Chapter 1
A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.
- Charles Dickens
Kakashi was quite aware of the many dark, dirty little secrets that his students thought they had kept well.
He knew that Sasuke held a picture of his family, Itachi and both parents, on his person at all times. He knew the photo was not defaced at all. He knew that the young avenger, despite all his claims to want nothing but his brother's death, would stare at it in solitude, eyes filled with profound longing.
He knew Sakura would sometimes look at Naruto with eyes almost admiring, and think he may deserve a chance. Then something would squash that idea and she would go back to beating the poor boy.
He knew that Naruto would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, screaming at unseen tormentors to leave him alone, how he had never done anything to them. That he would sometimes scream at Haku to not die, and how the young blond would the cry and curse the loss of his first true friend.
Kakashi had learned all these things through simply but intent observation. It was to be considered one of the jobs of all sensei to make sure their students were mentally fit for duty, and that meant learning habits, tendencies, fears, regrets, and everything else that made up a person. And while some of his kiddies pushed the envelope, he had concluded, along with the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, that all of his pupils would manage to be sane ninja, or as close as anyone got to that phrase.
That being said, he knew Naruto Uzumaki was still hiding something from him.
He had begun to suspect there was something he did not know when the Hokage had advised Kakashi to focus most of his efforts on Sasuke and Sakura and to leave Naruto to his own devices outside of team exercises. That the old man was basically telling Kakashi to leave his surrogate grandson high and dry was a little shocking.
The second clue had been when they fought during the bell test. When he had fought Naruto and his clones, he had noticed something about the Uzumaki's movements. While reports from the Academy had said he was little better than the average tavern brawler, Kakashi had noticed a sort of crispness to his movements, how they were controlled and practiced. It was as if every movement was part of a style missing something. It was like he was fighting a samurai who had lost his sword, and was using a stick of bamboo in its place. Still somewhat dangerous, but only a fraction of what it had been. But if a samurai was missing a sword, then what was Naruto missing?
Kakashi's third clue had come to him on Team 7's mission to Wave Country. He had gone back to investigate the area Naruto had trained in all night, as he wished to see how high the boy had managed on the tree. He had marked Naruto's progress, which had been impressive, and had started to head back when he had noticed a feather upon the ground. While he would normally dismiss this to a local bird, the feather had been unlike any bird Kakashi had ever known off. It was the darkest black, and when Kakashi moved it in the light it shimmered the darkest orange. The color had linked it to Naruto, and Kakashi kept the feather after soaking it in dishwashing soap, putting it in a sealed container with mothballs, and putting it in a bank vault. The feather had remained a mystery, even to several avian experts and enthusiasts.
Kakashi's fourth clue had been just yesterday, when Naruto had fought Kiba Inuzuka. When he had been preparing his new technique, just as Kiba had come up behind Naruto and been defeated by 'natural gas', the fabric under the back of Naruto's jacket had shifted slightly. It was as if there was an animal, a creature, something, had been straining to get out. Not only that, but for a second, Naruto seemed to get a little taller and a little more muscular. It was as if the blond had been transforming, but had stopped once he realized he could beat Kiba as he was. Kakashi expected he was the only one in the room with the correct vantage point to notice this, and it led Kakashi to believe that Naruto's new technique hadn't been the 'Naruto Uzumaki Barrage', despite how effective the attack had been.
The fifth clue had been how Naruto had reacted when he had been paired against Gaara for the final round. While most, like the rest of the Sand team, Iruka, and Kakashi himself had been terrified for the boy, Naruto had simply looked like he had resigned himself to something he'd like the to avoid.
And the final, most shocking clue that the blonde was denying one-on-one training from Kakashi. The energetic, lives-to-please Naruto. The happy-go-lucky, always eager to learn Naruto. This boy, who pestered Kakashi for training at least three times a day, was denying it! He was saying no to being trained by one of the most powerful Konoha ninja alive, right before fighting the closest thing to a human demon Kakashi had ever seen! Had the world gone mad?
"Naruto!" Kakashi half-shouted. "Gaara will kill you at your current level, or worse! You saw what he did to Lee. Let me help you!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Nah, it's alright sensei. Sakura's out, but Sasuke has some tough people to fight. He'll have to fight that Sound guy, then Shino, then Shikamaru or that Sand chick, then me. All I have to do is beat Gaara, then Neji or that puppet guy, then whoever wins the other branch."
Kakashi stared at Naruto, his mouth agape during his student's entire speech. "Maybe they are strong, but so is Sasuke! Meanwhile, you're against monsters! You saw what Neji did to Hinata, the fact that either have living opponents is a miracle! You'll need all the help you can get-"
"Kakashi, I know I'm outmatched. A month isn't long enough to bridge the gap." Naruto said, his tone cold enough and his words shocking enough to shut Kakashi up.
Kakashi recovered quickly this time. "Yes it is! Naruto, you'll die if you don't prepare, and I refuse to let that happen! I won't let you give up, either-"
His epression finally turned as frosty as his voice, and for but a moment, Kakashi saw Minato Namikaze in his student. "I'll win without your help. Calm the fuck down."
Kakashi blinked, now really shocked by Naruto's behavior, and a little hurt by his words. Then, in a softer tone, Naruto said, "Thanks for the concern sensei, but there is really only one way for me to do this. Focus on Sasuke, and just trust me." Naruto then turned and began walking in the direction of the hotsprings, leaving behind him a confused Kakashi.
All these events had the Copycat wondering late into that night what his blond student was hiding from him. He swore, this boy was the oddest blond he'd known since his sensei.
Hearing the footsteps of his godson, Jiraiya said, "So kid, I'm guessing you'll need help with that Jinchuriki?" He did not look away from his peephole.
Behind the white-haired man, Naruto answered, "Yeah, I can't beat him without leveling the arena and I'd rather not do that." He narrowed his eyes. "And could you look at me, you perv?" He wasn't paying attention himself, annoyed at himself for slipping with Kakashi and showing him part of what Naruto really was. Still, that tit-obsessed hermit didn't need to peep when he was talking to his godson
Jiraiya sighed and turned away from the many buxom beauties on the other side other fence before him and faced his godson. "Yes, yes, Naruto. I sometimes wonder if your abilities robbed you of your hormones."
Naruto smirked coldly. "Oh, really? I guess I can stop helping you write your books. Real shame, considering how the sales spiked when I came in…"
Jiraiya laughed quietly, avoiding alerting the women he had been peeping on. "I'd rather you didn't. The third book is projected to actually break the standard best sellers list, not just the naughty one. Anyways, I can help you. I don't know much about the Ichibi's seal, but an I don't need to be exact. I can just make something that fully blocks the connection between the demon and container, chakra and all. You just need to slap it on the container's seal, and you'll be good to go."
Naruto nodded, his expression still cold, aloof, and uncaring, as it always was around. "That'll be good. Listen, I know wind isn't your specialty, but do you have any new jutsu for me?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "Nothing you haven't already made your own versions of. But I do have this book on air currents, if your interested, one on sealing, and one on birds." The pervert pulled out three books, two of them medium-sized and one that Naruto knew was the kind with a thousand pages, double-colum minute print.
Naruto took all three and nodded in thanks. Jiraiya nodded too, then got a sort of pained look on his face. "Listen kid, I know I can't make up all the years I was gone. I just didn't think you'd live to see one if Iwa knew I was traveling with a blond kid..."
There was silence for a few moments after Jiraiya trailed off, then Naruto spoke in a tone that was less cold, and more resigned. "Jiraiya, you know you blame yourself more than I blame you. You're a good man, and you did your best. Don't think I don't know who payed for my apartment before I was a ninja, and I know who you've left your fortune to. I would be dead had you taken me with you, you're right about that. I don't blame you, I don't blame my father. I barely blame Sarutobi, and only because he made the mistake of telling the village of my status. Even then, you all did what you thought was best. Holding on to anger towards any of you is a waste of energy."
Jiraiya looked sad. "But you still blame the entire village for the choices of the majority."
Naruto's eyes hardened, and his tone returned to ice. With a small sneer of disgust adorning his face, he said, "You don't think I should?"
"No, you have every right to." The toad sage sighed, putting up his hands in an appeasing gesture. Then, he shook head in a morose manner, trying to keep tears from his eyes. "I just... I just wish you had been able to see more of the good in the world, less of the bad."
There was some more silence, then Naruto turned and left the sannin to regret the decisions circumstance had made for him. Once his footfalls were gone, the only sounds came from Jiraiya's tears of loss and self-hatred hitting the ground. A miserable sob escaped his throat.
"Hey, do you guys hear something?" A distinctly feminine voice said inside the fenced sauna.
And like the wind, Jiraiya vanished to the bar for another session of forgetting.
Two days passed in the first week of the interim month, and Naruto stood on the ledge outside the window of Hinata Hyuga's hospital room. He stared at the girl as she slept, still as a statue. The only noise came from the beeping of the machine she was hooked up to. While it may look different, as the girl was already filling out quite nicely, the boy was there for reasons far from peeping.
'I never go back on my word, because that is my nindo, my ninja way!'
So many times had Naruto shouted this phrase while hiding his ability under the mask of a foolish prankster. He did believe it, though. He would not be like the many people that had lied, had been kind to him, only to do him harm. He would not be like the little girl, his bitch of a crush, and… Her.
But why the hell was Hinata Hyuga spouting his own way of life herself?
Why was she saying that was her nindo? Why was she being like him? During the exams, he had allowed himself to get caught up in the idea that someone admired him. He had cheered her on, he had urged her to fight, and he had sworn he would avenge her when she lost.
He cursed himself for his foolishness.
Now with a clearer mind, he realized the girl was more than likely finally making her move. Despite the beliefs of many, including those who knew the real him, he was aware of her crush. For the longest time her had written it off as simply a schoolgirl's fancy.
But she had persisted. After they had become genin and she'd continued her pursuit of him, he'd spent some time trying to discern her motives. It could have been just a particularly powerful infatuation, but that seemed too simple. She could have genuinely cared, but he was far past truly believing something so fairy-tale. The heiress of the Hyuuga clan and the village pariah? Sounded more like an idea for the next Icha Icha than anything
It had then occurred to him her real plan. He knew the supposed secret that ran the gossip mills; how Hinata Hyuuga had been rejected as the next clan head because of her perceived weakness, that they were simply awaiting the point where Hanabi Hyuuga was old enough to formally replace her elder sister. He had even heard slurred whispers from Branch members at bars that even if the girl was strong her father would hate her for reminding him so strongly of his late wife.
But he knew now that was a mask. It made sense with her movements. She was obviously very highly trained, and had she not allowed herself to be injured early and fought as she had at the end from the beginning, she would have defeated Neji. Yet she knew her father was determined to hate her, and realized she would never be strong enough to change this. Almost undoubtedly she had figured out his secret, and that power she had seen an opportunity to seize control. She was hoping that if she could get through to his idiot persona, make him reveal the truth to her, and then the village. If she married him, her clan would never try to place the Caged Bird Seal on her under threat of the power of the strongest Bijuu. It was a ploy he almost respected her for, if it hadn't involved another woman manipulating his emotions.
Yet still, for a moment, in that arena as he watched her fight for her life by the principles that guided him, he had believed. He had allowed himself to once more entertain theories of love and attachment. He had been so caught off guard, and part of him so desperate still for affection to fill the void still in his heart he had thought…
Could she love him, care for him?
He had expelled these thoughts from his head, he put up his barriers once more. He wouldn't fall for this girl's fake affections! He refused to. He was done with foolish delusions. His original theory of her betrayal was all the more supported in his mind.
The boy couldn't see through his own past betrayals, of course. The reality of the situation was that Hinata Hyuuga had very genuine feelings for his idiot persona. In fact, he had become the center of her world, his perseverance the only source of strength she could draw upon to keep her kind nature in the face of constant abuse from her family, to the point of an unhealthy fixation. But Naruto was so determined not to trust another woman with his emotions that he couldn't see what was obviously genuine. But unfortunately, one could trick themselves easily if they wanted to hard enough, to the point that he couldn't even see how much he was reaching so the story he wanted to believe would make sense.
He thought back, to remind himself… Back to her. To the girl who had been his first friend. To the first person who had given him a birthday gift. To the first person he had given a gift to. To the first person he had loved. To the first person to betray him. To the first person to ever try to have him killed. To the first person to tell him about the Kyubi. To the first person he had ever tried to kill with the fox's chakra. To the first person who made him realize his gift.
He thought back to the face that haunted him for years because he could no longer remember it. He couldn't bring her name to mind, either. He would have it for only a second, it started with an A, perhaps. Then he would lose it.
Then he thought back to mere months ago…. No. No, those wounds were too fresh. But they reminded him of the even greater dangers of letting someone in.
There was even the perfect setup to force him to let his guard down, when he thought about it. Poor little Hinata, beaten by her cousin, so superior to her in skill. Yet she had not given up, because her crush was watching. She would say his nindo, she would make him believe that she not just cared for but admired him. It would've been so easy to do; Naruto was certain she had been thanking her lucky stars when such an opportunity presented itself to get through to his idiot persona.
He would still defeat Neji, likely in the most humiliating way possible. He had sworn he would, and he didn't go back on his word. Didn't like the fate talk in general, either. He had been defying fate and pain his whole life. But that didn't change what Hinata Hyuuga was.
No, she was just another bitch who wanted to ruin his life.
"I won't let you screw me over." He whispered, staring at the unknowing Hyuga with contempt. As he jumped off the ledge, a small voice in the back of his head said that maybe Jiraiya was right. Maybe he couldn't see the good in the world.
Naruto squashed that voice, the only sensible one in his brain on the subject of Hinata Hyuuga.
Three more days passed, and Naruto was in the shadows. He had been preforming his weekly by over the village when he had seen the exams proctor from the preliminaries fighting a Sand jonin. Deciding that it may be to Naruto's benefit to save the man, as combat between allies alluded to war, the blonde had relocated to a nearby roof.
He pulled a kunai knife, and just as the Sand Jonin was about to kill man whose name Naruto had forgotten, the blond threw the lethal weapon at the Jonin. He threw it hilt-first, however, having the foresight to think of interrogation. It hit the unsuspecting man's temple, and it knocked him out like a light just before he finished his jutsu.
He saw the proctor turn to the direction the kunai had come from, but by that point, Naruto had fallen off the back of the building, unaware that he had just helped turn the tide of an upcoming war.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat at his desk, once more burning the midnight oil in an effort to finish his paperwork. The only grace he'd had in the past few years in regards to the damned forms was that he no longer felt carpal tunnel syndrome.
Signing the last document and stamping it with the seal of the Hokage, the aged monkey laid back and briefly took in the room around him. A red-painted room whose walls were lined with mahogany bookshelves, these bookshelves being filled with tomes upon all manner of things related to ninja and Konoha, the Hokage's office was second only to the Forbidden scroll when comparing volume of knowledge. There were four bookshelves total, one for each Hokage to leave their collection of wisdom.
It was disturbing how many of the books of each shelf was of an erotic nature, though the old man had helped make it that way. Only the Fourth's shelf was relatively safe for children, filled almost exclusively with sealing tomes and his own personal notebooks. The old man would never allow his grandson near the shelf, however; the last thing Hiruzen needed was the child trying to make exploding tags. There was also a small green tome he recognized as Jiraiya's first book, from which the hermit's godson's name had been derived.
In each corner of the room hung on the wall a portrait of every preceding Hokage. The First, standing smiling over the new Konoha. The Nidaime, sitting at his desk with an expression grave as the dead. Hiruzen himself, standing in front of the tower with a smile on his face as a young man in the Hokage's robes. And finally, a sight that made the old man's aches all the more pronounced, the Fourth, Minato Namikaze, smiling over the village from the top of the Hokage monument.
It struck Hiruzen once more how sad it was that he sat in this desk, not just because it kept his senior-citizen ass up past midnight. The night he has reassumed the mantle, so much had been lost; the village had lost its strongest Hokage, thousands had lost their lives, Naruto had lost both his parents, he'd lost… 'Oh Biwako…'
The old monkey was brought out of his sad musings by the sound of a pair of feet hitting his windowsill. He knew it was friendly – no actual assassin would choose such an obvious entry point, and any ninja developed an allergy to his damned door when they hit a certain level of power.
His suspicions were confirmed
"Isn't something that hard bad for an old man?" Naruto said dryly, a bored looked on his face.
Having already known of the boy's presence, Hiruzen uncorked the bottle, took a long drought, and put it down on his desk before answering. "Not with medical treatments like lung-cleaning and kidney purifying."
Naruto laughed his true laugh, something cold, short, and slightly evil sounding. "True enough." Naruto said. "But how much money do you blow on that habit?"
Hiruzen reached under his desk and grabbed his pipe. "Same amount you do."
Naruto shrugged. "Maybe, but with the money I receive now that you're trickling my inheritance into my bank account, I could buy Konoha's Red Light district."
Hiruzen laughed as well, a more gentle sound. "Yes, you could. But your mother would rise from the grave just to tan your hide if you did."
Naruto gave a cruel, crooked smile. "What would father do, congratulate me?"
'Not quite." Hiruzen said, lighting his pipe. "He'd check if it was a successful business venture. If it was, he'd try to calm Kushina down. If not, then he'd just stand to the side and shake his head at your stupidity." Taking a puff, he pulled out a small tray from another drawer and placed it on his desk inbetween veritable mountains of paperwork. On the tray where two glasses, which he filled with his preferred drink.
Gesturing to the other side of his desk to a comfortable chair that was usually meant for visiting dignitaries, he gave the unspoken command to Naruto to sit down, which the blond did, after a small flux of chakra to make himself more comfortable.
Placing a hand under his chin in mock thought, the blond said, "Hm. Sounds like my abilities would come in useful, then. Nobody can outrun something that is naturally faster."
Hiruzen laughed again. "I'm not so sure. Your mother could be one scary woman. She managed to keep control of Tsume Inuzuka while they were on the same team, after all." He inhaled from his pipe. "In fact, your mother and Tsume were part of the only all-female genin team I ever created. But I take you came here for a different reason than to talk of my habits and your parents?"
Naruto nodded, amusement dancing across his features. "Yes... Never thought Sand would break the alliance."
Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched only slightly to show his surprise before he smiled, pushing a small amount of energy into the seal under his very useful desk to ensure privacy. "Figured you were the one who saved Hayate. Saw what was happening on one of your nightly patrols?"
"I did." Naruto responded with a nod, sipping the glass Sarutobi had poured for him with a serious expression. "War is coming." It was a statement of fact, not a question.
"Yes." Hiruzen confirmed gravely, his age showing a bit as he too sipped his beverage. "More than that, there will be a direct invasion of the Leaf during the Chunin Exam Finals."
That took Naruto by slight surprise, enough to make his eyes widen. "Doing that is extremely sacrosanct. A bold move for Sand. If they win, they'd be the fear of the main ninja villages. If they lose, though…" He let the thought go unfinished. The last village to attack during the Chunin Exams had been the Village Hidden in the Plains, whose unsuccessful attempt to destroy Kusa had resulted in few genin these days knowing of the Village Hidden in the Plains. Kusa hadn't even been holding the exams at the time.
"Sand was not alone in this." Sarutobi sighed. "As we've learned, Sound is also involved, under the leadership of my old student Orochimaru."
There was silence for a moment as Naruto absorbed this new information before he poured another drink; he would need one to continue this conversation, the old monkey knew. After half-draining his new glass, he said, "I've never been gladder for my nightly tradition than I am right now. Two villages, one of them one of the big five, launching a surprise attack on Konoha when we had our pants down? And led by that fucking freak? If we weren't annihilated the casualties would have still be enough to weaken us severely. Enough to unseat us as the strongest village, if not make us the weakest."
"Yes, it would have." The Hokage agreed, refilling his own drink. "I know I would have died. There were plans in place by Orochimaru to get me alone and ambush me, though how he was going to manage this we don't know. Now we have plans that there will be a squad of ANBU five feet from me at all times."
"Is the Kazekage involved?" The blond questioned, feeling concern for his surrogate grandfather. Cold or not, he loved the old monkey as if there was blood between them and would be crushed to see him die.
Hiruzen chuckled a bit. "Worried for an old man? I'm touched." He said. Before Naruto could interject, he continued. "Still, you need not worry about the Kazekage, or Sand for that matter. If Orochimaru has one fatal flaw, it is his arrogance in not planning for being found out."
A raised eyebrow from the blond being an obvious cue to explain, Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and did just that. "The Kazekage was supposed to come here three weeks before the exams and tour the village with me, do some publicity events or some other bullshit to show the strength of the alliance. And yes, I see the irony." The elder man interjected before Naruto could open his mouth.
After a sip of liquid fire he continued. "He cancelled suddenly a day before his arrival was scheduled, citing issues that needed to be dealt with in Wind Country. Knowing about the invasion, I sent my most talented ANBU to spy on him, see what he was up to. What they reported was infuriating, but not as surprising as it should have been."
The old man's brow furrowed. "Orochimaru has killed the Kazekage, and taken his place to provide an opportunity to get close to me and take me down one-on-one."
Naruto's mouth actually fell open the slightest bit at this, a sight his surrogate grandfather enjoyed immensely. Inhaling deeply, he asked, "Killing a kage... Kami. The fuck didn't he just come as the leader of Oto?"
"Because he wouldn't have been able to justify it." The elder ninja replied. He inhaled from his pipe. "The Kazekage was only coming because the particular genin he that have passed on have all been his children; all three of his children, in fact. Had they been any other genin, he would not have come. Unless there are ulterior political motives, it is a rare thing for Kage to travel to each other's villages. We have neutral meeting grounds for these types of things."
"And those would be?" Naruto asked.
"None of your business." The old man responded with a beat missed. He quirked his lips into a grin, sensing the blond's annoyance; there was something special in pissing off the brat by knowing things he didn't.
"At least give me a hint?" The blonde asked with an almost puppy-dog expression, his drive for information overwhelming his pride.
Shit-eating grin on full blast, Hiruzen took a puff and said, "It isn't in any of the five villages."
Naruto rolled his eyes tossed back the last of his drink. "Because you didn't say that already." He sighed. After both glasses were refilled, the two sat there in a comfortable silence, Sarutobi contemplating what was coming, Naruto likely the same.
The blonde broke the silence after a few minutes. "I'm also going to air all my dirty laundry at the Chunin Exams. Kyubi, my heritage, my powers, everything."
Sarutobi spit out the drought of liquor he had just imbibed, dropping his pipe in his wild hacking. He saw the brat's lips curl up in a smile, enjoying the reaction to his little reveal.
When the old man finally regained his ability to speak, he simply stared at Naruto for a moment. Then he picked up his pipe and began refilling it, simply asking, "Why, Naruto?"
The young blond stared into his drink for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He wanted to be exact in his explanation. "A lot of reasons. You had already planned to announce my parentage once I was strong enough to defend myself from those that would kill me for it. And besides, I can see whose truly my friend when everyone knows I have a demon that leveled the village sealed in me." He took a small sip of his drink. "As for my... Special abilities, I'm finally powerful enough that nobody can manipulate me for them, including Danzo and the council."
Sarutobi took his own small sip of liquor, contemplating his surrogate grandson's words. "… All of this, Naruto, is your decision. I respect and support you in whatever you do, I owe you that much. However, I do caution you."
The blond locked eyes with the Hokage then. The old man knew he was one of the few people Naruto respected and would listen to without question. An even greater honor for the old man was the fact Naruto would not only listen, but truly consider what he had to say.
"Do not," the aged warrior began, finally allowing his years of life leak into his tone truly, "allow the first reactions of those you know to define them. All that will be brought to light in those first few seconds is knee-jerk, inconsequential. It is their actions over the following days, weeks that will show their true intentions."
Naruto nodded, allowing age beyond his own into his expression. It aged Sarutobi's spirit a further ten years every time he saw that look on any child's face, much less one he loved. He hated the life he had chosen only in these moments. "I will do my best, grandfather." He said, words that brought the old man's spirits up as he remembered what he would always mean to the boy sitting across from him. "But trust, I don't know. Even without thought I guard myself more and more these days. Even those few worthy of my faith… I sometimes wonder if it is beyond me."
Sarutobi sighed and refilled his pipe. He took a long pull of the smoke, taking comfort in his vice. "I know my boy. Trust is beyond many who walk our road, and you walk other roads even more difficult than just the one we share. But it is what separates us from the kunai that we use, for it is trust that allows love."
Naruto seemed to take this in, speaking only after a moment of apparent contemplation. "Yes. It is. She was a person because she loved him… Him and…" The boy trailed off as pain danced across his face.
After another second, the old ninja asked tentatively, "Are you still having nightmares?"
The blond swallowed, rolling his shoulders. "Yes, I am." He said. "Frequently. They plague me as they have for years, though they're different regrets every night."
Sarutobi thought back to the report on Wave. Kakashi had only been able to guess at what Naruto was feeling after having to do what he did, as the boy had been reticent on the subject. Kakashi, however, upon seeing Naruto begin once more to act normally, had allowed himself to believe his student had made peace with his actions. The Hokage on the other hand, he knew that that his grandson's normal behavior was an act.
"Naruto." The man began, careful. He had tried to broach the subject at an earlier time, but the results had been less than optimal. "What happened in Wave?"
The boy's face went from introspective to cold in under a second. "What happened to your wife?" He asked in response, ice in his eyes.
The question stopped Sarutobi's heart. He was silent as Naruto finished his drink and turned, leaving through the window. Only one thought floated through the old man's mind.
'Who, Naruto...?'
The night before the exams, Naruto sat in his apartment reading the book on birds, one of the smaller tomes. He had already completed the book on air currents, and was taking a break from the massive sealing tome, which had been everything it had looked to be.
It was all theory and exercises for improving one's calligraphy, something extremely necessary for being a competent seal user. He was about halfway through, and was quite aware that he would learn nothing of use in time for the Chunin Exams, but sealing could help after this.
He was wearing a pair of soft, bright orange pants and his sleeping cap with no shirt. These were the only pieces of his wardrobe that had survived his recent cleaning, in which he threw out most of his jumpsuits out and replaced them with black sandals, black pants, and a flame orange, sleeveless shirt with two massive slits in the back. Some may think it was a little bare, but once he introduced his ability...
Well, he saw no reason to risk destroying more fabric than he needed to.
He wished he didn't have to. While strong, he was not a master of his unique abilities. He had wanted to attain mastery before letting the cat out of the bag. Up until now, only Sarutobi and Jiraiya had known of his strange mutation, the effect of a strange mix of the chakra of the Shinigami and the Kyubi hitting his DNA.
He had tried reading bits and pieces on DNA over the years. Even amongst the most talented of medical experts in the world, it was mostly shrouded in mystery. He had been able to learn precious little from failed studies, but from what he understood, even the slightest change in the structure of a creature's DNA could have insane effects beyond what seemed reasonable. One study conducted by Orochimaru and Tsunade fifteen years ago - the only experiments to ever successfully change DNA that he knew of - had them attempt to add an extra set of legs on ants with careful, precise manipulation of the DNA of embryos. Instead, the Forest of Death had a small population of six-foot-long fire-breathing ants.
Looking at the time, he saw it was time to sleep. He would need to be well-rested for tomorrow's matches. He made sure he had Jiraiya's seal before he turned off his lights and fell into his bed. He was asleep in seconds, but like any night, he didn't stay out for long.
Naruto saw the needles coming. He was prepared to show his full power now, only a second away from doing so. It wasn't his first choice, but he had no other way to beat this strange hunter ninja who refused to speak to him. But before he could unleash his true strength, Sasuke was in front of him.
The needles thudded into his skin, around two dozen all over his body. Naruto stared in shock as one of the only people his age he might call friend... "Sasuke!" He screamed, almost not hearing himself over the ringing in his ears. The Uchiha fell back into his arms and the blonde gently lowered him to the ground. Looking at his face, Naruto was shocked to see not the normal, pitch-black eyes he knew, but blood red eyes with a single tomoe.
"Sasuke..." He half-sobbed through clenched teeth. "Sasuke, why?"
For what might've been one of only a handful of times Naruto had seen, Sasuke let a smile grace his features. "I don't know, dobe. My body just moved on its own..."
"Sasuke, you didn't have to do this!" The distraught blonde shouted. "What about your ambitions? What about your clan?"
The Uchiha's red eyes grew hard. "My clan... Might be over... But Naruto, promise me..."
Naruto realized what his words hinted at. "Sasuke no... You can't..." The blonde felt tears - true tears, not just a part of his mask - trail down his face. He was fully crying now as he realized one of his few friends was dying in his arms.
"Promise me!" Sasuke barked, his hand grabbing the front of his friend's shirt. "Kill him Naruto! Kill... That man..." The blonde saw his friend struggling to remain conscious, his eyes growing heavy and his grip weakening. "Kill him.. Ita... Chi..." And with that last request, the last loyal Uchiha let go of the world.
Naruto walked into the competitor's box, cracking his neck. He had managed a full four hours last night. It didn't shock him - reliving what he had thought at the time to be Sasuke's death was less than fun, but since the boy was still alive it was much easier to deal with. His new attire was fitting comfortably, his headband now tied around his neck in a manner similar to Hinata Hyuga, a fact that annoyed him slightly. Still, the band was too long to tie around his arm and too short to go around his waist. Sentimentality left him loathing changing out the original bandanna, and it was hard to wear both his headband and old goggles on his forehead.
Immediately all eyes were on him, as he was the last one to arrive. He had taken some time to get one last bowl of Ichiraku's before coming, so the fact that he was behind even Kakashi didn't shock him. He took in various reactions; just because the Third's advice had been taken to heart didn't mean he wasn't curious.
Sasuke and Sakura were the first two he looked at. They were his teammates after all, and despite the fact that the rational part of him hated Sakura as a ninja and person he couldn't help but feel some sentimentality after the past few months. And Sasuke… He was the closest thing Naruto had ever had to a best friend, maybe even a brother.
Sasuke seemed curious and a little bit confused. However, it was not the open hostility towards the improvement of his rival that Naruto had expected given his friend's inferiority-superiority complex. It was an interesting development, and not unpleasant. Sakura also seem curious and very confused, obviously thrown for a loop that her blonde teammate could look anything but the fool. Naruto was slightly annoyed with this, but he was a good actor.
Then he turned his eyes to Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka, two people he'd never had problems with despite their unfortunate relationship with the Hyuga. Kiba seemed a little reassured, as if Naruto not appearing to be on the wrong side of the mental retardation line made his defeat better. There was no really good way to write failure by flatulence though. Shino was as unreadable as always.
Next came the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had to be taken in together as a rule. Ino was sizing him up in a way that made him slightly uncomfortable, Choji was already back to his chips, and Shikamaru… Well how very interesting. Naruto knew the Nara were smart as a rule, as well as lazy, but he had a feeling Shika was smarter than even a Nara had business being. He looked at the blond in a way so analytical that it was as if every single possible scenario was being gone through to explain the change and either being rejected and taken into consideration. He felt almost like a puzzle that the Nara actually found mildly intriguing and challenging.
It was a frightening feeling that revealed information Naruto filed away for later. Then there was Neji Hyuga and Tenten Higurashi, the two non-crippled members of Team 9. Both gave him a once over before looking away. He wasn't surprised; Tenten he didn't know, and Neji was far too comfortable in his fate talk to ever be bothered by any sign his opponent may be stronger than they appear.
Then there were the sensei. Gai immediately erupted into a period of intense mourning over the seeming cooling of Naruto's Flames of Youth due to his apparel change, blamed on trying to emulate Kakashi's "hip attitude", which the blond tried to tune out. Kurenai and Asuma both threw him a small glance before turning their attention back to each other. The blond briefly wondered when they would just fuck and get it over with. Even Konohamaru was aware the two had strong feelings for each other.
Then there was Kakashi…
Kakashi Hatake, a man rather difficult to surprise, was admittedly taken off guard by the new appearance of his unpredictable student. The young man's new attire was certainly more serious, and while his disposition to orange was still present it now much more resembled a color of autumn instead of the unnatural neon that had made the boy an eyesore.
It shouldn't have been as shocking as it was, really. His enigmatic student had been the subject of much thought in the past month as the Copy-Nin had trained Sasuke. The boy had something underneath him, something Kakashi couldn't pinpoint, but it had seemed to be made of harder stuff at the prelims and still felt so now.
Not harder as in more mature. No, Naruto had proven through his actions in the past weeks that he was rapidly coming into his own, truly beginning to understand what his desire to become Hokage meant. He may even begin to understand, unbeknownst to him, why Kakashi had chosen to try for another genin team instead of taking the position when the Sandaime had offered a year ago.
This side of Naruto Uzumaki that was just coming to light was harsher, darker. It was an angrier, worn side. A side Kakashi, in a way, feared.
The young blond sat next to his teammates, where they all settled into a thick silence. The curiosity of Kakashi's other two students was evident, but they seemed to have far too much on their minds to really pay him too much attention. At least, Sasuke did.
"Nice clothes, Naruto." Sakura said nervously, still trying to adjust.
Naruto responded with a small, "Thank you." He then reached in his pocket and produced a small box easily recognizable to his teacher, a box from which he pulled out a cancer stick. He placed back the box and put the cigarette in his mouth before going to his other pocket. Digging for a second, he narrowed his eyes as he realized what he was looking for wasn't present. The blond turned to Asuma and asked, "Hey Asuma, mind if I borrow a light?"
'Naruto smokes?' Kakashi, and by his own estimation, everyone in the room, thought. After a brief moment of surprise Asuma shrugged and grabbed his own back-up lighter, a cheap one he had for these exact situations, loathed as Kakashi knew he was to allow anyone else to use his own lighter, and threw it to the blond. With a nod in thanks, the boy lit up and started puffing.
After a few moments, Sakura finally asked, "Since when do you smoke, Naruto?"
Kakashi expected a lot of answers. Perhaps he'd done it after Wave to cope with the stress, or maybe he'd decided to start today to help complete this change he was undergoing. There was even the possibility that he'd been doing it for years and none of them noticed. But he didn't say any of those things. Instead he said-
"Since sex gave me a reason to unwind." The boy responded.
There was a beat.
"BAKA!" Sakura screamed, raising her fist over her head, ready to bring it down and send Naruto into the floor with a mild concussion. Her sensei, however, already knew this was bad idea.
At a speed faster than Kakashi actually thought his blond student was capable of, Sakura's wrist was seized and several small pops could be heard. Sakura grimaced, shock and pain visible in her expression, while Naruto threw her a look that changed his eyes from endless oceans of cerulean to an unforgiving sea in the dead of winter.
"Sakura, you're a smart girl, correct?" Naruto asked, his voice matching his eyes.
The sensei in the room tense and ready to intervene, Kakashi himself closing the book he'd had blocking his face a moment before. Sakura, seeming to be overcome by fear, said, "Y-yes."
"And you understand that I do care for you as my teammate, right?" The cold blond continued, loosening his grip in a way that significantly reduced the pain Sakura had to be feeling but was unnoticeable to anyone but the sensei and the girl herself.
"Yes." She responded, still fearful but seeming to calm a small amount.
"Then let me ask you," Naruto began, "why, when I do nothing to harm you, do you continue to physically abuse me for simple things, like truthfully answering a question?"
There was no response, and quietly Kakashi applauded his student. He had never really approved of the pinkette's treatment of her teammate, and it was about time the young man said something. The Cyclops hadn't wanted to intervene himself, as even if he accomplished anything Sakura would just resent all involved and Naruto may hate Kakashi for making his crush hate him… Not that Kakashi was certain the boy held such affection for his loud teammate anymore.
"Understand." Naruto continued after the pregnant pause, "If you try anything like this again, I will not stop with pain. I will break your wrist, as within my rights to defend myself from assault. And our friendship will be over." He released her wrist then, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaling before taking another drag.
Before Kakashi could much think on some of the things that should worry him as a sensei, the sound of trumpets blared as Hayate Gekko walked out onto the field. There was mass cheering, the crowds anticipating the beginning of a spectacle so rare as the public battles of shinobi, even those so relatively weak such as Chunin hopefuls.
The Hatake put these thoughts in the back of his mind for a later time. He had to worry about the invasion predicted by the Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the exams from his place in the Kage's box, smiling in his genial way as he planned the death of the disguised man next to him. Said man was Orochimaru of the Sannin, his fallen pupil, although the snake was wearing the robes of the Kazekage.
The old monkey was in the best shaped he'd been in in six years. He was immensely thankful for the month's warning Naruto had given him; after the invasion he would have to award the boy a medal, at least privately. The boy's actions had probably saved Sarutobi's life, as in the shape he'd been in weeks before would have been unable to defeat his erstwhile student.
The past month he'd regained much of what sedentary desk work had taken; he was not in the peak condition his weathered form would allow, but he was close. The old man could only pray it would be enough.
Hayate, the young swordsman who had delivered the now mind-wiped Sand ninja Baki to them, was finishing his spiel of announcing the games and reading the general rules. Sarutobi briefly allowed himself to thank the heavens once more for the Yamanaka. Their jutsu gave Konoha a unqiue, significant advantage in all forms of information gathering. Finally Hayate announced the first battle, bringing Sarutobi out of his musings.
"Would Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara of the Desert please come to the arena floor?"
Naruto jumped down from the Konoha box, whilst Gaara floated down on a cloud of minerals from the Sand box. It had been an idea of Hiruzen, to both put the able genin under the direct command of their Jonin superiors and to prevent the contestants from Sand and Sound attacking, to split the contestants up by village. He had used some bullshit about ensuring all fights were fair; it had passed, and that was all he cared about.
Gaara stood on one side of the arena, smiling madly at his opponent. The Third thought how lucky the Fourth Kazekage was to be dead; the aged monkey would have killed the gold-dust-using bastard for sending a Jinchuriki to the Chunin Exams without warning.
On the other side Naruto was finishing up a cigarette. He took one last puff before throwing the butt to the ground, stomping it out deliberately while looking Gaara dead in the eyes, an action that only seemed to further excite the Sand ninja.
Sarutobi had to admit to some excitement… It wasn't often he got to see his adoptive grandson fight to his full ability…
"Are both combatants ready?" Hayate asked. Both boys nodded.
It truly was an impressive sight, majestic even. It was light seeing an animal in it's natural state. A tiger stalking prey, a deer running through the forrest... A bird flying high...
"Fight!" Hayate shouted, jumping backwards. Immediately sand rushed forward from Gaara's gourd, moving to encapsulate Naruto. It did so, cocooning the boy in grains of rock like a coffin. Naruto did nothing but smile cockily at Gaara.
Sarutobi tuned his trained ears towards the Konoha combatant's box, where he heard several sounds. Kakashi was screaming at Naruto, the man's cool for once broken. Sakura Haruno was crying out in despair as likely the worst scenario she could have envisioned came to fruition. Even the stoic Sasuke Uchiha was shouting at his rival to do something. They wouldn't be so worried if they knew.
Come to think of it, Sarutobi thought to himself, it was more specifically like watching a bird of prey on the hunt…
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara shouted as he closed his open hand. Before his fist could even close halfway however, the sand burst outwards.
As the dust settled, all eyes were on Naruto Uzumaki, or more specifically the wings he had grown. Several meters from tip to tip, the wings were truly a sight to behold. They were the darkest of black, like the world's most blackened crow, yet in the sunlight, they shimmered.
They flapped lightly to keep Naruto in the air as the boy stood, smiling at his fellow jinchuriki, whose stunned expression slowly turned into one of pure ecstasy and anticipation.
With a single truly mighty flap, Naruto hurled himself at his opponent.
Found this story the other day, and I was really curious to see where it was going. Contacted the author and he told me it was dead in the water because he had never been able to make his ideas work. He outlined the whole plot to me and I was eager to adopt it. So here's Archangel as re-written by Rhibsf. Enjoy everyone. Updates will come every Monday from now on, I get ahead of schedule I might release two in a week sometimes, the second being Thursday or Friday. Please review, this is going to be hard for me to get right - heck Steel-Eyed Saint came up with it and failed twice - so I'll take any and all constructive criticism I can get. Or just flames. Those at least show you care.
