Chapter 15: Training.
Naru sighed as she sat in the hospital room with Iruka standing next to her, Mamoru sat next to him.
"Okay Naru." The doctor said. "Here we go, this should heal that tear right up." He said and massaged some ointment on a cotton ball and pressed it in her ears and pressed a finger that was glowing with chakra. He pulled back and gently wiped her ear off and checked it carefully.
"All better. How is it?"
"Great." Naru said. "It's not as muffled."
"Keep away from water for at least a week." He said. "And if you have any ringing or the noises get muffled again, come back we'll check it out."
"Okay. Thank you."
"Have a good day." He said and walked out, Naru got off the table and sighed quietly.
"How is it?" Iruka asked.
"Good." She said, Mamoru bumped her, she climbed on his back and they left the hospital.
"So, what are you up to today?"
"Um, Kakashi-sensei sent me a message to meet him a the red bridge at noon." She shrugged.
"You wanna get some lunch then?"
"Sure!" She nodded with a smile. The chunin walked with Naru to Ichiraku's shop and ordered their ramen.
"Do you know who you are fighting?" He asked eating some noodles.
"Um... I think it's Temari from Suna." She said.
"You got any tricks?"
"Oh yeah!" She said, Iruka chuckled.
"Good!" He said, she grinned and ate her ramen.
Iruka paid and promised to come see her later as Naru and Mamoru walked to the Red Bridge.
They arrived and Naru leaned against the railing waiting. Kakashi appeared within 20 minutes, she stood waiting.
"How are you?" He asked.
"Okay." She shrugged.
"I heard Iruka took you to the hospital?" He asked.
"For my ears." She said. "They healed 'em." She said.
"Good!" He said. "Okay, I wanted to talk to you about this training time." He said. "Well ..."
"You're training Sasuke." She stated, he paused. "I kinda figured that one." She said.
"Oh, well I just .. um." He sighed and chuckled. "I didn't want to leave you high and dry with no teacher. So I found one that can help."
"Really?" She asked, he nodded.
"Do you know Ebisu?" He asked.
"Yeah." She shrugged. 'And I'm not fond of him.' She thought bitterly but kept it silent.
"Well, I got him to take a look at your improvement and he's willing to train you."
"Sensei, no offense, I mean I really appreciate it, but I'd rather handle training myself." She said.
"Naru." He said somewhat irked. "I made sure you'd have a teacher, you could at least try it." He said, she sighed.
"Fine." She shrugged, Kakashi sighed.
"He should be here shortly." He said, she nodded slightly and leaned against Mamoru.
Ebisu landed on the bridge and sighed adjusting his sunglasses. "My apologizes Kakashi-san, I was held up." He said brushing his clothes off.
"No problem." Kakashi responded with a eye crease smile. "I leave Naru in your capable hands." He said. "I'll speak with you later Naru." He said and disappeared.
"Okay Naru." Ebisu said. "How is your basic ninja jutsu's?"
"Good." She shrugged.
"What basic jutsu's do you know?" He asked, she could hear the disbelief in his voice, she took a calming breath.
"Kawarimi no jutsu, Kakuremino no jutsu, Henge, Mizu no hokoo undoo, Ki bobori, Kibaku Fuda, and I know a special one Fukuwajutsu." She said with a smirk.
"Okay, so you know the academy moves." He said. "Well Kakashi-san has stated you have slow reflexes." He said.
"No I don't." She said with a glare.
"He's said while on D-ranks -"
"I wasn't paying attention." Naru cut him off. "I am perfectly fine, my reflexes are fine." She said in a finalizing tone, Ebisu let out a breath of air.
"Follow me we'll test your stamina and such." He said, Naru slid on Mamoru's back and he followed the jounin through town.
'Do I really have to put up with this?' Naru thought and sighed, Mamoru purred quietly, she smiled and rubbed his head.
They headed to the hot springs and went to the outdoor open pool. "I would like to see your water walking skills. This is the best way to check your stamina."
"I can't."
"You said you could do this jutsu." He said.
"I can't go near the water, my ears were damaged and I have to say far from water." Naru said.
"Well if you can do this jutsu then you wont be in the water." He said, Mamoru growled darkly at the jounin who shifted back, Naru huffed.
"Fine." She muttered, Mamoru walked her up to the water, she focused and stepped on the water and wobbled slightly, she grunted and walked partially.
"I thought you said you knew this." Ebisu commented.
"You're about to get a very painful bite." Mamoru growled to the jounin, he jumped back a little.
Naru cried out as she fell into the water and came out coughing, Mamoru ran up and picked her pulling her out, she growled.
"You need to tell the truth!" Ebisu said. "Just because you don't want to seem weak, you need to be honest!" He barked. "I can't help you if you lie!"
"I'm not lying!" Naru yelled back and stood up. "Why are you even here?! You hate me! Why train me?!" She snarled, Ebisu blinked and stuttered, Mamoru glared at him.
"I'm here because I was ask-"
"So you'd look good, just leave, I don't need your stupid help!" She spat.
"You little-" He said and ripped her over in front of him, she cried out and struggled against him.
"Let her go." Mamoru growled.
"Listen here you little brat! I'm here to help so just accept it! Tell me the truth."
"Truth is I hate you and I don't want your help!" Naru said struggling, Ebisu growled and went to strike her, Mamoru growled but blinked as Ebisu cried out as a frog's tongue wrapped around his middle and ripped him in the air throwing him back and knocking him out, Naru hit the ground with a cry of pain and rubbed her butt.
"What the-?" She asked. "What happened?"
"What is this world coming to? Attacking a kid like that. Ninja's are just not the same." A man said, Naru looked in his direction. "Are you okay Naru-chan?"
"How do you know me?" She asked.
"I've known you for a long time." He chuckled. "So tell me do you know the water walking?"
"Yes. But my chakra has been screwed up since that weird guy hit me." She pouted. "I need to go see Ojiji." She said. "Thanks for the help." She said.
"Okay." He said and chuckled. Naru climbed on Mamoru's back and he took off quickly.
'He's grown since the last time I saw him...' He thought then headed in the same direction to save time.
Naru knocked on the Hokage door and walked in as he called her in.
"Are you okay Naru?" He asked.
"I guess." She said and sat on the couch.
"What's wrong?"
"Kakashi-sensei got Ebisu to train me but he's a jerk and I can't stand him."
"What happened?" He asked sitting down next to her.
"He wouldn't believe me and there is something weird going on." She said.
"What?"
"My chakra. I can't even do the water walking." She said. "I can't sense anyone from far away. It's like back before I had all this training." She said and shook tears pricked at her eyes, Hurizen rubbed her back gently and looked out the window.
"Well Naru, I actually have someone who can train you and is good." He said.
"Who?" She sniffled wiping the eyes.
"Come in here." He said, the window opened and the man from the hot springs slid in the window.
"Sharp as ever." He said.
"You.." Naru said quietly.
"Yes little one." He said.
"Naru this is Jiraiya, my old student, one of the three great sanin." Hurizen said. "I asked him to train you and such." He said.
"Does he know?" Naru asked quietly.
"Know what?" Jiraiya asked.
"About the incident that happened nearly four years ago." Hurizen said, Jiraiya leaned against the desk. "On her 9th birthday she was taken from her apartment and attacked." He said and sighed. "They took her to a building beat her and at the end hit her with chakra over her face, I found her two days later unable to open her eyes and half dead. I brought her in and took her to Suna on a trip and that's when we were told ….. sigh … she lost her sight." He said, Jiraiya looked t him shocked, his jaw open in shock.
"Wh... you... I .." He stuttered and sighed rubbing his face. "What happened after?" He asked.
"Ojiji got me special training." Naru said. "I got Mamoru to be my guardian and transport." She said rubbing the snow leopards head making him purr. "I left the academy for year until I got the sensing and such down."
"You use chakra signals to see?" He asked, she nodded.
"I push my chakra out in waves and usually can see at least 20 feet away from me in all directions." She said. "But now it's less than five feet." She said.
"Why?" He asked.
"Orochimaru." Hurizen said, Jiraiya looked at him shocked. "He locked her access to his chakra and it's weakened her greatly." He said, Jiraiya hummed. "She's a great student, fast learner and a hard worker." Hurizen said. "You'll enjoy teaching her." He said.
"She sounds like an interesting time." Jiraiya said and stood up right.
"But no one knows about this, it's an S-rank secret." Hurizen said, Jiraiya nodded.
"Who all knows?" He asked.
"Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyuuga, Iruka-sensei, you, Ojiji, Mamoru and some others but they're dead." Naru said.
"Tell him what else Naru." Hurizen said.
"When I tap into Kyuubi's chakra, like I let it take over, I can see in a way. It's not clear unless it's a lot of chakra, but a little burst it's blurry figures." She said.
"Okay. I think I know what I might have you learn. Come on gaki." He said, Naru stood up and got on Mamoru's back and followed Jiraiya outside. Hurizen smiled as he watched them leave his office. He sighed quietly. 'Good luck gaki.' He thought.
Jiraiya paused in the street, Naru looked up at him."Since your training will be special we're going to go into the woods near the small waterfall." Jiraiya said.
"Okay." She said.
They traveled through the town and headed to the upper woods and walked in and found the waterfall, Jiraiya set his things down.
"Now, I want to see this seal." He said, Naru pulled her shirts up revealing her stomach, Jiraiya looked at the seal and touched it, she giggled a little, he shook his head with a smirk and frowned at the marks.
'This is the Gogyo Fuin, only we sannin could open this us and Hurizen.' He thought and sighed.
"Alright Naru, you have to trust me okay, I have to open the seal." He said, she nodded. "Hold your arms up in the air, she held her shirt in her teeth and held her hands up, Jiraiya gathered chakra inhis fingers and took a deep breath. "Gogyo Kaiin!" He said and slammed his hands on her stomach, she cried out and flew back hitting the ground, she groaned and opened her eyes and gasped as she was greeted with a blue sky, she looked and saw Mamoru trot up to her and saw Jiraiya.
"Wow." She whispered then cried out as pain shot through her eyes, she blinked then sighed as it went dark again.
"Naru?" Mamoru asked nuzzling her.
"I'm okay." She said. "I could see..." She said.
"You could see everything?" Jiraiya asked, she looked up at him and nodded.
"Yeah, it was quick." She said. "You're handsome Mamoru." She said, he chuckled with a purr.
"Alright then!" Jiraiya said clapping his hands. "I want you to try the water walking again, let's see if that fixed it." He said, she stood up and pulled her shoes off and walked along the rocks to the water and put her foot on the water and stepped on it wobbling slightly before she caught her balance and walked along the water and smiled.
"I feel so normal again." Naru said flexing her hands as the chakra filled her points through her body.
"Alright, I want to test your range of sight." Jiraiya said, Naru nodded walking towards him. "After that I want you to explain what jutsu's you know." He said, she nodded her head, she walked next to Mamoru and into the field. "Mamoru step back." Jiraiya said, he frowned but stepped back, Jiraiya stepped backwards and pulled out some shuriken and launched them, Naru twitched and bent backwards avoiding them, Jiraiya smirked and created some clones, they shot towards her, Naru got up right and dropped and dodged the first and the second, she grunted as she was kicked by the third, she flipped and skidded back panting.
"I like your reflexes kid." Jiraiya said. "But we need to work on your speed." He said, she nodded standing up, he walked up to her. "You use chakra to sense." He said and gave a 'hm'. "I may know exactly what will help." He said, she cocked her head. "It's hard work and takes patience but if you can do it, you'll be nearly unstoppable."
"What is it?" She asked.
"A beginning form of senjutsu." He said, Naru looked at him shocked then smiled. "Once we get it down, we'll work on some jutsu." He said.
"Yes!" She said, he smirked.
-*o*-
Kakashi sighed rubbing his head as he ran into Ebisu and asked about Naru.
"So what happened?" Kakashi asked again.
"The little brat lied to me multiple times and smarted off! I was knocked out and she was gone!" He said and huffed.
"What did she lie to you about?" Kakashi asked.
"About her jutsu's she knew."
"How so?" Kakashi asked.
"She said she knew the water walking jutsu, she didn't, she couldn't do it at all!" He said and snorted, Kakashi sighed.
"Okay, I'm sorry Ebisu, I'll try to find her and find out what happened. I thank you for trying."
The man hummed and stormed away, Kakashi sighed and walked away.