Origins: A Naruto Fanfiction
Note: This takes place in my Naruto AU. Some things will be the same as the canon stories, but some things will be different.
It began in the Village Hidden in the Leaves 17 years ago, when a sickly baby boy was born to Hanzo Ronin and his wife Karuka. The doctors said that the child would not live. In their grief and desperation, the boy's parents prayed that their child would survive. Suddenly, a jaguar with fur as green as spring leaves and not one, but four tails leapt into the room, startling the parents. To their further shock, the beast spoke.
"Hanzo Ronin, Chunin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, fear not. I am the 4-Tailed Jaguar, Spirit of the Forest. I have heard your prayers and can help the child live. But in order to do so, the child and I must share one body. He will grow up like any other child, save that, should he ever need it, I will lend him my power. But it is your decision." Ronin and Karuka looked at one another, then at the spirit.
"Spirit, if we accept, you must swear never to take over our son's body without his consent." Karuka warned.
"By my four tails, it will be so." The 4-Tailed Jaguar agreed. With that, the spirit became like wind and joined with the baby. Suddenly, the boy's pale skin turned tan, color rose to his cheeks; he opened his eyes, and began to cry. Karuka hugged her son. "He's going to be okay. Our boy will be okay."
Ronin smiled as he held his young child. "I will name you Shiru, after your great-grandfather, the wisest Chunin in the Leaf Village." He decreed, looking lovingly at the boy. But then, his smile vanished. "Karuka... his eyes...they're like a jaguar's!" he exclaimed. Karuka looked at her son, then gasped. It was true. Shiru's eyes, green as grass, had vertical slits for pupils, like a jaguar.
"It must be the jaguar spirit. He shares Shiru's body, and this must be a side effect." Karuka surmised.
"We'll have to be careful not to let this get around. Who knows how the Village will take this. You remember that Uzumaki boy, who bears the 9-Tails Demon in him." Ronin recalled.
"How will we keep this hidden? It's not like we can just cover Shiru's eyes." Karuka argued. Ronin noticed a strip of cloth on a table nearby.
"We may have to, my love. We can train Shiru to trust his hearing, his touch, his touch, his smell, not his eyes." He said, tying the cloth around the boy's eyes.
So Hanzo Shiru grew up with his eyes covered. Only at home could he uncover them. Everywhere else, he had to trust his other senses to guide him. He walked around barefoot to develop his sense of touch until he was able to use the Earth's vibrations to determine his surroundings, if anyone was near, and where to go. When he was old enough for school, he pretended that he was born blind to keep his secret. He was often mocked because of his "disability", but he never let it bother him. "Not being able to see is a gift, not a curse. It gives me a new, sharper perspective, one you'll never understand." He'd often say when kids picked on him.
Despite all the teasing, Shiru made one friend, a pretty girl named Kyoto Tara. Tara had very pretty red hair, soft brown eyes, and was especially gifted at Air-Style Justu. She was also a very smart girl, who didn't buy that Shiru was blind. She thought that there was something more to her friend, but she didn't know what.
Then came Graduation Day. Iruka-Sensei told the class that to pass and become Genin, each person would have to successfully perform the Clone Jutsu. As Naruto Uzumaki groaned, Shiru smiled. "Perfect! I've been practicing that jutsu! I'm a shoo-in!" he chuckled.
"Careful, Shiru. You don't want to jinx it." Tara warned.
"No worries, Tara. I can do it. I just gotta believe it!" Shiru replied, turning his head towards Naruto. "You can do it too, Naruto." Naruto scoffed, not even acknowledging Shiru's kindness.
One after another, students proceeded to the testing room and came back wearing official ninja headbands. Then, it was Shiru's turn. Slightly hesitant, Shiru made his way to the testing room.
"Alright, Shiru, let's see what you got." Iruka-Sensei prompted. Shiru nodded, took a deep breath, and took the stance.
"Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, 4 Shiru duplicates surrounded the young man. Iruka-Sensei smiled.
"Congrats, Shiru. You pass." Shiru smiled as he received his headband.
"Thank you, Sensei." He said, bowing. As he felt the cool fabric and metal of the headband, an idea came to Shiru. "Why wear it on the forehead or the arm, like everyone else? I can wear it over my eyes, just to be unique." Smiling, Shiru ran out in the hall and removed the cloth around his eyes.
"Shiru? You-you can see?" Shiru turned and saw Tara staring at him. She gasped. "Shiru...your eyes... you're a jinchūriki?" she asked. Knowing that there was no going back and making sure no one else was around, Shiru nodded.
"I share my body with the 4-Tailed Jaguar, Spirit of the Forest. I owe him my life. I was born sickly, so, answering my parents' prayers, he inhabited my body and gave me life. But you have to swear not to tell anyone. If the Village found out, I'd be ruined." Tara nodded.
"Your secret's safe with me, Shiru." She promised.
A few days later, Shiru was surprised to learn that he was to form Team 7 alongside Naruto (who graduated only because he discovered how to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It's actually a long story, read the Manga), and Tara under Kakashi-Sensei.
"Tell me about yourselves. Your likes, dislikes, and your dreams." Kakashi-Sensei began.
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I love Ramen! I don't like when Ramen takes too long to cook. My goal is to become Hokage and earned everyone's respect!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Kyoto Tara's the name. I like feeling the wind blow through my hair and reading. I really don't like bugs or spiders. I hope to teach the next generation of ninja as a Chunin." Tara explained.
"I'm Hanzo Shiru. I enjoy warm, sun-filled days, and beef. I'm neither a dog person nor a fan of rain. My goal in life is to become as strong as I can, and serve the Leaf Village in any way I can." Shiru finished. Kakashi-Sensei nodded, looking at Shiru with great interest. For some reason, he could feel a great power within the young Genin. But what was that power? Kakashi was determined to find out.
"Good to meet you all. Your training begins now. So let's get busy." The Jōnin declared.