Destined (A Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter Two

(Hakari's POV, it'll be this way from here on out)

I helped this strange boy up and he smiled at me. His blonde hair was ruffled up all over his head, and he had such a goofy smile on his face. I knew from Iruka-Sensei that his name was Naruto, so I knew that at least.

"Hey, I'm Hakari", I said as I helped him dust his clothes off.

"I'm Naruto", he said, smiling and looking at me with some kind of cocky expression. I could already tell this boy was a bit full of himself.

"Nice to meet you Naruto. Iruka-Sensei told me that you were having... a bit of trouble with certain things he's been teaching us. I can help if you'd like."

"I don't need any help", he scoffed, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, if you dont need help, let's see how well you do on the exam at the end of the week. Whoever cant do the jutsu he wants us to do, dont get their Genin headband." I turned and walked away from him, and he grabbed my arm gently. I looked back and he was almost crying.

"I need my headband I gotta be a ninja! I wanna be Hokage some day!" Naruto was obviously upset, and I knew I had to help him. I sighed and shook him off of my arm, and looked him in the eyes.

"If you'll listen to me, and do what I tell you to do, I'll be your mentor", I said, and he lit up. I smiled a bit and looked at Iruka-Sensei and nodded.

I knew mentoring Naruto wouldn't be the easiest thing in the world, but I had to try. I was twelve and the others were thirteen or fourteen, and my Sensei was entrusting me to be a tutor. It felt so surreal, and I was honored to take up the challenge.

~*~

After getting permission from Iruka-Sensei, Naruto and I headed onto the training field while Iruka taught the rest of the class. Of course he made sure I was capable of everything he was teaching before we left. I sat my bag down on a bench and looked at Naruto.

"This won't be easy".

"Don't want it to be".

"You'll have to work hard".

"I can do it, believe it!" I rolled my eyes, but then looked at him and saw nothing but sheer determination on his face. Maybe this was gonna be easier than I thought.

"The first thing we should do would probably be channeling your chakra into your feet to walk on water. Every ninja needs to know this, because not only do many battles take place on the water, but you need to learn how to land on the water if you fall. A ninja submersed in water is defenseless, useless." Naruto seemed more determined than ever, and started walking towards the creek. I followed and watched as he removed his orange jumpsuit and stood at the edge in his boxers. I shook my head and stood in front of him.

"What do I do?" He asked.

"Concentrate your chakra into the bottom of your feet. I know it seems like it's easier said than done, but it really isnt. It just takes focus, and if you focus, pretty much anything is possible", I said as I closed my eyes and walked onto the surface of the water. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at Naruto. He had his eyes closed as well, but when he took a step into the water, his foot sank through.

"What!? What did I do wrong!?" He pulled his foot back out of the water and looked frustrated.

I sighed and walked over to him. "It helps to think about something when you concentrate. When I wanna walk on water, I visualize it in my mind. I think it helps when I think about fish swimming under my feet", I said with a smile.

"I'll try again", he said, closing his eyes again and walked out onto the water, actually on the surface. I walked out beside of him and smiled. He opened his eyes slowly, and when he did, he was shocked to see that he had done it. "I did it! I can actually walk on water!"

I smiled and giggled, I was happy to see that he was so happy. I felt like I was actually accomplishing something with him. Soon, he was doing it over and over again, to make sure he could always do it. He failed a couple more times but it didn't take him long to totally have it mastered.

Naruto smiled with pride as he turned to me for more instruction.

"Ok, now... let's see... something my uncle taught me", I said, then ran to the bench where I had sat my bag and pulled out some kunai and shuriken. "This technique works best for Hyugas with the Byakugan ability, but I'm guessing it could really work for anyone. You concentrate a bit of chakra into your weapon, and it not only helps you get a deadlock on your target, but it inflicts a bit more damage than a normal kunai thrown without the infusion".

"Whoa..." Naruto said as I centered myself into my battle stance. I stood straight with perfect posture, but with my right foot slightly ahead and my left foot on my tip-toes. I held up a kunai, infused it with my chakra causing it to turn blue, and then released it. It flew towards the target with such speed that it was hardly visible, and hit it right on the bull's-eye.

"Now, would you like to learn how to do it?" I asked, and he smiled. I could tell how happy he was. He was determined to do just the same as I did.

"Yea!" He said with his usual cocky look.

I helped him center his body into a similar stance as mine, and showed him how to concentrate his chakra into the weapon, and as he threw it it also hit the bull's-eye.

We worked together trying out different stances that would help him fight more effectively and different throwing techniques, and soon I had him doing all of the basic techniques Iruka-Sensei required. It had been a long day of training, but it was worth it. I had accomplished so much and on top of that I made Naruto happy.