Chapter 39 : Promises (1)
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My Nindo, my Ninja Way, is to never go back on my word. When I make a promise, I keep it, no matter how difficult the task.
I feel like everyone, even monsters, need to live by a code. A code made by one's self, a way of life to follow above all else – like a Nindo. We – shinobi – have to sacrifice what we believe for the sake of our people, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't believe in something in the first place.
After all, it's better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.
And even monsters can love.
I would know, because I have loved.
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The training with Maito Gai had passed by quickly, and Naruto had learned so much from the man. He was almost positive that he worked his genin harder than anyone else, but it had made the three shinobi better. The blond was taught that patience was a key factor when teaching genin. They did not learn as fast as he did, so they warranted more attention, more guidance.
Discipline, patience, and a whole lot of hours were required in training the lower-ranked ninja, and Naruto was sure that he'd learn something new and different from his next senpai.
Sarutobi Asuma was the Lord Third Hokage's son, and, as expected, was a skilled shinobi. He had made jonin fairly early in his career, and was even inducted into the Twelve Guardians, where he protected the Fire Daimyo with the other top-notch shinobi in Hi no Kuni.
Naruto knew that his Jiji and Asuma didn't really get along all that well, and that having someone the man considers a grandson attached to him and his team would annoy him a little. The Uzumaki was just glad that he was actually going to try his best to help him in his quest to becoming a better teacher.
Naruto was touched that everyone from Team Gai were upset from him having to leave so soon, even Neji. He had offered a lot of pointers to the entire team, even helping Gai with whatever he could.
Lee had benefited the most from the whole thing. He finally had someone who was capable of handling his never-stop personality. With Neji, he would hold back, not wanting to reveal all of his secrets to his rival. With Naruto, he had the perfect training partner. There was no holding back, and Lee was able to test his more lethal moves.
Tenten had used him as a target dummy for the two weeks they knew each other. She had claimed that he was fast enough that he wouldn't – or shouldn't – get hurt, and that it would help her reaction time. The blond had seriously questioned her logic, but played his role nonetheless. If it helped his fellow Konoha-nin better protect the village, he'd let her stick him a few times, if that's what she needed.
The last two days, Neji had really taken to Naruto, and even though it took him so long to warm up to him, he was glad the boy opened up. Sparring with a Hyuuga genius was always fun, and that's exactly what Neji was, a genius.
The young Hyuuga had mastered many of the Main Houses techniques of his clan, even though he was a Branch member, Naruto having been told that bit of personal information by Gai. When he saw the genin launch the crippling Hakke Rokujuyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) at him during one of their private spars, he was actually surprised. The maneuver was an extremely advanced one, and the Hyuuga prodigy did it flawlessly.
When Naruto had flared his chakra to the point of visibly being encased in it, and reopening his tenketsu, Neji was shocked into silence. He had just stood there, taken the deadly blows, and looked like nothing had happened afterwards. It kind of scared the genin, but he quickly reassured himself that the Kamikage was as loyal as shinobi get, and after getting to know him, realized he was kind – when he wanted to be.
Naruto had made it perfectly clear that he was no poster child for kindness or the like, and that he was Konoha's monster, her demon slayer, her sword and shield. He didn't want people to get the wrong idea about him just because he was being friendly with them.
The day before his rotation, Gai had approached Naruto, asking if they could speak in private. Naruto was a little hesitant at first, but agreed shortly after, already trusting the man after spending two weeks with him.
"What is it you'd like to talk about, Gai-san?" The blond asked politely. He could feel the man's mind, but it was rude to end a conversation that was serious in nature just because you already knew what was going to be said.
"Naruto-san," Gai began, "in the two weeks you've been assigned to me, I've probably learned more from you than you have from me." The tone and the way the taijutsu specialist spoke to him was something the blond had never witnessed before. Gone was the goofy, eccentric 'handsome devil,' and in his place stood a serious shinobi of Konoha. "I know that the assignment was to better your teaching skills, but if I didn't know better, I'd think the Lord Hokage sent you here for different reasons." Let it be known the Maito Gai was not the complete idiot everyone thought him to be.
Naruto gave a small chuckle. "Then it's a good thing you know better." He replied, leaning against the tree he was closest to. Gai had brought him into the forests of Training Ground Nine, so said trees were in great numbers. "But let's say you didn't know better, what would you think the Lord Hokage's true intentions were, attaching me to the genin teams I mean?" He really wanted to see how perceptive his fellow jonin was.
"I'd say he's trying to get you access to a certain someone without letting other certain someone's know about it." Gai smirked. "And the rest of the genin squads are just a cover, so that the third party doesn't see what's truly going on." That's when Naruto knew that Maito Gai was brilliant. Not only was he far more perceptive than most trained ANBU, but he hid it behind a wall of, well, green spandex. "The real mystery though, is why it's such a big secret." If Naruto didn't know the man so thoroughly, he would have taken him into the Hokage, where he would face whatever their leader commanded. He did know the man, however, and knew where his loyalties were.
Gai was very close with Kakashi, the two were best friends after all, and that meant that the spandex-clad man knew more than most. He knew that Itachi was a member of Team Ro, alongside Naruto, and most likely knew that they were at the very least close. It was common sense that the two youngest members would become friends quickly, being so outnumbered by older, more experienced adults.
So, Gai knew that losing him would have been hard for the boy, no matter who he was. He was still human, despite popular belief, and the loss of someone close to you hurts. When he began to think about the odd assignment, he realized that it was strange. Given his close history with Kakashi, all the Lord Third had to do was assign him to that team, and that team only. He'd learn everything he would need with just him.
That meant that there was a reason he couldn't just be given to Kakashi, or at least that was what Gai had concluded.
Naruto just smiled. The man was a jonin after all. Hiruzen knew that it would have caused trouble if he gave Naruto to Kakashi's team, knowing that Danzo would become suspicious. Naruto knew the truth, and Danzo knew he did. He also knew that Naruto and Itachi were close, meaning that he was less than pleased with the outcome of the Uchiha Massacre. If he was suddenly spending all of his time with Itachi's little brother, it would have at least caused Danzo to be cautious.
The old war hawk didn't survive this long because he was extremely powerful – he was strong, just not the stuff of legends. He was the most secretive, paranoid, underhanded man the Hokage knew. If he caught even a scent of Naruto's plans for him that involved Sasuke, he'd strike at Naruto before the blond had a chance to. Something like that would force Naruto's hand, and he would have to kill the Root leader. The Uzumaki would not allow him to act on his own with radical action anymore; he could only take so much.
"Well, that is possible." Naruto said, surprising Gai. "It's a shame you'll never know." Gai caught the 'you'll' instead of 'we', insinuating that he already knew the real reasoning. Naruto felt the man's mood darken a little at that, so he decided to make it perfectly clear to the Jonin. "Gai-san, whatever the case may be, I have truly enjoyed studying under you." His smile was genuine. "Not only have you taught me new things, but I've made bonds with people near my own age. That's more than I've accomplished in years done in just two weeks." He took in a deep breath. "As long as I take breath in this world, your students will be safe, this I promise you. I will protect them with my life, like I will protect you, because no matter what else happens, I love my village and her people." His smile turned a little dark. "I'm a monster, Gai-san. You'll soon see what I'm capable of. And when you do, you'll know that I can keep my promise to you." He looked right into Gai's eyes, blue meeting brown and said, "And I never go back on my word, that's my Nindo, my Ninja Way."
Gai had originally asked to speak with Naruto to see if his thoughts about the real reason he was attached to so many genin teams were true, and then to warn him to never use his students for his own purposes again, no matter how small or innocent it was. But after speaking with him, after hearing what he had to say, for some reason, Gai had lost all hostility towards him.
'So this is the real Bringer of Hope, huh…' Gai thought as he looked at the teen in front of him. Not ten seconds later he went straight back to his exuberant self and fist-pumped into the air. "Yosh! Our flames of youth still burn brightly together then, Naruto-kun!" Naruto didn't miss the change from the more formal –san to the personal –kun. It was Gai's way of saying that he believed him, and they were no longer just comrades, but friends as well. "Now, before you leave us, we should find Lee-kun and run fifty laps around the entire village, on our hands!" The blond smiled.
He had found another person he could count on.
He had made another friend.