Maasaki (A Naruto Story) *DISCONTINUED*

Chapter 6: Harsh Training

Maasaki's p.o.v

"Oi, Maasaki, wake up!" a loud voice boomed in my eardrum.

I jumped at the sound of the voice, causing me to fall out of my bed. I hit my head against the wooden floor, making me yelp in pain.

"Maasaki, are you okay?"

I grunted in irritation and looked up to see none other than Hiroki. He was leaning over my bed, just looking down at me with a worried expression. I rubbed my head and stood up from the floor.

"What do you want?" I asked irritably.

"What do you mean? I always say my goodbye's to you in the morning, but for some reason, you're not even up, why is that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I just want to sleep in..." I sighed.

"Mm, alright, well, you better be awake when I get back from the academy! I have no classes tomorrow and the day after so we're going to catch up on a lot of things!" he said with a smile.

I chuckled. "Alright, I'll be sure to be up by the time you come back."

"Okay, I'll see you after the academy Maasaki, don't miss me too much!" he said before running out of our shared room.

I smiled lightly to myself before it faded away when I looked at my messy bed. Seeing that I was awake now, there was a low chance of me going back to bed. I decided that I might as well make my bed and get ready for the day ahead of me. Besides, I need to meet with the man who is hiding out in my secret place.

I quickly made my bed and darted towards the restroom to brush my teeth. Once that was finished, I put on my normal attire and walked out of the orphanage, but not before taking a piece of bread to eat on the way there. When I reached the streets, I carefully made my way around in hopes I don't make anyone angry by the casual bump. That is something I don't need at the moment...

"Maasaki!" a voice hollered.

'Speaking of things I don't need at the moment...'

"Ha-ha, I knew it was you! You're the only person I know with light blue hair!" Hiroki said.

"Hiroki, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to the academy?" I asked.

"I was! It's just that... uh.. I kind of forgot my lunch." he said sheepishly.

"You idiot, do you know how many children in the orphanage will try and steal that? You better hurry up and get it." I said, shaking my head.

"Heh, heh, yeah, I know. But... what are you doing out all the way here? I know you don't get along with the others, but you're pretty far away from the orphanage." he said.

"I'm going to my secret place."

"Oooh, a secret place, huh? Can I see it when I come back from the academy?" he asked excitedly.

"Sorry, but you can't." I said with a slight frown.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well, it's my secret place, meaning I don't show it to just anyone."

"Is there a small chance I can ever see it?" he said with hopeful eyes.

"Mm, maybe..." I said unsure. "I can't really tell until I know where we stand in the near future."

"Hm, so I have to earn that privilege, right?"

"In a way..."

"Then it's settled, I'll do everything I can to earn your trust into showing me your hideout!" he said with determination beaming in his eyes.

"U-Uh... if you can, sure." I said with a sweat drop.

"Okay, well I'll see you after class! Oh, and be careful, I don't want to come back home to find out you're missing. Cause if you do, I'll beat the crap out of you and call you an idiot when I find you!" he said all too happily.

I widen my eyes at him as he left in a hurry. I shook my head and continued my way towards the hideout, and this time, I didn't accidentally bump into someone I knew and made it to my place with ease.

When I entered my hideout, the masked man was sitting on a rock, looking out to the lake. I narrowed my eyes at him as I observed his actions. Despite the fact that I got him to train me, it doesn't help that he's an outsider who can outplay me in every way possible. I need to keep my guard up around him at all times.

"Are you going to be staring at me the whole time?" he asked, without looking at me.

I stayed silent at his comment. That's amazing... he knew I was here? I want to know how to do that as well!

"You're silent today." he said. "No matter, I got you to be enrolled in the academy."

My eyes beamed with happiness. "Real-"

"However..." he said, standing up. "You will not be joining the class until two weeks are up."

"What? Why?" I asked, clearly confused.

"You will be trained under me before you enter the academy."

"But wouldn't it be better if-"

"No." he said, facing me. "By training under me for the following weeks, those petty children will be no match for you."

"So, I'll just... win all the time?" I questioned.

"You will do more than win. You will dominate them and you will make them learn they are beneath you." he said.

"Well, I can't say I don't like the sound of that." I smirked.

"I'm glad you do, but... I have a catch. If you fail to impress me with honing your skills, I'll get rid of you like trash." he said a bit menacing.

"Fail to impress?" I scoffed. "I have yet to understand the meaning of failure."

"Confidence, I like that. But..." he ran towards me, and appeared in front of face in no time. "You need more than that!"

Madara kicked the side of my head, making it feel like I was hit by a brick. I flew towards the ground with a loud thud, I gripped my head and sat up.

"Lesson one, keep an eye on your opponent. Do not let them escape your sight. But if they are too quick for you, do not stay in one spot." he said.

I grunted to myself and tried to stand up, but he knocked me down. I tried again, but the result was the same.

"Can't get back up because the enemy doesn't allow you to? Look at your surroundings. Think. A distraction, a one shot move, blind them." he said.

I took his advice and looked around me. There was nothing that could help me, and if there was, they were much too far out of my reach. The only thing here is dir- wait, dirt! That's it! I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it towards his face. His visible eye widened slightly before jumping away from me. I was finally able to stand up again.

"Good, you're learning. Now, are you ready for the real training?" he said as if he was enjoying this.

"Hn, I'm ready to do with whatever you're willing to throw at me." I said with a smirk.

"That's the spirit, now, let's begin!"

That day was nothing but a reckless night. I could hardly keep up with him, but I stored his advices in my head like a safe. I jolted down mental notes, making sure I have broken down with what he was trying to say to me. Although I thought I did a terrible job, Madara said it was only the beginning of my training, that is something I have to prepare for... mentally.