Hero's Heart

Chapter 3

The Hero's Journey

"Oh, Naruto-chan, it's nice to see you again. How long has it been?"

"Hello Grampa Sage, it's nice to see you again."

"So what brings you here? When I got your request the other day, I was kind of wondering why you'd want to come back."

"Yeah, it was kind of random, but I do have a reason for it. I need to get stronger and I know that this place is the best to do so. Also, I was wanting to help you and Grandma Sage. Please," he said as he got on his knee and bowed his head. "Take me in as your student once more."

"Naruto-chan, you seem different, but I won't let that affect me. Let's work together once more."

"Thank you." He rose to his feet and smiled.

"Okay. Enough of that. Let's head home. Mom's making some lunch."

At that moment, Naruto nearly gagged at the thought since he knew that toad food was a little unappetizing to him. However, he couldn't say no. The two of them headed home and when they arrived, Grandma Sage welcomed him with open arms. They then sat down and had lunch. As hard as it was, he muscled all of the food down as best as he could and eagerly waited for his training to begin. Once they finished their food, Grandpa Sage took him out and started with his training.

"Alright Naruto-chan, you know the drill."

Naruto nodded his head and started to gain his Sage chakra. Immediately, Grandpa Sage saw a noticeable difference in that it he was a lot quicker in acquiring Sage chakra. A few seconds went by and he was ready to go.

"Hm, I can tell that you've been working hard."

"I have. I don't know if you know this, but the shinobi world has gone through quite a lot after our time together. I don't really want to talk about it though."

"Okay, then let's get to our training. How's your Rasengan?"

"As good as it can be." At that moment, Naruto put out his hand and created his Rasengan by himself. Meanwhile, Grandpa Sage was expecting him to use him Shadow Clone to help, but it was obvious that he's been doing a lot of training on his own. This only made him step up the level of intensity for their training.

"I see. Then I guess we can change things up a bit. Create your Rasenshuriken on your own, no shadow clones."

"Huh?"

Grandpa Sage knew that he had got him now. He was already surprised that Naruto pulled that trick out when fighting Pain. Now, he wanted to see the true nature of this still mysterious jutsu.

"What's wrong, Naruto-chan? Are you not able to do so?"

"I'm sorry. That is something that I can't do."

"Alright then. How about you show me how you normally do it?"

That's when Naruto regained his conscience. He created his clones and formed the Rasenshuriken. The incredible speed of rotation created a whirring sound that had intimidating force.

"How about that, Grandpa Sage?"

"Very impressive. I'd like to see the true force of this attack once more."

"Of course." He took aim at a nearby mountain and hurled it right at it. Once it touched the piece of rock, the rock was sliced in half and then exploded due to the expansion of the wind style. Of course, Grandpa Sage was impressed.

"I can't believe that you managed to create something new."

"Well, it took me a long time. I did spend a lot of time here mastering Sage Mode. I used my knowledge of the Rasengan and just combined it with something else that we all know in the shinobi world."

"So how does the Rasengan work?"

"It has a lot to do with rotation and containment. In the beginning, I relied on two clones to handle one task. Now, I can accomplish the Rasengan on my own. As for the Rasenshuriken, I need some help. I handle the Rasengan center while the others work on the wind blades of the shuriken. I've tried to do it on my own, but the blades are just too fast to contain while I'm working on the Rasengan."

"Well, let me see you try it right now."

"Are you sure? If things don't work out, there could be some collateral damage."

"Don't worry. I'll keep my distance. I just want to see if you have the ability to do it. If you don't remember, I worked with Jiraiya-chan who created the Rasengan. And then you're father inherited that ability from him and passed it on to you. One way or another, we'll break the secret." He hopped behind a nearby rock and watched the scene unfold.

Naruto took a deep breath and stuck out his arm. At first, he molded a simple Rasengan and allowed it to stay there for a while. After a few more seconds or so, Naruto's concentration changed to something else. Four blades started to appear around the ball of wind. In the beginning, it seemed as though it was going to work out, but once the blades appeared, they started to rotate out of control. Naruto tightened his grip on the Rasengan to try and contain it, but it was no use. The blades spun out of control and shot out in every direction. The blades flew in opposite directions and caused huge explosions wherever they landed.

"See? The task is too high for a lone jutsu user. When I have someone else with me, I never have that problem. My focus remains on the Rasengan. My clones create the blades and get them to rotate along with the Rasengan. Once their speeds are matched, I regain control of the whole thing."

"I see. Still, I'm very impressed that you figured this out on your own."

"I had to. I knew my enemy would be incredibly strong so something like this was needed."

"Well, I got a good sense of what we need to work on, but let's call it a day for now. Too much work in a short amount of time isn't good for progress."

"Okay."

The two of them headed back to the house and relaxed for the rest of the day. Grandma and Grandpa were talking for most of the time while Naruto was staring out towards the horizon. He was using every moment he could to keep his mind focused on why he was here. He was here to get stronger so he only had time to think about training and nothing else. When the moon was out and everyone was asleep, Naruto continued to stare at the sky with only one thought in mind. He was going to get stronger for the sake of all of his friends and people he cared about.

…

Back in the Hidden Leaf, word got around quickly that Naruto was gone yet again. This caused everyone to gossip about why he would leave and what he was doing. Of course, there were only two people who know why he left and what he was doing. They just didn't want to tell other people about it since they didn't want to make it seem like a big deal.

However, the interesting thing about it all was that people were wanting him back. There were numerous plans to celebrate his heroic efforts and now that he wasn't here, they didn't know if they should celebrate anything. Even people who weren't particularly close to Naruto were sad that he wasn't with them. All of Naruto's friends who were passing through town overheard all of their conversations and really started to get what he meant to their village. Hearing those conversations alone made them want him back as well.

Meanwhile, there was one person who was avoiding the topic completely and it was Hinata. She was spending her time at her dojo, continuing to train her skills. After training with Naruto and seeing how ahead of her he is, she wanted to catch up as quickly as she could. However, she had the thought that that would never happen. She knew that he was on a different level than her, but she used this thought to motivate her. All of this time, she's been chasing his back. All she wanted to do was get that much closer to it without being left in the dust.

…

Back at Mount Myouboku, Naruto and Grandpa Sage were working hard to uncover the secret of his Rasenshuriken. The days went by like nothing and nothing seemed to be accomplished. The two of them tried all sorts of tricks, but nothing worked. They took different approaches and even used some of the toad oil to gain even more Sage chakra, but those didn't work either. Eventually, Grandma Sage checked up on their progress and could tell that they were having difficulties. That's when she decided to step in to lighten the mood.

"It seems that Dad has lost his touch."

"I guess I have. This thing we're working on is just too complicated."

"How about I give it a try?"

"Could you? I'm feeling a little tired."

"Oh, good timing. I prepared some tea back at the house."

"Thank you Mother. Good luck to the both of you." The two of them watched Grandpa hop off on his own. Once he was out of sight, she turned to Naruto and smiled. "So, what are we working on?"

"We're trying to unlock the secrets of the Rasenshuriken; the jutsu that I used against Pain. Grandpa Sage tried to get me to create it without any clones. That's what we're doing."

"Hm, interesting. Did the two of you talk about Sage Mode in detail?"

"Not really, since we assumed that that wasn't necessary since I'm already in Sage Mode."

"I think that would really help. Sit down, Naruto-chan."

The two of them sat down and Grandma began her story.

"As you know, Sage mode allows its users to do extraordinary things. You experienced the power of it firsthand when you used its power to identify the White Zetsus. Sage Mode can identify the negative energy around you. However, it also allows you to identify the good energy around you. Sage Mode is all about balance. The user can choose between the two in whatever situation they may. Now, you of all people know what it's like to call upon negative powers that the Nine-Tails offered you. You've never actually called upon the powers of positive energy."

"Positive energy? What do you mean by that?"

"Energy from the people you care about."

"Oh! Like with my mom and dad when they helped me control the Nine-Tails' chakra."

"Not really. Sage Mode can only access the energies of those who are living and important to you. When you are able to achieve this ability, there are no limitations to what you can do as a Sage. Is there someone that is special to you?"

…

Nearly a year went by and the Hidden Leaf was still hurt from the disappearance of Naruto. However, that time wasn't for naught. A toad was summoned inside the Hokage office with a letter from Mount Myouboku. This caught everyone inside the office off guard. Kakashi took the letter and read it to himself. Once he finished it, he looked up at his advisors.

"What does it say, Lord Hokage?"

"Our hero's coming back."

End of Chapter 3