is quite the amazing strategist. I think we should play him together. I'm tired to see his smug face when he wins."

"You are just a sore loser." Naruto said. "Come on, dinner is ready."

They were busy eating, when Naruto stopped suddenly. "So, I was thinking..."

"That's usually not a good sign."

"Funny. Very funny."

"What were you thinking about?"

"You know, the golden rule... deception is a shinobi greatest weapon." She looked at him with a "no kidding look". "So, you know how you asked me to drop the orange..."

"Yeah, the kill me orange." she said. "You can have some orange, but that is just... not ninja like."

"I know, I know..." Naruto smirked. "But I still have two years of the Academy, right. And I ought to enjoy myself while I have the time."

Akimi tilted her head. "So you are not going to drop the orange... yet."

"Yeah. Nor am I going to drop the mask." Naruto sighed. "You know how people are generally biased towards me."

Kaera growled, while Akimi herself clenched her fist. The girl was usually very controlled and everything, but man she was protective. He had had to stop her from going on a rampage on his account. More than once.

"Yeah, well, I don't want them to accuse me of cheating and stuff. It would be easier if I stay the dobe I used to be." he said. "Plus it's going to be a great prank. Imagine our jōnin instructor! They will expect me to be a dobe and then... puff, I'm going to kick their ass because they'll underestimate me."

Akimi actually smiled at this. "So you are going to act." She raised an eyebrow. "You're sure you can withstand it?"

"Sure." Naruto shrugged. "You are going to help me to remember that I am not my mask. We'll keep training and everything... in our spare time."

"If you say so."

"Well, it's not like you are going to show everyone what you really can do."

"Yeah, I'll downplay it a little, but there is no way I'm going to let those... those fan girls be better than me!"

Naruto chuckled. Akimi had made the acquaintance of the most remarkable members of their year. Or more like, Kaera had. Akimi had sent her trusty tiger out to fish for information. When she learned of Sasuke Uchiha and his cohort of fan girls she had been disgusted. By the fan girls. Fan girls who dared call themselves kunoichi.

"Do me a favor?" Naruto asked.

"Sure." Akimi smiled.

"Kick Sasuke's ass for me."

She laughed. "I think that can be arranged. I may become the first female rookie of the year, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you can totally pull it off."

January, 3rd 212

Naruto, in his usual bright orange suit, stood on a branch, up the trees in front of the Academy, Akimi on his left. She was reading a book. No big surprise here, she was always reading unless she was A) training, B) sleeping, or C) having a very serious discussion. It truly was her outlet. She buried herself into her books whenever she felt sad, guilty, anxious or bored.

She had a great multi-tasking ability, so it was actually cool.

"I'm already bored."

"Four hours, sitting at a table while having to say still. It will be torture for you." Akimi deadpanned.

"Thank you for reminding me." Naruto groaned. "This is going to be... hell."

"You are maybe..." Akimi started, raising her hand her and distancing her index from her thumb. "A little, tiny bit melodramatic. The Academy isn't going to kill you." she turned a page.

"Well, I suppose I can train my stealth and trapping skills by pranking around."

"Just don't prank me."

"I don't really have a death wish."

Akimi giggled. "Shall we go then?" she asked. "Most of our classmates are already there."

"Have they...?"

"Yes, the fan girls have arrived and have already fought over the seats near Uchiha-san, so we should be fine."

"Let's go then." Naruto exclaimed, throwing a punch in the air. The two jumped down and entered the building.

There were more than 30 people in the class. But only eight really shined among them. (Both in good and bad ways of course). There was Naruto of course, but she knew plenty about him. Akimi knew Naruto the best, just as he knew her the best. That's what happens when you live and train together for months. For the other seven... reconnaissance had been in order. So, yeah, she had sneaked into the Academy's Archives. It was not her fault the security in the place sucked. Maybe she should tell that to the Sandaime. Well, whatever. Then, she sent Kaera to spy on the most interesting ones. Now, entering in the class, she observed her targets. Who goes first?

Sitting in the first row was the brilliant, dark and mysterious Uchiha Sasuke, rookie of the year, accredited genius of the shinobi arts, and magnet to fan girls. Naruto had claimed him as a rival, jealous of his fame, but his summer with Akimi had actually cancelled that rivalry. He was still going to act like it still mattered though.

Sasuke was only the first of a long series of clan heirs. There was Chōji Akimichi, a chubby, goodhearted boy with a passion for chips. He had probably the greatest physical strength of the bunch, but lacked confidence. He always hung out with Nara Shikamaru – the lazy genius. Despite his intellect, in fact, Shikamaru was the second last in the class (thanks to Naruto's pitiful performances). Almost as intelligent as him and even more mysterious than Sasuke, was Shino Aburame, who was always dressed in a green jacket, whose collar was up and hiding his face. He always wore sunglasses and was second in the class overall. Lastly there was Ino Yamanaka. Tall and with a lean form, blond hair, blue eyes... she was the most beautiful girl in the class and quite the powerful budding kunoichi... had it not been for her fan girl tendencies. Same could be said for the "kunoichi of the year", a Sakura Haruno. She was a civilian, which per se was amazing, displayed very good intelligence and an almost perfect chakra control. She was also Naruto's long-term crush. She had pink hair and violent tendencies and a very high-pitched voice, Akimi noted, since she was busy declaring her undying love for Sasuke.

The last one on her list was the loud and arrogant Kiba Inuzuka, second best in taijutsu (After Sasuke) and always accompanied by the trusty Akamaru, which granted him great potential as a tracker. He was the second child of the Inuzuka clan's head Tsume.

Akimi actually raised her eyes from her book on Fūinjutsu – she was going to break down the bloody seal on Naruto's stomach – and looked at the girl with a scornful gaze. 'That is pitiful. Does she even train at all? Physically, she looks like your average civilian.'

"... Sasuke-kun, will you have lunch with me? I prepared it yesterday afternoon."

"Hn."

"No, Sasuke-kun is mine!" Ino shouted. "Hands off, forehead."

"Ah, Ino-pig, you always ruin everything!"

The two girls started to shout at each other, while Akimi sweat dropped. 'That's even worse than I thought possible...' "Are they always like this?" she whispered, turning to her book.

Naruto sighed. "They are quite calm right now. Look, there are free places near Shika and Chōji."

"Let's sit down. Iruka-sensei is coming anyway."

"Yo!" Naruto exclaimed, popping down behind Chōji, in the last row. Akimi sat down beside him, behind Shikamaru, who was asleep on the table. (No kidding there)

"Hi, munch, Naruto, munch, Akimi." the boy saluted. "How is it, munch, going?"

Akimi raised her eyes and smiled at him. "It's a fine morning, thank you." she returned to her book.

"I'm in the last place I want to be. School is such an evil place, Chōji." Naruto whined. "And don't mind mi-chan. She isn't very social. Ow. Why did you do that?" exclaimed the blonde, massaging his shin. The girl could kick, damn it.

"Don't speak of me like I weren't here. It's rude."

He mumbled something in response, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Ehi, guys!" a loud voice said. "Chōji, Shika, Naruto... gorgeous." A loud bark followed.

They all answered.

"Inuzuka-san" Akimi said, without raising her eyes. "Akamaru-kun."

"Nani? I'm san and my dog is kun?"

"I like animals." the girl said. "Mmm. That is interesting." she suddenly took out a scroll and did a hand sign making a small leather book appear. She then took out a pen and opened the book, taking some quick notes.

"Right, Akimi-chan is in her studious mode now, it's better to just ignore her." Naruto exclaimed. This time he managed to block her kick. "Fooled you." His smirked soon faded away. "Damn it, that is mean, Akimi-chan!" The girl had sent some Katon chakra into him upon contact and it stung a lot.

"Uh?" she asked, raising her head as if in confusion. "What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"

"Ahahaha." Kiba laughed. "Do you call the baka -kun because he is an animal too?"

Silence. Kiba trembled at the burning look in the girl's eyes. Akamaru whined. Akimi slowly put her book on the table. "You are going to regret that, Inuzuka-san." she said, with a glare. "Unfortunately, it will have to wait."

"Silence, class!" Iruka had arrived. "Today we will begin reviewing last year's Syllabus. But first, we have a new student who has joined us. Akimi, if you would rise, please."

"Hello, mina-san." she bowed.

"Care to tell us a little about yourself, Akimi?" Iruka asked, with a smile.

"Yes. Of course. My name is Katora Akimi. I arrived in the village three months ago – more or less. My likes include reading, my familiar Kaera and my friends. My dislikes include rudeness and many other things. Yeah, that's all." and she abruptly sat down.

"Thank you, Akimi, now, does any of you remember where we left off in our lessons about Konoha's history? Anyone?" Iruka asked. "Ok, Sakura, please go ahead."

The first day at the Academy finished. Many things had changed, yet many remained the same. Naruto had been reprimanded a lot of times, had pranked the two sensei and gotten his ass kicked by Sasuke. On the other hand, Akimi became the new focus of the class. Guys thought she was both strange and pretty and at least she didn't scream or punch like Sakura and Ino. She did kick Kiba's ass in taijutsu practice, though, after their name had mysteriously come out together. Those who heard her promise of vengeance were seriously scared of her now. She had also brilliantly answered every question the teachers asked her.

Naruto had realized how difficult it was to act all day. He was mentally exhausted once he and Akimi arrived home.

"Well, on the bright side, it's a great training for undercover missions." Akimi gave him a cup of hot chocolate. "But you don't have to do it, you know."

Naruto shrugged. "No, it's fine, dattebayo. Being smart would be much more difficult. Everyone would expect you to be at top and everything..."

"Well, if you say so." Akimi smiled at him. "Iruka-sensei did yell at you pretty badly."

"I glued him to his chair." Naruto smirked. "An old trick, and overused, but priceless."

Akimi giggled. "And that only on the first day. You are going to make his hair white by the time we graduate."

April, 13th 212

That morning Iruka had introduced the class to Bunshins. When his attempt came, Naruto had produced the usual grey looking clones, even though they did manage to move this time. Both Sasuke and Akimi had the Jutsu down perfectly. The two were the true new rivals of the class. Or better, they were like Naruto and Sasuke reversed. Sasuke wanted to fight and defeat Akimi, and she honestly didn't care a bit about the last Uchiha. They were tied for best student of the class, though, which was quite surprising, especially for the Sasuke fan club's stupor (but not for Naruto).

"Right, what's bugging you?" Akimi asked, after she managed to punch him square in the chest. Naruto usually would have never been so distracted. "You have been out of it since this morning. You almost fell two or three times."

They were sparring on the pond. They always did so since they had mastered the exercise.

"The Bunshin." Naruto said. "It wasn't a deception. I still can't do it."

"Your chakra control has greatly improved. I mean, we are standing on water." Akimi frowned. "I can't believe it's still not enough to do it. I'll look into more advanced exercises... in the meantime we should try to multi task again. Like you could meditate sat on water while balancing a leaf on your forehead."

Naruto sighed. "Could work." he shrugged.

"Cheer up." Akimi smiled. "It's not like you to give up, right?"

"I just don't get it, 'mi-chan. I can feel my improvement in everything else. I'm about to complete the leaf cutting exercise. My Fūton Jutsu are coming along great. I can even feel how much easier is to perform Kawarimi and Henge, but the Bunshin..."

She sat on the water. "Maybe we can figure out a shortcut, even though you should still work on mastering Bunshin. I think there are some kinds of elemental Bunshin who require more chakra to work."

"Which elements?"

"Not wind and fire. You can imagine how difficult it would be to create them. To control them. No. I've read about Mizu and Tsuchi. Water and Earth. Well, I'll look into it."

"They are obviously stronger, dattebayo."

"Duh. They are solid, 'to-kun. They have usually a tenth of the original's strength. If not overcharged."

"Well, it could work." Naruto kicked the water. "But it still bugs me I can't do the regular Bunshin."

"Maybe you should try to create more than one or three Bunshin. Go overboard, for once."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "That is so obvious. Why didn't I think of that before, dattebayo!?" Naruto grinned and went through the required signs. "Bunshin no Jutsu."

A huge cloud of smoke covered them, making Akimi cough. Then she gaped. "That is... unbelievable."

There were Naruto's everywhere. On the tree, on the ground, on the river, on the pound. There were hundreds of them. And they were exactly copies of him. "Whoa, I'm about to have an orange overdose."

"I did it, dattebayo!" Naruto laughed happily. Then he looked around. It was kind of extreme. "Well, maybe I can work my way down to a more normal number?"

"Good idea. But if not, this will certainly grant you graduation!" Akimi hugged him. "Congratulation."

He hugged her back. "It's all thanks you, 'mi-chan. It's all thanks to you."

"Nonsense. You did all the work, I only guided you." she smiled. "You know, I think I'll still look into other Bunshins..."

"Yep. Solid clones would be totally awesome."

May, 5th 212

It was Naruto's turn to make breakfast. He was worried about Akimi. She barely ate these days. Something was bugging her. "Should I push her to confide in me, or wait?" His doubt faded when he saw her. She was pale and had dark bags under her eyes.

"'mi-chan?" he softly asked.

She dropped on a chair, her gaze lost into nothingness.

"Akimi, you are making me worry." Naruto said, turning off the gas. He got near her, putting a hand on her shoulder. He squeezed a little. "What is it?"

Akimi's head fell between her shoulders. "Nightmares." she mumbled.

Naruto had a flash of when he first met her and the chilly scream that woke him up. 'I bet she put privacy seals around her room. Crafty, 'mi-chan, really crafty.' "How long?"

"A week... I usually have them only now and then, but right now it's kind of a bad period."

"How so?"

"My parents died at the start of May. Memories get stronger and... it always happens."

"Yeah, but you had your grandfather before, had you not?"

"I suppose that's making it worse." Akimi nodded, looking tiredly at him. "I'm sorry I got you worried."

"You should have told me." Naruto put also his other hand on her shoulders. "If it happens again wake me up, right?"

"Naruto-kun..."

"I insist." Naruto smiled at her. "Now, screw Academy for today. We'll stay home, ok?"

"I..." she sighed. "... fine."

"Good." Naruto nodded. "That's how things go, 'mi-chan. We are friends, and we take care of each other. Come on, now, let's get you to bed."

And with a squeal of protest on her part, Naruto took her in his arm and brought her to her room bridal style.

Akimi spent the next few days in a quiet haze. Naruto dotted on her and shadowed her, studying her every move. It was kind of frustrating at times, but it worked. Eventually, she opened up to him, cried a little – Naruto never thought he would ever see her cry, and it was an unsettling experience. He hated to see her in tears and he swore he would try his best to prevent this to happen again.

Soon, Akimi was back to her usually knowing, sarcastic and impassable self. Nobody but the two kids really realized something had happened, but they could see their bond was even deeper than before.

June, 28th 212

Naruto was outside practicing taijutsu. It was almost sunset, but he had a lot of stamina and wanted to exhaust himself in order to meditate a little. (He was seeing how much easier it was to focus and use chakra thanks to the boring exercise). Then he heard the scream. An exited, elated scream.

Akimi had discovered something interesting.

Last time it happened, she had figured out how to make resistances seals, which were quite difficult. She was fairly certain she was now at least at level 5, if not 6 in Fūinjutsu. Naruto was coming along nicely and was around level 3. He was a natural at sealing, but he lacked the discipline in doing the brush strokes correctly. He doubts he could use Fūinjutsu in battle efficiently. Akimi could though. End of digression.

"'mi-chan, what's up?"

Akimi was... jumping in the library. Even Kaera was watching her with wide eyes. And the two were telepathically connected, so...

"Naruto-kun, come here! Read this." she exclaimed. "I think I have just discovered our key to success."

The boy was puzzled. "I thought you were researching clones, dattebayo. They would be a great support, but..."

"Read the bloody scroll, Naruto-kun!"

"Yes, yes. Geez, calm down, woman!" he ducked her fists, reading the scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. B-rank, supplementary. Regular seal for Bunshin and a special cross sign illustrated below. This jutsu is a particular clone jutsu which evenly splits the chakra of the user among the clones it creates. The clones are a construct of chakra and are solid exact copies of the original. As such, they can use techniques, weapons and can even bleed. They are dispelled by a heavy hit or upon the user's command. This is a very dangerous technique due to the risk of chakra draining. Don't attempt to create too many clones, you may die. Heavy usage can cause passing out or even death. Ps: since the clones are exact copies of the original, they share the memories of their experiences upon dispelling. This rends the technique very useful for espionage purpose, but if overused can cause brain damage frominformation overload"

"Sugoi! Solid clones that can use jutsu, dattebayo!? But is it safe? It's a forbidden technique... how do you have it, anyway?"

"Sandaime-sama taught it to gramps." she smirked. "It was a specialty of his when he was young. Can't you see how golden this is?"

"You think I can use this without problems because of my massive reserves?"

"Indeed." Akimi smirked. "And you gain everything they learned."

Naruto's eyes shined. "This is fucking awesome."

"Yeah... language, Naruto-kun!"

He ignored her scolding. "Will you be able to use it?"

She smiled. "Not as heavily as you." Akimi rubbed her chin. "I have to figure out what is the minimum quantity of chakra required to create one functional clone. If I don't have it, I'll have to build up my stamina."

"Yeah, but if your clone only has a minimum of chakra will it be useful to you?"

Akimi smirked again. "They are exact copies of the original, with the same abilities."

"Uh. Uh." Naruto jumped in excitement. "So you think that they... like you?"

"Yes. It is very likely." Akimi rubbed her hands. "This is so going to boost my Fūinjutsu training." she laughed manically.

Naruto sweat dropped. "Don't do that. It's scary."

"Come on, Naruto-kun, why don't you try the technique? If I see how it's done I'll have a basis for my calculations."

"You see, I'll have this jutsu down in no time, dattebayo!"

June, 30th 212

"This is..." Akimi was gaping. "... this should not be possible."

Once again, the training grounds were covered in orange clad Naruto. Actually, there were less of them this time, but it was not less impressive, since these were... Kage Bunshin.

"I think this is my new favorite Jutsu." one Naruto – the original she assumed – screamed. "It's awesome!"

There was a chorus of "Dattebayo" from all the clones.

"Err... Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Akimi-chan?" they all bellowed at once.

She almost winced. 'I think I've created a monster. My head is going to hurt for a long time. I basically dug my own grave... Wow, Naruto's melodramatic ways have rubbed off me.' "Maybe you could talk one at time, please?"

"Sure!" one said, jumping in front of her.

"Are you the real one?"

"Maybe."

"Cut it off. I can punch you and see it from myself." she spat.

He raised his hands in surrender. "It's me."

"Yeah, good... do you feel tired?" He shook his head. "Dizzy? Do you have any chakra burnings?"

"I feel fine."

"Yeah, do you understand that any normal person would be passed out on the ground after dividing their chakra so many times?" 'Or more likely dead...'

"I've read on my family scrolls that the Uzumaki had always had a very powerful chakra and longevity. Do you suppose is a kekkai genkai?"

"Could be. It would explain lots of things." Akimi nodded. "Right, Naruto-kun, I don't want you to use more than 100 clones in training. And have them do only few things. Say, a quarter work in chakra control, a quarter on jutsu and so on. If you aren't careful, the information overload will knock you out and maybe damage your brain as well."

"Got it, dattebayo." Naruto smiled. "Half of you, dispel!" They did so, creating a cloud of smoke. He groaned. "It's a little confusing..."

"All right there, boss?" the nearest Naruto shouted.

"Yeah." he rubbed his head. "All right. Divide in group of ten. First one, meditate on the pond and try to balance a leaf on your forehead. Second one, on the leaf exercise. Third, try to climb the waterfall. Fourth, practice our calligraphy. Fifth, go with Akimi-chan to study whatever books or scrolls she gives you. Then I want a group of twenty to work on our wind jutsu. The rest of you, with me. You get to throw weapons. I'll be the target, dattebayo."

"You are crazy, 'to-kun." Akimi smiled. "Be careful, clones dispel if their chakra runs out. And you should make them dispel in smaller groups." He nodded, before leaping away. 'Yet, I somehow doubt he listened to me.' "Well, you lucky studious ones, come with me."

Akimi smiled as she reached the library. "Right, I think it's best if you focus on one topic. Actually, you could learn a part of a book, so that upon dispelling you won't give the original too much information. How does it work, exactly, can you tell me what the original is thinking?"

"We share the boss' memory up until the moment he created us." one said.

"Oh, I see. Tell me, is there anything you want to study, specifically?"

"Uh, no? We are here only because boss ordered us."

"Of course." Akimi snorted. "We'll start with these two books. They are a compendium of etiquette rules and a basic history of the five Great Nations. They will start you on the deeply complex and delightful concept of diplomacy. Divide the book among yourself."

"How?"

Akimi tilted her head. "Do you have enough chakra to split in two?"

"Sure, dattebayo."

"Right, catch." she said to one clone, throwing a book.

He did so.

"Now duplicate, keep the book on you"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Another Naruto appeared. He held an exact copy of the book in hand.

"Sugoi! You are a genius, Akimi-chan!"

The girl shook her head. "Duplicate until you have enough books. Then half of you will dispel, so only ten will actually read." she turned. "I'm going to the Vault. Behave."

She heard an explosion from the grounds. She sighed. 'Well, maybe in this way Naruto-kun will exhaust his seemingly infinite energy.'

It was not so surprising, for Akimi, to found a passed out Naruto on the grounds that evening. "He forgot to make them dispel in little groups, didn't he?" she asked Kaera. The silver tiger had watched over the boy all afternoon.

"Meow."

"Yeah, I thought so. He does push himself too much, at times." Akimi kneeled down, putting a hand on his forehead. "He'll be fine tomorrow morning. I think I need to learn how to make our clan's special soldier pills. They will come in handy."

Akimi's sensorial abilities had greatly improved. As it turned out, she did develop them a little even without Kaera constant input. It was an effect of the bond. Kaera herself had an incredible easy time using basic fire manipulation, which granted her a little more of attack prowess.

"Thanks for watching over him, Kaera-chan. I shall not keep you for your explorations any longer." The little feline was more curious than a group of gossiping women. Thank the Kami, Akimi had learned how to filter their connection, or her head would be filled of a lot of useless information.

The tiger mewed again, and then leaped away.

Akimi smiled at Naruto's unconscious form. "Right, let's get you inside, 'to-kun."

July, 1st 212

"So how do you feel?" Akimi asked, sipping her morning tea.

"Like someone pounded on my head. Repeatedly. But it's getting better."

"Next time you will remember to dispel them little by little?"

"You bet." Naruto gave her a thumb up. "I learned my lesson. Thanks for getting me to bed, by the way."

"You owe me. You're heavy." Akimi yawned. "On the bright side, I think I'll try to make one clone as well today, after Academy. And you will take it easy today."

"Fine by me. I think I should reduce the number of clones for the time being. Getting used to this information overload thingy."

"Good idea." Akimi nodded. "How did it go, anyway? Did it work?"

"Look." he produced a leaf, smirking. Then he proceeded to cut it in half.

Akimi whistled. "You got it down in little more than half a year. This is very impressive."

"How is your second stage coming around, anyway?"

Akimi shrugged. "I'm simply using more power, the principles are the same. I think the first step is the more difficult one, because you have to learn how the element feels and behaves. Then it's all a matter of power and control. I can burn down half of the log in one go. It'll get better." The next Katon manipulation involved burning a far sized log with only one steady flame. It required much more chakra in terms of raw power.

"What do you think I should do now, 'mi-chan?"

"Try to create cutting wind without the medium of leaf, first." Akimi said. "Then use it to cut objects of various dimensions. Logs, boulders, eventually metal. Then you can go to the next stage."

"The waterfall cutting. That will be difficult." he nodded. "What will you do when you finish this stage?"

"I have much more to learn. Naruto-kun, my family has pushed the limit of fire manipulation beyond normal. I have so many exercises to master. Next one would be melting metal. Then there will be controlled heating."

"Which is?"

"Basically I'll use a branch full of leaves, for starters. My goal is to burn the log without burning the leaves." Akimi explained. "Is the ultimate control exercise for Katon. It will allow me to use jutsu easily in battle without fearing to hurt my comrades."

Naruto nodded. "That would be... scary."

"Yeah." Akimi nodded. "My clan spent years to develop this technique. So I really don't know further control exercises for wind."

"Maybe I'll figure out something myself." Naruto shrugged. "I may already have a couple of ideas, but they'll have to wait. My priority is now to have enough control over wind to include it in my taijutsu style. I could call it the Cutting Eight Limbs Style."

"How very theatrical of you." Akimi giggled. "It will be actually a devastating style, once you master it, especially considered your stamina."

Naruto's eyes shined. "They won't know what hit them."

"Indeed. Indeed."

School Pause, October – December 212

The Shadow Clone training would greatly help Akimi and Naruto during the Academy, since it allowed them to train while they were also attending lessons. Naruto loved how extraordinary the jutsu was for pranking. When the break arrived, though, it became even better.

The Shadow Clone training had boosted Naruto's strength in an almost incredible way. Of course, the boy did feel like he was cheating a little, so he mostly used them to read – he was trying to catch up with Akimi – and to keep his chakra control at an acceptable level.

Akimi used them as well. She knew it would be years before she could effectively use them in battle, but she could manage to do three without passing out. Of course the three copies almost had no chakra, but thanks to her kekkai genkai it was cool. Akimi actually didn't think of the thing as a blood limit, it was more a result of the deep connection between her family and fire. As a fire burns brightly so long as it has fuel, so did Akimi's chakra. She could use emotions and meditation to boost the regeneration of her chakra reserves. The downside was that she had to work much harder than your average ninja to increase her chakra stamina. However, returning to her Shadow Clones, she simply made them and had them meditate for a couple of hours. Then she had them study scrolls and Fūinjutsu – especially Fūinjutsu – and eventually she had them working on chakra control and jutsu. She wanted to be able to use her D-rank jutsu only with the tiger seal, while she had already master the E rank tricks to a point where she didn't need hand seals to do them.

She was particularly interested in one ability that the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu had, which was to reproduce the exact equipment of the original. She didn't have the stamina to do complete clones in battle, but what if she could simply replicate her weapons? After all she was a long/mid-range fighter and being able to clone solid shuriken and kunai would be golden. Hence, she was studying a bit of hand seals theory to modify the Kage Bunshin to that purpose. She found out that many of the concepts were similar to Fūinjutsu, so it wasn't that difficult.

Naruto, as said before, went on a rampage. He had clones work on stances and ideas for his Taijutsu style. He had clones work on chakra control. He was trying to master waterfall climbing, but it was very difficult. Then, there was meditation. According to Akimi, that exercise would never finish boosting a ninja's power. It was useful to connect with chakra, making easier to focus on it, and it boosted your spiritual energy. A win-win, basically.

The originals trained their bodies. They were now using the weights and the resistances seals, which had boosted their strength and speed a lot. They always did their conditioning on water. Meaning they ran laps on the small river that surrounded the grounds and then did push-ups and sits up on the pound.

Naruto's shadow clones allowed them to learn how to fight in tandem as well. Two or three times a week, they had a "Battle Royal." Naruto created lots of clones, and then the real Akimi, Naruto and even Kaera had to fight them. This allowed the duo to develop some deadly teamwork. They were able to cover each other backs without a problem and their collaboration jutsu were coming along nicely (and devastatingly).

Akimi was almost completely serene again. She had come to love Konoha deeply and had found a new family in Naruto. Now her life had a meaning again. She wanted to become Konoha's sealing mistress and of course she was going to help Naruto achieve his dream as well. As her Grandfather would have said, her Will of Fire was burning again.

Only something bothered her. She still hadn't discovered what Naruto's mysterious seal was. She was close, mind you, but something did elude her understanding. Naruto told her not to worry too much, but had soon learned that Akimi could be as stubborn as himself.

"I'll find out what it does, you'll see." Akimi said. "It's my promise of honor."

"I know you will, 'mi-chan."

JUTSU NOTES:

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Shadow Clone Technique]: B-rank, supplementary. It creates a solid clone that is the perfect copy of the user, by splitting in half their chakra. The clone possess the same abilities of the original and all its experiences are transmitted to the original.

A.N: why is Akimi able to use the technique? She is not a powerhouse like Naruto, of course. Actually I always thought that anyone with high genin – chūnin level stamina could easily use Shadow Clones. It only would be a waste of time and energy. I mean, let's suppose that to create a Kage Bunshin you need 50 chakra. You have 60. You create the clone and it remains 10, which is split between you and clone. So what you get is two copies of yourself with 5 chakra. Pretty useless, uh? I also assume that a clone cannot regenerate chakra. Akimi has an high regeneration of chakra as kekkai genkai (blood limit – it will be explained in later chapters). You do the math.

What I think is that any shinobi with sufficient chakra could use Shadow Clones at least for academic like training (reading, sealing etc.) perhaps even for muscle memory. It doubles the time you train. And it also help in boosting stamina overall. Win-win.