~~~
Naruto laid on the grass as he looked up towards the sky. It the day after the exam and he had no idea on what to do. Kakashi had proposed that he trained both him and Satsuki simultaneously.
Obviously Naruto declined that proposal.
It's not like he doesn't like Kakashi or anything — he just thinks it would be weird. And Naruto would rather see improvement in skill Satsuki's later on once the finals were being held.
But do not forget Sakura and her train. Kakashi made sure to not neglect her training and gave her instruction on what she could do for the 1 month time period that we got.
And better yet — Naruto was fighting Gaara.
While Naruto wasn't complaining because he did want to fight Gaara, he would just have quite the amount of trouble doing so. By no means was Naruto weak.
Nor was Gaara weak either.
But he won't be shaken up by such trivial matter. Nothing will. Naruto just simply needs to focus his energy onto training and he'll be just fine in the end.
Maybe.
Naruto then heard someone lay down right next to him. It was your favorite cloud-watcher.
"Ah, Shikamaru. What brings you here?" Naruto asked, not even bothering looking to the side because he already knew it was him without a doubt.
"I just saw you here laying on the ground; and I just thought of joining you, watching the clouds." Naruto sighed at those words. Though he wasn't complaining.
"I heard you're going to fight Temari in the finals. How'd you will do?" Naruto asked him. He hasn't talked with Shikamaru in quite some time in a one on one type of deal.
"Ah, that? That's troublesome and annoying. It's not worthy thinking about." Lesson learned, Naruto should've have not asked such a question to the troublesome Shikamaru.
"How about you? Gaara is strong. Even Lee wasn't enough to defeat him. Just barely." Naruto just stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about the fight that just happened yesterday.
"I know. Though I believe that win of his was just from sheer luck. Gaara managed to win through his own convenience," Naruto said, continuing to look up into the sky.
"Hm. I guess people believe in different things. Anyway, I'll get going; Asuma-sensei invited the team to congratulate me on going to finals. Though while it is troublesome, I appreciate it."
Naruto nodded silently before Shikamaru walked away from him. Once he had left, Naruto just gave out a deep sigh.
His declaration that he made with Gaara was just made out of sudden whim. It was unexpected, but it was worth while. Naruto closed his eyes, thinking about the events after.
Satsuki gave him a lecture about not doing anything reckless like that. Sakura tried her best to split Satsuki away from tearing Naruto's head apart.
Does Satsuki perhaps. . . Never-mind. It holds no important. Naruto thought. Personally, the thought that he had just got was quite childish thinking to him.
Surely it's not true. Naruto opened his eyes once. It's quite sad — sad that one day, everything that Naruto has built throughout his early years will all crumble and decay in seconds.
Out of my own accord that is.
~~~
Naruto had sweat pour down his neck as he fought a few of his Shadow Clones that he had summoned. The clone thrusted its arm towards Naruto's face in a quick speed.
He reacted with a dodge of his own. The pace of their punches and kicks were relentless in nature. Naruto jumped away, regaining his lost breath.
I can't fall behind. Naruto thought, jumping in the air to dodge an attack from one of the few clones. While he was falling back to the ground, one of the clones swung their fist towards his face.
Fortunately for Naruto, he managed to catch the fist just before it hit his face. Locking the clone down with a firm grip, Naruto pulled out a kunai from his pouch.
In a split second, the kunai pierced through the clone's skin, popping him out of existence.
Naruto sighed, wiping the sweat of his face. Without much more time, Naruto felt a sharp pain in the stomach from two of his clones. With quick thinking, Naruto brought out some wire strings.
The thin thread swayed through the air as Naruto reacted to the next few moves.
One clone was just right behind another clone. Naruto maneuvered his wire strings with such skill and finesse. Without the clone even noticing, the wire string wrapped around the wrist of him.
Naruto saw the other make his move towards him as well.
He then yanked the wire strings right towards himself, blocking the field of view that the last clone had. Droplets of sweat went on the ground as Naruto jumped right over the clone that had wire string attached to him.
Naruto saw the last clone pull a kunai. With another slick and quick motion, Naruto yanked the clone back and blocked the clone's room to attack him.
Before Naruto could initiate his next action, someone decided to interrupt him and his training.
"I came here to say goodbye for now." A sharp kunai pierced through the clone's neck, making him disperse in a cloud of smoke. Naruto sighed, knowing who exactly this person was.
"You interrupted my training, Satsuki," Naruto said, dispersing the clone that was attached to the wire strings in his hand. He looked towards her with a sweat figure.
She gave him a disgusted look.
"Here. It looks like you need this," she said, throwing a towel towards at him. It was unexpected, but he easily caught the towel that was aimed at his face.
"Thanks. . . I guess." Naruto walked towards Satsuki silently.
"Now tell me why you are really here," Naruto ordered her. She gave him a weird look before nodding her head slightly, indicating that she was going to talk.
"Well, I just wanted to check up on you." Naruto was quite confused. Why would she want to check up on him? Wasn't she supposed to go with Kakashi somewhere else?
"Why?"
"Is it wrong that I want to check up on you?" Naruto responded immediately with a firm and unshakeable nod.
"Of course. You normally wouldn't act like this. Though I do have a rough idea on why you are acting like this." Satsuki raised an eyebrow, before nodding her head in understanding.
"I guess you know, huh?" Naruto nodded, confirming those words.
"You're worried about me, right?" Satsuki nodded. He saw right through her thoughts like how he sliced through a slab of butter — Clean and smoothly.
"Is it wrong that I am? You're fighting Gaara and he's strong." Naruto was quite taken aback by this Satsuki. Normally he would just get a simple 'good luck' or something along those lines from Satsuki.
"I know. I'll be honest, my chances of defeating him is at about 50%. If I don't defeat him, then I'll just simply be defeated or worse — dead." He felt Satsuki pinch him lightly.
"Don't joke about death so lightly." Wow, Naruto was quite surprised on how. . . caring Satsuki seems right now. It was odd, and it made her look quite cute.
But never-mind that.
"I'm being quite serious here; there is no way I would joke about death so lightly." Satsuki stayed silent, but soon nodded her head at that statement that Naruto had just made.
"Just. . . be careful. I'd rather not fight a dead person." Naruto raised an eyebrow at her for a quick second before relaxing it back to its regular state.
"If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to fight you." She realized this mistake on her part. Clicking her tongue, Satsuki walked away from Naruto in silent.
"Good luck on your training."
~~~
"What is with people approaching me these days?" Naruto asked the person right in front of him. His tone was boring and lazy — a mixture of both.
He had long-white hair that had a wild look to it. He got a huge grin in return from the old man right in front of him.
"I heard you were fighting a strong opponent." Naruto nodded, knowing that the words of Jiraiya was indeed correct. He had a slight idea on what he was about to do.
"And so I though of. . . training you for the whole month!" Jiraiya declared with such pride oozing off of him. Naruto slightly dead-panned at this.
"I'll pass on that," Naruto said, surprising the old sage that offered to train him the whole month. His eyes widened in surprise as he pointed at Naruto with his index finger.
"Hah! This is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You shouldn't pass this up!" He yelled, bewildered by Naruto's response to his offer — which, in theory, would be quite irresistible.
"But what I am currently doing is passing that offer up. Am I wrong?" Jiraiya gave him a weird look before humming at Naruto with suspicion.
"Even though I'd like for you to reconsider, you probably won't and I would be wasting my time trying to do so." Naruto nodded at him as he sat at his table.
"Good. It seems you get the picture. Now, go away. I want to sleep. I have an early day tomorrow." Jiraiya sighed at Naruto's mature antics and nodded his head.
"God, this kid is such a handful," said Jiraiya, muttering this words under his breath so Naruto wouldn't be able to hear. He left the house with a sour face.
Naruto looked at the door for a moment or two before giving an amused grunt out of his body. He had heard what Jiraiya had muttered under his breath.
It seems I am now considered 'handful'. Naruto thought before laying on his bed. On the day of the battle, Naruto would have to have a plan go under action if he wanted to defeat Gaara.
Even if he defeats Gaara just barely, it'll be a win — a win for Uchiha-Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto.
No, not a plan. But to be more precise: to just get stronger to the point where Naruto would get a victory on his side. Then why decline Jiraiya's offer of training him?
Quite simple actually.
Only I know myself best. The second person who knows me best is Satsuki — nobody else. Even if you count people like Shikamaru, they don't know me as much as I know them. Naruto thought as he looked at the ceiling of his room.
That's why I think this is my best option. Naruto's bored eyes gazed at the window just right next to him. The moon shined on his face as he continued to think about random and trivial things.
Since birth, I never knew the love of my parents. I just knew that Madara and grandmother was the only people 'there for me'. I just knew how rotten this world truly is. Naruto's bored but piercing eyes had a longing look.
And once I learned of that, I came to a realization of the reality of the situation — I was sitting alone. Completely and utterly alone. Since the beginning, there was no light. Only me. Myself. Naruto blinked for a moment or two before looking back at the ceiling.
That's why I decided to take matters into my own hands. The me that sat slowly started to stand up on his own two feet. Then he started walking. He created a path that he alone shall take and no one else shall. Naruto internally sighed.
And I'll continue to walk that path alone.
~~~
2 days have past since Naruto had talked to Jiraiya. He made a brief appearance, but soon got back to his daily activities that he loves doing in Konoha and everywhere else.
And Naruto?
Well, he was currently free-falling off of a waterfall that he had found not just too far away. And he was using it as a way to train himself. It was quite simple actually.
He just threw himself forward to initiate the free-falling that he wanted and intended to do. Then he would just wait until he was almost at the bottom before summoning a Shadow Clone.
Then that Shadow Clone would throw him up into the air and back up to the top of the water fall. Then he'll just simply repeat the process over and over again.
Quite simple, right?
As Naruto continued to fall down the waterfall in a free-fall, he summoned a Shadow Clone that appeared just a few seconds before he met the water.
The Shadow Clone threw him up the air and right back up at the top of the waterfall. Once he was at the top, he sighed and sat down in silence.
He had been going at this for an hour now.
And at this rate, he was kind of reconsidering taking the offer that Jiraiya had gave him.
No. No. No. Naruto thought, sighing at his own reconsideration that he had just displayed just now. He told that old sage that he didn't need his help for training.
I need to firm my resolve once more. Naruto thought, seeing the major flaw in that. His resolve had weakened over the years and Naruto wanted to strengthen it back up even stronger.
Now, back to Danzo. Naruto though, standing back up from his seated position. Danzo had yet to call Naruto back to the ROOT headquarters in quite some time.
That made Naruto quite uneasy to say the least.
What is he planning? Naruto thought. He was hoping that some kind of miracle would happen and that he would implant a mole on Danzo's side.
Someone that Danzo highly trusts but said person doesn't trust him back. But that happening is not likely at all — a once in a blue moon if you could say.
Sooner or later, I'll have to make my move and annihilate all of ROOT in one go. Naruto thought, thinking of such a day happening in the near future.
But to do so, I need to get stronger much faster. At my current level, I won't even be able to defeat 10 ROOT Anbu that Danzo commands. He sighed as he stood at the edge of the waterfall.
Once these Chunin Exams are over, I'll need to up my training my ten folds. The current me is not enough to complete this short-term goal. Naruto's hair sway through the air as he jumped right off of the waterfall.
This short-term goal is merely a stepping stone. And the steps that are leading to the end of the said stone are just simple battles of wit. Naruto was repeating the process once more.
That's right. These events leading up to ROOT's destruction and annihilation are merely a test of our wit and intelligence. While I do admit, I may have lost a few of them like the day the Uchiha Massacre happened, but I won't let it outdo me. Naruto summoned a Shadow Clone.
Because while he and I might be exchanging wins here and there — that's all minor. What truly matters is who between the two of us will win the war. Naruto's Shadow Clone grabbed hold of him—
And I'll be the one that wins it. The clone threw him back up towards the top of the waterfall.
~~~
"Ouch," Naruto said as he walked out of the water that engulfed his entire body from head to toe. He sighed as he looked back from his current position.
It was the waterfall that he was using to train.
Just a minute or two ago, Naruto had failed his calculations and didn't summon a Shadow Clone in time. Thus making him hit the water. Quite a sad sight to see.
Naruto looked back, making his back face the deep water right behind him. He crashed down on a tree. Vigorously shaking his head and making the water scatter around, Naruto spotted a branch that had fallen off a tree nearby.
Picking the branch off of the ground, Naruto looked towards the side. There was mud that got wet from the water, making it to where Naruto could draw out his own thoughts.
I could say I have a plan for Gaara, but I really don't. On the other hand, I could plan out my day for the next few weeks or so. Naruto thought, sticking the stick inside of the mud.
He started to drag the stick through mud, drawing out his thoughts on the wet mud. Naruto knew that most of the days during th next few week will consist of him training.
But!
Even though he will be training non-stop for the next few weeks, he'll have to take breaks as well. If he tries and go further than his limits' limit, then his body will break down.
And in the worst case scenario, he'll die due to pure exhaustion. That's why Naruto will be needing breaks from time-to-time. If he feels like his body is going to kill him, he'll simply just a take break.
Though the amount of breaks he takes will be needed to be kept to the minimum. Anymore than what's needed will certainly cost him in the long run.
Naruto had drawn a large rectangle that he'll plan out his day. The thing that's important is what are the days that he will take breaks? If he were to simply just let the waters flow and decide to take a break when he wants a break will not suffice.
The water that was still dangling off of Naruto fell on the wet mud.
Naruto carefully decided what he wanted to do. 2 days of rest in both Tuesday and Thursday seemed quite ideal, but is 2 days of rest really that worth it?
Probably.
Probably not.
That's why Naruto wiped off the previous planning and started a new one. His expressionless and bored face stared at his final decision that he had just made.
Naruto sighed at himself.
He decided that he would take a necessary break every Wednesday. And the chances of him changing that will be considered slim-to-none. While it was only one day, it'll probably be ab;e to sustain him.
Just maybe.
Naruto looked up towards the sky in utter boredom. He had quite the long way to go before be could be facing Danzo straightening myself.
Naruto's hair swayed through the daylight. He had to win this upcoming battle that he will have to do with Gaara. Why? The answer is quite simple.
This is just another stepping stone for me. Naruto thought as he slowly walked on the water.
~~~
DONE! This shall be the end of the chapter. I'm quite sleepy so I'll keep this part short. This chapter goes over the aftermath of the declaration that Naruto had made towards Gaara.
And as you can see, Naruto is having trouble training, but didn't take the offer than Jiraiya had given me. Anyway, this is about it for me and what I wanted to say.
If you want, you can vote for this chapter. It is much appreciated.
But until next time.
CYA!