Naruto: Ninja of Snow
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto
Warnings: AU, crack pairing, slightly more powerful than usual Naruto, and references to Law and Order, Battletech, Big Trouble, and L5R, which are the properties of their respective owners.
Pairing: NarutoxFubuki
Summary: Naruto declines Mizuki's offer of an alternate test, and due to his constant failing grades, is dropped from the Ninja academy. Bereft of his dream, he leaves Konoha, eventually ending up in the Snow Country. What new dreams will he make for himself?
Notes: All jutsu names are in the style of the English anime. All names are anglicized. I have read the manga up until the point where Jiraiya reveals110 his "hermit mode". So please, no reviews telling me what happens in the manga, I know all that I want to know. Also, the reasons the jutsus are in English is because my Japanese is not good enough to name original jutsus in said language. Also, no correcting my English. I have a dictionary and thesaurus right next to my computer, pocket versions of the same to carry with me when I'm writing in a notebook, and I also have a dictionary on my laptop(which happens to be the computer mentioned earlier, I use it as a desktop quite a bit).
Chapter 1: A Different Decision, a Different Path
Naruto stood at the village gates, hesitant. He had failed the academy graduation exam for the third time. Mizuki-sensei had offered him an alternate test, but he had declined, saying that he'd wanted to pass legitimately. What a fool he'd been. If only he'd known that he'd blown his last chance at graduating. That stupid letter, ruining all his dreams. They'd dropped him from the ninja program for "failure to maintain acceptable standards." So now here he was, standing on the brink. He was prepared to leave, to start a new life, and find new dreams, somewhere away from the village. He took one last look at the village that had tormented him throughout his life, the village that had destroyed his dreams, one look at that peaceful facade that disguised a darker truth, then turned and walked away. He never looked back.
One week later, the Third Hokage was engaged in a battle with the one foe that no Kage could ever defeat. This enemy was the dreaded stack of papers flooding the inbox on his desk. Lunchtime came, and he decided that he would take Naruto out for some ramen. He felt terrible that Naruto had been kicked out of the Academy, and decided that he would take Naruto out to lunch more often to make him feel better. Hopefully that would keep him from playing a never ending series of pranks from now until he was arrested by the military police. Though strangely enough, Naruto hadn't pulled a single prank in the week since he'd been dropped, which really had the Hokage worried. Stopping to put his pen down he got up and walked out the door. As he walked down the street, he saw the villagers go about their business, stopping every few seconds to greet each other and chat. Seeing this, he wondered how the villagers could act like this to each other, and then have the sheer gall to mistreat a child who had done nothing to them except save their lives. Those thoughts kept him occupied until he reached the door of Naruto's apartment. He knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again. Same result. Now the Third was very worried. Usually Naruto answered before he had even finished knocking the first time. He'd known Naruto was depressed, but was he depressed enough to end his own life? He knocked a third time, not really expecting a response. Then the super came up.
"You looking for the Uzumaki kid, Hokage-sama? He left a week ago. Asked for his security deposit, took some clothes and ninja tools, taped a note to the door, then bolted." the super said around a lit cigar that left a trail of foul smelling smoke.
"Can I see the letter?" the Hokage asked.
"Sure, got it right here." the super reached into his coveralls and pulled out a sheet of paper.
The Third read the letter-
'Old Man,
It seems that circumstances have conspired against me. All my hard work, all my effort have, in the end, achieved me nothing. I always believed that if I tried enough, worked enough, I'd earn the villager's respect eventually. It appears that I was wrong. My dreams have been destroyed by the very people I was willing to dedicate my life to protecting. So I'm leaving. I'll take my chances with what the world is going to throw at me, and build some new dreams. Maybe I'll find a place where people will accept me. I never wanted to be anything but love, and I can't get that here, so this is goodbye.
Farewell and Thank You,
Naruto Uzumaki '
The Third finished reading the letter. He looked at it in utter shock and disbelief, completely unable to match the words on the paper with what he knew of Naruto. It sounded so, introspective. Could he have been hiding this sort of perception all along, or did it take having his dreams shattered to make it happen? He didn't know, and he suspected no one did or ever would. He turned to the super.
"We'll make arrangements to move his belongings into storage."
"Works for me." The super blew out another cloud of noxious smoke.
The Hokage arrived back at his office with no clear memory of how he had made it there. He began doing his paperwork, putting quite a dent in it before he stopped. Then he buzzed his secretary.
"Rei, when you get the chance, could you please have Tenzou sent in, please?"
"It shall be as you say, Hokage-sama," his secretary replied.
A few minutes later, an ANBU walked into the office. He saluted.
"Reporting for duty, as ordered," the ANBU said.
"Tenzou, I need you to clean out Naruto's apartment and move everything into storage."
"Okay. If I may, could I ask why?"
"Naruto left the village a week ago. No one noticed, and when people find out, I can guarantee that virtually no one will care."
"That's too bad, he was a good kid. Will we send anyone after him?"
The Third turned to look out the window, where the setting sun was turning the river to a deep red. "No, I think he's better off out there, away from the prejudice and hate of the village."
Chapter 1: A different decision, a different path
End