6 Chapter 6: Training and Bonding

Jiraya had seen many things in his life. He had been threw two great ninja wars, had seen the best as well as the worst faces of the human race. He had seen how kind as well as cruel humanity was.

During his long life he had met many people, some were good, some were bad, some were strange while some were outright evil.

He had trained four students, three of whom had died in war. His heart still broke whenever he thought about those three magnificent kids whom he had trained during the third great ninja war.

But still he was a shinobi and he had to endure. He still believed that his fourth student Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha was the child of prophecy and was the one who would lead the world to peace.

However the Fourth Great Ninja war was on the horizon, nations were mobilizing their armies and there was no sign of peace anywhere.

He was curious as to why he had been summoned to Mount Myoboko. There were not many times when he was called by the toads.

It was mostly when the Great Toad Elder had to make a prophecy.

That thought alone made Jiraya nervous, whenever the Elder made a prophecy the entire shinobi world would change, for better or for worse he was not sure about.

Standing in front of him were Fukasaka-sama and his wife Lady Shima. They both were the most senior toads in the entire toad clan after the Great Elder. They were also his teacher and partners in fighting.

"Why do you think the Great Elder has called me?" asked Jiraya curiously

"It is regarding the prophecy Jiraya-boy." said Fukasaka sagely

"Do any of you know something about it?" asked Jiraya, if there was anything the elder told someone it was these two.

"No, the stubborn old geezer just told us to summon you here. I bet he is getting more senile with each passing day." said Shima irritatingly

Shima didn't like the elder toad much, he was a stubborn old geezer. Although he was huge in size, he was a lazy old frog who just used to smoke all day. He used to blabber things from time to time but since he was the elder they had to listen to him. Shima didn't like when someone interuppted her cooking and this time the stubborn geezer had called her right during the middle of it.

That had really pissed her off.

"Maa, have some respect for the great elder!" chided Fukasaka

"You, Shut up!" said Shima irritatingly

"These two..." thought Jiraya tiredly, although both of them were strong and wise but they always behaved like little children.

Looking at the giant figure of the elder toad, another tired sigh escaped from Jiraya's lips when he saw the elder sleeping off peacefully. He could have written his Icha Icha : Forest Edition. Millions of his fans were waiting, but no! He had to wait for a stubborn old geezer to wake up.

"Its going to be a long day..."

(Konoha)

Minato and Naruto stood on the opposite sides of the training ground. Naruto had a serious look in his eyes and Minato was happy to see that his son was not a person who would take his training less seriously.

"Alright, Naruto now since your mother has taught you how to access your chakra, I'll teach you how to control it." instructed Minato seriously

"Control my chakra?" asked Naruto confusedly

"Yes, in order to perform any ninjutsu or genjutsu you need to first of all have a good control over your chakra. A jutsu is a combination of your physical and spiritual energy and they are executed through the application of hand seals. In order to do that I'll teach you chakra control exercises." explained Minato briefly

Naruto gave a firm nod indicating he understood his father. He knew what he was getting was a great honor. Many people would give anything to get training from the Hokage, Naruto knew even though his father wanted to train him from the bottom of his heart, he was a Hokage and was specifically devoting his time in training him which he could have used to help the village.

"I have to live up to everyone's expectations." thought Naruto with determination as he remembered what his mother had said about everyone in the village expecting great things from him.

Konoha was his home, this was the country he was born in. He would do everything to protect his motherland and would become powerful to protect it from enemies.

Minato saw the look in his son's eyes and a proud smile came on his face. His son was becoming a shinobi for the right reasons and he had a great determination in his eyes too.

"Alright, let's do this." said Minato enthusiastically

He then plucked a leaf from the nearby tree and handed it to Naruto, gaining a confused look from his elder son.

"Tou-san, what am I supposed to do with this leaf?" asked Naruto confusedly

Minato chuckled a little and ruffled his son's silky hair, earning a pout from Naruto.

"Well, this is the first chakra control exercise which you will learn. It is called Leaf Balancing." said Minato happily

"Leaf Balancing?" asked Naruto curiously and observed the leaf a little more closely.

"Yes, This training method is done by placing a leaf over an individual's forehead and having them direct all their chakra onto the leaf, using it as a focal point. This is the first exercise that will help you in controlling your chakra. Make the leaf float with the help of your chakra. Here I'll show you." said Minato briefly

Minato then tore another leaf from the tree and put it on his forehead. He then closed his eyes in order to concentrate and show his son how it's done.

Meanwhile Naruto was observing every minute detail of his father. He had watched how he had put the leaf at the center of his forehead, he could feel his father had now calmed his chakra. For a few moments there was nothing.

But then something started to change.

He used his sensor skills and was able to realize that his father was slowly sending his chakra to his forehead. Naruto closed his eyes to concentrate more and now he could feel a blue aura radiating around his father's body indicating the use of his chakra.

He could feel a stream of his father's chakra slowly concentrating around his forehead. It was slow and very calm, he opened his eyes and was surprised when he saw the leaf floating a few feet above in the air.

"I get it now." thought Naruto happily as he understood the entire exercise.

Being a sensor rocks!

"So, you see its done this way. Now you try it, but don't be sad if you aren't able to do it the first time." advised Minato

"You'll see, Tou-san." said Naruto with a smirk and put the leaf on his forehead

"(sigh) He is a little overconfident!" thought Minato tiredly, but he really was interested if his son could do it in the first time. Mikoto had told him that Naruto had great observation skills and if that was true then he would learn this exercise in no time.

"Stay calm and focused. I'll send a stream of my chakra as a tidal wave." thought Naruto firmly

Minato started sensing chakra radiating from his son's body. He was quite surpirsed by the power of Naruto's chakra. It was firm and strong, he could actually see his son possessing a powerful chakra in the near future.

Naruto was concentrating hard and had closed his eyes.

"Focus..." thought Naruto with determination and slowly started sending chakra to his forehead.

What happened next surprised Minato to the core.

The leaf on Naruto's head started floating slowly above his forehead. At first it was one, now two, three and finally it was five feet above Naruto's forehead and was flowing effortlessly.

"He mastered it in the first time!" thought a surprised Minato

"Nice and easy." thought Naruto happily and continued the process.

He was interuppted from his thoughts when he heard clapping. He slowly reduced his chakra and brought the leaf down slowly and caught it in his hands. He opened his eyes and was now face to face with his father who was having a vibrant smile on his face.

"I'm really proud of you. You mastered it in the first time." congratulated Minato happily and gave Naruto a pat on his shoulders.

"It was nothing, Tou-san." said Naruto sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"I admit this exercise is very easy, but even it took me a few minutes to learn it, while you mastered it in the first time. How did you do it?" asked Minato curiously with a smile

Naruto gave a small smile and decided to explain his father how he understood the exercise and its concept.

"I used my sensor skills in order to feel the way you used your chakra. You kept your chakra calm and concentrated it in a small proportion and used it to elevate the leaf, the key is not sending more chakra but in maintaining the flow." explained Naruto briefly

"He indeed has a very keen sense of observation. Mikoto-chan was right, our son is indeed smart." thought Minato proudly

"So, you used your sensor skills to determine the exercise and it concepts. Don't you think it was cheating?" asked Minato skeptically, he really wanted to know what beliefs his son had on becoming a shinobi and as such was testing him.

"Not at all. Kaa-chan told me, that shinobi use every tool they have to complete their objective. My sensor ability is my tool and if I use it for the greater good and protecting my precious people then I don't think I have cheated, Tou-san." said Naruto honestly

"Very well said. Always use the tools you have, no matter how small or insignificant they seem, they'll keep you alive." said Minato sagely

"Hai" said Naruto with a nod

"Now, since you are very good at controlling your chakra we will elevate your training to the next level." instructed Minato

"What is it, Tou-san?" asked Naruto curiously, he really was excited to see what new challenge his father had for him.

Minato chuckled a little on hearing his son's curious tone, he then walked towards a nearby tree and started walking on it just with the help of his legs.

"Let's see you try this time" thought Minato with a smirk

At first Naruto was shocked when he saw his father climbing the tree, but then he calmed his nerves. Every jutsu and technique had a way, he just had to find that key. He knew it won't be easy, but if he could keep his cool he could surely find a way.

Suddenly an idea popped in his head and he decided to try it.

Minato expected his son to jump and cry out in surprise but Naruto was acting strangely.

His son had strangely come forward and had now put his left hand on the tree and had closed his eyes. Minato didn't know what Naruto was doing.

"What is he doing?" thought Minato confusedly

He observed Naruto, he was trying to focus very hard. It was as if Naruto was trying to find an answer from the tree itself, his son really was a strange one. Minato didn't know what kind of person his son was, he was totally unpredictable and for a shinobi that was a good trait as your enemy would never be able to estimate your moves.

Minato observed Naruto for a few minutes, he hadn't moved from his spot and was in the same position. Naruto's face was hidden behind the facemask, so Minato was not able to see his emotions but he could see that whatever his son was doing was something unique and something which Minato had never seen.

After a few minutes, Naruto opened his eyes and a wide smile cracked on his face, it was as if he had cracked a jackpot.

"What's going on?" thought Minato in confusion, he was now sitting on top of the tree and was waiting for any type of response from his son.

He could just have asked his son, but from his experience as Naruto's father, Minato knew Naruto had very unique skills and was very different from the others. He had learned to walk when he was only a few months old, Naruto had his own ways and Minato wanted him to find his own path.

Naruto stepped a few meters back from the tree and stood straight.

"Alright, here we go." thought Naruto firmly

He then made the Ram hand seal and now Minato was really curious as to what his son was up to.

"WTF!" thought a shocked Minato, his mouth was wide open and his eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing.

One

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Naruto had slowly climbed each and every step of that 15 feet tree without stopping or using any of his hands. He didn't falter, he didn't lose balance, he didn't stop, he didn't lose focus.

He just climbed the damn tree itself in one single try.

"What is he?" thought a shocked Minato

He was shell shocked on seeing his son standing right beside him, hanging upside down from the tree. The cool breeze was making his silky blonde hair flow freely.

Naruto was relaxed, it was as if he had accomplished a daily task.

"Yo" said Naruto after some time as he realized his shell shocked father was standing beside him with a shocked expression on his face.

"YO! That's all you have to say!" yelled Minato in shock

"Eh? Tou-san..." said Naruto in confusion, he couldn't understand what was the big deal. Why was his father so shocked?

"You don't have a clue do you?" asked Minato with a tired sigh, his son was really oblivious that he had mastered a Jounin level chakra control technique in his first attempt.

Minato could now clearly see that his son was a prodigy that came in ages. His sense of thinking, his calm behavior, his intelligence all very closely resembled that to the Nidaime Hokage.

Naruto really shared a lot of traits with Tobirama Senju.

"It was just a simple exercise Tou-san." said Naruto simply, he didn't know the truth.

"It was a Jounin level chakra control exercise which you mastered, BAKA!" said Minato loudly, but he was very proud of his elder son.

"Really?" asked Naruto happily

"Hai" said Minato with a wide smile

"YAHOO!" said Naruto happily and jumped from the branch and landed gracefully on the ground.

Minato was quite surprised that his son had even used to chakra to land gracefully, despite being so much happy and excited.

"Scratch that he is not at all like Nidaime-Sama, Oh Shishui, your nephew has gone on you." thought Minato with a chuckle

"Naruto-NICHAN!"

Naruto turned around and was soon knocked over the ground by a powerful push. He crashed on the ground with a thud.

"Ow, that hurt man!" thought Naruto with a groan

Naruto looked up and saw his younger brother Itachi sitting on his chest with a vibrant smile on his face. His cereluen blue eyes were boring into Naruto's soul.

"Figures, leave it to him to do something reckless." thought Naruto bemusedly

He brought his right hand forward and poked his younger brother in the forehead.

"Ow, what was that for!" yelled Itachi in discomfort and rubbed his forehead with his little hands.

"That was for dropping me on my ass!" said Naruto with mock anger in his voice

"Watch your tongue, NARU-CHAN!" came a stern voice

"Oh, please anybody but her!" thought Naruto fearfully

He really was afraid when his mother got angry, he had a nasty habit of swearing sometimes and everytime his mother used to give him a proper lesson.

Itachi got a very devious smile on his face and decided it was payback time. Before Naruto could catch him Itachi ran back towards Mikoto quickly.

"Kaa-chan..." said a teary eyed Itachi and ran towards Mikoto

"Oh no!" thought Naruto fearfully

"Kaa-chan...Niichan...said meany words to me." said Itachi so innocently

"You little shit!" said Naruto in shock as his brother just landed him in a deep mess.

Mikoto came forward and gave Naruto three quick bops on the head.

"OW!OW!OWW!" yelled Naruto as he got a light bops on the head by his mother.

"Naru-chan...how many times have I told you not to swear." said Mikoto sternly

"Payback is fun." thought Itachi happily and stuck his tongue out at Naruto as he watched his elder brother being scolded by their mother.

"Hmmm...I do wonder jumping on your older brother isn't always nice." said Minato from behind Itachi

"TOU-CHAN!" yelped Itachi in surprised and fell down.

"Now..now..Itachi-kun...let's talk" said Minato with a devious smirk

"Oh SHIT!"

The Namikaze family sat in a small circle in the shade of the trees of the training ground.

Mikoto had brought snacks for all of them as it was morning and she felt that the family must be hungry.

Naruto and Itachi sat on the opposite sides, both had a bump on their heads though Naruto had slightly a larger bump. Both the boys were glaring daggers at each other as if saying it was the other's fault.

Mikoto giggled a little on seeing the reactions of both her sons, while Minato just settled for a small smile.

"So Naru-chan...I'm really proud of you. You have done a very splendid job today." congratulated Mikoto with a warm smile

"Yeah...Niichan..you were awesome!" said Itachi happily

Naruto ruffled his younger brother's hair with a smile, despite their little mischief both of them really loved each other.

"I still don't get how you learned the exercise Naruto?" asked Minato curiously

"Every Jutsu and technique has a weakness, I just had to find the key to this technique." said Naruto sagely

"That's all true, but I still don't get how you did it? I never explained the tree walking exercise to you in the first place." said Minato curiously

Naruto looked at his father, he had assumed his father had known what he was doing. Guess he was wrong, so he decided to explain it to him. His mother and brother were also looking at him curiously, both of them really wanted to know how he did it.

"I used my sensor ability." said Naruto simply and began the explanation

"Explain." said Mikoto curtly and Naruto nodded

"I used my sensor skills in order to feel the life force of the tree. Every living thing has life force and chakra, I slowly realized the tree's life force. It was very calm and I adjusted and sent chakra to my feet in the same relative proportion as the tree's life force so that I can connect with the object without any difficulty. As a result I never lost my balance as I was in perfect sync with the tree and reached the top. It was all about balance and maintaining control with the object." explained Naruto briefly

"I wish I was a sensor!" thought Itachi with a pout, he didn't understand what his brother had just said but he was still amazed by the abilities that his big brother possessed.

"He really has very good observation skills and the ability to understand things better." thought Mikoto proudly

"He was right, he has the brains for taking part in a war and protecting the village." thought Minato proudly

Naruto looked at the amazed faces of his family members. His little brother was looking at him as if he was a god, his mother had a few tears in her eyes while his father had a proud smile on his face.

"You really are one of a kind Naruto. Keep practicing like this and you'll sore high." said Minato happily

A small smile came on Naruto's face, this was what he always wanted. His entire family together with him, he knew his father had done so much for him today and he decided to say something which he had never said before.

"Thank you...Tou-chan." said Naruto with a small eye smile

Minato's eyes widened when he heard that suffix. It had been so long since he had been this close to his elder son, he slowly went forward to hug Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a second when his father came close to hug him, but his mother gave him a small encouraging smile and he accepted his father's hug.

Minato hugged Naruto tightly, words couldn't describe how proud and happy he felt. He had such a good family, a lovely wife and two good sons. What else would a man want from life?

He knew there was still a long way to go in improving their relationship but he felt as if this was the first step.

They broke the hug after a few moments, Naruto tried to give the best smile he could. He still was not comfortable so much but for his mother and father's happiness he wanted to try.

And the smile which both his father and mother had on their faces was well worth it.

But then Naruto noticed something that made him a little sad.

His younger brother, Itachi was sitting in a corner. He was trying to give a fake smile but Naruto knew his brother was hurt and was feeling a little jealous.

"You probably hate me, huh?" asked Naruto kindly, his voice was calm and quite. It was as if he understood his younger brother and his feelings.

Mikoto wanted to speak something, but Minato put a firm hand on her shoulder. Minato knew both the brother's were sharing their feelings and it was not wise to interrupt, they would explain Naruto's situation to Itachi later.

"That's not how I feel!" said Itachi quickly

"Its alright, you can tell me your feelings." said Naruto gently

Itachi tried to speak something but when he looked in his brother's kind eyes, whatever excuse he was gonna give just faded away.

"Father and mother only care about you Niichan." said Itachi sadly and dropped his head low.

Mikoto felt really sad when she heard that, she loved both her sons equally, both of them were precious to her. Thankfully Minato was standing beside her and telling her to keep calm and Itachi was a small child.

"I'll let you in on a secret." whispered Naruto in Itachi's ears

"What?" asked Itachi confusedly

"They only one they always talk about is you. Even the villagers look up to you and talk about you." said Naruto with a kind smile

"Really?" asked Itachi with surprise

"Hai, and you can always count on me loving you because you and I are flesh and blood. I am always going to be there for you, even if its just as an obstacle for you to overcome." said Naruto warmly and ran his hand through his shocked younger brother's hair.

"Naruto..." thought Mikoto and Minato happily on seeing the love between their children.

Naruto really was a very good big brother, he didn't scold his younger brother in fact he understood him and was trying to comfort him. Both the parents were proud of their elder son, he really was a good son.

"Niichan..." said a teary eyed Itachi

"Even if you do hate me...That's what big brothers are for!" said Naruto happily

That was enough, Itachi soon jumped on Naruto and hugged him more tightly. Tears were freely flowing from his eyes, he really loved his big brother.

No matter what happened he was always there for him, guided him, helped him, took care of him and always got him out of trouble.

"I don't deserve you...Niichan" said a crying Itachi

Minato and Mikoto had already came forward and had already hugged their younger son and were trying to comfort him.

"Nah, Its fine..I'm an awesome big brother aren't I?" joked Naruto playfully

"Hai" said Itachi with a small smile

Mikoto came forward and picked up Itachi as he looked a little sleepy, while Minato stood by her side. She gave a light kiss to Naruto and thanked him for taking care of his younger brother. Naruto just waved her off and told her to take care of Itachi.

"Kaa-chan...you do love me?" asked Itachi tiredly

"Ofcourse...I and your Tou-chan love you too silly. You are the star of our eyes." said Mikoto with a few tears in her eyes.

A contented smile came on Itachi's face, as Minato wiped away his tears and slowly he went off to sleep in his mother's arms. Mikoto then waved goodbye and went towards the house while Minato and Naruto stayed back.

"Tou-chan..."

Minato turned around and was surprised to see a very stern look in Naruto's eyes.

"What is it?" asked Minato curiously

"You do remember the promise, right?" asked Naruto seriously

"Hai" said Minato clearly not understanding what Naruto was thinking.

Naruto looked at the small form of his brother, he looked so innocent in their mother's arms. All the doubts which Naruto had before were now gone, he was sure of one thing now.

"Itachi is going to be the bridge to peace...My Job is to be the pillar that supports that bridge." said Naruto deeply

Minato's eyes widened when he heard those words, was this really his son? He looked so mature and he had such a noble dream. It was as if Minato was looking at the main character of the book his sensei had wrote.

Minato saw the fire which Naruto had in his eyes and the amount of faith which Naruto had in his younger brother was astonishing.

"Itachi is the savior of this world and I'll protect him with my life." said Naruto with determination and went off to continue his exercise.

Minato was left behind, he was quite shocked and a realization had occurred in his head, one which he had forgotten about since a last time.

"Naruto...are you the child of prophecy?"

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