Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; however, I do own all of the originally created characters in this story. Behold, the epic tale of a lifetime!


Chapter 1: Weakness and Strength

"Ryouken."

Silence.

"Ryouken!"

"…"

"RYOUKEN!"

"WHAT!" the one being addressed finally yelled. His eyes shot open, emerald orbs quickly focusing into his surroundings… there were people. People everywhere. The sleepy one blinked, unsure of what was going on… who had disturbed his nap? He was having such a nice dream too…

"Ahem…" came a loud and obnoxious grunt from behind. Ryouken spun around in his seat.

"Oh… hey Konohamaru-sensei…" he said, yawning tiredly. The tall, black haired teacher of his glared down powerfully, arms crossed and tapping his foot; obviously annoyed.

"What, may I ask, were you doing sleeping in my class?" Konohamaru asked with a false, stinging politeness. Ryouken grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well uh… you were making a really boring speech about Genjutsu! … I can't do any Genjutsu, so I didn't see a point in listening…" he answered, rather casually. Konohamaru's glare intensified.

"HOW DARE YOU!" the teacher yelled, quickly thwapping the young Ryouken over the head painfully. "You think you have a right to just take a nap whenever you want?! This is an important lesson, fool! Not only am I showing you just how a Genjutsu works, I'm also showing how to escape one as well! Imagine if you found yourself up against one when you become a Genin! You wouldn't know what to do! And then what? You'd be DEAD!"

By now the class's attention was fully drawn on the scene at the back of the room. "Hehe, Ryou's such a loser…" someone whispered. "I can't believe it… that's the fifth time this week master Konohamaru has yelled at him… and I've never before Ryouken, seen him get that angry," another anonymous voice chimed. Ryouken paid no attention to these audible whispers.

"So what do you have to say for yourself, Ryouken?" Konohamaru asked, still glaring. "Maybe an, 'I'm sorry?' Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I don't just give up on you… But you know what? Then I'd be as bad as you… always giving up on everything…" He stormed off, the scolding complete, and resumed his position at the front of the class. "All right, I apologize on Ryouken's behalf, for that intermission in the lesson." The class giggled, glancing up to Ryouken at the back. "Now, as I was saying… The essence of a Genjutsu lies in more than just an illusion…"


Give up… all I do is give up… Ryouken thought, the words echoing constantly through his mind. He exit the academy doors in silence, students of his own class and others flooding out all around. Occasional whispers directed at his degrading sounded off; but as always he paid no mind to them. He was used to it.
The banter of the students faded away as Ryou turned down a desolate street; the quickest way to his household. Silence engulfed him… nothing but those words could pierce his mind. And the overwhelming thought of it all made it nearly impossible for him to talk. He suddenly halted. Why…do I give up so easily?…
Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes came to hearing beside him. Ryou turned quickly, breaking into a defensive stance instinctively-- …Nothing. …Did he see a…tail?
"Welcome home Ryou-kun!"

"Hey mom…" he muttered sullenly, walking through the door before sliding it shut again. The dark-blue haired woman embraced her son, smiling sweetly.

"Did you learn anything today?" she asked, blinking those hazy, gray eyes…

"Actually, yeah," Ryou answered. "That Genjutsu sucks!"

"Now now, watch that mouth, Ryou," came deep, powerful voice. The door slid open, and there stood Ryou's father; followed by an enormous, white furred dog.

"Kiba! You're home earlier than expected…" Ryou's mother exclaimed, running up to hug the brown haired Inuzuka. "Akamaru, welcome home too!" she greeted pleasantly, embracing the enormous white beast.

"Hey Hinata…" he said, hugging her back. "Yeah well, we finished the mission earlier than expected. I'll tell ya' though, it was a pain in the ass…"

Ryouken ignored his parents' small reunion. He wasn't in the mood to explain the day; as he usually did out of sheer boredom. Escaping quickly to his room unseen, Ryou threw himself on his bed; staring up at the ceiling dully.

He was the son of the famed Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga. Blood of the noble Hyuuga and powerful Inuzuka inside of him.

And he was a weakling.

Hell, he didn't even have the Byakugan yet… who even knew if he would ever… The Hyuuga's had never bred outside of their clan and into another's. Hinata was stepping on dangerous territory when she fell in love with her former teammate, Kiba. But their love eventually pulled through, and three years after the defeat of Akatsuki, Ryouken Inuzuka was born.

On top of everything, Ryou was an Inuzuka… fated to be paired with a ninja hound at his time of coming… But the one that was selected for him, the one that should've chosen him… Rejected him. And soon after, died mysteriously. It couldn't be explained; the Inuzuka clan saw it as a bad omen; saw the child as a failure. The first Inuzuka to be rejected by his own ninja hound. Not able to withstand his family's newfound hate for the deemed failure of a son, Kiba left to live alone with he and Hinata. Tensions did eventually wear down between Kiba and the family… but they still continued to scorn Ryou.

He was deemed a weakling and a failure from that moment.


"All right everyone, your examinations are coming up soon. The day you all become Genin isn't far away. You will all become part of a three man cell, each with a squad leader. This is the first step on your path to becoming a true shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Today, we're going to be reviewing some of the focuses of the examination. You've all essentially proved your true selves over the years, so the exam should be nothing more than a jutsu run through. You will be tested on the basic academy level techniques you've learned, such as the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique), Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), and Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)."

"Uh… Konohamaru-sensei?" spoke a girl, raising her hand. "What happens if we don't pass the examination?" Konohamaru smiled, taking a very proud stance.

"Then you'll stay for one more year at the academy!" he proclaimed fiercely, catching the class off guard. Everyone erupted in whispers, discussing the sudden fear of failing the test… But from what their teacher said, it was a simple exam. There was nothing to fear… right? This is what Ryouken thought, as he sat in cold silence in the back of the room. Despite his lack of effort, he had never really had a problem with performing basic jutsu… and though his overall grades weren't bad, they weren't spectacular either. He was average, so… he didn't have anything to worry about… right? Unless of course, his wonderful sensei took into account the ill will that was born toward Ryou… In that case, he was screwed.

"All right everyone, line up. We're going to be practicing the Henge no Jutsu today. I want to see clean, perfect transformations of our great Lord Hokage!" Konohamaru ordered. The class quickly did as they were told, forming a neat and orderly line at the front of the classroom; Ryouken at the back, considering his slow pace. The first student stepped up, making the hand sign of the ram.

"Transform!" he yelled. A 'poof' of smoke erupted, quickly clearing-- and revealing the bold form of the great Mudaime; the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure. He was a hero like no other of the village… the one who'd taken down Akatsuki itself. Many referred to him as the greatest Hokage there had ever been. Others more reminiscent of the past had nicknamed him Konoha's Yellow Typhoon; a homage to the the Mudaime's signature blonde hair and to the past hero of Konoha; the Fourth Hokage. He turned to face Konohamaru. A perfect transformation.

"All right, excellent!" exclaimed Konohamaru, writing down the results on his notepad. "Next up…"

The class moved on, each doing perfect transformations; some flaws here and there, but everyone had otherwise proven themselves skillful with the Henge no Jutsu. At last, it was Ryouken's turn, and he stepped up to perform the simple technique.

"All right that's enough for today, everyone. You may all go home now. And remember, practice those techniques I mentioned for the examination!"
Ryouken was taken aback by his sensei's conclusion to the day. What? He had not even gone yet! The rest of the students weren't surprised at all; they didn't care for the lazy failure's performance. In seconds they were all out the door, and Ryouken was left to question Konohamaru's strange actions. Though before he could ask, the teacher had already begun to speak. "I'm sure you're wondering why I just did that, Ryou." he spoke calmly, sitting motionless behind his desk. Ryouken looked down, grinning.

"Probably because you mercifully wanted to save me the embarrassment of making a fool of myself… But you're stupid, if you did. I can do that jutsu just fine…" Ryou guessed.

"Wrong," he stated firmly. Ryouken looked up quickly, a bit surprised. Konohamaru continued. "The reason I excluded you from that performance was not because I thought you couldn't do it. No. That exercise was entirely pointless, such a low ranking jutsu is, and I know this for a fact, not below any one in this class's ability. Ryou, who did I have the class transform into?"

Ryou blinked. What was his teacher getting at? "You had them transform into the Mudaime… our Hokage."

"Correct. Do you know why I left you out?"

Ryouken shook his head slowly.

"…It's because I wanted to show you, that it's not a simple jutsu that can make you great."

Ryouken blinked, unsure of what his teacher meant. Konohamaru laughed, seeing the questioning look on the student's face.

"Ryou… the Mudaime is the greatest hero this village as ever known. I knew him personally, have been his friend for years. I knew him back when he was… nothing but a failure. A stupid, annoying failure who everyone looked down on because of the demon inside of him… We all know of the Kyuubi that once resided in our great lord's body. It was because of the curse he bore that everyone in the village hated him. And yet, that failure rose up, defied the hatred surrounding him, and has become the greatest leaf ninja the village has ever had. There was never a greater prosperity in the entire world of shinobi than now, under his rule. I wanted you to see that it's not a simple transformation that makes you great… the transformation is only an illusion; nothing comes that easy. One does not simply become as great as Hokage. You must work for it, earn it. You could say, the Henge technique is a form of Genjutsu, theoretically… It merely casts an illusion over the user. Ryou… you are the most unmotivated, least working student in this entire class. That is why I excluded you from the exercise. I wanted to show you that there are no shortcuts to becoming great. It is earned through hard work, and hard work alone."

Ryou was completely stunned by these words. They shot through his head repeatedly, a tense look on his face as realization came to be. Hard work… it's because of hard work… it's because of my lack of hard work… that is why…
"Yes, sensei… I understand…" he said quickly, erupting from his sudden daze.

Konohamaru smiled. "Good. I hope you remember what I've just said. Ryou… you have abilities inside of you. Extraordinary abilities waiting to be unleashed… you don't even try, and you still manage to make it through this class with perfectly acceptable marks. Imagine if you tried. Imagine if you worked your hardest. You would easily be on top, Ryou. The Hyuuga genius, and the Inuzuka bravery inside of you… You can truly be a prodigy like no other. I have absolute faith that you will pass the exam and become a Genin… a full-fledged shinobi."


Hard work… It is through hard work that I can become great… there are no shortcuts… Ryouken played the words over in his head, lighting up with smirk whenever he recalled them.
There had never been an Inuzuka without a ninja hound companion. There had never been a Hyuuga who had not achieved Byakugan before his age. And yet, all this swirling failure seemed to be blasted away by the mere idea of hard work. He felt as if, with it, he could overcome any detriment, any handicap. No shortcuts…

"Ryouken Inuzuka…"

Ryou froze, the cool voice taking him by surprise on this cold, dark and silent road home. He turned around; a dark figure looming just ahead, veiled by the night.

"What do you want?" he asked. The scent was enough to identify. He was an Inuzuka after all… Ironically, the other one was as well.

"Hehehe…" she laughed; it was a girl. Stepping into the small moonlight provided, her face was revealed. Kisa Inuzuka… his cousin. To her left was a small dog, following obediently at her side. It was like a mini Akamaru… very reminiscent of his father's dog, but much smaller. A pup. "You're late home, little Ryou…"

Kisa, unlike Ryou, was a full-blood member of the Inuzuka clan. But not only that, she was quite the little prodigy… Only a year older than Ryou. She was the daughter of Hana Inuzuka; his father, Kiba's, sister.

"What's it to you, 'sis?" he answered coldly, grinning. Proclaiming her as his own sister, closer than they actually were, was a popular annoyance he used often to get on her nerves. The cousins had never been on good terms; despite Kiba and Hana's close agreement on Ryouken being able to have the same respect as anyone could. Kisa, however, almost went as far as hating her mother for this… She looked farther toward her grandmother, Tsume; looking down on Ryou as a disgrace to the clan and a symbol of bad luck.

The provocation indeed worked; her face went from smugness, to anger in a flash. But a mean sneer replaced that soon after. "Cocky as ever… and stupid, at that. You should know when to keep your mouth shut in front of someone who could…" She paused, smiling. "Wreck you."

The threat made, Ryou could not help but laugh. Was his cousin honestly picking a fight with him? She glared at his outburst. "Wreck me? What's the point of making threats if you're not going to follow through with them?"

"SHUT UP!" she yelled, her canine companion sensing the tension and bearing its fangs at Ryou. "It's YOUR fault our grandmother is as sick as she is! The heartbreak of the Inuzuka family's next promise, you, being a god damn failure! A weakling! You, the first one in our family's history to ever be without our very trademark! You are an insult to this clan!" The words stung… they were true. He was a taint on the family's canine glory… but it wasn't even his fault. Maybe the whole thing was born of the now growing old Tsume's senility… But it wasn't even his fault.

"That may be… but at least I still try… at least I haven't given up," he almost growled. Kisa bared her own teeth wildly, the signature red fang-like marks on her face seeming to glow with anger. Ryou's fist clenched, tears beginning to stream down his face. He looked painfully up at his cousin, face in angst. "I will never again give up… Even with this family's hatred, I will never give up."

"SHUT UP!!!" Kisa screamed again. "JUST LAY DOWN AND DIE! I'LL GET RID OF MY FAMILY'S SCAR RIGHT NOW!" She quickly drew a kunai from her leg pouch, running at Ryou with a bloodlust in her feral eyes.
Through tears, Ryou saw the hatred of his family in her eyes… and in that instant, vowed to earn their respect; right here. As his cousin aimed to struck with a vital hit to the chest, he lunged agilely to the side; faster than he'd ever felt himself move. Guided by some wild, beast-like instinct to defend himself, Ryou's hand shot up and caught his cousin's outstretched kunai-wielding arm. Kisa's expression caught between surprise and fear, Ryou drew his own kunai in an instant and raised it to her exposed neck. She was caught.

"I will not be an outcast… I will not be hated… I have a place in this family as well as everyone…" he stated, tears streaming proudly. "And I won't give up until I earn the respect of all of you!!!" He dropped the kunai as it clattered to the stone road. Throwing her arm to the side and disengaging her balance, the once kunai wielding hand retracted back-- and thrust forward again into Kisa's gut, causing her to rocket backwards onto the earth. Ryou stood, a confident and resolute expression despite the tears that still flowed.

"You… bastard… you'll never be accepted… you'll never have a place in this family…" Kisa coughed out. "You were born in hope and promise… but you will forever live in hatred… and you will die in hatred."

Ryouken leered, eyes narrowing. Her words didn't matter. He was confident hard work would lead to his success. His acceptance. His family's love.

"Shiromaru!" she ordered. Suddenly Ryou was sent falling forward; something hard had impacted him from behind, slamming into his head. He hit the ground painfully, though before he could recover Shiromaru; Kisa's dog; was already on top of him with it's fangs wrapped around the back of his neck; ready to kill at a moment's notice. Kisa stood up, chuckling sinisterly. "Like I told you…" she whispered, holding up her kunai over Ryou. "…You will DIE!"

CRASH!

Ryou opened his eyes, looking up. The presence around his neck had somehow disappeared. Kisa was lying on her back, motionless.

"What… happened?"

Movement to the left. Ryou's head shot sideways-- and there, staring straight at him, was a wolf. No… it was a wolf cub. Or… was it a wolf at all? Deep, grayish charcoal fur… it had the appearance of a… dog, honestly. And yet that wolflike quality… pointed ears, a sort of protruding face… curious. It was only about as big as Shiromaru… maybe a little bigger.

"Did you… save me?" Ryou asked, sitting up. He noticed Shiromaru lying off to the side, also motionless.

The beast remained silent. It has cool, oceanic blue eyes… aquatic. Like pools of water in it's very head. They shone like brilliant lights against it's dark hair, contradictory to the dark look it bore. It's fur was a bit messy… most likely, a wild beast. Suddenly it moved; turning its back on Ryou to retreat back down the empty road.

"W..Wait!" he pleaded. The beast stopped, turning it's head back to him as if to say, "What?"

"…Thank you…" he quickly finished, smiling.

The beast remained motionless… seconds passed, minutes passed, continuing to eerily stare at Ryou; he staring back with his calm and serene emerald eyes. At last, the animal turned to fully face him. Slowly it began to walk towards him-- Ryou was fearful at first, afraid he may have offended it and was pending punishment. But when it reached him, it only leapt lightly into his lap; curling up in a ball, and falling asleep. You do not choose your own companion; they choose you. It's only a matter of finding who you belong with. Ryou's father's words struck his mind. Something he had been told long ago. Gently, he stroked the dark haired beast… it must've been a hybrid between dog and wolf… a half-breed. Ryouken smiled quickly at the thought; technically, he was one too. Maybe… this, was his friend. His first friend… ever. His first hope. This was his companion. A wild outcast like himself… the two fit perfectly. It had saved him for a reason… perhaps it had come to him for the same reason he seemed so drawn to it. It needed a friend…

Smiling, a name was thought in an instant; after all, that must come first… the beast; no, his friend, needed a title. "Umi…" he spoke softly, instantly knowing the name was perfect. After the dog wolf's oceanic eyes. He had a friend…

"…Hey wait, I'm not a pillow!!!"