NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Captain Bird, Training & Time Flying By
"Shouldn't you check which Element is actually your Element first?" The dull blank voice of Captain Bird appeared from next to her. Looking up at him, she couldn't help but crack a grin. 'The white cloaks for Captains do look a bit silly. Albeit Coyote... She didn't wear a cloak at all, and all ANBU do in the village.'
"No. The reality is my Chakra Control isn't enough to do most of these 'Academy Level' or even D-Rank Jutsu right now with handseals. I'll just either overpower them too much or they'll fail like the Clone. But the Uzumaki Water Jutsu..." She'd point to one of her clones that was practicing it. "Well, they made their Jutsu for Academy Students and Genin with the understanding that their Academy Students and Genin with Jonin-level Chakra didn't have Jonin-level Control and that their Chunin with Kage Level chakra didn't have Kage Level Control. The Fourth Hokage's Jutsu at this level is a bit more normal, albeit they would be too much Chakra of an average Civilian Genin."
Staring at her for a moment he would slowly nod. "The Mind's Eye of Kagura is truly an impressive ability. I didn't expect your understanding of chakra amounts to be so profound already." The grin would remain on her face, even as she slowly went through stretches and warmups for her 'Shunshin' training.
"Nearly two weeks with it is more than enough to learn these things." Indeed, two weeks since she awakened Mind's Eye of Kagura, and nearly a week since she got her two clan scrolls. Right now she had two clones practicing Water Jutsu, one studying Fuinjutsu, and the last one was practicing the Kunai Techniques in the Namikaze scroll... It's not because she sucks at Kunai's. 'Okay, it's because I suck at Kunai's, and I feel like a disgrace. The coolest fights always have Kunai's or swords.' Was that a valid reason to dedicate a large part of her life and training to Kunai's and in the future Swords?
It was when you had Shadow Clones! "You have your 'Shadow Clones are stupid' face on. Lady Uzumaki." Naruko twitched, glaring at Captain Bird.
"Now listen here. I don't know who you are behind that mask, but... Keep calling me Lady Uzumaki and I'll start to actually find you enjoyable!" She accompanied that by making a pose Jiraiya would be proud of, a scroll in one hand, and waves of water roiling from the pond behind her, with the sun bearing down upon her... It was glorious!
Captain Bird sighed before disappearing with a gentle gust of wind. 'Now if only I could find out what clans were retainers of the Uzumaki clan. Tch. Darn ANBU, always so stubborn about their identities. Or maybe it's not the Uzumaki, and he was Dad's retainer? Maybe he's just super formal like everyone is with that old granny?'
Once again having to shove ANBU stuff to the corner of her mind she'd stop for a moment. "At this point, I'm just gonna become Hokage so I can learn ALL of your identities, y'know!"
There was no response. 'Baah! I'm gonna start up Hide and Seek if they keep this up, damn what you say old man!' Going back to her training occasionally her lips would twitch upwards at hearing her clones practicing Water cursing at each other. 'Girls, girls. Calm down, we're all pretty! No need to get mad you splashed each other.' Grinning at her thoughts she'd mark an X on two tree branches, before beginning to hop between them, slowly getting faster and faster. 'The goal of this one is simple. As fast as you can, as accurate as you can. Then slowly add more X's in a line, and then add them around the forest not in a line and behind things. Then at different elevations. No matter how much of a, well, a himbo dad can be, he can have some pretty cool ideas.'
Days passed as she trained, and soon she only had a week till the academy started up again. Her training was going well, she was of course a prodigy. I mean, really. Kinda. Okay, she really fucking sucked at Kunai. Like really badly. But everything else was going okay. Her two clones were well on their way to mastering a few Water Style Jutsu, she was doing great on the Shunshin training, and for Fuinjutsu, well it was Fuinjutsu. It would take months of studying before she got anywhere. 'In order it's Shunshin Training, Water Style, Fuinjutsu, and then Kunai-Wielding doing the best. As for physical training...'
Staring down at her leg weights with each band fully activated, 'Well, the Old Man needs to give me the next set. Everyone is still underestimating K-chan Chakra leaking into my system + Uzumaki Vitality + Minato bullshit it appears.' It was actually an interesting topic. Strong parents DID make a very heavily talented child. Don't look point to Asuma Sarutobi to say 'That's not true!' 'He's still an Elite Jounin after all. A monster who without a blink could tear across the countryside with no one to stop him.' It truly was the case in this world, a monster parent made a monster child. Albeit, oftentimes that child isn't quite as monstrous as the parent.
'Now let's see here, first on the list, finally manage to finish the X-course while at full speed!'
-POV-
"Should we tell her?" The amused voice of Fox peering over his shoulder into the crystal ball on his desk cut him out of his thoughts. Then a chuckle escaped his lips.
"No, my boy, I don't think we should. No need to tell her that Minato organized his 'Academy to Chunin' based on his standards. Not anyone else's."
He could practically see the eye-smile behind Fox's Mask. "It's alright for the rest of them, but it's quite cruel Hokage-sama, not letting her know that what Sensei thinks is 'Genin-standard' for Teleporting and Bukijutsu is quite... absurd."
A wide smile would appear on his face. 'That's the point Kakashi, that's the point!' "If we have Naruko thinking that Jonin-level Bukijutsu is actually Genin-level, and Almost Kage-Level Bukijutsu is actually Chunin, who's to complain when she masters them? If she thinks she's failing then she'll only try harder. But if she knew, she might just be content with her current progress."
Fox had no response for a while, but instead would just occasionally chuckle while staring at the Crystal Ball. "But one thing is clear, she inherited Sensei's talent for speed."
That, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no doubt of. Her talent for Shunshin and all Teleportation arts really, was monstrous. It was the likes of which made nations crumble just from sheer fear. It was the kind of talent that made Nations give you a Flee on Sight order.
"She's her father's daughter through and through. But you're wrong on that Fox. Minato's talent... you never truly saw it. This couldn't compare to it."
Even he shuddered thinking of it. Minato Namikaze had no large Jutsu. He did not terraform countries at a whim like Hasirama-Sama or Madara. No. Minato Namikaze was fast. He was fast, and that was all he needed for the world to tremble in fear. 'Even to this day...'
He took a deep breath and pushed that fear down. Indeed Hiruzen Sarutobi the Sandaime Hokage, feared Minato Namikaze. Kushina Uzumaki's power was understandable. She was the most talented Uzumaki clan member who was then selected to wield the Kyuubi's power. But Minato? 'No shinobi in his lineage. Before he graduated he had no special teachings. He was just... that good. That talented.' But that was not what he feared the most. It was the thing that all the Great Nations tried to forget about. His mind. He could see through all Jutsu, all strategies. He could read your thoughts just by looking at you. Not with a Bloodline, not with a Jutsu. But just by thinking. 'But Naruko? She has a monstrous level of talent still, but that is understandable. We'll have a fine Shinobi to guard Konoha one day. Someone we can trust. Someone who in the end won't cause even her own citizens to feel fear. As long as they get over the Kyuubi that is.'
Shaking himself out of his dark thoughts, he'd peer back at the Crystal Ball and with a hint of forced humor say, "At least she had to suffer like the rest of us when it comes to Fuinjutsu."