589I don't own Naruto. I've said this at least five times already. Although, I just picked up a pretty cool book of posters. :P
I promise this is the real Chapter 6.
Inu was waiting in the area outside the Hokage's office. He had been summoned to meet with the aged leader, but didn't have a very clear idea as to what it was about. The teen thought that all the business with the Kumo shinobi had been cleared up a few days ago. He fought the urge to run a hand nervously through his silver locks. He shot a glare to the side of the door. A slight giggle emanated from the side of the door, ceasing as soon as it had started. Apparently, the current guard thought his discomfort was amusing.
'You try being called in by the Old Man with no warning.'
The ANBU was torn out of his thoughts by the voice of the secretary.
"Hokage-sama will see you now." The young woman informed him, waiting to usher him to the door.
The door creaked open as the woman held it open for him to go in.
Inu stepped inside quietly, moving to the slightly worn spot before his lord's desk. He moved his limbs to stand at attention, hoping the familiar stance would help him contain his nervous energy.
"At ease, Inu-kun. There's no need to be nervous, boy. Have a seat." Sarutobi commented, not even looking up from his latest piece of paperwork. A small curl of smoke wafted from the pipe in his hand.
A tense, but not completely uncomfortable silence blanketed the room, as Inu waited for the older man to speak. He watched as the pipe moved in the same repetitive pattern, from lips to hand.
'I wonder how many pieces of paperwork he's ruined with that thing…' Inu mused, as a tiny spark floated out of the bowl, before settling on a sheet, and extinguishing itself.
"Haven't started the party without me, have you?" A gruff voice from the side spoke, shaking the teen from his reverie. As if on autopilot, he moved his limbs to once again stand at attention.
"Wouldn't dream of it, old friend. I understand your meeting went well?" Hiruzen inquired, finally setting the dreaded task aside to attend to matters at hand.
"Well enough. For being a civilian, she's a tough old bird." The ANBU commander replied, moving to stretch out on the couch to the side. Oh, the perks of being connected…
"Stand down, boy." Tora ordered, exasperation in his voice. "You're not here for any business as Inu, so take the damn mask off too."
Kakashi could admit it. He had no clue what was going on now. Carefully, he pulled the now warm porcelain away from his face, and clipped onto his belt. Confusion was showing in his one visible eye.
Sarutobi chuckled at the unease the young shinobi was displaying.
"How have you been faring? Tora has given me his own reports, but I would like your own assessment." Sarutobi leaned forward, as if having a chat with a friend.
"I have been doing well, sir. My skills have been improving under the tutelage of the ANBU Corps." Kakashi replied.
"All of which is laudable, but I wasn't asking about skills. How have you been doing? I understand that you lost your sensei. Such a thing is hard, even to those of us who are long past the time of being under one. You and Minato had a strong bond, especially after the unfortunate loss of your father." Sarutobi continued. Kakashi flinched at the mention of his father, and his father figure.
"I have undergone the required psychological screenings, and have passed." The robotic tone was devoid of emotion. Kakashi squirmed under the intense scrutiny of the two men.
"That's not what I asked. I've heard from my sources that you spend an inordinate amount of time in Training Ground Seven. And the Memorial Stone." The elder shinobi informed him. "I can understand the draw of the place. It is peaceful, and a place for reflection. I myself have gone to honor our lost comrades. You take it to the extreme, Kakashi-kun." Sarutobi sighed.
The teenager turned his head, refusing to meet the pitying look he knew had to be in those kind eyes. Yes, it was now over two years since Sensei's death, but it still hurt.
"Honoring the lost is one thing, but I cannot have one of my best and most promising shinobi living in the past. We need to look to the future. I need to know if you can put what has happened to rest enough to give your full attention to the now." The sheer amount of power in the voice commanded he give it his complete concentration.
"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, my activities outside of duty have not affected my performance. I have not failed a single mission that has been assigned me during the course of my service over the last two years." The silver haired teen defended himself.
"Perhaps not." Tora finally spoke up from his reclined position. "Such single-minded drive works well when the goals are clear-cut. What we have in mind for you would not benefit from that same emotionless mask that you display in those situations."
"Sir?"
"I've seen the glimpses you try so hard to hide, son, like the night of the incident. Such concern is a noble trait. We are merely asking if you can give your full attention to someone who isn't dead." The ANBU commander stated. "Such devotion is admirable, but they wouldn't want you to keep grieving."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, trying to read between the lines of what his superior was telling him.
"You had stated before that I wasn't summoned for an ANBU duty. What exactly is it you want me to do, sir?" Suspicions flitted through his mind, each a bit more outlandish than the next.
Tora glanced at Sarutobi, before waving his hand and giving him a grin, passing the baton off to him.
"I would like for you to become a sensei." Hiruzen finally revealed.
"To who?" Kakashi cautiously inquired.
"A young boy who has shown extreme promise. After several incidents, and a meeting with his guardian, it was decided that it would be better for him to receive a modicum of formal training before he hurts himself, and others, with his experiments."
"What exactly would you like me to teach him?"
"Oh, nothing too advanced. He has already admitted to accessing chakra, so minor chakra control would be in order, along with standard physical training, nothing too extreme." Sarutobi explained.
Kakashi raised a single silver eyebrow.
"All of this should be covered in the academy, why do you want me to teach him?" He asked.
"He's nowhere near entering the academy for one. Two, the little brat probably wouldn't get fair treatment there unless Sarutobi or I were standing over the academy senseis' shoulders." Tora added to the conversation, as he leafed through a book left on the side table.
The pieces clicked into place slowly in the boy's mind. His eye widened as he turned to Sarutobi.
"Are you asking me…to teach Naruto?" Kakashi asked softly, almost as if not believing his luck.
"That is precisely what we are asking you to do." The Sandaime smiled.
A wide smile started to spread beneath the dark mask, until it was stalled by a recollection.
"But, when I entered the corps, you said that I wouldn't be able to interact with him, wouldn't be able to have a relationship with him." The Hatake heir pointed out.
"So I did, but circumstances seem determined to change my decisions for me. I had not expected the child, at the time, to show such a determination to be unexpected." Sarutobi grinned wryly. "That is not to say that you should be flaunting your relationship with the boy to the world at large. Any training given will be done in secure facilities. I believe you have met his unofficial guardian. Correct?"
Kakashi nodded.
"In order to have her agreement, it was assured that Naruto wouldn't be pushed into anything. He is not a weapon to be honed. I trust you would be one of the first to agree with this. It's a fine line you must walk with him. While you are training him in a deadly profession, the goal is to give him tools to use as he grows, not make him grow up too soon. Understood?"
"Yes, sir. When would I be allowed to start?" Kakashi asked, eager to get to know the boy in person, instead of through observation.
"You've got a few days of paid leave coming up. Sounds like as good a time as any." His commander suggested. "Just make sure you let Isoda-san know when you want to take him, or she'll be on you like a hound after a rabbit."
Kakashi nodded in agreement, having seen how protective she could be. That is one woman that Kushina would have felt a kinship with, if they had ever met in person.
"If there is nothing else," Sarutobi paused, at which Kakashi shook his head, "You are dismissed."
The teen gave a bow, before heading to the door.
"Oh, Kakashi?" Tora called to him. The boy stopped, hand on the door.
"I suggest you wait a few days. The boy may be….more hyper than usual for another day or two." The commander grinned from his seat on the couch.
Kakashi gave Tora a puzzled look before heading out the door to start his planning.
The door shut and Hiruzen gave his friend a calculating look.
"What did you do, Ryo?"
"Oh, nothing." He replied, innocently examining the bookshelf.
Sarutobi groaned. Nothing that made Ryo grin this much boded well for his future.
0o0o0o0
Naruto was sitting by his window, staring out at the street, as he had been for the last few hours. Ever since Tora had given him that chakra pill, he had been jittery, and just couldn't sit still. Or sleep for that matter of fact. Finally, yesterday he had just crashed.
The blonde had known what the pill was. It was hard not to be familiar with them. He had simply been curious as to what effect it would have on him in his current state. It had been fun to see Yuuka fuming at the man who had given it to him. Naruto had seen the opportunity for a prank. He would have been remiss to not participate. Of course he had paid for it with a sore body the day after it had worn off, but at least he knew what he could expect at this point in time.
Now he was waiting for his sensei to show up. Naruto swung his foot as he sat on the windowsill looking out. The rhythmic tapping lulling him into a semi-meditative trance.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" Yuuka asked him, as she walked in on the strangely still boy. It was an unnerving sight after the past few days.
"Nothing." He replied, still staring out the window.
"Nothing? Seems to me you're looking for someone." She wisely deduced, as she set a stack of clean clothes down.
The boy didn't say anything.
"Naruto, we need to talk about this." The nurse said, taking a seat on his bed. "Come here."
Naruto jumped down from the sill, and crawled up onto the bed.
"I know you're excited to have a sensei, Naruto-chan, but you have to understand, being a shinobi is not everything there is." The brown-eyed woman told him, making sure he was looking at her
"Promise me that you'll still do other things? You'll still color me pictures and read with me? I still want you to come keep me company when I go to the other orphanages." She smiled.
"Yes, Baba, I promise." He whined.
"Good, because I still have space on my walls that you have to fill up." Yuuka teased.
"Do you know when Inu is coming?" The blonde asked.
"No, I don't, but you've got things to do around here. You're old enough to help around here, if you're old enough to start taking lessons. Now why don't you put these clothes away?" She sweetly ordered him.
"Awww, Baba…" He complained.
"Don't 'aww Baba' me. You heard me, now scoot." She directed him, as she got up from the twin bed. She took a glance back at the boy as he began to carefully open his bottom drawer. A small smile graced her lips as she heard him muttering as he went about the small chore. Maybe he wasn't going to grow up too fast after all.
0o0o0o0
Naruto was not, by any means, a very neat person. As such, he found no point in putting away the stack of clothes, since he'd be wearing them soon enough anyways. He was so absorbed with muttering about the injustice of it all, that he was surprised when he heard a soft chuckle from the doorway. He looked up to see a young, silver-haired teen in dark clothes, lounging against the doorframe.
"Inu!" Naruto yelled, knowing that particular shade of hair anywhere. He promptly dropped the shirt he was putting away, and with a running jump, gave the teen a hug. A pair of strong arms quickly encircled him, returning it twofold. After a few seconds, Naruto backed his head away from the ANBU's chest to look at his face. It was the first time he had seen it without the porcelain mask since the night he had been born. There were fewer wrinkles than the face he had treasured, but the grey eye was the same. Still holding so many secrets, and still having that touch of grief in its depths.
Kakashi studied the boy's face, in return. He saw the features from each parent, and yet those things which were uniquely Naruto.
"Are we gonna go out now?" The younger boy asked, eager to get going.
Hatake laughed at his excitement. Had he been that way as a child? It was hard to remember.
"Not quite. I don't think Isoda-san knows I'm here yet. Besides, you still have job to finish." The cyclops finished, nodding his head toward the few shirts on the floor yet. Naruto groaned as he was let down.
"Lesson number one: Always do your best, no matter what it is." Kakashi instructed.
"Hai, Inu." Naruto grumbled, but did as told. In a minute or two, the shirts were all put away.
"Can we go now?" He begged, blue eyes close to resembling one of his soon-to-be sensei's ninken. "Please?"
Kakashi gave an internal groan. 'Of all the things to inherit from Sensei….'
He checked the boy's clothes. The loose pants and t-shirt would do for now, but he'd have to get him some decent training clothes down the road.
"Yeah, yeah, we can go. We just have to check out with Isoda-san first. Mind showing me the way?"
The dog summoner soon found himself being dragged by the hand to a tiny little office. The door was open, showing the resident nurse going over some charts inside.
"Baba! Inu's here, can we go now?" The little boy was almost bouncing, so much enthusiasm was rolling off him.
Yuuka looked up to see the expected teacher holding onto her adopted grandson's hand.
"Naruto, calm down. He's not going anywhere without you." She lightly scolded.
"I believe we've met before. Since you're not wearing your uniform, I assume there is another name I could call you by?" Yuuka asked walking over to inspect the young man who would be in charge of Naruto.
"Hatake Kakashi, at your service." The teen introduced himself, giving a slight bow to the older woman. "Although you can call me Kakashi-sensei." He told Naruto, as he gave the child a hidden smile that reached his one exposed eye.
Yuuka had heard the name. Who hadn't? Prodigy. Student of the Yondaime. Son of the White Fang.
"Naruto-kun, you're forgetting something. If you think you're leaving without it, you better think again." His Baba warned him. A puzzled look crossed the whiskered face. He tilted his head as he pondered the question.
"Your coat? I'm not going to let you out that door until you're wearing it. Now go get it if you want to go with Kakashi-san." She told him. He looked up at the teenager next to him, as if worried he would leave.
"I'll still be here. Don't worry." He assured. Quick as a wink, Naruto was out the door.
"I trust your superior informed you of our chat?" She questioned.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, wouldn't want to have you going about with the wrong idea." She smiled sweetly, and yet Kakashi felt a chill go down his spine. Not all that's sweet is safe…
The patter of small feet echoed down the hall. In popped Naruto, coat hastily thrown on. Yuuka knelt down and straightened the boy out until she was satisfied he'd be warm.
"You're going to be good, right?" She once again asked him.
"Yes, Baba." Naruto asserted.
"Good. I hear about any funny business, and you're not going back. You hear me? This is a privilege, not something you absolutely need." Brown eyes stared into blue, until the boy nodded his agreement. She gave him a quick hug before straightening back to her full height.
"Have him back for dinner. At the very latest." She ordered the young jounin.
Sensing he was being dismissed, he gathered Naruto up in his arms and headed out.
Yuuka watched them, and felt part of her heart break as the bright blonde took a step down a dark path.
0o0o0o0
As soon as the door to the orphanage shut, Kakashi turned to the boy in his arms.
"Hang on tight. We're going to go somewhere we won't be bothered." He said.
A moment later, Naruto felt the telltale prickle of chakra enveloped them as they moved, using shunshin to move quickly from spot to spot. They stopped in front of a very nondescript building. Kakashi turned down an alley to the side of the building. He pressed his palm onto a metal door, channeling some of his own energies into it. Naruto watched as it did nothing.
"I don't think it w-" He was cut off as the door smoothly swung to the inside. "Whoa…"
Kakashi laughed at his student's astonishment, before taking a step inside. The door swung back into place behind them before sealing itself again with a blue flash.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway as the teen headed to only he knew where. A left here, a right there. Naruto was just along for the ride. Finally, Kakashi opened a door into a dark room. A switch of a light revealed what looked like a dojo. Mats covered the floor, providing padding against falls. Posters on the wall showed the human anatomy and chakra points. Practice dummies rested against one wall.
Kakashi set him down and quickly divested him of the winter coat and his shoes. He set them aside close to the door, along with his own. Naruto inspected the place, wide eyes looking around. If it hadn't been hidden deep inside an industrial building, this room wouldn't have been out of place in the academy.
The ANBU headed to the center of the room, and knelt down. "Naruto, come here."
The boy quickly complied.
"What're we gonna do first, Sensei?" He asked.
"We, Naruto-kun, are going to talk. Now, we need to get some ground rules here. First things first. I want you to always do your best. Doing anything halfhearted now could get you hurt later. Understand?"
Naruto nodded.
"Good. Second, you can't tell anyone about your training. Hokage-sama, Tora-sama, and Isoda-san know, but that's it. Third, no showing off. I know it's tempting when someone is being mean. Unless it's a last resort, and someone could really hurt you, don't use anything I teach you here. Still with me?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."
"Now, I want you to be honest with me. Tora-sama told me you were beginning to train yourself. What have you been doing?"
Naruto squirmed.
"I've borrowed the books of some of the older kids. I really love this one about traps!" A wide grin split his face. "Um, I've been trying to work on using chakra, but the books didn't have anything beyond how to make it do things like stick leaves to myself." He grumbled.
"Ok, what about other things? Besides working on jutsus? I hear you're quite the little escape artist." Kakashi teased.
"It's not my fault they can't catch me. I just don't see why I need to have a bath every night." Naruto pouted, which just made his teacher laugh more.
"Alright, let's just see where you are then. Now, I want you to sit, just like I am. Legs crossed. There you go. Close your eyes. Try to feel everything about yourself inside that you can. Be aware of your toes, your fingertips, the insides of your elbows even." Kakashi heard a small giggle, but the boy tried it.
"Try not to move. It distracts you." He suggested.
Slowly the boy's fidgeting subsided. There were still a few tics here and there, but Kakashi was impressed. He wouldn't have expected a two-year old to get this far.
"Remember when you told Hokage-sama that you could feel the guards? Try and look for that same feeling inside yourself. Let me know when you do." He instructed.
"Got it." Naruto told him a few minutes later. 'I'm going to go nuts if he doesn't go faster.'
"What does it feel like?" The shinobi asked.
"Warm, a bit prickly. It's moving, like water." The little boy told him.
"Good, now remember that feeling. I want you to move that energy to where you feel me touch, okay?"
Naruto nodded, eyes still closed. Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto's back. Slowly, but surely, he felt the build up of chakra under his hand. "Excellent. Next try." He praised, before moving on.
Kakashi had him attempt this in various places. The level of chakra wasn't always the same, but he had extraordinary internal manipulation for his age.
"We're going to test your physical skills next. How well can you aim?"
Naruto grinned.
0o0o0o0
An hour later found Naruto a bit tired from all the tests and experiments Kakashi had put him through. He was a bit disappointed that Kakashi hadn't given him real weapons to test out his aim, but he supposed that was all part and parcel of Yuuka agreeing to this for now.
Naruto was actually surprised at how Kakashi was behaving. When he had first been placed on a team, the man hadn't done much beyond trying to make them act like a team. Sure he had taught them a few things here are there, but not a constant stream of information like he had been.
'I suppose he thinks he has to start from the very beginning.' Naruto reasoned. A lot of these exercises would have been helpful, even as a genin, the blonde had to admit. Probably would have helped him avoid a world of hurt at some points in time. 'I guess he just assumed the academy teachers had taught us everything about the basics.'
"For having learned all this by yourself, you're doing pretty well." Kakashi complimented him.
Naruto smiled. 'You have no idea…'
"But," Kakashi added. "I expect you to talk to me before you start experimenting with chakra again. It's a dangerous substance to try to manipulate. You have lots of chakra, and one misstep could have been deadly." He warned, trying to impress the seriousness on the boy.
Naruto's smile dimmed, and he stared at the floor.
"I don't want to yell at you, but you have to realize how much trouble it could have caused."
The boy stayed looking down, picking at the mat.
"Now, I think it's about time I get you back home. Now what were the first three rules again?" Kakashi quizzed the boy.
"Do my best. Keep my training a secret, and don't show off." Naruto recited.
"Perfect. Now grab your coat and shoes." He ordered.
Minutes later found them outside the orphanage again. Kakashi carried him through the orphanage to Yuuka's office. Naruto laughed as he caught some of the looks of the older girls as they passed by. 'Looks like Sensei has a fan club.'
"Baba, we're back!" Naruto cried out as soon as he saw her. She looked up and just barely braced herself as he launched himself at her.
"I can't promise that I can set a schedule for him, but I will try to see him as often as I can. He's a good kid, a hard worker. If he keeps that up, I'll be proud to have him as my student." Kakashi praised him, as Naruto began to blush madly. Few people had ever told him things like that, at least to his face.
"I would like to get him some equipment eventually, but that can wait. We're still on the basics." He continued. "I still have a few days off, so I will see you tomorrow, got it kiddo?" He asked, ruffling the blonde locks.
"Have a good night, Isoda-san," Kakashi politely stated, before trying to head out. He felt something attack his leg. The ANBU tensed before he realized it was Naruto, hugging him. He reached down and gave the boy a hug, before telling him good night.
Yuuka watched. It was almost like a pair of brothers, but then she supposed, that's what they could have been had events turned out differently. It was strange though, how quickly Naruto took to him, then again perhaps not. Even she could sense that the Hatake boy hadn't held any ill will towards the boy, quite the opposite. Another person had been added to Naruto's hodge-podge family it seemed.
0o0o0o0
Months passed. Kakashi's lessons continued and soon it was summer again. The warm winds brought some small relief to the sweltering heat that had begun to beat down on the village. Naruto and Hinata were lying underneath the shade of a leafy tree, resting from their afternoon chases. He had to admit, she was getting better at keeping up, even if he wasn't going all out.
Naruto was going to ask if she wanted to go find her mom, when he felt the tingle of familiar chakra on the edge of his senses. He was instantly alert. A brief scan of his surroundings soon revealed who had put him on edge. There, just at the entrance to the park were the Uchiha brothers. Itachi had grown slightly over the course of the last few months, but Sasuke had changed more. He had that childish lankiness that young ones possess when they're not quite out of toddlerhood, and yet too old to be called an infant.
His heart clenched as he realized this was the first time he had seen the duo since that day in January. Sasuke wandered off to join the few children who were braving the sun. Itachi retreated to one of the trees edging the playground, his dark eyes never leaving his brother. Naruto watched the two, before making up his mind.
"I'll be right back, Hinata-chan."
"'kay." She muttered drowsily, still watching the leaves as they danced in the treetop.
Naruto stealthily walked over to where the elder Uchiha was resting. A few more steps…
"I know you're there." Itachi spoke, never moving from his spot.
Naruto moved into the open, and took a seat next to the raven haired genin. The chatter of the playground took the place of conversation. Minutes passed.
"Is there something you wanted?" Itachi finally asked.
"I have a question for you." Naruto replied, picking at the grass by his hand. There was no answer, so Naruto took that as a cue to continue.
"Are you avoiding me?" The bluntness of the request took him aback. Dark eyes shifted to finally view the blonde at his side. Black met blue as Itachi debated what to tell the child. He had to give the boy credit for his deduction.
"I wasn't avoiding you, per se. My little brother can have quite a temper, and I didn't feel it wise to provoke it, especially when there is more than childish pride on the line." Itachi finally confessed, hoping the boy could understand. He seemed intelligent. Let him prove it.
Naruto puzzled out what he was talking about.
"So you think Sasuke will learn more by avoiding his temper than facing it?" The blonde challenged him.
Itachi was astounded at the insight the boy was showing.
"Look. I don't care if you hate me. Plenty of people do. Give me a chance to at least prove that I'm not some bad person." Naruto told him before heading back to Hinata, leaving the black haired genin to think.
"Hinata, Naruto, time to go!" The Hyuuga matron was waiting for them near the gate with the required guard. Naruto gave one last look to the Uchihas before heading with his friend to the street.
0o0o0o0
Hinata's mother eyed the blonde as they walked back to the compound. The little blonde seemed distracted by something. She had seen him talking to the Uchiha heir, but hadn't caught what the pair had discussed. As they walked into the walls of the Hyuuga estate, she let Hinata go find her father, leaving the two alone together.
"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Hinata's mother asked. The little boy nodded, still somewhat distracted.
"I don't think that's entirely true. Is it something to do with Uchiha-san?" Her suspicions were confirmed when the blue eyes darted to meet her own, then avoided her.
"I thought so. What happened? Did he say something to you?" The soft voice gently prodded.
"Not really. He doesn't talk much to begin with." Naruto said with a shrug. She waited.
"I asked him if he was avoiding me." He finally admitted.
"And what did he say?" She was genuinely curious.
"That it wasn't me; he was worried about his brother getting mad again. I don't know if I believe him or not." Naruto sighed.
"I see. Naruto, don't worry about anyone's opinion of yourself but your own. No one can make you feel bad about yourself without your consent. Now, just forget about him for now. I don't know about you, but I believe there is something frozen and sweet calling our name." She said with a smile, trying to bribe him out of his funk. It must have worked, because a small smile started to spread across his face.
"Orange?" His blue eyes begged.
"We'll have to see." She chuckled, before leading him inside for the cold treat.
0o0o0o0
A few days later, Naruto was once again at the playground with his friend, after a morning of training with Kakashi. Sore muscles were protesting him running around, but he wasn't about to let that get him down. He soon saw the two Uchihas returning to the playground. Naruto caught Itachi's gaze. An understanding passed between them, before Itachi knelt down by his brother. He spoke to softly to be heard from where Naruto was standing, but he could see the younger nod before running off to play. The genin glanced at the blonde before retreating to his post.
'I guess that's his sign of approval.' Naruto reasoned. Not one to pass up the opportunity, he ran over to the young raven.
"Hi, want to play?" Naruto asked. The young Uchiha looked at him for a moment.
"Sure. What're you playing?" He asked.
Naruto laughed. Apparently he had already forgotten about the little incident.
"Come on." He grabbed his friend's hand, and took off to find Hinata. Things were looking up.
0o0o0o0
Kakashi watched his student as he practiced his aim in the indoor training area. The blonde was throwing special kunai against the target. While not sharp enough to stick in it, they were lined with hardened graphite which would mark where it had impacted. Black marks were scattered across the bulls-eye. A few marks decorated the wall. Small black streaks on the wall denoted where the boy had missed. The larger number were on the target though, a few even on the dead center. The ANBU had to admit he was impressed.
A grunt escaped his student's mouth as he hurled another projectile.
"Watch your wrist. It's twisting too far." He instructed. Carefully, he took Naruto's hand in his, and placed another practice kunai in it. Standing behind him, he ran through the correct movement a few times, before letting Naruto try it on his own.
"Better. Do it again."
"Yes, sensei." The blonde replied, before turning his concentration onto the target again.
They had been working on this for a while now. Naruto was actually being challenged by it as his skills had always been eclectic to begin with. To have someone actively correcting him was helping immensely. He could already see the improvement from what he remembered in his past existence. The weapons were flying truer with less force, meaning less energy was lost on unnecessary movement.
The teenager watched the boy, as he thought over the idea that had occurred to him.
Naruto, while not necessarily being in a lockdown mode, didn't really get the chance to freely interact with many people outside of the orphanage. Kakashi wanted to work on chakra with the boy, and while doing it indoors wasn't unheard of, it was always safer to do it outside, where collateral damage could be kept to a minimum. With the boy's reserves, the potential for accidents was even higher. Yet, there was no where in the village where he could take the boy without raising suspicion. An idea dawned on the teen. Perhaps the inside the village wasn't the answer then.
Occasional thuds still echoed around the room as Kakashi seriously considered the idea.
Naruto would be able to get away from the villagers. It would do him good to be treated like any other child.
'Come to think of it…there's probably a festival coming up soon in some town or other…'
Plans for training soon merged with other ideas Kakashi had in store for his little brother. After all, all work and no play was just plain boring. A curve of lips could barely be seen underneath the mask as the teen imagined what fun Naruto could have on such a trip. All he needed was to get the clearance from the Hokage. And Yuuka. Kakashi contemplated that particular encounter, imagining her reaction to his little excursion.
While the nurse had given her approval to his relationship with her adopted grandson, he couldn't help but think that any attempt to take him outside of her reach, even if it would only be for a few days would be met with anything besides initial resistance.
'I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.' Kakashi thought.
"That's enough for today." He called, as one final kunai sailed through the air. Naruto quickly moved to pick up his tools, having been quickly taught how to take care of any equipment. The energetic blonde finished gathering them and went to hear what his sensei had to say as he began examining the target.
"You're doing better. Most of the kunai you throw are hitting the target. Not too many on the wall this time." Kakashi smiled. Naruto returned the grin, having learned how to read the mask.
"Now look at this." The silver-haired teen pointed out one particular mark. "See how the shape changes from one end to another?"
Naruto looked closely. "What about it, Sensei?"
"If you see a mark like that, it means that the kunai didn't hit dead on. Sometimes that is what we need to do, like if we only want to hurt someone a little bit. Back up." Kakashi instructed him.
The teen retreated to the where Naruto had been standing, taking the whiskered boy with him, making sure he was out of the range of fire. The ANBU let a few of the practice kunai fly. He headed to the target, motioning for his student to follow.
"What do these marks look like?" He asked, pointing out where his kunai had hit.
The smaller boy studied them for a second. "Some look kinda like dots. The others are short lines."
"That means that the mark was true. It hit point on. Thrown like this, the kunai could cause serious damage. It can also work deep into wood or siding, providing a handhold if using chakra is not an option for climbing. We'll work on this more next time. Why don't you go put them away, and grab the cloths?" The young jounin told him, handing him the one he had left in his hand.
Said child quickly headed off to the corner of the room, where a cabinet held the necessary tools, and stored the practice articles when not in use.
"You get high, I get low?" Kakashi proposed.
"Sensei…" Naruto complained. Kakashi laughed at the pout. The kid could be sensitive about his height sometimes.
"Alright, alright. Make sure to get the ones you can reach." The teen accepted the other cleaning cloth from him. Within minutes the target was set for the next time they met. No black marks were left behind.
As they walked over to the cabinet, Kakashi decided to ask Naruto about his idea.
"How would you like to go on a little trip with me?"
Naruto's eyes widened. "Really? Where to?"
"Just to a neighboring village or two. We would have to get your Jiji's okay on it, along with Yuuka-san's, first. But how about it? You and me for a few days." The teen offered, watching his charge as the idea sunk in. He could almost see the excitement start to pour off the spiky-haired boy.
"Awesome! Can we go now? Would you teach me something on the way? When can we leave?" The questions just kept coming. Kakashi laughed at the boy. He was highly reminded of the time his own sensei had offered to take Kushina to a ramen festival. 'Now there's an idea. I wonder if the kid's had any yet.'
"Hang on. I haven't even asked them about it yet. If you want, we can go right now. I think he'll still be in his office." Kakashi closed the door to the storage, and headed towards the door. He no sooner had one of his shoes on when he looked up to see Naruto waiting impatiently for him, shoes on the wrong feet.
"Can we go now? Slowpoke-sensei?"
"I may be a slow, but at least I can put my shoes on the right feet." The teen teased.
Naruto looked down, and blushed when he saw his mistake. A minute later, when all shoes were on their proper feet, the two headed out to the Hokage tower, ready to try to convince Sarutobi.
'Nothing else, Naruto can use his puppy-dog eyes. Haven't met a soul alive who could resist those.' Kakashi grinned, shifting the boy to his back as he shunshined away.
A/N: So after many days of "I should probably write some more" and getting side tracked by other things, a new chapter. Not a whole lot of action in here I'll admit. I look at it more as showing how Kakashi and Naruto interact now. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but it's leading up to other things for now.
Any ideas for improvement will be considered.
Thanks for reading. I hope I at least gave you a smile or two.
Reminder if you're interested: I have a forum of plot bunnies up for adoption. The link is on my profile. Maybe you'll find something that piques your writing curiosity.
Hope you have a good day!
Adios,
Soprano~in~Waiting