Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Explosive Youth! ❯ Naruto Gaiden: A New Skill! pt 1 ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: dialNforNinja 
Naruto and Team Explosive Youth return from their mission to find the town abuzz with news of the Chuunnin Exam... Denied!?
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.28.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 590 | Status: Completed
Naruto and Team Explosive Youth return from their mission to find the town abuzz with news of the Chuunnin Exam... Denied!?
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.28.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 590 | Status: Completed
txy04a.txt
2007-12-13 - initial file created, notes transferred from DWMB saves
2007-12-25 - hoverboard snippet
2008-04-23 - objectives organized
2008-05-02 - Hinata's scene and the Academy as the new intro
2008-05-08 - team meeting and swing scenes
2008-05-09 - Mizuki talk to end
Hyuuga Hinata walked slowly toward the Konoha Ninja Academy like a quiet little ball of misery, or a lone cloud scudding across the sky unnoticed and far from the sun. It had been months since she'd seen Naruto, or even heard about one of his big pranks that once had set the whole village talking... Not that she'd ever want to see him in trouble, but somehow it seemed like he'd just disappeared from Konoha. Even Sakura, that he'd used to have such a cute crush on, or Kiba and Shikamaru that he'd skip classes with sometimes said they hadn't seen him when she finally got up the courage to ask.
Sakura had guessed that he must have dropped out since his grades were poor, and the rumors said he'd already failed the year-end exam and repeated once. She didn't want to believe that though; he'd never been in the same class but he was the same age as them, so it should have been his final year as well.
Sometimes, she felt like she was disappearing herself, like she was sinking forever into the shadows without the light of the person she admired to guide her out of their clutches. Her father hadn't even spoken to her to tell her he was disappointed in weeks. It wasn't that she had become any better, he just hadn't acknowledged her presence, even that much. She was pretty sure Iruka-sensei hadn't missed her at roll call yet, but he never seemed to call on her for answers any more, either.
Even Kurenai-sempai, the chuunin who'd collected her when she started at the Academy and who'd seemed to make a point of talking to her every few days and trying to get her to eat bigger lunches, hadn't been around lately, not since she'd told Hinata she was going to attempt the Jounin Exam. She hoped that was just because a jounin had no time for useless people, and not something worse... the red-eyed woman had been kind to her. She shrank further into her oversized jacket at the thought.
Clutching the bag with her texts and homework scrolls closer to her chest, Hinata tried to convince herself that he was fine. She just knew Naruto would never have quit, no matter what Sakura said! If she could just see him again, she'd, she'd definitely... "Naruto-kun..." she sighed, sadly wishing she could believe she'd be bold enough to talk to the boy if she saw him.
"Eh? What is it?" The voice was unexpectedly loud and close behind her, making Hinata squeak and jump in shock. Spinning around she found herself face to puzzled, foxy face with the object of her musing. The Hyuuga heiress felt her throat close up with shock, and her face burning in a deep blush. He was there! He was wearing a hitae-ate! He was looking at her! He was...! He...!
Hinata made a few inarticulate vowel sounds, then her eyes rolled back and she started to fold up, brain overloaded by racing thoughts and the rush of blood to her head.
Legend of Explosive Youth Part Four
Team Six: A New Skill! The Explosive Power of Youth Cannot be Denied!
Naruto caught the collapsing girl by the shoulders with a flustered squawk, clutching her to his chest as she slipped toward the ground. "AH, AAH!" he panicked, "WHAT WAS THAT!? WHAT!?" He traded worried and confused looks with Rikou, not clinging to his arm as they walked along for once, and gibbered, "I didn't do anything! I was just walking and heard my name and turned around and she got all red and passed out! You saw, right, right!?"
"I didn't hear anything," the tall girl replied, "but as for the rest... Maybe she's not feeling well? No hitae-ate but she has a kunai pouch, so she's probably an Academy student. Let's take her there, since it's close, and the sensei will know what to do. Here, I'll help you get her on your back to carry her, and get her bag and your chakra board."
*Moving? Warm...* Someone was carrying her piggy-back? Hinata opened her eyes and looked to see who it was, only to swoon again when she realised it was Naruto she was riding.
And again.
And the third time.
It wasn't until she roused to see Iruka-sensei's worried face as he gently slapped her cheeks that she managed to hold onto consciousness, shaking her head that she was fine and hurrying to her seat as she realized that it hadn't been a dream, that Naruto was in fact still in the classroom with another, unfamiliar girl, looking at her with concern.
Seeing the shy girl scurry to her usual seat in the back, Iruka suppressed a sigh - he knew he should make a bigger effort to reach out to her, but it was hard enough keeping the loud, lazy, and trouble-making students in line; though the young Hyuuga might not be a prodigy she was solidly in the top half of the class rankings and somehow just wasn't that noticeable. Considering that he was trying to train ninja, traits like that weren't exactly undesireable - on a mission, her and her team mates' lives might depend on the ability to blend into the background. Still, he felt guilty sometimes.
Thinking of trouble makers, the chuunin shot a glance at the orange-jacketed demon host still loitering near his desk and the carefully neutral-faced Mizuki. He'd never had the boy in his own classes, but the stories he'd heard in the staff room! He tried to stifle the automatic dislike, it wasn't as if he'd ever personally suffered from one of the brat's pranks, and he knew Sandaime had said he wasn't really the demon made human, just an innocent who'd had the bad luck to be born in time to be used in the sealing, but still...
He'd heard that the boy's team had just returned from a mission, and his teacher's instincts provided a way to try salving his conscience on that score and get the class into a receptive frame of mind for the review lesson he had planned to prepare for the final exam tomorrow. Making up his mind, he called, "Quiet, everyone. Class, this is Maito Rikou and Uzumaki Naruto, who graduated last term, and just got back from a long trip outside the village." Turning to the two genin, now wondering why they were being introduced, he asked, "If it's not troublesome, perhaps you could tell the class how things you learned here helped you on your mission?"
Naruto bounced excitedly and beamed, obviously thrilled to be asked to talk. Rikou nodded energetically as well, replying, "Of course! To fan the fires of their youthful spirit... it's practically our duty as ninja of Konoha!"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Naruto agreed. "Gai-sensei would be ashamed if we didn't give it one hundred percent for their springtime of youth! No, two hundred percent! A thousand!"
Meanwhile his assistant sidled over and hissed in Iruka's ear. "What are you doing!? Don't you want that.. THING out of here as soon as possible? What if it attacks the students!?" Iruka gave Mizuki a searching look, then quietly ordered, "Go and get the targets set up for shuriken practise outside. I'll bring the class out when we're done in here."
Seeing how buzzed her team mate was, Rikou let him lead the discussion, watching fondly as he sucked up the attention like a sponge.
"Yeah! Yeah! The basics are super important, like Gai-sensei always says, because a weak foot can't support a strong ninja! Like, when that missing-nin bastard from Hidden Snow suddenly appeared and slashed Gai-sensei with his chopper-thingy, and Gai-sensei escaped with a simple kawarimi! Or when they had Lee all tied up in their grapples and Rikou-chan cut him loose with thrown kunai! And then when we were fighting all those goons while Gai-sensei and Ero-sennin handled the Snow bastards, and I kept them all confused with bunshin so they didn't know who was real!"
Getting the feeling he may have left himself open, Iruka cut in, "That all sounds very... exciting... but a little more dangerous than a mission a rookie genin team would be given."
"Well, it was only supposed to be a message delivery for Jiraya the Frog Hermit," Rikou explained, "but things got a little difficult. There was a gang smuggling ninja tools from Snow Country, and they had a couple of nuke-nin to help them... it was supposed to only be a C-rank mission, but with youth and spirit we overcame all limits, and trimphed with the explosive power of youth!"
"Yeah, yeah! It was so cool, Gai-sensei summoned this BIIIG turtle to shield everyone from that crazy combo-ninjutsu that the Snow-yaros totally ripped off from our 'Murasu' and then he was all like bang! Pow! Zoom!" the blond enthused.
Seeing the bewildered looks on the students' faces and Iruka's waning patience, Rikou decided to step in again. "The question was about Academy basics, though," she reminded her companion. She pursed her lips for a minute, then said thoughtfully but loud enough for the class to hear, "It's not so much that the Academy techniques get used so often directly, but when you do need them you need to be able to do them fast and well, like in the examples Naruto-kun mentioned before. More importantly, they're the foundation for all the more advanced skills you'll learn as a ninja. There was this time we were training with Tousan, even before graduating and getting him as our jounin sensei..."
--=--
"Maaa, Gai-senseeeeei," Naruto complained, "Why do we only train in taijutsu!? That's Lee's specialty! I want to learn a cool ninjutsu, yeah! You're a jounin, right, you gotta know lots of cool ones. YEAH, YEAH! NINJUTSU!!"
--=--
"I remember that!" Naruto exclaimed. "I thought Gai-sensei was really mad for a minute, but he had a good lesson, dattebayo. He gave me a good knock to get my attention, then he was all like 'NARUTO! Heed my burning message!'" the blond explained, using his best impersonation of his mentor's voice. He'd obviously taken the words to heart, as he repeated them verbatim despite his usually notoriously bad memory for abstract concepts. "'Regardless of your specialty as a ninja, you must have a solid knowledge of the basic skills, and taijutsu is the MOST fundamental skill of a ninja! Strength and speed of the body, cunning tactics, excellent chakra control, skill with standard tools, and a thorough grounding in ninjutsu theory to quickly recognise and counter an enemy's techniques! These are the basics of shinobi!'"
Even if she was privately sure that she was lacking in all those basics, even if Naruto was only there for a few minutes, even if that other girl was a little -too- familiar with him... it was still the best day Hyuuga Hinata could ever remember at the Academy. The smile and well wishes Naruto gave her when they finally left bouyed her through the review on Bunshin, shuriken practise, and even through dinner that evening, where somehow the entire serving dish of rice and vegetables in front of her place vanished without her noticing. The next day, the day of the exam, she was more her usual self, but so brimming with energy that she just couldn't help but face the tests with a tiny bit of enthusiasm - she even smiled when Iruka-sensei congratulated her as she collected her hitae-ate, a smile with teeth and everything!
Naruto-kun HADN'T given up, he'd become an amazing ninja just like she'd always been sure he would. He'd even spoken to her - told her he knew she'd get better soon and wished her good luck! After a long cold winter, the springtime had returned to her world. How could she -not- smile, just a little bit?
From the blazing wildfire an ember was blown free, and a tiny new flame was kindled.
---=- + -=---
"YAHOOOOOO!!"
Not so long ago, a certain ninja tool was captured and taken as a prize by a young Hidden Leaf genin.
"YAHOOOOOO!!"
Through the use of this tool and a bit of chakra manipulation similar to the tree-climbing and water-walking control exercises, it is possible to move along nearly any solid or liquid surface at a high rate of speed.
"THIS ROOOOOOCKS!!"
Of course, it can also be used in various ways as a potent weapon, as can practically any other piece of ninja gear, but all Naruto cared about at that moment was how incredibly fun it was zipping through and around the streets of Konoha slalom-fasion, like an orange and green whirlwind of chaos. Not that he realized quite how much chaos was involved, either, but between the shock factor and the wind from his slipstream, the disruption was considerable.
"YOOOOOOSH!! WE FLY WITH THE WINGS OF YOUTHFUL SPIRIT, NARUTO!"
And that was without even taking into acount the fact that Rock Lee was balancing behind him, the extra weight counteracted by pumping more power into the hoverboard. The boy had been feeling a bit left out when his team mates finally got around to trying out the device that morning, lacking the ability to channel enough chakra to activate it. Fortunately, he has a good friend whose chakra runneth over, and who is all too happy to have something fun to share and a friend to share it with.
"YEAH! YEAH! EXPLOSIVE POWER, YATTAAAA!!"
Or... perhaps... unfortunately?
---=- + -=---
That afternoon, Gai greeted his students with an unusually stern face. It wasn't entirely unexpected, once the boys' wild ride had finished it hadn't taken them long to realize the amount of havoc they'd caused, and the bulk of the day's Self Rules after that had involved doing their training excercises while helping to repair what damage they could... Where the villagers didn't just curse them and run them off, at least.
Having recently learned the real story of the kyuubi's attack twelve years before, they were hyper-aware of the way most of the adult inhabitants of Konohagakure still blamed Naruto for the terrible losses it had inflicted. To tell the truth, both of his friends were slightly awed by how well he took it; it seemed that finally understanding the reason for the cold looks and harsh words, even if they were undeserved, had opened a damper on his hearth, and being the object of such treatment could no longer force it shut.
If not for having taken responsibility on their own Gai would have assigned several days of heavy punishments (in the form of intensive special training, of course, and in highly public view) but as matters stood he decided a verbal scolding would be enough, combined with a return to D-rank missions for a while. Even he found those dull and uninteresting, despite the opportunity to add Self Rules until they at least offered a physical challenge.
"Ah, my students," he greeted them upon arriving at the team's usual training area. "I heard there was a large disturbance in Konoha today... It is good to enjoy the springtime of youth, but it is also important not to become too troublesome." Suddenly he grinned, in a way that made it all too clear that he shared more than the ideals of hard work and loyalty with Naruto. "Except to my eternal rival Kakashi," he amended, "whose hip attitude requires truly EXCEPTIONALLY youthful behavior to overcome!"
Naruto giggled at the memory of the ridiculous challenges - and forfeits - his mentor had a habit of presenting to the lackadaisical jounin. *The idea of Gai-sensei as a trouble-making joker like my prank-obsessed days is just too funny!*
He set that thought aside however in favor of asking, "Ne, Sensei, it was fun to have a day off to catch up on physical conditioning, but what was your meeting about? Was it super-secret? Was it about that 'Chakra Armor?' Do we get to go look for Ero-sennin again and bring him back to Konoha? Or, or, was it a super high-class mission request, and now we're escorting a lost princess who's targeted by criminals and an evil pretender to the throne!?" As his imagination began to run away with the possibilities the foxy blond bounced more and more wildly in excitement.
Overcome with pride in his student, Gai swept the boy into a manly embrace. "OOOOH NARUTO! YOUR YOUTH IS SHINING BRILLIANTLY!" he cried.
"Ooh! GAI-SENSEI!" the blond called right back.
"NARUTO!"
"GAI-SENSEI!" all three genin replied, Lee and Rikou latching on from either side.
"OOOH!! MY CUTE STUDENTS!!"
A few minutes later, after they'd all settled down and Naruto had repeated the main point of his question, the tall jounin shook his head. "Though your willingness to serve is commendable, Naruto, such missions will not occur for a while. Though all of you have fanned the fire of your youth to impressive heights already, you are still just cute rookies. The meeting was not secret, it was merely called for all jounin sensei so that those who wished to nominate genin in their care to participate in the upcoming Chuunin Selection Exam in Iwagakure could do so."
"Chuunin exam!?" Naruto's excitement returned threefold, quickly spreading to the others as well, and a babble of eager questions filled the clearing. "When is it?" "Is it hard to get to Hidden Stone?" "Will it take us a long time to get there?" "Should we bring special equipment?" "Will there be lots of strong guys there to fight?" "Yeah! Yeah! Chuunin exam! Dattebayo!" "With the power of youth..."
They tumbled to the ground as Gai delivered three all but simultaneous smacks to their foreheads to make room for his words. Lee and Rikou rubbed at the light stings left behind while Naruto's hitae-ate served its primary purpose. "Like I said," the jounin repeated, "you are still just cute rookies. Though your youthful spirits have soared to great heights there is still a wide open sky above! That Chuunin Selection Exam, it's a test that risks death, against the best of all the Hidden Villages. Build your fire of youth higher still with the solid wood of experience, then I will enter you in it!"
It was a good attempt, but the bowl-cut man could see that his words were still a let down after his genin had worked up such youthful passion. Unable to bear the disappointment in their eyes, he quickly confirmed that they would be returning to a normal mission schedule the following day and dismissed them.
---=- + -=---
After the team meeting Naruto wandered through Konoha, not exactly dejected, but hardly his usual energetic self. He eventually found himself on the swing hanging from the tree outside the main gate of the Konoha Ninja Academy, watching the just graduated class of new genin meeting their families and celebrating. Even the folded chakra-channelling board on his back seemed to droop on its strap.
In those lonely days before he'd met even Lee, he'd often ended up here when he was feeling sad, and even as he straddled the rope to perch sideways on the wooden seat he was cheered up slightly by the thought that those days were truly gone for good - that his friends knew the worst secret anyone could be hiding, one he hadn't even known about himself, and that they had not left him.
The whisker-scarred blond knew that Gai-sensei would never dream of holding them back unfairly, that practically the man's whole existence was focused on helping them run ever faster into a brilliant future as the strongest shinobi possible, but those few minutes when he'd thought they were going to be allowed to enter the Chuunin Exam had been so... So -shining!- To be let down like that...
"If only there was a way to prove to Gai-sensei that we were strong enough, that our youth and guts are enough to overcome even the Chuunin exam, 'tebayo," he said with a sigh.
"Hm, well, maybe I can give you a hand, Naruto-kun." The unexpected voice came from above, making the boy squawk and flail as he jerked in shock and lost his balance on the swing. "EHH!? It's you!" Looking up at his surprise visitor, he recognized the white haired Academy sensei who'd been sent to do something outside while he and Rikou were visiting the day before. "Pirogi... no... Nikuman... no... Miso..."
The chuunin forcefully swallowed his irritation and said gently, "Mizuki."
"Yeah, yeah, Mizuki-sensei! Uh, sorry, I kinda fogot your name..." Naruto laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.
Smiling, he replied, "It's okay, Naruto-kun, we've never met for long." The man leapt gracefully down from his perch and suggested, "Why don't we talk some more about your problem where it's a little more private."
The two of them quickly enough found a balcony to perch on, well above street level and without any living presences inside the apartment it opened from. "Gai-sensei is a person who takes his responsibilities seriously," the chuunin explained there. "Because he has seen many things as a ninja, he wants to protect those placed in his care... He wants to be sure you are strong enough to succeed at your dreams."
Mizuki smiled kindly at the genin beside him. "It's probable he sees some of himself in you," he confided. "A student gifted with no special talent in the ninja arts, who still graduated early through sheer guts and hard work to gain skills that exceeded the talented." The white haired Academy sensei became more solemn as he continued, "And yet, because of conflicts in the world and his rivalry with the genius Kakashi, he threw himself into certain situations that were almost too much for even him. Now, like a parent, he wants to prevent his students from doing unnecessary things."
"Like... A parent?" He thought of how Gai treated Rikou, and realized that it really was about the same as Lee and himself. He didn't really know what to make of the idea, it seemed too strange and precious to face head on, as if thinking about it might somehow tarnish it.
The chuunin hummed thoughtfully and considered the boy through the screen of his windblown hair. *Actually, I have no idea what the loud idiot's childhood was like, and the notion of -Maito Gai- wanting to prevent people from doing unnecessary things...! But it sounds good, and it's steering the demon brat in the right direction. Another nudge or two and...* "It might be difficult," he said, "but try to understand Gai's feelings, even if it's an unusual circumstance for you."
Lost in thought, Naruto rubbed circles on the tops of his jumpsuit clad knees. At length, he replied, "Even then... I still wish he'd nominated us..."
*Gotcha!* Pulling his feet up onto the balcony so he could turn and face the boy, Mizuki beamed at him. "Well then, I'll tell you a special secret... A test only the best rookies are offered, to prove they're ready for more important things in the ninja world."
---=- + -=---
(continues in part b)
2007-12-13 - initial file created, notes transferred from DWMB saves
2007-12-25 - hoverboard snippet
2008-04-23 - objectives organized
2008-05-02 - Hinata's scene and the Academy as the new intro
2008-05-08 - team meeting and swing scenes
2008-05-09 - Mizuki talk to end
Hyuuga Hinata walked slowly toward the Konoha Ninja Academy like a quiet little ball of misery, or a lone cloud scudding across the sky unnoticed and far from the sun. It had been months since she'd seen Naruto, or even heard about one of his big pranks that once had set the whole village talking... Not that she'd ever want to see him in trouble, but somehow it seemed like he'd just disappeared from Konoha. Even Sakura, that he'd used to have such a cute crush on, or Kiba and Shikamaru that he'd skip classes with sometimes said they hadn't seen him when she finally got up the courage to ask.
Sakura had guessed that he must have dropped out since his grades were poor, and the rumors said he'd already failed the year-end exam and repeated once. She didn't want to believe that though; he'd never been in the same class but he was the same age as them, so it should have been his final year as well.
Sometimes, she felt like she was disappearing herself, like she was sinking forever into the shadows without the light of the person she admired to guide her out of their clutches. Her father hadn't even spoken to her to tell her he was disappointed in weeks. It wasn't that she had become any better, he just hadn't acknowledged her presence, even that much. She was pretty sure Iruka-sensei hadn't missed her at roll call yet, but he never seemed to call on her for answers any more, either.
Even Kurenai-sempai, the chuunin who'd collected her when she started at the Academy and who'd seemed to make a point of talking to her every few days and trying to get her to eat bigger lunches, hadn't been around lately, not since she'd told Hinata she was going to attempt the Jounin Exam. She hoped that was just because a jounin had no time for useless people, and not something worse... the red-eyed woman had been kind to her. She shrank further into her oversized jacket at the thought.
Clutching the bag with her texts and homework scrolls closer to her chest, Hinata tried to convince herself that he was fine. She just knew Naruto would never have quit, no matter what Sakura said! If she could just see him again, she'd, she'd definitely... "Naruto-kun..." she sighed, sadly wishing she could believe she'd be bold enough to talk to the boy if she saw him.
"Eh? What is it?" The voice was unexpectedly loud and close behind her, making Hinata squeak and jump in shock. Spinning around she found herself face to puzzled, foxy face with the object of her musing. The Hyuuga heiress felt her throat close up with shock, and her face burning in a deep blush. He was there! He was wearing a hitae-ate! He was looking at her! He was...! He...!
Hinata made a few inarticulate vowel sounds, then her eyes rolled back and she started to fold up, brain overloaded by racing thoughts and the rush of blood to her head.
Legend of Explosive Youth Part Four
Team Six: A New Skill! The Explosive Power of Youth Cannot be Denied!
Naruto caught the collapsing girl by the shoulders with a flustered squawk, clutching her to his chest as she slipped toward the ground. "AH, AAH!" he panicked, "WHAT WAS THAT!? WHAT!?" He traded worried and confused looks with Rikou, not clinging to his arm as they walked along for once, and gibbered, "I didn't do anything! I was just walking and heard my name and turned around and she got all red and passed out! You saw, right, right!?"
"I didn't hear anything," the tall girl replied, "but as for the rest... Maybe she's not feeling well? No hitae-ate but she has a kunai pouch, so she's probably an Academy student. Let's take her there, since it's close, and the sensei will know what to do. Here, I'll help you get her on your back to carry her, and get her bag and your chakra board."
*Moving? Warm...* Someone was carrying her piggy-back? Hinata opened her eyes and looked to see who it was, only to swoon again when she realised it was Naruto she was riding.
And again.
And the third time.
It wasn't until she roused to see Iruka-sensei's worried face as he gently slapped her cheeks that she managed to hold onto consciousness, shaking her head that she was fine and hurrying to her seat as she realized that it hadn't been a dream, that Naruto was in fact still in the classroom with another, unfamiliar girl, looking at her with concern.
Seeing the shy girl scurry to her usual seat in the back, Iruka suppressed a sigh - he knew he should make a bigger effort to reach out to her, but it was hard enough keeping the loud, lazy, and trouble-making students in line; though the young Hyuuga might not be a prodigy she was solidly in the top half of the class rankings and somehow just wasn't that noticeable. Considering that he was trying to train ninja, traits like that weren't exactly undesireable - on a mission, her and her team mates' lives might depend on the ability to blend into the background. Still, he felt guilty sometimes.
Thinking of trouble makers, the chuunin shot a glance at the orange-jacketed demon host still loitering near his desk and the carefully neutral-faced Mizuki. He'd never had the boy in his own classes, but the stories he'd heard in the staff room! He tried to stifle the automatic dislike, it wasn't as if he'd ever personally suffered from one of the brat's pranks, and he knew Sandaime had said he wasn't really the demon made human, just an innocent who'd had the bad luck to be born in time to be used in the sealing, but still...
He'd heard that the boy's team had just returned from a mission, and his teacher's instincts provided a way to try salving his conscience on that score and get the class into a receptive frame of mind for the review lesson he had planned to prepare for the final exam tomorrow. Making up his mind, he called, "Quiet, everyone. Class, this is Maito Rikou and Uzumaki Naruto, who graduated last term, and just got back from a long trip outside the village." Turning to the two genin, now wondering why they were being introduced, he asked, "If it's not troublesome, perhaps you could tell the class how things you learned here helped you on your mission?"
Naruto bounced excitedly and beamed, obviously thrilled to be asked to talk. Rikou nodded energetically as well, replying, "Of course! To fan the fires of their youthful spirit... it's practically our duty as ninja of Konoha!"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Naruto agreed. "Gai-sensei would be ashamed if we didn't give it one hundred percent for their springtime of youth! No, two hundred percent! A thousand!"
Meanwhile his assistant sidled over and hissed in Iruka's ear. "What are you doing!? Don't you want that.. THING out of here as soon as possible? What if it attacks the students!?" Iruka gave Mizuki a searching look, then quietly ordered, "Go and get the targets set up for shuriken practise outside. I'll bring the class out when we're done in here."
Seeing how buzzed her team mate was, Rikou let him lead the discussion, watching fondly as he sucked up the attention like a sponge.
"Yeah! Yeah! The basics are super important, like Gai-sensei always says, because a weak foot can't support a strong ninja! Like, when that missing-nin bastard from Hidden Snow suddenly appeared and slashed Gai-sensei with his chopper-thingy, and Gai-sensei escaped with a simple kawarimi! Or when they had Lee all tied up in their grapples and Rikou-chan cut him loose with thrown kunai! And then when we were fighting all those goons while Gai-sensei and Ero-sennin handled the Snow bastards, and I kept them all confused with bunshin so they didn't know who was real!"
Getting the feeling he may have left himself open, Iruka cut in, "That all sounds very... exciting... but a little more dangerous than a mission a rookie genin team would be given."
"Well, it was only supposed to be a message delivery for Jiraya the Frog Hermit," Rikou explained, "but things got a little difficult. There was a gang smuggling ninja tools from Snow Country, and they had a couple of nuke-nin to help them... it was supposed to only be a C-rank mission, but with youth and spirit we overcame all limits, and trimphed with the explosive power of youth!"
"Yeah, yeah! It was so cool, Gai-sensei summoned this BIIIG turtle to shield everyone from that crazy combo-ninjutsu that the Snow-yaros totally ripped off from our 'Murasu' and then he was all like bang! Pow! Zoom!" the blond enthused.
Seeing the bewildered looks on the students' faces and Iruka's waning patience, Rikou decided to step in again. "The question was about Academy basics, though," she reminded her companion. She pursed her lips for a minute, then said thoughtfully but loud enough for the class to hear, "It's not so much that the Academy techniques get used so often directly, but when you do need them you need to be able to do them fast and well, like in the examples Naruto-kun mentioned before. More importantly, they're the foundation for all the more advanced skills you'll learn as a ninja. There was this time we were training with Tousan, even before graduating and getting him as our jounin sensei..."
--=--
"Maaa, Gai-senseeeeei," Naruto complained, "Why do we only train in taijutsu!? That's Lee's specialty! I want to learn a cool ninjutsu, yeah! You're a jounin, right, you gotta know lots of cool ones. YEAH, YEAH! NINJUTSU!!"
--=--
"I remember that!" Naruto exclaimed. "I thought Gai-sensei was really mad for a minute, but he had a good lesson, dattebayo. He gave me a good knock to get my attention, then he was all like 'NARUTO! Heed my burning message!'" the blond explained, using his best impersonation of his mentor's voice. He'd obviously taken the words to heart, as he repeated them verbatim despite his usually notoriously bad memory for abstract concepts. "'Regardless of your specialty as a ninja, you must have a solid knowledge of the basic skills, and taijutsu is the MOST fundamental skill of a ninja! Strength and speed of the body, cunning tactics, excellent chakra control, skill with standard tools, and a thorough grounding in ninjutsu theory to quickly recognise and counter an enemy's techniques! These are the basics of shinobi!'"
Even if she was privately sure that she was lacking in all those basics, even if Naruto was only there for a few minutes, even if that other girl was a little -too- familiar with him... it was still the best day Hyuuga Hinata could ever remember at the Academy. The smile and well wishes Naruto gave her when they finally left bouyed her through the review on Bunshin, shuriken practise, and even through dinner that evening, where somehow the entire serving dish of rice and vegetables in front of her place vanished without her noticing. The next day, the day of the exam, she was more her usual self, but so brimming with energy that she just couldn't help but face the tests with a tiny bit of enthusiasm - she even smiled when Iruka-sensei congratulated her as she collected her hitae-ate, a smile with teeth and everything!
Naruto-kun HADN'T given up, he'd become an amazing ninja just like she'd always been sure he would. He'd even spoken to her - told her he knew she'd get better soon and wished her good luck! After a long cold winter, the springtime had returned to her world. How could she -not- smile, just a little bit?
From the blazing wildfire an ember was blown free, and a tiny new flame was kindled.
---=- + -=---
"YAHOOOOOO!!"
Not so long ago, a certain ninja tool was captured and taken as a prize by a young Hidden Leaf genin.
"YAHOOOOOO!!"
Through the use of this tool and a bit of chakra manipulation similar to the tree-climbing and water-walking control exercises, it is possible to move along nearly any solid or liquid surface at a high rate of speed.
"THIS ROOOOOOCKS!!"
Of course, it can also be used in various ways as a potent weapon, as can practically any other piece of ninja gear, but all Naruto cared about at that moment was how incredibly fun it was zipping through and around the streets of Konoha slalom-fasion, like an orange and green whirlwind of chaos. Not that he realized quite how much chaos was involved, either, but between the shock factor and the wind from his slipstream, the disruption was considerable.
"YOOOOOOSH!! WE FLY WITH THE WINGS OF YOUTHFUL SPIRIT, NARUTO!"
And that was without even taking into acount the fact that Rock Lee was balancing behind him, the extra weight counteracted by pumping more power into the hoverboard. The boy had been feeling a bit left out when his team mates finally got around to trying out the device that morning, lacking the ability to channel enough chakra to activate it. Fortunately, he has a good friend whose chakra runneth over, and who is all too happy to have something fun to share and a friend to share it with.
"YEAH! YEAH! EXPLOSIVE POWER, YATTAAAA!!"
Or... perhaps... unfortunately?
---=- + -=---
That afternoon, Gai greeted his students with an unusually stern face. It wasn't entirely unexpected, once the boys' wild ride had finished it hadn't taken them long to realize the amount of havoc they'd caused, and the bulk of the day's Self Rules after that had involved doing their training excercises while helping to repair what damage they could... Where the villagers didn't just curse them and run them off, at least.
Having recently learned the real story of the kyuubi's attack twelve years before, they were hyper-aware of the way most of the adult inhabitants of Konohagakure still blamed Naruto for the terrible losses it had inflicted. To tell the truth, both of his friends were slightly awed by how well he took it; it seemed that finally understanding the reason for the cold looks and harsh words, even if they were undeserved, had opened a damper on his hearth, and being the object of such treatment could no longer force it shut.
If not for having taken responsibility on their own Gai would have assigned several days of heavy punishments (in the form of intensive special training, of course, and in highly public view) but as matters stood he decided a verbal scolding would be enough, combined with a return to D-rank missions for a while. Even he found those dull and uninteresting, despite the opportunity to add Self Rules until they at least offered a physical challenge.
"Ah, my students," he greeted them upon arriving at the team's usual training area. "I heard there was a large disturbance in Konoha today... It is good to enjoy the springtime of youth, but it is also important not to become too troublesome." Suddenly he grinned, in a way that made it all too clear that he shared more than the ideals of hard work and loyalty with Naruto. "Except to my eternal rival Kakashi," he amended, "whose hip attitude requires truly EXCEPTIONALLY youthful behavior to overcome!"
Naruto giggled at the memory of the ridiculous challenges - and forfeits - his mentor had a habit of presenting to the lackadaisical jounin. *The idea of Gai-sensei as a trouble-making joker like my prank-obsessed days is just too funny!*
He set that thought aside however in favor of asking, "Ne, Sensei, it was fun to have a day off to catch up on physical conditioning, but what was your meeting about? Was it super-secret? Was it about that 'Chakra Armor?' Do we get to go look for Ero-sennin again and bring him back to Konoha? Or, or, was it a super high-class mission request, and now we're escorting a lost princess who's targeted by criminals and an evil pretender to the throne!?" As his imagination began to run away with the possibilities the foxy blond bounced more and more wildly in excitement.
Overcome with pride in his student, Gai swept the boy into a manly embrace. "OOOOH NARUTO! YOUR YOUTH IS SHINING BRILLIANTLY!" he cried.
"Ooh! GAI-SENSEI!" the blond called right back.
"NARUTO!"
"GAI-SENSEI!" all three genin replied, Lee and Rikou latching on from either side.
"OOOH!! MY CUTE STUDENTS!!"
A few minutes later, after they'd all settled down and Naruto had repeated the main point of his question, the tall jounin shook his head. "Though your willingness to serve is commendable, Naruto, such missions will not occur for a while. Though all of you have fanned the fire of your youth to impressive heights already, you are still just cute rookies. The meeting was not secret, it was merely called for all jounin sensei so that those who wished to nominate genin in their care to participate in the upcoming Chuunin Selection Exam in Iwagakure could do so."
"Chuunin exam!?" Naruto's excitement returned threefold, quickly spreading to the others as well, and a babble of eager questions filled the clearing. "When is it?" "Is it hard to get to Hidden Stone?" "Will it take us a long time to get there?" "Should we bring special equipment?" "Will there be lots of strong guys there to fight?" "Yeah! Yeah! Chuunin exam! Dattebayo!" "With the power of youth..."
They tumbled to the ground as Gai delivered three all but simultaneous smacks to their foreheads to make room for his words. Lee and Rikou rubbed at the light stings left behind while Naruto's hitae-ate served its primary purpose. "Like I said," the jounin repeated, "you are still just cute rookies. Though your youthful spirits have soared to great heights there is still a wide open sky above! That Chuunin Selection Exam, it's a test that risks death, against the best of all the Hidden Villages. Build your fire of youth higher still with the solid wood of experience, then I will enter you in it!"
It was a good attempt, but the bowl-cut man could see that his words were still a let down after his genin had worked up such youthful passion. Unable to bear the disappointment in their eyes, he quickly confirmed that they would be returning to a normal mission schedule the following day and dismissed them.
---=- + -=---
After the team meeting Naruto wandered through Konoha, not exactly dejected, but hardly his usual energetic self. He eventually found himself on the swing hanging from the tree outside the main gate of the Konoha Ninja Academy, watching the just graduated class of new genin meeting their families and celebrating. Even the folded chakra-channelling board on his back seemed to droop on its strap.
In those lonely days before he'd met even Lee, he'd often ended up here when he was feeling sad, and even as he straddled the rope to perch sideways on the wooden seat he was cheered up slightly by the thought that those days were truly gone for good - that his friends knew the worst secret anyone could be hiding, one he hadn't even known about himself, and that they had not left him.
The whisker-scarred blond knew that Gai-sensei would never dream of holding them back unfairly, that practically the man's whole existence was focused on helping them run ever faster into a brilliant future as the strongest shinobi possible, but those few minutes when he'd thought they were going to be allowed to enter the Chuunin Exam had been so... So -shining!- To be let down like that...
"If only there was a way to prove to Gai-sensei that we were strong enough, that our youth and guts are enough to overcome even the Chuunin exam, 'tebayo," he said with a sigh.
"Hm, well, maybe I can give you a hand, Naruto-kun." The unexpected voice came from above, making the boy squawk and flail as he jerked in shock and lost his balance on the swing. "EHH!? It's you!" Looking up at his surprise visitor, he recognized the white haired Academy sensei who'd been sent to do something outside while he and Rikou were visiting the day before. "Pirogi... no... Nikuman... no... Miso..."
The chuunin forcefully swallowed his irritation and said gently, "Mizuki."
"Yeah, yeah, Mizuki-sensei! Uh, sorry, I kinda fogot your name..." Naruto laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.
Smiling, he replied, "It's okay, Naruto-kun, we've never met for long." The man leapt gracefully down from his perch and suggested, "Why don't we talk some more about your problem where it's a little more private."
The two of them quickly enough found a balcony to perch on, well above street level and without any living presences inside the apartment it opened from. "Gai-sensei is a person who takes his responsibilities seriously," the chuunin explained there. "Because he has seen many things as a ninja, he wants to protect those placed in his care... He wants to be sure you are strong enough to succeed at your dreams."
Mizuki smiled kindly at the genin beside him. "It's probable he sees some of himself in you," he confided. "A student gifted with no special talent in the ninja arts, who still graduated early through sheer guts and hard work to gain skills that exceeded the talented." The white haired Academy sensei became more solemn as he continued, "And yet, because of conflicts in the world and his rivalry with the genius Kakashi, he threw himself into certain situations that were almost too much for even him. Now, like a parent, he wants to prevent his students from doing unnecessary things."
"Like... A parent?" He thought of how Gai treated Rikou, and realized that it really was about the same as Lee and himself. He didn't really know what to make of the idea, it seemed too strange and precious to face head on, as if thinking about it might somehow tarnish it.
The chuunin hummed thoughtfully and considered the boy through the screen of his windblown hair. *Actually, I have no idea what the loud idiot's childhood was like, and the notion of -Maito Gai- wanting to prevent people from doing unnecessary things...! But it sounds good, and it's steering the demon brat in the right direction. Another nudge or two and...* "It might be difficult," he said, "but try to understand Gai's feelings, even if it's an unusual circumstance for you."
Lost in thought, Naruto rubbed circles on the tops of his jumpsuit clad knees. At length, he replied, "Even then... I still wish he'd nominated us..."
*Gotcha!* Pulling his feet up onto the balcony so he could turn and face the boy, Mizuki beamed at him. "Well then, I'll tell you a special secret... A test only the best rookies are offered, to prove they're ready for more important things in the ninja world."
---=- + -=---
(continues in part b)