The rewrite is up! Yay!
The other chapters won't be as long as this, but I thought it would work for the first chapter.
For any new readers, I will put translations at the end of the chapter. If I miss any, or you see any mistakes (I don't have a beta reader) feel free to let me know!
xxx
12 Years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the village of Konoha. It's mighty tails could crumble mountains and cause tsunamis. To fight the kyuubi all the shinobi from the village came to fight it. One brave shinobi was able to seal the fox away at the cost of his own life. This shinobi was the Sandaime Hokage.
xxx
"Hokage-sama!"
The blonde man set his pen down and sighed. The man was in his early forties with spiky hair that framed his face and blue eyes. He was wearing a simple navy turtle-neck and matching pants. He had a long white, sleeved cloak laying on the back of his chair and his hitai-ate was neatly folded next to him on the desk.
A relatively young chuunin barged into the room before standing at attention.
"What did they do?" the Hokage asked.
"They've vandalized the Hokage-iwa!"
"Seriously, those two..." he said as he stood. "I'll take care of it."
xxx
"Where'd they go?"
"We lost them!"
"Let's try over here!"
The two boys sighed in relief from where they hid in the alley. The taller boy slid to the ground in exhaustion. The didn't seem to be doing much better. Both were breathing heavily and covered in paint and sweat. The shorter of the two boys had golden, spiky hair and bright blue eyes. His skin was slightly tanned and he had three marks on each cheek like whiskers. He wore a pair of green goggles on his forehead.
The taller boy seemed to be the complete opposite. He had black hair, onyx eyes and pale skin. His hair was spiked in the back and parted in the front so his bangs fell on either side of his face and reached his cheeks. Both boys were wearing paint stained, white shirts but the blonde was wearing orange, baggy pants while the other wore navy cargo shorts. The taller also had his arms covered with white warmers fringed with blue.
"This is the worst idea we've ever had," the taller boy said despite the smile on his face.
"I thought the one we pulled in Suna was the worst idea we've ever had, 'ttebayo," the shorter replied.
"Yeah, you're right. This is the second worst idea we've ever had," the taller corrected.
"Let's get out of here before-"
"Before what?" a voice asked calmly from above.
The two boys looked up to see the Hokage standing on the edge of the roof. In a flash, the man was before them with his arms crossed and a disapproving look.
"Uh... hey, otou-san," Naruto greeted with a nervous smile.
"You two come with me," the Hokage ordered.
"Well, that's- I mean- my father's waiting for me..." Sasuke said as he stood.
"There's no need to worry," a deep voice interrupted. At the entrance to the alley was another man about the same age as the Hokage. He looked like an older Sasuke, except the spikes plus he was a lot broader in the face. He wore a dark blue yukata with the Uchiha crest on the back.
"C-chichiue!" the taller boy stuttered. He had someone gotten paler than he already was.
"I better not see you again until the mountain is clean," the man said before walking away. The taller boy looked down in shame.
"Sounds like a good idea," the Hokage mused. "Naruto! Sasuke! I want you two to scrub every bit of paint off the Mountain after class!"
Naruto groaned.
"Maybe you should think before you pull a prank next time," the Hokage said. "I'll be sending Iruka to monitor you. Now, get back to the academy."
"Told you it was a bad idea," Sasuke hissed.
Naruto responded by jabbing in the side with his elbow.
"Hey!"
xxx
Sasuke hated walking down the streets of Konoha with Naruto.
It wasn't Naruto's fault. Sasuke would never be ashamed of his friend, no matter what he might pull. Sasuke followed slightly behind Naruto and Iruka and the trio made their way to Ichiraku Ramen. Sasuke couldn't but let his attention stray to the other villagers. Most of the villagers ignored them. They weren't just going about their business though. No, they were pointedly ignoring them as they passed. But at least that was better than the ones that didn't. The ones that glared at Naruto with murderous intent.
Sasuke met their glares as he always did. They always either looked away or scoffed at him. Naruto acted like he didn't notice, but Sasuke knew better. Finally, they came up to Naruto's favorite Ramen stall and Sasuke mentally sighed in relief when they were finally hidden from the rest of the village behind Ichiraku's curtains.
"I'm so tired, dattebayo!" Naruto whined as he all but collapsed onto the stool at Ichiraku. Sasuke took a seat to his right while a shinobi took the seat on his left. The shinobi had dark hair, though not as dark as Sasuke's, and black eyes. His hair was tied back and he wore his hitai-ate on his forehead. He had tanned skin, darker skin than Naruto's, and had a long scar across his nose.
"You should have thought of that before you vandalized the Hokage-Iwa. Seriously, do you even know how important they are?" the shinobi asked.
"Of course!" Naruto said. "But I'm going to become a Hokage stronger and greater than all of them, dattebayo!"
"Here's your ramen!" the storekeeper said.
"Thanks, Teuchi!" Naruto said quickly before proceeding to stuff his face.
"Thank you, Teuchi-san," Sasuke said more politely.
"You do realize how important tomorrow is, right?" Iruka asked.
"Of course!" Naruto said between mouthfuls. "That's why! Tomorrow, we're gonna be real shinobi, dattebayo! We won't have time to pull pranks like that anymore!"
"You still have to pass the exam," Iruka pointed out. Naruto grimaced slightly.
"We'll pass," Sasuke said. "We've trained too hard not to."
Iruka gave them both a proud smile. He sincerely hoped they did. Sasuke was obviously ready. Iruka actually wondered why he hadn't graduated already. He may not have been as much of a genius as Itachi, but he should been able to graduate a year or two ago. Naruto on the other hand...
"SECONDS!"
xxx
"Tadaima," Sasuke called as he entered his house. He sat down in the entrance to take of his shoes. In the distance, he could hear the sound of light feet running across the wood floor and making their way towards him. He stood and neatly set his sandals next to the other shoes when something tackled his side. He stumbled, but managed to keep his balance. His 'attacker' wrapped her arms around his waist and grinned up at him.
"Okaerinasai, Onii-chan!" she all but shouted excitedly.
"Someone's happy," Sasuke noted.
The little girl giggled. She had to be no older than four years old. Her skin was paler than Sasuke's and her hair somehow darker. Her hair was tied up into twin ponytails with two ribbons. The left was tied up with a red ribbon and the other was blue. She was wearing a purple sweater vest over a white shirt with a dark skirt.
"Lookie, lookie, Onii-chan!" she demanded excitedly while pointing at her eyes. She took a step back and looked him directly in the eye. For a moment, nothing happened. Sasuke watched was the girl's obsidian eyes began to change was replaced by blood red with one tomoe in each eye. Sasuke gaped at her is shock.
"That's… the Sharingan?" Sasuke said incredulously.
"Isn't it cool?" she asked.
Sasuke stared at her for a few more moments before smiling half-heartedly.
"Th-that's amazing!" Sasuke said as he patted her head.
"Dad says that he's gonna see about getting me into the Academy now too!" she said.
"Really? Aren't you too small for that?"
"He says that if I'm old enough to use my sharingan, I can start learning how to be a shinobi, too!"
"Hitomi! It's time for bed!"
The smile fell from the girl's face. She turned to the woman who was walking down the hallway with a pout. The woman looked like Sasuke and his sister, with pale skin and long, black hair. She was wearing a plum-colored shirt and a dark skirt under a tan apron.
"Sasuke! You're home!" the woman greeted. "You were out late. Did you eat?"
"Yes, oka-san," Sasuke said. "I'm just going to head to bed."
"Good idea. You too, HItomi. Time for bed," Mikoto said.
"But I wanna wait for Onii-san! I wanna show him my Sharingan too!" Hitomi argued.
"Itachi won't be home until late," Mikoto said. "He might not even be home until tomorrow!"
Hitomi pouted.
"But I'll make sure no one else tells him so you can show him yourself!"
Hitomi brightened slightly at that.
"Okay," Hitomi agreed. "Goodnight, oka-san!"
Hitomi took Sasuke's hand and began pulling him towards the hallway.
"Wait, Sasuke, I almost forgot. Your father wants to talk to Sasuke before he goes to bed," Mikoto said.
Sasuke's heart dropped.
Hitomi frowned but nodded. She walked off down the hallway and turned to the adjacent hallway that lead to both her and Sasuke's bedrooms. Sasuke watched her go before looking up to his mother with apprehension.
"He's having some tea on the back porch," Mikoto said softly. "There is a clan meeting tonight, so you better hurry."
Sasuke nodded. He slowly walked down the hall and passed the adjacent hall that led to his bedroom. He walked to the sliding door at the end and paused.
"Come on out, Sasuke," his father's deep voice commanded.
Sasuke gulped and opened the door. His father sat on the edge of the porch with his mostly empty tea cup in his hands. The porch looked over a traditional rock garden with a pond in the center. The moon was reflected in the water and revealed the yin-yang design.
"Tomorrow you begin your life as a shinobi," his father stated.
"Yes, father," Sasuke said solemnly.
"I trust you will carry out your duties as an Uchiha should," his father said. "Become a fine shinobi, just as your brother has."
Sasuke flinched slightly.
"And do not forget your duty to your clan," he continued.
"I will not disappoint you," Sasuke said. This time…
"Is there something on your mind?"
Sasuke jumped. He fell silent and debated sharing his concerns with him. Sasuke took a deep breath.
"Hitomi said you wanted to see about having her enter the academy early. Is this true?" Sasuke asked carefully.
"It is," his father said.
"Isn't it… a bit too much? She just barely turned four. Don't you think she should wait a little longer?"
"Are you questioning me?" his father asked. Sasuke stiffened.
"No! I j-just-"
"Go to bed, Sasuke," his father said. "Hitomi's future is not any of your concern. Focus on your own training."
Sasuke nodded, not caring that his father wouldn't be able to see him. He went back into the building and shut the door behind him. He let out a shaky breath before solemnly walking towards the bedrooms. Hitomi's bedroom was right next to his own. The door was left open and Sasuke peered in. Hitomi was sitting on the bed in a set of pink pajamas. She was humming to herself while reading the same book sha used to have Sasuke and Itachi read to her every night, even after she had learned to read at three years old.
She's too young for him to be putting that pressure on her shoulders already.
Sasuke walked past and entered the door on the other side of Hitomi's. He collapsed on the death and sighed. He draped his arm over his eyes and bit his lip. Dark thoughts began to fill his mind and threatened to consume him. His lip began to bleed under his teeth.
xxx
You fail.
The words rung in Naruto's head. He watched from afar as the other parents congratulated their children on a job well done. His father had tried to make it, Naruto was sure, but the job of a Hokage was a busy one. Not that Naruto minded at the moment. Every second he could put off telling his father the better. He was a disappointment and a shame on his name.
Sasuke stood near by. He wasn't sure what to say to his friend, but knew he didn't want to leave him alone. If there was even a chance to comfort his friend with his presence, he was willing to take it. Besides, it wasn't like his own family was going to make it. His mother had woken up with a fever that morning and Itachi had yet to return from his mission. His father was busy arranging for Hitomi to enter the academy there's no way he would-
"Your dad's here," Naruto said.
Sasuke blinked. He looked around frantically. He finally found his father at the entrance with Hitomi by his side. Hitomi looked like she was looking for something. Her eyes landed on Sasuke and she smiled brightly.
"Go on," Naruto said. Sasuke looked back at him uncertainly. Naruto just smiled. Sasuke nodded and began to walk over to his sister and father. Hitomi met him halfway and nearly knocked him over with how hard she had leaped into his arms. His father remained silent as Hitomi congratulated him with so much excitement that Sasuke could barely understand what was being said. Sasuke looked over his shoulder to where Naruto was but his friend was nowhere to be seen.
xxx
There was a tap on his window. Sasuke blinked and sat up. He pulled the blinds up to find Naruto on the other sid. Sasuke unlocked the window to let him in. Normally, Naruto would climb right in, but not this time. Sasuke noticed that Naruto looked a lot… better than he expected. Naruto was very good at hiding when he was upset or sad, but Sasuke knew the signs. The signs were not there. He seemed determined. Sasuke didn't know whether he should be worried or not.
"What's going on?" Sasuke asked.
"Mizuki-sensei told me there's another way to graduate!" Naruto said excitedly.
"What? What is it?"
"He said that there's this scroll and if I can learn a jutsu from it, they'll let me graduate, ttebayo!"
"A scroll?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. "Where do we get this 'scroll'?"
"He said I have to sneak in and get it. It's in the archive near my dad's office," Naruto said. "But he shouldn't be there right now. He promised he'd be home tonight for…"
"Have you been home?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto shook his head.
"How could I?" Naruto grumbled. "I can't… I won't face him until I'm a shinobi!"
"Naruto, something isn't right about this," Sasuke warned him. "From the sounds of it, it sounds like Mizuki-sensei said you have to steal the scroll!"
"It's a test," Naruto explained. "He said that you first have to prove you are worthy by stealing the scroll from one of Konohagakure's most secure areas. He says there are all sorts of forbidden scrolls there."
"Naruto, this is a really bad idea," Sasuke said. "We need to talk to someone. Let's go find Hokage-sama and-"
"No!" Naruto snapped.
"But Naru-"
"You can either say here or come with me, but you will not get in my way," Naruto said firmly. "Besides, I thought you were a shinobi now!"
Sasuke looked down and sighed.
"You're really going to do this no matter what, huh?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto nodded.
"Than I guess I better make sure you don't get into too much trouble."
Naruto beamed.
"Now go away! I gotta get ready."
Naruto saluted him and took off to wait near their secret escape route. Sasuke frowned as he shut the window and closed the drapes. He practically jumped from his bed and ran to his desk. He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote quickly. When he was done he folded it quickly before rushing to change. When he was ready he took the letter and went for the door.
He opened the door slowly and listened. His parents weren't home. Itachi hadn't come home when he was supposed and the clan was panicking. The Fugaku head was certain that his eldest son was fine. No one could beat Itachi. Not that Sasuke disagreed. Itachi was one of the village's strongest shinobi, almost on par with the Hokage himself. There was no need to worry. He'd be home soon enough. But the clan was worried. His parents had to call a clan meeting to keep them from doing something dumb.
He slipped out and quickly crossed the hallway to the door across. The door was always partially open and a dim light could always be seen coming though. Sasuke opened the door wider to allow himself room to enter. Hitomi was asleep on her bed. There was a small candle on her night stand. HIs little imouto was still afraid of the dark, yet his father wanted her to begin her training to become a shinobi. Itachi didn't even learn his first basic jutsu until he was six.
"Onii-chan?"
Sasuke quietly walked over to the bed while Hitomi groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. Sasuke sat next to her on the bed and helped her brush aside the hair that had fallen into her face.
"What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Hitomi asked.
"Can you do me a favor?" Sasuke asked. Hitomi nodded. Sasuke showed her the note. "Can you take this to the Hokage? But no peeking! It's important."
"Why can't you do it?" Hitomi grumbled.
"I can't. Naruto might be in trouble and I have to help him. Promise me you'll get this to the Hokage as quickly as possible?"
Hitomi nodded and took the note.
"I have to go," Sasuke said. "Can I trust you with this?"
Hitomi nodded. Sasuke stood and Hitomi climbed off of her bed.
"I have to go. Be careful," Sasuke said.
"Onii-chan can trust me," Hitomi assured him. "You better go before Narunii-chan gets into more trouble!"
Sasuke nodded.
"I leave this up to you then," Sasuke said. Hopefully she would make it in time.
xxx
"That huwts!"
Minato sighed as his son pulled away from him.
"You shouldn't have gotten into a fight in the first place then," Minato told him.
Naruto responded by crossing his arms and pouting. The small boy was covered in dirt and scrapes. A few bruises were just beginning to show.
"What were you fighting over?" Minato asked gently. Naruto remained silent. "You can tell me anything. I won't be mad."
Naruto's looked uncertain. He uncrossed his arms and looked down at the ground.
"Naruto? What's wrong?" Minato asked. He was concerned now.
"Why… why don't I have a mommy?" Naruto asked quietly.
xxx
The Hokage was awoken by the sound of banging on his door. Minato blinked and looked around. He was home in the dining room. The night had fallen meal for two set before him had long since gone cold. Minato had wondered if Naruto was going to come home that night when Iruka had told him that he'd failed. He'd hoped Naruto would, but he knew that wasn't likely. He wanted to go and look for him, but he didn't know if he should. So he went home and waited.
There was a knocking again. Minato stood and walked over to the door. He opened the door expecting to find one of his assistants but at first glance, it appeared that no one was there. Than he looked down to see a little girl still dressed in her pajamas.
"Hitomi-chan! What are you doing out so late in your pajamas?" Minato questioned her as he knelt down to her level. Hitomi held out a folded piece of paper.
"Onii-chan said to give this to you. Said it was important and that I had to give it to the Hokage," Hitomi said sleepily. "Can I go to bed now?"
"Did he say anything else?" Minato asked.
"He said he had to hurry because Narunii-chan was in trouble again," Hitomi told him.
"What kind of trouble?" Minato asked, alarmed. Hitomi shrugged. "Okay… Thank you, Hitomi-chan. You must be tired. Do you want to stay here for tonight?"
Hitomi nodded.
"I'll take you to the guest-"
Hitomi slipped past Minato and went straight for the stairs.
"It's the second door on the right!" Minato called after her. There was no response, but a few moments later, he could hear the guest bedroom door opening. Minato unfolded the note Hitomi gave him and started to read.
Mizuki has convinced Naruto to steal a scroll that I suspect may contain forbidden jutsu. I am unable to convince him out of it. I expect to be attacked.
Minato cursed under his breath. That boy! Minato hurriedly closed the door and locked it. No time to get his gear. He'll just have to go unarmed. He just hoped he made it in time.
xxx
"Did- Did you see that?"
The two boys were in a training ground that looked like it hadn't been in use for a long time. There was an old shed that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. Naruto was collapsed on the ground with the scroll next to him. He was covered in dirt and chakra burns and his breathing was heavy. Naruto grinned and laughed in triumph even as his exhaustion kept him from being able to so much as sit up straight. Sasuke, despite being distracted by the threat of a possible attack, couldn't help but smile as well. Naruto really did it.
"Can we go now, then?" Sasuke asked. Now was not the time for congratulations.
"Chill, teme! Mizuki-sensei isn't going to attack us, or whatever you think he's going to do," Naruto said.
"That scroll has forbidden jutsu in it!" Sasuke said. "The one you learned may not be so bad, but the other ones in there are dangerous! Let's just go put it back before something happens."
Naruto groaned as he struggled to his feet.
"I thought shinobi weren't supposed to be afraid of anything?" Naruto teased.
"They also aren't supposed to steal scrolls from their own village," Sasuke retorted.
"We didn't steal it, dattebayo. We just borrowed it," Naruto said.
"Yeah, I'm sure Yondaime will see it that way," Sasuke said sarcastically.
"You wanna fight, teme?" Naruto challenged.
"Bring it, usuraton- Watch out!"
Sasuke barely managed to pull Naruto out of the way of the kunai in time. The two boys landed in a heap. Sasuke was the first to regain his footing and face their attacker in the trees. Mizuki stood on one of the branches with his hitai-ate on his head like a bandana and a large shuriken strapped to his back.
"Give me the scroll, Naruto," Mizuki demanded.
"What?" Naruto stammered.
"I told you, usuratonkachi!" Sasuke snapped. "He's after the scroll for himself!"
"Well, not just the scroll," Mizuki said. "Naruto, you will be coming with me as well."
"I don't think so!"
Sasuke quickly began to form seals with his hands. Mizuki frowned when he recognized the seals. He reached for the shuriken on his back.
"Too slow!"
Koton: Gokakyu no Jutsu!
Mizuki cursed as the fire nearly hit him dead on. He lept from the branch just before it was engulfed in flames. He landed on the ground and skidded to a stop. When he looked up, the boys were gone. Mizuki smirked.
"You won't get away from me that easily."
xxx
"You say 'I told you so' one more time and I'm gonna beat your face in!"
"But I did tell you so!" Sasuke snapped. "Anyways, we just have to keep running until Yondaime gets here!"
"Why would he come here?" Naruto asked.
"I had Hitomi take a message to him for me!"
It took a few moments for Sasuke to notice that Naruto was no longer running with him. He stopped on a branch and looked back. Naruto was panting and looking down with his fists clenched. Sasuke jumped back over to him. He reached out to his friend when he didn't respond.
"Naru-"
Naruto slapped his hand away. Naruto glared up at him with more anger than Sasuke had seen from him in a long time.
"Why did you tell him?" Naruto asked angrily.
"Because I knew this was going to happen-"
"And if you were wrong?" Naruto asked.
"But I wasn't-"
"Did you think I couldn't handle myself?" Naruto asked. "I don't need his protection or yours, dattebayo!"
"Believe it or not, this isn't all about you! Mizuki is a traitor! He has to be caught!"
"That's beside the point!"
"That is the point!"
"I'm gonna kick your ass, dattebayo!"
"We don't have the time for that, usuratonkachi!"
"I don't care!"
"We can fight later, we need to get out-"
Before Sasuke could finish his sentence, he was knocked off the branch. He felt a stabbing pain all the way down his arm. He reacted quickly and pulled a kunai out of his pouch. If he didn't do something, he was going to land head first! Sasuke reached into his kunai pouch with his good hand and retrieved a kunai attached to a small string. He threw it at the nearest tree and prayed it worked. The kunai lodged firmly into the branch and Sasuke cursed as the string pulled taut and his downward momentum stopped. The string was not designed to hold a person's weight and it snapped almost immediately, but it was enough to save Sasuke from a lethal fall.
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke landed harshly on his wounded arm and he had to bite his lip to keep from screaming in pain. Naruto landed before him and stared in horror at his friend's arm. There was at least six shuriken imbedded in his arm. Another had been dislodged when he fell and lay bloody on the ground.
"Are we done running yet?" Mizuki asked. Naruto turned to glare at their attacker. "Now's your chance to leave. There's no need for you to risk your life for the demon."
Naruto flinched. Sasuke glanced over to Naruto as he pulled the last shuriken from his arm. Naruto met his eyes for a moment then looked away. Sasuke looked at him then back to Mizuki in confusion. Mizuki noticed and grinned.
"Oh? You didn't know?" Mizuki asked. "Really, Naruto, you shouldn't keep secrets from your friends!"
"Stop!" Naruto demanded.
"Naruto is the demon that nearly destroyed the village 12 years ago," Mizuki said. "He killed a countless number of shinobi- including the Hokage's wife!"
"That's not true!" Naruto cried. "The Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed inside me- I'm not a demon!"
"There's no difference," Mizuki said. "Honestly, I would like to have the honor of killing you myself, but someone wants you alive. So you and the scroll will be coming with me. Sasuke, if you want to live, I'd leave me to it. It's not worth it to die for a demon's sake."
"Screw you," Sasuke spat. He stood and put himself between Naruto and their attacker. "I'm not letting you anywhere near my friend."
Mizuki scowled.
"What is it with you people! You, the Hokage- You keep protecting this monster! Fine. Whatever," Mizuki said. "I'll just have to kill you!"
Kage Bushin no Jutsu!
Sasuke was surrounded by clouds of chakra. Mizuki froze where he was and stared in surprise. Soon, the chakra cleared and they were surrounded by at least a hundred Narutos. Sasuke looked back to where the original Naruto still stood with his fingers crossed in the seal.
"Don't. Touch. My. Friend!"
A hundred angry voices growled out the words. Mizuki fell backwards in fear.
"Weren't you going to kill me? No? Than it's my move!"
xxx
"You… might have overdone it," Sasuke said dryly as Naruto finished tying the unconscious and beaten Mizuki up. Naruto didn't respond. In fact, he hadn't even glanced at Sasuke in a while. Sasuke finished bandaging his arm and stood to his feet. He walked over to his friend.
"Do you hate me?" Naruto asked before Sasuke could say anything.
"What?"
"Do you hate me?" Naruto asked again "I wouldn't blame you. Everyone else does."
"Than everyone is stupid," Sasuke said. "Like an usuratonkachi like you could destroy a village even if you wanted to."
"Shut up teme," Naruto replied, but any heat it had was lost under his relieved laugh.
"Let's go meet your father. He should be on his way," Sasuke said.
"That won't be necessary."
The two boys looked around to find the source of the voice. Sasuke found him first. The Yondaime stood on a branch high up on the tree. He jumped down and landed before the two boys. He came went up to Naruto and grabbed his shoulders. He moved him around, looking for injuries.
"I'm fine!" Naruto assured him.
"Are you sure?" he asked. Naruto nodded. "How about you, Sasuke?"
"I'll survive," Sasuke said.
"You two did well," Yondaime said.
"You were watching? For how long?" Sasuke asked.
"Long enough," he said. "Now, you two will still have to face the consequences of your actions."
Naruto winced.
"But," the Yondaime continued, "I have something I want to give you."
The Yondaime reached behind his head and untied his hitai-ate. He held it out to Naruto, who looked up at him in confusion.
"Congratulations on graduating," he said. "You've earned it!"
Naruto leapt up to hug his father almost causing him to drop the hitai-ate. Sasuke shook his head and watched as his friend replaced his goggles with his father's hitai-ate. Naruto grinned over at Sasuke with a wide smile.
"We did it!" Naruto said. "We're shinobi!"
Sasuke nodded.
"Your journey is only beginning," Yondaime said. "Life as a shinobi is a long and hard road. You'll have to be prepar-"
"Let's go to Ichiraku to celebrate!"
"We just went yesterday!"
"So?"
"Oi, you two, I'm trying to be inspirational here-"
"I want to go somewhere else. There's a new restaurant I want to try."
"You mean that one with all the healthy stuff? Ew!"
"You should listen to your Hokage when he's-"
"Well, I'm not going to Ichiraku, so if you want to go, you'll be going by yourself."
"Awww! Come on!"
"... Nevermind."
xxx
I WILL NOW APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY for almost completely cutting Iruka out. I'M SORRY! Unfortunately, I feel that Naruto and Iruka's relationship would be one of the biggest changes in this world. They would still have some things in common, but I felt that with Naruto's father still being around and Sasuke being his best friend, he wouldn't bond with Iruka the same way.
Hokage-Iwa= Hokage Rock
Otou-san= Dad
Chichiue= Father
Oka-san= Mom
Onii-chan/san= Big Brother
Imouto= Little Sister
Hitai-ate= Forehead Protector
Shinobi= Ninja
Konohagakure= Konoha Village
Kunai= shinobi knife
Shuriken= throwing star
Koton: Gokakyu no Jutsu: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Teme= Bastard
Usuratonkachi= A thin hammer, so basically useless.
Kyuubi no Kitsune= NIne Tailed Fox
Kage no Bushin= Shadow Clone