V

If I start I just can't stop,
all the patience that I've got,
it's not enough to save me.
It's a race against the clock.

- The Neighbourhood, Stargazing

There's this concept in Buddhism called dependent origination.

The basic idea is that everything is interconnected, and nothing exists in isolation. According to this concept, events and phenomena arise in dependence on multiple causes and conditions—namely, everything that happens does so because of hundreds of interconnecting factors you may not ever see, or even fully comprehend.

When Minato studied Buddhism as a kid, this concept always stuck out to him. He felt that it was more important than people let on. He thought it encouraged us to look beyond isolated events and understand the complexity of the interactions between various components in a system. Not the interactions themselves, mind you. He just thought it was important to know that nothing was as simple as it ever seemed.

Or, as Kakashi would later simplify: look underneath the underneath.

I mean, yeah, it's great for ninja stuff, but you can also use this concept to illustrate how the coming together of two seemingly unrelated things can create a chain reaction that leads to some pretty significant and sometimes unforeseen results.

Now, there's a reason I chose to bore you with that university-esque blurb of information, just like there was a reason I chose this jutsu to open the fight with.

Aside from just, well, looking cool, the Two-Style is one of the greatest moves in Minato's arsenal. I mean yeah, he gets credit for the Rasengan and being able to teleport all over the place, but the Two-Style is an underrated part of his his style.

Or was. I don't know. Being a hybrid gets confusing sometimes.

Basically, as the name suggests, it involves the combining of two other styles. Whether that's elemental styles, yin and yang, or whatever else it could be.

I guess the only real requirement is that the styles have to complement each other.

Minato's favorite way to do this used to be to combine something pretty with something deadly.

Pretty and deadly usually made for the best combo. If you want to get all scientific about it, the first style, generally reminiscent of the user's indomitable will, works best when it collides with the second, which should be an embodiment of their unwavering spirit.

As these two chakra styles converge, they create a synergistic resonance, unlocking a reservoir of power that transcends the limits of individual techniques. Kind of like that concept of Buddhism I mentioned earlier, the simple combination of these two things can create a reaction capable of destabilizing the natural order.

Fire burns. Water makes things wet. But when these two chakra styles entwine, the result isn't just a combination of their elemental effects; it's an alchemical reaction.

What sets Tsūsutairu apart is not just the amalgamation of chakra but the intricate choreography that follows.

The activation of one style initiates a cascading effect, triggering the enhancement of the other in a dynamic exchange.

This interplay mirrors the essence of dependent origination, where the interconnectedness of elements produces effects greater than the sum of their parts. That's what Minato thought, anyway.

I prefer to think of it like this: little booms make big boom.

On a basic level, that's how things like Boil release work.

Not everyone's blessed with a kekkai genkai, though. Some of us have to work around it, the old-fashioned way.

Now, back to real life.

The Great Petal Explosion. Why did I use it?

Sasuke and Sakura might think I'm showing off, or trying to show Kakashi how much I've been practicing. Which, well I kind of am.

But to someone as trained as Kakashi, this jutsu demonstrates that I have, or, well, have begun to understand chakra theory on a deeper level than those around me. It's a subtle way of showing him just how much I can handle.

At the same time, though, the jutsu isn't that complicated. The basis behind it is a little out there, but the mechanics of it are very attainable for a chunin-level ninja. I'm sure if I explained all of this to Sasuke, he'd be able to handle it and start spurting out petals by the end of the week.

So, I think that means I won't be ruffling many feathers. Hopefully. It would be a real pain in the butt if all my plans were derailed because I was in a jail cell for a week.

HAAAAAA!

The burning tornado was blasted around a slab of Earth that rose precariously from the ground, grunting and screeching against the onslaught of pink and red petals. The wall developed spiderweb cracks for a moment but held strong as the tornado eventually faded around it.

Kakashi hopped over the wall, his hands blurring through handsigns just a little too fast for me to keep up. Luckily, the swell of his chest was familiar enough for me to guess what kind of jutsu he was going for.

He inhaled air quickly, and I saw his cheeks inflate. Probably some kind of elemental barrage—I'm talking fireballs and water bullets. Based on what I know about him, though, he doesn't use wind jutsu that often.

And while he knows a thousand jutsu—supposedly—his chakra affinity is for fire. And lightning. I can't remember any lightning jutsu that start like this, so I think that narrows it down enough for me.

Two can play that game!

I ran through some handsigns of my own. Chakra burned in the pit of my stomach, churning and roaring through my blood. Pressure began building in my chest.

Tiger. Ox. Dog. Rabbit. Snake.

Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough )!

The trick here is to hold that last handsign for just a little longer than usual.

Daitoppa and Gōkakyū mechanically work in almost the same way. The process involves converting the chakra in your stomach into the element in question, forcing it out up your esophagus, and basically belching it out.

Fire is a little more dangerous in this regard—if you're not careful enough, and you hold it too long, it'll burn your insides out and scar you for life. Especially on release. Poor planning can quite literally blow up in your face.

Minato knew a few kids like that. Before the Academy was as refined as it is today, a lot of its teachers weren't teachers for the hell of it. Most times, they were shinobi who'd been forced to retire for one reason or another.

As a result, the overall cautiousness in classrooms tended to vary. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, all I'll say is that some of those kids never got to be ninjas and had to eat food from straws for the rest of their lives.

Anyway, Daitoppa is still dangerous, but it's easier to contain. Holding the last seal accelerates the chakra-to-wind generation in your stomach, so as long as you're mindful of what you can handle, it's fine.

If you're not careful, though, you can severely damage your lungs. In some cases, you could explode!

Kidding. I think. Theoretically, it's possible, but I can't remember any instances of it happening off the top of my head.

The atmosphere crackled with intense heat. A fireball the size of a boulder erupted from Kakashi's mouth, leaving a trail of shimmering heat waves in its wake.

I eyed the jutsu. It was barely bigger than Sasuke's had been when we first fought Kakashi. I figured he was testing me.

No, he's definitely testing me.

He got the message loud and clear from my opening jutsu, and now, he wants to see how I react to this. If I run or try to dodge, he'll assume I had a fluke, or I just wanted to learn something cool.

If I stand and fight, if I try to dispel his jutsu, he'll know I studied the deeper theory behind it.

Alright then, Kakashi. Let's do it.

I released the gale of wind building in my chest. It materialized in the air in front of me as a tunnel and collided with the fireball in an initial collision of sparks and this Kami forsaken screeching noise.

The wind wrapped around the fireball. It created a vortex, a swirling cyclone that challenged the very essence of the flames.

For a second, it looked like Kakashi's fireball would win. It kept writhing against my wind tunnel, struggling and pushing toward me.

The flames fed into the vortex, culminating in this scary-looking fire tornado that was heading straight for me.

Thankfully, the fireball eventually fed into the vortex too much and lost all stability, making it easy for my jutsu to choke out the rest of it and eventually just let it peter out.

Kakashi watched all of this unfold as the wind blasted his silver hair back. And then, he shifted and disappeared.

"You've been training, Naruto," Kakashi said plainly, appearing in front of me with a kunai held out. "I'm impressed with you."

"Thank you, sensei," I said, twirling a kunai around my finger. "Let me guess—taijutsu next?"

"By all means."

I dashed forward, the muscles in my thighs and calves coiling together and blasting me off the ground.

Kakashi had always been a reactive fighter, even when Minato had first trained him. Some of it probably stemmed from his narcissism—he liked finishing most fights without letting his opponent land a true hit on him. It made him feel strong and untouchable. Like he was somehow toying with everyone he fought with, that he could just reason and react faster than his opponent could even think.

The other part of it probably came from his dad. Sakumo Hatake had been a strong proponent of the reactive stance on fighting. He believed that waiting to see all of your opponents' cards was the best way to determine how to take them down and conserve the most energy. As much as Kakashi was scarred by his father and wore that mask to avoid dipping his toes into that pool of issues, some of his father's earlier lessons had taken more of a hold than he'd ever admit.

"Fast, very impressive," Kakashi called, his lone eye staring me down as he deflected my first slash. He whipped around the other two like a mirage. The third one clipped the edge of his kunai. "That training you've been doing has certainly been paying off. And here I thought you were running around Konoha for the fun of it."

I grunted as I blocked one of his counters. Even though my form was as perfect as I could get it in two weeks, the impact of his kunai on mine still sent vibrations through my fingertips. The man hit like a goddamn truck! "You've been keeping tabs on me?"

"Maa, maa, Naruto," Kakashi corkscrewed his body and launched a kick at me. I crossed my arms and blocked it, but my arms cracked from the power of it, and I felt my body physically skid backward. "Call it a teacher's curiosity, ne?"

"I've heard that isn't good for cats," I gritted out, shaking some of the tiredness out of my arms.

How much has he been watching me? Did he see me practice the Rasengan?

A shard of ice formed in my chest, but it quickly melted. If he'd seen me do something like that, I would've been knee-deep in an interrogation by now. Thank Kami for small mercies.

"It isn't," Kakashi agreed, deflecting all of my slashes away with little more than a thought. I tried running through more of Minato's memories to see if I could try to decipher his style. So far, all of my knowledge of him has proven to be helpful. "But Iruka came to me with some concerns, so I took it upon myself to see to them. We don't get along very much, you see, so I knew whatever it was must've been serious if it pushed him to come to me."

"Oh, yeah? Konoha isn't big enough for two of my mentors or something?" I tried to stall. Images of a younger Kakashi blurred through my mind. I saw an image in my head, frozen like a photograph, of a piece of paper with Minato's notes of Kakashi on it. "Or do you just not play well with others?"

Weak gait. Favors his right side. Prone to arrogance. Takes advantages for granted and gets tunnel vision.

"Those are very hurtful accusations you're levying, Naruto," Kakashi chastised. He tanked one of my kicks by raising an arm. "You have been acting a bit odd since the Wave. We just wanted to make sure you were all there mentally."

"Oh, I'm all there, alright. I'm more there than I've ever been!" I called out, rushing to Kakashi's left side. Minato's notes said it was his weaker side, and now, with his Sharingan, it was covered half the time, anyway.

"Perhaps you are, Naruto. Perhaps you are."

Wrong move. Apparently, getting that line of vision cut off for him had made him extra vigilant. His whole body shifted around my kick, and he kneed my chest.

"Damn, that hurt," I complained as I backed up, ducking under another slash, and pulling out another kunai. I planted my fist into the ground and sent a kick at his torso which he grabbed, and flipped me in the air.

"I'm not your sensei for nothing," Kakashi noted, grabbing my other leg and slamming me back down into the ground. "I hardly think I'd be much of a teacher otherwise."

All of the wind left my body as a cloud of dirt rose around me. My vision was spotty for a moment, and then, Kakashi's face swam into view, upside down. The smug bastard was giving me an eye-smile.

Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. Live and you learn.

"Would you like to get some food?" Kakashi asked, still upside-down in my vision. He offered me a hand. "My treat."

"What about training?" I groaned, my back still sore from being slammed into the ground like a bag of flour. If this whole ninja thing doesn't work out, Kakashi has a bright future in the bakery scene.

"We were fighting at chunin speed that whole time," Kakashi said casually, pulling me up without no hesitation. He patted some dirt off my back. "I think you're okay for now."

"Alright, then," I said, ignoring the aching feeling in my arms as I put my kunai away. "Food it is."

Kakashi and I made our way through the civilian district and into the part of town that was the shinobi district.

I've never been here, but I've heard stories. This wasn't around when Minato was alive, but he'd been on the advisory boards for the first few drafts.

The premise was simple: ninja were beginning to grow in numbers, and they wanted a place where they could relax and spend time with each other outside of the civilian district.

Now, I know that sounds like kind of a lame reason, but you'd be surprised at how much it was actually needed.

Picture this: you're a laborer in Konoha. You've been working diligently for years and years, and one special day, you get a promotion and you become the foreman of your team. So, what do you do?

You decide you want to take your family out. You're going to make a lot more money now, it's a good decision. An auspicious occasion, if you will.

Of course, your family is on board almost immediately. Your wife has a brand new kimono she wants to wear. Your kids are excited to go out.

So, you choose a high-end restaurant. You sit with your family and enjoy some of the music, the ambiance. It's so relaxing. You needed this. You earned this. Years and years of hard work—

I fucking scooped his eyeballs out.

The table next to you is full of ninja who just got back from a mission. You try to tune them out. You grab your wife's hand, focus on her red lipstick—

He bled like a pig. One of my kunai was lodged so deep in his skull that little bits of his brain were stuck in the handle when I pulled it out.

And…yeah. There goes your night of relaxation. You're definitely rethinking the plate of meat you just ordered.

Now, no one's really to blame here. Sure, maybe the ninja could've been quieter, but they just risked their lives for you. For your safety. If they weren't out there, patrolling and defending your great home from the dangers beyond those walls, maybe you wouldn't have even gotten the promotion. There wouldn't be a city left to work for.

You can't get that mad. Can you? But you also can't be happy about it. Kami knows your eight-year-old is going to ask you what it means to scoop someone's eyes out for the next week. Your night out is ruined.

And therein lay the need for the shinobi district. A way for both sides to maintain some semblance of peace and pretend that the other side doesn't exist.

Stepping into Konoha's high-end ninja district for lunch was like crossing a threshold into a different city. Actual walls were separating it from the rest of Konoha, and the only way we got in was because Kakashi was well known.

The streets were lined with majestic cherry blossom trees, their delicate petals drifting gently with the breeze. The street was made from polished stone. All in all, it looked much cleaner than the rest of the city.

Ninja wearing standard chunin vests were everywhere. The soft murmur of conversation echoed against the polished walls of the establishments—four square miles of shops catering exclusively to the village's elite shinobi.

I tried to peek in a few of the stores, but Kakashi was a fast walker. It didn't matter much anyway. At this stage in my career, I couldn't even afford a napkin from one of these places.

Once I become chunin, though, I'll be able to come here. And I'll finally be able to move out of that shitty apartment, too.

Kakashi eventually led us into a restaurant that looked so expensive I was willing to bet that I could spend my entire rent and still not pay for a meal.

Boy, did it smell good though.

The scent of exotic spices floated around trays of grilled meats, simmering broths, and the faint hint of smoky incense wafted in from nearby a teahouse.

The ambiance was rich with a blend of earthy hues and warm lighting. Kakashi and I took a seat near the edge of the restaurant.

From my vantage point, I could peek behind the glass in the center of the restaurant, where a lone chef was hard at work slashing and dicing some meat. Instead of a constant fire, he ran through some hand signs and produced a stream of his own as needed.

A waiter bought us some water and bowed, before scurrying away.

"So, Naruto," Kakashi said, sipping from his saucer. Wait…how was he doing that with the mask still on? "I understand that you went through something…traumatic in our last mission."

I eyed him warily for a second. "Our last…oh. Yeah. That."

"Yes. That. And, to tell you the truth, a lot of people have been worried about you. Iruka, Teuchi, even Lord Hokage," Kakashi sighed, placing his saucer back down. He steepled his fingers. "While I get their concern, I don't want you to feel smothered. I just wanted to let you know that I'm, well, here for you."

I respected Kakashi. It was a classy move to offer me support without forcing me to take it, but something was tickling the edges of my consciousness.

I could remember all the time Minato had spent with Kakashi, and trust me, it had been a lot. They'd started off as a mentor and student duo, of course, but they'd grown closer over the years.

My point is that Kakashi definitely knows about me, and on the off chance he doesn't, now that I've been dressing and looking more like Minato, I'm not leaving much to imagination.

So what I'm struggling to find out is if Kakashi is offering me support because he's feeling sentimental, if he's my mentor, or if the Hokage put him up to it.

I feel like Kakashi wouldn't do it just because someone told him to. He's always been too stubborn for that—he thinks he knows best, even when someone tells him otherwise.

It's probably a mix of the first two reasons. I mean, even if it isn't, I'd be an idiot not to accept his help, right?

"I appreciate that, sensei," I returned. My fingers drummed against the table, and I looked down at my reflection. It looked distorted on the uneven surface. "To tell you the truth, I'd love your support."

"I'm happy to hear that, Naruto," Kakashi smiled as a waiter brought a basket of bread to the table. "Please let me know if—"

"Could you train me?"

"Train you? Am I not already doing that?" Kakashi asked as he grabbed a slice of bread from the basket.

I saw through his manufactured confusion, though. I knew he knew what I meant. He was just being cagey about it for some reason.

"More than that. I know you were in the ANBU. I know you made jonin at age twelve. And, I know you plan on training us, but I want more than that. I want to make chunin, and then ANBU, and—"

Kakashi placed his bread down. "Hokage. Yes, I know. Where has this sudden burst of inspiration come from, Naruto?"

"I just realized how big of a difference there was between the ninja out there and me," I lied through my teeth. "I need to close that gap."

"Naruto, being Hokage isn't just about being strong—"

"I know. It's about leadership. It's about caring about every single citizen of Konoha equally. It's about being resilient and preaching the Will of Fire. But, most of that stuff can be learned or taught through experience. Combat isn't like that. I've read books and studied jutsu, but I can't look at myself and know what I need to improve on, even with shadow clones. Theory can only take you so far."

"I suppose," Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair. I let him stew with his thoughts for a while as I dove into the bread. Not bad at all. "So what is it you…want to learn from me? You seem to be doing fine on your own in terms of physical training."

"I want you to help me develop a style. Every good ninja has a style. You have your thousand jutsu, the First had his wood-style. I need something that makes Mi-Naruto Uzumaki special. And I think you can help me find it."

"Style, hm? Well, I did say you could count on me for support. Alright, then. I'll train you."

AN: It's been a year already? Oops. I'd apologize, but I know you know it wouldn't mean much coming from a random guy on the internet. So instead, I'll skip over that and get to pressing matters at hand.

Plot: Felt a little rusty in this one, so I didn't dive too deep, but I got a lot of the story planned out, so that should be fun. There are a few story beats I'm excited to get to.

Updating schedule: Biweekly! Don't worry, I mean it this time, and if I miss it, I'll have good reason.

Pairings: Still kind of meh on these, I'm not sure. I've narrowed it down to four for the final pairing: Anko, Temari, Mei (this one would take work), and Yugito. Anyone familiar with my work will tell you I usually have my characters date around a bit before settling down, so before that, his first pairing might be with someone else. So...yeah! If you have any thoughts about that, lay them on me. I'm favoring a Leaf!Temari type pairing right now.

That's all. See you soon!

- Maroon