Of Truths, Training, and Treats
-Of Truths, Training, and Treats-
Sitting in the shade of a large oak tree, both Amaya and Jiraiya ignore the disgruntled groans and curses emitting from Naruto’s direction as they sat facing one another.
The duos training under the Sannin’s tutelage had officially begun— almost immediately after the balloons were purchased— and Naruto, for lack of a better word, was struggling.
The first task in his training was pretty simple in Amaya’s opinion, well, as simple as it would be to anyone with an understanding of chakra control. All he had to do, was rotate or spin the water inside the balloon until it popped— using nothing but his chakra.
Amaya knew she could do it with her eyes closed, however, she refrained from doing so in order to keep both Naruto’s morale and expectations at a moderate level of intensity. Besides, she had her own growth to worry about and deal with.
With that thought in mind, she looks up from her lap, only to find Jiraiya already staring down at her thoughtfully.
“You need to tell me happened.” The older male states suddenly, elaborating further when she responds with a curious expression. “When you broke through Itachi’s Genjutsu. What happened?”
“I don’t know how I did it...” Amaya replies, looking down as she begins plucking at the blades of grass that tickled her ankles. “I just stoped being scared and sad and started feeling angry... There was this— this heat in my chest and it kept spreading and spreading. The next thing I know, I’m hitting the ground barely conscious.”
“But you know why.” Jiraiya states, making her look back up to him. “The look on your face tells me that much.”
Amaya nods silently to his question, beginning to weigh the options that were buzzing around in her mind. It wouldn’t— shouldn’t hurt to tell the Sannin what she knew. She’s known him since she was in diapers and despite his perverse nature and silly antics that get him into trouble more often than not, she knew him to be a trustworthy person that could offer intelligent advice on matters such as these. Plus, it helped that it was kind of in his area of expertise.
“I... I haven’t been exactly truthful when asked about my Kekkei Genkai... No one in our Clan really is when it comes to outsiders.” Amaya informs as a light tinge of pink colors her cheeks at the word choice. “We just let them assume things and let those assumptions build up until they become a common knowledge to people who don’t know any better.”
Jiraiya hums thoughtfully. “Then why? What’s the point of all of the secrecy?”
“Because people like Orochimaru exist.” Amaya replies bluntly. She then looks to the side and brushes her bangs from her eyes. “Saa~… Since before the ninja villages were created, there have been people or organizations who wanted to use our Kekkei Genkai as a means to an end. A way to succeed in their own selfish ambitions... Eventually, isolation became the only solution for the Minamoto.” She then meets his gaze. “I never truly understood what I read in our scrolls or heard about from older Clan members— At least, not until the Chunin Exams. Everything seemed to click into place after I witnessed Neji Hyuuga and Rock Lee’s preliminary matches.”
“The Minamoto don’t have special Doujutsu like the Hyuuga’s Byakugan or the Uchiha’s Sharingan, but we do have exceptional sensory abilities... Where their power lies in their eyes, ours is in our very own chakra— our genetic makeup. Many of the elders say that it runs parallel with Senjutsu, so it’s much more delicate and complicated than simply “bending” or “manipulating” elements to our will... Like our jutsu, which is compartmentalized into levels based on difficulty and experience of the user, our Kekkei Genkai is segmented into three stages.” As she says this, Amaya raises her hand and begins to count on her fingers. “The first step is the study of Taijutsu— our bodies have to be prepared and durable enough to withstand the wear and tear that our Kekkei Genkai may cause. The second is where jutsu and elemental aspects come into play.”
“And the third?” Jiraiya asks, his brain working overtime to absorb all of the information the brunette was sharing.
Amaya’s brows furrow. “Supposedly, the third stage is when the Kekkei Genkai is in its purest and strongest form. It’s almost as if everything is wired differently. Our chakra limiters are broken and permit a constant absorption of natural energy— more so than usual... Naruto, Itachi, and Kisame barely got a taste of the real thing. However, it’s a rarity to achieve, even among the oldest clansmen.“
“And the Minamoto are the only ones capable of doing this?” Jiraiya questions as he leans back onto his hands, staring up at the sky.
Amaya shakes her head, her cheeks flushing a second time. “Saa~… That’s sort of another misdirect... I’ve heard rumors but have never personally met another person with a similar bloodline trait— though I’m sure they exist or had existed at some point in time.”
All is silent between the two after that and Jiraiya had yet to meet Amaya’s gaze, his actions making her nervous and weary for sharing such key information. Minutes pass before the Sannin suddenly raises up, snapping his fingers as a wide grin forms on his face. “I got it!”
Amaya flinches back in surprise and stares up at the man in bewilderment. “Got what exactly...?”
If possible, Jiraiya’s grin grows even wider. “Meditation! We’ll start with meditation.”
Amaya tilts her head to the side curiously. “I don’t see how that’ll be any different from my original training regimen...?”
Jiraiya holds up a hand, effectively stopping her from continuing. “That was before you started showing signs of the ‘third stage’— as you call it.” He then lowers his hand and shrugs. “Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen? You’ve already have the technical part under your belt from previous training and studying. So, the next step to understanding the power is how to actually utilize it.”
The Sannin pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing. “If what you say is to be believed and the Minamoto’s Kekkei Genkai actually runs parallel with Senjutsu, then we should treat this training as if you were actually learning Sage Techniques. In order to do that, we must start with meditation. You have to learn and become comfortable in molding the absorbed natural energy with your physical and spiritual energies evenly.”
Amaya nods along slowly as she straightens her back and rests her hands on her thighs with palms facing upwards— her usual pose for meditation. She then goes to close her eyes but hesitates, peering up at the older male through her lashes. “How will I know if I’m doing it right? Molding the energies...”
Jiraiya’s shakes his head, smiling softly. “Don’t think too hard on it, you’ll know when it happens... Since this is your Kekkei Genkai and not some old technique that I’m teaching you, I’m sure that you’re body is handling the molding process differently... What I want you to focus on, is what you felt in here.”
Amaya follows his hand with her eyes, her nerves easing slightly when he points to her chest, where her heart would be. Looking back up to his face, the brunette nods a second time and sends him a small, halfhearted smile. “Okay— I think I can do that...”
Jiraiya chuckles in response and silently motions her forward with his hands before crossing his arms over his chest.
***
Swallowing thickly, Amaya closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she begins to block everything unimportant or distracting out of her mind. She focuses on her chakra first and feels a small bubble of amusement form in her chest as it begins to thrum in a familiar manner.
After following through with the various exercises that had been taught to her, Amaya eventually turns her attention to the small feeling of warmth that still resided in her chest. It sparks, building slightly in intensity but nothing more, leaving the brunette with mixed feelings of both disappointment and annoyance.
Determined to make a smidgen of progress, Amaya quickly pushes her doubts aside and presses once again, this time using her chakra to call the feeling forward. The effect is different this time around. Something clicks and her heart-rate increases, adrenaline kicks in and the feeling of liquid fire begins coursing though her veins, rushing to the tips of her toes and fingers.
Amaya smiles slightly at the feeling, though it quickly fades as everything begins to calm— reverting back to its previous state.
***
Jiraiya, who had been observing the Minamoto all this time, feels the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as the girls chakra spikes. It’s almost visible as it swirls around her body in faint, white streams.
Naruto, sensing the change, turns away from his task, his worry growing as he focuses on his friend. He murmurs the girls name and takes a step forward, only to stop as Jiraiya holds up his hand in a silent gesture for the blond to stay put.
The spike, however, doesn’t last long and as soon as it calms, Amaya’s eyes snap open. She lets out a harsh gasp as her one of her hands, now clammy, flies up to her chest in attempts to calm her racing heart.
Jiraiya leans forward and places a comforting hand on her shoulder, his actions garnering her attention. “Well...?”
Amaya shakes her head. “I— I had...something... I just couldn’t hold onto it.”
“I see...” Jiraiya hums, and although he wasn’t surprised, his owns feelings of disappointment put a damper on his mood. Letting out a deep sigh, he reaches up and ruffles Amaya’s hair, sending her a small smile. “I guess this is gonna be harder than I thought.”
Days turns into weeks, and although the two had made little headway in their tasks, Amaya and Naruto were determined to see the training through until they found Tsunade and returned to the village.
It was like clockwork. The two would wake up at or around dawn each day, have breakfast, and then leave a still sleeping Jiraiya behind at the hotel while they retreated to their small clearing to train. There, Naruto would continue to struggle in popping the balloon, while Amaya alternated between her regular training regimen and attempting to enter the third stage of her bloodline trait.
At least, that was until Naruto had a sudden epiphany while watching the hotel owner’s cat bat around one of the water balloons, giving him the idea to use both hands to rotate the water instead of one, thus moving him on to the second stage of his training— popping a rubber ball.
***
“How many days of doing the same thing over and over...?” Naruto questions aloud as he drops to the ground, looking over to watch Amaya as she kicks one of her clones into a tree, making it disperse.
Panting, Amaya shrugs and hunches over, resting her hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath. ‘Maybe I should’ve went back with Gai-sensei and Sasuke... I could’ve been to the Main Residence and back by now with some answers.’ The brunette thought to herself, disgruntled.
Seeing as he wasn’t going to receive a verbal response, Naruto let’s out another sigh and stands up, picking up the rubber ball with a newfound determination. “All right.”
However, before either could do anything more, Jiraiya makes his first appearance in what seems like a thousand years. “Hey, Naruto! Amaya!” He calls, making the two turn in his direction.
“What are you doing here, Pervy Sage?” Naruto asks, unimpressed.
Jiraiya grins. “I want you two to hop into town and grab me some lunch.”
“Huh? Why do we have to?” Naruto asks again, now more annoyed than anything.
“I’m your teacher, and a student is always obliged to obey his teacher.” Jiraiya informs, crossing his arms over his chest.
Amaya rolls her eyes and raises up, tightening her ponytail and tucking away any flyaway curls as Naruto lets out an aggravated groan.
***
-A Few Minutes Later-
After paying the vendor, the walk back to the clearing was silent.
Amaya glances at Naruto from the corner of her eye, taking in his pinched eyebrows and deep scowl. “Saa~… You’ll figure it out.” She states, making the blond turn to her. “It might take a while, but you’ll get it.”
“Doesn’t seem that way.” Naruto grunts, though his expression relaxes slightly.
Amaya smiles softly and opens her mouth to respond but pauses as a little boy’s voice stands out amongst the village’s bustling streets.
“Dad, buy me some ice cream! I want this one that cracks. Please?”
Naruto, feeling the brunette’s presence disappear from his side, stops and turns around, finding her staring at something across the street. Following her gaze, both watch as the boys father purchases the ice cream without complaint and breaks it in half.
“There ya go!” The older male says with a smile as he hands the treat to his son.
“Aw, I’m big now! I can eat the whole thing myself!” The little boy replies, reaching for the other half.
His father shakes his head moves the ice cream out of reach. “No, we’ll share. Besides, what would your mother say if I let you spoil your supper?”
“Okay...”
As the two walk away, Amaya grits her teeth and looks upwards, willing the sting behind her eyes away.
Naruto looks back to his friend, his own heart hurting. “Amaya...”
Ignoring him, Amaya shakes it off and marches forward, taking the bag from his hand. “Lets go, Naruto.” She orders without meeting his gaze, forcing him to silently comply as they make their way out of the busiest part of the village.
Jiraiya snaps awake, jolting upright in surprise as a sudden weight is dropped onto his lap. Looking up, his eyes immediately find the two Genin he had sent off earlier.
There’s a pregnant pause that follows after and Amaya rolls her eyes. “Saa~… Is there anything else?” She asks with a heavy and annoyed sigh, tucking her hands into her pockets.
Jiraiya grins cheerfully and moves his focus onto the bag resting on his lap. “Nope! Now, how about you two have a seat? Take a break from training for a bit... Who knows, maybe I’ll even share some of my lunch with you.”
Something shifts in the brunette’s expression and Naruto swallows thickly as he looks in between the two, a small part of himself wary of speaking up.
Finally, and with another deep sigh, Amaya turns and begins walking away. “I’ll pass.”
Jiraiya returns his gaze back to the Minamoto. “Wha— Hey, squirt, where are you going...?”
Amaya felt as if the air had been knocked from her lungs at the familiar nickname, however, she refused to let it be shown on her face as she pauses in her trek to look over her shoulder at the two males. “I’m takin’ a walk... Don’t follow me.”
With that being said, the brunette continues on her way, leaving Naruto and Jiraiya behind.
“What was that about?” Jiraiya questions after a long moment of silence, looking up to the concerned blond standing next to his seated form.
“It’s... complicated.”