It's a bird! It's a plane! No, wait it's-!

*record scratch*

Wait… Wrong story…*awkward sweatdrop*

Here comes the REAL update!

Disclaimer: pain17ification does not own Naruto, Zootopia, Bleach, or RWBY

Usagi no Naruto

Chapter Six: The Past and the Future

Early morning training with Guy had become instinctual to Naruto and Judy, considering how they had done so for most of the last month. Both had their weighted gear on, as well as Resistance Seals that Naruto had made before the Finals.

Currently, Naruto was in a full sprint with his face showing slight strain from the effort he was putting into maintaining his speed. Judy was keeping pace with him by taking large leaps with her powerful hind legs. While they were going all out with the weight handicapping them, Guy was easily outpacing them with his own weights…and on his hands.

"C'mon you two! I want to see your youth EXPLODE!" the Jonin urged.

The man's words made both members of the Usagi Clan grit their teeth as they forced their bodies to work harder. While Naruto could've opened the Gate of Opening, he didn't want to become reliant on it. The Celestial Gates were meant to be used either as a last resort or in the defense of those you loved.

That was the rule Guy had imposed on him and made him promise to adhere to when he started teaching the blonde about them. Using them in the Finals was the only exception; and even then, it was nearly his last resort.

A couple of hours later, Guy was off to visit Lee while Naruto and Judy went home for a quick breakfast before meeting Hana for training. The two were short of breath, but they were happy that Guy was still physically pushing them so far. It would get easier as they continued, and the man would simply up the ante when it showed.

"How's the Rasengan coming along?" Judy asked from her perch on Naruto's shoulder. It was her spot now, and she was even tempted to put her name on it.

"Kakashi told me the three steps and how to do them, but I'm still stuck on the first step," the Uzumaki answered, taking a drink from his water canteen before offering his partner a drink. "Rotation is step one, but I just can't pop that stupid balloon."

Judy hummed thoughtfully at that. "Show me what you've been doing."

Without question, Naruto pulled out a scroll and unsealed a balloon filled with water. Holding it in his right palm, he had his chakra take hold of the internal liquid and start spinning, stretching the balloon and having it go from a spherical shape to an oblong one that shifted with the moving water.

"When Kakashi showed me this step, the balloon looked like it was poking outward in every direction, and not just how mine is," explained Naruto. "I'm trying to figure out how to make my chakra move like his did."

"…Gather chakra in your left hand for a second," suggested Judy as Naruto started walking up the steps leading to his apartment.

Raising a brow, Naruto complied and let his free hand gain a blue glow. "Now what?"

"Do the same thing you're doing with your right hand," the Usagi continued. When she saw his left hand's chakra begin rotating, she leapt off his shoulder and faced him. "Now, while having the water move with your right hand, make your left do this."

She demonstrated by having her right hand's palm upward while her left hand, with the fingers slightly curled, began to swipe at the air above it in different spots. Curious, Naruto did as she instructed and was amazed at how the balloon began to bulge and stretch in multiple spots; just like Kakashi's did during his demonstration.

After a few seconds, the balloon suddenly burst, and the two were hit by the expulsion of the water inside. They didn't care about that, instead being happy that Naruto had completed the first step; and in just a week since Kakashi first showed him the jutsu.

"Awesome! Step one finished!" the Uzumaki cheered. "Hey, how'd you know to do that, anyway?"

"You'd be amazed what you can learn by watching your natural predators," Judy answered as the two entered the apartment. "Cats like to swipe at balls of yarn, and when they hit it in different directions, the yarn will occasionally poke outward. I guessed that something similar would happen to the balloon if you applied the same concept; but you'd obviously need to use your chakra as a catalyst."

"Huh… Maybe I should pay more attention to how other people do things," mused the blonde.

"It wouldn't hurt. It's never a bad thing to look at things from other perspectives."

"Right."

After a quick breakfast consisting of eggs and toast for Naruto and some berries for Judy, the two got dressed in their uniforms and headed for the Inuzuka Compound.

"Alright, show me what you've got for Lightning Style training," Hana instructed as she stood across her young student in her family's training field.

Nodding, Naruto held out a shuriken and concentrated. The first step for gaining control of Lightning Style was to have your chakra conduct on a piece of metal, like an electrical current. The goal was to get charged enough to become magnetized, and future steps involved using less magnetic metals.

Frowning at the shuriken in his fingers, the Uzumaki put all his focus on changing the nature of his chakra from its natural state to a more static one. He also had to be careful not to accidentally activate his bloodline; which was oddly easier to do in comparison when, from what he was told, it was usually the other way around.

Bloodlines involving elements demanded a deep knowledge of the two elemental affinities that make up their combination. An example being the fabled Storm Style from the Hidden Cloud, which has been recorded to consist of Water and Lightning affinities.

However, like how Haku could do during the Land of Waves mission, Naruto was able to use his elemental bloodline without prior knowledge of the two affinities it was made of. Sure, Haku had some basic knowledge of Water Style thanks to Zabuza; but definitely not enough for the "natural" method of Ice Style.

Absently in his mind, he chuckled at how he and the young woman were more alike than he initially realized. Unable to stop himself, he found his mind drifting to past memories involving her; as well as the regret and helplessness he experienced upon her death at the hands of Kakashi.

The way she threw herself into the Lightning Blade without any hesitation…

The way the hand encased in lightning easily pierced through her…

The way sparks danced across her dying form…

The determination in her eyes at saving Zabuza…

He was so out of focus that he never realized that the shuriken in his hands had become supercharged with electricity; enough to have sparks leap from the metal and strike the ground beneath him. It wasn't until a stray spark hit his other hand that he was brought back into focus, showing surprise at his success.

"How did-?"

"Nice work," Hana praised, making him look to her. "A bit much on the chakra used, but great job."

"But I… I wasn't focusing on the shuriken," he admitted, reeling back his chakra and dropping the small weapon. "I was…thinking of something else."

The way his tone became so distant, and how his gaze lost focus, concerned the Special Jonin. Judy, having known Naruto for so long, had an idea of what he had been thinking about.

"If you weren't focused on it, then what were you focusing on?"

Blinking back into focus, the young blonde looked his superior in the eye, surprising her with how downtrodden he looked.

"My first mission outside the village…" he answered before he began giving her all the details. Details on what he experienced, on Tazuna and his family, on Zabuza and Gatou, and finally on Haku.

Watching Naruto leave with Judy for the day, Hana couldn't fight the frown that was on her face. the details of the C-Rank turned A-Rank Mission left a sour taste in her mouth. Not to mention that it further supported what the Hokage had said about Kakashi not having enough experience as a teacher.

Really, who took fresh Genin on a C-Rank Mission without giving them the basics on chakra control? And who the hell decided to let the Genin decide on its continuation without any notion of backup?

Taking a couple of breaths to calm herself, Hana turned around and headed inside with the Haimaru triplets. The first thing she noted was that dinner was almost ready based on the smell; and it smelled delicious.

"Stew?" Hana asked her mother, entering the kitchen.

"Of course," Tsume answered in amusement. "You know that's my best dish."

Hana shared a laugh with her mother at that. Sitting down, she thought about what to ask the older woman before she had a notion. "Hey, mom?"

"What's up, dear?"

"…Can you tell me more about dad?" she asked hesitantly, easily noting how her mother suddenly tensed.

The matriarch of the Inuzuka stood ramrod straight for a few seconds before she slowly resumed her cooking. "What brought this on?"

"I don't know…" admitted the younger woman. "I guess…Naruto got me thinking about him."

Blinking curiously, Tsume put the stove on a lower heat before giving Hana her full attention. "How so?"

"Earlier, we were working on his Lightning Style training; just like we've been for most of the week." Tsume nodded for her to continue. "He was successful today, but he said that he wasn't even thinking about the training. He was thinking about someone he met on his first C-Rank and how it was a Lightning Jutsu that killed her."

Tsume frowned sadly at that, having gained a major soft spot for the Uzumaki boy. "How'd he look when he was talking about her?"

"Sad," Hana answered. "But…there was some happiness there too. That girl – Haku, he said she was called – left a big impression on him. It was actually her philosophy that Naruto inherited; the one about using everything he had to protect his loved ones."

"And…hearing about how he lost someone so influential to him made you think about your father, didn't it?" Tsume deduced, earning a nod. "I see…"

She turned to the kitchen window, staring off to the late afternoon sun. Hana watched her mother, saying nothing and letting the woman think.

"…Sajin was a wonderful mate, Hana," Tsume began. "He was strong, loyal, and compassionate; traits you've inherited from him." Her eyes were closed as she smiled, ignoring the stray tear that fell. "He was an Ōkami who had the heart of an Alpha; one that would've brought out clan to great prestige if not for the older members so set in past traditions."

Hana fought her own tears at hearing about her father. "Was… Was he there?"

"For your birth?" Tsume guessed, earning a nod. "I want to say that he was, but…"

The rest was left open, and Hana knew what had happened. A few more tears fell at the thought of her father hunted down like a wild animal.

Tsume saw her daughter's state and immediately embraced her. "I know how you're feeling, Hana. I miss him every day, and it kills me inside knowing that I can't do anything in retaliation for his death. If I did, I'd be placing you and Kiba in danger; and I could never bring myself to do that."

Clutching her mother, Hana wept for the father she never knew; her wolf heart howling for the loss of its pack member.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Judy asked Naruto upon their return to his apartment.

"Yeah… It's just…thinking about Haku reminded me how short our lives really can be," he answered, sounding subdued. "It's…terrifying, to be honest."

"I know," the Usagi agreed, jumping onto the couch to sit next to him. "But, isn't that what makes life so important; to cherish the time you have?"

"I guess…"

"This isn't like you, Naruto. I've never seen anything weigh you down so much."

"Yeah," he agreed with a weak chuckle. "Guess I'm not as fearless as I thought."

"…If we live without fear, Naruto, then we're not truly living," Judy declared, earning his attention. "Fear is what pushes people past their limits. It makes someone go from saying I can't to saying I must. It's the fear of the unknown that helps bring people together through the hard times, and it's the fear of loss that helps them stay together through the happier times."

Naruto hung on her every word, enraptured by the emotion she put behind her words.

"…It was the fear of losing you that made me upset whenever you left me behind," she continued, admitting her past feelings. "And that same fear nearly tore me apart when you were almost crushed by Gaara during the Finals."

"Judy…"

"No, don't interrupt me," she cut him off, her gaze stern. "I need to say this."

His eyes were wide at her expression, and he slowly nodded while staying quiet.

"Naruto, you're my partner, and you're my best friend. Losing you would break me; more than it would to lose my grandmother. We've been through some trials together, pushing past them and getting stronger along the way. I don't want what happened in the past to come back and ruin what we have. I need you to trust me to watch your back, just I do the same for you."

"I do trust you," he assured her.

"I know, but before the Finals, you didn't; at least not fully. If we're going to keep moving forward, we need to let go of that past and focus on the future."

Her violet orbs stared deep into his cerulean, conveying her determination and anxiety on the matter; two emotions that he saw clearly and nodded in response to. Raising a hand, he reached forward to grasp one of hers while his free one rested over his heart.

"Judy," he began, his tone strong, "I promise you that I won't ever doubt your abilities again. You're strong, you're smart, and you're my partner. I'd have nobody else but you stand with me at the end."

The two shared a warm smile, and hidden beneath her furred cheeks, red seeped in at his actions; finding them somewhat romantic. At the same time, the two declared, "To the edge and back…"

"Hey, did you hear?" a random drunk asked his drinking buddy. The two were seated at the bar of one of the many taverns in Tanzaku Town.

"Hear what?"

"Some brat from the Leaf won the entire Chunin Exams by winning just one match against a Sand brat."

"Pfft, who cares about shit like that? Just some uppity punks who think they're on top of the world," the second man scoffed, downing his current drink and calling for another.

"Nah, get this; the kid caused these explosions-"

"With what; Bomb Tags?"

Annoyed at being cut off, the first drunk shook his head. "No, you impatient ass. The brat caused them with nothing but a punch."

Unknown to them, a woman in the corner closest to them paused in her drink and slowly lowered the glass down.

"He…punched out an explosion?" the second man asked, sounding rightfully skeptical.

"That's what my friend told me. Damn, I wish I could've seen it; but I was off on a job."

"Your friend tell ya who the explosive brat was?"

"Some kid with spiky gold hair, or some shit like that."

The woman's left hand trembled slightly.

"I forget the name, but it ended with -to; I know that much."

"Huh… Kids these days are getting weirder with their ninja bullshit, I tell ya," the second man groused, never having been much of a fan of the ninja system.

"What's odd though was that kid's explosive punch – according to my friend – was said to have originated in the Stone Village."

"Those rock heads? The hell is something they're known for doing at the village they hate the most?"

The woman had heard enough and set enough money down for her drink before grabbing her traveling cloak and heading out the door. Beneath the shadows of their hood, lilac eyes narrowed as she made her way out of town; uncaring about the approaching dark of night. If anyone had been observant enough, they'd have noticed how her right arm was missing from the elbow down; made visible by her cloak shifting in the evening breeze.

'It shouldn't be possible,' she thought to herself. 'He was just a child when I lost him… He would be an adult at this point, and I was never able to find him. So, how could my bloodline be in the Leaf…?'

One way or another, the cloaked traveler was going to get answers; no matter how many craters she had to make or buildings she had to blast apart. (1)

1~ I dare ANYONE to guess who this woman is!

And there's the update. It's short, but it's the best I can do for the time being.

Many people don't really seem to understand how the whole length system for updates work, and I hope not to offend anyone with what I'm saying.

An update's length is determined by the message or point that an author wants to get out there. Some chapters can be extremely long, because the point of the chapter demands such length. Others, like this one, don't require so much length because the message/point was made clear enough.

So, please try not to be upset that this chapter was too short. It's fine in my eyes. Besides, my schedule gets in the way of my writing quite a bit. So, try to understand where I'm coming from, okay?

Until next time!

~pain17ification~