Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Fox and Boar ❯ Training ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: Two week break is over. Here is chapter 3, hope you enjoy it. I think I might have chapter 4 ready sometime soon but I have to juggle my time wisely with four somewhat-active fics now.

 

Summary: Naruto and Ino have been spending more time together, now the relationship must grow, but how?

 

 

Training

 

 

“Okay good job today. Let's meet back here tomorrow at dawn. See you then.” And with that, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of white smoke from the training field.

 

“Ne, ne Sakura-chan.” Naruto mumbled while moving over to the pink haired kunoichi. “You're pretty good friends with Ino still, right?”

 

“Yeah, I suppose.” Sakura replied with a puzzled look. “Why do you ask?”

 

“No reason, I was just wondering if you could ask her something for me… Never mind.” He turned to leave when she ran up along side him.

 

“What is it? I'll tell her,” the ninja asked, wondering what business Naruto would have with Ino.

 

“Ask her to meet me at the Hokage monument after sundown, alright?”

 

“Okay…”

 

“Thanks, see you tomorrow.” His body moved away, hopping every few steps in a black blur.

 

`Does he expect her to actually go? Are they dating or something…?' Sakura paused to chuckle at the thought of Ino being into Naruto, `Oh well, at least he has been less annoying recently… is this why? I think Ino-pig might be finishing up with her training now too.' Her body moved in the opposite direction as his, making her way to the team 10 training field.

 

The leaves of various branches skimmed the girl's skin as she expertly made her way through the thicker foliage. She stopped only once, allowing herself to recapture her bearings after being distracted by a squirrel. Her body lunged from the canopy just in time to see the newest formation of her comrades. `Wow, they actually train for battle… Naruto and I just beat stuff up or train our stamina. Maybe we should do that...'

 

"See you later, Ino."

 

"You too, Shikamrau. Bye Chouji," Ino responded in a friendly tone, watching her teammates leave the field before heading over to her bag.

 

"Hey, Sakura," the blonde's statement brought Sakura back to earth, who had just spent the last couple of moments wondering how they got along so well.

 

"Ino, Naruto asked me to tell you something...," She paused at how stiff the blonde kunoichi's body got at the mention of the name. She waited for her to continue packing her stuff but she stayed the same way with her back faced to Sakura. "He told me to ask you to meet him at the Hokage Monument at sunset, okay?" Ino had still stayed motionless.

 

"Thanks Sakura," her reply was brief, just like their meeting. "I'll go, goodbye." She picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder in one quick motion, preparing to leave the near vacant field.

 

"He wouldn't tell me anymore, is it something important?" Sakura was very intrigued at her friend's actions. Her thirst for details grew with the slight confusion.

 

"It's nothing major, bye,” Ino vanished silently, trying to evade more pressing questions.

 

---

 

Naruto sat perched high upon the great faces that watched over the hidden village. The mammoth guards who would defend their homeland, once prepared to give their lives to save its peaceful sanctity. This was his favorite places to come and look down upon the people he one day wanted to be acknowledged by.

 

"Hey Naruto,” Ino's calm voice carried him back from his reverie, leaving his thoughts alone with the enraged beast chained down in his mind.

 

"Hey," his voice sounded exhausted, almost incapable of bringing the single word out of his mouth. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something. Maybe go for a walk or sit back and talk..."

 

She changed her gaze from him to the orange sun that cast a comforting shadow over the village. "It's nice, huh?"

 

"Yeah, like it's letting the darkness overtake the lives of everyone, only for a moment, to let them fall into the inviting arms of sleep. It's nice to know that even the sun must take a break from its position in the sky and let the moon bring down the cool air unto us all. The never-ending balance of life. I think it reminds us that we each must take a rest every now and then and fall back into someone's protection instead of remaining constantly vigilant, don't you?"

 

She was taken back at the comment. Ino only saw the sunset as a beautiful scene to signify the day's end, `I had no idea you thought like that, Naruto. Where was this side of you in the academy?' Her mouth hung open slightly at what a different type of person he was sometimes, yet in the end, it was always the same Naruto.

 

He moved over on his rock, allowing her plenty of room to join him to watch the people move like dots along the ground so far away. "That was pretty deep, you know? Why aren't you like that more often?" Her question was warm as she scooted next to him.

 

"I don't know, it is just easier to joke around then do this sometimes..." He leaned back, positioning most of his weight on his palms. His head turned and his eyes set themselves on Ino, who was still to trying to grasp the full meaning of the sunset.

 

The feeling of paranoia was too much, his eyes on her face was staring to make her uncomfortable. "What are you staring at?"

 

"You. You look... different in this light. It makes you look even more... beautiful than normal. I can't explain it right, it just is,” He stopped, allowing her to hide her blush at his comment. "Thanks Ino."

 

"For what," her response was quiet as her blush was slowly starting to disappear, "I should be thanking you."

 

"For talking to me like this. I didn't know many people who would treat me as a person, not as a monster. Only Iruka-sensei, the Third, and Team 7 mainly. Now everyone acts nicer around me, but you know... it still hurts sometimes, not knowing if you really are alone or not.

 

Her eyes shifted to his. Fear and sadness reflected out, showing that his mind had been engulfed in loneliness in the past. She continued to watch him, even after the sun finished its journey across the far away horizon. The feeble glow shone up from the prosperous village below, the occasional sound being heard. They were alone, on the rock, looking out into the faintly glowing sky, not really expecting much but the complete light to be fully extinguished by the looming mountains.

 

"I have to get up early for Kakashi-sensei's training in the morning. I think its best I head home by now..." Naruto became instantly silent as he felt a warm hand latch onto his own. His eyes immediately darted back to Ino, who still peered out to the world, almost oblivious as to what her hand was doing. He smiled and sat back, still holding her fingers in his palm. He enjoyed the warmth being passed through her digits into him, overloading his hand with feeling.

 

 

From several meters behind the rock, two emerald eyes looked forward, wide in astonishment at the sight. 'I had no idea Naruto and Ino... When was he this smart and quiet? Why the hell doesn't he do that around me?'

 

'Probably because you hit him and reject him when he tries to ask you out,' Inner Sakura replied coolly, 'Maybe if you were a third as nice to him as you were to Sasuke-kun...'

 

'Shut up, he always acted like an idiot, what was I to expect from him?'

 

'You could have been nicer;he did save your life a lot, even when Sasuke-kun couldn't...' The alternate personality let the spite-filled comment linger in Sakura's mind.

 

'Still... why did he pick Ino?'

 

---

 

"Damn it! Where is Kakashi-sensei? He's the one who told us to be here early!" Naruto had grown angrier over the last hour, waiting to hear some lame excuse for his Sensei's tardiness.

 

"You know that he would only have us do basic training exercises, we can do those ourselves. Want to train together?" Sakura thought of the only thing to possibly shut him up.

 

"I don't know..." he paused, thinking of how powerful she was in their training mission to get the bells just after returning. His jaw still hurt some when he stretched it too far from when she got pissed at him after seeing each other for only five minutes. "...just try not to kill me, okay?" The uncertainty was obvious in his voice, when it came down to it; he was scared of her when she would start a rampage.

 

"I'll be gentle on you," the sarcastic reply rang out up to the atmosphere until a gloved hand pulled up and struck tremors into the ground. Naruto instantly jumped to avoid the hellish terrain created by a single punch.

 

'It would be best fight at a distance here, huh?' His hand swiped a fistful of shuriken as the retaliation rained down. She ran and dodged them, lunging forward to strike the tree he was standing near. The cracking echoed throughout the area, causing an uneasy feeling to those who heard it. 'Damn, she might actually hurt me if I'm not careful.' He hurled himself backwards, grasping at a branch while simultaneously letting off a small smoke bomb. He formed a single hand sign, calling forth a dozen more soldiers to fight his enemy.

 

All around Sakura, blurs appeared to strike. She brought her fist into the ground, forcing a blast of energy to escape her hand. Three poofs could be heard as the jutsu was defeated. She still had ten more to deal with and she was already blinded. A kunai swept through the smoke and drew blood as it slit her arm. Twenty more appeared, only to be blocked by a piece of earth used as a shield. Sakura panted after heaving the makeshift shield to her left at another group of three. 'Now only seven.' She let loose into the ground a ferocious punch that cleared out the lingering smoke.

 

Naruto now sent two clones out to distract her while the other four took positions around the lone kunoichi. She unleashed a small round of kunai to the duo, instantly causing them to dissipate. 'Only five.' One foot slid past her field of vision as it kicked her up into the air. A reasonably sized log replaced the body. 'Now where is the original?' She jumped down from the small limb to the ground as two massive shuriken flew overhead. 'Damn it! Not Kage Shuriken no jutsu!'

 

One shuriken changed back into a clone and grabbed the remaining weapon in midair. The three remaining Narutos came up and forced Sakura to jump into the air, leaving herself defenseless. The orange blur threw it towards her. A moment before impact, a cloud of smoke appeared to reveal another Naruto.

 

"He, he, I got you," he gloated while his clones ran behind to catch them. Three sets of arms were sent up and successfully saved Sakura from hitting the ground from fifteen feet up. The more poofs and they were left there standing next to each other.

 

"Wow Naruto, that was... excellent," she looked up from panting wildly to see him breathing evenly, not even dripping a bead of sweat, `What stamina, it seems to increase every time we meet.'

 

“You up for round two yet? That was a nice warm-up,” his voice egged her on; wanting to pass the time until his `real' training could begin.

 

“That's enough, you two. I can't have my students running around with such unrestrained power; one of you could get hurt,” Kakashi was sitting upon a limb that had a nice view of the fight. His hand covered his already shielded face as a single eye followed text across a page in his infamous book. `Naruto has gotten much better. You are right there Sasuke, constantly pushing forward.'

 

“But Sensei, if Naruto or I got hurt, it would give me extra practice in medical ninjutsu and… why were you late? Don't lie this time!”

 

“Okay, I won't.” the small snapping sound went out through the trees as his book returned to his pocket after being closed, “Let's begin.”

 

---

 

A/N: It seems jealousy has risen in Sakura. I wonder how this will play out later. (I already know, I'm just not telling you right now.) Anyways, look for another update later this week. I have several chapters written up for all of my stories but one. I'll try to update more regularly now.