Naruto: The First Paper Ninja
By: MedicWolfram
Chapter 1
A/N: Well here it is, the second version of the story, while as you will notice by the end of the story, much of this remains the same, but I can assure you that future chapters will be much different. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Read or Die; if I did do you think I would be here right now writing this?
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The nine tailed fox had finally been defeated after hours of deadly combat, but the price was dire, the strongest man in the village, the YondaimeHokage had given his life for his for village…his family… and his precious people. The Shinigami had taken the fourth Hokage's soul, and in return the Fox was 'killed', but by the end the death toll was unimaginably high, and would no doubt rise even higher in the near future.
A small boy, the container of the once powerful Kyuubi, slept in a crib by the oldest living Hokage, his small hands grasping at anything in reach, a faint glow emanated from his navel were a spiral seal was located. Six whisker like scars adorned his cheeks, no doubt a parting gift from his captive.
The Sandaime, Sarutobi, sat at the oak desk, he had been reinstated as soon as the battle had ended and Minato had perished, and already the paperwork that plagued the job was piled high, numerous reports of spies from other villages that were curious about the state of Konoha made up half of the mound of paper. The door, located directly across from the desk eased open, and a man wearing a mask painted like a bird wearing a long black cloak that covered his body, known as an ANBU, stepped in bowing in acknowledgement of his village leader.
"Hokage-sama, a man calling himself Mr. Joker is demanding to see you, shall I let him in?"
Sarutobirecognized the name, an agent for a library he had met a few years ago while traveling the world as an emissary, "Hai, please show him in," he said waving his hand in a dismissive manner.
The door shut, only to reopen moments later, the same ANBU entered, again bowing, followed by a middle aged man wearing a black suit with slicked back hair.
"Lord Hokage, we meet again," The man, Mr. Joker as he liked to be called, said.
"Yes, it seems we do, although I wish it were under better circumstances." The fire shadow began, "Please sit, what brings you so far from the main land?" He continued while motioning to a chair.
"As do I," Mr. Joker responded while relaxing in the only other chair in the room, placed in front of the desk, "I am here for something very important," He began while pulling out a faded picture of a woman with red hair and brown eyes, and passed it to the Hokage.
The Third gazed down at the picture, running his thumb across the face, "Ah yes, Uzumaki-san, she arrived about two years ago… although it saddens me to say that she did not survive the attack on the village." The Hokage said, passing the picture back to Mr. Joker.
"Yes, well I am not here for her… but rather her child." Mr. Joker said, motioning towards the baby sleeping in the Crib.
"Naruto? Why would you want Naruto, he's but a few hours old? In fact how do you know of Naruto?" The Hokage asked eyeing the man who seemed to know more information then he let on.
"Yes, well young Mrs. Uzumaki was a paper master who had occasional dealings with us, and as you most likely do, we kept a tab on her just in case. And after discovering that she was pregnant we had hoped that her powers would have passed down to her son." Joker said looking down at the young baby. "I would like him to accompany us back to the Library were he can receive proper training if his powers, do awaken, and be put to good use."
"Good use?" the Hokage asked, his penetrating gaze deepening, his chin now resting on his clasped hands, "What do you mean?"
Joker smiled, "I plan to use him as an agent, and he will act on our orders to ensure our continued peace and survival."
"You plan to use him as a weapon?" The Hokage finally asked after contemplating the proposal.
"That is a very crude way of saying it," Joker replied, "I plan to pair him with another paper user if you agree; he will grow up as a boy and have a family."
"Yes… I understand," the Sandaime replied after a long pause contemplating the issue, "Not only will his burden cause him trouble, but his power over paper might frighten the villagers more, I am afraid, that with this new information, I will not be able to protect him from their hate." Sarutobi looked down at the young child. "He may accompany you to the library on one condition, you tell him of his heritage when he is old enough and teach him that he has people here who love him for who he is."
"I believe that to be reasonable, he shall be thought of his nation and his family and if he so chooses may return, is that acceptable?"
"Yes…allow me to fetch the scrolls that his father left behind, and when you believe he is old enough to understand them, give them to him." Sarutobi said, while handing Mr. Joker three scrolls. "Might I ask who he shall be raised with?"
Joker smiled, "Ah, yes, I believe that you have met Yomiko Readman?" The Third nodded in acknowledgment, "She shall teach him to use his powers, and we expect much from him with his two lineages. I shall take my leave now, Good Night Sarutobi-sama."
"Yes, Good night Mr. Joker, please take good care of him," The ageing Hokage replied handing the English man Naruto.
Joker nodded and left the room, leaving the Hokage to gaze at an empty crib, wandering if he had made the right choice.
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The Trip back to England past quickly for Joker and his newfound companion, as soon as the plane touched down at the private airfield the library owned he had called for Yomiko to come to his office.
Naruto was laying on a green couch near the corner of the room as Joker sat at his wooden desk filling out his own paperwork. The wooden door off to the side of the room opened as a young woman stumbled in.
"Mr. Joker, you called for me?" The new women asked while bowing with the utmost respect.
"Yes, I have a new task for you," Joker began, standing up and heading towards the baby Naruto on the couch. "I need you to watch and raise Naruto Uzumaki, he also has power over paper, and many wish to see him rival you."
"B…B…But, a baby, you want me to watch a baby?" Yomiko stuttered pointing at herself, "I don't know how."
"Well I guess you should learn rather quickly, his power may manifest itself soon, good luck." Joker replied with a smile while handing the young women the baby and pushing her out of the room.
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The years passed quickly for Yomiko and Naruto. The first year had been rather awkward for the two, Naruto requiring help with everything due to his young age and Yomiko being utterly confused about raising a child, the second was easier, Naruto was able to take care of himself somewhat, and Yomiko found life a bit easier, and as time past the mother son relationship turned into a sibling rivalry.
As time passed there relationship became stronger, they hardly did anything without the other there. And by the age of three, he had officially started his training, constant exercises using his paper, consisting of moulding buildings and landscapes as well as combat exercises became a daily practice, when not training he was found raiding the library store house for new books, and by the age of six Naruto could go toe to toe with his adopted sister.
At seven years old Naruto learned of his true home in the elemental countries, as well as his fathers life as a ninja. Along with learning of his parents he learned about chakra, the energy that allowed ninja to do their amazing attacks. Applying the basics Naruto learned how to infuse this new power into his paper, making stronger attacks and more durable defences, this new form of power also enabled him near superficies acrobatic skills, jumping to high locations and running along walls a common practice, this proved an invaluable asset in the sparing matches that his sister put him through on a regular basis. And although learning of his real home, Naruto felt no ties to them and continued to look at Yomiko as his true family.
At the age of eight Naruto and Yomiko took a 'vacation' to Japan to visit Jinbouchou, the world famous book city. It was here that Naruto met his sister's long time friend Nenene Sumiregawa, and although the two would bicker over there spending habits Naruto found himself a new idol.
But at the age of nine, life for Naruto would never be the same, during the I-Jin incident his sister's team mate at the time, Nancy Makuhari, suffered extensive brain damage during the last decisive assault, although she had recovered to an extant, she had no memory of her past life. Yomiko, feeling responsible for her current state, decided to save her, they had fled the library and Europe and went into hiding, surfacing only for a few short days before going underground again, never staying in the same place for long. This continued until Naruto turned twelve and Yomiko tasked him to return to her best friend Nenene who would no doubt be worried over there absence, as well as to protect her from Joker, who might use her to get to the adopted siblings.
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Naruto walked down the Hong Kong street heading towards the large bookstore that there long time friend, Nenene, was supposed to be signing books. As he walked down the street passing dozens of stores, occasionally stopping to check for new books, he grumbled to himself softly, complaining about how Yomiko got the better end of the deal, in this case watching over the child like minded Nancy.
Over the years being on the run from British agents, Naruto had experienced a wardrobe change, no longer did he wear stylish clothing, and instead he dressed like his sister, hiding who he was. Now he wore a long trench coat that matched his sisters despite a few minor adjustments. The main color was a deep green with black shoulder and elbow patches, the sleeves hung over his hands hiding them from sight, giving him an element of surprise. He also sported a pair of black shoes good for running and fighting, the kind of life that seemed to follow Naruto wherever he went, along with the shoes he wore a pair of black cargo pants, a holster holding blue paper strapped to his right leg, and a red shirt underneath his coat, with a fox pendent hanging around his neck.
Shortly after fleeing the British Library, Yomiko had told Naruto about the Fox imprisoned within his belly. Naruto was devastated by this news and preceded to lock himself in his room, refusing to talk; Yomiko had become worried over his mental health. Three days later, he finally opened the door and acted as if nothing had happened, he constantly refused to talk about the Fox, since that day he had told no one of what had transpired in that short time, but to Yomiko, a change had occurred, he no longer had the innocent look in his eyes, and neither were they hard, it was almost like a mask had appeared that covered how he truly felt.
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Approaching the building Nenene was reportedly signing books at he looked at the line of fans with down trodden eyes, the line had stretched out of the large building on to the sidewalk, and threatened to spill out onto the streets. He began to mutter about his sister again before he pulled out a copy of Nenene's book and began to read, following the line inside and up the stairs.
Naruto closed the novel and glanced at his watch, he had been here for almost two hours and it was starting to get on his nerves but thankfully he was only a few people from the end. It seemed that the police were searching everyone that wanted a book signed, and although the current fan had passed the inspection, it seemed like he was causing a scene with the critically acclaimed author. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, sighed, and turned his attention back to his book; the police were here, they could handle any problems.
As the man yelled at the young women Naruto continued to read but a louder noise caused him to look up again at the men and reassess the situation, noticing the two talking in a heated conversation over a black book lying on the table.
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Nenene sighed as another fan passed the inspection held by the police and walked up to the table that she was using to sign her book. She placed her hand over the black pen that she was using and closed her eyes, waiting for the fan to present his book. When the book slammed on the table she was surprised at what she saw. "This isn't my book." she stated looking up at the man.
"Yeah…its mine," The man wearing a ruffled set of clothing stated, as he pulled out a pen from his shirt pocket, and used his other hand to flip open the front cover of the black bound novel, exposing two chemicals in a vial, separated by a rubber divider, attached to a set of handcuffs. He quickly slapped one cuff on to Nenene's arm and the other to the contraption, binding Nenene to the bomb before he raised the apparent bomb in the air, "Don't move," He shouted over the din of the shocked fans as officers reached for their weapons, "Or else I'll detonate the bomb."
Naruto rubbed his face hard with his left hand as he looked at the insane man threatening to kill everyone; he shifted his gaze to the right and noticed two older women restraining a young girl, most likely his age, each looking furious. As the fans took notice of the deranged man, screams filled the building, hundreds of innocent readers streamed out of the tall structure, seeking to get away from the person, as officers dived for cover behind pillars and hastily over turned tables. Naruto quickly twisted his body and positioned himself behind the nearest pillar, continuing to look at the man from the corner of his eye as officers shouted into radios describing the man and calling for back up.
"Throw away your weapons," the unknown man yelled out at the officers waving a newly acquired pistol about.
Naruto looked at the centre of the room as weapons were tossed to the ground, his eyes filled with anger at the man for attacking the unarmed woman and friend.
The man placed his hand, which held the gun, onto Nenene's shoulder as she attempted to stand and pushed her back into her seat placing the bomb on the left and putting a pen, containing a small ball-bearing in the middle, in her right hand. The man proceeded to whisper into her ear, "If the ball inside touches the sides, the bomb will explode."
Nenene looked down in horror as the ball began to roll towards the right, she quickly tilted her hand in the opposite direction, bringing the ball back to the centre, although looking calm her hand continued to shake in terror. Naruto looked back at the two older women as they gazed on in hate at the assailant; the younger had apparently gone missing.
"Who are you," the detective on the scene shouted from his cover.
"I'm a writer," the man stated proudly, pulling his jacket apart showing the inside that held two other books.
"What is your purpose?" the detective yelled back, hopping to stall for time as more police arrived.
"How can some cheep Japanese writer be better then me?" The man stated with glee, ignoring the question, "Why is her book becoming a movie, and mine not even read?" The man began to shout waving his gun around again.
Naruto stuck his head out from behind the pillar and saw the younger of the three women, this one with pink hair, flip over the railing and position herself behind a stack of books. The man looked to the right at the two other women, the smaller with blond hair and the tallest with black, as they knocked over a small silver briefcase covering any noise the pink haired teen could have made. "I'm sorry… I was nervous…" the blond stated, waving her hands in defence.
"Don't make any stupid movements! I'll blow you all up". The man shouted again, beginning to lose his nerve.
"Don't do such stupid things, your just a writer," the detective yelled out again, continuing to attempt to diffuse the situation
"Just a writer? I put my whole life into it!" the man shouted out again, spittle flying from his mouth his free hand holding his head, confirming Naruto's suspicions that he was indeed insane. He removed his hand from where it rested, reached into his coat and withdrew another novel only on paper and slammed it down of the table, causing many to shift in fright as Nenene's hand tilted. "I was born and raised in this country, and I scarified everything in order to write!" the man said. Instead of yelling at Nenene, he began to twirl around in a circle flinging his arms out and knocking over stands of books. "But this foreign woman gets all the attention?"
Nenene took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she spoke, "Your right, I am a foreigner, but my books aren't! It doesn't matter who flips the pages!"
"Shut UP!" The man yelled as he grabbed a hand full of her hair in anger.
"If you're also a writer, try killing me with your writing!" Nenene retorted while gritting her teeth in pain, "I can't die with a bomb like this!"
Naruto's eyes flashed in anger at the pain the insane author was dealing to Nenene, "That is quite enough!" he stated in a loud voice, stepping out from behind the pillar.
The man looked at the new boy, "Shut up, who are you to order me around!" he shouted as he grabbed Nenene's hand and flung the pen into the air.
Naruto looked up at the flying pen and calmly raised his left arm, the sleeve still covering his hand, and pointed at the bomb and handcuff that attached it to Nenene's arm. He flicked his wrist and blue sheet of paper shot out from the folds of his sleeve, the razor sharp edges cutting the chain. He flicked his arm again, encasing the bomb in paper, before he pointed his arm towards the window and tossed thee bomb out. With his right hand he reached into his holster attached to his leg and pulled out a single paper, flicking his wrist again the piece of paper straitened out and deflected the bullet that came from the deranged writer's gun. He flicked his wrist again sending the paper towards the gun and cutting it in two at the barrel. Finally his left arm, still directed at the window, waved. This time the paper that shot out of his sleeve attached to the window blotting out the sun and ensuing explosion from the bomb.
The writer looked on in horror as his well thought out plan failed because of a mere boy. "W…w…who are you?"
Naruto didn't respond, he just waved his right arm at the man and paper soon covered his body encasing it and stopping him from doing any more harm. As he lowered his arms the paper attached to the windows of the room ceased to hold its form and slowly drifted to the ground.
Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and looked at the pink haired girl that jumped over the books who looked at him, "Why did you help, we had it perfectly under control," she shouted.
The blond haired women quickly walked over and clamped her hand over the pink haired girls mouth, "Sorry about that, Anita usually says what's on her mind," she explained with a giggle, "Oh, were are my manners, my name is Michelle Cheung, my little sister here is Anita King, and the tallest one," she said pointing behind her at the women who looked almost 6 feet, "Is Maggie Mui, and together we're the Three Sisters' Detective agency."
Naruto bowed and was about to introduce himself when Nenene looked up, "N…N…Naruto?" she stuttered out. Naruto in turn smiled, and nodded his head.
A/N: Well there, finished, hope this new version meets your expectations.