Prologue: the shattering

Rain poured, the rough dirt and stone roads slowly turned to sloppy rivers of mud, thunder clashed, and the sky was sundered by bolts of lightning. The weather did little to hinder the fleeing ninja, slung across his broad shoulders was a small girl with light lavender eyes, her hands and feet bound and a large strand of cloth stuffed roughly in her mouth. As he approached the far side of the village the fleeing ninja shifted his load roughly before running up the shear mountain face, earning a whimper and fresh tears from his captive for his effort.

As he ran up the shear mountain face he couldn't help but take note of the four faces carved into the cliff face. The first, second, third, and fourth Hokage's, each bore large waterfalls of water from their eyes, as if proving the point that the village was about to have a treasure stolen from it. A mad grin crossed the very wet and dirty ninja as he reached the peak, "they will never forget me, "Akisu Ouja,"" said the fleeing ninja.

It was only years of training that saved Akisu from being struck dead from a blow to the kidneys, leaping forward and using a tree as a center of gravity Akisu regained his footing shifting his load as to not drop his prize while killing the meddlesome soul who would stand in the way of his glory.

Standing five feet and eight inches tall, dressed in the traditional robes of his clan Hiashi Hyuga stood right hand extended palm towards Akisu, fire burned in his eyes as he stared into the unwavering eyes of the fool who held his daughter captive. "Release her and you may live long enough to have a trial!" commanded Hiashi, as he gathered chakra in the base of his palms. The terrain held no secrets from his gaze as his Byakugan took in his surroundings within 400ft in every perceivable angle even that witch would have been blocked by the back of his own skull.

"Never," replied Akisu as lightning arced over his skin, his dirty and matted orange hair going as strait and stiff as nails, "you'll never catch me."

As Akisu turned to flee his package secured Hiashi made a judgment call, he couldn't strike at Akisu back because of his daughter's position but the tree and the small object hiding in its branches taking shelter from the rain was interlay another.

As Akisu burst forward towards the boarder for fire and lightning Hiashi struck, one palm into the trunk of the tree the small object lost its hold on the branch it was clinging to and fell between the fleeing Akisu and Hiashi only to be struck moments later by a fully charged blow from Hiashi's gentle fist launching it into Akisu's back.

Traveling at the speed he was Akisu was unable to dodge or even lessen the blow of the object that flew towards him. As the object struck him Akisu felt his hold on his package slip as the force of the impact broke his back.

Thumbing across wet grass the small girl came to a stop not a foot from her capture, no permanent damage taken physically she lay on her back wriggling slightly as she tried to free herself from her bindings, the same could not be said for what was launched at her capture with the intent to kill.

Laying in a shallow pool of muddy rain water a stream of blood flowing from his broken jaw lay a small boy, bloody mud caked blond hair clung to his whisker marked face, his eyes flashing between crimson and crystalline blue as he drew staggering breaths, he couldn't feel his left arm and everything from his chest to his toes was an inferno of pain. Reaching out towards the still crouched Hyuga with his still working arm he begged for the assistance he desperately needed, the sound of gurgled pleading escaped his bloodied mouth as blackness consumed his vision.

Raising back to a standing position Hiashi approached the fallen form of Akisu before striking several places in his back paralyzing his arms before kicking him over onto his back. "You will be tried for kidnapping and your body will be returned to the cloud as a declaration of war," spat Hiashi as he stomped down on Akisus forehead with the heal of his sandal.

Turning Hiashi picked up the fallen form of his daughter who was staring at the fallen form of the boy drowning in the bloodied water, tears poured from her eyes as she watched the life bleed from the small boy.

"It will be alright Hinata," whispered Hiashi as he cut the ropes only to have his daughter spring from his hands to the side of the drowning boy and roll him out of the water onto his side a stream of blood and water poured from his mouth as his face broke water.

"Hinata," spoke Hiashi in a commanding tone as he approached the pair of small children, "step away from him, he is not your concern."

As Hiashi gripped his daughters shoulder and pulled her away from the small boy a scowl evident on his face a single silver haired Anbu appeared at the side of the boy before scooping up the crumpled form and shun shining towards the hospital.

It was faint but Hinata heard it as clear as day, "Naruto, why you, why must you always pay for others safety."

As the events of the evening came crashing down on her a faint whisper of "Naruto" escaped the lips of the Hyuga heiress before she passed out.

Six Years later.

The ringing of an alarm clock permeated the small room, only to be silenced moments later by a rough blow to the top. Sitting up Naruto rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looking at his clock in moderate disgust, 6am really did come to early to be aloud thought Naruto. Running a hand through his spiky blond hair Naruto placed his feet upon the cold bedroom floor. Turning to his right he picked up a single framed photo of a white haired man wearing a great red cloak over the standard steel mesh and green ninja attire, the head band with the kanji (油, abura) on it, to his right standing just above his knee was Naruto.

"Another day to because stronger right old man," whispered Naruto as he placed the photo back onto the bed stand before placing his feet under the edge of his bed and starting his morning workout. 45 minutes later Naruto stepped into his shower; he had finished his morning workout, 50 sit-ups, push ups, crunches, and pull-ups, now for a quick shower and breakfast before heading to the library. A bowl of fruit and a large piece of fish made up this morning's breakfast, not the best but it was better than the six cups of ramen he usually would have eaten before "he" had come into his life.

As he left his apartment Naruto placed the key in the lock and pressed the small seal just under the lock with his left hand as he turned the key, he had only recently gained the penmanship to compliment his intellect but now that he could write clearly all of the reading he had spent the last 2 years had started to pay off. Chuckling to himself Naruto walked at a leisurely pace down the stairs of his apartment towards the main street and the library where he would spend the rest of his morning and a large portion of his afternoon, he couldn't help but chuckle about the last person who had tried to open his door without asking permission. The civilian thief who had tried to break into Naruto's home had the shock of his life, literally. The tiny seal beneath the lock of the door consisted of a three part seal an identifier, a storage pool, and the most basic of Raton jutsu instructions, it was like licking a battery not lethal but a sure reminder you shouldn't be touching what isn't yours to touch.

as Naruto walked down the crowded street he couldn't help but feel the cold hate filled glared upon his back, it wasn't as if anyone had ever touched him in a violent manner but it still unnerved him that so many people couldn't understand what he was, why he had to be what he was, it had been three years since he had been told why.

Flash back

"I'm a monster," sobbed Naruto into the chest of the man he thought of as a father, his tears staining the red cloak.

"You're not a monster," scolded the man, "you're my godson, and you're a hero who saves the ungrateful and the ignorant from a fate worse than death itself."

"Really," crocked Naruto as he looked up into the deep onyx eyes of his godfather, his own showing nothing but the deepest longing that the words he had just herd were true.

"Really, or my name isn't Jiraiya the great toad sage," replied Jiraiya unwavering pride in his voice as he patted Naruto on the head, a smile on his face.

Flashback end

Even thou he knew it didn't make taking the hate any easier like he thought it would, it was particularly painful for someone who was much more intelligent then his peers to be so ostracized by everyone around him, he simply had no one to talk to about what he learned when Jiraiya wasn't around other than the old man Hokage.

Pushing the library doors open he walked towards the civilian section, bowed to the head librarian as he passed as a sign of respect and started to browse the titles. Selecting a new title on house hold Fūin-jutsu and the history of the second shinobi war he walked over to a desk in the far corner of the library behind the main desk and opened the history book. It had taken Naruto a year of tutoring and hard work after Jiraiya came into his life to relearn how to read and write, while no one would physically hurt him that didn't mean he was spared any attempt to poison his mind and hurt his growth by the majority of the village, the head librarian had tutored him after Jiraiya had introduced them and she had pleasantly found Naruto's enthusiasm and drive to learn both refreshing and inspiring.

Slowly flipping through the pages Naruto felt the long amber hair of the librarian caress his shoulder as she leaned over his shoulder. "Have you found everything you wanted today Naruto-san?" asked the librarian. "

"Yes Sousho-kou-san, thank you for checking on me," replied Naruto a small smile on his face. "Did you know the Nidaime routed an underground river to flow under the center of the village?" questioned Naruto as Sousho-kou read the first few lines over his shoulder silently gauging his progress in his academics, "no I didn't know that," said Sousho-kou mild intrigue in her voice, "all the Hokage's did very amazing things didn't they?" "they all did something to define the village both physically and spiritually if that is the right wording," said Naruto before elaborating, "the Shodai, grew the forest that hides our village, the Nidaime brought us an endless supply of fresh water, the Sandaime weaved the seals for regeneration into the living walls of the village and the Yondaime gave us the means to power the burial indefinitely before his untimely demise," finished Naruto earning himself a light ruffling of his hair. "Well ill come check on you around lunch you can join me for onigiri and some soup if you feel like it," said Sousho-kou with a smile before she left Naruto to his study.

As Sousho-kou turned the corner and left sight Naruto's eyes took on a mischievous glint before closing the book on history placed its spine up facing him before a jagged smirk extended across his face. It had been his most brilliant discovery, where better to hide the fabled jonin library then in the public library. To hide in plain sight had long been removed as a teaching at the academy, but if the records of past exams and curriculum's' were accurate it had once been a specialty class in the academy, when the second shinobi war was raging in the training of infiltration and reconnaissance specialists.

Flipping the book on household Fūin-jutsu open to the section on security seals he followed the steps to open a sealed object.

Step one: bite your thumb and apply blood to the seal you wish to open.

Biting his thumb Naruto allowed a drop of his blood to grace the small seal surrounding the library ID tag.

Step Two: will the object to open if it is simply sealed or press the correct amount of chakra into the seal to unlock it if it is secured.

Focusing his mind Naruto willed the seal to open he had found less than one in five of the seals would open without a chakra key but the ones that did open had contained the most basic of jutsu or basic exercises in either taijutsu or chakra control, it had been pure chance that the first book he had tried had contained the leaf exercise if it hadn't been for that book and Jiraiyas expiation of the damage to his coils he might never have had the control to become a academy student let alone graduate after he started classes next month.

Flash back

"Naruto try to find your chakra for me," asked Jiraiya kindly, "it should feel like a pool of water somewhere below your naval." Diving into his mind Naruto strove to find the pool of water that Jiraiya had described to find an ocean of raging fire in its place. Opening his eyes Naruto looked into Jiraiyas eyes with a new fascination, he could see everything about him from the three displaced hairs from his normal pony tail to the lone long red hair on his shoulder, the faint sent of honey and rose brushed his nose as the sound of dropping water struck his ears, he knew the kitchen sink leaked but he never heard it in the living room before. He had only held the energy for a moment before a panic stricken command echoed through his mind, "let it go Naruto Let It Go Now!"

Releasing his hold on the fiery energy Naruto's senses faded back to their normal standards' thou the claws and hair growth stayed. "What did you see?" asked Jiraiya. "A sea of fire," said Naruto confusion etched into his voice, "I thought you said I would see a pool of water?"

Frowning Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak then closed it before rubbing his forehead in thought. "What is it?" asked Naruto concern in his voice. "Your coils were damaged when you were younger," sighed Jiraiya, "your left arm cannot circulate chakra keeping you from doing any jutsu that requires hand signs." "I never imagined that your body would compensate by opening your body to the Kyubi's chakra pools, we need to be very careful who knows you have access to that chakra the panic would be disasters," explained Jiraiya a frown on his face.

Naruto and Jiraiya had spent the next three months out of the village getting a feeling of Naruto's control and whether or not the Kyubi could influence him while accessing its chakra, in the end they had come to the conclusion Kyubi was either sleeping or suppressed by the seal because no amount of poking or prodding could cause Naruto to lose control of the enhanced senses and physical enhancements he gained while drawing on its chakra. While the Yin portion was sealed within him along with the soul of the Kyubi it was evident to Jiraiya that while the Kyubi wasn't actively affecting Naruto, its presence within him under the circumstances probably saved his life and his future if not directly influencing his intelligence and mental growth.

Flashback end

Feeling a light tingling in his fingers Naruto placed the book back on its side and opened it to the center, upon its pages were the instructions to a seal less jutsu, Kaga Hada (shadow body), the jutsu bends light around the user by focusing chakra through the body the user can become invisible to the naked eye, the user while denied the light they are bending around them sees the very essence of the world around them in the form of echoes or ripples of what is based on the amount of chakra used the user could hypothetically see everything around them for miles even through solid objects.

Getting up from his seat Naruto grabbed and pencil and a blank scroll from the main desk copied the jutsu basics down rolled them up with the title of the book he took it from and resealed the original. It wouldn't do to have someone notice it open when he was learning so much.

As Naruto walked home in giddy excitement he contemplated how he would begin attempting to use the Kaga Hada, unlocking his door and locking it behind him Naruto knelt down in his living room and meditated on what light itself was, "no know what you manipulate is to know your jutsu" was something Jiraiya had taught him long ago, and this was no different first things he would need to do is learn how to be a shadow.

One month later

"done," whispered Naruto as he faded back into existence, it had taken an entire month of study and dedication but he had finally done it he had bent light around him while he only put the slightest amount of chakra behind the jutsu in his mind he could see outside his building and into the apartment building across the street, it had taken the better part of a week for him to refine his control to the point where everything that moved wouldn't overwhelm his senses but in his mind it was worth it he could see everything with 100 yards, and walk at a leisurely pace while maintaining the jutsu only giving off a slight shimmer if he moved faster than a casual walking pace but today he would start his first day at the academy today he would start him on the path to becoming a master infiltrate like his god father.

Activating his Kaga Hada Naruto exited his apartment locked the door and made his way without notice to the academy. Letting himself in through an open window Naruto crept past a sleeping chunin teacher before stepping on a dropped pencil, the slight snapping sound was enough to rouse the sleeping chunin who momentarily looked up from his desk in a sleepy stupor gazed around the room before dropping his head back onto his desk. Naruto held perfectly still for 5 minutes before the chunin began to snore quietly and he felt safe enough to continue onward, sliding the classroom door open Naruto breached into the deserted halls of learning before making his way towards his second floor classroom, class wouldn't start for an hour but he could wait, and the prank of the century would befall whatever poor chunin would be his instructor if they didn't expect the unexpected...

I'm trying out a different way of writing; with any luck it was enjoyable and flowed nicely.

Let me know your thoughts and I will try and have a second chapter out for you all in the next few days.

Duze

Updated 13/08/2015 – getting everything smoothed out