Chapter 10: Living For The Future

Chapter 10: Living For The Future

Naruto had now successfully completed two weeks of training without much difficulty. His clones had mastered chakra control to the extent that he was now capable of reaching the top of the tremendous waterfall. The ones who were trying to perform one handed seals had done as much possible with the current techniques that he knew so he decided that he would let all 1000 of his shadow clones concentrate solely on learning manipulation of the elements as the task was proving to be a lot more complicated than he formerly thought it would be.

He had already mastered the wind element as it was his affinity consequently his clones were rapidly progressing in learning the Futon techniques. Manipulation of the earth element was proving to be the easiest of the remaining four elements and he could perform some of the lower level techniques. His manipulation of the water element was coming along at a steady pace having already mastered the basic techniques required however the two elements proving to be the most difficult were fire and lightning. His development with the two particular elements was very slow and he was finding it extremely hard to apply the basics of manipulation to them.

His kenjutsu training was extremely successful especially after the addition of Sasuke as his training partner. The Uchiha pushed Naruto to his limits making him work twice as hard to keep up with him since he was being affected by the gravity seal. Although becoming more accustomed to the pull on his body, there was still a long way to go before he would be able to fully utilise his skills whilst under the affect of the seal. However having the sharingan user as his partner was also quite dangerous as he was becoming suspicious of why Naruto had to try so hard yet still fail to put up much of a threat as the Kyuubi vessel had not told him about his forbidden training method. Genma had taught him well on how to use swords in combat showing him the ideal distances and motions to deal the most devastating affect. The jounin was also going to teach him how to perform the shadow dance techniques once he was far enough in his skills.

Having deactivated his seal and going through his customary relaxation he was currently writing up the required seal in order to perform the Yondaime's most treasured jutsu. He had gone to the weapons shop earlier on and received the finished kunais which looked perfect and showed the quality of craftsmanship. However before moving on to using the kunai to perform the technique he would have to understand the mechanics of the seal used. The seal was a vital factor in the success of the technique as it summoned its user. A blank scroll was in front of Naruto as he delicately drew the intricate seal pattern making sure not to make any mistakes. A high risk was involved as the technique granted the user control over space and time through the use of summoning so he could instantly appear wherever the seal was placed. However he had to be careful in making sure that he didn't mess up whilst drawing as the consequences would be fatal. He finished the seal before imprinting his insignia on it with his blood.

Since he wasn't meant to be training on the days he had to rest Naruto decided he would prepare the seals for when he would start learning the Hiraishin No Jutsu. He continued drawing the seals as the morning was slowly coming to an end. Finally finishing he gathered his scrolls deciding to drop them off home before going to his favourite ramen stand.

However, before he left his training ground a glimpse of pink caught his attention. He looked towards the cherry tree in the distance. Walking towards it he realised that unlike the rest of the trees which had lost all their luscious nature, it was still blossoming as the leaves gave off a vibrant pink. He looked towards the leaves being reminded of his dance three days earlier. The party had been blissful and Naruto was ultimately glad that he had attended. However his mind focused on his childhood crush. They had gotten closer than they had ever been. He was sure that they might've ended up kissing if they had not been interrupted. But the more he thought about it, he realised that this wasn't what he wanted to happen. Growing closer to Sakura now was something he couldn't afford because of his impending death. It would serve to provide them both with unneeded sorrow. He gave out a sad sigh, 'Why now?'

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"That's enough for now." The Hokage addressed her student with a raised a hand. "We should get some rest before continuing."

Sakura panting from her strict training regiment quickly nodded, "Hai, Tsunade-shisou."

The medic-nins reached for their water replenishing themselves with much needed refreshment. The Godaime feeling a little tired but not as much as the younger medic made her way over to nearby bench before sitting down. Sakura following her teacher sat next to her before slowly drifting to her thoughts. She trained with the Hokage improving her combat and medical skills whenever her team didn't go on missions. As of late the atmosphere whilst on missions was awkward as Kakashi had began to arrive later than usual and wasn't as focused on the objective at hand. She could see that he was hiding something and would often read his orange book a lot more than he would regularly.

Apart from training and completing her missions with her team, her mind focused on the hyperactive ninja especially after their dance at the party. She had enjoyed the touch of his skin and the warm feeling whilst in his arms. Her heart leapt every time she thought about their intimate dance now understanding why Ino kept teasing her about her feelings. She hadn't seen the blonde since the dance and was herself dreading meeting him again as she was unsure of what to say. The strength of feelings she was feeling were far beyond simple attraction, they were a lot deeper and she was confused as to what to make of them.

Tsunade aware of the uncomfortable presence of her apprentice voiced her question, "Is something the matter?"

Sakura sighed before responding, "I'm not sure…"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the unusual answer, "I'll take that as a yes." The older woman of the two averted her gaze from the kunoichi opting to stare at the demolished training grounds.

"Tsunade-shisou…" She paused as her mentor turned to look at her, "Does a person know…when they're in love?"

Her question came as an initial surprise to Tsunade but she understood the complexity of feelings she must be experiencing. She had fallen for the hyperactive ninja without even realising it and she was coming to terms with her feelings after the dance. However since it was so unexpected she didn't know what to do. The gambling Hokage chose her words carefully as she was now one of three people who knew about Naruto's condition and didn't believe it was her place to tell the pink haired medic. "A person never knows when they fall in love…" She remembered her lover, "It's a feeling that builds up over time…" A smile was across her face before she continued, "The only way to understand your feelings is to confront them."

Sakura stared into the hard ground with her emerald eyes absorbing her teacher's words, "What if you are afraid?"

Tsunade laughed at her apprentice causing the kunoichi to look up in confusion, "You really like him don't you?"

Sakura understanding her accusation reddened a bit before muttering her answer, "Yeah."

The Godaime adopted a more serious tone of voice before continuing. She knew that Sakura would have to figure out her feelings as Naruto didn't have much time. The Hokage understood that allowing the two shinobi to become close now would result in an even deepened feeling of sadness when the time for departure came, so she chose her words carefully when she began to address her apprentice, "The life of a shinobi is perilous…make use of the time that you have." Her answer applied to all ninja however she was specifically talking about Naruto's upcoming death not that the pink haired medic knew.

Sakura nodded at the older woman, the clearness of her decision reflected in her bright green eyes.

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Naruto finished his eighth bowl of ramen having finally satisfied his hunger to its fullest degree. He observed Teuchi and his daughter Ayame work before placing his money on the counter and leaving. It was now in the middle of the afternoon and he didn't have much left to do. Deciding that letting his muscles rest would be the best course of action he headed in the direction of his home. He was satisfied with the rate at which his training was progressing fully confident that he would be capable of defeating the Akatsuki soon. He was broken from his thoughts as he heard someone walking up behind him.

"Naruto..." The familiar voice sent a twinge to his heart both of happiness and sadness. He turned to face the apprentice of the Hokage.

He adopted his mask rather quickly attempting to hide the confusion of feelings brewing within him, "Sakura-chan."

The kunoichi nodded whilst falling in pace with him. The two shared an awkward silence well aware of their last encounter. Naruto, trying not to think too much, quickly started a conversation, "So how are the missions lately?"

Sakura continued walking, her eyes directed in front of her, "Simple, we're not allowed to leave the village so most of them are lending a hand with handing out assignments or filling in at the academy. Lately though we've been asked to help with the preparations of the chuunin exams since they're going to be starting in another 2 weeks."

Naruto laughed, "Sasuke's probably not happy with such missions. As for Kakashi-sensei…well he probably doesn't care." Sakura's mood changed upon the mention of their sensei, something Naruto picked up on.

"Kakashi-sensei…has been weird lately." Naruto's curiosity was peaked with her intriguing words. "He seems distracted…ever since the party."

The leaf-nin began to contemplate what could have caused a change in behaviour for their usually undeterred sensei. He was interrupted by Sakura.

"Naruto…" He turned to look at the older girl whose hair was moving slightly from the soft blow of the wind. Sakura hesitated for a moment not sure how to ask him, "Um…would you like to get together some time?"

Naruto's expression displayed his confusion, "Nani? We just had a party."

Sakura became irritated of his obliviousness as it was hard enough for her to ask in the first place, "Baka! I meant just the two of us!" She began blushing realising what she had just shouted at him.

Naruto was shocked beyond comprehension. He didn't think the kunoichi would ever willingly ask to go out with him. They had recently gone to eat together on a couple of occasions however it was always him who asked and even then it was just an outing of friends. The blonde wasn't sure of what to do. He didn't want to get too close to the girl at this time knowing it wasn't the brightest idea since he had been deliberately trying to avoid being with his friends as much as possible without giving them a reason for suspicion. Knowing of Sakura's high intelligence, he was sure that she would pick on something being wrong if he refused, "Yeah…sure." Looking towards the kunoichi he could see the lightest tint of red grace her soft cheeks.

Sakura happy with his answer quickly answered, "Pick me up in two days at 7." She gave him a smile before parting ways in the direction of her house. Naruto looking at her leave knew he would probably come to regret his answer.

A roar of thunder was heard from the sky above as darkened clouds began to gather preparing for a downpour. Not paying attention to the changing weather his mind focused on his jounin sensei. The last time he had seen him was when they were talking at the balcony, trying to understand the reason for Kakashi's strange behaviour, his eyes widened in realisation remembering the Godaime as the last person to have talked to him on the day of the party. 'Did she?'

Forsaking his original plan of returning home he took off to search for the masked pervert ignoring the droplets of rain which began to soak his golden hair.

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Zetsu threw the beaten form of the jinchuuriki across the hard surface of the floor. His body was relatively unharmed however he had sustained a few bruises at the hands of the container of the Schichibi. Observing the bloody figure in front of him, he showed no remorse for his actions.

He had left the jinchuuriki alive but just enough so that the extraction process would be successful. The battle had gone relatively easy for the green haired Akatsuki member until his target began to harness the power of his bijuu. Underestimating his opponent's abilities even if it was for a mere couple of seconds had resulted in him being caught in one of his techniques. Luckily the technique did not carry the full force of the bijuu so it didn't break his defence.

The battleground for their encounter was now in ruins. The ground had been ripped open leaving several craters scattered and the nearby forest had also been extinguished. The Schichibi granted its container control over the element of earth giving him an advantage in using the land for his techniques. However since Zetsu was adept at using his surroundings for cover and his own attacks, he comfortably walked away with the victory.

The Akatsuki member picked the jinchuuriki up via his hair preparing to return to the base for the extraction.

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Naruto had looked in numerous places over Konoha where his jounin sensei could have been. Having not found him anywhere he travelled to the only other location he could think of, Team 7's former training ground. The rain continued to pour as his clothes had now been soaked entirely leaving a cold feeling running through his body.

Surely enough he could see Kakashi standing next to the memorial stone staring intently at the names carved on its surface. Walking forwards he reached the log to which he had been tied to when Kakashi had given them the bell test.

The jounin was standing drenched, his hair flattened from the rain and now partially covering his face. The blonde looked at his sensei having never seen him like this before. He spoke with a calm clear voice, "You know, huh?"

He awaited a response from the older ninja however it didn't come knowing his silence meant a yes. He continued staring at his sensei who had his back turned due to facing the memorial stone. The weather had not relinquished its brutality in throwing the cold droplets of water from the black clouds above. Naruto sighed; knowing that he should've told the jounin about his condition as he felt a wave of guilt pass through him.

Kakashi spoke in soft monotonous voice, "The day I became a jounin…" The masked shinobi paused as his student looked towards him, "I lead my first mission as a leader of a team." Naruto listened attentively to his words.

"I didn't understand what it meant to have friends…" His sorrow filled eye continued staring at the names carved on the monument. "I never thought much of my team mates…and prioritised the mission above everything else."

Naruto listened carefully noticing the sadness in his teacher's words. He had never heard his sensei talk about his past and never knew anything about it himself. "One of my team mates was captured…" The jounin sighed feeling angry with his older self, "I was prepared to abandon her…but I was stopped by the one person I looked down upon as a weak shinobi…"

"Whoever breaks the rules is trash…but whoever abandons their friends is worse than trash." Naruto listened to Kakashi's words. That had been the first thing he had learnt from the jounin and fully took to his heart.

The ex-Anbu continued, "Those words that he said to me have stayed with me since...we managed to get our other team mate back but I lost my eye in the process," Kakashi's vision blurred as he let a tear escape his drooped eye quickly mixing with the wetness of his mask, "But before we could get to safety…we were attacked a final time…he saved my life…at the cost of his own," The tears continued rolling from his one exposed eye, "His dying gift to me was his sharingan…"

Naruto's eyes widened as he finally understood where Kakashi had received his sharingan but he was quickly filled with sorrow upon hearing of the white haired jounins past, "That day I finally understood what it meant to have a friend…after everything I had said to him…he gave his life for me…I lost everything precious to me."

A few minutes of silence passed as the two ninjas stood. The sky roared as the sound of thunder impacted sending a chilling feeling of remorse through Naruto's spine.

Kakashi broke the silence, "The day I finally took a genin team…I finally thought that I would be able to make up for my past mistakes by raising shinobis who understood the importance of friendship."

A smile was across Kakashi's face as he remembered the bell test, "I finally found people that were important to me again…" He sighed before turning to face the genin, his voice began to break, "…I'm sorry I have failed you…If I could have helped you…this wouldn't have happened."

Naruto, whose eyes had, began to water only being hidden by the rain, walked forwards until he was standing next to his sensei. "You didn't fail me Kakashi-sensei…" He looked at the older ninja with a smile, "You never have…"

The jinchuuriki stared at the memorial stone, "Every ninja experiences sorrow…" He remembered the heartbreaking expression of Haku, "…every ninja has a past that they want to forget," Sasuke's visage flashed through his mind, "…and everyone makes mistakes."

Kakashi listened to his student convey wisdom he would've never thought he had, "The past may define who we were…but it is the present which shapes who we will become…"

The rain calmed as the Kyuubi container continued, "When I die…I don't want you to stay like this…" Kakashi looked at his student with a mixture of surprise and grief.

Naruto's eyes showed his resolve, "Death is a part of life…you don't want to fail me?" Kakashi looked at his student with curiosity, "Then instead of living in the past…live for the future…" Turning towards Kakashi he had a genuine smile across his countenance.

Kakashi looked into the eyes of the younger ninja, who even after everything that had occurred still held his determination and refused to give into misery. A smile graced his face, finally for the first time in three days a sense of peace entered his heart.

Hiraishin No Jutsu - Flying Thunder God Technique