Chapter 91 On the Road

Naruto groaned as the light hit him in the face, it had been over a month and it seemed that he was waking up sore each and every day but that just meant that he was getting stronger. His body was learning to strike at all the weak points that he had been training his body to remember to hit. Places like the tip of the chin, the temple, the bridge of the nose where you can break the cartilage, where the liver and kidneys were, solar plexus, throat, ears, under the arms and all kinds of places.

Naruto had learned hand to hand combat but this was more vicious and precise style of almost literally taking a person apart one hit at a time.

He looked around, the small room where the futons were all empty except for his. The place was still a mess, hell there was a stack of adult books and magazines in one corner. It was odd that he didn't see anyone, usually when Naruto's body tried to sleep in he was woken up with a cold bucket of water by Takamura. But the place was empty, looking around he heard the sounds of someone working the really heavy punching bag.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Sorry kid but there's no more training today," Jiraiya told him as Takamura didn't even acknowledge him as he just kept on training.

"We are?"

"Yep," Jiraiya was sitting on the ground folding up a scroll and placed it next to him. "We got to get moving on but there is one more thing I wanted to show you while we are still here."

"What is it?" the boy asked his teacher.

"It will be later today, in the mean time I want to see personally how you're developing." Jiraiya smiled at the boy. He hadn't had any time with writing all the time in order to keep Takamura happy. Although the little bits he had made time for the kid had improved.

Looking the young ninja over the boy didn't look too much different but with the clothing on you wouldn't be able to tell. He knew that the boy's already insane stamina had increased but also the boy's speed. When they started Naruto could barely keep Takamura in sight some days but now he could at least keep up, the boy nearly collapsed when Takamura went all out and Naruto struggled to keep up with that but it was an improvement.

Takamura had also been drilling into Naruto's body how to target opponents' weak spots almost on instinct.

They got to an isolated area on the beach as Jiraiya got into his own fighting stance, "Alright kid taijutsu skills only."

"You got it!" Naruto eagerly got into his own fighting stance ready to show him what he had learned. He kicked off with his toes as he quickly filled in the gap between them. Naruto jumped up with a kick as Jiraiya blocked it with his arm.

Jiraiya noticed that when he went up to block, Naruto shifted his strike just enough to hit the wrist joint. That was good, you attack the joints while your opponent is blocking in order to weaken or just out right break the joint. It limits the ability of the fighter if you could do that.

Jiraiya lashed out with his own kick to Naruto's head, the boy dodged back with his guard up moving just his head so he could snap back into his fighting stance. Also good, less movements meant less energy wasted.

The Sannin managed to nail Naruto with a side kick that the boy took like a champ. He could see the training starting to take hold in Naruto. He was more balanced and his combat was more polished. Takamura's tense training had hammered things home, to get his muscles to remember where to hit without thinking, how to take a hit and counter nearly on instinct. Sure there was still roam to grow but now Naruto's basics were polished to a shine.

It did his old heart proud to see him now, for a brief moment he was reminded of another young blonde student.

"Alright Naruto, let's take it up a notch." Jiraiya rolled his shoulders loosening up a little bit.

"Bring it on I'm ready," Naruto grinned at him.

After they were done Jiraiya took Naruto for a meal, there were no ramen stands in the area, to Naruto's disappointment but Jiraiya felt the boy could use something a bit healthier in his diet. But still he found a decent place and the boy was eager for his meal. There was nothing like eating a meal after working up an appetite.

When they got back Takamura was gone and Jiraiya told him to pack all their stuff up. Naruto wasn't sure what was going on but it was obvious that Jiraiya had a reason for it all. When they were done his teacher started leading him to an area that had many other people gathering. Naruto looked around as there seemed to be an excited air among everyone. He was really curious what was going on now, everyone was walking towards an area of the village he hadn't been before.

As they walked through the crowding streets he found that eventually something could be seen, as they got closer he could make out stands. Jiraiya led him up into the stands as now Naruto got a good look around the place. It was a large outdoor arena, in the center was a ring that looked to have people were finishing up setting up the ring.

"So we're here to see a fight?" Naruto asked him as they took their seats.

"Not just any fight," the man told his student. "This here is a match between champions, the villages in the area all of their own champion but to know who the strongest out of everyone is to have the champions fight it out. Some fight for the honor of their villages, some for the glory, they all got their reasons but all fight with everything they have."

He nodded his head as two men entered the area and the crowd started cheering. "Here they come."

Naruto didn't know one of the men but the other was Takamura, "Wait he's this village's champion?"

"Well why do you think you were training under him?" Jiraiya asked him point blank. "Well now you're going to see why I picked him to help you out. Pay attention to this fight Naruto, because men like these are the real deal they put everything on the line."

Naruto watched as the two fighters got into the ring, both had their hands and feet taped up wearing only trunks. Each man had a couple of people in their corner as Takamura raised his fist to the crowd as there were cheers for him. Both fighters went to the center as a man who looked like he was going to call the match. Both men bowed as there was someone with a bell that run it.

Naruto expected Takamura to go on the attack but instead the other man hit first and kept on hitting. The opponent landed several punches before throwing out a kick, all were blocked by Takamura who sent out a jab that missed and pulled back his defence. His opponent lashed out with a combo of punches followed by a kick to Takamura's left arm.

Naruto watched as the man just took everything. "What the hell is he doing?"

"He's being patient," Jiraiya told the boy. "Look more closely, the other guy threw out more punches and kicks but nothing's landed. His defense is still strong and when Takamura strikes out they're measured. He's judging the other man's distance and his reaction time, he's getting the timing of his opponents punches and kicks with solid defence."

Naruto watched the match go on near the end of the first round Takamura was throwing more and more punches and kicks, they landed more and he even managed to get a few good shots in. Sure the other guy seemed to be learning as well but Takamura seemed to be getting ahead in the fight.

During the second round Naruto paid a lot more attention, this time Takamura came out strong going on the attack and pushing the other fighter back. Just when it looked like Takamura was taking the whole match the other guy pulled a new move out. Takamura went for a right hook as the man came in with a short uppercut. Both powerful fighters hit each other in a duo exchange as both their heads twisted as the impacts could almost be heard over the crowd.

When they got their feet under them again they both threw out yet another duo exchange, then another and another.

"Damn that's a brutal and very risky strategy," Jiraiya could see the damage building on both fighters.

"They're doing it on purpose?" Naruto asked him not taking his eyes off the fight.

"Well he started it but Takamura isn't backing down and going along with it," Jiraiya sighed that man's pride was a weak point that could be exploited too easily. "It's all going to come down to guts, who has the most heart to keep going. All those hits are adding up damage, they have to push past the pain and keep going. Already you can see their legs starting to shake."

Another huge exchange happened and before another was landed the bell range. It felt like the entire arena had been holding its breath and now a sigh of relief had gone out before the cheering started up again.

Naruto could see the men had blood coming out of either their mouth or nose, he wasn't sure but he thought Takamura's eye was slightly swollen.

"Well now that there is a break we'll have to see something new," Jiraiya thought about what might happen next. "The pacing is gone so unless they want to go back at a slug fest someone can now use something different to set the pace."

"I think my dad told me about setting the pace of a fight to how you want it," Naruto offered.

Jiraiya nodded, "Yep, if you can control the fight the odds of you losing are lowered."

The fighters started the next round as both men charged it would see that they were going back to where they left off but then something happened. The opponent suddenly changed his tactics last minute, Takamura's punch missed as the man side stepped and countered with an elbow strike to the face. Takarmura's face twisted as he fell to his knee, his hand stopping him from falling but now there was blood flowing from the strike.

"That's not good," Naruto knew that an elbow strike to the eyebrow causes it to rip open, this made a lot of blood start to flow. Now it wasn't lethal but it blinded you as you can't see out with that eye as you have to keep it shut with all the blood getting in it.

"Might have been the wrong move for him though," Jiraiya crossed his arms as the crowd was starting to get really worked up. "That only pissed him off."

Naruto watched as Takamura slowly got up but there was a look of fury on his face, Naruto thought he had seen Takamura angry before, the man's temper was shorter than Gaara's and this guy had just brought out a pure rage Naruto hadn't seen before.

The man threw a punch as Takamura just took it, he kicked out with his leg with such force that it landed right on the man's elbow, and his arm bent in a way that Naruto knew wasn't nature. The man's face was one of pure shock, apparently the pain from that hadn't hit him yet. Then Takamura moved in and hit the man with a strong left to the face, followed by a punch to the guts that nearly lifted the man off the mat.

That's when he bent forward and Naruto knew it was over, Takamura grabbed the man's head pulling down as he rammed his knee into the man's face. Naruto watched at the man just snapped back and fell boneless to the ground, his face a bloody mess and his arm bent in an unnatural angle.

The crowd erupted even before the referee called the match to an end.

"Ta-ka-mur-a! Ta-ka-mur-a! Ta-ka-mur-a!" The crowd shouted.

"Look at him Naruto," Jiraiya told the boy, "Even though he has one of the worst personalities I've ever met and not the best of men, in that ring he's King. This is his court and these are his people, he is their champion because he embodies a strength all men wish they could have."

"He never gives up and fights with every fiber in his being, this is a man born to fight, fighting for him is a natural as breathing, it's life and when he's not in the ring he's only waiting for the next match."

"That is man holds an indomitable spirit, you can hurt him, bleed him, break him but he will never go down. He will stand and fight because in that ring you are either the victor or the loser and he always wants to be the victor." Jiraiya had hoped that this fight would also serve as an example to Naruto.

The boy was going to face some tough fights in the future and a person needed not only be physically ready but mentally as well. He wanted to show Naruto what true fighting spirit was like and Takamura embodied that. Before they left to continue on their journey he wanted to expose Naruto to this.

Hoping to inspire the boy and looking into those blue eyes of Naruto he saw that he was swept up in the atmosphere of the crowd. Good, he was hoping for a good impression would be put into the boy.

"Come on kid, time to move on to our next destination." Jiraiya told him patting him on the shoulder.

"Huh? We're not going to say goodbye," Naruto asked him.

"He's not that type of man, besides I already left him a parting gift." Jiraiya had left the last of the copy of his working manuscript behind for him to read. Now they had another things to do, plus they couldn't afford to spend any more time in this place.

"So where are we going next?" Naruto asked him.

"I think we'll go up north a bit." He thought about looking for a few leads up there and checking in on a few of his contacts while training Naruto on the way up there.

Naruto thought about it, "Hey will we be going near the country of Waves?"

Jiraiya mentally thought about where that was, it was on the way if they kept to the coast. "Yeah, why?"

"Because I wanted to know if we can swing by there and see some old friends," Naruto really hoped so if they could that would be the first time he had seen Haku and Zabuza in person since that mission there. Plus that bridge should be finished making it a hell of a lot easier. Maybe he could even make a few letters and have Haku send them for him.

"This isn't a field trip." He told him sternly.

"Well one of them is a swords master, I'm sure I can learn something from him." Naruto really hoped he would go for it, plus the idea had just hit him. Zabuza was one of the deadly swordsmen of the Mist village. If there was anyone he could learn how to fight with a blade it was from him, even if the guy was pretty scary.

"This better not be a joke kid." He told him seriously.

"Honest he is!"

Jiraiya thought about it, it wasn't too far from here and he had a few ideas of sword masters that might owe him a favor or two but if the kid knew someone it couldn't hurt to check it out.

"Alright but if you're wrong or playing me there will be no ramen for the entire year of this trip," he knew that if anything would get him to fess up it was taking away his favorite meal. Honestly he had no idea where the kid got it, his biological parents weren't ramen freaks, then again he had heard something about Kushina having taken it up while pregnant.

"I'm not I swear!" Naruto nearly panicked at that threat.

-Elsewhere-

Kakashi was currently on a scouting mission for the village with Sakura and Sasuke, normally he would have a full team even having another member to fill in the missing slot but they were just stretched too thin these days. Besides it was a simple mission to scout out the coast as there were rumors of a black market crew that was stealing supplies from the coast and selling them off on another port as their own.

This was why they were currently camped out on a cliff overlooking the docks of a down below them, it wouldn't take them long to get to the docks, not when you could run down the cliff face and even on the water.

Sakura and Sasuke were both sitting on the cliff as Kakashi was looking around, either for a better vantage point or maybe if there was someone else out and about. These pirate black marketers seemed to know exactly what shipments to take so there had to be someone telling them and possibly marking the area.

It had been awhile since they had been on a mission together and although it was a very welcomed and familiar experience but there was still that missing element. The two were quietly sitting around on watch but it was just too quiet. By now they would have had to listen to Naruto complain on how boring this was or wanting to spar to pass the time or do something. Now it was just the silence and it was very odd.

Sakura shifted without Naruto to focus on there was this bit of awkward but the silence was just getting to her.

"So how is training with Kakashi-sensei going?" She figured that was a safe conversation starter.

"It's going well," Sasuke admitted. "We've been switching from physical training and helping me with the sharingan."

"How does that work exactly?" She was honestly curious about how you train bloodlines as her family never had anything like that with her being the first ninja in her family.

He didn't see any reason why not to tell her, it wasn't like it was a family secret or anything plus he knew he could trust her. "One of the things is that he's trying to get my eyes to track anything. Multiple high speed targets since when I use my eyes everything can seem 'slowed down' to me."

"I can see movements of others a split second before it happens so he's getting me physically trained in order to take advantage of that. I need to be able to quickly counter, or attack depending on how things go in a fight. He's also been getting me to copy a lot of the skills and techniques he throws as me and then he has me practice them over and over again."

"But when your eyes copy something don't you learn it instantly?" Sakura knew that ability is what made the Uchiha so fears by other ninjas outside of the village.

"Sort of," He didn't like to admit to the limits of the sharingan. "I can copy almost anything, if I have no affinity for certain element types it's a lot harder to use if at all. So he has me always practicing them in order for me to get better at them. Using a weak skill against someone isn't a smart move."

She nodded her head that made sense to her. "Hinata told me you were working with Kurenai-sensei a couple of times."

"That was Kakashi's idea," Sasuke told her. "He doesn't know how to cast many genjutsu so he has her throwing as much as she can against me."

He knew that his brother favored genjutsu in a fight so learning how to fight against genjutsu was an important step in how to fight him. Kurenai was the best genjutsu user in the village but she still wasn't in Itachi's league. Still it was better than nothing and he was learning more about how to see through illusions and how they worked.

"We have been split around a lot lately," Sakura grinned. "Just last week I was on a team with Ino and Shino."

"Yeah I was on one with Kiba, Lee and Neji." He had hated that mission and she could see the look on his face.

"That bad?"

He winced remembering it. "I had Lee and Kiba always challenging me and Neji was always, well him."

Sakura tried not to giggle at the mental image of those four on a team together. Neji and Sasuke never got along and with the other two he could only bet that Sasuke had a horrible time. "I'm so sorry that had to be rough."

"I don't know what the Hokage is thinking sometimes," He muttered.

"Well we're all stretched thing and with Naruto gone we don't have a full team so we have to be split up to where we're needed," She defended Tsunade actions she knew that the Hokage was strained. Although she did suspect that Tsunade only put in teams together when there was no one else to fill roles.

There was a silence between them whenever Naruto was brought up, neither one wanted to bring up missing him although they did feel his absence from their lives. They knew that it had to be rougher on Kakashi not having Naruto around as well as not knowing how things were going with him. Sakura caught Kakashi staring off into space or he had his book open but she could tell he hadn't been reading as he never turned the pages. She knew that her missing Naruto was only a fraction of what he was dealing with.

"So how is it working with the Hokage?" Sasuke asked her not liking the type of silence going on now.

"It's...well it's unique," she told him trying to put up a good front. "Shizune-san has been a real help."

Which was true, the older woman had been a huge help in helping to deal with some of Lady Tsunade's more intense traits. The worst were those days she had been drinking a bit too much the night before and came into work with a hangover. Her temper was paper thin at that point and so Sakura learned through Shizune to how to skirt around her temper and help her deal with all the office work.

Although she was training under Tsunade as a combat medical ninja, in her non-training days and when Kakashi was gone on a mission she was used to help around the office.

"On the other hand Tsunade-sama says that with a few more months of training she might get me started on chakra control techniques that only she knows." Sakura was actually looking forward to that. "I wonder if I can learn how to control chakra like she can with her punches."

Sasuke thought about it, if she could learn to do that she would be the only person that would learn those techniques. He hadn't heard of Shizune ever using those kinds of super strength punches. It would be a great asset to their team.

"Well if anyone can do it you can." He told her.

Sakura blushed a bit from the encouragement as he kept staring out over the water. She glanced at him with a small smile that was a compliment she wasn't used to hearing from him.

"Thanks, I'll try my best." She told him as he nodded his head.

He had to admit that she had come a very long way since their time in the academy he was actually curious as to what she had been learning from Tsunade. Naruto was training with one of the Sannin and her with the other. Sure Sasuke knew that Orochimaru had made that same offer to him and maybe if things had been different he might have taken him up on it.

His hand went to the blasted mark on his neck, Anko had once talked to him about it and her own experiences. It just seemed that the price for that kind of power was too much, he needed to defeat Itachi and he had chosen to do it his way. He wouldn't do what his brother wanted and play whatever game he had, he wasn't going to have Orochimaru take over his body as Sasuke still planned to revive his clan one day.

He remembered how Sakura and Naruto offered to be there for him when he faced his brother one day and Sasuke was thinking of taking them up on it. He would have to be the one to make the final blow but Naruto's words of how the death of his clan wasn't just the spilling of Uchiha blood, but also the blood of Konoha ninja.

It reminded him that he was still a part of something bigger than himself.

"When we get back do you want to spar a little together?" He asked hoping that it would let him judge how far she's come. Plus he's rather spar with her than most of the others, he had his fill of Lee, Kiba and Neji for the month.

Sakura thought about it and remembering some advice from Anko she hatched a plan. "Okay but only on the condition that after it you take me to this shop I know for some anmitsu."

He thought about it, "Loser pays."

"Fine by me," she grinned at him as she could feel herself in her mind pumping a first in triumph. So no matter what she basically got him to agree to eating dessert with her. Sure it wasn't a real date or anything but it was a step in the right direction and Sasuke had been asking to spend more time with her lately.

"Well you two seem to be getting along just fine," Kakashi's sudden voice behind them made both of them jump up and glare at him. "Oh you're even glaring in unison."

"Weren't you scouting out the area?" Sasuke asked him.

"Oh I was," he then pointed to the edge of the horizon as a small dark shape could be seen in the moonlight.

"It does seem a bit late for a ship to be sailing into port," Sakura commented.

"That is it and I don't remember that lantern there at one of the docks either." He pointed to one dock in particular.

Both of them looked and all the docks didn't have any lights on them except for this one that had a simple lantern for some reason. Then suddenly the lamp blinked a few times, there was a blinking light on the ship suddenly.

"Well now that looks suspicious doesn't it?" Kakashi asked them. "Let's go investigate shall we?"

Next up chapter 29 : Old friends