Chapter Two
Naruto stretched tiredly and sighed. Having Gai as his sort-of guardian wasn't really a bad thing; but the guy kept on forcing him to wear green spandex and spouting off nonsense about the flaming youth and crap.
He shook his head and walked towards the Academy tiredly. The weights felt heavy in his arms and legs but he ignored them. He was used to it by now.
He arrived at his classroom on time and dragged himself to the farthest seat from the board. Hopefully, he could catch some sleep before the teacher came.
"Ohayo," Iruka greeted his students.
Naruto made a face and hit the table. Or not.
---
Jiro jumped to another tree and watched the Academy from afar. It had taken him two years to study the Uzumakis' jutsus but the study was worth it. All he needed now was to wait for Naruto.
The bell ringed loud and clear. Jiro jumped from his perch and landed nimbly from the tree. He calmly walked towards the Academy and leaned against a wall as he waited for the young blonde.
"Gomen, gomen, Iruka-sensei," a loud voice was heard from the vicinity.
"Sorry isn't enough, Naruto," Iruka said and glared at his young student. "If you want to sleep then do it at home. School is for learning."
Naruto pouted, "You scare me, Sensei."
Iruka sighed and scratched his head. "Just try to stay awake next time ok, Naruto?"
"Hai," Naruto said and grinned. "See ya tomorrow, Sensei!"
Jiro appeared from the shadow of a large tree and smiled. "Naruto-kun?"
Naruto turned around and squinted. He frowned. Suddenly, he beamed and ran towards Jiro. "Jiro-san!"
Jiro grinned. "Glad you still remember me, kiddo."
"Your hair is so cool, Jiro-san," Naruto said and grinned back. "How I could I not remember you?"
"Want to walk with me, Naruto?" Jiro asked. "Afterwards, we can even go to that favorite ramen stand of yours."
"Sure!" Naruto grabbed Jiro's hand and pulled him. "Where will we go?"
Jiro shrugged. "Anywhere's fine, Naruto," he said. "Actually, I just want to talk to you about something."
The blonde ninja trainee nodded. "So, what's up?"
Jiro hesitated. "Do you," he cleared his throat, "do you live with someone?"
"Nah," Naruto said and looked down at the stoned pathway. "I live alone." He looked up and tilted his head, "You sure ask weird questions, Jiro-san."
"I was just wondering," Jiro said and looked away at those inquisitive eyes. "After we get some ramen, want me to train you?"
"You really are acting weird, Jiro-san," Naruto frowned. "Are you drugs?"
"Pardon?" Jiro asked.
"Gomen, gomen," Naruto said and made a face. "It's a line I hear often."
Jiro nodded. "I'm asking you this because," he looked seriously at Naruto. "I know it's a little early, especially considering the fact that you really don't know me much but—"
"But what?" Naruto asked. "Get to the point already!"
"Can I adopt you?" Jiro managed to blurt out.
Naruto's eyes widened. "You're not joking, are you?"
Jiro shook his head. "I really want to."
"But you don't even know me!" Naruto said and settled on top of a stool, ordering a miso ramen before staring at Jiro again.
"I feel partly responsible for your father's death so... even if I don't know you; I'm still willing to look after you." Jiro explained.
"You didn't kill him, did you?"
"No, but—"
"Then it's alright," Naruto cut in and grinned. "You don't have to repay me or something."
Jiro sighed but decided not to speak as he picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.
There was silence for what seemed to be a minute as both munched on their respective ramen. Finally, Jiro broke it by asking, "You will think about it, right?"
Naruto nodded seriously and smiled. "I will." He looked at Jiro with his puppy dog eyes and said, "Even if I haven't decided yet, can you still train me? I want to learn as many jutsus as I can and become Hokage someday so I'd really appreciate the help."
Jiro nodded.
"Alright!" Naruto shouted and punched the air.
---
Jiro stood on top of the flowing river, his arms crossed. "This is the water-walking exercise. If you want your chakra control to become better then you have to learn how to do this first."
Naruto nodded vigorously and jumped towards the river. He fell into the water.
Jiro winced and sighed. "You don't even know how to use chakra, do you?"
Naruto's head popped up from the river. "Gomen, Jiro-sensei."
Jiro sighed and grabbed his young student by the collar. He pulled him up and placed him back to the ground. "Here's how you do it, Naruto." He placed his fingers in a tiger seal and called forth chakra from within. "Can you see the chakra, Naruto?"
"Is it that blue thing that's surrounding you?" Naruto asked and scratched his cheek in confusion.
Jiro nodded. "Now, before I show you how to walk on water, why don't we try calling that chakra of yours?"
"Hai, Sensei," Naruto said and grinned. He placed his hands together and tried to call his chakra.
Jiro felt a sweatdrop coming and tried to stop it. The sweatdrop won. "Neh, Naruto."
Naruto looked up and frowned. "What is it, Jiro-sensei? I'm trying to concentrate here."
"Uh," Jiro scratched his head and said, "Your fingers, they're in the wrong position."
Naruto looked up, "Really?" He looked at his hands, they were facing each other, palms spread out like he was praying.
"Yep," Jiro said and did the tiger seal. "This is how you do it, Naruto. Didn't the Academy teach you anything?"
Naruto made a face. "I was probably asleep when they studied about chakra."
Jiro smacked his head with his hand and looked at his student. "And why were you asleep?"
Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "Hey, it's not easy you know. Gai-sensei always makes me train 'til midnight then he wakes me up at dawn just to train me again."
"Gai? The taijutsu expert?" Jiro asked.
Naruto nodded. "Yup, the old man, Hokage, asked him to look after me."
"So that's why the kid's wearing weights." Jiro murmured to himself. He went towards Naruto and showed him how the tiger seal was made. "This is how one normally calls for his chakra. It's the most basic of seals," Jiro explained.
"Hai," Naruto said and did the tiger seal, this time, his finger positions were correct.
"Now, I want you to sit on the floor and feel for your chakra," Jiro said and sat besides Naruto.
It took Naruto a couple of minutes to sense his chakra. When he finally felt it, he called all of it out. Jiro smacked him in the head.
"Itai!" Naruto shouted. "What the heck did you that for? I finally found my chakra when you smacked me in the head, Sensei! Now I have to find it again."
"Baka, you shouldn't call out so much," Jiro said and glared at his blonde student. "You wanna get tired easily?"
"Oh," Naruto scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Gomen, Sensei." He closed his eyes and concentrated, beads of sweat clung to his forehead. Blue chakra appeared from Naruto's body.
"Now, I want you to pour your chakra on your feet," Jiro said. "But don't put too much."
"How do you do that, Sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Guide it," Jiro answered.
"Hai," Naruto said. Jiro could see the chakra flow towards Naruto's feet.
"That's enough, Naruto," Jiro said. "Now, try walking on the water."
Naruto nodded and moved towards the river, his hands were still shaped in a tiger seal. Jiro sighed at this but didn't point it out.
Naruto stepped in the water and grinned. He was actually standing on top of it. "Yes! I did it." Naruto punched the air and felt himself sink. "Jiro-sensei!"
Jiro sighed and grabbed his student once more, dragging him out of the water. "You lost your concentration, Baka."
Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "I'm not an idiot."
Jiro smiled. "Of course not, it was just a slip of the tongue. Now try it again."
---
Naruto struggled to keep the chakra on his feet constant when Jiro appeared in a puff of smoke.
"Naruto," Jiro called to his young student.
With a yelp, the blonde plunged into the river. After a moment or two, his head appeared. "Teme! Why did you have to break my concentration?" He placed both of his hands on the ground and dragged himself from the water.
Jiro ignored the expletives coming out of Naruto's mouth and dropped a large duffel bag on the ground. "I'll be going away on a mission, Naruto. I don't know when I'll be back so," he patted the bag and grinned, "you'll be studying on your own for a while."
Naruto shook off the water that clung around his body, glad that he wasn't wearing anything except his shorts. It was his fourth time that day to have fallen on the river. He walked towards the bag and opened it. "What are these, Sensei?"
"Scrolls, Naruto," Jiro said.
Naruto pulled two small scrolls from the bag and looked at them with curiosity. "What about the water-walking exercise?"
"Finish the water-walking exercise first," Jiro answered.
"Ok," Naruto grinned. "Before you go, can you do me a favor?"
Jiro's eye twitched at Naruto's expression but nodded all the same. "Depends on what it is."
Naruto grabbed Jiro's hand and punched the air. "Ramen stand, here we come!"
"I said: it depends!"
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Chapter notes: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
After two years, Naruto meets Jiro again. The orange-haired jounin trains him.
Chapter end notes: 1)"Are you drugs?" - My classmates always use that line.
2)Gai's training is usually during the early morning and the late afternoon or evening so Jiro has time to teach Naruto in between.
3)The different techniques from the scrolls are as follows:
a)Henge
b)Bunshin
c)A Fire Jutsu
d)Kawarimi