Child of the Moon

Chakra

Eventually, the team found her sitting in the forest, cross-legged and in a meditative pose. She had heard - well, felt them coming before they'd even been aware she was there. Naruto plonked himself down next to her, and she could feel his eyes fixed on her.

She considered it a game, and he did too.

How long before Naruto got bored, or Tsukiko opened her eyes?

"Gahh!" Naruto threw himself into her lap, and she opened one eye to look at the frustrated ninja. "You always win!"

"Because I'm patient, Naruto," she answered, running her fingers through his hair affectionately. "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."

"Alright," Kakashi's voice, cut in. "Training starts now!"

Naruto leaped to his feet, his expression both excited and determined. "Right!"

"First," Kakashi said, leaning on the crutch he'd been given to assist with movement. "We will begin with a review of chakra, the ninja's basic source of power. Understanding Chakra is essential."

"We know that," Sasuke sighed grumpily.

"Chakra can be used in more ways than just jutsus," Tsukiko said, standing up and dusting her pants off.

"Yeah," Naruto said cheerfully. "Sasuke is right too. A long time ago we learned about... uh... catchra!"

"Chakra," Tsukiko corrected gently.

Kakashi sighed heavily. "Go ahead Sakura."

"Uh, oh right!"

Sakura then went into an in-depth explanation of what chakra was and how it was utilized.

"Right on all points," Kakashi said as she finished her explanation. "Iruka-sensei really did have some excellent students."

"What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations!" Naruto demanded. "The whole point is to learn a jutsu isn't it?"

"Naruto's right for once," Sasuke agreed begrudgingly. "We're already using chakra energy in our jutsu."

"No!" Kakashi snapped. "You've not mastered this power, you've barely scratched the surface of it!"

"What do you mean!?"

"Naruto," Tsukiko said firmly, causing the blond ninja to pipe down with a sheepish expression.

"It's just like Sakura said," Kakashi said, his frustration not yet abated. "You have to draw on both spiritual and physical energies and then combine them within yourself."

Then Kakashi launched into a slightly more in-depth explanation of chakra usage.

"Uh... so how do we change that?" Naruto chuckled anxiously, scratching the back of his head with a goofy grin.

"Train so hard that it becomes second nature," Kakashi said dramatically. "To do so, you must be ready to put your life on the line."