Author Note
Hello there, it's been a while but I'm back…at least with this story at least.
Last chapter it was a saddening moment for Naruto, but a necessary path. Experience is another part of training and that will only happen when Naruto start his missions. He has the basics in his mind and will learn the rest of the man's knowledge in due time. Furthermore, I believe that the readers approved of my choice concerning the teams and respective jounin-sensei. Now, without further a due, as I don't like to keep the readers waiting, let's start the chapter.
Good reading!
Chapter 5 -Genin Test
Beta: Kyuubi123
When the next day started, Naruto was already inside the famous cave when he spent three years training under the Nidaime Hokage's guidance. After leaving the barbeque restaurant yesterday, Naruto went straight home in order to check the scroll and figure out a suitable schedule. Senju Tobirama listed a great load of water ninjutsu of all types and uses. Long range…short range…defensive…offensive…supplementary. For now, Naruto had a good arsenal of techniques. He knew one defensive technique, three offensive ones and one supplementary. The boy smirked at the nostalgic memory of when he learned the Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique). His petulant self complained about not learning something cooler, so Tobirama used a couple of water whips to silence him. Admittedly, so, the technique's use was limited. One had to use it in close range and catch the enemy by surprise.
Of course, Nidaime taught him ways of using the technique more effectively. The Kage Bunshin could hide and wait for the enemy to pass by his location. The original could even lead him to the position.
After looking at the list of water jutsus, Naruto had picked another one to train. He had to meet his team in three hours. Therefore, it would be one hour of water manipulation practice, followed by half an hour of jutsu practice followed by one and a half hour of physical exercise composed of ken and taijutsu. The technique he picked was called Suiton Hahonryuu (Water Release: Tearing Torrent Technique). After reading the description, Naruto realized it had plenty of similarities with one of the water manipulation exercises. The jutsu consisted in gathering water in a spiral, using one's hand. The exercise, he remembered, required him to swirl the already existing water. Now it was all a matter of applying the same concept, but not before manifesting water on his hand. Naruto was not at the Nidaime's level yet, hence why he had to concentrate.
Kneeling on top of the lake, Naruto closed his eyes. Extending his chakra throughout the water source, Naruto began to reach for the water molecules that hovered in the air. In no time, the once invisible molecules started to appear in front of him like rain droplets hovering in the air. When the boy felt comfortable with the amount, he opened his eyes and smiled at the scene before him. It always amazed him to see the cave filled with water droplets. It made him miss his sensei even more. He still remembered the man standing behind him with his arms crossed and a stern visage. Going through the hand seals at a moderate pace, Naruto began to feel his own chakra molding into the technique.
Suiton Hahonryuu (Water Release: Tearing Torrent Technique)
Unlike the scroll's description, however, the water swirl took much longer than necessary and it didn't have the necessary cohesion to pose a threat to the enemy. Naruto immediately stopped his concentration. Tobirama-sensei always told him to learn his own movements first to see if they were the correct ones. It meant that if you were doing it the wrong way, simply repeating it will show the same result. Rather than attempting by trial and error, it was required of the blond to analyze exactly what went wrong, correct it and try again. Sure, Naruto could even summon some help from his clones, but since he had yet to grasp the technique, it would still be useless. Going about his first attempt, he recapitalized on the fact that this was in fact his first attempt on a B-ranked technique used in conjunction with the Nidaime's method of using the water molecules. As such, it was extremely difficult to do both at the same time.
Deciding to perform the technique using the water inside the cave, Naruto realized it was much easier. It wasn't complete, but it sure was better than the first attempt.
His clones certainly could perfect the technique now, while he move on with the physical aspect of his training. Of course, it would be more prudent to learn the technique like the Nidaime did. It would be more useful in the field, considering that he wouldn't need a nearby water source. However, he had enough time to learn it properly. After some stretches, the recently graduated genin went through the katas he learned under Tobirama-sensei. He would mix it up with the Shodaime's style as per his sensei's instruction. Surely, no one would know about Tobirama's style, save for the Sandaime and Kosuke. That didn't mean that Naruto could perform it without any risk. By mixing it up, the style would be a new one and thus allow Naruto to use his full taijutsu capabilities. Naruto even decided to use some moves from the academy to lower the possibility of being questioned.
As soon as he punched the wall and made a small dent at it, Naruto heard a different noise echoing throughout the cave, the sound of steps.
Two days ago, he would have freaked out at the possibility of someone else seeing the Nidaime here training him. Now, however, it was irrelevant and said thought saddened Naruto greatly.
"Oh it's you Naruto-kun. What are you doing here?" Naruto saw old man Kosuke approaching with the traditional smile on his face.
"Kosuke-ochan, how are you? I found this cave a long time ago when I was searching for hidden waterfalls. I found it's a nice place to train so I come here every day now."
The man nodded still with a smile on his face.
"Well, Naruto-kun, you did find a place in the village's history." Naruto's puzzled look was expected, so the man continued. "This cave happened to be our esteemed Nidaime Hokage's favorite. I remember coming here close to forty years ago when he decided to teach me a couple of his techniques." Kosuke stopped talking when he inspected the fissure on the wall courtesy of a well-practiced taijutsu strike, not something he would have expected from someone who had just graduated. "You sure is dedicated Naruto-kun. I can see that." Naruto nodded with a smile on his face, silently thankful that Kosuke only came inside when he stopped his suiton practice.
"Thanks Ochan…I do want to become Hokage you know. I'm just doing some exercises before I have to meet with my team for another test."
"Oh yes…I remember…so who is your jounin-sensei?"
"Sarutobi Asuma is his name; don't know much about him except that he looks a lot like Sandaime-jiji." Naruto said as he returned to his practice in taijutsu followed by shuriken throwing. Tobirama always taught him that the best way to train was to picture yourself against imaginary opponents. Obviously, it would not be the same as practicing against an actual shinobi, but it allowed Naruto to understand different scenarios and adapt his skills accordingly. Kosuke seemed engrossed in nostalgic memories, though, so Naruto kept on training until it was time to meet with his team. He quickly gathered the tools he used inside the cave and appeared in front of Kosuke.
"Sorry Kosuke-ochan, but I need to get going." The elder looked at the blond and nodded with the usual smile.
"Good luck out there Naruto-kun and remember…never forget what our shinobi's main base of strength is." Naruto blinked once, trying to understand it, before a determined smile appeared.
Oh, he understood that alright…he heard the same thing from both the Nidaime and the Sandaime on multiple occasions. He sprinted away from the cave towards the training ground where his sensei and probably his teammates are waiting for him. When he arrived at the training ground, he was surprised to see everyone already there, but he couldn't have been late. It was barely past eight o' clock. He calmly approached the training ground, taking a silent look throughout the sight in anticipation of whatever assignment his new sensei would propose. This training ground had many trees to work with, he reasoned. Not to mention plenty of leaves and tree logs for him to utilize while fighting.
Asuma was quietly talking with Shikamaru when the man looked up towards the late comer.
"About time you appeared Naruto. I was already thinking that something happened." Naruto nodded apologetically.
"Forgive me Asuma-sensei…it's just that every day I created a routine training of sorts." Both his teammates looked at him at that. They were being tested right now and Naruto would waste energy training. "Plus, I actually thought that Shikamaru would be the last one here so I believed I had more time." The genin in question snorted and crossed his arms. He openly complained about his troublesome mother and her constant nagging. He actually got here earlier just to avoid her altogether. Hinata giggled at her teammates while Asuma smiled as well. He, of course, knew a lot about who wore the pants inside the Nara residence and certainly it was not Shikamaru's father, Shikaku.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, let us begin." The genin all stood at attention as the man spoke. "For today's test, you three shall face me in battle. There is one rule to this test. You must hit me at least three times. Also, even if the chance of a genin even touching a jounin is slim to none, in the event that only one of you completes the task, it won't count. I won't say anything else." The three genin, if possible, blinked at the same time, obviously with many questions left unanswered. "So then, let us begin…you have three hours to finish the test…starting now." As soon as Asuma said so, he charged at the closest one, greatly surprising Shikamaru and Hinata. Of course, Asuma would not use jounin speeds for this, but he didn't need to. Naruto immediately narrowed his eyes at the incoming opponent and initiated his strategy. Asuma managed to land a kick on Naruto, but was surprised when a log appeared instead.
Hinata and Shikamaru immediately fell on the ground. That took less than a second.
"What the hell, sensei?"
Naruto screamed from behind one of the trees. Asuma smirked at the outrage, silently praising the kid's fast use of kawarimi. He had seen chunnin take longer.
"I never said I would give you three time to prepare nor did I say that I would not attack. Nonetheless, I guess it would be fair considering you guys have yet to undertake missions. That being said, you guys will have ten minutes to formulate a suitable strategy. When the time is up, I'll be coming after you so you better be ready, Shikamaru and Hinata." The Nara heir mumbled 'troublesome' repeatedly and Hinata looked fearfully at the man and his casual behavior despite his brutal assault on Naruto. In no time, though, the three genin vanished from their location, earning a smile from Asuma who lit up a cigarette while waiting. In the meantime, the team gathered around.
"What the hell was that, Naruto? How did you move so fast?" Shikamaru looked at the blond kid in front of him.
"I thought you were a genius Shikamaru…all I did was a simple kawarimi." Shikamaru simply frowned at the comment.
"I practiced it a lot, so it became like second nature to me."
"Shikamaru, we only have ten minutes to come up with something." Shikamaru frowned at Hinata's comment. The Naruto enigma was troublesome enough without him suddenly displaying even better skills than he showed at the academy. Hinata was right however. Right now, figuring out Asuma's test took priority. Shikamaru didn't need two seconds to realize that neither of them could attack Asuma alone. The man's first attack demonstrated that alright. Obviously, they needed to attack him together if they hoped to pass. Figuring that out was the easy part; now came the part when they formulated an actual battle plan that not only would keep the man away but also attack him three times. He looked at the two in front of him and released a sigh in dismay.
"Okay, I think I have an idea." Hinata and Naruto heard the idea and nodded. For Naruto, it would be a nice test.
When the time ended, Asuma threw away his cigarette and began his search on those three. So far, he considered their abilities to hide at least tolerable, even if he was able to find Hinata and Shikamaru. He was about to extend his senses to find Naruto when a couple of shuriken flew at his left side, coming at him at great speeds. The chain smoker jounin frowned at the precision of the projectiles. Using chunnin skills, he evaded them, before blocking an incoming kick from Naruto. He was ill prepared for such taijutsu level, but he held his ground against the slowly building mystery in front of him. From what he observed from Naruto's stance, it focused on agility, but his arm felt considerable power behind the strikes. The entire dance took five minutes and Naruto was not showing signs of slowing down, showing great stamina for a kid. Naruto managed to evade an incoming kick and Asuma managed to press on the advantage until he saw a couple of shuriken and kunai come at him from multiple directions. Naruto took the opportunity and unleashed his sword to attack Asuma at the same time.
The jounin evaded it all but cursed as soon as he saw a shadow beam stretching to his position. Using a quick shunshin, confident that he would lose them, Asuma had to use a kunai to block Naruto's shuriken. The movement alone caught the man by surprise and the shuriken bounced off his kunai, slightly nipping his arm. So surprised was the bearded jounin that he almost received a jyuuken strike on the chest. Damn, these kids…Asuma thought with an amused expression on his face at almost getting caught twice in a row and by green genin at that. Naruto sure demonstrated skills that did not belong to a genin. Shikamaru certainly was the one who came up with the idea and Hinata's movements were better than he expected them to be. He guessed it was time to spice things up a bit, he thought.
One thing was certain…he was having a good time already.
===In a different location===
Different from Naruto's training location, the eternal genin Kosuke took solace in a place where no one would bother him, while he prepared some lunch. The only company he had so far were the trees that the Shodaime first brought to Konoha. Not many in the village knew about this piece of history, he mused. Said man created the entire landscape of the village, but these very trees were rather special. The esteemed Senju Hashirama created these trees as a gift to his wife Uzumaki Mito, upon their marriage. Each of these trees carried the Shodaime's chakra and every time Kosuke came here, he would remember just what it meant to be on the presence of that man. It brought a nostalgic feeling to the man who had probably seen more than many in Konoha. With a smile at the memory, the man sliced the nutrients inside his bowl and then poured some hot water for his trademark stew recipe.
Of course, the amount he was preparing was enough for his new guest, hence Kosuke didn't even need to look up to see the Sandaime approaching.
"Fancy meeting you here, Kosuke." Hiruzen said as he took a seat at the rock in front of the eternal genin.
"Ah Sandaime-sama, lovely of you to visit little old me. Please take a seat and I'll serve you a dish if you like." The elder Hokage nodded with a smirk as he accepted the plate with gusto. Kosuke was a splendid shinobi, but the man was an even better chef. For a while, both elderly ate their respective dishes in a comfortable silence, both of them reminiscing on the very place they both were and which person this place reminded them of. After one repetition, Sandaime returned the dish to Kosuke, thanking for the meal. He calmly watched as Kosuke took the dishes to the nearby stream and washed them clean. After the lunch was finished, Kosuke took a seat in front of the Sandaime for the chat that was soon to follow.
"I take it…you've been chatting with young Naruto-kun." Kosuke nodded with the trademark smile on his face. Sandaime did have that ball of his after all.
"Yeah, we had quite the entertaining conversation every now and then. He would ask questions about the past Kages and even some missions that I went alongside you and them. I can see the glow in his eyes when I spoke." Sandaime nodded with a smile on his face. "It appears, however, that in telling him those stories, I ended up inspiring the kid more than necessary. Every time I saw him his clothes were ragged and there were a few visible bruises."
"Well…his growth in the academy is nothing short of surprising, according to his teachers. I even dare say that he even held back."
"Oh…"
"Ever since he improved, his teacher noticed that Naruto would sometimes miss a few shuriken throws on purpose. When he took the genin test, whereas before he managed six out of ten throws, he surprised everyone by hitting two more. He couldn't have trained in advance because the last time he practiced was two days before the test." Kosuke thought deeply at the revelation. That kid always seemed quite smart…smarter than Kosuke thought he was. So sly of you Naruto-kun. Sandaime looked at the change of expressions on his old friend's face and frowned. This subject left Hiruzen in great doubt about his grandson figure.
"Would you know something about it, Kosuke?"
"Well, it maybe old school thinking here, but I believe that Naruto's intentions were similar to how you and I grew up, Hiruzen. If he demonstrated everything he can do, then everyone would know that. Perhaps that sly fellow has a few skills that he isn't comfortable in sharing just yet. Who's to say really, huh? It's quite exciting, don't you think. Perhaps he has learned elemental ninjutsu…perhaps he is training genjutsu techniques…quite a mystery this fellow Uzumaki Naruto…just like his father." Hiruzen frowned at the thought of Naruto keeping secrets, but he couldn't help but reminisce on the times when one Namikaze Minato began to show one technique after the other, first the Rasengan and then the Hiraishin. Hiruzen remembered the look of pride in his student upon witnessing what a legend the Yondaime became at the third great ninja war.
"Those were different times back then…but I guess I can't fault young Naruto-kun if he in fact is either holding back or hiding his skills."
Kosuke smiled as he looked up at the sun.
"I believe the lad is currently taking his test with his sensei, right?" Hiruzen grunted in affirmative. If Naruto was in fact hiding his skills at the academy, then the little brat would certainly catch his son by surprise.
===With Naruto===
The test progressed nicely with Team 10 using considerable teamwork to attempt a second hit on the bearded jounin. After the first one, it appeared that the man decided to increase his speed a bit more. This time, however, both Shikamaru and Hinata were more alert. The strategy remained the same with Shikamaru using long-range support. Naruto and Hinata faced the man up close. Of course, Hinata could not keep up with him for long, meaning that Naruto had to cover for her more than actually attacking him. He remembered what Kosuke said to him before the test. A side of him frowned at the prospect of having to protect a teammate instead of fulfilling a goal, but the other side of him remembered the Nidaime's teachings followed by a bunch of water whips. Hinata didn't have the same level of training he had, so it was obvious that she would have trouble against chunnin level speeds.
With that in mind, Naruto began to process his strategy based on the moves he could do without Asuma getting suspicious. Aside from the regular three ninjutsu, he could only use taijutsu and…
Yeah, Asuma wouldn't know what hit him.
Asuma saw the shadow closing in on him and evaded that, as well as Naruto's coordinated shuriken. He then focused on dodging Hinata's jyuuken strikes with an amused expression. These three worked well together and he could see that they also had good individual skills. After pushing Hinata back, he looked back in surprise to see two Narutos attacking him at the same time. The surprise lasted only a second, before he simply stood still waiting for the attack to come. As he suspected, both Narutos passed through him, indicating the use of a simple bunshin. The surprise, however, returned when he noticed another Naruto, the real one this time, on the other side of him, with a ninjato in his hand about to slice his head off. Asuma cursed at the brat for being caught a second time. He increased his speed and parried the sword strike with one of his trademark trench knives. The noise of weapons clashing echoed in the clearing as Asuma locked weapons with his soon to be student. Asuma was not able, however, to block a couple of shuriken that came from his back, forcing him to use a fast kawarimi to escape.
"Damn it…troublesome" Naruto heard Shikamaru complain from a nearby bush. The blond could not help but see humor in the pineapple-head's expression when he said that word.
"There is no need for that Shikamaru…I will count those as two hits, meaning you three passed my test." Asuma said coming from another bush nearby. "Now gather around for I have a few words of wisdom".
Asuma could see three different looks. Shikamaru was the most obvious…relief. The man mused that Shikamaru's relief had something to do with his mother. Hinata's look was one of joy. Asuma remembered that he needed to speak to her father about him becoming her jounin sensei. Personally, he cared little for such politics. He knew that it mattered little to Shikamaru's father, but Hyuuga Hiashi was a different story. A powerful shinobi but an even more powerful politician. Finally yet importantly, he memorized the blond enigma's expression. His expression hadn't changed much. He could see some hints of determination, but not joy like Hinata or relief like Shikamaru.
His dream was to rise through the ranks, he said. Perhaps, he is already looking ahead. Asuma thought as the now genins said around the big man.
"Alright, as I said before, you guys are now members of Team 10. You all impressed me with a considerable level of teamwork. Even your individual skills are worth mentioning, which is good since you all just graduated from the academy. For now, we will assume a simple schedule. We will meet here every day at the same time to train. Throughout the fight, I noticed areas you need to improve, so we will focus on that amongst other things of course. After training, we shall take missions; I am guessing two missions per day just to get you all started." All three genins nodded, earning a smile from the bearded jounin. He had a feeling these guys would be an even better team once he had his way with them.
"Now, all of you are dismissed for today. See you all tomorrow. And Naruto, please stay for a moment." Naruto nodded, saying his goodbyes to a smiling Hinata and a frowning Shikamaru.
The Nara heir couldn't help but suspect that something was off with him. Perhaps he could ask his father about it and see what he had to say.
Asuma and Naruto now stood alone in the training ground.
"Naruto, I asked you to stay behind, because unlike Shikamaru and Hinata, you don't have a family to rely on…" The saddened look caught the man by surprise, before he realized that he could have rephrased that in a more tactful manner. "Sorry about that…it came out wrong…what I meant to say is that when it comes to training, Hinata and Shikamaru will either be training with us or with their clans. You will be training only with me, so I will be focusing more on your skills than them. Also, if you have any doubts about something, feel free to ask me anything, okay?" The blond nodded enthusiastically, before getting up from the ground, dusting his clothes a bit.
"Ok Asuma-sensei, I understand."
"Also, Naruto, from what I have seen from your fight, it's my understanding that you didn't perform like this at the academy, am I right?" Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment at being caught. It's not like he used any of the techniques he knew, so Asuma only had seen his taijutsu, kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu. The bearded jounin smiled at his student and nodded. "There is nothing wrong in what you did, Naruto. Quite the opposite in fact. Indeed it is not wise to show everything you can do in a fight, except in cases of life and death. That being said, I do have to ask…are you still hiding your skills?" Naruto had talked enough with the Nidaime to know when someone was fishing for information. He knew easily what to do in order to keep his sensei satisfied. Naruto would not tell the whole truth, just a fraction of what he trained in under the Nidaime would be enough for Asuma.
"Well, I've trained a lot throughout the academy, sensei. I had many problems in controlling my chakra, so aside from what I displayed today, I also have trained a lot in chakra control. I found a scroll in the library detailing some advanced exercises and I learned tree and water walking." The jounin worked his brain for two seconds to remember if said material was accessible to academy students, but he had drawn a blank. That thought aside, it was impressive.
"That's quite impressive…" Asuma for some reason became giddy at the prospect of training a genius. "That will certainly aid us in your ninjutsu and dare I say genjutsu training, if you want it. For now, we shall focus on getting you up to speed in taijustu and kenjutsu. Your moves are solid from what I could see, so we will just keep practicing it. Even if you trained a lot like you said, there is no better training then fighting against real opponents. You'll be sparring with both me and your teammates on a regular basis. I could even get you to spar with others, but we'll cross that bridge later on. Any questions?" Naruto simply negated with a smile.
"Nope, everything's fine Asuma-sensei. I have to say, though, I'm quite eager for the missions tomorrow."
Asuma smirked at the comment. Naruto's excitement will surely end once he learns what type of missions they will have tomorrow. After saying goodbye to his student, Asuma left in a shunshin towards the Hokage's Office in order to report on his team passing, leaving Naruto alone in the clearing. With a smile, Naruto did the same thing towards his own apartment. Today, he figured it was high time he learned a genjutsu technique. To this day, the only aspect he trained in genjutsu is the concept behind both illusion casting and disruption. Nidaime taught him how to manipulate his chakra in order to disrupt the opponent's chakra. He also taught Naruto ways of interpreting and dispelling the illusion. Now, it was up to Naruto to learn the actual techniques. Nidaime's repertoire of genjutsu was rather limited compared to the others. The man may have been an all-around shinobi, but he had the areas he enjoyed focusing on more…genjutsu was not one of them.
===At the Hokage's Office===
All the jounin sensei had just reported on their respective teams.
As per usual, the index of graduated students repeated with only three teams passing; Team 7, 8 and 10. The rest either were not ready to become genin or did not have the right mentality. The only out of the ordinary event was that one of the three teams were passed by a man to whom people believed would never pass a team. The Hokage believed it would be a good thing that Kakashi became a jounin sensei. However, it has been two or three years since he left Anbu and still nothing had come from it. The man had failed each and every genin team he came across, every time with the same excuse…that they lacked teamwork. This time, however, he passed one team, but Asuma believed it had something to do with the fact that one of the team members had the sharingan and Kakashi would be the only one equipped to teach him, overall.
Now he was sitting in front of his father, enjoying a cup of tea while chatting amicably.
"Chakra control you say?"
Asuma nodded as his old man repeated what he had just said about one Uzumaki Naruto and how much better he performed than what he displayed at the academy.
"About his problem with chakra control, I'd say it was nice that he thought about it, but for me…I don't know…it seems rather convenient."
Hiruzen nodded in contemplation.
"My thoughts exactly…an increase in chakra control sure could have allowed him to fight more efficiently, but no academy student would think that far ahead. Not by himself anyway and he even said that he found a scroll with both chakra control exercises in the library." Asuma nodded, confirming his father's question. The silence allowed the seasoned Hokage to ponder on this enigma for a moment. For some reason, Naruto was keen on hiding his full capabilities. That in itself posed the million-dollar question. Why exactly? For what Hiruzen remembered, Naruto had this exuberant personality and couldn't contain his tongue in Hiruzen's presence, telling him everything. The lad started changing pretty much the same time his grades had improved in the academy, which meant that whatever happened to him, it was back then. The one thing Hiruzen was afraid of was not that something happened to Naruto, but rather someone.
As great as his improvement at the academy was, the fact that Naruto of all people focused on chakra control was mind-blowing. He would expect such discipline from a chunnin, not from an academy student.
Meaning that perhaps someone pointed him in said direction.
"You're spacing out on me, old man. What are you thinking?" Hiruzen blinked once and looked at the amused expression of his eldest son.
"I'm considering the possibility of Naruto receiving training by someone and that it started three years ago." Asuma frowned. Of course, it was not forbidden for a shinobi of Konoha's corps to be interested in an academy student and thus give him or her a couple of tips or even outright focus on training. The problem relied in the fact that the Hokage not knowing anything about it, especially considering Naruto's tenant. Because of the fox being inside of him, any sort of training would have to take it to consideration. Certainly, the Hokage needed to keep tabs if someone decided to help the village's jinchuuriki.
"Do you have a name in mind?" Hiruzen shook his head.
"I know that Kosuke sometimes talk with Naruto on occasion, but he would know better than to train Naruto without at least telling me about it." Asuma knew a bit about said man, known as the eternal genin. He knew that the only reason the man remained a genin for that long was because of a failed mission a long time ago when the Nidaime ruled Konoha. The man's skills were easily jounin-level. He could have supplied Naruto some tips.
"Well, he could have taught Naruto about chakra control exercises, so Naruto's story would match." Asuma pondered out loud, earning a contemplative nod from Hiruzen.
"Perhaps you're right…though I still believe that Naruto is more capable than what he shows. I can't allow instinct to guide my decisions, but so far my instinct is all I'm counting on here."
"What do you want me to do then?" Asuma at times was afraid of asking said question to the village leader. After all, the man was obligated to make decisions that could affect the village. If the Hokage perceived a threat, then he would ask one of his jounin to handle the situation. Asuma simply stood there waiting for a response anxiously at the possibility of his father deciding that perhaps one Uzumaki Naruto could become a potential threat to the village.
"For now, just keep your eyes open…considering that both his teammates will receive training from their clans, you will focus more on his training than the others." The young Sarutobi nodded. He had said that to Naruto. "Depending on the material you decide to teach him, it's possible that he secretly already knows. Nevertheless, if he's keen on hiding what he knows, then he will act as if he doesn't, but I'm sure it won't take long for him to show a complete exercise." Asuma looked at his old man as if the man had grown a second head.
"Do you really believe that something as far ahead for an academy student, even a genin at that, such as elemental ninjutsu could already be under his grasp?" Hiruzen let out a snort at that.
"From what you told me…he had displayed prowess in taijutsu, kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu. He even told you that he mastered both tree walking and water walking chakra control exercises. If he were a seasoned genin, I would say that finding his affinity and teaching him elemental ninjutsu would be right up his alley of skills. It's not a farfetched notion, Asuma. If he is indeed receiving training from someone, then it's hard to believe that he would drill Naruto in chakra control and not bombard the kid with ninjutsu." Asuma found himself nodding at every word. With Naruto's chakra capacity and his now considerable chakra control, Naruto could become a ninjutsu specialist in no time.
"I understand what you're saying Tou-san and I will keep my eye on him. But tell me…what is it that you're more concerned about?" Hiruzen found that his son asked the best question of the night.
"Whoever is training him doesn't believe that I should be made aware of it. I can count only one individual in Konoha that does things behind my back." Asuma did shudder at that as one name stood out instantly.
Shimura Danzou
===With Naruto===
Not knowing that he was a topic of discussion, after appearing inside his apartment, Naruto decided to have dinner before jumping for the Nidaime's scroll. A part of him wondered if revealing something to his sensei was the logical choice. Naruto was tutored by a Kage, but it was illogical of him to assume that he could simply fool a jounin so easily. At least not without telling the man at least something to satisfy his curiosity. There is no way Naruto could explain the way he moved and the speed in which he moved. Chakra control was the answer given, considering what Senju Tobirama explained it to him when he was training. He kept the third chakra control exercise hidden as a trump card, in case Asuma decided to ask him questions once more.
Moving on, with his ramen by his side, Naruto opened the scroll on his table and checked the first genjutsu technique listed.
Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique)
According to the scroll, it was a low-level genjutsu that focused on tricking the opponent into mistaking the place he was in for another. Of course, the use was rather limited in an open battlefield, but in close quarters, it could be highly effective. After about fifteen minutes of reading, Naruto felt nostalgic. He felt this way every time he read Tobirama's scroll. Every time he read, he would imagine himself sitting inside the cave while the man lectured him about a technique or two. Even better, the man would explain the theory in much detail, going as far as to run different battle scenarios. Tobirama did so in order to teach experience as the man put it occasionally. The scroll before him was no different, hence why every time Naruto read it, he could feel as if the very Nidaime Hokage was in front of him with his arms crossed and grumpy attitude.
Naruto missed the man like crazy…but he sure would not miss those damn water whips of his. With a nostalgic smile, Naruto returned to the scroll and read the passage with great attention. Right in front of him was the Nidame Hokage's legacy and he would be damned if he didn't master it all to the utmost perfection.
===With Shikamaru===
Nara Shikamaru came home right after the team test and his face was one of deep contemplation. Both his parents were busy discussing something in the kitchen when he opened the door. Yoshino was about to ask about the test when she saw the look on her son's face. Shikaku, Shikamaru's father, had seen that look only once. They both knew their son was an intellectual genius and there was not much in the academy that came close to making Shikamaru struggle to understand. His son had just came back from Asuma's test. Shikaku doubted that his son had failed the exam, which meant that whatever was now troubling his young mind became a mystery.
"So how was the test?" Shikamaru looked up from his wonderings and found his parents there staring at him.
"It was the most troublesome experience of my life, that's for sure." Shikaku lifted his eyebrow in question as Shikamaru explained his perplexity, starting from the academy and finishing with the exam. Both his parents looked at him dumbfounded, since this was the longest monologue they had heard from Shikamaru since forever. He always found that talking and long explanations were troublesome and not worth his precious relaxation time. Eventually so, his parents understood their son's plight. However, at least in Shikaku's analytical and ten times more experienced mind, the answer was obvious. So obvious that he wondered why it bothered his lad so much.
"Based on what you're telling me, I'd say that Naruto did the same thing you did at the academy, Shikamaru."
The young Nara blinked a couple times, looking at his father incredulously.
"You mean…he was only showing enough to pass…" Shikamaru came up with this idea because he didn't care two cents about the Academy workload. As such, he demonstrated only enough skill to reach the minimal average necessary. Naruto, however, was an entire different story. Sure, as his father said, Naruto did the same thing he did. He would only show enough skills to become amongst the middle rank of the classroom. While Shikamaru was lazy, Naruto was the complete opposite.
"Why did he, though?" Shikaku's throat sound while drinking some tea indicated that he pondered on Shikamaru's question. In actuality, the Nara Clan always positioned themselves in state of neutrality concerning the village jinchuuriki's status. As such, he would constantly hear two parties arguing in council sessions, the Hokage and Shimura Danzou. The latter would constantly undermine Naruto's current skillset and demand Hiruzen to give the jinchuuriki to his care so that he could train Konoha's weapon. The Hokage would have none of it and denied Danzou's request every time. Those discussions ended however as soon as Naruto's surprisingly improved grades reached the council's knowledge. Danzou still wished for Naruto, but his demands diminished with time, until he stopped talking about it. In fact, if Shikaku recalled, the last time it was six months ago.
"Perhaps, he believed that it was wise not showing his full capabilities. I could remember a lot of shinobi in our corps that did the same thing…Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi comes to mind." Shikamaru remembered the first name as one of the jounin sensei and the other being the one responsible for the Uchiha genocide. For his father to compare Uzumaki Naruto with those two, it only helped to increase the troublesome that is his blond teammate.
"Whatever…I had enough for today…I'm going to bed."
Tomorrow his ninja career will begin and he had a feeling it will be a complete drag.
Little did he know about the wonders of D-ranked missions.
Author Note
I'll stop right here for the moment. So what you think? Like it…hate it! Please review.
