The Strength of the Weak {A Naruto Fanfiction}

The Strength of the Weak - Chapter 37

The fire gradually spreads across her hand, completely covering it in flames, but this time Satomi doesn't flinch away. 

She feels no pain.

Opening her eyes, Satomi is faced with her hand encased in a body of flames, however, her hand isn't getting burned. She had figured it out.

"I did it! Naruto-kun, this is all thanks to you!" she cheers in excitement, holding her hand up high while still concentrating just enough to keep her hand from burning. Naruto scratches his head, not understanding what he had done to help.

"Just like the first step, you helped me without even knowing it. What I had to do was keep my hand covered in the protective layer, and instead of trying to add flames everywhere I just added it to the center of my palm so that it would travel across my hand as I added more."

Naruto nods, not understanding the logic behind her jutsu but still pretending to as to not look like a fool.

"Now I just have to... to show..." Satomi mutters out, her eyelids gradually falling down lower and lower. She had exhausted herself to the brink of unconsciousness, barely able to stand up at this point.

"Satomi-chan!" Naruto calls, throwing his arms out and catching Satomi before she can collapse. Satomi doesn't open her eyes, merely letting herself drift off into a much-needed sleep. Naruto sighs and places her on the ground gently, putting his backpack behind her head as a makeshift pillow.

Ryouichi wasn't due to check up on her for another 45 minutes, so he would just let her sleep until he arrived and took her back to their room. 

Besides... Naruto couldn't stop now, when he had finally found his resolve to complete this!

::

Upon reaching the clearing, Ryouichi sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. Lying unconscious in the middle was Satomi, exhausted from her training. A large skid mark was near her, where he assumed a body had slid across, although neither Naruto nor Jiraiya was in sight.

That led him to one conclusion...

Jiraiya had come and brought Naruto to his room... but he left Satomi.

How thoughtful.

Waltzing over to Satomi's side, Ryouichi leans down and picks her up, cradling her in his arms whilst being mindful of her charred left hand. To be completely honest, Ryouichi was impressed with Satomi's determination and perseverance.

When he had made the jutsu, he hadn't worked nearly as hard as this girl did to master it. As soon as he got even slightly burned, he would give up hope and leave the jutsu unfinished. 

Perhaps that's why it took him six years to master.

Ryouichi has always had an affinity for genjutsu, easily being able to cast, release, and recognize even the most precise of its kind. Not only that, but his taijutsu was also extremely sufficient. Where he lacked was most definitely his ninjutsu.

That's why the only technique that he uses that isn't a basic jutsu is this one. And even so, he hardly ever uses it in battle, since he would rather use either genjutsu or taijutsu in almost any given situation.

Yet here this girl is, an Uchiha nonetheless, working restlessly to master a ninjutsu he hardly cared for. 

Satomi has yet to fail to impress him.

::

Satomi P.O.V.

Slowly opening my eyes, I spot Ryouichi-sensei sound asleep next to me. Not only that, but I was in the bed we shared in the hotel... what time is it?

Gazing out the window, the sun is just beginning to rise over the horizon. So it's morning...

"I found you passed out in the clearing, yesterday evening. Am I correct to assume that you used all of your chakra, Satomi?"

Turning around, I see Ryouichi-sensei sitting up in bed, his visible eye watching me. I purse my lips and nod, remembering the moment I had passed out.

"Yeah... but it was worth it," I state, walking over to the bathroom. Ryouichi-sensei gets out of bed, quietly making his way over to the kitchen.

"How so?"

"I figured out how to do the second step."

Ryouichi-sensei pauses in his steps, trailing his eyes over to me emotionlessly. I take his silence as an incentive to show him my progress, holding out my hand and coating it with the protective layer of chakra, then streaming the flames into it effortlessly. 

"Very good. While we're here, I'll teach you the last step," Ryouichi-sensei says, walking over to me. He holds out his hand, lighting it on fire before the flames grow intense and morph into the shape of a dragon's head.

"The last step is to add more power to the flames, but keep it in the shape of the dragon's head. The most difficult part of this step is keeping the flames from losing control while maintaining the power behind it. Once you master this step, you will have mastered the jutsu."

Nodding my head, I let the fire on my hand dissipate, heading towards the bathroom to freshen up for the day.

"One more thing, Satomi," Ryouichi-sensei calls out, "We are heading out to a nearby town today. Jiraiya caught word of Tsunade's whereabouts, so we are going to head there while we still can."

"I understand."

::

"Excuse me, but have you seen a lady that looks like this?" Jiraiya asks the man in front of him, holding a picture of Tsunade in his hand. We were currently in a gambling hall in the town Tsunade was rumored to be in, asking around here since she apparently has a gambling problem.

Ryouichi-sensei was talking to another man on the other side of the room, asking the same questions as Jiraiya, while Naruto and I were waiting patiently at the door. Naruto was simultaneously training, attempting the last step of his jutsu, which was also the most difficult step.

Perhaps I could learn from his mistakes and apply them to my own jutsu.

As he struggles to keep the power of his chakra in check, the balloon bursts and chakra is released into the room. I frown, putting a hand to my chin thoughtfully. This step isn't much different from my own... I can learn from this process.

Hell, if I could practice my jutsu in here, I would.

But I don't want to set the building on fire.

"Alright, our best bet is to get to high ground and look for her from there," Jiraiya concedes, walking over to the two of us when the man gave him his information. Ryouichi-sensei waltzes over shortly after, not having any useful information.

"Where is this castle, Jiraiya?" Ryouichi-sensei asks as we travel through the streets, Naruto and I a few steps in front of the two sannin. Jiraiya looks around in confusion, spotting a set of walls towards where we are heading.

"The castle is supposed to be in plain view... but apparently something happened."

Suddenly, a few civilians pass by us, screaming in terror. They came from the way we are heading, meaning one thing...

"Excuse me, sir, what's going on?" Ryouichi-sensei asks, grabbing the attention of a man. He stops in his tracks, glancing around nervously in fear of what he had just presumably seen.

"T-There's a monster! A giant snake, it took out the castle with one blow!" he exclaims, running off as soon as he finishes his statement. Jiraiya and Ryouichi-sensei narrow their eyes suspiciously, likely having the same thought.

"Snake?" Naruto asks, thinking back to the attack on Konoha. The word snake causes a sharp pain to run up my shoulder, centering around the curse mark Orochimaru had given me. I bite my lip and gently rub it, catching Ryouichi-sensei's eye warily.

The snake was most definitely one of Orochimaru's summons.

::