Chapter CXVI

First Hits

Naruto is himself again once the crisis has passed… Maa, in a way; there's a little coldness between us… I don't dare approach him. I prefer to let him come to me when he's ready. Anyway, I don't have to wait very long, since he shyly begs me for a hug. Despite the anger that sticks to his skin, he doesn't want us to stay apart, somewhat angry at each other. I translate a certain regret in his eyes for having lost his temper like this, especially since he pierced my neck until it bled with his claws. I manage to forgive him, to forget this rather embarrassing event. At least, Naruto has finally stopped mourning my hair…

That said, I'm particularly irritated. This darkness in me insists on ignoring me, and it only manifests itself when it feels like it. Curiosity is one of the driving forces that pushes it out of its hole. It was adamant about finding out what had sparked its interest, that thing being one of the seals that group has been putting everywhere. Another driving force is Naruto and another is its safety … and probably mine. It cooperates to help me only if it's necessary. Otherwise, it turns a deaf ear. I let out a sigh.

I want answers…

I want to uncover its secrets…

And my patience has its limits…

I will dwell on its case later. I intend to stick to my training schedule while it's still daylight. I want to enjoy the sunlight as much as possible. Living as a nocturnal creature is depressing me, and it's starting to affect my morale. I already miss my daytime routine…

I tell Naruto to get ready and put on his ninja gear. This time, I supervise him without intervening. He must learn to fend for himself and find the solution on his own; to do this, he must trust himself. He already knows all that, and he will go nowhere if he continues to depend on me for absolutely everything.

While the sapphire-eyed boy is busy and frustrating himself, I do the same before rummaging through one of my drawers. Nostalgia overcomes me when I get my hands on the object of my desire. In a small jewellery box are two bells tied together by a red string. As I pull them out of their box, they jingle and their familiar melody brings a sincere smile to my face.

I remember that time when I put my students to the test to determine if they were worthy of becoming ninjas, of being under my teaching. Of the three teams I was assigned, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura's was the only one to succeed, unlike the other two that I rejected. Despite their clumsiness, I was proud to receive them and to be their sensei. At first, I thought I would have to put up with a real chore; the idea of leading a trio of genin like a babysitter didn't delight me at all. In the past, I have always worked alone and accomplished missions with people my age. In the end, it turned out to be a pleasure. I still cherish all these teachings, this training and these many missions under my care.

Like this survival test, I reused my bells to gauge Naruto and Sakura's progress, after their three years of intensive training under their new Master; the late Jiraiya for Naruto and Lady Tsunade for Sakura. They managed to steal them from me with a clever ploy. And like a happy fool, I fell for it like a newbie. I believed Naruto's lie when he pretended to reveal the end of the new volume of the Make-Out series that I hadn't yet finished. I didn't expect them to use my weaknesses against me at all.

Another memory comes to mind. I had entrusted them to Naruto, giving him the task of repairing them since I had damaged them through negligence. It was a farewell gift—an inheritance that I had given him. Even though I had resolved to sacrifice myself in order to save the world, my student did as he pleased … as usual. He saved me from my dire fate of self-destruction. Together, with our brothers-in-arms, we fought and defeated the threat that Hiruko represented.

To my great surprise, Naruto had managed to repair my bells, and in such a short time. He slipped them under my nose, even in the middle of a fight, while repeating Obito's last words to me. Then, his friends believed that we were dating. The blond avoided me for over a week to clear up this unfortunate misunderstanding.

"Dating…" I murmur futilely in a tone of disbelief.

A strange feeling invades me, followed by an unknown sensation. The more I observe my bells, the stranger I feel; at that, my heart is upside down, and I don't know why. I tilt my head to the right while briefly moving my hand to make them ring. I brush them with my fingertips, and my eye can no longer deviate from them, as if I were bewitched by their irresistible charm. Once again, I shake them to hear their abstract melody while cocking my head to the left. Their brilliance overwhelms my interest, and I let out a few taciturn laughs.

I hesitate to use them now … for fear of breaking them and tarnishing their beauty…

I'm torn from this strange trance when Naruto pats me on the shoulder. Mechanically, I close my fist and stuff the bells in my pocket before turning around. My student watches me with his worried little eyes and timidly clings to my sleeve. I blink a few times while shaking my head to regain my senses. Obviously, I was daydreaming…

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts," I laugh nervously, running a hand through my hair. At the same time, I notice that Naruto has finished preparing himself. I check his shuriken case and back pouch to make sure they're secure. "That's good, Naruto. You're quickly getting the hang of it. Time to go."

- XxX -

At the Third Training Ground, we do some classic and simple taijutsu exercises as a warm-up, preparing our bodies for what comes next. I don't know if Naruto has thought about what I told him yesterday. However, I won't be long in having my answers.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday, Naruto?" I ask, my hands in my pockets. "Have you taken the time to think about all that?"

True to his muteness, the blond doesn't answer me, although he betrays a certain nervousness; he understands where I'm going with this. His wandering eyes are riveted to the ground for a moment, then meet mine again. In his own way, he tells me that he has indeed thought about it. This time, it's not a categorical refusal. I sketch a smile of relief.

"That's good, Naruto. I can understand that you're afraid of hurting me. Inevitably, we're gonna get a few bruises and scrapes. But nothing that could put our lives in danger. Taking hits is also part of the training. That said…"

I brush the two bells with my fingertips. Holding them by the end of the string, I take them out of my pocket and brandish them at eye level. Their tinkling and shine overwhelm the gaze of my intrigued student.

"I thought it'd be a good idea to give you a goal and a reason to fight me, so to make things easier for you," I explain, shaking the jingling bells. "It's very simple. You have to seize one of them and to get them, you will have to fight me seriously. I won't go easy on you."

The teenager arches an eyebrow and tilts his head to the right; he doesn't seem convinced. He underestimates me and continues to see me as a fragile little thing that needs protecting. I can't help but be annoyed by this vision he has of me … although he's too used to seeing me at my worst: weakened, out of breath, useless, bedridden, hospitalized and injured most of the time… In a way, I don't blame him.

"I'm saying this again, Naruto. I'm tougher than I look. You'll soon realize that."

Unsurprisingly, Naruto doubts me, and I don't care. I attach the bells to my belt… But for some obscure reason, my hands hesitate. A force within me doesn't want to use them in this way… Nevertheless, after a brief mental struggle, I manage to tie the knot. Carried along by the movements of my body and the wind, they ring and each time, I lose my focus. Curious.

"Come!" I invite him while taking a fighting stance. "Let's see if you can steal one from me as easily as you claim!"

Naruto imitates me and gets into position. According to his stable posture, he hasn't forgotten my teachings. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes burn with determination and self-confidence. He displays a sly smile and his tail, although tense, wags with enthusiasm. The blond is excited at the idea of fighting me, winning and showing off afterwards. Unlike yesterday, he doesn't tremble and doesn't back down from the challenge.

The bells seem to have been a wise choice.

A silence falls, broken by the wind that carries away a few dead leaves tinged with the beginnings of autumn. We size each other up; his gaze, as piercing as mine, tries to read me, to enter my head. I remain unshakeable, and so does he. He analyzes, chooses his angle of attack. Naruto is thinking like a shinobi and not like a wild beast. An immense joy takes hold of me as I see the Naruto I know manifest himself under this impenetrable shell. He's very close, so close that I can brush him with my fingers.

'You're still in there, Naruto,' I murmur to myself. 'I can feel it. You want to come out, you're dying to. But you're not ready yet… You can come out, Naruto. I'll be there, by your side. I'll be your light. Come back to me, Naruto.'

Naruto stores a tremendous amount of chakra in his legs and feet. It's so concentrated that I don't need to see the flow to feel it. He will rely on speed and therefore, escape my vision. According to the movement of his pupils, Naruto will feint me, and my deductions prove correct.

The ground shatters and cracks beneath his feet as he propels himself at an impressive speed; he's so fast that he's invisible. He's on my right and is about to strike me in the side, but it's a decoy. Naruto doesn't intend to hit me; it's a ruse to divert my gaze from his tail, which wiggles in my blind spot, reaching the bells hanging on my left. He overestimates himself and is negligent. He offers me an opening on a silver platter.

I immediately retaliate with a sharp blow against Naruto's sternum, destabilizing him and tearing his breath away. At the same time, I roughly grab his black tail before it can graze its target. Whirling around, I drag my student by the tail. Then I follow with a blow on his stomach to propel him away from me.

With a whimper of pain, Naruto rolls over a few times. He plants his claws in the ground; they lacerate the earth over a short distance. Once immobilized, he looks at me in astonishment.

"You won't get me that easily with such simple tricks," I say dryly. "If you insist on holding back your blows to avoid giving me any, you won't have a chance." I'd like to tell him to pounce on me with killing intents, as I said many times when I was training him before … but he'll take it the wrong way and freeze on the spot…

The blond tries to get up, but he shudders in pain as he falls back to his knees, one hand on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he looks at his tail, gritting his teeth. I was right. He loses his balance if it's injured.

"Sure, your tail's agile and powerful, but it's also a weak point. If you're careless, the enemy can easily grab it and make you vulnerable, like I just did. If you give me the chance, I'll go after your tail, and I won't hold back next time."

Naruto hisses while glaring at me. He doesn't like that at all, and I don't care. I must be merciless. In a real combat, the enemy would already be on him, beating the shit out of him. And besides, the fact that he's angry will perhaps push him to hit me back, who knows?

After a few seconds, Naruto gets up and prepares his next attempt. Fortunately, he recovers quickly from the injuries of his tail. His small stern eyes are fixed on me like a vulture rotten with impatience. A quantity of chakra pulses in his legs and in a flash, Naruto is in front of me and this time, he's decided to attack me for real.

My student chains several punches and claws that I parry and avoid without difficulty; he hesitates and holds back his blows, giving me ample time to react. During his attack, he advances as I retreat. Unfortunately for him, his irises betray him. He stares at the bells for a millisecond before trying to catch them. I retaliate on the spot and smile as Naruto parries my punch.

I take the opportunity to kick him in the side, but Naruto sweeps my only standing leg with his sneaky tail. I fall on my back and roll backwards to narrowly avoid Naruto's fingers that dangerously brush against the bells. To my great joy, he gives me no respite since he relaunches his assault on me.

I dodge and block the volley of blows that sadly lack vigour and determination. Naruto tries another sweep with his tail, and I arch my back. I put my hands on the ground and, raising my legs to gracefully dodge his tail, I kick him in the chin. I land on my two feet after my somersault and launch a counterattack.

When I brandish a kunai, Naruto's eyes widen in panic. He dodges my blow that cuts a blond lock, then another. My student also grabs a kunai to block mine. However, he's poorly positioned; his left arm is useless and his right side is exposed. I spin around, kicking him back. Armed with three kunais, I throw them straight at Naruto. He jumps to avoid them and as if I had teleported, I'm behind him.

"I can also be fast, you know." I deliver a powerful punch while Naruto is still in the air; he rolls a few metres away when he falls back to the ground.

The day causes him significant blindness, limits his abilities and visibly his energy since he's panting. I start to feel hot and sweaty. Despite my perfectly acceptable and normal chakra reserves, my rusty body is quickly exhausting. Thanks to the adrenaline in my veins, fatigue disappears as it's felt; to that, excitement takes over. Training and fighting after an eternity stuck in inaction does me a world of good.

Frustration takes over Naruto. He begins to realize that my words weren't for show. He thought that ripping off my bells would be as easy as stealing a lollipop from a child, and it annoys him. I let out a few chuckles in response to his pout and his little hisses. The more he becomes aware of what I'm capable of, the more he increases the violence of his blows. He's determined to succeed, to accomplish his goal. He gradually gives up his shyness and his fear of hurting me.

I'm a fearsome wolf and not a defenceless puppy. I excel in all areas. Only fools underestimate "Kakashi of the Sharingan." Despite the range of techniques at my disposal, I avoid using ninjutsu and genjutsu. I also exclude my Sharingan to save my chakra, with which I will have to feed Naruto. For the moment, taijutsu is at the centre of my training program. One step at a time…

"What's wrong, Naruto? Where did all that exuberant confidence go? I thought you wouldn't have any trouble grabbing my bells," I challenge him in a provocative tone.

Naruto growls and a few hairs stand on end. We both take our fighting stances as I sketch a satisfied smile. The blond is a sore loser; he will refuse to let me win, and I purposely play on his heartstrings. He's agile, strong, fast. I want to gauge him at the peak of his abilities and discover the extent of the chakra devourers' power. I'm not worried. This mark on my neck protects me from this darkness hidden within him.

With a smirk on my lips, I wave my palm to invite him to launch another attack. "Come!"