Chapter 17 Seeds of Manipulation

Okay so one more round of Naruto training with Asuma and then I think we'll have Jiraiya start training him. But Orochimaru will also be looking to get to him through Kabuto.

Naruto returned to training with Asuma the next day.

"Alright, one more technique than I think it will be good for my share," Asuma said. "Yesterday you learned to channel wind through a blade but you can also channel it through your hand or even mouth as well."

He motioned for Naruto to stand back. The Uzumaki boy did so. Asuma put his hands together in a hand sign, the bird hand sign.

"This is a jutsu that is sometimes taught to wind users in our village," Asuma said making a series of hand signs. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

He clasped his hands together and a powerful gale of wind erupted in front of him.

"That will have enough power to knock a person back, it's a pretty basic wind style jutsu but it can be very useful," Asuma said. "Might work to keep Nejii from getting too close to you."

"Right! With this and my slashing Wind Jutsu I'll have this victory in the bag! Believe it!" Naruto said with eagerness.

"First you have to master the jutsu though," Asuma reminded him.

"I'll have this done in no time!"

…

That was not the case. The sun was close to setting and Naruto still hadn't fully mastered it. Asuma had taken an hour practicing the hand signs with him and they finally began practicing performing the jutsu. Naruto's wind burst varied from a small gust to a heavy maelstrom that caused one tree to be uprooted.

"Guess my chakra control still needs some work," Naruto said.

"Every jutsu has a certain chakra requirement," Asuma said. "Finding the right output is crucial."

Naruto kept trying and finally managed to get the right amount of chakra down. Unfortunately that was not the end as he over did it the next time after that. The sun finally went down and Naruto had managed to do it right only two more times.

"That's enough for today," Asuma said. "We'll try again tomorrow."

Naruto sighed and went home. They repeated the process the next morning. Some hours passed as Naruto did the hand signs and applied his chakra, but finally he managed to get the jutsu completely right ten times in a row and it was done. He thrust out with his palm, the jutsu could

be done with either that or by clasping his hands together. He shook the trees with the wind and when he tried against Asuma it knocked him off his feet but didn't do much damage beyond that. Naruto sighed.

"I did it," he said through his pants.

"Yes, might not be the most powerful jutsu but even weaker ones have their uses," Asuma said. "Well, I think that's probably enough. Continue practicing those two jutsu and your sword skills."

"Right!" Naruto promised as he picked up his new blade from where he'd set it against a nearby tree.

Asuma left and Naruto reviewed the strikes that he'd gone over yesterday.

"Ha! Hiyah! Ha!" Naruto shouted as he struck with the orange katana. Then he channeled his chakra through the blade. "Wind Slice!"

His long range attack with the sword was more advanced then the jutsu he'd just learned. But somehow it had been easier for him to grasp. Of course that had been the case for Shadow Clones as well, he could never do the basic version yet managed the master level seamlessly. Ah well, maybe basics were just beneath him? He was the future Hokage after all, and he'd show those villagers and make them pay for ever shunning him.

Naruto shook his head. "What am I thinking?" he asked himself. "I hate how they look at me but I don't want to kill them!"

But deep down he knew that wasn't entirely true. Part of him had indeed hated the villagers for shunning him and even more than once the idea occurred to kill some of them. He'd had that desire again recently as well, just after the attack on his house.

"I'll prove them wrong," he said. Though there was some doubt, something seemed to tell him that they would never accept him.

What was going on? He'd never doubted himself before. Naruto sighed and walked back to the village. It was noon so he needed to get lunch. He headed home and fixed himself a bowl of vegetables. Since his first date with Sakura after the Land of Waves he'd made an effort to eat more of those, as they would help him grow. He was starting to at least get used to them, though he would always prefer ramen. Hopefully this would cause him to get taller before long. He'd been the shortest boy in the academy and he'd need to get strong and tall if he was going to become Hokage. Like he'd told Konohamaru there were no shortcuts and he had to not only train well but eat well as well. He'd have ramen again in a couple of days. Good thing he'd learned to cook for himself since there was no one living with him.

…

After lunch Naruto walked around the village for a walk. Then-

"Well, Naruto how you doing?" A voice asked.

Naruto looked and saw Kabuto.

"Oh, hey Kabuto," he greeted. "Just thought I'd take a walk and clear my head after training all morning."

"Well good for you," Kabuto said with a kind looking smile. "I'm glad you managed to get to the main event. Hopefully you'll make a Chunin in no time."

"Yeah, I will! Believe it!" Naruto said loudly.

His declaration was heard by some of the nearby villagers who glared at him. Naruto glared back.

"Yeah! I will be a Chunin!" he shouted at them. "And one day I will be Hokage!"

Kabuto looked around at the villagers. "I heard you know why they despise you so much?" he asked, careful not to mention the actual thing.

Naruto nodded. Of course Kabuto would have probably witnessed the event as a child himself.

"Sometimes I thought you might want to leave the village, you know… start something new?" Kabuto asked.

"I never really thought of that," Naruto said his eyes widening.

"You'd probably have it easier somewhere else," Kabuto pressed. "Why do you stay anyway?"

Naruto frowned. "Well I'm only twelve after all, and I don't think Old Man Hokage would want me to leave."

"I'm sure he would understand if it was your choice," Kabuto said smiling. "I'm sure any of the other villages would be willing to accept you. As long as you keep your… secret."

Naruto thought for a moment. Sure, it was definitely tempting to leave and make a fresh start. But even with all the bad here there was still good here. Naruto had a team now, and he'd just gotten together with Sakura.

"Thanks for the suggestion, Kabuto but I'm staying here," Naruto said. "I'll change everyone's minds and become Hokage… someday."

There was a small hesitation at the end which Kabuto took note of and smiled, knowing he'd successfully planted a seed of doubt.

"Well, if you say so. Just looking out for a fellow Shinobi," Kabuto said. "See you later."

He walked off. Naruto turned in another direction, wondering if maybe he would be better off outside the Hidden Leaf. He shook his head. Things were looking up for him here. He'd changed Sakura's opinion of him after all and won her heart. He didn't have to leave.

"Hey there!" a voice called.

Naruto looked and saw the old man who'd been peeping on ladies in the bathhouse.

"Pervy Sage?" he asked.

"That's toad sage to you kid," Jiraiya said. "And I got news for you! I'm gonna be training you starting today!"

Well I had hoped to make it to two thousand words when I got to the part of Jiraiya training him but I guess that's not happening. Ah well. One shorter chapter doesn't hurt too much.