Chapter 2: Bond of the Smoke and fox

Tomas leaned against the tree, catching his breath after another exhausting chakra control exercise. His smoke ability had its perks, but the teleportation aspect? That still made him feel like he'd been spinning around in circles for hours. At least his elemental control was improving—he could conjure a small puff of smoke at will without collapsing, which was progress.

He watched from a distance as Naruto Uzumaki, the infamous "demon brat," sat alone by the swing set outside the academy. It was hard to miss the glares and whispers the villagers threw his way. Tomas knew Naruto's loneliness would soon fade once he found friends, but for now, Tomas could relate to him. Being an orphan in this world wasn't easy, and having the Kyuubi sealed inside made Naruto's life far worse.

After considering for weeks, Tomas decided now was the time to finally approach Naruto. He wasn't going to mess with the timeline too much. Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino would eventually become Naruto's friends, but there was no harm in Tomas befriending him early.

Taking a deep breath, Tomas walked over to the swing set, trying not to overthink it.

"Hey," Tomas said, offering a small smile as he stood next to Naruto.

Naruto blinked, surprised. "Uh... hey?" he replied, clearly confused by someone willingly talking to him.

"I'm Tomas," he said, sitting down on the swing next to Naruto. "I've seen you around, but we've never really talked. I figured... we're both in the same academy, so why not?"

Naruto squinted at him for a moment, suspicion creeping in. "You're not here to make fun of me, are you?"

Tomas shook his head. "Nope. I'm just trying to make a friend."

Naruto's expression softened, though he still seemed unsure. "Everyone else either ignores me or calls me names. You're not scared?"

Tomas shrugged. "Why would I be? You seem pretty cool to me. And I get it—I know what it's like to be alone."

Naruto's eyes lit up slightly, though he tried to play it cool. "Yeah, well, I'm gonna be Hokage one day! So... you're smart for wanting to be my friend," he said with a grin, trying to mask the vulnerability.

Tomas chuckled. "Hokage, huh? That sounds awesome. Maybe I'll help you get there."

Naruto beamed, his mood lifting. "Yeah! I bet we could both be super strong ninjas!"

Tomas nodded. "That's the plan. I've been working on some chakra control lately... it's tough."

Naruto frowned slightly. "Chakra control? I'm not so good at that stuff yet. The teachers keep telling me I'm doing it wrong."

Tomas felt a pang of empathy. "I can help you out if you want. It's hard, but with practice, you'll get it."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Yeah, why not?" Tomas said casually. "We're both in this academy, right? Might as well help each other out."

Naruto grinned. "Alright! That sounds awesome!" He paused for a moment, then added, "Thanks, Tomas. You're not like the others."

Tomas felt a small smile tug at his lips. "You're welcome, Naruto. Let's stick together."

As the days went on, Tomas and Naruto grew closer, training together whenever they had the chance. Tomas wasn't looking to break Naruto's future friendships with Shikamaru and Choji, so he let Naruto naturally gravitate towards them during their academy lessons. But when it was just the two of them, Tomas shared what little he knew about chakra control—though he kept his smoke abilities to himself for now.

As for Ino Yamanaka, Tomas occasionally caught himself glancing her way during their classes. She was confident, outspoken, and always at the center of attention. It wasn't anything serious—just a small crush that made him smile when he saw her bossing Shikamaru and Choji around.

But right now, his focus was on Naruto. Helping him become stronger and building a bond that Tomas hoped would pay off in the future. He still remembered every important moment from Naruto's story, but for now, he was content with staying in the background, waiting for the right time to reveal his full potential.

This way, Tomas and Naruto start building a natural friendship, while Tomas is careful not to disrupt the future connections Naruto will make. At the same time, Tomas' small crush on Ino is kept subtle, more of a light, innocent admiration for now.

Let me know what you think or if you guys want me to add more details in the future.

Over the next few days, Tomas began to think about how he could help Naruto with his chakra control. He wasn't an expert by any means, but having been to a few stores and seen some of the items ninjas used, he realized that chakra paper could be a useful tool. With his decent amount of chakra—on par with an Uzumaki, no less—Tomas knew the paper would reveal Naruto's chakra nature and could help him develop his control.

It was a double-edged sword, though. His vast chakra reserves made it difficult to master techniques that relied on precision and control. He had learned that the hard way while experimenting with his smoke abilities. Tomas had to focus constantly, and any slip in control meant exhaustion or, in worse cases, passing out. But if he could teach Naruto something useful early on, it might make all the difference for both of them.

That afternoon, after school, Tomas met up with Naruto near the swing set again. He had a small packet in his hand, wrapped in cloth.

"Hey, Naruto," Tomas called as he approached.

Naruto, who had been lazily kicking the ground while sitting on the swing, looked up with a grin. "Hey, Tomas! What's up?"

Tomas sat next to him, holding up the small package. "I got you something."

Naruto blinked, clearly surprised. "Huh? You got me something? Why?"

Tomas shrugged. "I figured it might help with your training. It's called chakra paper—ever heard of it?"

Naruto shook his head, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "What's chakra paper?"

Tomas unwrapped the cloth, revealing a thin, square piece of paper. "It's something ninjas use to figure out their chakra nature. You know, wind, water, earth, fire, or lightning. You just channel your chakra into it, and the paper will react based on your nature."

Naruto's face lit up with excitement. "Really? That sounds so cool! So what do I do?"

Tomas smiled, happy to see Naruto enthusiastic. "All you have to do is hold the paper and focus your chakra into it. Don't force it—just let your chakra flow naturally. Try not to hold it back too much."

Naruto grabbed the paper with both hands, his tongue poking out slightly as he concentrated. "Okay, here goes!" he said, closing his eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the chakra paper suddenly split clean in half right down the middle.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the result. "Whoa! What does that mean?"

Tomas grinned. "It means your chakra nature is wind. That's a good thing, Naruto. Wind is really versatile and powerful, especially for long-range attacks."

Naruto jumped to his feet, grinning ear to ear. "Wind, huh? That sounds awesome! Does that mean I'll be able to blow stuff away with just a wave of my hand?"

Tomas laughed. "Not exactly, but once you start practicing wind techniques, you'll be able to cut through almost anything if you train hard enough. Wind ninjas are known for their precision."

Naruto was practically bouncing on his feet. "This is great! Thanks, Tomas! You're like, super smart about this stuff. I didn't even know we had chakra natures."

Tomas rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remain modest. "I picked it up at a weapon shop. The owner was talking about how chakra control is important for techniques, so I figured you should know. Having a ton of chakra is great, but if you can't control it, it's kind of a problem." He glanced at Naruto meaningfully. "Trust me—I know."

Naruto nodded, the excitement in his eyes not fading. "Well, I'm gonna train extra hard now! One day, I'll show everyone how awesome wind can be! Especially that stupid Sasuke..."

Tomas chuckled at Naruto's sudden frustration with Sasuke. "Yeah, yeah, you'll get there. Just don't overdo it, okay? I don't want you passing out from exhaustion like I did a few times."

Naruto blinked. "Wait... you passed out from chakra training?"

Tomas groaned. "Yeah... I've got a lot of chakra too, but it's hard to control. The more you have, the harder it is to get it to do what you want. It's like trying to stuff a huge amount of water into a small glass."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

Tomas sighed, realizing he probably over-complicated the analogy. "Never mind. Just... take it slow, alright?"

Naruto grinned. "Slow? Nah, I'm gonna train super hard, and I'll be Hokage in no time!"

Tomas smiled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm sure you will."

That evening, Tomas returned to his part-time job at the weapon shop, quietly reflecting on his progress. Working here had given him a decent income, to move out of the apartment and maybe be able to buy his own actual house. He hated the feeling of being watched. That place is a Lion's den of Anbu Black ops but I'm not sure which one is worse to deal with the Black ops or the root…

But as much as he focused on his work, his thoughts wandered back to Naruto. The kid was reckless and loud, but there was something about him that made Tomas want to help him succeed. Maybe it was because he knew the future and how much hardship Naruto would face, or maybe it was just because they both understood what it was like to be alone.

As Tomas finished cleaning up the shop, he glanced at his own reflection in a nearby mirror, eyes glowing faintly with the thermal vision that came with his smoke bloodline. He still hadn't figured out how to fully control it, but there was time for that.

For now, he had to focus on the basics—chakra control, his abilities, and helping Naruto without disrupting too much of the timeline.

--

The next day, Tomas and Naruto continued training together, focusing on simple exercises to improve their chakra control. While Naruto was still prone to rushing things, Tomas encouraged him to slow down and focus on channeling his chakra without holding back too much. It was a delicate balance, but Naruto was determined, even if he still got frustrated.

During one of their training sessions, Naruto asked, "Tomas, why do you know so much about this stuff? You're my age, but you act like you've been training for years."

Tomas froze for a second, not expecting the question. He quickly recovered, giving Naruto a nonchalant shrug. "I guess I just pay attention. I watch people and learn from them. Plus, working at the weapon shop has its perks—I hear a lot of ninja talk."

Naruto squinted at him, still unsure, but then shrugged. "Well, you're awesome! I'm glad we're friends."

Tomas felt a small warmth in his chest. "Yeah, me too, Naruto."

As time went on, Tomas watched from the sidelines as Naruto began to interact more with Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. As well as Kiba, He didn't interfere, happy to see Naruto making more connections, but he couldn't help but notice the small flutter in his chest every time Ino walked by. It wasn't a big deal—just a little crush—but it was there, in the back of his mind.

For now, though, his focus remained on training and navigating his way through this new life. There was still so much to learn about his bloodline abilities, his chakra nature, and how to survive in this world without revealing too much of his future knowledge.

How do you feel about this? Was it good, was it bad and did I miss anything out? Just let me know if something wasn't to your liking that I know I can fix.