*Here's a story that I wrote with a bud of mine, it's something I'd like to write for a few chapters. If you'd like to check out his fanfic account it is Vruse.

*I wasn't sure if this story should be a two-shot or a multi-chaptered fic, I'm under the impression that this is a very decent idea, but I maybe not have the time to do so especially with my other fanfics. We shall see!

Disclaimer: This story is a fanfic. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto

*Cover Photo by PotakuCat on DeviantArt

Update: 5/24/17 Kakashi's Name has been changed to Kasumi.

Passion Was Their Creation:

Chapter One

Shinobi 101.

"Kunai are extremely dangerous and lethal weapons, as you all may very well know."

Their Chunin instructor walked parallel to the chalkboard, his hands behind his back as he did his best to give every individual student a warm smile. His hair seemed well kept and the smile on his face signified that their sensei was in a particularly good mood. The academy students sat quietly and listened diligently, the majority of which held their heads high and kept their eyes glued to the senior shinobi as he lectured them on how to use a kunai safely and efficiently. Iruka-sensei even went as far as withdrawing one of his very own Kunai from his pouch and putting it on display for the entire class to admire. He held the weapon high, allowing the whole class to see the item on display. And by example, he showed a very basic way of holding the kunai. To say the least, it would have been pretty cool.

"Form is just as important as your grip, one mistake, one miscalculation, one overextension and you can either miss or inadvertently harm an unintentional target. And that's a huge no-no." Iruka shook his finger to emphasize his point.

Would have...Keywords would and have.

Naruto had found himself at a loss of interest. His blue eyes wondering elsewhere as he sat quietly beside his fellow peers. It wasn't that he was finding the lecture incomprehensible nor was it that he had a learning disability or something of that nature. It was, well something more pressing than that. He wasn't stupid by any means, and a very few would even consider him quite excellent in certain areas of shinobi training.

"You have all handled practice weapons."

It wasn't that he was weak, or that he was unable to pass a simple test. Nor was it because he was depressed, and secluded from the others.

"And maybe you've practiced using an actual Kunai with your parents, guardians and or siblings. But, for our next few lessons, we will be learning the fundamentals of proper and safe control of Kunai."

It was that he felt as if maybe, just maybe the Academy wasn't supplying him with what he wanted. Naruto felt as if he wasn't being supplied with what he truly thirsted for. To become Hokage you had to be the best of the best, and from his understanding, if he were to do that he needed to become strong and powerful quickly. How else would he gain acknowledgment and respect? But, here was the issue; the ninja Academy was moving too slow, and he felt as if it wasn't challenging him enough or honing his already present skills. When it came to history or studying in general Naruto was not one to excel by any means. However, Naruto knew where his highs and lows were, he was aware that albeit history was important, currently he felt as if honing his actual skills and ability to work with a team were more important. The Academy with it's most simplistic lessons were not helping him. He felt as if he needed more than just the academy, possibly… no, preferably something to allow him to gain an edge on Sasuke. They were both very talented in their combat skills alone, this fact seemed to surprise the Uchiha and hopefully, hurt his pride a little bit.

The blonde quickly shot his rival a glare. The black haired boy didn't even seem to notice.

Maybe…

Again, Naruto could not remove this void. Many people didn't see his potential, hell maybe he was the only one who truly saw his own resolve. Sure, he slacked to a certain extent and more than likely was failing in multiple areas of study, but again he felt as if the slow pace and basic studies of the academy were holding him back significantly. When Naruto put his mind to something, he refused to stop until he had completed said task. When he truly needed something complete, the boy would go through thick and thin to achieve his task and or reach the next level. He had done so on many occasions, the boy was honestly stubborn and he admitted to this. But the environment of the Academy was simply too uneventful for the boy and he couldn't hang or pay attention long enough. He wanted something more, an edge possibly.

But how?

"Now, if you open your textbooks to page 378, we will discuss the first and most basic form of handling Kunai. Yes, let's begin!" Iruka smiled at the class before walking towards his desk and picking up the book.

His eyes went towards his sensei, before gazing down at the book on the desk, he watched as his peers all turned to the specific page. He let out a low sigh, adjusted his goggles and did the same. Looking at the book for a moment as his head swarmed for a moment. He never turned a page.

Textbook…

Textbook…

Book…

That's right! His eyes suddenly glowed at the thought. It seemed far fetched but maybe he could learn something from a book… or a scroll. Maybe, he could get ahead through his own self-studies. No, not this trivial collection of basics, but something more advanced and time-consuming. Just maybe he could do his own research through his own means and curiosity. He thought about it for a moment, thinking about the village library and remembering Iruka's statement about the library holding tons of information of ninjutsu and just shinobi techniques in general. He thought over this and immediately dismissed that idea due to Naruto being who he was, his brain sighed internally at, Naruto Uzumaki the most hated child in the village. Why? That was a question he had asked himself thousands of times over the years. Why? He didn't remember doing anything too bad, not before he was shunned at least. He couldn't explain why and honestly, Naruto had accepted that he was just hated. Nobody would just let the blonde kid walk into the Library all willy nilly.

Then again he could of course break into the building. There was no other option really. It was really that simple, the library held some decent information though nothing too crazy. Maybe he could go there and take out a scroll or two, take them home and study it for awhile. He'd bring it back before it was missed. He thought about it for a moment. He was only an academy student, would it really be easy to break into a library? He had been able to sneak around many places within his life span of eight years. He had the old man to thank for teaching him at least that, something he caught onto easy.

He rubbed his beardless chin. He would have to go late in the night, while most people were asleep and he could use the cover of the night to his advantage. His minimal shinobi skills should be acceptable for this, and in the case, he was captured. Old man Sarutobi would definitely have his back. And it was for the greater good, he was sure if he explained to the old man his punishment wouldn't be too drastic. He smiled to himself and no one in particular, causing a few of his peers to look at him with perplexity in their eyes. It didn't matter, they always responded to him in one way or another. Right now, he just kept smiling.

Her feet gently touched the rooftops barely making audible sounds as she propelled herself upwards and forward. The woman's facial expression was blank and nothing, in particular, was on her mind, and if anything she was on autopilot. Her movements across the village rooftops all seeming to stem from muscle memory. The girl was clad in the typical Anbu armor, hugging her small frame tightly, her mask significantly concealing her identity and her long gray haired pulled into a neat ponytail that swayed in the wind. She wasn't thinking about much at all or doing anything she wasn't used to. Report a successful mission to the Hokage, return home, visit Rin and Obito's graves. The everyday routine that she has become increasingly accustomed to. It was simple, the world around them had been quiet since the death of the fourth Hokage, and although the shinobi world was far from peaceful, in her opinion there has been significant efforts to prevent another shinobi war and keep some sort of peace. They were undoubtedly due for another war, but there were no signs of such a thing happening. Then again, a war wasn't always straightforward.

A gust of wind flew past the girl, gently blowing across her face. Kasumi looked in that direction, her keen shinobi eyes picking up the dark silhouette of a small figure. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she completely stopped on the next rooftop. The figure immediately ducked into the streets below upon noticing her and the gray-haired Kunoichi found herself curious. The figure was familiar in his stature and she immediately recognized the boy as her former sensei's son. She felt a cold sadness pluck at her skin at the memory of her former sensei and team, all of whom were deceased. It was a realization that she still woke up to and 'til this day she still held regret.

Where was he going? She allowed herself to move to the streets below in a blur, using her superior shinobi skills to catch up to the boy, but at the same time remain hidden within the shadows. What was he up to? Naruto Uzumaki was known around the village as a troublemaker and being out at this time was definitely a red flag. She sighed internally, feeling half guilty about this fact. After Naruto was born she remembered visiting him only a handful of time, and each of those times was way before he even had the ability to comprehend his surroundings. In short, Naruto had no memories of her nor did he even have the slightest idea who she was. It made her feel guilty and as if she failed her former sensei's son for not revealing herself to him and being there for him in general. It was no secret that Naruto had been an outcast, a loner if anything and had been subjected to both physical and verbal abuse. This was all true, and knowing this made her feel extremely guilty. Why hadn't she been there for him? Maybe it was her own fear of growing more attachments? Maybe it was the resemblance to her sensei? She couldn't fingerprint the exact reason, she simply had never been in his life, instead, she watched him from the shadows, never intervening unless necessary; which thankfully has never occurred.

She trailed him further, the small academy student making sure to be as stealthy as possible. It was extremely surprising when she realized how covert his skills were. He was moving around with the skill of a seasoned shinobi.

Where was he going?

She found herself repeating this question, as the blond began to pick up speed, clearly believing that he had gotten lucky and lost her. Rookie mistake. She watched as the boy in the orange jumpsuit jumped forwards, his legs lifting him into the air and onto the roof of the large library. Her eyes rolled over the library and then went back to him, realization swarmed over her. Did he want to break into the shinobi library? She narrowed her eyes, wondering why in the great heavens would he try to do something as stupid as that? She rubbed her masked chin, before continuing her pursuit. The student landed producing no sound, and she found herself silently wondering if anyone could detect his presence. He was actually doing extremely well for someone of his skill, it was as if he were a veteran and only shinobi of Jounin level could possible move that silently.

Her curiosity peaked as he looked downwards into the library, gazing through the ceiling window. He was stern and passive, but his eyes held that of patience. Kasumi quiet and hidden, her Anbu skills serving her well in keeping her undetected by the child, who was even now had yet to be detected by polling shinobi. She wasn't sure if that said anything about the ninja of this village or this kid. Probably more about this kid if anything, she wasn't even sure where he learned to move in such a discrete manner. And so she watched and she waited.

He seemed to be pressed with two problems. One, he needed to enter the building without setting off any alarms or being detected by any adults. Easy enough, he had done things like this multiple times. Albeit, those times had not been in such situations as the current one, but he had been doing this for awhile. He silently thanked the old Hokage for taking time out of his hard and long days to train Naruto in the art of stealth, surprisingly doing this on his free time. Which he had to say was a rare occurrence. the old geezer never had any time. Which made sense he guessed, Hokage wasn't just any title, but an extremely important job.

He gazed down into the tinted glass of the library and was willing to bet that the glass itself was reinforced. He pressed his hand onto the transparent material and attempted to gaze into the library despite how dark both the windows were and how dark it was outside. There would be no easy way in and even at that Naruto wasn't sure what he was looking for either. He just needed something to get him closer to his goal, something to help the grind. There was information in this library, presumably information that can teach Naruto some cool Jutsu or get him ahead of the other Academy students. Which he could argue he already was with the exception of Sasuke. Now, back to the problem. How would you break into a highly secured library and how long did he have until an Anbu patrol caught him? Time was precise anyone could cat–

A soft finger pressed against his shoulder. Naruto jumped back, falling onto the glass frame of the ceiling window as his crystal blue eyes came into contact with one deep black eye. An Anbu mask laid neatly on the shinobi's face and the ninja's ponytail and slender figure indicated she was indeed a female.

"Shi–"

"Don't finish that word." She said pressing a finger to his mouth, causing him to look at her in question.

"Sorry."

She sighed, her voice smooth yet seemingly lazy. "What are you doing up here?"

He stared for a moment, almost forgetting what was going on before he came back to reality and came up with an excuse.

"Th–the moon!"

She placed her hands into her pockets, the action seeming more masculine than anything.

"The moon?"

"It's really beautiful right now, and I just came up here to get a better view of it. See, it's soo big!"

He one free eye from within the Anbu mask seemed to blink.

"Why, yes it is." She sighed. "Look, you shouldn't be up here. How did you even get past–" she stopped dead sentence, shaking her head. "I don't believe you came up here all moonstruck, you're lying."

He backed more into the ceiling window. "I can tell." She stated closing the small distance between the two.

"Ho–how?"

He couldn't see it, but somehow he could tell that she was smiling. "I'm a people's person." She said this nonchalantly.

"Am I in trouble, Anbu-san?" He sighed, figuring that his plan had been discovered. He hadn't even gotten to the most imperative part of the mission and he had already been caught. He hung his head low and stuffed his hands into the orange pockets of his jumpsuit. At this the girl was quiet. This scared Naruto, making him impatient and anxious, he was completely unaware of what she was thinking or planning. He gave a short groan. She then removed her hands from her pocket and took the Anbu mask off and allowed the strap to wrap around her neck. Naruto got a good look at her face as the moonlight poured onto her sides. Her face was a clean pale, almost like vanilla. One of her eyes were covered by her headband along with her black facial mask, it neatly concealed the left side of her face.

She looked up at the full moon before gazing into his blue eyes. "It is beautiful, Naruto-Kun." She stated.

He eyed her, realizing that she knew who he was. His face showed his surprise and perplexity. "Why did you really come here?"

He turned, his eyes refusing to meet her gaze.

"I wanted to get stronger."

She rose her one visible eyebrow.

"I knew that the library might have had some information on some cool jutsu, so I thought I'd sneak in and borrow something."

"You mean steal." She corrected.

"Yeah." He stated in defeat.

"So, let me see if I'm correct. You planned on coming here to break into the library and steal information on Jutsu to get stronger?"

Now that she put it like that. "Yes." Said the child.

"Aren't you in the ninja academy?" she asked, seemingly confused by his reasoning.

"I am in the academy but the teachers and lessons are holding me back!" He replied heatedly.

She seemed perplexed by his statement. "I don't think this is a good alternative."

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" He pouted, crossing his arms. She looked around, then placed a finger on her lips before shushing the boy. He complied but nonetheless was still irritated and disappointed. "We don't want anyone else finding us here, or you'll be in bring trouble."

She crossed her arms and then sighed, an expression flashed through her eyes that he couldn't quite pinpoint. What was it?

"You think you're pretty good, do ya?"

"Yes!"

She nodded. "And the ninja Academy isn't challenging you enough?"

He nodded not seeing where she was taking this.

She let out a sigh. "Well, alright." She shrugged turning her back to the boy. What did she mean alright? She walked towards the edge of the roof and stared downwards at the street watched her before dashing at her. Her right gloved hand reached into her pocket and pulled out a small book, she opened the book to a marked page and began reading. He stood behind her awkwardly, as she flipped through the pages.

"So, prove it."

Again, the little boy was perplexed.

"How?"

"Show me what you know." His eyes widened as a smile crossed his lips. "Are you saying that you'll train me Anbu-san?"

She looked turned towards him, the book still in hand. "Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"If I deem you worthy."

Worthy?

"How can I be worthy?" He yelled.

She shushed him with a finger again. "We'll find out."

She smiled, excitement coursing through him and a new sense of motivation burning like an inferno.

"When?"

"Tomorrow. After school." He frowned when she said that.

She caught his saddened mood immediately. "What? You still have to go to school." She hummed softly, her eyes going back to the book.

"Look, let's get outta here before a patrol comes I don't feel like explaining this situation to them. For your sake, of course." The sun-kissed blonde child nodded as the Anbu lead the way dropping down into the streets below.

This was a surprising series of events for the young child. Something he had not expected, not in the slightest. But, a blessing no less and Naruto was exceedingly grateful. If deemed worthy –whatever that means – he could be trained by someone in Anbu. He could tell by her presence alone that that girl mean business. She just had a certain badass aura surrounding her. Naruto brushed his thoughts away and swiftly followed the Anbu operative away from the library and somewhere more discreet.

"Meet me at training ground seven, come immediately after school. Don't be late."

He nodded happily and she disappeared in a puff of smoke before whispering. "Get home safe."

The sun had recently reached the highest point in the sky.

Okay.

Okay.

He kicked over a rock, his arms in the pockets of his orange jumpsuit and his face impatient. He let out a grunt of irritation as he tapped his foot on the grass below.

Don't be late….

Don't be late….

Yeah Okay!

"Ah, where is she? Did she forget?!" He cried into the clearing speaking to no one in particular.

"Ah!" He let out. "It's been like an hour and I've just been waiting here in the heat. This is so dumb, she said after school, it's after school! Am I missing something! Ah, why–"

"Yo." A lazy feminine voice made him jump forward, dolphin diving into the ground. He turned immediately pointing his finger accusingly. "You're late!"

"Am I?" She sang, nonchalantly.

"You said to to meet you here immediately after school."

"I did." She eyed him as if what he was saying was obvious. She was clad in the typical Anbu attire, but what she lacked was her Anbu mask.

"And you told me not to be late!" He yelled getting to his feet.

"And?" She rose her only visible eyebrow.

"You're late!" He yelled to the heavens.

"Well, you see an old lady needed help moving out and I just couldn't bare to watch her move her stuff all by her lonesome." She stated in a lazy yet somehow sweet tone.

"That's just a lame EXCUSE!"

"Ah." She gave him generous eye grin and he crossed his arms.

"Now, Anbu-san. You promised that you would train me."

"I did no such thing."

He looked at her perplexed. "You did!"

"I said, that if you were worthy, I would train you."

He frowned. "Worthy?"

"Precisely, if you can prove that you're...different. Then I'll think about training you."

He didn't like her choice of wording. He fixed his goggles and put on his serious face.

"Alright, what do I have to do?!" He slammed his a fist into his palm, his determination reaching optimum levels. He could do this! Any trial or tribulation thrown his way Naruto would complete no matter what. It was his time to show just exactly what he was made of, to excel and reach the next state. Sure, he wasn't sure of the girl's abilities or anything, but hell she was in Anbu and he was willing to bet she wasn't there for being an average shinobi. No, she was definitely among the elites, he could feel it, it being just an ominous feeling. He smiled. He could do anything, and with someone like her helping him, he could do this with ease.

The sun was barely falling beneath the horizon.

Naruto's body slumped over. His feet pressed into the stairs, his face contorted and eyes heavy with disappointment. Both his arms were filled with white grocery bags as he marched his way to the address of the Anbu operative. Her apartment was on the second floor and he had to walk from the grocery to her apartment. Not that it was an exercise for the shinobi-to-be, but in Naruto's opinion it was completely unnecessary and absolutely stupid. Finally, the young blonde boy made it to the front door of her apartment. He sighed holding the grocery bags in his small hands, grunting before knocking on the door opened immediately as if she knew he was there and only waited to open it after he knocked.

"Oh, you're back."

"YOU'RE USING ME!" He accused.

"I assure you, child, I am not."

He held up the grocery bags. "You've made me run errands the whole entire day! Pick Up groceries, ninja supplies, polish your Kunai, organize your collection of those books and buy you Dango!–"

"With my own money." She countered evenly.

"It doesn't matter! You're using me! Exploiting! You have no intentions of helping me!"

He glared heavily at her, steel completely in his blue eyes. He watched her sigh and then look at him with a gaze that he had not see from her yet.

"Naruto, I want you to know something and please listen well." She motioned for the eight-year-old to enter. He stared for a moment but entered nonetheless with a soft sigh. They entered the small yet cozy apartment. The blonde child taking in the white walls and the smell of the fresh paint. She must have been doing some renovating.

"How do you think I became the shinobi I am today, Anbu and all?"

He eyed her for a moment, before answering confidently. "Through training of course."

"Yes, but do you believe that it was just training?"

He didn't answer. "Do you think I got to this level doing what I want?" He shook his head as she explained.

"Life lesson. Sometimes you have to so what you do not want to or agree with in order get to where you want." She looked into his blue eyes. "I can't tell you that I've done all the correct things in my life and... I have many regrets. But, I can say that I am extremely disciplined and that I can and will complete things that may seem like an inconvenience at first. And I do this to achieve the next state. Naruto, I'm trying to teach you responsibility, and that life will not always go your way."

"I know, I know!" He insisted.

"Ah, do you?"

"Yeah! I'm always pushing myself and I'm always trying to get to the next level! I don't stop trying until I've completed my task, that's just my ninja way!"

"Ah, then maybe there was no need for that speech." She grinned with her eye.

"No, I understand. I was complaining about something I did not wish to do and I'm sorry Anbu-san."

"Why thank you Naruto." She said sweetly and smoothly.

He crossed his arms. "Though, I'm still convinced this is some sort of excuse for me to do your errands."

She gave another eye grin, something she did constantly while feeling the back of her gray ponytail.

"How about we go ahead and prove your worth."

He nodded. "How?"

He received no answer, not yet at least

They ended up back in the small training ground, the sun seeming to barely project it's light upon the Earth as it made it's journey under the horizon yet again. Naruto followed the young Anbu agent, his hands wrapped neatly together behind his hands as he patiently waited for her to give him his instructions. They stopped at the base of a tree and the young girl neatly touched her half-gloved hand to it.

She turned to him, her one hand still on the tree. "Alright, Naruto. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, of course, I am, I'm ready for anything!"

Was that even a question? He had been ready for about two hours now.

She nodded, a certain glare in her eyes that Naruto couldn't quite pinpoint. She held up a finger and he watched her intently.

"Your trial, and condition for me training you Naruto is that you climb this tree and reach the very top."

He looked up at the tree, its height reaching far into the sky, before looking back it's base. "That's simple, I can do that in my sleep!" He declared.

She held up her finger again. "Ah, but there's a catch."

He rose a blond eyebrow.

"You can't use your hands, you can only use your feet."

He moved to the side a bit confused. "How?"

"I'll show you." She stated calmly, and the blonde stepped back as the Anbu operative effortlessly walked up to the tree and ascended it, walking on the trunk as if the laws of physics itself didn't apply.

"That's pretty cool, actually!"

She dropped from her position and turn back in his direction. "I'll show you how to do it, and I'll explain it and only after you have accomplished this task will I agree to train you."

He moved forward. "I wanna try!"

The girl nodded. "I'm sure you're familiar with chakra."

"Yes, is what allows a shinobi to use Jutsu."

"Correct, understanding chakra is vital to executing this and executing this will allow you to master chakra control. If you can master chakra control, you will end up using more chakra than necessary when performing a Jutsu." She explained evenly and he inclined his head in understanding. This was to help him in the long run. Naruto had not performed many Jutsu in his time as a ninja when he did he found that his techniques were lacking in some aspect or another.

"You will achieve this by channeling a specific amount of chakra to the soles of your feet. This will eventually help you in the long run with every Jutsu you perform." She reached into her pouch and brought out one of those weird books he had seen her reading since their encounter at the library. Her eye stayed on the book as she opened the book to a specifically marked page.

A breeze of wind passed by them, the tree above shook as the green leaves began to dance with one another. Naruto eyed her patiently, and she seemed to be completely consumed in that damned booked. He cleared his throat as to catch her attention and the Kunoichi rose her eye from the page.

"Hm, you're just sitting there? Gather your energy and channel it to your feet. Try climbing the tree and see where it gets you. Oh yeah, you only have a week to complete this or I'll refuse to train you. Good Luck!"

Alright, fair enough. He turned to the tree looking it up and down. The task would have been effortless with his hands and doing it the old fashion way. However, using only his two feet, that what something he had not entirely seen before.

He needed to get going.

Naruto brought his hands together and began compiling his chakra. He felt his chakra rushing through him, his body feeling energized and exhilarated. He pushed his chakra towards his feet and smiled as he realized just how easy this task was. He smirked and took flight his feet jumping onto the trunk of the tree as he began to ascend. He smiled at how easy he had achieved this, as he continued to run upwards.

"Look Anbu-san, this is pretty eas–" before he could finish his statement, something went wrong. Naruto found his feet no longer suck to the trunk of the tree, and the boy slipped and fell downwards. He yelled at the sudden inducement of pain. He gazed down at the ground below in fear for his own well-being, hitting the floor would definitely hurt.

Suddenly, he found himself landing in the strong yet slender arms of the Anbu girl. She held the small boy and gave him a quick eye smirk.

"Not as easy as you think, huh?"

He scratched his head. "I– I don't know what happened actually."

"Well, it looks as if you just don't have complete control of your chakra yet. The point of this exercise is so that this task eventually becomes second nature to you, and if you can do that then, you can be my student."

He smiled. "I'm gonna try again!"

"Knock yourself out." Her feminine voice stated as she went back to her book.

On her queue he charged again, allowing the chakra to swell in the bottom of his feet as he forced himself up the tree, defying gravity and moved upwards at running speed. He concentrated his chakra keeping it at his feet as he continued to run upwards. He felt a rush of energy and the pulse of his temple pounding as he found this exercise to take up more effort than he had previously thought, but he pushed himself forcing himself to past the point he had reached and go beyond. Naruto was determined and had decided that he would complete the task bestowed upon him. He moved and kept moved, until the boy yet again felt it slip, his ability to stick to the tree dissipating. He fell backward his arms swinging erratically as he fell and his back slammed into one of the tree's large branches.

"Start over!" Her voice called from below.

"Yeah, yeah." Was his reply as he rubbed the back of his neck in pain. With a quick glance downwards he dropped back to the ground in one motion and began the series of steps to accumulate chakra again.

He dropped onto the ground, his breath heavy and his body weary. The afternoon sky had been replaced by the dark blue of the approaching night. The moon was slowing creeping from under the clouds making it's way into the sky. He laid as he inhaled and exhaled, he had been at it for what seemed to be hours and the boy had yet to reach the very top. After Awhile, he had actually begun to reach farther and farther from his optimum point. He figured he was just becoming fatigued, but the young eight-year-old boy couldn't give up. He wouldn't allow himself to do so, he needed her training and he needed the power.

"That's enough."

His eyes bulged wide and he jumped to his feet. "What? I just got started!"

Kasumi shook her head. "You're obviously physically tired."

"Noooo, lies! I can keep going, no sweat."

"That's enough for today, it's getting dark anyways."

"C'mon, let me prove my worth, I've almost got it!" Naruto protested, there was absolutely no way he would just give up.

"We'll try again tomorrow. How does the same time sound?" She answered closing her book, which she had actually been reading for the entirety of his trial.

"Tomorrow?" He inquired.

"You have a week Naruto, don't blow yourself out just yet."

"A week?" He repeated.

"Well, six days now. So, less than a week, but you get the jest."

He sighed, falling back onto the soft grassy floor. Relief went through the boy, his body resting as he attempted to recover some strength. He'd try even harder tomorrow and prove to her that he was worthy of being her student. He had, to, after all, it was something he needed to happen. He wasn't the best in the academy, but he wasn't dead last either. Maybe his studies lacked, but he made up for it in combat skills. However, there was just one person in the ninja academy that even exceeded his skills in combat. Yes, Sasuke Uchiha. The duck haired boy who believed he was untouchable, the best shinobi in their class. The one who impressed everyone and was recognized by the whole entire class. Yes, that same boy, the one boy who always ended up as his spar partner. That same boy who always won in their spars. Sasuke Uchiha, yes that kid.

"I'll take you home." She simply muttered.

"Anbu-san–"

She interrupted him. "Before you protest, just know that I'm doing this regardless."

He nodded but crossed his arms.

"Such an understanding child." She grinned through her mask, before approaching the boy and lifting him bridal style. He was surprised but, nonetheless allowed it to happen. Would he really complain? He was tired and if she was willing to carry him, then why not?

He caught her scent, a mixture of strawberry and cinnamon, a weird yet satisfying combination. Both the scent and the way in which she carried him brought about comfort and security, Naruto felt a warmth from the inside. And for some odd reason, in the comfort of her arms, Naruto lost his fight with consciousness –he wasn't really trying– and the rest of the day was but a blur.

It lives in a what you could call a pig sty. The amount of garbage and clothing that laid on the floor was a clear indication of the amount of supervision that Naruto received. She stepped forward through the kitchen of his apartment, a sleeping Naruto slept silently in his room, as she took a quick glance. This was a really unfortunate turn of events and Kasumi felt utterly terrible for her absence in the child's life. No one should live like this, especially a child. Not only in such a mess but to be isolated, to be alone it was something that Kasumi was all too familiar with. With one last shift through Naruto's apartment room, Kasumi left making sure to lock the door. The girl took to the rooftop of the building, a familiar chakra echoed from above.

She landed neatly on the roof, her eyes falling on the much taller form of the elder shinobi. His face bland and his arms crossed in a nonchalant manner, his white hair long and his face holding a knowing gaze.

"He's impressive isn't he?"

She shrugged. "Nothing I haven't seen before, and I've seen better." He smiled, he was aware that she was just being stubborn.

"Itachi was special." He stated, instantly knowing who she was referring to. "An anomaly."

She shrugged again. "What are you doing back in the village?"

"Relaying information back to the third."

"Ah."

He smiled. "What caught your interest in the boy?"

Her interest. What had truly caught her interest about the kid?

"I can sense within him the will of fire, I wish to build upon it."

"This early though, I would think that you would wait until he had at least graduated." Yes, under normal circumstances she would have done that. In all actuality, under normal circumstances, she wouldn't even give special training to one kid.

"You could say that I had a change of heart Jiraiya-sama. Even if he doesn't complete his task, but shows the resolve and commitment of a true shinobi, I'll train him."

Jiraiya's smile deepened. "I'm sure Minato-kun would be extremely pleased to know that you're training his son."

That made her grin. "Thank-you Jiraiya-sama, when I've taught him all I know I'll be sure to pass him onto you expertise." She then withdrew her copy of Icha Icha paradise, making sure to show Jiraiya as she did so.

"Oh, so you already got the new issue I published!"

"It's all I've been waiting for! Jiraiya-sama your choice of wording and your ability to withdraw emotion is absolutely amazing!" She was literally jumping up and down as she praised her favorite Author. The story captivated everything you could ever look for in an Adult romantic comedy novel.

"Aw. That makes me blush. Though, I'm not sure if I made the beginning too intense or if I rushed into the 'good' stuff too early."

"No, it was executed perfectly. Extremely hot stuff here, I haven't even finished reading it but I'm almost there!" She said with a tint of red hitting her cheeks, thankfully her mask concealed this.

He laughed modestly. "So, I won't spoil the ending then."

"Another best seller Jiraiya-sama!"

"Awww, you!" His smiled seemed to stretch across the village itself. His face then changed to a more serious expression, his smile slowly transcending.

"I'll be observing you train him." He stated this as if it were law.

"Of course, I'd expect no less."

"I'll give you pointers and keep an eye on the child. If I see an issue, I may intervene." She rose an eyebrow at this statement. An issue? She heard it almost as a threat to her teaching abilities but nonetheless didn't comment on it. Maybe she was simply taking his words out of context.

"His chakra reserves." She stated.

"I know…" he responded his voice filled with the seriousness of the Nordic God all father.

Silence followed after his affirmation and Kasumi couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. The Kyuubi, no doubt. The source of Naruto enormous chakra, all shinobi of age were aware of this. The same Bijuu that had taken Minato away, her last precious person. It made her wonder about how her life would be if her sensei was still alive. What state would the village be? Better or worse? Maybe better? Albeit, it wasn't a knock towards the third, Kasumi just personally saw the fourth Hokage as the superior leader. Though both were definitely great leaders in their own right.

"You'll be fine." He finally confirmed breaking the silence and her thoughts, before placing his hands in his pocket and walking to the edge of the roof.

"Get to know him, make up for lost time." He said this more as an order than a suggestion. Kasumi nodded and kept her one eye on him as he descended downwards leaving her alone on the rooftop, with herself and her own thoughts.

The sun stretched its lights onto the Earth yet again.

Naruto found himself waiting again. The Anbu was awfully late for an adult, and Naruto found himself pouting at this fact. Maybe she was busy being a Ninja and all, but Naruto still resented this. He sighed loudly, as he looked up at the tree before him. His eyes gazed up at it's branches, the arms of the tree stretching upwards and extending it's reach to the skies above, green leaves glued to each of its branches.

He had reached exactly that far. His eyes falling upon the one large branch that marked his optimum point. Today he would definitely go farther and beyond. Today he was determined to reach the top. It made him excited thinking about the whole thing, he could definitely reach the top if he put enough effort into it. It was really easy to concentrate the chakra to his feet, but the hard part had been to maintain this balance at his feet for long durations of time. So his battle was more so with time. His control of the chakra at his feet was limited to a certain amount of time. Now, the boy didn't know this exact time; but he realized that his battle was against the clock, and after a certain amount of time he would lose control. All he needed to do was complete his task faster or hold his chakra at his feet longer.

Easy enough!

He looked around the area and found no one. He shrugged and began his preparations. The familiar movement of chakra to his feet felt exhilarating. His eyes closed as he took in a soft and long breath. With that Naruto moved, his feet extending upwards and pressing to the bark of the tree. He stuck just as he knew he would and continued to climb using only his legs. At first, he walked, but as he gained balance Naruto began to run, his eyes laying on the prize before him. His optimum point, the large branch and beyond. He kept moving, pushing against gravity and forcing his muscles to ignore the strain and maintaining the control on his feet needed to complete the task. Naruto pushed harder and harder, his legs diving through the air and small droplets of sweat pouring down his young pale face. Finally, he surpassed his previous point, diving through as he continued to increase speed.

There was no time to celebrate. He decided to go beyond! His muscles continued to strain and he felt, even more difficulty in his attempts at keeping balance. His crystal clear eyes gazed forward at the top of the brown tree. It was in front of him, he was almost there! His arms moved with his stride, his legs stretched forward and the boy felt time and space itself slow to a significant figure. He could feel the air itself brush past his blond hair, smack his face and even push against his chest, all in slow motion. He continued and before he knew it, his hand had touched the top.

"..."

He stood, his chest heavy and his breathing frequent. His eyes bulged as he wondered whether he heard someone. Naruto looked upwards and then his eyes caught the grass below far ways down.

"I– did it!"

And that's when he fell. His feet completely lost control, as his body shot downwards. Naruto let out a fearful yelp, as his arms flailed about randomly.

That's when soft arms caught him. Her figure landing elegantly on the ground, with what one can only assume was many years of practice. He noticed her half-masked face and one exposed eye. This made him smile, as he noticed the girl, Anbu-san had caught him.

She laid him down on the grass, and he stared up at the girl with his dazed perspective. She looked at him and gave him what could only be defined as a grin with her eye; something he'd seen her do on many occasions. And it was in that moment, with the wind blowing her equally gray hair, her black eye staring heavily as if he were transparent. That Naruto realized that this girl, this Anbu… this stranger, was absolutely beautiful!

He moved a bit, the grass below scratching him slightly, as he stared her right in the eye.

"Anbu-san, you saw me didn't you?"

She nodded. "You did well."

He smiled as his face became red hot.

"You were watching this whole time, why didn't you just come out?"

She answered immediately. "I wanted to see if you would take the initiative or wait. You did not disappoint."

"you'll train me?"

"Ah, an agreement is an agreement."

A small sigh of relief escaped his mouth. And he sat there for a moment regaining his strength. His blue eyes looked up at her, pride glowing from his orbs.

"When do we begin?"

She rose a thumb at him, before reaching her hand downwards for him to grab. He accepted her hand happily. "As soon as you're well enough to."

He grabbed her hand then jumped forward, launching himself into the air. The girl dodge, as he yelled in glee. "Hell yeah!"

"Language." She corrected and he instantly covered his mouth.

"What am I gonna learn first? I wanna learn some cool Jutsu, something that'll allow me to beat Sasuke! Or better yet, you could train me in taijutsu and let me beat him in hand to hand combat! Anbu-san there is just so much that we can do!"

She nodded as her eyes seemed to follow him as he jumped up and down excitedly. He then stopped as a thought appeared in his head. He then placed a finger on his chin and close his eyes.

"Anbu-san?"

She turned towards him. "Hm?"

He took in a short breath and then gave her a bright smile that only a young child could give.

"What's your name?"

Thought the Anbu wore a mask, Naruto could clearly see the movement of the girl parting her lips. He continued to smile and the older woman stared down at his smaller frame, she tilted her head inclining it with his before leaning down and becoming leveled with Naruto.

"Kasumi."

He gave a wide smile as his cheeks gained a small dusting of red and leaned closer to the still masked woman

"That's a beautiful name."