I'm back once again ladies and gentlemen. Sorry for the wait, and there is no excuse, but I'll continue the story now. Enjoy everyone.

Chapter 7

Defying Convention

The pair of boys continued on down the streets of Konoha. One walking in a stern militaristic fashion, the other juggling a set of 6 kunai. Neji had a look of mild irritation in his eyes, every time he looked at his blond haired companion. He wondered what in the name of the Makai the boy was doing. It seemed completely pointless, and for a man like him who believed in no wasted moment or energy, it was aggravating to say the least. He wouldn't show that on the outside, but that didn't prevent his fuming on the inside. He would be glad when he could be rid of the irritating idiot. He then spotted the training grounds and almost released a sigh of relief.

"We're here, Uzumaki-san," Neji states in his usual voided voice. He gestures to the field holding a group of three people sitting around waiting for something or someone. Neji moved to a tree near the edge of the grounds and as the rest of the team seemed to come to life around the area.

Naruto snatches each of the kunai out of the air, placing each back in his kunai pouch. He then takes a closer look at each of the people on the training grounds. He found there to be Gai and what looked to be a miniature version of himself, minus the vest. It was just a slight bit disturbing to Naruto, but he dismissed it for the time being. Besides those two took being a menace to sanity farther than he did with some of his pranks. He even noticed that both seemed to share the identical expressions of joyed surprise at his presence. He then turned to see a girl with her hair tied up into two circular buns that made her look like a form of teddy bear. She gazed back at him in examination as well with chocolate eyes. She wore a pink sleeveless chinese style shirt, with a red trim at the arms and neck. She held herself with an air of confidence, which Naruto enjoyed. Confidence often meant that the person wouldn't hesitate in a fight, which definitely made a good training partner.

Naruto just smiled at the group and inclined his head in a respectful gesture, before saying," A pleasure to meet you all. My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He gave his trademark fox grin afterwards.

"Your flames of youth shine brightly today, Naruto-san," the mini Gai yelled in his enthusiasm. He gave Naruto a thumbs and smiled wide at him. Naruto just waved back nervously at him, edging closer to the girl. "My name is Rock Lee, 'The Beautiful Azure Beast of Konoha'."

"Is he always like this?" Naruto asks the girl, getting a sigh in reply, and a nod in the affirmative.

"My name is Tenten and yes. These guys are always like this. It's sad really that I feel like the only sane member of Team Gai," she states before placing a palm on her forehead in exasperation at Lee's antics.

"I see," Naruto states before turning to look at Gai. "So what will I be training in today, Gai-sensei?" Naruto had a look of anxiousness in his features that was barely contained. He was looking forward to getting home to spend sometime with Erim, as he had a lot to tell her.

"Today will be a skills evaluation to see where you stand in the areas of physical combat, and where your flames burn brightest," Gai stated with his usual loud flair. He placed a hand on Lee's shoulder before stating," We'll test your basic hand to hand first. You may only use basic hand-to-hand combat in this first test, then we'll test your weapon skills with Tenten."

Naruto just grinned and walked to the center of the field and fell into a relaxed state, making sure not to tense any muscle at all. He watches as Lee walks to the center , and takes his stance of placing an arm behind his back and places an open hand forward motioning for Naruto to attack. Naruto obliges by zigzagging a bit before throwing a high kick toward Lee's head, which is summarily parried by the open hand. Lee then falls low and throws a swift sweep. Naruto sees it and hops over it, throwing a downward punch toward Lee's head while trying to twist his body to place his weight into the strike. Lee answers with a push off of his centered foot, pulling into a bicycle kick. The kick lands squarely into Naruto's jaw, making him fly into a back flip. Naruto tries to shift his weight to compensate and land on is feet, only to find a straight punch to the kidney, forcing him to fly away. Naruto goes flying and skids across the ground. Naruto kips up and takes a deep breath before running in again, and finds the need to block a swift open palm to the chest by placing a forearm in the path. He feels the force of the blow jar him, before he throws a low kick aimed at the back of Lee's knee. He then finds said leg missing and in the center of chest in a straight leg kick. Naruto being more prepared this time, loosens himself for the blow, and back handsprings away, throwing a kick during the movement to his partner's jaw. Lee back steps, giving Naruto some breathing room. As his feet touch the ground, he springs forward to press the attack, finding Lee to respond by sidestepping and open palm striking Naruto's back, forcing him to the ground face first. Naruto knew that he just couldn't keep up with Lee's speed so he decided on a new tactic as he rolled away from an axe kick by Lee to his prone form. He rolled away and back onto his feet, before smiling at Lee.

"Let's see if you can handle this," Naruto states as he runs forward, throwing a punch to Lee's stomach.

Lee blocks only to see that the punch was a feint and sees the kick aimed at his lower legs. He then hops over the sweep only to find a back roundhouse kick to the ribs. Stabilizing midair, Lee finds Naruto already on top him again, throwing a straight punch toward his chest. The attack hits, but something seems off as the punch is too light to break his block or hurt him. He then finds a rising knee to his stomach, taking the air from him. Lee flies back and lands on his back. He tries to fill his lungs with air only to find a punch to gut making more air leave him. Lee then throws a kick out to force Naruto back. As Naruto jumps back, Lee catches a much needed breath.

"Very good, Naruto-san," Lee states getting up and falling back into his stance. "I am apologize for not taking you more seriously. Your flames of youth burn brightly in you today. Let us continue," he states, before charging forward to meet Naruto once more.

The exchanges go back and forth, Lee gaining the advantage most of the time. Though if one looked closely at the exchanges, they could see Naruto learning quickly from his mistakes, and capitalizing on Lee's style's flaws. Naruto seemed to be able to catch where boy's openings were, and moved in forcing Lee to adapt to Naruto and push himself a step further. Naruto also never seem to lose that confident smile, and seemed to get back up from whatever Lee threw his way. Then again, when faced with pain everyday from your childhood assassination attempts and daily beatings to within an inch of your life, pain would seem like an afterthought to everything wouldn't it? Naruto proved to be a constantly surprising and endlessly adapting foe, which Lee loved. The boy was like the ultimate sparring partner, never making the same mistakes twice. After a good 15 minutes of straight fighting, Gai cleared his throat, and both boys stopped and looked at him.

"Well it seems you learn quickly and innovate new attack patterns almost instantly. An impressive student indeed, but we must now move on to weapons. I do have to spend time training my team as well, or their flames will sputter out," Gai stated, motioning Tenten over. Naruto and Tenten sweat dropped in sync with each other.

Naruto shrugged afterwards and walked to the center of the field in preparation for the target practice. He took a deep breath and moved quickly to strike at all the targets with thrown weapons. He only exhaled when he had finally finished the exercise. After exhaling, he then turned to Gai to gauge his reaction. His expression was a smile, but it seemed he was a little disappointed. Years of watching people had given him an understanding that the eyes conveyed emotion regardless of a person's intention. Naruto just sighed and waited to hear the review of his ability.

"You are good at hitting your targets, but you lack the speed necessary to make an effective throw," the taijutsu master stated, before gesturing to Tenten. "She'll be helping with that aspect. Now that I've seen your level of youth, I'll be making you a training regimen, as well as trying to discover a style that suits your flames of youth!" he states with a shout, causing Naruto to flinch. "But for now we'll just settle on improving your aim and speed with thrown weapons."

With that said, Naruto spent the rest of the afternoon practicing to improve his speed in throwing. He noticed the girl was a expert on the subject of weapons, and gave him tips on where to throw, when to release, and body positioning. She also pointed out a few tips for training on his own, with random objects so that he couldn't be considered unarmed at any point. After all, a ninja is at their best when prepared for any outcome. Tenten was a veritable encyclopedia on the aspect of weapons, but was definitely lacking in the other arts of being a shinobi. She had minimal skill with ninjutsu, mild at best with genjutsu, and near no hand to hand. She was a specialist of the highest caliber, only being outshone by her two teammates, who both excelled at hand-to-hand and had no skill elsewhere. They seem to believe in the brute force aspect of shinobi life, and that was a bit disappointing. One couldn't truly appreciate the full life of the shinobi if they focused on just a single aspect. He knew that a truly great shinobi showed his interest in becoming proficient in all aspects of their chosen career and profession.

"That will be all for today Naruto, and I hope that we will see your flames of youth continue to burn brighter," Gai stated, before dismissing them. Naruto couldn't understand what this man's obsession with youth was. Maybe he was just a kid at heart and wanted others to show the exuberance of being children again. Maybe he was denied a childhood too. Naruto could sympathize if that was the case.

Naruto walked away from the training grounds and headed toward his home, hoping to be able to visit Erim once more. She was always pleasant to talk to, and would always give her opinion and spend time with him. It wasn't like she had much else to do, and he truly felt that her solitude in that cage must drive her up the walls. He would have lost his sanity a long time ago if he were in her position. At least he got attention, even if it was negative and painful. He didn't want to treat a friend to a pain worse than death in his mind. As he walked and thought to himself, he noticed a shadow move from the corner of his eye, and tensed for a brief moment thinking it was some sort of attacker.

"I know you're there, so you can come out now," Naruto stated, sighing in exasperation. An attempt on his life was the last thing he wanted to end his day with, but somethings couldn't be changed or avoided. No matter how much you wished. What came from the shadows was the last thing he expected though. A blue haired girl, wearing a heavy overcoat and bangs shadowing her eyes was what he was greeted with.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," the girl shyly said, head low in show of shame.

'Probably wasn't expecting to be caught. She seems to be afraid of something, but not me,' Naruto thinks to himself, before relaxing. "What do you want?" he asks in a sigh of exasperation. He was just hoping to get home without any incidents.

"I'm just walking home, and didn't want to be noticed," the girl demurely stated. "I'm sorry if I troubled you," she added shyly.

"That's okay, but why are you hanging your head? Shouldn't you look at people when you speak them?" Naruto questioned as politely as he could.

The girl lifts her head, revealing the white eyes of the byakugan, before replying, "I'm sorry." The girl looked pretty enough in Naruto's eyes, so he couldn't understand why a girl was so under confident. Maybe she was scared of the demon he held?

"If that's all, do you want an escort home?" Naruto asked holding out a hand. "I don't think the Hyuuga would like for you to be out on your own. Too many risks involved. My name's Naruto. What's yours?"

"Hinata," she replies in a voice soft enough to almost be mistaken for the breeze. She shuffled her feet a little, before blushing at her statement. "I would appreciate the escort, Naruto-kun." She hesitantly takes Naruto's hand, before allowing him to lead her.

"My pleasure," Naruto stated, leading her in the direction of the compound.

Hokage Tower

He was tired after all the questioning and crazy antics of Anko trying to get him to open up and talk to her. Being polite only seemed to egg her on and make her attempt harder. Mikal was tired of having to dodge attempts to pin him with various pointy objects, and his chakra was running a bit low due to the escapes. It took Ibiki threatening to expel her from the chambers before she finally calmed down. He had learned a great deal about Konoha behavioral policies, as well as certain customs. He never liked rules as they cut into style and placed restrictions where there shouldn't be any. Funny how people govern themselves with all these rules, but they fly right out the window when desperation strikes. He just plopped down into a comfortable chair in the hokage's office, waiting for Sarutobi to show so he could report. This was why he was a wanderer and wanted to answer to no village, as this was all to cumbersome to his own development. He sighed and noticed a knock at the door. The door began to open when he noticed Kurenai walk in.

"Well hello, Kurenai-san," Mikal stated, watching Kurenai step in. He let out a sigh of relief that it was a sane person, rather than Anko. "So what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He noticed Kurenai blush a bit, before walking to another chair in the room and taking a seat.

"I was here to discuss my team's mission that took place today. I was going to request time off to train them for a little while. One of my students needs some more confidence in her abilities. She is quite capable, but has a very low self-esteem. I'm trying to break her of it, but it seems to be ingrained deep in her mind," Kurenai stated, fiddling with her dress. "The others have no confidence problems, even going so far as to say one of them is overconfident."

"I can see where that would be a bit of problem," Mikal states, before placing a hand under his chin to signify him thinking. He stays like that for a moment, before glancing to the side at Kurenai. "Maybe Naruto and I can be of assistance. I needed to expose Naruto to different styles so that he can create new ideas and maybe even have new friends. At the very least he'll have some more sparring partners."

"That sounds okay, but how does that help me?" she asks, confusion alighting her features. "Isn't Naruto overconfident himself?"

Mikal shook his head before replying," No he isn't. He may act tough, but look past it and you'll see he's a boy starved of basic attention. He wants to be recognized and his idols were all hokages who showed no lack of faith in their abilities. He wants others to succeed as much as himself, because to him that allows others to see him as something other than what the villagers see him as. He wants nothing more than to give others hope for a better life." He smiles at the last statement. "Most people wish for a better life than they have, but we often forget what we have in the first place. Naruto can't take anything for granted as he has given his entire being to everything he does, earning him the meager scraps he now has. Hard work and perseverance is all he has ever known, and he would want it no other way."

"So you mean to tell me he has had to scrape the bottom of the barrel his whole life?" she asks, shocked at this new information. "How can anyone be as bright as him and live that life?"

"Funny thing about hope," Mikal states, leaning his head on his hand," is that no matter how much you think you've destroyed it, it will continue on. We can see the light of hope in the darkest of times, because we want to know happiness. Happiness is only fleeting because we expect hope to disappear, and never learn to make our lives better ourselves. We must take the initiative to make things better. Naruto has the ability to instill that drive in others. This is why the Fennikusu chose him as the next summoner for them. He is a very special child and was shunned by others. He has the ability to hate, but chooses the righteous path of forgiveness instead. Some may say it makes him weaker, but they are fools. He will end up with allies and friends that will try to live up to his expectations of them. He expects the best of everyone, but he'll have to learn that not everyone is savable, and that you can't help those who won't help themselves."

Kurenai looks at Mikal, surprised at the words he was speaking. She didn't take Mikal to be so insightful. Wise she knew, but apparently he was also very aware of the strengths and flaws of those around him.

"Maybe we can talk to the hokage about having you join us for training tomorrow," Kurenai states before lacing her fingers together in front of her in her lap. She smiles warmly at him before they both hear the door open once more to reveal Sarutobi with a haggard face.

"Bad meeting with the council?" Mikal asked the elder man. Sarutobi sighs in exhaustion as he sits down behind his desk, glaring heatedly at the paperwork laying there. "I'll take that as a yes. So what do the hot air bags have to say?" Mikal asks jokingly, smiling warmly.

"They want you to have Sasuke be your apprentice instead of Naruto, and have him sign the fennikusu contract. Danzou was quite adamant that now that you reside in Konoha, that your skills are now our resources. He wants the contract confiscated from you as payment for your crimes," the old man replied as if he was aging rapidly at each word. He knew he wouldn't like the response, and he wasn't going to be disappointed if the look on Mikal's face meant anything.

"Tell them to shove a kunai where the sun don't shine and twist," Mikal spits venomously, "then maybe I'll think about it. As for the Uchiha brat, not a chance in hell. I am repaying a debt to an old friend, so the Uchiha can find another mentor. I don't babysit spoiled children. I train people willing to work for greatness. Naruto is my apprentice and will remain as such until I name him successor to the Fennikusu Sage title." Mikal looks Sarutobi in the eyes making sure to get his point across. "There will be no negotiation in this matter. The Fennikusu will only accept a summoner of pure heart and intentions. Nothing less will satisfy them. Most of the moves I will teach Naruto are based around the abilities and powers of the Fennikusu themselves, so without a contract they will be pointless. Besides, we both know what the Uchiha brat will do with his power. The Fennikusu would never stand for revenge against anyone, unless it was dealing with their summoners."

"I realize that, and I told the council that it was your decision as to matters dealing with your contract and the child you want as your apprentice," Sarutobi replies, rubbing his temples. He was getting a headache , quickly becoming a migraine. The council was trying to force a former A-rank criminal to hand over what made him an A-rank in the first place. That was pure lunacy, but he had to at least appease the council in some way, or he'd never hear the end of it. He knew he was too old for this job, and that time was running short for him. He'd have named a successor by now, if there were any worthwhile candidates that weren't either not suited for the position or in the back pocket of the council. "I do have to at least make sure you meet Sasuke and make a judgment then. Would you be willing to do that at least, so that I can appease the council? I know it's asking for a lot, but for my own peace and sanity, could you?" the elder man pleads.

Mikal looks at the aged hokage for a moment before replying," I'll do that, but not until later this week. I have something I need to take care of for Naruto, and Kurenai has asked that I assist her team in training. I'd like to at least offer her the same hospitality that she has shown me over my stay here."

"Granted, and thank you," Sarutobi says in gratitude.

"You owe me for this," Mikal states, getting up and walking to the door. "So keep that in mind." With that he walks out.

At The Hyuuga Compound

At the compound's front entrance, Naruto stood with Hinata at the gates. Hinata was blushing the whole way there, but was slowly starting to speak more. She still stuttered a lot, but at least she was talking. Naruto was more than happy to fill in the gaps of silence though. He had noticed her blush, but just took it as being shy around others. So he did what he does best, talk and try to find something she comfortable with. It seemed the topic she liked hearing about most was himself, and the least liked was her family. He figured with a cousin like Neji, who would like talking about their family. He was beginning to see why the Hyuuga had the sticks so far up their...

"W-w-we're h-h-here Naruto-kun," Hinata interrupted, stopping his thoughts. "Th-Thank you f-for m-making sure I g-got h-home."

"No problem, Hinata-chan," Naruto grinned, placing a hand behind his head in embarrassment. He didn't receive any real thanks for anything he did. Everyone usually hated him even for trying. "I really didn't mind. Thanks for allowing me the pleasure of helping you. Well I need to get back to my own place, so maybe I'll see you sometime in the near future. It's not often I run into someone who's willing to talk to me, let alone help them. May I make a suggestion though?"

"W-what would t-that be, N-Naruto-kun?" she asks in hesitance.

"You should be more sure of yourself," he begins, placing a hand on her shoulder. This causes her to look into his sapphire eyes. "There is no reason to be afraid to talk to people. If you hesitate, you lose opportunities to improve yourself further. Failure shouldn't be feared, but learned from to improve. Failure is not the end of everything, but a chance for a new beginning. The only time something is a complete failure is when you give up. So never give up Hinata. You seem to good a person to be a failure."

Hinata feels something she hadn't felt in a long time begin to well up in her. An inkling of confidence and self worth. It was small, but there nevertheless. She nodded her head in understanding, before a smile graced her lips. It had been a while since she had smiled. She had almost forgotten how to truly be happy.

"Well, I'm going to head on home now. Like I said before, I hope we meet again in the near future," Naruto adds, before turning to leave. As he walks away, he throws one last glance of his shoulder at Hinata, noticing she was still smiling and waving at him now. 'Maybe life won't be so bad now that I've made a few friends,' he thought to himself. He then continued his trek home.

Naruto's Apartment, Several Minutes Later

Naruto walked into his apartment, and saw Mikal sitting at the table, carefully reading papers placed in a manila folder. He had a steaming cup of what seemed to be tea sitting in front of him. From the expression on Mikal's face, he wasn't enjoying all too much what he was reading. The expression on his face seemed to be that of disgust. He was muttering something about 'spoiled children' and 'fan girls'. He wasn't sure as to what he meant by that. He had a feeling he probably would be finding out why his new mentor was disgusted soon enough. He just decided to head to the kitchen and make himself a cup of tea as well. He'd probably need it. After he entered the kitchen, he heard the folder being placed on the table.

"So how did training go?" Mikal asked, picking up his mug and taking a sip. "I take it you exercised caution at the estates?"

"Yes, but I think I surprised them a bit. They seemed a little shocked at the amount of chakra I have," Naruto replied, taking his cup to the table and taking a seat across from his mentor.

"Not surprising. I was even startled by it at first. It is impressive, and with even a moderate amount of control, you'd be a force to be reckoned with," he answered, taking a sip of his tea. "So how did your training with Gai go?"

"He says I need a decent amount of work in hand to hand and throw weapons, but that I am a quick learner. He says he is going to come up with a training regimen for me, but until then I am to do exercises to strength my body," Naruto says with a smile. "I'm also making sure to try and find ways to train in everything I do. It actually is sort of like a game to me now. So far I've only lost it a few times. I can't find something physical to do each time."

"Then may I suggest mental exercises?" Mikal replied, placing an elbow on the table and resting his chin there. "Such as carrying a book with you, gathering information about your surroundings, or even perhaps creating scenarios in your head and then attempting to solve them in the best way possible? These are all good methods to train in, and they won't cause others to look at you as strangely," he answered, smiling warmly. "Anything else important happen today?" he added on.

"Yes. I took a Hyuuga by the name of Hinata home. She wasn't like the other Hyuuga I've met thus far. She seems kind and shy, too much so in my opinion. She wore a ninja headband around her neck, so I guess she was a ninja," Naruto stated, taking a sip of his tea. "I hope I meet her again. She was kind to me, unlike the villagers."

"Well it seems you're in luck, Naruto," Mikal replies with a wide grin. "You'll be training with her team tomorrow, and I'll be teaching you a new set of ninjutsu to use. One will be your first involving the Fennikusu. So get your rest and be ready for training tomorrow."

Naruto grinned, before downing the last his cup, stating, "You bet. I can't wait to see Heart's Fire again." With that he escapes to his room, hoping to talk with Erim.

After making sure that Naruto had left, Mikal's smile fades before he focuses a bit of chakra and forms the seals for a summoning. A small gold colored bird appears upon the table, looking at Mikal in a curious fashion. Mikal places a finger to his lips to make sure his companion used their mental communication. He pulled out a stick of cinnamon and handed it to the bird, who happily took it in his beak.

'Did you get the information I need?' he asked, taking a moment to look over at Naruto's door. After making sure he wasn't going to come out, he turned back to the bird.

'Yes,' the bird replied.

It used its talons to scratch a seal into the grains of the table. Mikal made a small cut and swiped the blood across the seal, and a scroll appeared from it. He picks up the scroll and opens it to read it. The report it seems upsets him slightly as he finished it. He placed it on the table and leans back in his chair. He closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them again and looking at the small bird on the table.

'So she's now part of the 'Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?' he asks, finding it hard to believe. 'The coup was successful then. This isn't good. The purges may be over, but I fear they just traded tyrants. She'll use all her resources to hunt me down, so I'll need to move again soon. At least be away from Naruto. You think you can keep an eye on him for me, while I sort out something to help prevent this from spilling to here?' Mikal asks.

'It would be a pleasure, Master Sentra,' the bird replies, bowing slightly.

'I appreciate it. I need you to do me one more favor before I leave here. Get the scroll on the Phoenix style of martial arts. He'll need to be taught it, so make sure that Maito Gai gets the scroll. He'll teach him the necessary risks and benefits to it. Try to make sure Heart's Fire remains informed as to my actions. He seems to be Naruto's favorite thus far,' he states, before downing the rest of his tea.

'Do you think he'll be able to master the Phoenix style?' the small bird asks. 'It is a style that requires the ability to focus and read others. It also is a defensive style based on studying the styles of others while under the pressure of assault.'

'He'll do well. He's faced a lot in his short life, so this is just another obstacle to him. He'll treat it as such and like all hurdles he meets, he'll obliterate it,' Mikal states with a smile.

"Very well,' the small bird states, 'I'll prepare the arrangements for what you have asked. May you be successful Master Sentra.'

'You as well, Elder Furuishin,' he tells him in reply, before vanishing in a poof of smoke.

Mikal stares at the ceiling as he thinks about the evens to come, before muttering, "Are you that obsessed with me Aisuhina? You would overcome a village just to get me?"

Sorry to keep you all waiting for this chapter. My computer turned on me and forced me to rewrite this chapter several times. I'm trying to do the best I can given my resources. I would also like to thank the author pudgypudge for putting me back on track. Thanks. I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. I will note that the Wave arc will be quite different as you all heard that the Seven Swordsmen are still together, thus making Zabuza not able to be hired by Gato. Just to let you know as well, as many have asked, I am not making an OC to replace Naruto on Team 7. I will be using Sai as he will be a plot point to Team 7's involvement in the story. Sakura will remain a fan girl until one incident happens. Hinata is still in the air as to whether she will be in the pairing for Naruto. I know that will probably make some of you unhappy with me, and I apologize in advance to them. Also I will note now that those who want an image of what Kyuubi is based on in my story, look at Erim from Lufia 2 and Robin from One Piece. Cross them and you get my version of Kyuubi. Sorry as well that she didn't play as big a role in this chapter, but she will be a major part of next chapter, as Naruto meets Kurenai's team, then his would be team. So until next chapter, please have fun and take care.