Bab 5: Training
I decided to "wake up" at about 8 in the morning. I had been awake through a fair portion of the night thinking of the things I had heard between two men. Men who were phantasms of a Japanese man's mind just 6 short years prior.
'Is this world fake? Or did Kishimoto "see" it in his dreams, mistaking it for his own brilliance?'
I didn't think the world was fake. It couldn't be a coma dream. Operating under the assumption that the bullets that hit me struck a lung, The choking on blood adds credence to that. I would have succumbed before an ambulance would have been able to arrive to my home, given the sound of gunshots would have woke the neighbors. I also wouldn't think there be some type of Robot Chicken like mad scientist who grabbed my corpse of my floor, or the morgue, and decided to play Frankenstein with it and hook my brain up to some freaky anime simulator. Reincarnation sounded less ludicrous than that. So, in conclusion, I died.
'Didn't even make it through 2020. Shit.'
Going back to the subject of the conversation I heard, Sarutobi and Inoichi's conversation took a great burden off my mind as I listened to his explanation on what he had seen in my head. Thankfully, he was unable to look at memories before my rebirth. No idea why. The second was that the yin chakra accidentally trapped behind the seal,-which included most of my memories-, was one in the same with the yin chakra that was free. I didn't have to worry about accidentally killing a child from supplanting his soul. I was the child. I just forgot many things from losing a part of myself.
If this is even remotely what people with strokes or dementia had to go through, being trapped in your mind, your very SELF being inaccessible, I'd likely prefer the state I was in on my living room floor.
Moving away from the existential thoughts I was having, I needed to focus on the conversations details. Memories of the Kyuubi attack, check. Seeing my mother and father's last moments, check. Remembering me and my sister getting sealed, check.
How the hell am I gonna do this? I didn't want to lie to Rin. But she wasn't ready for the truth. Knowing who our mother was may not be so bad. She could notknow who our father was. If any other villages found out he had two Jinchuriki children, there'd be a whole nother war over our lives. And the Kyuubi sealing would be a kick in the nuts, figuratively.
I need to play the fool on my father. I'll ask about Mom, but word it as if I'm confused why my father wasn't there. I'll give Sarutobi an out.
Having my mind made up, I waited for a nurse or doctor to eventually come here to notice I was awake. As I waited there, I noticed something.
'Why the hell is the clock so loud?'
That was when I remembered something. The hushed whispers that I could still here. The smell of perfume from further off than I should have been able to smell.
'Are my senses heightened?' I thought that was only fanon.
For the life of me, I could not remember if there was ever anything mentioned in the series about Naruto having that. This means some things could be off.
'I swear to God, if Madara is a chick.'
Hearing footsteps at the door, I quickly put on a look of confusion as I waited to see who was coming in. I was not disappointed when a nurse walked in, saw me awake, eyes widening, saying a quick "I'll be back.", and swiftly leaving.
That was quick.
Laying there on the bed, still tied to the bed like a damn boat anchor, a sensation of dread creaped up on me.
I can't scratch myself. Maybe if I ask one of the pretty nurses real nicely, she might help... Jeez, that sounds like some bullshit Jiraiya would try to pull. "Oh Tsunade, my arms are broken, can you help me?"
Waiting for the stinking nurse to get back took a couple minutes, but she returned with Sarutobi in tow. The two of us made eye contact, his eyes hopeful. I responded in the way I thought would be the kindest to him.
"Jiji." I said softly.
I saw the relief and face splitting grin appear on his face, his whole posture changing.
"It's good to hear hear your, Naruto. You had us worried."
"Jiji?"
"Hmmnn?"
"Could the nurse take off my restraints? I need to scratch myself." I said, the last part deadpanned.
Sarutobi threw his head back in a laugh, not expecting that of all things.
"My dear," he asked, voice full of mirth. "would you mind?" he finished, still chuckling away.
She nodded and walked towards me, a look of mock irritation on her face.
"Boys." she muttered as she removed the restraints, shaking her head.
"Thank you, and... I'm really sorry for this." It is very uncomfortable to have a woman who was old enough to be my mother in my previous life be right next to me as I had to do something that most men would need to in my situation.
After the embarrassing incident was finished, Sarutobi asked the nurse to give the two of us and privacy. After she had left and he that made sure she was far enough away, he looked straight at me.
"How are you?" he asked simply.
I needed to answer this carefully. I can't sound well adjusted to it. I'm still freaking out, I just have it under control right now. But I needed to show I wasn't an invalid. I settled on a simple one.
Swallowing I answered quietly. "Not good."
Sarutobi gave a small nod of his head. "You remember it?" asked, already knowing the answer.
"The fox?" I questioned.
"Yes."
"I remember it." I started, my voice quiet. "I know why I was scared of not breathing. What was it?"
"That is Killing Intent. It's when someone is able to manifest their desire to kill outwards and cause fear to their enemies." he answered, with a hint of an educational tone to it.
"It did a good job at that." I said, trying to play off how terrifying it was when the damn thing was less than a hundred yards from me.
Frowning at my attempted deflection with humour, Sarutobi asked another question.
"Are you not worried? Do you understand what happened? You nearly died."
"Jiji," I said softly, "I know I did. I can smell the smoke on your clothes from here. You only smoke that much when you're worried. I don't want you to deal with me falling apart right now. I can wait a few minutes."
At my suprising level of thought, Hiruzen looked concerned. "It's not healthy to bottle things up. You need to let it out."
"Rin is here, isn't she?"
At my sudden change of subject his left brow rose up questioningly. "What?" he responded.
"I can feel her. She's about 40 yards away in another room. How can I feel her there without seeing her. Why can I feel you if I shut my eyes?"
Realizing he wouldn't get me to budge on anything until I got an answer, Hiruzen sighed exasperatedly.
"I think you are a sensor, you can sense chakra."
"And?"
Hiruzen sighed, "You're a quite skilled one. Inoichi told me that you could sense your mother and sister."
I got a bit contemplative for a moment, I had assumed that over the last few hours, but it was good to get confirmation. Knowing I needed to address the Hokage's concern, I gave the reason why I wanted to delay the conversation.
"Does Rin know? About, all this?" Gesturing towards myself.
Hiruzen understood what I was meaning, "No." he said, "No she doesn't."
"Should she know?"
That was where I could see a flash of indecision on his face. He probably thought she wasn't ready for all this, and he's likely right.
"What do you think?" he asked.
I sat that there for a moment, thinking about it. Telling her would be bad. I didn't think she was ready for it. She would continue to dig, trying to find out our mother and my father's identity. I could placate her with just mom. Don't tell her about the fox, or dad.
She'll be pissed years down the road for us hiding it, but I can deal with that. She's not ready now.Steadying myself, I answered him, "No. I don't think she should."
Hiruzen nodded sadly at my answer, before asking again, "Are you ready to talk?"
I shook my head, "I want to talk to Rin first. I don't want her to see me like how I feel. She'll blame herself."
Nodding at my accurate opinion on what would likely happen, Hiruzen responded by turning to leave the room, seeking to tell my sister I was awake.
I sat there for a minute, thinking to myself. This is going to be hard. Shortly after, I saw a golden blur come racing towards where I was at. My sister was here.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." she repeatedly said, as she ran to the bed to hug me, tears in her eyes. "I should'nt have kept a secret-", she then started speaking to quickly for me to understand.
"Rin," I said, grabbing her shoulders to look her in the eye. "It's not your fault. I assumed you lied to me. You didn't."
"But I -"
Again, I interrupted. " You told Jiji because he was worried about me. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. You wanted to protect me. I'll never stop loving you." I finished, pulling her closer.
That was when the waterworks began, for the both of us. She cried into my shoulder as I rested my chin on her head, tears sprouting from my eyes.
'I did this to her. It's up to me to put the pieces back together.'
Putting my hand in her hair, like I did when I would console her after a particularly bad day, I gently rubbed her head, whispering to her. "I will never forget you. Don't let anyone, not even me, tell you that."
She seemed to shudder at the words for some reason. We sat there for I don't know how long, just holding each other. After some time, she calmed down enough to step a little bit away. "You're okay? Nothing bad?" Her tone demanding no lies
"Yes." I said. "No problems."
At my answer, she seemed placated with it. For now.
"Okay. Jiji", she asked turning to the Hokage, "can I get something to eat? I'm hungry."
Chuckling at the change of subject, Hiruzen told her to go ahead, He'll meet her in a little while. Walking past the door, I could still sense her, a more muted signature right next to her.
'Anbu.'
Hiruzen then turned to me, a sharp look in his eye. "Are you ready to talk now?"
I slumped a bit and nodded my affirmative. "Ready as I'll ever be."
He beckoned me to continue. Taking a deep breath, I did.
"Why?" I asked simply, "Why did our parents give us up? Why was the Yondaime there? Why was he beside my mother, holding the Kyuubi in?"
If I wasn't looking for the look, and if I didn't know his face so well from being around him for a few years, I wouldn't have spotted it. His eyes widened slightly and his hand twitched slightly.
Take the out, old man. You'll only get it once.
Hiruzen's whole frame shifted. Praying that was a sign that I made the right decision, I continued. " Why was it in my mom? Why wasn't it put back in her, instead of us?"
Hiruzen gathered himself and answered. "The Kyuubi can't be killed. The Nine Bijuu can only be sealed away, not killed. Your mother was the previous container. She had it sealed in her to protect the village. So the beast wouldn't be free to cause destruction. The reason why she couldn't have it put back was simple," he said, his voice now getting very dark, "Once a container, they are called jinchuriki, has their bijuu removed from them, they die."
I just look at him, suprise on my face that he wouldn't pull his words some. He probably mistook it for shock at what he said, not how he said it.
"Your mother was from a clan that was known for their vitality, the Kyuubi is much stronger than other bijuu. Only an Uzumaki can hold it. She lived long enough to help seal it into you and Rin."
"And the Yondaime helped her." I whispered.
Take the out, Sarutobi."Minato was the best seal user Konoha ever had, save for you mother. When a female jinchuriki has children, the seal weakens. Minato was there to prevent it from breaking."
Thank you for taking it. For both our sakes.I sat there quietly, thinking of something else to ask.
"Our father is dead then?"
Hiruzen's look said it all. It was a look of resignment. I didn't even need to hear a vical answer.
I leaned my head forward, shaking at the thoughts that my future held.
They will come for us. Orochimaru. Akatsuki. Pein. Obito. Madara. Kaguya. And they won't stop till we're both dead, or brought to heel.Demons. Masquerading in the flesh of men. Men without souls, no, men with souls, but still tossing aside their humanity because they can. What the hell am I to do against such reckless hate? Pein became the very thing he swore to protect the world from, a monster of a Shinobi. Obito is lost in his own failure to save the girl that symbolized a time when he was carefree and innocent. Letting her remain dead would mean acknowledging that he was too weak to save her. He would never do that. I wouldn't do that.
'He'll probably have Kurama ripped out of me. He already saw one Rin get gutted. He probably won't like seeing it happen a second time.'
Trying to calm myself, but failing miserably, I started breathing heavily, the air seaming to thick. Hiruzen stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, trying to console me.
"It's okay", he said softly, his tone softer than I had ever heard. "Let it out. Let it out, child."
"We're alone." I gasped, not being able to have a semblance of stability. "He tried to kill me. If Rin had run, it would have been her. I could have killed my baby sister." I couldn't keep it together, I cried out all my terrors and fears to this man. A man who had lost so much in his long life, but still remained at his center, a good man.
I could barely hear his soothing words over my sobs. He continued to hold me as I seemed to let loose years of fears and heartbreak.
"They hate us. Moms and Dads look at us like we're going to eat their kids. They think we're monsters. They look at Rin like she's a monster. They see me and look at me and say I'm a demon with a hero's face."
Hiruzen just held me, my tears soaking his robes, but he still held me. He held someone who had his life stolen from him not once, but twice. I don't know how long we were there, just sitting on a hospital bed, in a village hidden in the leaves. A dream two friends had. And a dream that didn't bring light to the world like they envisioned. After crying it out, I was able to speak clearly. I was going to ask something that would pave the course of my future. And the future of this world.
"I want to learn to fight."
The conviction in my voice suprised him. He leaned away from me and looked into my eyes.
"Naruto," he said, "You will be enrolled into the Academy soon enough, you will learn how to be a Shinobi there. That includes fighting."
I shook my head, this isn't where I want us to go.
"No. I want you to teach me. You are the oldest man I see, and everyone I see respects or fears you. Adults older than me act like children around you. You are the strongest person I know."
"Naruto," he said again, "You should have time to be a child. A Shinobi's life is a hard one."
"And what is my life now?" I asked sharply. "Me being a child didn't stop the Kyuubi from trying to kill me and Rin. It didn't stop me from seeing my mother killed in front of me. It didn't stop the Yondaime from dying to save us. It didn't stop me from getting stabbed and being tied to a bed. It doesn't stop the hate from the villagers."
With each word, Hiruzen seemed to shrink into himself, knowing I was right on all counts.
"I won't be able to help you a lot. I have my duties as the Hokage."
"Then find someone who can give me more time."
I knew that I had Hiruzen on that. I was not letting this go. He sighed heavily, before answering. "You will listen to what you are told. You will not try any experiments without me or your tutors knowing aboutall of it. You can only show Rin what I say is alright. If you fail to promise me this, I will teach you nothing until you graduate from the Academy. There are too many ways a curious student has got themselves hurt or killed because they didn't listen to their elders. Do. You. Understand?" he finished, his tone solid as iron.
This was what I wanted. Hiruzen not babying me, but still setting the boundaries for what I can do.
"Yes, sir." was my answer.
"Good." was his reply, "I will talk to the doctors to see if you can be discharged. You're training starts next week."
With that, he walked from the room. Sitting back into the bed, I let out I breath you seem to have been holding in at the last part of our conversation.
His chakra felt like a roaring fire. Very dense. A no nonsense feeling... No experiments? Why would he say tha-, oh shit. I don't need him thinking I'm going to be in the habit of giving kids hickeys. Screw that.
After a few minutes, He arrived with the doctor assigned to me. After being told I was in perfect health, I was discharged from the hospital. We grabbed Rin and went to Ichiraku's for a meal to celebrate my recovery. Before Hiruzen dropped us off at the orphanage, he told me something. "You and Rin will be moved to your own apartment. I know what is going on in the orphanage. I know what they are doing."
So he must have found out about our treatment here. The scathing tones. The less food. It must have made him pissed if he was giving us our own apartment to live in.
"You'll be out of here tomorrow. Have your things ready."
I nodded, before going into the orphanage to tell Rin the news.
She took the news very well. And by very well I meant "Grabbing ahold of me and shouting in my ear happily on how we were free".
The next day, we were out. The Hokage showed us to our new apartment. Nothing special, but it was a fresh start. A new dawn. When Rin was inside, practically jumping up and down about a huge new home we now have, Sarutobi had pulled me aside to speak with me.
Pulling out a scroll from one of the pockets in his robes, he pushed a small amount of chakra into it. The scroll then deposited a couple of worn books into his hands.
Storage scroll.
"These are books handwritten by myself on techniques for those yet to join the Academy. Read them before the end of the week. Come to the Tower at the week's end. I'll have some hands on material for you."
I looked at the books, amazed. These were handwritten books by The Professor. Taking hold of the books, I looked at them, feeling the age of the books.
"Thank you, jiji." I said.
He smiled at me and ruffled my hair. "Do take care with them, those books are older than most of my jonin."
Snickering at the idea in my head, I spoke my mind. "You don't need to remind me how old you are, jiji."
Chuckling, he turned to head back to his office. "Old huh? I'll have you know that this "old" man still has some fight in him yet."
"Later, jiji." I said.
"Goodbye, Naruto. I'll see you at the end of the week." With that, he left.
/////////////
The next couple of days were two parts hectic and one part fun. Rin hadn't calmed down from the high she was riding from the fact that we had our own home. The hectic part was when I realized I was the only one who knew how to cook.
Damn.
The market was a pain in the ass. Overcharging food. Telling me to get out. They never did give me rotted or out of date food. Why the hell would they keep that crap around? Huh, fan fic writers?
A great deal of things writers had put about Naruto's upbringing and interaction with the food markets were greatly imbellished. But not all things were like that. I nearly learned that the hard way when I got home late at night. Drunken idiots thought it would be funny to screw with me. The Uchiha police on duty conveniently "ignored" that some drunk bastards were ready to rough up a six year old. They would have likely stepped in before anything serious happened. But the fact that they were ready to let it happen said a lot on how paranoid they were about the village.
'Or they just hate me. Why though? This clan of "geniuses" should know better than to think me and Rin are the Kyuubi. They're a Shinobi clan.'
Maybe they blame the fear from the villagers on me. People think an Uchiha unleashed the Kyuubi. They're technically not wrong though.The joke was on the idiots. They didn't know I was a sensor. The "demon" seemed to know where they were at the whole time and disappeared into the night. Morons.
The highlights were that Rin loved my cooking. It takes talent to make potluck instant ramen and it still coming out delicious. The other was the books Hiruzen lended to me. Those are too good of books to not read over and over. The day before I was to meet with him at the Hokage Tower, I had read through the three books twice.
One covered chakra exercises to expand a prospective students fledgling reserves. That may not be as useful to me. The inner workings of it however, was very enlightening. Chakra was like a muscle. Exercise it, and it will grow stronger, and a greater dexterity with it, over time, will build up. The second book was very useful. It was about chakra control. It had both the leaf sticking and tree walking exercise. It also alluded to water walking for "advanced" students. I tried the leaf sticking one as a gaffe. I ended up making the stupid thing explode like a Pop Rock. And it was on my forehead.
The last book was about the use of small time jutsu that were for survival. Lighting a fire. Drawing small amounts of water from the air. Using dirt to pull up a small shelter against the elements. Each of the techniques required such a low level of chakra, you didn't need to worry about having an opposing affinity.
He made sure to give me books to discourage "flashy" stuff. He wants me to know what I'm getting myself into. And why the hell was most of this not shown in the series? Did the Academy slip this badly since the Kyuubi attack? No wonder Hiruzen's generation and the Sannin's were full of monsters.
That would make sense. Sasuke and Neji were considered geniuses in their years. But they graduated at 12. Kakashi was my age, physically, when he became a chunin. Unless there were lower standards for what made a chunin nowadays, I find it pretty damn likely that the Academy used less effective lesson curriculums in this generation.
Most of the good chakra control exercises were delegated to the jonin team leaders to teach their students. If they had to teach stuff that was commonjust 20 years ago, that would lead to less time teaching the crap that will keep you from coming home in a body bag.
I will not be fodder.
/////////////////
The day had arrived. I had explained to Rin where I was going. She didn't like that I was getting lessons from the Hokage, but she wasn't. I told her I had to read the books the Hokage left me for him to even accept my request. After looking through the first page, and Hiruzen's very clinical and intellectual writing -which was very good for me- she was less upset about it. She hated those types of books. I couldn't understand how she would like books that had facts about the different animals and wildlife of the Land of Fire, but hate books written by jiji.
Maybe the animal book is for little kids. Better not let Rin hear me say that.After finishing breakfast and promising to tell her about what I would learn, I gave her a goodbye hug and left. Stepping outside, I took a moment to look at the village. The village that reviled me. The village full of so many innocent people. The village that would face terrible events within a decade of this moment.
'Not if I've got a say in it.'
Withthat, I walked towards the Hokage Tower, purpose in my steps.
/////////////////
Arriving at the Tower, I informed the lady at the desk that I had an appointment with the Hokage. Recognizing me, she gave a slight glare, before checking her list I have appointments for the Hokage. Evidently seeing my name, she gestured for me to go on.
Walking towards the door, I sensed two presences, one was the Hokage, the other was one that was similar, yet still different then the one that was familiar with. There was a shard of chakra emanating faintly from the second persons head that was not his own. It felt like the small part of Obito that still felt human to my senses.
'Hello, Kakashi.'
Knocking to announce my presence and hearing a "come in", I entered the office. Inside, I saw Hiruzen sat at his desk, and to his right was a dog-mask wearing man in an Anbu uniform with gravity defying silver hair.
Deciding to be an ass, I asked Hiruzen a question. "Who's the old man?"
Kakashi twitched at the reference to his hair. He likely had heard the joke several times, to the point of it getting old.
'Hehe, getting old.'
Hiruzencracked a smile, "Now Naruto, be nice. Inu is definitely not old. He's one of the best Anbu we have, and he is here to evaluate your knowledge. So, treat him with the respect you treat me."
Nodding at his request, or was it command?, I looked to Kakashi. "What will you be evaluating me on? Specifically." I said this with no humour, wanting to get straight to the point.
Kakashi's posture shifted to a more relaxed one. "We will be covering your general knowledge, situational awareness, hand to hand capabilities, and chakra control."
'That is...very detailed.'
'That all?" I asked, unable to let a bit of sarcasm leak through.
I could almost see the smirk behind his mask. "For this week."
I gave a look of horror towards Hiruzen, wondering what the hell did I do to deserve this. Smiling, the Hokage answered my fearful expression. "You did ask for this, Naruto."
Grumbling under my breath about misleading old men, I shot a glare at Kakashi. "Well? Where are we going? I don't think jiji's office is a good place for an evaluation."
Kakashi just looked back at me silently, before answering my question. "Training ground 17. Sit outside for a moment. I will need to speak with the Hokage."
Knowing it likely pertained to me, I nodded and stepped out of the office, wondering what exactly was going to be said.
//////////////////////
"I don't think I can do it." Kakashi said quietly.
It had been one thing to guard them, silently, out of range, safe. It was another to speak to him, face to face. He had Sensei's face. The quiet strength in his steps. His sharp eyes. If it wasn't for the hair, he would have thought his Sensei was right in front of him, albeit in a younger body.
"Kakashi, we already talked about this." Hiruzen said, having had this discussion with Kakashi before. "I don't have the time to give him the consistent training he would need to grow. Any other jonin that is available has no experience with a child like him. He's like you and Itachi. For reasons we both understand, I can't assign Itachi to train him."
Kakashi hated the Hokage's logic. If word got out that one of the "demon twins" was receiving training from not only an Uchiha, but the clan heir, it would be all the encouragement many villagers would need to cause more issues with the Uchiha. Things were hard enough as is. No need to potentially open a botched seal tag over a grown man getting cold feet about training his Sensei's son.
Kakashi sighed, resigned to his fate. "How long will I need to do this?" he asked.
"Just until he enrolls into the Academy." Hiruzen said, "Or when he gives up." he added.
Kakashi saw what Hiruzen was saying. "You want me to make the training that hard? I was just joking." He asked incredulously.
Hiruzen sighed and took off his hat, combing his fingers through his hair. "He's terrified of being weak. He saw himself as weak in his first memory. He saw himself as weak when he was nearly killed just a week ago. I think he's jumping into this. No matter how mature he is, I saw he was frantic when he was trying to convince me to train him. He's scared."
Kakashi let that sink in. I can understand that fear. But that's not healthy in a six year old. "You don't want him to break under the stress he'd put himself under." He stated.
Hiruzen looked straight at Kakashi. "Yes, exactly. When he sees what it will take, I hope he learns patience. I didn't get to where I was in the course of a few years. My students didn't. And neither did his father. All of them went through the Academy. He doesn't need to get it in his head that he needs to outdo everyone to be strong. Jiraiya is the strongest of my students, and he was the dead last of his class."
Jiraiya's story was one of legend. It showed that a clanless orphan, with little book smarts, could rise to be an S rank ninja of the same caliber of natural geniuses and clan kids. All it took was will power and a patient and understanding teacher.
Kakashi now understood completely why Hiruzen selected him. He was good at training those like him. Talented individuals that had a strong grasp on things without being shown what to do. It wasn't effective with kids or young students. But it was with the best of the best. Itachi was quick on the take. He thrived in the situations Kakashi had him in during their missions together.
Kakashi wanted to ensure he understood his superior's request in its totality. "You want me to train him with nothing barred? To give him the perspective of patience? Make sure he doesn't reach too far to fast?"
Hiruzen responded with only one word to his query.
"Yes."
Nodding at his orders, Kakashi went to leave the office to meet Naruto outside. Before opening the door, Kakashi turned back. "What if he doesn't give in? What if he sticks to it no matter what I say or do to him?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment, before saying something that gave Kakashi a small sense of shock.
"Then Kami help our enemies. Because we have a child who could surpass his father in power."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone