Shiho stood in line watching as one by one each student was called forth and told to perform the Bunshin jutsu. She couldn't help but feel nervous as she waited her turn, she was confident in her ability to perform it, but she couldn't help the nerves that swam around her gut as the line grew smaller and smaller.
Time had flown by quickly in the past few months and now graduation was just around the corner, with only a few weeks left. Shiho felt confident in her abilities but knew there was always room for improvement, especially in areas such as shurikenjutsu and taijutsu. Despite her confidence, a nagging feeling of uncertainty lingered within her, reminding her that anything could happen in the final moments leading up to graduation.
Despite her dedication and hard work, Shiho was well aware of her limitations when it came to the physical aspects of ninja training. Unlike some of her classmates who relished in the thrill of sparring and hand-to-hand combat, like Inuzuka-san and Uzumaki-kun, she struggled to find enjoyment in such activities. Nevertheless, she knew that it was an essential part of her job as a ninja and always gave her best effort. While she was better in certain areas, such as weapons training, she was still far from where she wanted to be and was determined to improve.
Her academic ability, on the other hand, was what kept her in good standing within the class. She had a natural talent for written tests and could perform the three academy jutsu without issue, despite the few times that nerves would interfere when it came to class performances.
"Uzumaki you're up" Funeno-sensei called out.
As Shiho stood second in line, she watched with anticipation as Naruto stepped forth to perform the Bunshin jutsu. He went through the three hand seals with confidence, but his expression betrayed a hint of annoyance. In a burst of smoke, a clone appeared beside him in the smoke, but as it cleared the class was met with a sickly pale imitation of the blonde, the clone looked as if it had no strength to move.
"That's the third week in a row Uzumaki" Funeno-sensei said, a stern frown set across his pudgy face. "Your clones are getting weaker instead of stronger. What's going on?"
Naruto shrugged, his face stoic with a hint of exasperation as he replied "I dunno sensei. I've been practicing every day, but I still can't get the jutsu down".
Shiho observed as some of her classmates behind her snickered behind his back, making a few rude remarks about his abilities. She felt a pang of sympathy for him as she knew that this was the only thing that he seemed to struggle with, but she also felt a sense of admiration for the way he shook off their comments with ease.
"Well, you better figure it out fast, Uzumaki" Funeno-sensei said sternly "The graduation exam is coming up and if you can't produce a decent clone, then you won't be passing".
Naruto nodded silently, turning on his heel as he made his way back to his seat. Shiho noticed a frown set on his face as he went, despite the comments and snickers from their classmates, he didn't seem affected by Funeno-sensei's words as he looked as if he was already figuring out how to fix his problem.
She was never one to meddle in other people's affairs, but she couldn't help but wonder why he was struggling with the jutsu. After all, she remembered him being the first in their class to master the Henge technique and one of the first to learn Kawarimi. His difficulty with this particular jutsu simply didn't make any sense to her.
Despite feeling sorry for him, her curiosity was also piqued. She decided that she would offer her help if he wanted it, doing so would also mean that she was stepping out of her comfort zone, but she would commit to helping a future comrade-
"Hayashi your turn" Funeno-sensei said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
-right after she performed the jutsu herself.
"Yes sensei" stepping forth she ran through the seals easily enough, an exact copy of herself coming into existence beside her.
Funeno-sensei commended her, "Good job Hayashi. Your hand seals were quick and precise." He then pointed out, "There is a slight colour difference on your clone's glasses, so make sure to correct that next time and you will get full marks." Shiho nodded and thanked him for the feedback.
Shiho returned to her seat, watching on as Funeno-sensei assessed the final few of the class, she looked over at the blonde who was ruffling through his bag for something.
Deciding that there's no time like the present, she leaned in and whispered, "Excuse me, Uzumaki-kun?" the sudden voice made the blonde jump a little, turning to her with a sheepish look on his face, Shiho chose to press on" I was wondering if you'd like a hand in figuring out what you're doing wrong with the jutsu? Another set of eyes doesn't hurt".
Naruto eyed her cautiously, "Why would you do that for me?".
Shiho understood his questioning, it was a spur of the moment thing she thought of herself, and they hadn't interacted with each other, other than a few passing comments. "Well, we're classmates, and we'll be working together in the future. We should help each other whenever we can."
Naruto hesitated. "I appreciate it, Hayashi, but I don't wanta take up your personal time. You have your own training to worry about."
Shiho smiled gently. "Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help. Besides, if I help you with your problem, you can help me with my shurikenjutsu and taijutsu." She offered him her hand. "So, is it a deal?"
Naruto took a second before shaking it, a small smile on his face. "Alright, Hayashi. It's a deal".
It wasn't long until Funeno-sensei called the class to attention once more. Shiho and Naruto both returned to their textbooks the man moved them on to tackle practice exam questions. Naruto groaned as they were instructed to turn to the 'trajectories revision' page. Shiho couldn't help but giggle at his frustration.
Shiho checked the clock on the wall, realizing they only had an hour until the break. "Just an hour until you're free, Uzumaki-kun," she joked with a small smile.
Naruto grunted in response, already focusing on the trajectory question in front of him. Shiho chuckled softly before doing the same.
For the next hour, they worked diligently on the practice exam questions. Shiho quickly scribbled her answers while Naruto stuck to his own pace through each problem. The classroom was filled with the sound of scratching pencils and occasional sighs of frustration.
Finally, the bell rang, signalling the end of their morning classes. Shiho let out a sigh of relief, stretching her arms above her head. "I'm glad that's over," she said, gathering her books and stationery.
Naruto quickly followed suit, grabbing his bag, and slinging it over his shoulder. Both making their way outside to the courtyard, the sun beating down on them.
Shiho led them over to a nearby tree, the shade providing them some shade for their impromptu training. She sat down, leaning her back against the trunk, while Naruto stood across from her, tossing his bag to the side.
"Okay Uzumaki-kun" she started "mould the chakra for the bunshin and we will start there".
Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on moulding the chakra for the Bunshin jutsu. Shiho watched him carefully and noticed that there was nothing visually wrong. He was doing the correct seals and he was doing them faster than her. That meant that it was down to the chakra he was loading the jutsu with.
A moment later, there was a puff of smoke as Naruto's clone appeared in front of him. The clone looked sickly and disfigured, a clear indication that something was wrong with Naruto's chakra control.
"How are you moulding the chakra?" Shiho asked, watching as Naruto stomped on the clone.
"What d'ya mean, I'm doing it like everyone else," Naruto replied, patting his lower abdomen. "I mould it here slowly, allow it to build up and spread it across my body while I form the seals, which then activates the jutsu and then the clone appears".
Shiho nodded, deciding to ignore the simplification of their chakra pathway. Naruto's chakra control was still off, and it was affecting the quality of his jutsu. "Do you still do the leaf concentration exercise?"
Naruto nodded and picked up a rock from the ground. He placed it on his forehead and closed his eyes, focusing on his chakra. A moment later, the rock attached itself to his forehead, held in place by his chakra.
"I got to this point so I just stopped" he pointed to the rock "if I can do it with stuff that's heavier than a leaf then that must mean I've mastered it".
Shiho was taken aback by Naruto's misunderstanding of chakra control. She clapped her hands together to grab his attention and he looked at her with a confused expression. Shiho could see where he was coming from, as just as lifting heavier weights can lead to muscle growth, the same doesn't apply to chakra control.
"You've displayed the usual boy behaviour Uzumaki-kun," she smiled, "Thinking bigger is better. But when it comes to controlling chakra, it's the opposite silly." She turned and plucked a leaf from a low-hanging branch.
"Having a large chakra capacity can actually make it harder to control it. Therefore, to improve your control, you need to concentrate on smaller outputs." She ripped the leaf into quarters and placed a piece onto the middle of his forehead.
"Now, try to bring the smallest strand of chakra to the point where this little piece will stick," she instructed, "What was your longest time for holding a leaf?"
"Oh, uhm about three hours – I think. I got bored around then and took it off," he replied, closing his eyes, and focusing on the task at hand.
Shiho was impressed. The task at sticking it was easy, but even when she used to challenge herself to stick it to her forehead, she would start getting a headache just after the hour mark. So, to say that he got to three hours was a show of how much chakra he has along with his level of patience.
Feeling Naruto's finger push her wrist away, Shiho realized that he had succeeded in making the small part of the leaf stick to his forehead. The intense look on his face showed how hard he was concentrating. She decided to remain silent, not wanting to interrupt his focus, and took a few steps back to resume her seated position with her back against the tree.
As she waited, she decided to occupy herself by pulling out a small puzzle book from her backpack. It was filled with several types of puzzles, from crosswords to Sudoku and logic puzzles. She enjoyed reading it when she had spare time, finding it to be a good mental exercise.
Flipping through the pages, she came across a particularly challenging logic puzzle that caught her eye. As she began to read through the clues and try to solve it, she became completely engrossed in the task at hand. The sound of Naruto's breathing and the distant noises from the other students faded into the background as she focused her attention on the puzzle.
It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that Naruto's concentration broke, the tiny piece of leaf fell from his forehead getting swept up by the breeze. He opened his eyes to see Shiho in deep concentration whilst looking at a book, fidgeting with a pen in her free hand. Deciding to give her the same courtesy she did for him, he quietly planted himself down on the grass and allowed himself to lay back, looking up at the clouds.
The remainder of their time went by like that until the bell broke Naruto out of his cloud gazing. Getting up he noticed that Shiho had still yet to move, laughing to himself he tapped her forehead signalling to the students running back inside.
He chuckled seeing her face take on a pinkish hue, "What's so funny" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Even when we're not in class your head is in a book. Do you ever take a break from studying?"
Shiho let out a small laugh, still embarrassed "I just enjoy reading that's all and besides it isn't like it's a bad thing" she said, looking down at the book she had in her hands.
Naruto turned, his hands behind his head as they walked back to their class. "Well, you better make sure your prepared for our training session later. I won't go easy on you, bookworm", amusement was evident in his voice.
Despite his back being turned Shiho smiled at him. This was the first time that they had actually "hung out" in their 4 years as classmates, but she could already tell that offering to help him with his little dilemma was something that was already bearing fruit and maybe a good friendship would come of it in their final month.
She didn't mind that a lot of people tended to avoid him, she preferred to value personal experience over preconceived notions or assumptions, and from the little that they had spoken and their little chakra lesson at break, she knew that Uzumaki Naruto was a good person.
"I wouldn't expect you to, Uzumaki-kun." she said as they both entered their classroom, Funeno-sensei closing the door behind them.
As the promise of after-class training loomed in Shiho's mind, time seemed to fly by as Funeno-sensei continued his lecture. Before they knew it, the bell had rung, signalling the end of class.
She hastily packed her belongings and glanced at her deskmate, who was already poised to leave with his bag slung over his shoulder. "Ready?" he asked, gesturing towards the door. Shiho nodded and fell in step beside him as they left the classroom, making their way through the academy halls.
As they stepped out of the academy building, Shiho realized that Naruto was leading her away from the courtyard. She furrowed her brows in confusion and asked, "Are we not using the academy grounds?"
Naruto shook his head and replied, "Nah, it's not just us that would be using them and besides dealing with others gets annoying after a while."
His response made Shiho realize he must have had issues with others before. "What training ground are we going to use then?" she asked, curious.
Instead of answering, Naruto simply tapped the side of his nose, a smirk on his face. Shiho shrugged it off and decided to trust him.
As they made their way through the bustling village, Shiho couldn't help but notice the curious gazes that Naruto was attracting from the people around them. Despite the attention, he seemed completely unfazed, walking with his head held high and a lax smile on his face.
For Shiho, it was a bit confusing. When she first joined the academy, she had heard rumours about Naruto's wrongdoings, the time he vandalised the the Hokage faces being the most infamous. However she hadn't seen or heard him do anything since then, and it was stupid for people to be still hung up over something that happened years ago
Feeling uncomfortable under the weight of the stares, Shiho unconsciously slowed her pace and began to trail behind Naruto. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, but for now, she kept her head down and focused on keeping up with her classmate.
It wasn't until they had been walking for twenty minutes that she realized they were headed for the village outskirts as buildings became scarce as the dirt path turned into a forest trail.
Shiho's eyes looked around in curiosity as they entered a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. In the centre of the clearing stood a single training post, and off to the side was a small sparring circle, its border made of small stones. Naruto noticed her curiosity and splayed his arms, "Welcome to my secret training spot. It ain't much, but I've been using it for a while now."
"I can see why, it seems peaceful." she said placing her bag down on the grass.
"Right, let's start off on improving your aim," he said, pointing towards the post, "then after an hour or so we can do a light spar if you want?"
Finding the plan to be solid she marched alongside him once again until they were ten meters from the post. He pulled out a kunai and threw it at the wooden post, hitting the bullseye mark dead-on. Gesturing for her to give it a try, he handed her a kunai. She took it, focusing on her stance and grip before throwing it. With a solid thunk, the kunai wedged itself just a few centimetres from Naruto's own. It wasn't a bad throw, but she knew she could do better with some pointers and that's why she as here.
"Again," he said, and as she got into a stance, she felt him adjust her footing by moving her foot a little forward. "Loosen your body a bit and keep throwing until you run out," he instructed. Following his advice, she threw the kunai again and noticed that her movements felt more fluid.
Naruto could tell that she was getting a hang of it, "Don't worry about hitting the mark every time. Just focus on your form and let the kunai do the rest." He said, she took a deep breath and continued throwing, each time getting closer to the bullseye until she finally hit it dead on.
This continued for another hour, Naruto letting her have a break every time he went and collected the kunai. By the ten-minute mark, Shiho was already sweating, but she didn't complain. She knew that the training was helping her improve, and she wanted to make the most of the opportunity so she can improve by the end of the month.
"Good job" Naruto complimented. "You're getting the hang of it. Now let's start sparring" he said as he made his way over to the makeshift sparring ring.
Once in the makeshift ring, he quickly turned and threw a straight fist towards her, surprised by the sudden action she froze as his fist hovered in front of her nose.
"I've noticed before in class that you always freeze up when someone catches you of guard" he said, following his arm he saw him smiling at her "so that's the first thing you need to correct".
His observation skills surprised her, but it made sense considering he was at the top of the class in taijutsu, "What's the next thing?" she asked, raising her fists.
"Secondly, your too textbook, which makes sense considering you always have your head in one," he snorts "but that means your easily readable, so start adding random moves into it and make your own kind off style".
As Naruto's words sunk in, Shiho felt a mix of surprise and embarrassment. She had always prided herself on being diligent and following the rules, but now she realized that it had made her predictable in combat. As she thought back on Naruto's past fights, she began to see the truth in his words. His unorthodox style had caught opponents off guard and given him an advantage.
"Thank you Uzumaki-kun," she said sincerely, "I can't believe I didn't look at it that way. Can you show me how to how to mix things up?".
Naruto smiled at her eagerness to improve and stepped forward, demonstrating a few quick moves. "Like this," he said as he performed an elbow strike, followed by a sudden knee kick. "Or this," he continued, performing a spinning back kick, using his arms as a way to create momentum. "Just remember to stay loose and keep your opponent guessing.
As Shiho watched, she began to see the potential in incorporating unorthodox moves into her style. She tried a few herself, feeling awkward at first, but gradually getting the hang of it. Naruto encouraged her, pointing out where she could improve and offering helpful tips along the way. By the end of the session, Shiho felt more confident in her ability to mix things up and surprise her opponents in future fights.
Naruto gestured for Shiho to spar with him, and she steeled herself, determined to put the tips he had given her to use. As they began their bout, Naruto initially allowed her to take the offensive. He would occasionally kick the inside of her leg to destabilize her, or push her aside, making her stumble. Despite this, Shiho persisted, adapting to his unorthodox style, and throwing in some random moves of her own.
As the sparring continued, Shiho began to implement the tips that Naruto had given her. She started to incorporate random moves into her attacks, making it difficult for Naruto to predict her next move. However, Naruto was quick to respond with his own unorthodox style of fighting, using his elbows and headbutts to throw Shiho off balance.
Despite being on the defensive for most of the match, Shiho refused to give up. She tried to stay focused on her breathing and movements, using Naruto's attacks to her advantage by redirecting them and counterattacking.
Naruto could see that Shiho was already beginning to improve with the little tips he had given her. Her movements became more fluid and less predictable, and she was starting to anticipate his attacks better. He was impressed by her determination.
Deciding to push herself to the limit, Shiho threw a punch with all her might, but she overextended her arm, leaving herself vulnerable. Taking advantage of the opening, Naruto latched onto her and used her own momentum to throw her over his back. Shiho hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of her and the day's training finally catching up to her. She lay there for a moment, noticing that the sky was beginning to darken.
As Naruto's head came into view, Shiho couldn't help but feel a sense of embarrassment, despite knowing that she couldn't beat him it was a little humiliating. "You want to finish for today?" he asked, a knowing glint in his eye.
Glad that her flushed face from sparring hid her embarrassment, Shiho gasped for air before responding. "Yes please," she managed to say between deep breaths, her body trying to regain its energy.
Chuckling to himself, Naruto made his way over to their bags, picked them both up, and returned to Shiho who was still lying on the ground. He presented her his hand, and she pulled herself up, giving a quick thanks. She took her bag from him, and the two began walking back to the village.
Shiho had never felt so drained after a training session in a long time. Typically, she only got out of breath during her regular jogs to maintain her fitness. She turned to Naruto, feeling a bit nervous. "Uhm, Uzumaki-kun," she said, catching his attention. "Do you think we could spar again sometime? Maybe up until the exams?" She glanced at the trees, feeling a little embarrassed "I don't have anyone else to practice with outside of class and-"
"Sure thing," Naruto replied, surprising Shiho with his quick agreement. "We can spar whenever I'm off work and a few times after classes end, if that suits you?"
Shiho nodded her head in agreement, a smile on her face. "Yes, that works. Thank you," she said gratefully.
Naruto, who was unused to people thanking him, looked away uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." he mumbled, prompting Shiho to raise her eyebrow at the reaction.
As they walked, they both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Before they knew it, they had made it back into the bustling village. The evening rush of people out for dinner flooded the streets, and Naruto and Shiho joined them, traversing the busy roads.
Eventually, they reached a crossroads, both heading in opposite directions. Promising to make a plan for training at the academy before bidding each other goodnight. On her walk home, Shiho could tell already that the next few weeks were going to be vital in her improving herself for graduation. A small part of her hoped that it wouldn't always be this sore, but she was smarter than that.
It would only get harder from here on out.