Rasengan Training Stage 1

Over the course of the next 2 years, Namaru has been training diligently with Sarada, Sasuke, Shirane, and even started training with Sakura to further advance his chakra control. While the process is long and enduring, and Namaru has his points to where he's about to give up, he still pushes through. Inaga even stopped by between missions to hang out with Namaru a bit, and check his progress with Chidori. Sasuke found time during this time period to also teach the technique and its variants to Inaga, who, with a bit of difficulty, picked up on the technique, and began his path toward mastery of the Chidori. Inaga even got some tips from the original creator of the Chidori, Kakashi Hatake.

"My grandpa is trying to teach me the Chidori, and I think I'm on my way, but not quite there yet. I didn't know if maybe you could kind of help me out in a way, and give me some pointers? Since you're the creator of the technique, I figured if anyone can help me, it's you."

Kakashi thinks to himself for a while, looking Inaga up and down.

"Hm...I don't know. How far are you?"

Inaga weaves the hand seals, and forms a Chidori about the scale as the one Sasuke used on Gaara in the Chunin exams. Kakashi looks somewhat pleased.

"Okay, so you definitely have a basic understanding of the Chidori, which is a good thing, because now that I know where you stand, I can help further your training even more than Sasuke. Sasuke's Chidori, while very powerful, isn't the complete jutsu. While the Chidori uses 9 hand seals, the complete technique, the Lightning Blade, only uses 3. The Lightning Blade is a more focused version of the Chidori. I can help you reach this level of mastery between your missions, but you have to be willing to learn it, and not tell Namaru or Sasuke about it. You will need to keep this a secret from your family, which will be hard with Sasuke since he can see through lies pretty easily."

Inaga responds with a nod.

"Of course, Lord 6th."

Kakashi waves off Inaga.

"There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Kakashi."

Inaga nods.

"Yes, Kakashi-Sensei."

A faint smile appears on Kakashi's face under his mask. He hasn't heard 'Kakashi-Sensei' in a while, since Naruto has stopped calling Kakashi 'Sensei'.

"Very well. Let's go begin your training."

As Kakashi is leading Inaga away to where he first taught Sasuke the Chidori, Namaru is meeting up with Naruto at the training grounds right outside the village. Naruto is the first to speak.

"Where are Chino and Osawa?"

Namaru hangs his head before responding.

"I told them about the training, but they said I should use this as a training opportunity to train with the Hokage. Plus, they had other stuff to do."

Naruto, looking a little disappointed, shrugs and continues.

"Oh. Well, uh, alright. Ready to begin your training?"

Namaru begins nodding erratically.

"If it means I get to learn the 7th Hokage's signature technique, then, yeah."

Naruto nods with a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Alright. I am going to form a Rasengan, and explain how it works."

Namaru watches Naruto intently as he responds.

"Ok."

Naruto forms a Rasengan, which he continues to hold.

"The Rasengan is a spinning ball of Chakra that was created by the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He created it to, in a way, mimic the Tailed Beast Ball that Tailed Beasts use. The direction it spins depends on the direction your chakra spins be it clockwise or counter-clockwise, and I can tell from the direction your hair grows in, you're a counter-clockwise type. Now, in this bag I have here, there are balloons and rubber balls. I'm going to teach you the same way I was taught the Rasengan. First, we have Rotation, which I believe to be the most difficult stage to master."

Naruto grabs a handful of water balloons, and fills them up at the nearby river. Once he is finished, he promptly hands one to Namaru.

"You need to spin your Chakra inside that balloon fast enough to pop it. As I said before, you're a counter-clockwise type, so imagine your Chakra spinning counter-clockwise in the palm of your hand. The main goal of this training exercise is to help you learn to spin your chakra in multiple directions at once to pop the balloon. So why don't you give it a try."

Hoping he understood everything Naruto just said, Namaru sits down with a balloon held in his right hand, and envisions his Chakra spinning counter-clockwise. Since he had Sakura to help him learn Chakra control, this first part was easy. He could get the balloon to move and wiggle, but he couldn't get it to burst no matter what he tried. He sits there and tries endlessly for the next 2 hours to burst that water balloon, but to no avail. Eventually, Naruto decides to speak up.

"You sure you don't want to stop for today?"

Namaru, looking irritated and defeated, nods at Naruto's question.

"Maybe it would be best if we did, that way I can start on this tomorrow after class with some rest in my system."

Naruto helps Namaru off the ground as he responds.

"Alright then. Go home and rest, and we'll meet back here after you get done at the Academy. Just remember, when we try this tomorrow, try and spin your Chakra even faster. You're on the right track, but your Chakra isn't rotating quickly enough."

Namaru nods and heads home. He arrives just in time for dinner, and much to his surprise, Inaga was there, too. Namaru speaks up first.

"I hadn't seen you all day and thought you were on a mission or something."

Inaga simply chakes his head and appears quite out of breath.

"I wasn't. I was just practicing my jutsu with some Jonin in the Forest of Death."

Sarada decides to butt in, herself.

"But you're just a Chunin. Can you already compete with Jonin?"

Inaga shakes his head once more as he responds to his mother.

"Not quite yet, but I'm stronger than all of our Chunin, so there isn't much they can do to help me improve, at all. At least the Jonin are stronger, and put up more of a fight than the Chunin. We also have some Sand Ninja visiting next month, so I'm looking forward to that. They'll be here for about a week. Maybe I can learn a thing or two watching them on their missions, or I could possibly even join them on one and witness their capabilities first hand."

Namaru jumps back in.

"Oh, yeah. I heard about them, but completely forgot. I heard it's going to be the Sand's Kazekage, Gaara, his brother, Kankuro, and Gaara's son, Shinki. Heard they're all pretty powerful, but I've never seen them in action, myself, so I can't say whether or not it's true."

Sakura butts in, and gives Namaru a smirk.

"Gaara is incredibly powerful. He wields Sand which he can harden as a defense, rain down from the sky, make it flow like a tidal wave, and even go as far as using sealing techniques with it. He is even more dangerous outdoors since he can use his Sand to grind up minerals in the Earth's soil, thus creating new Sand, which gives him much more of a defense, and a lot more Sand to use. He used to be the Jinchuuriki of the One Tails, Shukaku, but Shukaku was dragged out of him by a criminal organization known as the Akatsuki years ago. Even though he no longer has Shukaku, Gaara can beat Lady Tsunade, as well as a number of Kage, which makes him no laughing matter. Kankuro, on the other hand, while being very powerful, is very limited since he uses puppets. He's only as fast as his puppets are, which leaves him at a huge disadvantage in a fight. The main things you have to watch out for are his poisons and his most powerful puppet, Sasori. Sasori used to be in the Akatsuki, but after being defeated, Kankuro took him on as his personal puppet. As for Shinki, well, I'll let Sarada tell you about him."

Sarada turns around to face Namaru, wearing the same smirk Sakura was.

"I have fought Shinki myself in the past, and he's no joke. He's probably able to go toe-to-toe with Gaara. The only advantage Gaara has is his Sand. It is his ultimate defense. Shinki uses Iron Sand, which is a lot better as a weapon instead of as a defense. Even though he and Gaara both have the same Kekkei Genkai, they are opposites with how they use them. Shinki could probably take out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, your father included."

Having staying out of this conversation, Shirane finally decided to get involved.

"Now, now. You're going a bit too far with that statement, Sarada. Myself along with the other six of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are a force to be reckoned with. Granted, we aren't as strong as the Seven Swordsmen from Zabuza Momochi's time, but we would still put up a fight. Not to mention my access to different Kekkei Genkai that I have stolen through battle experience using my own Kekkei Genkai which, at first, consisted of Ice Release, Steel Release, and Magnet Release from fighting alongside the Kazekage, but ever since we've moved here, I've also obtained Wood Release, Lava Release, and Mud Release. Don't forget we also took down the 6 Tails."

Namaru interrupts his dad's thought.

"Yeah, and sealed it into me. I still have yet to hear from this thing. I would like to learn how to utilize it's power to make myself stronger, but it's like the thing doesn't even exist. I've only heard it once...when I was 5."

Inaga places a hand on Namaru's shoulder.

"Calm down, Namaru. I don't think dad intended to upset you. Either way, it's about time you headed to bed, anyway."

Shirane seconds that.

"Agreed. You have school tomorrow."

Namaru respectfully nods, gets up, and places his plate in the sink before giving his parents and Inaga a hug. He then heads upstairs to bed where he has a very strange dream.

"Namaru…Namaru…"

Namaru slowly opens his eyes and stands up to find himself in a very strange room with a giant gate in it. On the other side of that gate is something he's never seen before. It looked like a giant slug. Looking somewhat terrified, Namaru begins questioning the giant beast.

"What are you?"

The beast responds, although slowly.

"You're the one who wished to see me, so, here I am."

It is then that Namaru finally realizes who he is talking to.

"6 Tails?"

The beast nods as it responds.

"I told you before, just call me Saiken."

Namaru grabs the sides of his head, thoroughly confused by the entire situation.

"This is all just a dream. This isn't actually happening...is it?"

Saiken nods, once more, as he responds to Namaru.

"It is happening Namaru."

Namaru's eyes widen as he realizes this isn't the physical world.

"What about my-"

Saiken cuts him off, knwoing exactly what he was going to ask.

"Your body is just fine. If anyone walks into your room, you're sound asleep, perfectly normal."

Namaru, still confused, questions Saiken further,

"I don't understand. Why show yourself to me after I threw a fit about never hearing from you?"

Saiken stands there, nearly motionless, only its tails moving as it responds to Namaru's inquiry,

"I wasn't going to show myself until you were older, but went against my better judgement and am doing it early since you wanted so desperately to see me. I know we've seen each other once before a few years ago, but that means nothing, now."

Namaru cocks his head to the side in mild confusion.

"I only mentioned it once."

Saiken, still motionless, continues answering Namaru.

"Out loud, maybe, but you haven't shut up about it mentally. I know your thoughts, Namaru; your desires. Every thought, every movement, every moment of every day. I have been right here, waiting, patiently, for the day we meet again, and now that we have, you can ask me any question you desire."

Namaru already knew what question to ask, as he's been thinking of it for a while.

"Why did you consume my chakra and replace it with your own?"

Saiken chuckles.

"I knew this would be first. Contrary to Sasuke's belief, I didn't replace your chakra. I tried, but instead, our separate chakras mixed together, which is why you're so proficient with the Fire Ball Jutsu. That wasn't your chakra you were using. It wasn't mine, either. It was ours. I can tell from your thoughts that you have been missing my chakra's presence."

Namaru hangs his head before responding.

"Yes, I have. Would you mind if we went back to that?"

Saiken looks confused for a second.

"You mean back to our mixed chakra?"

Namaru nods.

"Yeah. It was easier for me to control."

Saiken nods, and everything around begins to fade away.

Everything completely fades, and Namaru wakes up and sits straight up in his bed, breathing heavily. He looks around to see he's back in his room, and coated in Saiken's white aura once more. It takes him a second to calm down, but when he does, he can't help but think about what just happened.

Namaru returns to bed, but finds difficulty trying to get to sleep. Eventually, he does, but doesn't sleep well. By the time morning rolled around and he had to get up, he was dog tired. He reluctantly got up, got ready and headed off toward the Academy. He nearly arrived late, which wouldn't have looked good on him at all, since he's been on time every day so far, except for his first day. He takes his seat next to Chino, who give him a concerned look.

"Namaru, you don't look so good."

Namaru, looking quite pale, looks at Chino and responds.

"I didn't sleep well last night. I'm really tired."

Chino looks incredibly concerned as he questions Namaru further.

"What would've kept you up?"

Namaru stares off into space, unable to focus on anything. However, he is still able to speak.

"I had a strange dream, but it felt so real. Now, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

Chino coninues questioning his friend.

"What was it about."

Namaru, beginning to look irritated by all of Chino's questions, answers, but isn't willing to answer any more. He end the conversation with his next response.

"I'd rather not say. Mainly because I'd rather not think about it too much."

This, of course, was a lie. Namaru just didn't know how to explain that he was visited by a tailed beast in his sleep. He was afraid Chino would think he was crazy. What he didn't know, was that Chino had his own secrets. The day goes by very slowly for Namaru, even his training with Naruto seemed different. Naruto notices Namaru is moving slower than usual, so he begins asking questions.

"You've been kind of sluggish today. Are you alright?"

Namaru shakes off Naruto's question as he tries to focus on his balloon. He still responds, out of respect, but doesn't enjoy it.

"I'm fine. I just had a strange dream last night, and it's been bugging me."

Naruto sits down next to Namaru and continues to question him.

"Well why don't you talk about it with me? You haven't popped that balloon yet, anyway, so just set it aside, and you can pick it up later."

Namaru is hesitant to set down the balloon, but he does. He turns to Naruto and tries, even further, to end the conversation.

"I don't really want to talk about it, though. I'd rather focus on my training."

Naruto crosses his arms andspeaks to Namaru sternly.

"I'm afraid that wasn't a request, Namaru. I can't have my ninja, even if they're in the next generation of ninja, which you will be, being sluggish and slow. Tell me about this dream."

Namaru brings his knees to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs, resting his chin on top of his knees as he opens up to Naruto, not having a choice in the matter.

"It's funny you mentioned 'sluggish'."

Naruto cocks his head to the side, looking confused.

"Why is that?"

Namaru remains motionless, only speaking.

"I was visited last night in my sleep...by my Tailed Beast."

Naruto rubs the back of his head in his classic style as he remembers the Namaru is a Jinchuuriki. He had forgotten.

"I forgot you're a Jinchuuriki. Which Tailed Beast is it, anyway?"

Namaru returns to a cross-legged sitting style and rests his elbows on his knees.

"That's why I said it was funny you mentioned me being sluggish. My Tailed Beast is the Six Tails."

Naruto chuckles to himself.

"Saiken, eh? I wielded his power once, ya know?"

Namaru looks at Naruto surprised as his entire demeanor changes.

"You wielded Saiken's power?"

Naruto nods.

"Sure did. In fact, still do. I have a piece of every Tailed Beast in me, except for the 9 Tails, Kurama, since he's, well...gone."

Namaru looks a little confused as he continues to question Naruto.

"How did you lose him?"

Naruto hangs his head in sorrow. After a moment, he looks up, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"There's a mode called Baryon Mode. What it does, is uses every last drop of the Tailed Beasts energy, completely consumes it. Although you gain a massive power increase, in the end...it completely kills the Tailed Beast. I didn't simply lose Kurama. He's dead. There are only 8 Tailed Beasts left. On the bright side, with Kurama gone, the 10 Tails can't be awoken again."

Namaru is in further shock.

"There's a 10 Tails?"

Naruto nods and continues his previous thought.

"The 10 Tails is a combination of the other 9 Tailed Beasts. It was awoken years ago using what's called the Gedo Mazo Statue. The statue combined the Chakra from all 9 Tailed Beasts, and rebirthed the 10 Tails. It took almost the entire Ninja World to take the thing down. We lost a lot of people that day. The 10 Tails had 4 Jinchuuriki altogether. The 1st being Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the creator of the 9 Tailed Beasts, 2 were both Uchiha, and lastly, was Hagoromo's daughter, Kaguya."

Hearing 2 Jinchuuriki of the 10 Tails were Uchiha piqued Namaru's interest.

"Uchiha?"

Naruto grins as he continues.

"Yup. The 1st Uchiha to have it was Obito Uchiha. The 2nd was Madara Uchiha."

Namaru's eyes widen, recognizing the names.

"Really?"

Naruto closes his eyes briefly and nods.

"Mm-hm."

Still in shock, Namaru continues.

"Wow. Those 2 are legendary. They are right up there with Uncle Itachi and grandpa."

Technically Itachi is Namaru's great uncle, but he just calls him his uncle. Naruto and Namaru end up spending most of their time talking about the 4th Great Ninja War. Right as their time was just about up, and they were wrapping up their conversation, Namaru speaks up.

"After this talk, I think I'm ready to try to burst this balloon."

Naruto smirks.

"You think so?"

Namaru nods excitedly.

"Sure do. Having this talk with you really relaxed me and put my mind at ease. I was originally going to ask my grandpa about it, but I'm glad I told you first. Not like I had an option, anyway."

Naruto chuckles and responds.

"You sure didn't. Plus, Sasuke wouldn't know much about this, anyway. He was never a Jinchuuriki, nor does he know what it feels like or means to be one. What you have is a very special power. Go ahead and give that balloon another try."

Namaru picks up the water balloon, and begins rotating his chakra within it. As usual, the balloon begins to shake violently, but still isn't bursting.

"Like I said before, try and imagine it spinning faster."

Namaru concentrates, focusing on nothing else but rotating his Chakra faster than before. He begins to sense an increase in speed, and after a few seconds, the balloon bursts.

"I did it!"

Naruto looks happy for Namaru as he tries to calm down the screaming child.

"Try to keepit down a bit. It's quite late. However, that's only the beginning of your training. There are still two more stages to go. Next, we'll start stage 2, which involves a rubber ball. Go home and get some rest, because it only gets harder from here, plus you have school tomorrow. Speaking of which, I was going to let Daichi back into the Academy. Originally, I was going to wait until you graduated to Genin, but I changed my mind. Didn't know if you have anything to say about it."

Namaru shrugs before responding.

"As long as he stays away from me, we're good."

Naruto nods.

"Very well. Now hurry home before Sarada begins to worry."

Namaru nods, and hurries home. He was out later than he wanted to be. Once he arrives, everyone has already eaten and gone to bed...except Sarada, who is livid that Namaru was out so late.

"Where have you been?!"

Namaru stops dead in his tracks and tries answering his mother.

"I was out training."

Sarada crosses her arms.

"This late at night? Doubtful. Go upstairs and go to bed. I don't want to hear any excuses."

Namaru tries to explain himself.

"But-"

Sarad immediately cuts him off.

"Now, Namaru."

Namaru goes upstairs to his room, pouting the whole way up like the 10-year-old he is. He heads to bed, mentally cursing his mother, but knows he needs his sleep for the next day."