edited chapter 13
Naruto ducked out of the way of Lee's leaf hurricane before nailing him in the shoulder.
It resulted in Lee getting slammed against the ground with a thud.
"You ok, Lee?" he looks down at the fresh genin.
He stood back up, stretching a bit to get the aches out "yes, I am Kitsune. Although, I must admit I would never have guessed Anbu were this skilled, especially someone of your age."
"Thank you, and it wasn't easy!"
"If I may be so bold, who trained you?"
"That's classified, but I will say I was trained into the ground after I officially joined."
"Thank you, Kitsune, now where were we!" he got into his stance again with a smirk to match.
Lee couldn't see it, but a smile graced Naruto's face as he got into stance again.
They went at it again, striking, dodging, and blocking each other.
Naruto could tell Lee was improving little by little "who would I thought I'd have fun teaching someone"
Not too far away, Neji was watching the two spar, getting Gai's attention.
Tenten stopped her senbon practice seeing the two eyeing Lee spar with Kitsune.
"What's on your mind, Neji?"
"It's nothing, Gai sensei."
"Neji!" he stated with a stern expression.
With a sigh," I never would have thought someone so young could be so skilled."
"Believe it or not, he didn't have any natural-born talent as a ninja" Neji looked him dead in the eyes, wanting to know more "he wasn't skilled when I first met him, but he refused to give up. He wanted to get stronger, he trained every day, and his skills improved little by little, and now look at him. A member of the leaf villages anbu."
"I understand."
"Good"
They continued to train for the remainder of the day.
Even though their time sparring was short, relatively speaking.
Naruto could tell Lee has the potential to surpass his level of taijutsu.
"That's enough for today. Thanks, Kitsune, for helping out my students."
"It's no problem, Gai, is there anything else you need before I head off?"
"Nothing comes to mind at the moment. But, I'm sure I'll come up with something."
"Hai!" and Naruto left the master and students since the sun was touching the horizon.
Not long after getting home crashed on his bed, letting his body and mind rest after a long day.
Morning
Naruto did his morning Routine as usual before hearing a tap on the glass of his window.
And what do ya know it was the pervy sage.
He opened the window allowing a better setting position.
"So Squirt ready to learn a new Jutsu?"
"You know I am, but I need to finish my breakfast" his breakfast was a simple bowl of cereal.
Then he put on his off-duty gear but kept his anbu gear in a scroll on his person.
"I'm ready."
In a flash, they were gone heading to the training ground three.
"How's your progress with chakra form, kid?"
"SLOW! Why?"
"I have just the jutsu to help you!"
"So, what's this jutsu you want to teach me?"
He held out his hand only for chakra to form into a sphere.
To the untrained eye, it looked like a mini storm was in his hand.
Naruto knew there was more to it after being in the anbu for so long.
"What Jutsu is that?"
"This is the Rasengan."
"Rasengan? Never heard of it."
"No surprise, it's the fourth Hokage jutsu. That being said, it is challenging to master. However, after seeing your progress, I decided you're ready to learn it."
"What's so special about it?"
"Special! if you can master the Rasengan, you've mastered Chakra form."
Unknown to Naruto, stars formed in his eye.
Jiraiya walked over to a nearby tree slamming the Rasengan against its trunk, effectively taking out a giant chunk.
Then walked over to the bag that Naruto was curious about.
He picks up a water balloon throwing it to him before getting another.
"I want you to pop this balloon with your chakra, like so."
Suddenly the balloon started getting Bumpy before what looked like spike form caused the balloon to explode. "your turn, squirt."
"I'll give it a shot," with the balloon in hand, focusing his chakra on the water.
It starts sloshing around for a few moments before sending more into it.
Then it started getting bumpy and added more, only for the bumps to start forming spikes, then the balloon popped.
"I did it!"
"Color me impressed on your first try."
"So what next pervy sage!"
"You popped it on your first try. I'll give you that, but I want you to practice till you do it as fast as me, not slow like you just did" he throws him another water balloon before taking his seat on the large post.
"If you say so," he goes to work again and again.
After about an hour or so, he cut his time in half.
But he knew it wasn't fast enough for the pervy sage.
"That's right. Naruto keeps practicing. If you were just a regular ninja, I'd move you into the next step. But you're not, as an anbu. You have to be quick on your feet and with jutsu."
He continued his practice for a few more hours and shaved time off little by little.
"Ok, I need a break. I'm starving."
"Since you nailed it on your first try and shaved time off, I'll cut you some slack this time. Go get your lunch and be back here within the hour!"
"Got it, Pervy sage," he was off.
"Good now that the kid is gone, I can do my research at the hot springs," he shunshined away.
With Naruto
Naruto, of course, went straight to Ichiraku for ramen.
Teuchi gave him a bowl of what he usually eats.
"Thank you, Teuchi."
"No problem Naruto."
He eats his meal in silence before feeling eyes on the back of his head.
He turns around to see a face he hasn't seen in a long time.
"Long time no see Hinata," he said with a wave.
She found a seat next to him.
Based on her expression, she was inspecting him, wanting to know what was different about him.
Naruto just ignored it, going back to his meal.
He was used to this happening every time someone he knew from the academy caught sight of him.
She continued to stare in silence before something she never expected to happen.
"NARUTO!" a girl with light blue hair and formal attire shouts as she hugs him from behind.
"Yukino. I thought you left to go home by now," he said through gritted teeth trying to sound pleasant.
Yukino either didn't care or did register his tone.
As for Hinata, she was doing her best to hide giggles.
She looked at Teuchi, seeing a proud grin on his face, and Ayame was in the same boat as Hinata.
"I was then I heard your birthday was the other day and I wanted to say….Happy Birthday!" She said with a massive smile.
Not wanting to come off as rude, "thank you, Yukino, that means a lot," he said in a forced, Grateful tone.
"I'd love to stay longer, but I don't want my uncle to worry about me."
"We'll see you next time," and she was off.
He kept the façade of happiness till he couldn't sense her anymore.
He let out a massive sigh and rested his head on the counter. "I'd like another bowl, please," he said, not getting up.
The two girls couldn't hold it anymore before giggling nonstop for a straight minute.
"It's not funny!" He deadpanned.
"I hate to break it to you, Naruto, but this is hilarious. Our little Naruto has lady friends," Ayame said through fits of laughter.
Naruto just slammed his head against the counter, hoping they'd take his eye off him.
"Hiding won't help Naruto," Teuchi stated before giving him another bowl.
He reluctantly lifted his head to eat the new bowl of ramen.
After he finished eating, he looked to see Hinata still staring at him.
"So, what are you up to, Hinata?"
Hinata was thrown off for a brief moment before telling him how things have been for her since he left the academy.
It turned out to be a very casual conversation with him.
After she finishes, Naruto told her what he'd been up with him since he left. He's cautious with his words.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, Hinata, but I have to get back to training.
"Ok, then nice seeing you" with those words, they went their separate ways.
When he made it back to the training ground, the pervy sage was nowhere in sight.
"I shouldn't be surprised by this" he walked over to pick up another water balloon.
After another hour, he was on his last water balloon.
And luck would have it. The pervy sage had returned with a massive red mark on his cheeks.
"let's see how far you've come, Naruto!"
"This is the last one," he holds it out, and within a second, it explodes.
"Damn, not only did you pop it, but in a few hours, you matched my speed."
"So, what now?"
"Come back tomorrow for the second step."
"Fine," and he shunshined away.
"Damn, that kid showing some real promise. it looks like the old man was right to put him on the Anbu."
The next day
It was just past lunchtime with Naruto sitting on a wooden post waiting for the pervy sage.
"Good thing I got lunch before coming here" he had an impatient expression since he left a shadow clone in case the perv stopped by while he was getting lunch.
After another 20 minutes, the perv finally showed up.
"What took ya so long...wait, you were perving on women again, weren't you!"
"It's research! Now, are you ready for the second step?"
"Sure"
"Good," he throws a white rubber ball to Naruto. "yesterday you used your chakra to pop a water balloon, now you can do it with this"
He holds out another white rubber ball before popping it like a water balloon.
Naruto repeated what he did yesterday, this one took a lot longer to do, but he managed to pop it...but only through a small hole."
"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."
"This time, you have to focus on the density of the chakra," he said with a smirk.
Naruto had a defeated look in his eye before grabbing another one.
"Good luck," he said, replacing Naruto's spot on the wooden post.
But before he even tried to put chakra into the second ball, he sat wanting to meditate a little.
Jiraiya had a curious look on his face. He figured Naruto would do what he did yesterday.
But he was just sitting down with the ball in his hand.
His eyes shot wide open, sending chakra to the ball.
A few moments later, bumps started forming, and they continued for about a minute before the whole thing popped, causing a small dust cloud.
"Glad you managed to pop it, but like yesterday, you have to shorten the time. Also, what were you doing a moment ago?"
"I was going over my progress with the shock wave jutsu I've been developing."
"Really well, it seemed to do the trick."
"Yeah, now I gotta reduce the time" he goes back at it again.
It took him the rest of the day to cut his time in half.
"At this rate, you might get this step down by tomorrow."
"I hope so," he looks down at his shaky hand.
Jiraiya noticed the handshaking. "Naruto, I know you can master this, and unfortunately, you'll have to push through the pain."
Unknown to both of them, Hiruzen was watching the whole ordeal through his crystal ball.
"Jiraiya, I hope you know what you're doing teaching him that jutsu."
"Is something the matter, Lord Hokage?" Tenzon asks as he lands before him.
"Jiraiya teaching Naruto the Rasengan. His progress is startling, but I'm afraid the burden might be too much for him."
"Then, we should stop them!" Just as he was about to leave.
"Hold it, Tenzo!"
"Lord Hokage!"
"Are you questioning me!"
"No, of course not, but…."
"I'm sure Naruto can handle it, especially after how far he has come since Kakashi trained him."
"True, but we can't have him endangering himself to learn a jutsu he's probably not ready for!"
"I understand your concern, but he is a ninja. He knows the risk."
"Isn't there something we can do to help the boy?"
"Are you actually concerned for his well-being?" he said with a smug grin.
He couldn't find the right words to respond.
"Relax, I'm only teasing. There may be something," Hiruzen said offhandedly.
"Nothing comes to mind, sir."
"Give him access to the chakra springs."
"The chakra springs. Is that really necessary, sir?"
"Yes, I want you to take him there right away. His training is done for the day."
"Hai," he was off.
With Naruto
Naruto was at the forest edge about to enter the village when Tenzo appeared before him.
"What do you need, Tenzo?"
"The Hokage has been keeping an eye on your Rasengan training. He felt you deserved access to the chakra springs."
"Chakra springs?"
That was all Naruto could say before Tenzo shunshined them away.
When they finally Landed, they were at the backside of the Hokage mountain.
"What are we doing here, Tenzo."
He walks over to a rock doing some hand signs only for the stone in question to move, revealing a small cave.
"Follow me," he headed in with Naruto right behind him.
After a minute of walking through the darkness, Naruto heard the sound of rushing water and the smell of steam.
They stood before a relatively large room with several pools and few lanterns giving light to the places.
"This is the chakra spring. There hot springs with chakra running through the water."
"What makes this so special compared to other hot springs?"
"Bathing in them will flood chakra through your system, relieving the stress of your chakra network. It will also help chakra flow so through your body."
Naruto looks at his still shaking hand only to see Tenzo looking at his hand.
"This is a one-time thing, Naruto. However, excessive time spent in the springs can and will have side effects on your chakra network."
"What kind of side effects?"
"For one, it can set your chakra control back to zero. That's the least of your worries."
"Humor me. What other side effects are there?"
"Repeated dips in the spring can also severely damage your chakra reserves and regeneration."
"Ok, I get it, so how much time can I stay in?"
"20 minutes, then you're done," he hands him a towel before turning around.
"Ok," he gets undressed before taking a dip.
"Whoa, this is amazing. feels like my chakra is infinite in here."
"Obviously, your body absorbing the chakra in the water."
"All the aches and pains in my body feel like there being melted away," he sinks to his nose, enjoying the warm water.
"I admit this feels pretty good."
"How are you able to feel this"
"You forget I can see and feel everything you experience since I'm sealed inside you."
"Right, forgot about that."
He stays there for the whole 20 minutes enjoying the water before getting out.
"Ok, I feel a lot better now!"
"Good, and just to remember, this is a one-time thing."
"I assume till the Hokage allows me to again?"
"Correct now. We must leave."
As soon as they left the cave, Tenzo resealed the entrance.
"Who else knows of this?" Naruto said with a curious look.
"Including myself and you, the Hokage, village elders, and a selective few jonin know this exists. So I need not remind you to keep this to yourself."
"No problem here."
Naruto shunshined back home, calling it a night.
After two days of continuous training, Naruto manages to pop the ball in seconds.
"So what the next step, pervy sage?"
He pulls out a regular balloon holding it out only for nothing to happen.
"I don't get it?"
He holds out his other doing the Rasengan. "You need to combine the two steps. If all goes well, the balloon won't pop" he hands him a balloon,
Naruto does as instructed, only for the balloon to pop instantly.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," he said with a sigh.
He wouldn't admit it, but the bath in the spring yesterday helped a lot.
If he didn't take that dip in the spring, he would be in agonizing pain right now from the stain on his chakra network.
Now he feels like he can do this all day.
"Pervy sage, there has to be a better way to test my progress with the jutsu!"
With a sigh, he walked over to a tree with Naruto standing beside him.
"I suppose I can cut you a break this one time." he holds out his hand, doing the Rasengan.
He slams it against the tree, leaving a massive spiral design.
He did another one doing like he did the first time, taking a chunk out of a tree.
"If you can do that to a tree, you mastered the jutsu, and when you've mastered it, you have masted chakra form understand?"
"I sure do pervy sage!"
"Good now, get to it."
after a whole week of training from sunrise to sundown, Naruto finally mastered the Rasengan Jutsu.
Effortlessly summing it with a single hand.
"Thanks to this jutsu kid, you mastered chakra form. What you choose to do with this knowledge is up to you."
"Thanks, pervy sage, for teaching me this, so what will you do now?"
"I still have my spy network to handle, but I'll make sure to stop by every so often to check up on you" he treated him to dinner that night before leaving the village.
The following day Naruto was called to the Hokage office.
"What is it you need, Jiji?"
"I'd like to see this new jutsu you masted" he wore a proud smile.
With his handheld out conjured the Rasengan, "I don't even want to imagine how long this would have taken me before I join the anbu."
"I and many others had to admit your skills as a ninja has grown considerably, especially now that you've mastered the fourth Hokage's jutsu!"
"If what the pervy sage said is true, it should help me develop new jutsu faster than without it."
"I'm inclined to agree with you."
"Is there anything else you need, Jiji?"
"Nothing comes to mind."
"Well, if that's the case, I want to get back developing this new jutsu."
"You're dismissed then, and good luck."
"Hai," he shunshined away.
One month later
After several months of development, Naruto finally perfected his shock wave jutsu.
Right now, he has several shadow clones around him, along with his sister and kakashi.
Of course, he had a small audience want to see his progress with his shock wave jutsu.
The group consists of the third Hokage, Cat, Asuma, Tenzo, the pervy sage, and various jonin he made an impression on.
The most notable is the jonin commander Shikaku.
"You ready, Naruto?" Kukiko said as she had her water whip at the ready.
"Yes," he said firmly in a fighting stance.
Most of his shadow clone charged in with kunai and senbon at the ready.
In moments he was releasing mini shock waves with his hands.
Dispelling one clone after another.
Then he jumped out the way as a water whip nearly hit him.
He was in high alert as the whip left creators when he was standing.
He jumped back before inhaling as he built up chakra in his chest.
Kukiko fired off a mix of water whip and kunai at him.
He then released all the gathered chakra as a fierce roar destroyed her water whip.
The kunai was stopped dead in the track, falling straight down.
Then his remaining clones decided to come down on him all at once, hoping with their kunai at the ready.
Then he crouched down, building up chakra in his upper back.
He released the chakra as a powerful shock wave dispelling all the clones at once.
Then Naruto jumped out of the way as kakashi made his move.
This was a simple 1v1 as the two clashed and dodged the other's advances with a kunai.
The old Naruto would have lost this dual.
The current Naruto was effortlessly dodging his attacks.
Having enough dodging his attacks, he jumped back fairways.
He charged with his speed, dodging each attack before releasing the built-up chakra in his hand before striking with his palm.
Not wanting to injure him seriously, he stopped his hand six centimeters away from his torso.
It was enough room for the shockwave to do its job, sending him flying back about 10 meters.
He stood tall, bowing down, signaling the end of his demonstration.
They all clapped from the impressive display of this shock wave jutsu.
"I must admit, Naruto, that is an impressive jutsu you created." Kakashi praised standing before him.
"Yeah, Naruto, I didn't think it could stop my water whip."
"Truly amazing, Naruto," Hiruzen complimented.
"Nice job, gaki."
The other gave a similar compliment from his shockwave jutsu.
"Thanks, everyone," Naruto said nervously.
After all, was said and Done, the third Hokage treated Naruto to ramen for a job well done, creating a new jutsu.
Naruto ate five ramen bowls as he didn't want to push his luck since Hiruzen was buying the ramen.
Of course, his sister joined him, who was also getting free ramen paid for by the Hokage.
"Thanks for the ramen Jiji"
"It's the least I can do to create a brand new jutsu."
"I can't take all the credit."
"Nonsense, countless ninja in the past tried and failed to use shockwaves as a jutsu. So you are the first to succeed in creating this Jutsu."
"Naruto, what are you going to do now that you master the jutsu?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I was considering improving my Rasengan."
"What did you have in mind?"
"That's the thing. I have no idea where to start," he said nervously.
"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out in time, Naruto," Hiruzen interjected.
"Well, I'm going to call it a night," he waved them, heading home for the day.
After finally falling asleep, Naruto found himself standing before his tenant.
"What is it you need, Kurama?"
"I just wanted to congratulate you on completing your shock wave jutsu."
"Is that all?"
"Yes"
"Well, thank you," he said before departing.
Kurama wouldn't admit it, but he was proud of the boy creating a jutsu after using his chakra.
Not any run-of-the-mill ninja could create a shockwave jutsu after experiencing the unrivaled power of a tail beast.
It was clear to him and many others, Naruto had the gift to analyze and break down jutsu to fit his needs.
There are very few ninjas who possess this invaluable skill.
Let alone a kid his age. It was almost unheard of.
"I wonder what jutsu he will create next."
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