Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ To Measure My Capacity ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

 

The next morning was bright and clear, although chilly. Itachi and Naruto were sitting in their favorite clearing eating some form of meaty breakfast Itachi caught. Both were silent until Naruto broke the peace with a question he had been waiting to ask.

”Ne, Itachi-san, do you know anything about my family?”

Itachi seemed to think for a moment before speaking. “No. I can't seem to recall hearing anything about the Uzumaki family. But you must remember that I'm not much older than you, so it is not so strange.”

Itachi saw the disappointment cross Naruto's face when he had finished speaking. He had covered it up quickly enough, but to the trained eye it was obvious. `He's trying his best to hide all his emotion at all times it seems. Perhaps I need to explain the purpose of my teachings in greater detail.'

”Naruto-kun, I believe I have fallen slightly short with my discipline training. I've taught you that emotions must be controlled at all times. Emotions are dangerous things, as they allow a person to be manipulated and exploited. This is why it is of utmost importance for emotions to be controlled in battles. However, emotions are also what make us human. Without them, we cannot be considered living.”

”Uhh, Itachi-san, you're not making much sense.”

Itachi sighed. “What I'm trying to tell you is that emotions must be controlled during battles. However, if you do not feel when the battle is over, you may as well have died in the fight. Why fight, why become stronger, if there is no reward at the end of the day?”

Naruto looked thoughtful for a time. “I see. But I don't really know why you're telling me that, you don't seem to be following your own teachings.”

Itachi stared at Naruto for a time, his eyes seemly looking into Naruto's soul. “No, I do not. Tell me, Naruto-kun, why do you think I'm training you?”

Naruto's surprise showed. “Err, so we can fight later to see how strong you really are?”

”Partly. The main reason is to see if it's possible to attain the strength I have without becoming the same as me. The reward I spoke of, Naruto-kun, I do not receive it. The only reason for my existence is to drive others to succeed, to push themselves further. I have hurt many. My redemption comes from my death at their hands. That is the true reason for training you, so you might one day end my existence.”

 

Naruto was beyond shock. `He's training me to kill him? How can I possibly do that?'

 

“Do not focus on that right now, Naruto-kun. I have much to teach you and the sooner we start the real training, the better. However, you're soon going to need new clothes.”

Naruto, still in a stunned state, looked down to notice his clothes were in a pretty bad state. Various holes made by kunai and shuriken littered the orange and blue jump suit. One of the sleeves was almost entirely burnt off at the shoulder, and he'd grown an inch since he'd last changed clothes.

”Do you know the Henge no jutsu Naruto-kun?” Itachi doubted he'd learnt that at the academy just yet as he was only there for a year or so before they had left.

”No, I didn't really learn much at the academy.” Naruto looked a bit saddened. ”The teachers didn't seem to like me much so I had to learn from books most of the time.”

 

“I see. Well, it is a very basic and standard jutsu that every ninja should know. The user assumes the appearance of another person or animal. It can be seen through by other ninja, but for what we will use if for it should be sufficient.”

”And what're we going to be using it for, Itachi-san?”

”You need new clothes. For one, orange is a terrible color. Secondly, you'll soon outgrow the ones you currently have. There's a small town about a half a day's walk from here that has a clothing store.”

”Why do we need this Henge thing if we're just buying clothes?” Naruto had no idea why a jutsu was needed for a simple thing such as shopping.

”People are looking for us. I do not intend for them to succeed.” Itachi paused and thought for a moment. “This can also be considered your first mission.”

”Why? I don't see how buying clothes can be considered a mission.”

”Tell me, Naruto-kun, do you have any money?” Naruto shook his head. “Neither do I. Let's start training, shall we?”

 

 

The tree was nothing more than carbon and smoke. Naruto straightened with a small smirk on his face. It had taken him a while, but he'd finally gotten it.

”Good Naruto-kun. Your hand sealing speed has increased greatly. Now work on putting as much chakra into the attack as possible, it will help increase your chakra capacity.” `Not that you really need it'.

Naruto turned around to see Itachi observing him from the edge of clearing, half emerged in shadow. “Hai, Itachi-sensei, but aren't there some fire attacks stronger than Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu?”

 

Itachi nodded. “There are several. Two I know, one I can teach you.”

 

Naruto frowned. “You're holding out on me!”

It was Itachi's turn to frown at that. “No, Naruto-kun. It is impossible. Amaterasu is only usable by those with the Mangekyou Sharingan. It is extremely powerful. It produces black fire that can burn through anything. However, I will teach you Katon: Karyu Endan later. It is probably the most powerful fire jutsu next to Amaterasu, but much more versatile.”

”Aww, why can't you teach me now?” Naruto pouted.

 

“We have a mission.”

Naruto's pouting vanished. “What is it?”

 

Itachi walked to Naruto and handed him some papers. “Nothing hard. A small village to the west has been having trouble with some thugs that moved in. The village does not have a police force so the mayor needed to hire some help.”

”I see. When do we leave?” Naruto asked.

”We don't. This will be your first solo mission.” Itachi turned at started walking out of the clearing. He looked back over his shoulder at Naruto. “My advice would be to kill the leader quickly. Leaders are key figures in any circumstance. Without them, there is confusion. If you kill a leader, followers do not know what to do. The leader is the strongest or most intelligent of the group. If someone can kill their leader, then obviously they can kill the followers. You can avoid a lot of hassle if you take the leader quickly.”

 

Naruto nodded and then grinned. “This should be easy!” Muttering a quick Henge Naruto turned into an attractive young woman with long, blonde pigtails wearing… well, not much.

”See you soon, sensei!” A still grinning Naruto disappeared.

 

 

It didn't take long for Naruto to reach the village. Posing as an innocent young woman seemed like a good way to get close to the leader of a gang of brutal thugs. Slowing down to a more acceptable pace for an apparently defenseless woman, Naruto entered the village. It wasn't much, just a few shops, several houses and an inn.

 

Naruto grinned `Bet they're in the inn. Time for Naruto's acting debut!'

The door to the inn opened and a young woman entered. An attractive young woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a great figure. She had some traveling boots on, but not much else.

The small, wiry man that had been facing the door noticed her first. ”Well, well, well! What do we have here!”

5 other heads turned towards the newcomer. Various cat calls and wolf whistles sounded through the smoky air.

'Filthy looking lot' Naruto thought, acting the part of a timid woman. `I've been living in a forest training for two years and I look better than these guys.'

”Um, excuse me, but I'm looking for a room for the night.” The woman said.

 

A large man who had been silent until then stood and spoke. “I'm sure I can help you with that. In fact, you can have a room for free, all you have to do is share it with me!”

 

The room broke in to laughter, the men obviously thought his proposal was hilarious. Some were holding their stomachs laughing while others made suggestive gestures with their hands.

 

`Oh yeah, this is going to be easier than I thought' “Um, no, that's okay. I can pay for my own room.”

 

The large man, obviously the leader of this band of thugs, made a move towards Naruto. “Look, little missy, you don't have a choice. Now how about you come with me quietly and no one needs to get hurt, eh?” He pulled a knife out of his pocket and flipped it open, brandishing the blade towards the woman.

The woman looked terrified. “N-no, please, I just want a room for the night! I-I'll pay double!” The woman's hands fell to her sides, while she looked at the ground, trembling.

'Oh, crap.' Naruto thought `This is not good. I forgot my kunai and I don't really have any single target jutsu that can be used to kill this guy quickly and safely. Hmm… I guess I could try that…'

 

FLASHBACK

 

“Naruto-kun, come here.”

Naruto came to where Itachi was standing. “Hai, Itachi-sensei?”

”I have been thinking. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is quite useful, as you found out on our last mission. However, it is a waste of chakra if you are only going to use them as shields or suicide units using Bunshin Daibakuha. I have been thinking about a Taijutsu style for you. Improve your Taijutsu, and your clones will be more useful.”

Naruto nodded in understanding. “That's true, so what style will you be teaching me?”

 

“An experimental style, it has no name. I do not use Taijutsu very much, I prefer Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. However, I once fought a man from the Hyuuga clan. The Hyuuga are famous for their Taijutsu style, Jyuken, as it is considered the most powerful in Konoha. However, it is pointless to try to copy as it cannot be properly used unless you have the Hyuuga bloodline limit, the Byakugan.”

”So what does this have to do with an experimental style?” Naruto asked.

 

“Although I cannot teach you proper Jyuken, I can show you the stances I copied, and introduce to you the theories of this new Taijutsu style. Are you interested, Naruto-kun?”

Naruto nodded. “Sure!”

And so Itachi started to explain the concepts and theories of this new Taijutsu style.

END FLASHBACK

 

Naruto grinned in his mind. `Yeah, this might work. If not, well, I'd have to fight my way out anyway.'

 

The leader approached Naruto. “So what do you say, little missy, you going to come quietly like a good girl?”

The woman looked up at the man through her long eyelashes. She took a hesitant step back with her right leg.

 

The man frowned. “I guess not.” He then grinned. “I like it better this way!”

He charged towards the woman who had sank back slightly on her back leg, causing it to bend and make the woman appear shorter. As the man approached the woman raised her arms from her sides and held them out, palms facing forward, left arm above her front leg, right arm held near her kidney.

 

The man was about to charge his body into the woman when her right palm shot out. She slammed her palm into the man's chest and released as much chakra as she could from her hand as she could, before quickly withdrawing her palm incase another strike was needed. The short burst of foreign chakra entered the man's body, destroying muscles and organs, before reaching the heart and completely destroying the man's chakra system.

The rest of the men in the room went from grinning idiots to shocked spectators. This woman had just killed their leader in one attack!

The woman watched the body fall to the ground before turning to the men and speaking in an ice cold tone. “Get out now. Leave this village and never come back. If I see any of you near here again I won't let you live.” The look in her icy blue eyes left no doubt in the minds of the men that she was serious.

 

 

Naruto handed Itachi a small bag of money. “Mission successful.”

”Well done, Naruto-kun. How did it go?”

 

Naruto explained his story, overlooking the fact he forgot his kunai. “You were right though, Itachi-sensei. That Taijutsu style requires a lot of chakra and stamina. It's also dangerous to use in friendly fights, you can't really control what you're hitting like you would be able to with Jyuken. You could cause mass destruction to many vital organs or hit something that has no effect whatsoever. It's random and would produce unexpected results.”

Itachi nodded.

They sat in silence for several minutes until Itachi spoke. “Unexpected is good. Expectations are very dangerous. Those thugs had expectations of you, and it proved fatal. People with expectations are surprised when things do not go how they think they should. If you expect something from someone, you are instantly at a disadvantage. You ignore the possible and focus on the probable. Being unexpected and surprising is an advantage you never want to lose.”

 

Naruto nodded at this, seeing the wisdom in Itachi's words.

”Remember this, Naruto-kun. `People are stupid'. They see what they want to see, and ignore what they do not want to see. They brag about their skills, and they lose their element of surprise.” He paused letting this sink in. “In a fight, use every Jutsu as if it's your last. Will it to end the fight. As soon as you do something unexpected, it will become expected, and you have forever lost the element of surprise.”

 

Silence settled in again before Itachi spoke once more. “You remember, Naruto-kun, when I told you about my clan?” Naruto nodded slowly. “They had expectations. Expectations of me; expectations of the clan, of its growth and glory. They did not expect what happened to them. They expected everyone to confirm to their views. Their end shows the kind of folly expectations can produce.”

Itachi stood. “Now, I promised to teach you Katon: Karyu Endan. We will start tomorrow. When you have mastered that, I will teach you more Jyuken stances.”

Naruto smiled and stood, pleased with the day's events. `I'm getting stronger. I will return to Konoha and prove myself - one day.'

 

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Now, I posted this on FF dot net, but I wanted another site's opinion on the story without the voting. If you want to see how voting for pairings are going, check FF out.