Uzumaki Reunion Ch2

It has been a little over twelve years since the day Mei found out she had a nephew.  Since that time, Hiruzen had kept his word and raised Naruto the best he could.  Since Hiruzen couldn't be everywhere though, there have been a few incidents where idiotic civilians tried to hurt the young Naruto, but Hiruzen made sure to use them as an example for others who tried to hurt Naruto by having them visit Ibiki.  Luckily for Hiruzen, incidents like that haven't happened again, though the hate towards Naruto continued.

Currently, a twelve-year-old Naruto was on a mission in Nami no Kuni with his team, which consisted of his sensei, Hatake Kakashi, and fellow genin, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.  The three genin were currently training for the upcoming battle against Momochi Zabuza, former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

The team had finished with the tree walking exercise that Kakashi had given them, so Naruto was now trying to learn a jutsu from the scroll he was reading.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hai, Naruto?"

"Can you help me with this jutsu?"

His team looked at him in confusion, wondering where Naruto got the scroll in the first place.  Sasuke was the one to speak up.

"It's not like you'd be able to learn it anyway, dobe.  Where'd you get the scroll in the first place?"

"For your information, teme, I found this scroll on my doorstep a few days ago.  As to who it's from, I don't know," replied the orange-clad boy.

Sakura and Sasuke sweatdropped at the fact that Naruto would willingly accept a mysterious scroll.  Kakashi on the other hand, judging from what the jutsu was, knew whom it was from.  After Hiruzen's encounter with Mei twelve years ago, he informed Kakashi, who was put in charge of watching out for Naruto.  Kakashi was surprised to find out that Kushina had a sister, but was happy that Naruto still had family out there.  The scroll must have been like the other gifts Mei sent year after year.

"Unfortunately, Naruto, you'll have to wait until we get home for you to learn this jutsu," said Kakashi.

"How come, Kakashi-sensei?" questioned Naruto, sounding disappointed.

"Well, this jutsu is a Suiton jutsu.  With elemental jutsu, it usually depends on the shinobi's elemental affinity on how well they can learn it."

"Can't you just check my affinity here?" asked Naruto, looking confused.

"I could, but I left the tool needed to do so back home," explained Kakashi with an eye smile, making the three genin sweatdrop. "Alright now, back to training!"

-:-

Team Seven trained for a few more days.  One day, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke went with Tazuna to the bridge, leaving Naruto behind to rest as he overworked himself with training.  It wasn't until later in the day did Naruto wake up, upset that he was left behind.  Saying goodbye to Tsunami and Inari, Naruto rushed out of the house, trying to catch up with his team.

"I can't believe they just left me!" exclaimed Naruto.  "They're going to get it when I catch up with them!"

As he jumped through the trees, Naruto slowed as something caught his eye.  Coming to a stop, Naruto saw a dead boar, but what really caught Naruto's attention was how the boar died.

'Those look like cuts from a sword.  There're cuts on the trees too.  Wait, they look like they're heading towards…Kuso!'

Naruto turned around and went as fast as he could back to Tsunami's house, hoping he wasn't too late.

-:-

Back at the house, Tsunami and Inari were being threatened by two of Gato's thugs.

"I say we kill this little brat here," said Waraji with a sadistic grin.

"Might as well.  Gato said we only need one hostage anyway," said Zori.

"Leave him alone!  If you kill him, I'll kill myself!" exclaimed Tsunami.

"Like you have the guts!" laughed Waraji.

"Shut up, you idiot!  Like she'd bluff about something like that," said Zori.  He then turned to Tsunami. "Fine.  The brat can live, but you're coming with us."

Zori picked up Tsunami and threw her over his shoulder.  The two samurai mercenaries then left, leaving a scared Inari behind.  Though scared, Inari remembered his father Kaiza.  He would not lose another member of his family, so he ran after the two thugs.

It wasn't until he was far from the house that Inari caught up with Zori and Waraji.  When he did catch up, he saw that Naruto was fighting against the two.

"You honestly think you can beat us, brat?!" laughed Waraji. "We're skilled samurai!"

"I don't care!  I'll beat both of you if it means Gato won't win!" exclaimed Naruto. He then made a hand seal "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto created ten copies of himself and all of them charged the samurai duo.  Unfortunately, the skilled swordsmen destroyed the Naruto copies.

"Stupid kid!  Time for you to die!" shouted Zori.

He sped towards Naruto, his blade ready to kill.  Just as Zori was about to connect his attack, he was blasted away by a stream of water, knocking him out as he was slammed into a tree.  Surprised by this, Waraji didn't see the incoming attack and was hit by what looked to be a giant hammer made of chakra.

Inari, who caught up with Naruto, who was standing over an unconscious Tsunami, looked over at the fallen samurai in confusion.

"What just happened and who is that guy?" questioned Inari, pointing at a teen with short tufty blue hair and dark eyes.  He was also wearing square, black-rimmed glasses attached to some headphones.  In the teen's hand was a large double-handled sword.

"I have no idea," replied Naruto, equally confused. "But I'm going to find out."

Naruto then made four copies of himself.  Once the smoke cleared, he turned to the copies.

"What's up, Boss?" asked one of the copies.

"I need you four to make sure Inari and Tsunami get home safely.  Understood?"

"Hai!" exclaimed the four Naruto copies with a salute.

One of the copies lifted Tsunami off the ground and then the group made there way back to the house.  They were surprised that the mystery teen didn't try to stop them.

"Alright, Four Eyes!  Who are you?  If you want to fight, I'll give you one!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Now is that anyway to speak to someone who helped you?  Especially Chojuro.  He's such a nice boy," said a feminine voice, making the teen's, Chojuro's, face turn pink a bit.

Naruto turned to where the voice came from to see a woman with long red hair and a man wearing an eye patch walk out of the woods.  For a brief second, Naruto could have sworn that the woman looked familiar.

"Mei-sama, was that necessary?" asked Chojuro.

"A better question would be who the hell are you three?" questioned Naruto, keeping on guard.

"Watch your tongue, boy," growled the eye patch wearing man. "You will show more respect for your elders."

"Ao, shut up before I kill you," said Mei with a smile.  She then turned back to Naruto. "To answer your question, we are Kiri shinobi…"

Before Mei could continue with her explanation, Naruto interrupted. "Kiri shinobi?  You're not with that eyebrow-less freak Zabuza, are you?!"

The three Kiri shinobi stiffened at the name.  Mei and Ao then looked at Naruto with a serious look.

"Zabuza?  As in Momochi Zabuza?  He's here?" questioned Ao, his eye narrowing.

Naruto nodded. "Zabuza was hired by some teme named Gato to take out the bridge builder that my team was hired to protect.  But you should know that since you're probably working with Zabuza!"

"We can assure you that we are not working with Zabuza.  Zabuza is a traitor to Kirigakure," explained Chojuro.

"We were on our way to Konoha to speak with the Hokage about some important business, but if you wish, we can help you take down Zabuza," said Mei with a smile.

"You will?" asked Naruto, raising his eyebrow in confusion.  He wasn't sure why, but he felt that he could trust this woman.

"Hai.  What's your name by the way?" asked Mei, though she did indeed know his name.

The blond gave a fox-like grin. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!  The future Hokage!"

Mei giggled at Naruto's exuberance. "Well then, Naruto-kun, lead the way."

The four took to the trees, following Naruto to the bridge.  With Naruto and Chojuro up further ahead, Ao took the opportunity to speak up.

"How is it that this boy thinks he could become a Kage?  I sense a lack of experience and the fact that he is wearing nothing but orange shows that he will not make it in the world of shinobi," said Ao, narrowing his eye on the orange clad boy. "The boy should just give up now before he gets himself killed."

"Ao, speak ill of Naruto-kun again and I will kill you," said Mei, this time not smiling. 'Though I should try to find out why Naruto-kun is like this.  Even for a genin, he should be at a higher skill level.  I will speak with his sensei about this once I have the chance.'

-:-

On the bridge, Kakashi was battling against Zabuza, while Sasuke was going up against Zabuza's partner, Haku.  Sakura stayed back to protect Tazuna.

"Real smart, leaving a weakling of a kunoichi to guard the bridge builder, Kakashi," taunted Zabuza.

"All the more reason to defeat you so you can't hurt either one of them," said Kakashi, his Sharingan blazing.

While the two high-ranking shinobi clashed, Sasuke was having trouble with Haku, who had formed his Makyo Hyosho, trapping the Uchiha inside.

"I will ask again, will you please just leave?  I don't want to have to kill you," said the masked teen in a soft voice.

"I am someone who will not just retreat from an opponent," said Sasuke, glaring at the boy in front of him.

"Then you leave me no choice."

Haku, hiding in one of the mirrors, sent a barrage of senbon at the raven-haired boy, striking him from all angles.

Sasuke was breathing heavily as he tried to watch Haku's movements.  Unfortunately, Haku was too fast for the Uchiha.  Just as Haku was about to finish Sasuke off, he was struck in the face with a shuriken that came off from the side.

"The hero always arrives at the last minute!"

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke sweatdropped at Naruto's exclamation.

"Heh, heh, heh.  Looks like another lamb has come to the slaughter," laughed Zabuza.  His eyes then widened in shock when a familiar voice sounded off.

"The only one who will be dying today is you, Zabuza."

The wielder of Kubikiribocho turned his head and to his surprise, Terumi Mei, Ao, and some unknown kid stood with the blond brat.  What surprised him further was that the unknown kid was wielding Hiramekarei.

Mei's appearance was also a surprise to Kakashi.  He didn't think he'd see her here, especially with Naruto.  Kakashi hoped that Mei hadn't revealed anything to Naruto yet.

Sakura, Sasuke, Tazuna, and Haku were confused at the appearance of these newcomers.

"Terumi Mei.  Let me guess, that bastard Mizukage sent you and your bodyguards after me?" questioned Zabuza.  He rose what would have been an eyebrow in confusion when the redhead shook her head.

"Actually, Yagura sent us on a mission to Konoha to deal with some business.  Those plans changed though when we ran into Naruto-kun here," explained Mei.

"Either way, I won't let you take me down.  Before I do kill you though, tell me why that kid has Mangetsu's sword," demanded Zabuza, pointing Kubikiribocho at Chojuro, who flinched back a bit.

"Hozuki Mangetsu unfortunately died prematurely.  Someone had to take up Hiramekarei and Chojuro was the one who could wield it best," stated Mei, smiling at that last part.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "I'll be the judge of that!"

"Very well then.  Chojuro, you will assist Hatake-san in fighting Zabuza.  Ao, you shall help Naruto-kun battle that faux hunter ninja.  I will help guard the bridge builder.  Is that understood?"

"Hai!" said Chojuro, Naruto, and Ao.

Naruto sped into the ice mirror prison, much to Ao's annoyance, as he now had to follow him to make sure he didn't get killed.  Chojuro withdrew Hiramekarei from his back and started to attack Zabuza, who now had to fight two opponents.  With the Kiri shinobi here, his Kirigakure no Jutsu would be almost useless, as all Kiri shinobi know how to use this technique.

Mei appeared in front of Sakura and Tazuna, her back facing them as she watched the fights.

"Who are you?" questioned Sakura, her eyes wide with awe.

Mei turned to her with a smile. "Just some allies."

-:-

With the battle against Haku…

"You stupid dobe!  Why the hell did you show yourself and come in here?!" yelled Sasuke, ignoring Ao's presence.

"Shut up, teme!  If I hadn't appeared, you would've been dead!" shot back Naruto.

"Both of you be quiet!  Just do as I say and this battle will be done quickly," growled Ao.  He really didn't like working with children.

"I will not let you win.  I will help Zabuza-sama achieve his goals," stated Haku.  An image of Haku appeared in each mirror at that moment.

"That's what you think!" exclaimed Naruto.

Ao activated his hidden Byakugan so he could track Haku better as it combined with his sensor abilities.

"Don't think your speed will help you, boy.  I'll show you what a true hunter-nin is like," said Ao, watching Haku's movements.

"Your skill may be higher than mine, but that will not stop me from helping Zabuza-sama."

The air around them started to get colder and Ao was surprised when ice crystals started to form on his arms.

"What is the meaning of this?!" demanded Ao as he tried to break the ice off of his body.  It was no use as more ice kept forming.

"It is my kekkei genkai, Hyoton."

"Hyoton?  Then you must be a member of the Yuki Clan.  I had thought your clan was extinct," said Ao, his lower body and arms trapped in ice.  Sasuke perked up at the mention of Haku being the last of his clan.

"I am the only one left after my father killed my mother and then tried to kill me.  After that, Zabuza-sama found me and took me under his wing.  Since then, I have devoted myself to making sure to never fail Zabuza-sama."

"I could care less on how devoted you are to Zabuza.  You're in my way," stated Sasuke, now glaring at Haku with his reawakened Sharingan. "Let's see which clan is stronger."

"Teme, this is no time to show off!" exclaimed Naruto. "We need to take this guy down so we can save Tazuna and his homeland!"

"Uzumaki is right, Uchiha.  Put your ego in check and stop Zabuza," said Ao as the ice fully encased him.

"You should heed his words.  He has about thirty minutes before he dies from the cold and only by defeating me will he be freed," explained Haku.

"Then let's do this!  Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

-:-

Zabuza was still fighting with Kakashi and Chojuro.  He even had to make a few Mizu Bunshin to help even the odds against his opponents.

"That blade will mine, boy!" stated Zabuza as his sword clashed with Chojuro's.

"A traitor like you will never have this sword!" retorted Chojuro.

The two swordsmen continued to clash, with Kakashi getting a few blows every now and then.  Getting frustrated, Zabuza swung with all of his might and was able to knock Hiramekarei out of Chojuro's hands, sending the blade flying through the air and making it land a few feet away.

"Looks like you aren't as skilled as I thought.  It's a shame that Kirigakure is letting weaklings like you become a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.  Say goodnight!" declared Zabuza, ready to decapitate Chojuro.  That plan was put a stop when he had to block an attack from Kakashi.

"Try taking me on, Zabuza," said the scarecrow. "Chojuro-san!  Go recover your sword while I deal with Zabuza!"

The young swordsman ran off to retrieve Hiramekarei while Kakashi battled with Zabuza, who had created more Mizu Bunshin to handle the Copy Nin.  The Mizu Bunshin though weren't exactly helpful as Kakashi was able to turn them into puddles.

Getting aggravated, Zabuza was about to slice Kakashi in half when there was a sudden burst of chakra coming from the dome of ice mirrors.  Everyone froze and looked towards the source, but what really got everyone's attention was how evil the chakra felt.

"What the hell?" grunted Zabuza.  Watching the swirling chakra inside the dome made him feel something he thought he'd never feel.  Worry for Haku.

With Mei, she too felt the evil chakra and her body went rigid with fear.  Fear for what could happen to Naruto.

'I need to do something!' thought the redhead.  Before she could do anything, she noticed Kakashi taking action.

'Time to end this now!' thought Kakashi, worried about Naruto.  Kakashi took out a scroll and smeared some of his blood on it after rolling it out.  Afterwards, he performed a few hand signs before he slammed the scroll to ground. "Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!"

The ground rumbled as crack formed and made their way from the scroll to Zabuza's position.  The swordsman didn't know what hit him until it was too late.  The ground around him exploded and eight figures came from below and clamped onto Zabuza, much to the swordsman's surprise.  It was then that Zabuza noticed that what had latched onto him was a pack of ninken.

"Wh-What is this?!" demanded Zabuza as he grunted in pain.

"This is the end!" exclaimed Kakashi as he gathered electricity in his palm.

-:-

With Naruto and Haku, the young blond, who had tapped the Kyubi no Yoko's chakra and gone feral after witnessing Sasuke's death, slammed his fist into Haku's masked face, sending the ice user through one of the mirrors.  The Feral Naruto was about to finish Haku off, but he calmed down when he saw Haku's face.

"It's you…"

"Kill me."

"Nani?!"

"Kill me.  I have failed Zabuza-sama and therefore am no longer needed."

"What the hell are you talking about?!  You act as if you're just some tool!" exclaimed Naruto.

"We are shinobi.  Shinobi are tools for their masters to use," said Haku.

"You're wrong!" yelled Naruto, making Haku look at him in surprise. "Shinobi are not tools to just be thrown away!  We're humans and humans shouldn't be thrown away like garbage!"

Naruto thought of some of his important people, like Hokage-jiji, Kakashi-sensei, and Iruka-sensei.  He knew for a fact that they would never treat anyone like tools and the thought that they would made him sick to his stomach.  He cast a glare towards Haku.

"You honestly believe that?" asked Haku.  There was no taunting from his words.  He was genuinely curious.

"Damn right I do!"

"I see.  But still, by failing Zabuza-sama, I will still be cast aside like a tool.  I would rather die than feel the pain of being unwanted.  Please, Naruto-kun.  Please kill me."

Before Naruto could respond, Haku's eye flew open and he looked towards where Zabuza and Kakashi were fighting.  Without warning Haku ran off towards that direction.

"Oi, wait!" yelled out Naruto.  He was about to chase after Haku, but a tall blur ran passed him first.

-:-

"This is the end!" exclaimed Kakashi.

The Konoha Jonin ran forward, his hand engulfed with chirping electricity.  Just as he was about to strike Zabuza with his Raikiri, both his and Zabuza's eyes widened when Haku appeared between them, ready to take the attack for Zabuza.  At the last second though, Haku was pulled away, much to the boy's surprise and horror.  Kakashi's attack made its mark as it pierced Zabuza's chest.

"Zabuza-sama!" exclaimed Haku as he watched his master fall to his knees.

"Keep quiet, boy," growled a voice from above Haku.  The ice user looked up to glare at the person, who turned out to be Ao, who must have been freed from his icy prison by whatever that chakra of Naruto's was.

"H-Haku…" grunted a weak voice that caught Haku's attention.

"Zabuza-sama?!" exclaimed a surprised Haku.

"You're a fool, you know that?"

"N-Nani?"

"Damn your kind heart.  I never thought it'd affect me like this.  Haku, forget everything I taught you about shinobi being tools," panted Zabuza.  Kakashi was surprised by how much willpower Zabuza had to live, even if it wasn't going to last long.

"But, Zabuza-sama!"

"Just do it!" yelled Zabuza, before he coughed up blood. "Live your own life, Haku.  Kakashi, make sure Haku's safe or I'll come up from Hell and haunt you."

Kakashi glanced towards Haku, who was still being held in place by Ao. "Don't worry, Zabuza.  You have my word that Haku will be safe."

Assured that his ward will be taken care of, Zabuza let himself fall, never to rise up again.  The silence was broken from a sinister laugh.

"I guess the stories of the Kirigakure no Kijin were false if he died so easily," said Gato with a laugh.  Standing behind him was a mass of thugs, armed with weapons ranging from blades to clubs.

Haku glared at the man and was about to tell the man to not to disrespect Zabuza, but was interrupted by Naruto who walked up and stood next him.

"Shut your mouth, teme!"

Gato sneered at the blond. "What's it to you as to what I say about that failure.  He was you enemy after all."

"No he wasn't.  Sure, he was trying to kill Tazuna, but that was only because he was hired to.  As far as I'm concerned, Zabuza isn't our enemy!  You are!" exclaimed Naruto, giving Gato and his men a fierce glare.

"Stupid naïve boy," said Gato with a sneer.  He then turned to his hired thugs. "Pay is doubled for whoever kills the orange brat."

With a cheer, the thugs charged forward, ready to kill.  Unfortunately, Naruto had other plans.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a large puff of smoke, Naruto created hundreds upon hundreds of copies of himself.  Everyone, aside from Kakashi, was shocked to see so many Kage Bunshin.

'How can Naruto-kun make this many copies?  Could it be that the Kyubi has something to with it?' though Mei, worried that Naruto might be using too much chakra.

The thugs stopped dead in their tracks, scared of how many orange-clad blonds were now on the bridge.

"Oi, Haku!  Why don't you take down Gato while I keep these guys busy?" suggested Naruto as he cracked his knuckles.

Haku gave a small smile in thanks.  At least he could still be useful to Zabuza-sama by taking out the man who was going to betray him.  While Naruto's copies took care of the thugs, Haku sped towards the now frightened Gato.  The businessman didn't have a chance as Haku struck him multiple senbon.  Paralyzed from the where the senbon struck, Gato fell back over the bridge and plummeted into the ocean below, never to be seen again.

Seeing that their employer was now dead, the thugs grew enraged.

"How are we going to get paid now?!" demanded one of the thugs. "Let's get them!"

With renewed courage, the thugs were about to take down the shinobi, even though they were outnumbered thanks to Naruto.  Before they could though, an arrow struck the ground in front of the group of thugs.  Looking up from where the arrow came from, their courage depleted when they saw the townsfolk, led by Inari, brandishing weapons.

"Looks like they finally decided to defend themselves," said Tazuna with a laugh.  He laughed even harder when the thugs dropped their weapons and jumped off the bridge to get away.

"We won!" cheered Naruto.  He turned to everyone, but became confused when he saw Haku walking away.  His face became saddened when he saw that Haku was walking towards the fallen Sasuke.

Sakura, unfortunately, also saw where Haku was walking towards Sasuke.  Her eyes started to fill with tears. "Sasuke-kun?"

Haku started removing the senbon from Sasuke's body. "Naruto-kun, come here and help with Sasuke's body.  It will be a while before he gets feeling back."

Naruto was confused by Haku's words, but his eyes soon grew wide when he heard Sasuke let out a few coughs. "The teme's alive?!"

Naruto and Sakura ran over to Haku and Sasuke to see that the Uchiha was indeed alive.

"Sasuke-kun!" cried Sakura as she hugged the boy, much to his annoyance.

"But how?" questioned Naruto.  By this time, everyone else had come over to see what was going on.

"Despite training under Zabuza-sama, I prefer to only kill if I really have to.  I saw no need to actually kill Sasuke-san, so I decided to put him in a death-like state," explained the fifteen-year-old ice user, unknowingly receiving a glare from the Uchiha.

"You sure Zabuza was the only one to train you, boy?" questioned Ao.  He was surprised that someone as young as Haku was this skilled.

"Hai.  Zabuza was the only one to train me.  Though I did train myself in the ways of medicine and senbon."

The elder shinobi were even more surprised by this, Mei even more so.

'I wonder if Haku-kun would be willing to help me with my future plans.  I could use someone from the Yuki Clan to help my cause,' she thought to herself.

-:-

After everything that had happened, the townsfolk allowed for Zabuza to be buried on a nearby hill when they learned that he had a part in Gato's downfall…at least that's what Tazuna told everyone.  Haku was happy that Zabuza would be allowed a proper burial.  Ao on the other hand thought it would be best to bring Zabuza's body back to Kirigakure, but one threatening glance from Mei shut him up.

Chojuro wanted to take Zabuza's blade back with him, but surprisingly, Naruto objected to that.

"I may not know much about the ways of a swordsman, but shouldn't a swordsman be buried with his sword?" was his question.

Chojuro wanted to hit himself for forgetting that rule of the sword.  Agreeing with Naruto, Chojuro placed the Kubikiribocho in the ground to act as Zabuza's grave marker.

With that settled and the bridge complete, both the Konoha shinobi and the Kiri shinobi made their way out of Nami no Kuni and headed back towards Konohagakure, never knowing that the bridge was named The Great Naruto Bridge.

-:-

"Kakashi-san, may I have a word with you?" asked Mei.  The group was currently crossing the border into Hi no Kuni.

"About?" questioned Kakashi, not taking his eye off his little orange book.

Mei looked towards the others to make sure they weren't listening. "Naruto-kun."

That was enough of a reason for Kakashi to close his book and put it away.  He turned to give the redhead his undivided attention.

"Before you ask anything, you didn't happen to tell Naruto of your relation to him yet, have you?"

"Of course not.  He had much on his mind already, what with dealing with Zabuza and Gato.  He didn't need me adding to his worries.  I will tell him soon though."

"Very well.  He does need to know that he has family out there."

Mei smiled at the thought of finally telling Naruto and being truly reunited with her nephew.  Her smile faded though when she thought of what she wanted to talk to Kakashi about.

"Kakashi-san, why is Naruto-kun so under-skilled?"

"…What do you mean?" questioned Kakashi, though he had a feeling exactly what she meant.

Mei glared at the man. "Aside from the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Naruto-kun doesn't seem to have any other ninjutsu in his arsenal when most genin at this stage have at least three.  Then there is his taijutsu, which seems more suited for a barroom brawl.  I don't even want to know how he does with genjutsu."

"…I guess that would partially my fault, though some blame can also be placed on a majority of the academy teachers," explained Kakashi, narrowing his eye. "When Naruto was still in the academy, most of the instructors tried to sabotage Naruto from becoming a shinobi.  Luckily, they have been dealt with and one instructor, named Iruka, did his best to teach Naruto what he needed to know."

Mei would have to meet this Iruka and thank him for helping her Naruto-kun. "Now explain why you are at fault."

"One thing I try to enforce is the need for teamwork.  Despite have little to no interaction with people; Naruto is willing to work with others to complete a mission.  Sakura also is willing to use teamwork, though not as much as Naruto.  The problem lies with Sasuke, who believes he needs no one and can do everything on his own.  Because of that, and the fact that I am the only one who can teach him about his Sharingan, I tend to focus more on Sasuke than I do with Naruto and Sakura and that makes it seem I favor Sasuke."

Mei noticed the small amount of venom in Kakashi's voice. "It sounds like you do not like teaching Sasuke."

"It's not that I do not like Sasuke, I just find it irritating sometimes to deal with him since it takes me away from my other students."

It was then that Mei got an idea. "Kakashi-san, why don't you let me train Naruto-kun for a while?" Seeing his confused look, she explained. "If I train him, not only will he get the training he needs and you won't have to worry about his wellbeing, but I'll be able to spend time with him."

"I don't know.  I would prefer to train him myself."

"How can you do that if your time is always taken up by the Uchiha?"

Kakashi let out a sigh. "I suppose you could, but I want to explain to him as to why I won't be training him anymore."

"I never said you wouldn't be training him anymore.  He'll just have two teachers and you will teach him when you have the time to do so."

Kakashi contemplated this. "I guess that sounds reasonable.  If you do plan on teaching him, just forget about teaching him genjutsu."

"Why is that?" wondered Mei, getting suspicious.

"Because of the Kyubi no Yoko, Naruto has too much chakra.  He can't properly control it and because of that, he is unable to use genjutsu."

"He may not be able to use genjutsu, but that doesn't mean he won't learn how to dispel them."

"Then I guess he's all yours, Mei-san."

Mei could only smile at what was to come.

CHAPTER END