Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version
AN/ Hello everyone. Welcome to the fourth chapter of this re-work. This chapter is going to give more of a look at Naruto progressing in strength, as well as introduce Sasuki.
Arc I: The Origin:
Chapter 4: Budding Friendship and Creeping Strength
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Time flew by for Naruto. Before he knew it winter gave way to spring. The weather steadily warmed up, a prelude to the infamously warm Land of Fire summer. The morning of April 14th dawned crisp and clear. It was a stark change to the dreary weather just a month prior. The sky gleamed pure blue. Today was the day. The first day of his second year at the academy. A new beginning. He woke up early that day.
Normally he was content to take things slowly. Today was different. The excitement bubbling inside him wouldn't let him sit still any longer than necessary. He was showered and dressed well before the sun rose. His damp hair clung to his forehead as he fidgeted nervously in front of his grandfather at the breakfast table. Several dishes full of rice, fish, and rolled omellettes lay between them. He wanted to wolf his meal down so he could hurry to the academy. Not that he would. Even though the old man seemed to be focused on his meal, Naruto knew for a fact he was watching him like a hawk. For some reason he insisted that Naruto learn manners. Utterly useless annoyances in his opinion. Forgetting his manners would earn him a light rap across his knuckles with a wooden spoon.
So, there he was, eating his food at a sedate pace. At least it tasted good. The rich juices of the grilled fish had seeped into the rice and flavored it. He winced as he bit into his omelette. Eggs weren't his favorite.
When he was finally done he gave his grandfather an expectant look. 'Can I go now?' He didn't ask it out loud, but clearly Madara understood. He gave Naruto a subtle nod.
"Fine, run along then." He said.
Naruto hardly waited for the words to leave his mouth. He shot up from the table and swung his backpack onto his shoulder. The familiar heft of his books made him grunt. He was almost at the door to the dining room before Madara finished his sentence. Before he could clear the doorframe, his grandfather's voice cracked through the air like a whip and stopped him cold.
"Naruto."
Naruto skidded to a stop and his heart almost stopped. He had to grasp the door jam to stop himself from skidding on the ground. He peered back at his grandfather apprehensively.
"Uh, yeah?" He asked. For a moment his grandfather pinned him with a stern gaze. Had he forgotten something?
His worries eased when Madara's lips twitched and cracked into a grin. "Be sure to save some energy for tonight. Given your recent progress, I plan on teaching you a jutsu that should help you a lot." He said.
Nothing could wipe the smile off Naruto's face after that. Today was going to be great. It was his chance to make a new first impression with his new classmates. This time he wouldn't be known as the loser. 'I'm gonna show everyone what I can do, ya know!'
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His new classroom ended up being near the other side of the building next to the open area they used for taijutsu lessons. He paused at the sliding door to collect himself. A jumble of voices came from behind the door. He could catch snippets of conversation. Kids asking how breaks went, or what they thought they'd learn that semester.
Alright Naruto, come on, you can do this. Gotta make a good impression.' This was a new chance to make a first impression. In his last class he was a loser. Everyone laughed at him. Now he had a chance to make a different first impression.
He tried to psych himself up. He'd finally plucked up the courage to reach for the door when a tap on his shoulder almost made him jump out of his skin.
"GAH!" He shouted in surprise. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. Naruto spun around to see a brown-haired man with a spiky pony-tail standing behind him. The man had a slightly sheepish expression on his deeply tanned face. There was a faded scar across the bridge of his nose, but the man still somehow looked kind. He wore the traditional attire of a Hidden Leaf Chunin (a mid-level ninja), a blue sweatshirt and shinobi pants under a light green flak jacket. Unlike Tatsuya-Sensei, his uniform was pristine. Most likely an instructor. He looked pretty young.
"Sorry about that. I just wanted to ask if you needed help. You looked a little lost." He said.
"Um, yeah. I was just gonna go in. I'm one of the new students." Naruto said. As an afterthought he handed the man the sheet he'd gotten from Gramps. He could tell the second the man got to his name, because his warm eyes suddenly got much colder. The man looked at Naruto guardedly. So he was one of those adults. Naruto braced himself for what he knew was coming, some sort of complaint of being late or other reason to chew him out.
"Alright. Why go ahead and go in. I'll make an announcement at the beginning of class." He said. Naruto blinked in surprise. That was … new. He'd expected that the new teacher would be just like every other adult when he founds out who he was. Yet, this guy was mostly civil. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad with this teacher.
There was a slight drop in conversation when he opened the door. Aside from all the new faces, there wasn't much to distinguish this classroom from his last one. Natural light poured in from a bank of huge windows on the far wall. Large three person desks of polished wood were l of how the classrooms were arranged in tiers leading to the back of the room. Each one could hold three students, and there were four columns and three rows. At the front two large chalk-boards took up most of the wall, with a medium-sized desk and lectern for the teacher.
Most of the seats were already filled. The entrance was at the bottom level, so everyone was looking down at him. Naruto spotted an open seat halfway up. The middle and left-side seats were already taken by a black-haired kid with a hair style similar to their teacher and a chubby boy with bushy brown hair respectively. They looked nice enough. The black-haired boy looked tired, and the other boy was snacking on a bag of chips.
As he made his way up the aisle, mutters followed him in hushed whispers.
"… Who's that?"
"… Must be one of them new kids."
"… I think that's the guy my friend told me about, he's supposed to be really bad."
Naruto tuned it all out and made his way to the seat. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked awkwardly. The crunch from the brown-haired boy snacking was a bit distracting.
"Nah, go ahead. Not like I care." The black-haired boy said lazily. Too busy munching, the brown-haired kid simply shook his head.
Well, that was good enough. Naruto took his seat on the bench next to the black-haired boy. True to his word, the boy, quickly put his head in his arms. Within minutes he was snoring lightly. He sure didn't seem to care about class. Not that he really had room to talk. Naruto spent most of last year ditching any class he found boring. Basically anything that didn't involve physical activity.
During the wait for class to begin, Naruto chatted quietly with the brown-haired boy. Apparently his name was Choji, a member of the Akimichi Clan. The other one was named Shikamaru according to Choji. He was a member of the Nara Clan.
Before he knew it, it was time for class to begin.
"Alright class, that's enough chatting." The sensei–Iruka if he remembered right from the letter–said. When that did work he looked a little annoyed. "OI, I SAID KNOCK IT OFF!" He shouted. The noise reverberated off the high ceiling.
Finally the muttering died out, and the chunin cleared his throat. "Good. Now, before we begin, I need to announce that we'll be having a couple new students this year. One of my fellow teachers retired unexpectedly, so his class has been divided up amongst the other first year teachers." He said. There was a bitt of muttering at that.
Naruto could feel the eyes of some of the other students on him. Clearly they'd already realized he was one of the new students. He couldn't help but look around to see who the other student was from his old class. 'Ah, there.' There was a vaguely familiar face in the corner. A rather plain looking boy named Yusuke. He'd been on the lower end of the totem pole in their class, though nowhere near as bad as Naruto.
"I expect the rest of you to help them get settled in." Iruka said sternly. His eyes seemed to linger on a brown-haired boy with a rather feral appearance. Hmm, maybe someone to look out for maybe?
With his message delivered, Iruka picked up a clipboard and a pencil from his podium. "Now, with that out of the way, I'll take roll. After that we'll review some of what we learned last term for the first half of the day." He said.
He didn't pay much attention to the roll call. By Naruto's estimation, he had an entire term to learn all his new classmates names. Though his attention was grabbed when Iruka called one name in particular. He'd just gotten done with the 'T's'.
"Sasuki Uchiha …" Iruka Called.
"… Here."
Naruto's head snapped up and he looked to his left. A girl who was sat in the middle of the row raised her hand. Her jet-black high-collar shirt was a signature of the clan. She had blue-tinted ebony hair tied into a pony-tail, with fair skin. But it was her name that caught his attention. Uchiha. A fellow member of his clan. It was the first time he'd seen someone from the clan since he met his grandfather.
'That's right. I remember hearing something about a girl from our year that was really good.' An unfamiliar sensation filled his stomach. It was almost … a rush. He felt a different kind of energy. A nervous jittery feeling. His gaze sharpened. He … he wanted to prove how good he was. To show how he stacked up against another member of the clan, even if he was the only person to know about it.
After that burst of excitement things mostly calmed down. He was called next, and he simply said "Here". A couple more students names were called after that, and then it was on to the review.
It was a new experience for Naruto. Normally he'd try and avoid answering anything. That had changed since his last meeting with Gramps. It made him reconsider how he approached the academic side of things. He'd taken to going back through his textbooks and re-learning things under his grandfathers guidance. To his delight, he found himself able to keep up with the review. He even managed to get a couple answers himself.
"Can anyone tell me when the Warring States Period ended, and why?" Iruka-sensei asked.
Naruto's hand shot into the air. He could see a few others with their hands. There was a pink-haired girl at the front that seemed rather meek, as well as Sasuki, and a blonde-haired girl on the far side of the room. He grinned when Iruka pointed at him.
"It ended around A.S. 921. When the Hidden Leaf formed, it made other ninja clans in the other nations form villages of their own." He answered. That earned a respectful nod from his sensei. Naruto hid a smile. There was a warm feeling inside him at getting a question right. Was this how other people in his last class felt when they got something right? It felt almost as good as when he finally got down an exercise in training.
Not long after Iruka-sensei called an end to the review. "Well, that'll be all for the review. You'll have thirty minutes for lunch, then I want you all to meet me back at taijutsu practice area. Today we begin sparring practice." He said.
Excited murmurs erupted around the room. It was hard to contain his own excitement. A nervous energy filled his stomach. He could hardly wait.
He spent lunch alone on the rooftop. It was his favorite place to eat. The large oak trees provided plenty of shade underneath their expansive green canopies in summer. In winter they were large enough to block out the rain. Most days he'd spend lunch simply looking at the village and imaging what it would be like once he was a shinobi. Usually it involved him becoming Hokage. Today, however, he paid little attention to the view. He picked nervously at the sushi bento his grandfather had made.
Truth be told he was a little nervous about the taijutsu spar. He and his grandfather had only just started working on it. Progress was slow since Madara wanted him to do it while sticking several leaves to his body. What if he wasn't good enough? The memory of his disastrous attempt at the Clone Jutsu was still fresh in his mind. He didn't think he could stand another embarrassment like that. Eventually his training had to start paying off, right?
Finally the time came to go back to class. He made his way down three flights of concrete steps to the ground floor, and then to the side door that led to the sparring area.
The taijutsu practice field was very basic. It was a rugged dirt courtyard about a quarter the size of a football pitch. A beat-up chain-link fence ran around the perimeter on three sides to keep people out, with the fourth bordering the school. He could see the Hokage faces looming in the background. It always felt like they were watching over them as they trained. There was a somewhat faded white ring in the center to mark the fighting area.
By then the sun was nearing its apex. It blazed down intensely. The rays bounced off the orange dirt ground and filled the air with a heavy warmth that seemed to press down on you. There weren't any clouds to offer a reprieve. He could already feel a slight sweat build on his forearms, and he could even feel as the sun's rays tried to roast his skin.
Once everyone was gathered back, Iruka-Sensei called for attention and held up a sheet of crisp sheet of paper.
"Alright everyone, let's get started. Since this is our first sparring lesson, we won't be taking this too seriously. This is more of a chance to get a baseline than anything." He explained. "That being said, the fight ends when either one person is forced out of the circle, somebody submits, or I call a stop. I expect you to obey my commands. Is that understood?"
He fixed a stern gaze on everyone. For such a kind-looking man, he could be awfully intimidating when he wanted. Naruto nodded and muttered "Yes Sensei." His fellow classmates did the same, and Iruka nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, now I paired you up randomly. When you hear your name called, step into the sparring circle and face your opponent. Our first fight will be Ami vs. Kaoru. Everyone else step back and form a line to observe."
Everyone moved back save for two girls. One of them had short purple hair, while the other had slightly longer black hair. The two took the basic academy stance. It was a taijutsu form everyone was taught, though it was mostly for the students that were from civilian families. Most clan kids got taught a unique style, and they could get excused from learning the academy style. Luckily, there hadn't been any of those in his last class.
At Iruka's signal, they began to fight. It wasn't much to watch. They were both rather sloppy in their punches and kicks. Neither bothered to go for a grappling maneuver. It came to an end when Ami managed to sweep her opponents legs out from under her.
The fights started to pass in a blur. He stopped paying attention. His mind was too focused on what he would do for his own match. He tried to examine his fellow classmates to learn from their mistakes, but he was so distracted it didn't really help.
Naruto waited with nervous anticipation for his turn. His stomach was tying itself in knots. It took conscious effort to stop his muscles from tensing up. That would be bad if he got tense before a fight. He wanted to make a good impression. Finally, his name was called after the fifth fight.
"… Okay, Naruto and Kiba, it's your turn." Iruka called.
"Finally, I get a chance to show my stuff." He exclaimed. The suspense was killing him at this point. Some of the people around him looked at him weirdly. Luckily, his opponent's response overshadowed him.
"Yahoo! Finally, I can't wait!" The feral boy from earlier shouted from a few spots down. He had shaggy brown hair and unique slit eyes. There were a pair of red facial markings on his cheeks. He wore a long-sleeved tan shirt and grey shorts. The boy dashed into the ring eagerly, while Naruto followed at a calmer pace. Once they were facing each other the boy grinned at him, exposing a set of almost fang-like canine teeth. "What's the matter, you chicken or something?" He asked.
Naruto felt a rush of anger. He couldn't help it. He had to pause and force himself to calm down before he responded. His grandfather had been drilling him on that. A few calming breaths helped temper him, and he looked back at Kiba with a grin.
"No! I just don't need to yap like some stupid dog! Just wait until I knock your lights out!" Naruto responded. He drew on the boys appearance for inspiration. The insult worked because the boy gave him an intense glare.
Before things could get too out of hand, Iruka spoke up. "Alright you two, remember, this is just a spar. I expect you to keep it friendly. This will go five minutes or until I call it." He said
Naruto nodded to show his acceptance of the order. Meanwhile, the other boy simply scoffed and muttered "Whatever."
Iruka gave them one last look, before swiping his arm down. "Start."
Kiba gave him a savage grin and dropped into a weird stance. He put his hands on the ground and hunched to all fours. It threw Naruto off for a second.
"Hey, I was just joking about the dog thing, ya don't need to act like one." He said. To his surprise, his comment was met by a laugh by not just Kiba, but the entire class. "What's so funny?" He asked.
"Hehehe, you are, you dummy." Kiba jeered. "I'm from the Inuzuka Clan you moron, we're known for fighting like animals. Now I'm gonna embarrass you. Don't blink."
His words instantly put Naruto on alert. The Inuzuka, huh? Just knowing Kiba was using a clan style made him wearier. This wouldn't be like his fights in his last class. It was just his luck to get someone with a clan style for his first fight. He was soon rewarded for his attention. In one instant Kiba had tensed his limbs and shot forward, taking a swipe at his head with his fist.
WHOOSH!
The sound of his opponents fist moving through the air was shocking. 'Fast.' That was all he could think. He could barely keep up with the movement. Naruto had to stamp down the urge to use the Sharingan. Instead he tried to analyze Kiba's fighting style. Clearly it relied on overwhelming an opponent with speed.
Something stood out immediately. When Kiba landed from overshooting him, the boy took a moment to recover. He skidded on the ground and had to briefly come out of his animalistic stance to right himself. Small clouds of dust floated by his feet. A second later the boy launched right back at Naruto. He successfully ducked, but his eyes widened when his opponent twisted his body to try and surprise him with a kick. Naruto barely had enough time to throw up a guard.
BAM! –He winced as Kiba's shin made his bones rattle uncomfortably. The blow forced him to stumble backwards. The dull, constant ache was a sure sign he'd have a nasty bruise. It wasn't just speed. Kiba's power was no joke either.
He just barely managed to stop from falling over. It was a good thing too, because he could see the ring-out line was just a couple meters behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Kiba was almost on him again. He had to do something, quick! If he didn't he'd get knocked out of the ring.
'Wait … the ring!' He had just enough time to react. The opening was right in front of his face. Literally. His opponent had overextended on his swing, leaving his arm wide open. Naruto didn't hesitate. He seized Kiba's outstretched arm with both hands and started to pull. His muscles strained mightily. He heaved with all his strength and tossed Kiba over his shoulder. A grin stretched across his face when he saw his opponent sail over the faded white mark and hit the ground roughly. In that moment he felt invincible. It was a confidence Naruto had never felt before. The blood in his veins pumped fiercely. He took two steadying breaths to calm his body back down.
The other boy tumbled briefly. Just like earlier, Kiba was able to right himself quickly. It looked like he'd try and charge, but Iruka quickly stepped in.
"Winner, Naruto!" He said.
"What!" Kiba shouted in disbelief. Instead of answering Iruka simply pointed at the line. Naruto heard a sharp intake of breath, and Kiba cursed quietly. He looked like someone made him suck on a lemon. Finally, he actually looked at Naruto and sneered. "Tch, looks like you got lucky. Don't think it'll happen again." He growled.
Naruto stood there awkwardly for a second. Eventually he trailed after Kiba and went back to the line. He could hear a few people snicker at the other boy. As he walked his mind played back the fight. Though he'd felt good initially, he realized one major flaw. He'd been utterly overwhelmed. In a certain sense Kiba was right. He'd won on a technicality. If this were a real fight, he would've lost. He didn't want that to happen again. 'I'll have to train harder. I'll focus more on taijut–'
He was jarred from his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder. Naruto looked up, and his eyes widened when he saw Sasuki looking at him. She gave him a bright smile. "Hey, good fight. Don't let what Kiba said get to you. He's just mad he lost for being stupid." She said.
"Uh, thanks." He said awkwardly. Naruto wasn't really used to people being nice to him. He didn't quite know how to handle it. A small smile stretched his lips. His performance might not have been the best, but it seemed it was enough to make a good first impression. That was good enough for now.
With his spirits raised, Naruto settled back to watch the other fights. Since he didn't have the pressure of his own fight hanging from his neck like an anchor, he was able to pay more attention to them. It wasn't just Kiba. There were several talented people in this class. Perhaps the most surprising was a rather meek girl with weird white eyes and short blue hair. She managed to disable her opponent with some kind of weird fluid style that almost seemed like she was poking her opponent. The most impressive, though, was by far his fellow Uchiha.
When it came time for Sasuki to fight, she moved with a ferocity and grace that he'd never seen from a student at the academy. She overwhelmed the other girl with a quick kick to the stomach, and then immediately transitioned to an armbar. It was over in seconds. He felt that feeling from earlier again. The need to meet a challenge.
Right there and then, he made a vow to himself. He was going to be the best in the class.
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He'd planned to go straight home after class. After all, he wanted to know what jutsu his grandfather would teach him! That was the plan anyway. It got tossed out the window when he came across something that got his blood boiling.
There was one particular street he always took to get back to his grandfather's. It was pretty secluded, especially this time of day. He'd just turned the corner onto it when a boys voice caught his attention. Mostly due to how aggressive he sounded.
"You're that second year girl, the one everyone keeps saying is really good. Isn't that Itachi guy your brother?"
His gaze snapped over to where the voice was coming from. What he saw made him scowl. A trio of older boys, one of them tall and lanky, another pretty average looking, and the last rather chunky—were gathered around someone a black-haired girl. She was only a few meters in front of him. He eyed the three boys carefully. It didn't look like they'd noticed him. The aggressiveness of their body language set him on edge. He could tell a bully when he saw one. It was a skill he picked up at the orphanage. A lot of the older kids liked to pick on the younger ones. Especially him.
"Ya know, we were in the same class as that supposed genius brother of yours. He was a real jerk, making all of us look bad in spars, and then graduating in a year on top of it! Maybe we should teach you a lesson, so you don't get as arrogant as him!" Said the tall one.
That was it! No way was he just going to stand back. Just as he resolved to step in, the girl snapped back an angry reply. To his surprise, he recognized her voice immediately. After all, he'd just met her that day.
"It's not my fault if you couldn't beat Itachi, and it wasn't his either! Just because he beat you doesn't mean he was a jerk!" Sasuki said to the bullies. He felt like hitting himself for not seeing the red and white fan crest on the back of her shirt.
"Shut up you little twit!" The plain looking boy growled angrily. "Let's teach her a lesson!" His friends both nodded in agreement and cracked their knuckles menacingly.
When he saw the tall one getting ready to dash forward and attack. Naruto saw red. He whipped around the corner and with a fierce cry he launched himself to intercept the boy who was charging with a foot to the face.
Tall and lanky let loose a muffled—oof—and sailed backwards. Lucky for him, his friends, although stunned, managed to catch him before he hit the ground. While the chunky boy and the plain looking one helped their friend, Naruto turned to Sasuki, and asked, "Hey, you ok?"
Sasuki stared at him for a moment. She looked equal parts confused and grateful. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."
Naruto smiled at the girl to try and reassure her that everything was going to be fine. Before they could say anything else, they were interrupted by the annoyed voice of the boy he kicked.
"Gah, you've got a lot of nerve, you stupid blond. Who d'you think you are?" By now he had recovered from the kick. Naruto felt more than a little satisfaction at the red mark he had left on the boy's face. When the tall boy didn't get an answer from Naruto, he growled angrily and gave him a venomous glare. "Hey! I asked you a question, who do you think you are, butting into our business. We were about to teach that damn Uchiha a lesson!" The boy said angrily.
At those words, Naruto gave the older boy a glare of his own. "Teaching her a lesson? You were bullying her; you bunch of creeps!"
That seemed to set the older boys off. "Hey, watch it you punk! You're just second year students, we're gonna be graduating this year! We'll wipe the floor with you two!"
Now that brought Naruto pause. For the first time he actually took note of the boys ages. How big they were. Each of the boys looked like they were at least thirteen. Not good. I can't handle three genin yet! He felt like cursing himself for his shortsightedness. His anger at the bullies had clouded his better judgment, and now he was in it deep. 'I just know I'm going to hear about this from Grandfather. But for now, I've got bigger issues.'
"What, no come back?" The tall boy taunted.
He was obviously hoping to rile Naruto up more, but quite frankly, Naruto was too busy trying to find a way out of the situation. Loath as he was to admit it, fighting was obviously out of the question. He doubted these guys would be up for talking either. That just left one option. Escape. Easier said than done. He wracked his brain for an idea, anything he'd learned from his grandfather that could help. Wait … his grandfather. There just might be something that could help.
Naruto began to reach into his ninja tool pouch. It took a couple seconds for him to find what he was looking for. A sphere with paper strips wrapped around the outside. 'Man, I'm glad Grandfather insisted I have these.' At the same time, he subtly nudged Sasuki to get her attention.
"Get ready to run." He whispered.
"Huh?" She looked confused for a second. Then a gleam of understanding flashed in her eyes when she saw what he was holding. A slight nod told him she understood the plan.
"Well, here goes nothing." He said.
It was perfect timing. The older boys had just begun to charge–probably impatient from waiting to beat the crap out of them–when Naruto let loose the smoke bomb. It whipped like a white blur and nailed the tall boy right in the forehead. A dense cloud of pitch-black smoke erupted and enveloped the boys instantly in a choking haze. The boys started to hack and cough within the cloud.
Naruto didn't hesitate. As soon as the smoke came he dashed back onto the road he'd come from. He could feel Sasuki running beside him. They ran for quite a long time. Ducking through alley's and dodging between people on the street.
They eventually stopped near a park about a mile away from where the bullies had cornered Sasuki. He gulped the fresh air greedily. His lungs burned slightly, and he could feel sweat beading his brow. Beside him, Sasuki was bent over slightly with her hands on her knees. The chase had made her sweaty as well. Her bangs clung to her forehead, and her clothes were rumpled. He couldn't help but grin. Now that they were out of danger, he found the situation funny
"Whew, that was a close one." Said Naruto. Sasuki nodded in agreement with her own grin.
"Yeah, thanks. You helped me out big time." She replied.
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and tried to play it off. "Nah, it was nothing, I just don't like people who pick on people that they think are weaker than them." But Sasuki wouldn't have any of it, she shook her head vigorously, making her ponytail whip side to side.
"No, really, thanks. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come by. It was really brave." She said earnestly. Naruto couldn't help but blush at the girls praise. No matter how often it happened recently, he wasn't used to people complimenting him. Especially not someone like Sasuki. She was one of the talented kids, the kind everyone flocked to and wanted to be around. In other words, everything he wasn't prior to meeting his grandfather.
"I guess so," He relented.
They stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither really knew what to say. Naruto looked down at his shoes and studied them silently, while Sasuki looked at a gnarled tree off to the side. That's when he noticed that the shadows were getting pretty long. 'That's right, I gotta meet Grandfather!' He realized with a start.
"Well, anyways, I better get going. I've got a lot of training to do. I'll see you in class tomorrow." He told her.
With a wave over his shoulder, he began to leave. Before he could get too far, he was stopped by Sasuki's voice. "Hey, wait a second, your names Naruto, right?" She asked. He turned back with a smile.
"Yep. Obviously I already know who you are, Sasuki Uchiha. What with the whole saving you and all. Didn't know you were the damsel in distress type." He said cheekily.
Her cheeks puffed up playfully. "Well Naruto, I was wondering if we could be friends. Although I might change my mind now that you're teasing me."
A wide smile spread across Naruto's face at Sasuki's offer. When he first joined the academy he hoped to make friends. He'd sort of forgotten about that. Maybe things were starting to turn around with that too.
"Yeah, I'd like to be friends too. I'll see you in class tomorrow." He didn't wait to hear her reply, though he saw her bright smile. Naruto turned on his heel and began to make his way home. He couldn't wait to tell his grandfather! Plus he got to learn a cool new jutsu!
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"Alright, what's got you grinning like a loon?" Madara asked him.
He had one thinning white eyebrow quirked in bemusement. They were in their usual training ground, and as his grandfather had noted, he wouldn't stop grinning. Honestly, the muscles in his cheeks were starting to ache a bit. He couldn't help it though!
"I made a friend today Grandfather." Naruto said. He couldn't keep the excitement down. Not that he really wanted to. The beaming smile his grandfather gave him was a rare sight. It wasn't often Madara showed that much unbridled happiness.
"That's good to hear. What's this new friends name?" He asked.
"Her names Sasuki, and she's an Uchiha! She's super nice." Naruto gushed.
He quickly told his grandfather how he and Sasuki had met, and what had just happened before he got home. He was so distracted by his pleasant memories he didn't notice as his grandfather's smile settled into a familiar smirk One very reminiscent to his own mischievous grin. A teasing glint flashed across his black eyes.
"Oho, it sounds like someone has a little crush." He said.
Naruto's eyes bulged in shock and outrage. Was the old man senile? His mouth gaped open, and he started to sputter denials. Not that they did any good. All that did was cause his grandfather to laugh heartily. The booming laughter echoed through the clearing.
"Easy Naruto, I'm merely joking." He assured him. "I'm happy you made a friend." He said sincerely.
"Tch, stupid old man." Naruto muttered.
There wasn't any heat behind it. That got another chuckle out of huis grandfather. After a few moments, though, Madara quickly sobered up.
"Now, I think it's time we get to why we're out here." He said with a motion to the forest around them. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but the area was definitely darker than normal. It lent a slightly earie feel to the friendly woods.
That got Naruto's attention instantly. It was hard for him to contain his excitement. He just barely resisted bouncing up and down. He could hardly be blamed. This was the first–hopefully–significant jutsu he'd learn from his grandfather.
"I'm sure you're curious what technique I plan to teach you. This jutsu is called the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and it should help your training leaps and bounds." Madara explained. Naruto's excitement dropped quite a bit as soon as he heard that. A clone jutsu? He still couldn't even do the basic one. Luckily his grandfather quickly dispelled his concerns. "Don't worry about your problems with the basic Clone Jutsu. This jutsu specifically requires large amounts of chakra and minimal control." He said.
Naruto released a tense breath he didn't even know he was holding. It was a relief to hear he shouldn't have trouble. Though it begged the question, what was so special about the Shadow Clone? He asked his grandfather just that and got a smirk in return.
"Everything I've taught you has actually been in preparation for this jutsu. The leaf sticking exercise not only gave you better control, but it increased your ability to concentrate and order your mind. That's important to take advantage of the Shadow Clones special ability." He said cryptically. It was hard to hold in a huff of annoyance. Couldn't the old man speak straight? Judging by the amused glint in his eye, the bastard knew exactly what he was doing!
He glared at his grandfather and tried to get across his annoyance. That only seemed to amuse him more. Though thankfully Madara relented fairly quickly. "Alright I'll stop the suspense. The Shadow Clone Jutsu gives the user it memories and experiences when dispersed. By exploiting this, we can increase your training exponentially by teaching you multiple things at once."
Naruto's jaw dropped. A jutsu that let him learn faster and required lots of chakra? It was perfect!
"Now, the technique is fairly simple. You simply make this hand seal, and channel the chakra." Madara explained. He made a cross-shaped seal with the first two fingers on his hands. A second later two plumes of stark white smoke erupted with muffled–poofs–and Naruto found himself looking at three identical copies of his grandfather. Unlike the ones Tatsuya-Sensei showed them, these ones actually had substance. He could see the slight depression of the moss beneath their feet, and the shadows that they gave off. "One weakness of this jutsu is the clones are fairly easy to dispel. Like so."
In the blink of an eye Madara slammed a fist into the head of the clone on either side of him. Just as instantly as they appeared, both clones disappeared. The pillars of smoke they left were quickly swept away by a light breeze.
"Now, why don't you try." His grandfather said with a note of challenge in his voice. It did the trick.
"I will, just you watch, I'll get this on the first try!" He shot back.
Even though he said the words, he didn't exactly expect to follow through. After all, who gets a jutsu on the very first try? Surely he'd make some kind of mistake. That's why Naruto was rather shocked at the results when he made the seal and channeled as much of his chakra as possible. A massive plume of smoke–most likely from using too much chakra–erupted. It was even larger and denser than the what the smoke bomb had let off (though obviously white). Unlike his smoke bomb, this smoke was odorless thankfully. As it slowly dissipated, his jaw dropped at what he saw. Not one, or two, or even ten, but fifty perfect copies of himself. He did it. He actually did it!
Naruto felt a massive smile stretch across his face. He could feel it. This jutsu was going to change things. 'This is what I needed. With this I can finally catch up.'
That's when the world got blurry. For some reason, he found it hard to move any of his limbs. Hell, it was hard to think. He was vaguely aware of someone saying something, but it sounded like it came from under water. His world started spinning, and suddenly, all he knew was blackness.
-x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x-
AN/ Well, there's chapter five. I don't have much to say for this one. At the time of writing this note I'm at the tail end of an editing binge. See ya next chapter.
Until Next Time,
RinneTaicho, Signing Off!
