two
He weaved his way through the bustling streets of Konoha, pulling on his hoodie as he held an apple in his mouth. Barely avoiding a shouting villager, he ducked beneath two haggling women and took a bite, switching the apple to his hand. Naruto didn’t like being in the village streets; he would have been more than happy to take every dark, isolated alleyway all the way to the Hokage Tower but he was running late as it was. He couldn’t wait for the moment he could take to the rooftops. As an academy student, he’d been heavily discouraged from that route; after the fifth ANBU found him, he’d taken the hint.
Glaring back at an old woman who seemed particularly annoyed at his general existence, he finally reached the tower. He ignored the chunin guards as he started taking the steps two at a time. Perhaps he shouldn’t have fallen asleep at the training grounds but it was too late to change that now. Jiji should be used to him turning up late. He still had no idea why the old man wanted to see him; he did suspect that it had something to do with his team assignment as the rest of his classmates were being assigned to theirs right now.
He finally reached the top of the stairs, making his way down the short corridor to the large double doors. Most who entered the Hokage’s Tower would stop and take a moment to admire the carefully crafted interior; it was certainly worthy of the wealth and power that Konoha had as the strongest hidden village. Naruto had been in and out of this place his whole life so he was immune to the intimidation factor that the place conveyed onto outsiders. Since he was around so much though, he was more perceptive to any changes.
A change such as the chunin that worked in the tower actively avoiding the door of the Hokage’s office. Some were annoyed, some were defeated and some were...scared? Naruto threw those ones a strange look; what could they possibly be scared of here? As he drew closer to the door he thought he heard something but as he reached for the handle, it was silent.
He poked his head in and tried to find what was putting off the chunin. The office looked the same as it always did: scrolls adorning the walls, books stacked neatly on the shelves, the pile of paperwork threatening to topple off the Hokage’s desk. His eyes were drawn to the Yondaime’s picture on the wall but he shook it off. He switched his gaze to the Hokage himself but his eyes snapped to the man’s left.
A man stood there in a tight green spandex bodysuit and woollen orange leg warmers, a bright red hitai-ate tied around his waist. He was the most...colourful man Naruto had ever set eyes on. The academy teachers used to tell him off for wearing orange, but had they ever seen this man? He winced as he took in the man’s shiny bowl cut and massive bushy eyebrows. Did he own a mirror?
The tightness of the bodysuit did give Naruto a chance to scope out the insane expanse of muscle that lay beneath. His lack of self-awareness over his appearance apparently did not affect his ability as a shinobi. The man’s dark eyes looked right back at him, probably doing the same assessment that Naruto had just done.
“Should I wait outside, Jiji?” he announced himself.
“No, no, Naruto-kun,” Jiji smiled at him. “We were just waiting for you. Congratulations on passing the exams; with the highest taijutsu and weaponry scores no less.”
Naruto grinned, fully stepping into the room and shoving his hands into his pockets as he stood in front of the desk.
“No sweat, Jiji. It would take more than that to keep me down.”
“Now,” said Jiji firmly. “I summoned you here because you will not be put into a three-man genin team like the rest of your classmates. Instead, you will operate as an apprentice, which is slightly different from your average genin.”
Naruto frowned in confusion as the Hokage continued.
“This is Maito Gai, an elite jounin of Konoha and a master of taijutsu. He will be your master and teacher until you pass the chunin exams.”
Before Naruto could say anything in reply, Gai bounced forward.
“GREETINGS MY YOUTHFUL PUPIL, I LO-”
“Volume, Gai-kun.”
“My most sincere apologies, Hokage-sama,” Gai beamed, his voice only slightly quieter at the old man’s words. “Naruto-kun, I look forward to training you and I’m sure we will reach the pinnacle of our Springtime of Youth!”
Naruto blinked in the face of Gai’s sparkling teeth and enthusiastic thumbs up. He redirected his incredulous gaze towards his grandfather figure.
“What the actual fuck, Jiji?”
“Gai-kun is very energetic and he is the most qualified instructor available,” the Hokage chuckled. “He will be able to aid you in both improving your weak points and in developing your bloodline limit.”
“Wait, so I just have to deal with him?” Naruto asked eagerly. “I don’t have teammates?”
“For now, no, you will not be placed on a team. You will complete D-ranks on your own but may work with other genin teams if Gai-kun wills it. You will be placed on teams for any C-ranks you undertake in the future. There were an odd number of students graduating this year and due to the rarity and specificity of your bloodline, it was decided that you need to focus on developing it and so would be the odd man out as it were.”
Naruto nodded along to the Hokage’s explanation but he could not hide his delight at the news. Jiji frowned at him and Naruto tried to school his features in something more neutral.
“You will have to work with other Konoha shinobi in the future, Naruto-kun,” he stated firmly. “Now, go get your picture taken for your identification and registration and then meet Gai-kun at training ground seventeen in two hours.”
A grin fell easily onto Naruto’s face as he raced out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him.
“Well?”
“His taijutsu and weapon-handling are very impressive, Hokage-sama. If he could harness the incredible volume of chakra within him and apply it to his ninjutsu, he would be a most formidable shinobi in the future. His age, too, has not hindered him; despite being three years younger than his peers, his work ethic and focus is up there with shinobi twice his age. I have no doubt that with some guidance that he will be able to fully embrace the Springtime of his Youth!”
“Go on. I know there is something else, Gai-kun.”
“His mindset may pose a problem. He has not only been unable to connect to anyone his own age, but he seems like he actively avoids it. His happiness at the news that he would not be placed in a team is a red flag for a Konoha shinobi. He also does not engage in anything that does not interest him. He skated through the academy on almost the bare minimum on most subjects, if he turned up at all. The issue is not his ability or his skills but his attitude and dismissal of his fellow shinobi and villagers.”
“Naruto-kun has not had it easy but I believe you will be able to help him, Gai-kun.”
“Of course, Hokage-sama! I will aid Naruto-kun to the best of my ability in embracing the best days of his Youth!”
“Dismissed, Gai-kun. Go and meet up with your new apprentice.”
Naruto scanned the empty training ground, trying to spot his new teacher. He didn’t know if he’d ever manage to miss him; the man was loud in every sense of the word.
“Gai-sensei?”
“NARUTO-KUN!”
He flinched and snapped his head round, coming face-to-face with the grinning visage of his new sensei. Naruto narrowed his eyes; he hadn’t been there earlier. Surely a man with his volume wouldn’t be any use for stealth.
“It is time to test your capabilities, Naruto-kun!”
Before Naruto could process this statement, Gai leapt forward with a punch aimed directly to his face. Only pure instinct allowed Naruto to duck and he snapped out his own fist into Gai's stomach. The man easily dodged and they engaged in a spar.
Naruto activated his bloodline limit as a kick from Gai shoved him back. He rolled with the momentum to displace the force and sprung to his feet. He scanned the jounin and grinned. He could see every muscle, every breath, where Gai’s centre of gravity, where he placed his weight. Gai’s elbow and bicep twitched and Naruto threw himself to the ground, avoiding Gai’s grab and returning it with a sweep of his legs. Gai stepped over the sweep and aimed his own leg at Naruto’s chest; he rolled to the side and rose to his feet, his forearm taking the next blow.
He was taking much less hits but as the seconds passed, it became obvious that Naruto’s bloodline worked faster than his body could keep up with.
Even as his brain supplied the information and told him exactly what was going to happen, Naruto’s limbs would not cooperate. It was only made more frustrating by the fact he knew Gai was holding back. He could see it. Every time he blocked Gai’s limbs with one of his own or had to take the blow he couldn’t dodge, his anger grew. His fists swung wider, sweat poured into his eyes, and he grew more concerned with landing a blow than watching Gai’s movements.
As he swung his fist one more time, determined to wipe off that stupid grin from the man’s face, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. He blinked and when he next opened his eyes, he was staring at the clear blue sky above. He blinked once more, unsure of what point in the fight that his bloodline limit had deactivated itself. His befuddled brain kept trying to make sense of what had just happened as he became keenly aware of his lack of oxygen.
“That was excellent, Naruto-kun! Truly showing the Fire of Youth is burning brightly within you!”
Naruto ignored the voice as he desperately heaved air into his lungs, his head light and skin tingling. Every breath burned and only now did he notice that his limbs had turned to jelly from exertion. How long had they fought? It hadn’t felt that long.
Gai’s face appeared above him and Naruto felt his annoyance return; the man didn’t even look winded. The obnoxious man looked as fresh and lively as when they had first met in the Hokage’s office only two hours ago. The man waved a water bottle at him and Naruto sighed, hauling himself upright and regretting the motion immediately. The water bottle was dumped in his lap and he just stared at it; he would drink it after his lungs stopped screaming.
“Your taijutsu is wonderful, Naruto-kun! Closer to a chunin than a genin! Next you shall demonstrate the ninjutsu and genjutsu you know so I can get the full scope of your abilities!”
Naruto grunted, finally taking a swig of water. He didn’t really want to do that; he didn’t like ninjutsu and he hated genjutsu.
“Do I have to?” He groaned. “It’s just the basic academy stuff. Not anything I’m planning on using if I can help it.”
Gai’s smile remained unchanged.
“Of course you must! You can never have too many tools in your pouch, Naruto-kun! You can incorporate any of the skills you have learned into your fighting style!”
Naruto just poured the rest of the water down his throat. This happy, loud attitude was going to grate after a while. He stood slowly, shaking out his limbs to help regain the feeling. He threw the bottle to one side and flipped through the hand seals, producing a puff of smoke. Naruto raised his own bushy eyebrow as he stared deadpan back at Gai, refusing to look down at the green spandex that now covered his body. His illusion disappeared in another puff of smoke as he switched with a log, letting it sit for a moment before swapping back.
“Happy?”
“What about bunshin? Or genjutsu?”
“I can’t do bunshin,” Naruto shrugged. “I only passed because they didn’t choose it as one of the exam jutsu.”
Gai’s broad smile finally dropped into a serious expression.
“Show me.”
Naruto rolled his eyes but made the appropriate hand seals. Two puffs appeared beside him and he didn’t need to look to know what would be there. His clones always turned out looking like they’d just been poisoned; at least they weren’t missing any body parts this time. He allowed them to vanish as Gai raised a hand to his chin.
“And genjutsu?”
“I’m really good at breaking out of them,” Naruto offered. “Haven’t met one I couldn’t break out of yet. Can’t cast one though, never been able to.”
Gai was silent for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. Naruto began to stretch out his muscles; he had to take advantage of the calm where he could with this jounin.
“I will investigate that for you,” Gai suddenly spoke up, his grin back in place. “For now, we must address your weaknesses!”
Naruto flopped back onto the ground.
“You are excellent at taijutsu but I know you can improve! The main issue is your body cannot keep up with your bloodline limit; I saw you trying to react but your body did not cooperate.”
Naruto nodded along. He already knew that.
“Your mind works at a much greater speed that your body can keep up with,” Gai continued. “You cannot utilise the advantage that your bloodline limit grants you. Fortunately, this can easily be remedied by training!”
This is what Naruto wanted; he wanted some guidance on how to get stronger. His bloodline limit had so much potential but he knew he couldn’t make it work on his own. There was only so far he could go by watching other shinobi from afar and trying to recreate it by himself. He needed a real teacher, one that would take him seriously and could give him some structure. He needed to get stronger or he might never escape this village. Gai was certainly unconventional but he might be the teacher Naruto needed.
Gai watched his genin from beneath the shade, taking a rare moment to sit still and take things in. Naruto struggled with the box, his legs shaking as he dumped it heavily into the cart. The boy took a moment to breathe before he walked back to pick up another.
They had gone to the mission assignment desk after their short training session to pick up Naruto’s first D-rank. There had been another genin team picking up their own D-rank and Gai had offered to let Naruto tag onto their team rather than tackle a mission on his own. The kid had vehemently denied it, snatching up the first scroll offered and stomping out of the room like he was afraid Gai wouldn’t give him a choice on the matter.
The mission had been one of the more heavy-going D-ranks available; a merchant was sending his stock to another village in the Land of Fire and required his cart to be packed. Gai knew this task really required a full genin team but he admired Naruto’s burning determination to get it done himself. The Springtime of Youth had a chance to blossom beautifully within his young pupil but the boy was so closed off.
A part of him had hoped that Naruto would work with that team; he hoped that Naruto would realise that it’s better to have a team to back you up, especially on missions. He should have known his apprentice would share the same desire to push himself to his limits that Gai had. It would be a slow process, fanning and building Naruto’s Will of Fire, but he knew the boy had it in him.
He had noticed that Naruto did not wear his hitai-ate; when he had asked the kid where it was, he had pulled it out of his pocket. He had tried to explain to the boy that he needed to wear it, proudly display it as a shinobi of Konoha, but Naruto had only asked if it was compulsory. Technically it wasn't a rule that a shinobi should display it visibly; it was just something that was expected. Naruto had immediately shoved it back in his pocket, stating that he would have it on him as proof of his rank and that he didn't see the need to put it on his clothing. It was a bit concerning that Naruto had so little pride in his village, going so far as to dismiss what should be a proud display of allegiance completely, but Gai hoped he could show him that the village would have his back. It was going to be an uphill battle.
Naruto heaved the last box onto the cart and turned to stare down Gai triumphantly. Another thing he had noticed with his new pupil; he was always ready to fight. Every time he had looked at Gai today, it was with a grumpy, challenging look that conveyed all the disdain he had for the world. The only time he had seen him smile and let his guard down was with Hokage-sama and even then it was brief. Gai knew Hokage-sama was hoping that Gai could get him to relax a bit; to start letting people in. From what Gai had observed, that would be a more difficult challenge than the Sandaime expected.
Gai grinned back brightly at his pupil, ignoring the obvious sigh and eye-roll that emerged whenever he did so. It was only day one; he had time to break through Naruto’s shell. He walked up to him, throwing him an earnest thumbs up before he met up with the client. He shook the man’s hand vigorously, wishing him a wonderful day and thanking him for the opportunity. The client didn’t return his enthusiasm but that had never deterred Gai; he would always lead by example.
He gestured for Naruto to follow him back towards the Mission Assignment Desk to report in and collect their mission pay. The blond trudged behind him, grumbling beneath his breath as they reached the village proper. Gai grinned brightly at anyone who looked their way but their attention was taken by his pupil next to him. Naruto glared back at the villagers and Gai’s smile faltered as he watched the exchange.
“Naruto-kun! How is your chakra control? We did not have time to go over the exercises earlier!”
Naruto looked up at him, the glare fading into consideration. The distraction was working.
“Shit.”
Gai blinked.
“Your honesty is a shining example to all those who wish to pursue the epitome of their Youth!”
“Sure, Gai-sensei.”
The kid’s answer did help to fit another piece of the puzzle to the picture Gai was building. This might be the root of his issues with bunshin and genjutsu. He would have to investigate it first before he suggested anything to his pupil but he had a good feeling about it.
Naruto was the first student that Gai had ever taken under his wing. He had been inspired by Kakashi to take a student; he couldn’t let his rival pass on his wisdom alone. It hadn’t been what he expected, Naruto hadn't been what he expected, but Gai was looking forward to what the future had in store. He already had so many youthful ideas about how Naruto-kun could improve and his taijutsu was only the beginning.
He was only nine, two years older than Gai himself had been when he graduated; he wasn’t set in his ways. There was still time for Gai to show him that it was for his benefit that he positively engaged with the rest of the village. A team could be as close as family if he was just willing to let other people in. Gai would just have to do his utmost to help Naruto bring out the very best of his Youth.