naruto studied become a seal master

chapter 2- a chance discovery

Naruto was so happy he could almost skip as he made his way through Konoha. He would never actually skip, no never, for that wasn't very shinobi-like. No sir. But he was so excited he couldn't help but at least giggle. He had finally done it. He had made his way through jiji's library of beginner fuinjutsu books, and now, he held a new, blue book under his arm. He could finally start moving on to the advanced stuff!

His mood slightly soured, and he made a tiny pout.

Well, not really the advanced stuff. Jiji had said he still had to move on to the medium-level books, but hey, that was still an improvement! His determination back in his eyes, he vowed to be the best ninja in the village at fuinjutsu, just like the Yondaime was before him.

Though he would never admit it, Naruto was very self-conscious when it came to his own talent. Sure, he liked to talk big and would fight tooth and nail to back it up, but whenever he had to compare himself to the likes of Sasuke or even Kitsune, he would feel disappointed in his own ability.

Not for a lack of trying. He would spend hours trying to mimic what Nee-chan and Kitsune-san would teach him, but he still felt as though he was coming up short. The fact that he had advanced to his current level of fuinjutsu all by himself made him beam and swell with pride. He had become entranced the second he'd laid his eyes on that book in jiji's office.

He still didn't know what it was, but something about seals just clicked with him. It was exhilarating to finally find something he was good at, but when he learned in class that his hero, the Yondaime, was also a seal master, it was just even better.Naruto couldn't help but snicker at the memory of the teacher's face when Kitsune had arrived with him back at the academy a few weeks ago. He had never seen anyone's face turn that pale before. He had forgotten what kind of effect Kitsune's presence tended to have on other people. He always forgot how big a deal he was due to the way he treated him. Kitsune would always take the time to listen to him, and he'd always rub his hair when he left.

At first it bugged him like it would with any other kid, but he eventually grew fond of the sign of affection and looked forward to it (although he would never admit it).

So there he was, not skipping, clutching his first, grade 2 fuinjutsu book under his arm. All the while ignoring the angry stares and whispers that would erupt as he passed by. It was the weekend and Iruka had decided to cut the class some slack by not giving them any homework. Now with all this free time, he made his way towards his second favorite spot in the village. It was too hot today to sit on the rocky head of the Hokage monument. Instead, he headed out towards the training grounds Kitsune had shown him once or twice.

As he entered training ground 7, he headed off towards the opposite edge of the clearing sheltered under the shade of the looming trees. He kept strolling until he finally found a place that satisfied him and popped a squat. Easing back against the roots, he excitedly tore open his new book.

His excitement quickly bettered out when he saw nothing but a blank page. He is eyebrows burrowed in confusion, and his heart started to sink as he skimmed through the rest of the book to find that all of the pages were blank.

What was going on? Jiji wouldn't just give him an empty book. He bet it was that new receptionist. She must have done something to switch the covers. But she had seemed so nice to him before…

He turned back to the beginning and found a letter taped to the inside cover.

Naruto peeled it off as he easily as he could without damaging the book and proceeded to rip open the letter. He skimmed through the message before groaning and slumping back against the tree.