Chapter 16 - ch.16

Naru almost had it. "C'mon! C'mon!" She was using a clone to divide the tasks, which made the jutsu far easier, but still, making a sphere of pure chakra, spinning like a tornado, was still difficult. "Just a little more!" She almost had it. The form and spin were right, but it was still unstable. Finally, it settled into a proper ball. "Yes! YES YES!" She runs at a nearby tree, and hits it with her new jutsu. "Rasengan!" It tears through the tree like it was nothing. She stands there, panting, the top part of the tree collapsing.

"Hell yeah!" She runs back to the house. "Grimm-sensei! Grimm-sensei! I finally did it!"

"Huh?" He was laying in the grass beside the pool. He opened his eyes and yawned. "What was that?"

"I finally completed the Rasengan!" She said full of pride.

"Oh? Show me."

She made a sign. "Shadow clone jutsu!" A clone appeared, and she put her hand out, allowing chakra to pour out. Her clone was forcing the chakra down, using her own chakra to spin it, slowing making a sphere. Soon, the rasengan was spinning in her palm.

"Impressive! You've learned change in chakra form. Time to learn change in nature."

"Change in chakra nature?"

"Just a second." He makes a sign, and 2 shadow clones appear, running off. "If I'm gonna give a proper explanation, I want all three of you here." He explained. Naru nodded, letting her rasengan dissapate, and sitting to wait.

Soon, Hinata and Sakura arrived. "What's up?" Askes Sakura, the first to get there.

"We're waiting for Hianta first." Naru said, looking up.

Sakura gave her a quizical look. "What's going on?" Just after she said that, Hinata appeared from around the house.

"Girls, sit. This could take a while." Sakura and Hinata sat next to Naru, both of them sitting less than an inch away from her, invading her personal space. Naru hugged them both closer, Sakura smiling, and Hinata blushing harder than usual when around her. Grimm almost grined at the sight. 'Even with amnesia, they're inseperable.' He thinks before he start talking.

"Alright. I'm gonna tell you about chakra natures. Each person is born with at least one nature they eccel at. You girls remember yours?"

They thought back to their first day. "Mine was wind!" Naru yelled proudly.

"Fire and water!" Sakura said happily.

"Fire and wind." Hinata mumbled.

"Good. There are 5 in total. Earth, water, fire, wind, and thunder. It takes years of training to even master one you're good at. Once mastered, you can add it to most offencive jutsu, including weapons. Some, like earth style, also excels at defence. There are some who can combine 2 types to create a new one. This ability is called a kekkei genkai. I have it in the form of a cero, which is a a mixture of lightning and fire. That shinobi on the bridge-" Naru's fox chakra flashed at her mention. "-used Ice style, mixing wind and water. There is an ever rarer version called kekkei tota, where one mixes 3 elements. The only living person know to have this is the Tsuchikage, of the village hidden in the stone. There is also another element: yin-yang. Balance. Yin is mental energy. Yang is physical. These combined properly, create jutsues that aren't elemental, like shadow, expansion, and healing."

He stopped for a moment to examine them. Sakura, of course, was staring at him, understanding and drinking in the knowledge. Hinata didn't quite understand completely, but got the gist. Naru's eyes had turned to swirls, utterly confused. "Yin-wha?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll give you the highlights you need later, Naru. Now, you all will start elemental training starting today. You will begin after normal training. Sakura, Hinata, what do you want to start with?"

"Hard choice! Water, I guess!" Sakura says.

"Wind..." Says Hianta, glancing over at Naru.

"Right. Naru, You will get extra training, cause it was planned, and with you're shadow clone jutsu, you should be able to do it in record time!"

"That's not fair! How come she gets to train it so much more!?"

"Two reasons: 1. The rasengan was designed to be the ultimate jutsu: quick, no handsigns, and maximum form and nature. This jutsu, if mastered, is beyond S-class. Even the inventor, the fourth Hokage, never finished it. However.." He points at Naru. "..This brat here has the will, chakra, and determination needed to finish it. Even with shadow clones accounted for, the time it will take to train this jutsu is a LEAST a month. Then you have to take into account her condition. She can't spend too much chakra, or the baby will suffer. In fact, she won't be allowed to do much of anything in a month or so."

"And 2: there is no point in slowing her down. She would do it on her own time anyway, so I may as well be there to supervise. Hianta." She jumped as her name was suddenly called. "How much of the gentle fist do you remember?"

"Um, most of it, I think." She says gently.

"Good. I need you to hit Naru."

"What!!?" The all yelled at once.

"Don't have to be so loud, jeez." He says as he rubs his pinkie in his ear. "Relax, I just want Hinata to cut off Naru's chakra a bit, and have it focus on the baby instead of jutsus. Can you do that, Hinata?"

"Well, probably, but..."

"woah, woah, woah! Don't I get a say in this!?" Asked Naru, enraged.

"No." He responds. "And you'll let her hit you. Otherwise, I'll hit you first. And you won't get back up for a while." Naru gulps, knowing full well he'd do it too. "Hinata, I need you to cut his chakra flow in half to everywhere except her womb."

"I-I'll try. Byakugan!" She looks at Naru, seeing her chakra points. She rapidly taps multiple points around Naru's body, avoiding any that reach the womb. She finishes shortly, wiping her brow, which had begun to sweat with effort. "Done."

"How long will the limiter's last?"

"About 3 days."

"Then I need you to do that every three days until I say otherwise. Alright! Instructions on change of nature." He walks to a nearby tree, and takes a leaf. "This will be your training tool."

"A leaf? Sensei, even I don't get it."

"Maybe this will help." He focuses his chakra on his palm, and the leaf begins to smolder, then burn. "Naru, Hianta, you will attempt to cut it with only chakra. Sakura, same thing, but you want it wet."

"Right, sensei!" They said, even Naru understanding such a simple instruction.

"Spend the rest of today practicing this. *yawn* I'm going back to sleep." He lays down under the tree, and closes his eyes.

Sakura looks at Hianta. "Race to see who does it first?"

Hinata finally regained her old confidence, if only for a moment. "You're on!"

"Hey, what about me!?" complains Naru.

"You'll use the Shadow clones. It's not a fair match!" Naru blushes slightly and scratches the back of her head, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold back. Over the next few hours, they all trained, but no one managed to do alter the leaf.

----------------------------------2 weeks later-------------------------------------------

They were called in to the Hokage's office. "Here's you're new assignment. A C-rank mission, commissioned by someone called Maka. She want's you to assist her in taking down her target, a serial killer known as the Butcher. It seems he's not that stong, but is very elusive, hence the low rank. You are to meet her at the border of the land of wind. Her village is hidden deep in the desert; It's true location is only known by those of the village. Listen!" They were all starting to lax, but stood at attention at her shout. "You should know that this will be the last mission your team will take for a while."

"Wh-why!? Do you think we are that weak!?" Yells Sakura angrily. Naru was about to pipe up too, before she spoke.

"Don't you DARE take that tome with me." She says calmly, he eyes cold and dangerous. Sakura flinches, and Naru gulps while Hinata side-steps behind Sakura. "Naru will be unable to take anymore missions after this, due to her pregnancy. You two will be set on reserve to be used whenever needed. Understood?"

"Y-yes sensei." They say, still frightened.

"You are to leave immediately. Dismissed." She watched as they left. "I wonder how he has managed to kill so many people without getting caught, though..."

They quickly made it to the village gate, meeting Grimm. "So, what's the mission?"

"Something about tracking down a killer in a hidden hidden village." Naru says nonchalantly. Supposed to meet the client at the edge of the land of wind."

He starts walking. "Land of wind, huh? So it's in the desert. So who're we meeting?"

"Some girl named Maka." Said Sakura. "Never got a last name or description."

"Eh, we'll know her when we meet her."

"How can you be sure, Grimm-sensei?" Asks Hianta.

"Gut feeling." The gave him an "are you serious!?" look. He notices this. "What, you don't trust my gut?" The shake their head. He just sighs and leaves it at that.

----------------------------------------4 days later----------------------------------------

They finally reach the edge of the desert and the border between the lands. "So, where is she?" asked Naru impatiently.

"Relax, kid. There we still got time." As he finishes, he hears a low roar. "In fact, that sound like her!" He says, staring into the desert. Soon a covered truck appears and quickly approaches. It slows to a stop several yards away, as the driver and a passanger get out. The driver is a young woman, about the same age as Naru and her group. He hair is a light brown, in pig tails. Her modest body is covered in a schoolgirl outfit, topped off with an open trnchcoat. Around her arm is a headband, with a symbol that looks like a teardrop, but the top is jagged, in a zigzag. "Hi, you must be the leaf ninja. I'm Maka, and this is my partner, Soul." She introduces herself.

"Yo." He has white spiky hair, held back by a headband with the same emblem. His red eyes are framed by an expressive face, currently looking disinterested. He wears a jacket that is black around the torso, and with yellow sleeves. His pants are black, and his shoes match his coat.

"C'mon. Soul will explain the details in the back." she enters the driver's side again.

"Sensei, what's that?" asks Naru, pointing at the truck.

"It's a truck." Responds Soul, opening the back hatch.

"I thought we didn't have vehicles."

"It was between this or the author explaining how preggo here got through a desert in her condition. Now shut up and get in." They got in, the inside air-conditioned. Soul followed, and knocked on the wall, signalling her to go. "Alright, first, we're headed to our village To stock up on supplies, then we head to the town he was last seen."

"What village is it?" asks Sakura curiously.

He grins widely, showing his sharp teeth. "The village hidden by Death."