A/N: I have written a bit into this story, and I would like to see reviews on how I can improve my writing. My writing is a little awkward, but in due time I should get my usual mojo back. Feel free to criticize me. Tell me where I can improve, but don't just blatantly yell at my story it's annoying. Yeah, I know lots of people start with a Kyuubi flashback, but mine is just a bit different. Please read and review!
Summary: Iruka was a man with a past unknown to many, but he saw something in Naruto that he could use to help the village, his chakra reserves. Iruka takes it onto himself to train Naruto in the basics of being a shinobi to the advanced techniques. That was the plan at least, but things have a way of working themselves out, don't they?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
(October 10th The Night of the Kyuubi Attack)
Hell. The only word anyone could possibly use to describe what had happened this fateful night. Iruka had lost both his parents, many of his friends, and numerous relatives in the span of one night that the village would never forget… That is if the village recovered from this devastating attack. The Kyuubi, strongest of all the tailed demons had attacked Konoha, crippling them by cutting the shinobi forces drastically and taking the life of their leader, Namikaze Minato. He had given his life sealing the beast away into an infant. An infant named Uzumaki Naruto, a day that would change his life forever. No longer would he be looked at as a boy, but by many the demon that was responsible for killing so many of their friends and family. He would be shunned by all those around him.
They had seen it coming a mile away, literally. The demon's tails flattening the nearby mountains made it quite clear that something truly evil was approaching. They had little time to prepare as the beast had swooped upon them within minutes of the first sightings, how it had avoided their scouts was a question left unanswered.
Iruka made his way to the frontlines trying to save them. He was too late; as he approached the two were caught by a tail and were killed instantly. Iruka stared in shock as a fellow shinobi pulled him away from the frontlines as all he could do was sit there, mouth agape as the scene played itself over and over in his mind. The boy no older than fourteen had witnessed his two parents die before his eyes. It was something he would never forget.
He sat in his apartment for days at a time, not contacting any of his friends who had survived, for they most likely spent their time mourning these tragic losses as well. So he thought at least, because when he went out for the first time in over a week he saw many people helping to rebuild their crippled home, civilian and shinobi. Many had lost their precious people, but decided not to let that get in their way because they had something else to live for. Iruka took a mental note of this and realized that he couldn't dwell on the past and that he had to rebuild with what he had, like many of these people had done. They were no different he realized; only that they were stronger, but he promised to change that and he decided to live for those precious to him.
Iruka became stronger as time went by, both physically and mentally. He had outgrown his weakness and had become a prominent Anbu member at the age of sixteen. He had dedicated much of his life to training, but he never forgot to enjoy the life he did live and for that he was nicknamed 'The Kind Hearted Killer' by his peers. He was content with his life, never forgetting his past, but never dwelling on it either. He rose through the ranks and was quickly looked at as a potential candidate for the next Hokage position.
(About ¾'s of the way through the current school year)
The entire class was lined up at the front of the room because of Naruto's antics once again. He had successfully defaced the Hokage monument for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Each face was painted with whacky colors making the village's heroes look like jokes. As Iruka was chewing Naruto out for another failed attempt at the basic Bunshin technique all he could think about was the amount of chakra this boy had stored inside him. 'The sheer amount of raw chakra inside this tiny body is incredible… The things Konoha could do if someone started teaching him earlier. I guess it is better late than never.'
As the rest of the academy students performed their perfect Bunshin's Naruto grumbled, complaining how this technique was complete bull. 'This kid… What am I going to do with him?' Iruka thought so himself shaking his head.
Soon after class ended Iruka called out to Naruto and told him to stay for a bit. Naruto thought to himself, 'Oh joy I'm going to get my ass chewed out AGAIN, well at least it's not in front of the whole class.'
"So Iruka-Sensei, what do you want? You plan on berating me for defacing the village's most prized monument like you always do?" Naruto asked sarcastically as though he already knew the answer.
"Actually, no Naruto. Not this time." Naruto looked at him in surprise. "While what you did was wrong, I wanted to talk to you about something else, how about we go to Ichiraku's? That's your favorite ramen place, right?" Iruka asked already knowing the answer.
"Ichiraku? For sure Sensei, let's get going now! We can talk there!" Naruto said enthusiastically. He started running faster than Iruka had ever seen and he was hard pressed to keep up.
'Gosh, this kid is going at jounin level speeds over some ramen. I wonder if this is his actual speed or just his ramen instincts kicking in?' Iruka wondered with a sigh.
In nearly no time they had arrived at the ramen stand when Naruto asked Iruka "So, what did you want to talk to me about Sensei?" While ordering his ramen he looked at the older man curiously.
"Well Naruto, have you ever had any trouble controlling your chakra?" Iruka asked wondering how the boy would react.
"Well, I guess so considering I can't do a basic jutsu like the Bunshin." Naruto said with a beaten expression on his face.
Even as sad as he was the boy still downed a bowl of ramen by the time Iruka had opened his mouth. The response was a sweat drop from Iruka. Getting over his initial shock he said to Naruto, "Look, there's a reason you can't do that kind of jutsu yet. I can help you if you agree to let me be your mentor."
Naruto's eyes lit up at the prospect of being personally trained from his second favorite person in the world, "Really? You can help me become a shinobi? Tell me anything I need to do and you can consider it done if it will make me closer to becoming the Hokage!"
Iruka knew about Naruto's dreams, he made sure it was no secret blurting it out wherever he went. "You're my favorite student Naruto, you remind me of myself when I was younger. However you have to promise not to give up because this is a very tough way to get stronger, but with your willpower I have a feeling you just might be able to pull this off." Iruka stated his eyes distant. 'Considering he has a near endless supply of chakra, honestly this shouldn't be too tough. I always did have a soft spot for jokers…' The man thought to himself
"I wouldn't have it any other way! I don't want to take any short cuts to become the Hokage! I wouldn't believe you if you said it were going to be easy!" Naruto energetically yelled. "So, what kind of training do you have in mind?"
"Well Naruto first I'm going to teach you a little history. Come back to your apartment with me, this is going to be a long talk and you may want to have a seat for this one." Iruka grimly said. 'I don't want to do this, but it's necessary if the kid wants to know about himself. Hopefully after this it will be smooth sailing.'
"History? What for? Can't we just jump into the training?" Naruto asked his smile turning into a frown.
"Yes Naruto, we absolutely have to go over this. No buts." Iruka said with a stern look on his face.
Naruto slowly nodded, but was still suspicious as to what Iruka was getting at. 'This must really be important if he wants to talk to me about it.' Naruto thought slowly.
They took a leisurely stroll to Naruto's apartment. It was beautiful out, the sun was just barely setting and the little light lit up the entire village. Naruto looked around taking in the beauty of the place he called home. The mixture of the warm greens and the cool yellows made for one hell of a stroll.
Eventually they arrived at Naruto's apartment, unlocking the door Naruto took the first step in. Iruka surveyed the area closely before realizing that it was in fact quite well maintained. Naruto was… tidy? That couldn't be true, so he decided to ask "Hey Naruto, this place is surprisingly clean. Is there any reason why it's this clean or is it always like this? Iruka prodded, not worried about offending the student.
"Oh, I just can't stand having too much litter around. It helps me meditate when my surrounding area is clean. Putting my hands on a dirty floor to work out is something I won't do. It's just so unsanitary." Naruto said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"I see…" Said the man trailing off, still gazing at the few possessions the boy had. 'The things I never knew about Naruto… I wonder what other habits he has…' He thought to himself, deciding it was time to get to business. "Alright Naruto, you're going to want to sit down for this." He pulled up two chairs from his dining table so they were facing each other. "What do you know about the fourth Hokage?" Iruka asked to see how much Naruto already knew.
"He was a hero." Naruto said with adoring eyes, "He fought to save the people he cared for giving up his own life to kill the Kyuubi! Honestly I want to be just like him when I grow up." Naruto stated with a spark in his eyes.
'I forgot that Naruto is still when it comes down to it, just a kid. He still has these hopes and dreams. This is going to be much worse than I thought, but I have to do what I have to do…' Iruka thought, savoring the moment before he told the young boy the truth. "Naruto, there's something you need to know." He looked down at the floor before meeting eyes with Naruto, "The fourth Hokage didn't kill the Kyuubi. He did something completely different. Only the adults know about this. This is to be considered an S-ranked secret. If word gets out to any of your peers some very bad things could happen." Iruka finished with a sigh, 'Oh boy, here comes to hard part.'
Naruto's eyes met his. 'Now this could be interesting, an S-ranked secret? This could be much bigger than I thought… I don't think this is just some stupid history lesson…' Naruto contemplated before he heard Iruka speak once more.
"Naruto, this is going to be really heavy, are you sure you're ready for this? I have to be completely sure that you are willing to become my student after hearing of this." Iruka said, wondering what the consequences would be if he told Naruto and the boy lost his own mind. He shuddered at even the thought of how it would affect both their lives.
Naruto nodded; no doubt in his mind that this was going to change his life forever and he was ready for it, better or worse.
"Naruto… Many of the things you have been taught about the fourth Hokage and the Kyuubi are a lie. In reality the fourth could not kill the Kyuubi, and instead was forced to seal it in an infant child. Naruto, when's your birthday?" Iruka asked hoping he would not have to say it himself.
After looking into Naruto's eyes Iruka knew that it had dawned on him. Naruto knew, and there was nothing he could do about it at this point. "October tenth… The very same day the Kyuubi attacked. The reason so many people hate me. The reason my life is so god damn screwed up. He did it! That mother fucker screwed my entire life over! Why the fuck would anyone be so possessed as to seal a demon into a god damn baby's body! What kind of person would do that?" Naruto yelled across the room, Iruka winced at the tone of his voice, but Naruto wasn't done just yet. He went outside and took everything he could to the nearest training ground. The moment he got in range of some training dummies he started shredding them to pieces with his shuriken, kunai, and even his bare hands. After completely wrecking the entire field he turned around and looked up at the monuments. It was dark out but he could still make out the face of the fourth. The man he had adored his entire life, the person who also made his entire life miserable. He could never look at him the same ever again; there would always be a hint of anger when he saw the face of the man who had forsaken him. At this point he walked back into his apartment with Iruka just sitting there, a sad expression on his face.
Staring at Iruka he decided to ask him if his theory was correct, "Sensei… You told me this for a reason, didn't you? It has to do with my training right?" Naruto asked an unwavering determination in his eyes.
Iruka's eyes lit up, 'He's smart, he just doesn't apply himself. Most kids would still be angry at the fourth, but his mind was racing a mile a minute and now he seems at least a bit calmed down.' Realizing he was still being stared at intently he decided to give Naruto an answer, "Well Naruto, as you know your chakra control is… Well garbage for lack of a better term. The tradeoff however is the fact that you have near unlimited chakra levels. This means you can perform jutsu that could kill people with one use numerous times. There's also one more advantage that very few others can use. A technique that increases the speed at which you train one hundred fold." Iruka paused for a moment realizing that this was a lot to take in for Naruto.
Naruto looked at his feet. His whole world just turned upside down. There were a thousand reactions that Iruka expected, but what Naruto did was not one of them. Calmly he said "Keep going. I want to know more about this technique."
Iruka shook his head, 'My god this kid has nerves of steel…' He stared at Naruto trying to see what Naruto was hiding under that calm collected exterior but found nothing, just curiosity and a hint of anger.
"Naruto, this technique is called the Kage Bunshin. It allows you to create physical clone of yourself, not unlike a regular Bunshin, but this one can perform tasks as though it were you. The drawback is that it costs an unusually large amount of chakra, but with your limitless supplies you could just keep pumping out hundreds at a time. The training method that goes with it has long since been discarded due to the fact that it is completely impractical to anyone who doesn't have the chakra levels of a Jinchuriki. Each time a clone disperses, you gain all the knowledge it had learned during its life span. This means you could send a clone to read a book for you while you sat around reading manga and when the clone dispersed, you'd have all the information from the book. These clones are very fragile and one well placed strike could destroy them." Iruka stated feeling slightly winded after everything that just happened.
Naruto nodded at his mentor and politely asked him to leave as he had a lot to think about. Iruka nodded wondering how the boy would fair through the night. He looked at the clock. They had gotten here around 7:30 at night and it was now 11:00. Where the time went he had absolutely no idea. All that Iruka knew was that he probably wouldn't be sleeping tonight. He doubted if Naruto would sleep either. With all that cleared up he decided to take a short detour to a place he hadn't been in a long time. Training area 71.
Iruka stepped out into the medium sized opening where a small cabin lay. He looked around and thought 'God this place hasn't changed a bit in all these years.' He walked into the middle of the clearing and lay down on his back just gazing up to the stars above. They hadn't been this clear in years. He spent the rest of the night just staring up at the stars. Wondering how things with Naruto were going to turn out. "Good luck kid, you're going to need it…" Iruka whispered to himself.
(Unknown Date)
He ran through the village, hiding wherever he could. The academy student knew he would be in deep if anyone found him, for he had committed a serious offense to the village, one that could be punishable with death. The offense? He had burned the fourth hokage's most prized possession, the first copy of the fabled Toad Sannin's book, Icha Icha Paradise. It was signed by the sage himself as a show of goodwill to his student. Had everything gone according to plan, that book would be worth enough to buy a small village in a few years. Why did the academy student named Umino Iruka do it? He was dared to by some fellow students of his to see if he would back his title up, 'The Prankster that Never sleeps'. He had snuck into the man's office in the dead of night, bypassing the security quite easily something that was not a good sign for the village just to burn a copy of a smut.
He made a dash into the Forest of Death, hoping to lose the savage shinobi in a place only the manliest of men would train. Unfortunately for him, his senior of one year, Maito Gai, was training in hopes of furthering his skills in Tai jutsu.
He never stood a chance; the boy challenged him to an obscenely difficult challenge consisting of doing five hundred pushups on your fingertips while running around the village. Iruka decided that it wasn't worth it and gave himself in, knowing that he would be pestered until someone found him no matter what he did. He turned himself in hoping that the punishment would be less severe than if he had been found hiding.
He was only scolded and given detention for the rest of the year, something that had happened every year before that. 'Damn, I am one hell of a trouble maker. You've outdone yourself this time Iruka!' He thought to himself as he stared at the fourth who was crying next to a tombstone of his now deceased friend. He smiled and walked right back into detention as he was on his bathroom break.
(The Next Day)
Naruto walked into class looking down at his feet, not the exuberant, enthusiastic blonde everyone knew him as. It was a little odd seeing Naruto in such a vulnerable position, but Iruka wasn't surprised in the least. Most everyone in the class carried on but a few of his friends noticed Naruto not being… well, Naruto. He just seemed different to them. He put his head down immediately after sitting down, but Kiba wanted to pry about what happened after class yesterday with Iruka.
"So, what happened? You get chewed out AGAIN for sucking at being a ninja?" Kiba asked laughing at his own stupid joke. Everyone else sighing at what he thought was quality humor. He seemed to lack the social skills most kids had due to the fact that his closest friend was indeed a dog.
Naruto looked up at him with the fire in his eyes that everyone knew, and some even loved. "Yeah right Kiba, I could kick your ass any day. No doubt about it." As Naruto was picking a fight, Iruka stepped between the two.
"Sorry, not today. Maybe in a few days, but right now we have some work to go over." Iruka stated prying the two apart, sending them back to their seats. Their childish rivalry annoyed Iruka to no end when they started clawing at each other's throats in the middle of his classroom.
As soon as that whole endeavor was over, Naruto laid his head on the desk, thinking about the events that went on last night. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. Iruka eyed the boy carefully trying to gauge his reaction. To his surprise Naruto seemed to be able to keep himself under control, no doubt on the inside he was torn up, but he was able to look relatively normal as far as normal goes for Naruto.
Class flew by as all they did that day was basic review and when class ended he asked Naruto to stay after and Naruto complied.
After everyone had left the building Iruka asked, "Naruto, are you ready to train? Or do you still want a day or two to think about what happened?"
"I'm ready, it's now or never. I can't just pretend it didn't happen, so I'm going to use this power to make myself stronger. So where are we going to train?" Naruto asked with a budding enthusiasm.
Iruka smiled at the somewhat enthusiastic boy knowing that he was ready for anything at this point, "Training ground 71, a small clearing in the middle of the forest on the outskirts of Konoha." Iruka said eyeing the place with an almost suspicious look in his eyes. Dismissing it as nothing he went on, "So Naruto let's just jump right into it. First I'm going to teach you the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. After that you will do physical training while your clones read about chakra control and other things a shinobi needs to know." He walked into the middle of the clearing crossed his fingers in the seal for the technique and yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a poof of smoke there were three Irukas.
Naruto, unimpressed said "That's just a regular Bunshin, what kind of crap are you pulling?"
Iruka laughed, whispered into one of the clones ears and in a split second the clone dashed up to Naruto and put his finger on his forehead and pushed just a bit, proving to Naruto that it was a physical entity, not some illusion. "Is that good enough to show you that this isn't just some illusion?"
Naruto, eyes wide with his jaw hanging was barely able to nod at the fact that this skill was in fact tangible. A look of shock still on his face, he shook his head and asked, "So that's what I'm learning? Oh hell yes. This is going to be a good day." Naruto looked into the taller man's eyes and smiled, almost devilishly.
Iruka looked at him and shook his head, 'His mood just did a complete 180. Well, I guess it's my job to do that.' "Naruto this jutsu will make you much stronger than you would have been with just academy training, this is a forbidden technique. As such, you have to be responsible for your actions and know the consequences." Iruka said with a stern look in his eyes.
"Wait, this is forbidden? Sensei, you're just a chunin. Why do you know all these things?" Naruto asked with a suspicious look in his eyes.
Iruka looked at his own feet then shifted his eyes back up, "There's a lot you don't know about me, and I'll explain everything once you beat me in a spar, after all I'm just a chunin, right?"
Naruto nodded hoping to know how strong his Sensei truly was. He jumped at him without warning hoping to catch him off guard but the man just side stepped and Naruto planted his head straight into a tree stump. "God damn it! That really freaking hurt!" Naruto exclaimed rubbing his forehead.
Iruka chuckled, 'I guess that speed yesterday really was just for the ramen.' He thought to himself. He looked down at the boy who had an exasperated look on his face. "Let's skip the sparring for now and just jump straight into the Kage Bunshin." Iruka said with a smile on his face. 'Things might just work out, and heck maybe even this little punk can become the Hokage.'
(Several Hours Later)
Thirty Naruto's stood in the clearing surrounding Iruka. They pounced and Iruka expertly countered every strike and threw them at one another. The clones never stood a chance. 'Thirty Kage Bunshin and the kid isn't even winded, this is going to be great…' Iruka mused while toying with the clones.
The real Naruto aggravated decided to throw all caution to the wind and jump into the fray, Iruka grabbed the leaping boy by the wrist and twirled him around smashing him into clones of himself. When he finished there was just one Naruto left, beaten and bruised. "Take a break Naruto, there's no chance you can beat me without some proper training." Iruka said giving the kid a break.
"Jeez Iruka-Sensei, since when were you this strong?" Naruto asked wondering where all his Sensei's hidden ability came from.
Iruka avoided the question and pulled out a scroll. "Naruto, it's getting late. How tired do you think you are? How many more clones could you make right this instant?" Iruka asked inquisitively.
"Right this instant?" I'd say about forty-five maybe." Naruto said, wondering where this was leading.
'Impressive, after training the whole night away he can still make upwards of 40 clones. This kid is going to go far, that much I'm sure of.' Iruka said to himself. "Well Naruto, the reason I ask is I wanted to know how many books I should take out from this scroll." Iruka said. After seeing the boy's dejected look he responded with, "Look Naruto, it's not always going to be fighting and learning new jutsu, you are going to need to learn the basics some time or another." Iruka put his hand on the scroll, muttered a few words and piles of books came out of thin air. Naruto sweat dropped at the sheer amount of information he would get when he woke up if all went according to plan.
"You want me to read all this tonight?" Naruto asked not catching on to what Iruka had in mind with his clones.
Iruka sighed, even though the boy was smart he was still tired from the hours of training. "No Naruto, you're not reading it, your clones will. That's the beauty of it; your clones have to obey you. They read while you get a good night's rest. You can do this every night if you honestly wanted to. I wouldn't suggest it because of the toll it takes on a person, but then again due to your tenant you have a near limitless supply of chakra." Iruka stated looking down at the seal on Naruto's stomach.
"Well, if I'm learning while I sleep I have absolutely no objections!" Naruto stated happily created forty clones to help him lug the scrolls back to his apartment.
'Oh you won't be thinking that in the morning…' Iruka thought to himself with a smug look on his face.
(The Next Morning)
Naruto woke up to an empty apartment, his head throbbing, feeling weak, light-headed, but with an overwhelming sense of what chakra itself was, he also felt like he knew the basics of many different styles of martial arts he had never even heard of.
"…Jiu Jitsu? I've never even heard of this style, but I feel like I know the basic concepts. This is freaking weird man!" As he walked over to his bathroom he felt really dizzy and fell over. "God damn, this took a lot more out of me than I thought it would, but I know so much more now than I did before I went to sleep… This is going to be freaking awesome! I can see it now, thousands of adoring fans, lining up for my autograph once I become to Hokage!" As he was musing about the prospects of his shinobi career he decided that breakfast was a bit higher on the agenda for him, and took out a pack of microwave ramen. 'The classics never fail to make me happy in the morning, screw fruit!' Naruto thought happily to himself.
Taking his usual morning stroll to class he found himself tripping over the smallest of pebbles. He decided to talk to Iruka when he got to class. As he stumbled in the door he saw that he was quite early and not too many people had arrived yet, only a few kids here and there. He walked right up to Iruka's desk and asked, "What the hell Sensei, what's wrong with me right now? I feel like a freaking vegetable!" Naruto said with fire in his eyes.
"Well Naruto, that's usually the drawback to training with so many clones at a time. Extreme fatigue, chakra exhaustion, and incredibly migraines are just some of the things you'll experience when you use this training method." Iruka said quickly.
"And you didn't tell me this yesterday because?" Naruto asked aggravated.
"Well, you see, most people call it quits after finding out the toll that this method takes on you, and trust me it only gets worse from here on out. I wanted to see how you would feel after one night of this training method. So, are you up to doing it again?" Iruka asked hoping the boy would say yes.
"Are you joking? As long as I don't die from the training, I'll do this all the time!" Naruto said enthusiastically.
"Alright Naruto, but you have to have at least three days of rest a week, otherwise with your body's condition constantly worsening you will die from chakra exhaustion eventually." Iruka said hoping his logic would stop the boy from over exerting himself.
"Sure, but am I only going to have my clones read for me? What else am I going to use them for?" Naruto asked happily.
"Naruto, this might be a little tough considering I just had you absorb dozens of scrolls worth of knowledge, but do you remember what you read about Chakra Control?" Iruka asked, hoping the knowledge would sink in.
Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment, and then replied "Yeah, I do remember, some stuff about only needing to exert the right amount of chakra so nothing is wasted." Naruto said while looking up.
"Right, amongst other things this will be important for when you use your clones for training. So, what was one method of training you could use to develop chakra control?" Iruka asked.
"Well, to start with there was…" A pause came from the boy as he mustered up the answer in his head, "Walking up trees without using your hands! So are you saying that's what my clones will be doing at night?" Naruto asked, wondering what the benefits could be.
"Yeah Naruto, first I'm going to take you and teach you the basics, then," He noticed that as more kids filed into the room they were staring at them intently trying to eavesdrop. "I'll tell you after class." Then he yelled, "GO SIT DOWN YOU LITTLE TROUBLE MAKER!" To emphasize his point he threw an eraser at Naruto's head.
'God damn, they got it, he didn't have to make it so realistic.' Naruto winced as the eraser hit him dead center in the back of his head. He plopped down onto his seat hoping no one would confront him considering he felt like a vegetable. Luckily everyone seemed to notice that he looked like crap and decided not to confront him, even Kiba.
Iruka asked Naruto to stay after class once again drawing the attention of many of his classmates. "Jeez, that's three days in a row he's been held after class, that's a lot, even for Naruto." Kiba whispered to Shikamaru and Choji, who just nodded in confirmation.
The student and mentor waited for the rest of the class to leave before getting down to business, "Alright Naruto, I can't just keep holding you here after class, instead every day meet me at Training Ground 71 an hour after class ends. That way no one will be suspicious any more. Understood?" Iruka asked.
"Gotcha Sensei." Naruto responded. They decided it would be in their best interest to split up and meet at the training ground in an hour. Naruto arrived at his apartment, deciding to go over the scrolls he had read about basic chakra control amongst various other basic shinobi skills. He looked up at the clock and realized he was going to be late if he didn't leave immediately.
After arriving at the training grounds just in time he was immediately given a scroll by Iruka. "Have a clone read it, it's just some basic details about how to walk up trees, right now I have to go. Once you have it read, use your clones to master the technique. I'll check up on your progress in a few hours." Iruka stated as he vanished into thin air.
'Huh, I wonder what that was all about.' Naruto thought, shrugging he decided to get to work. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" In a poof of smoke a perfect clone appeared and Naruto instructed him to disperse after finishing the scroll.
"Aye sir!" The clone obeyed.
The original Naruto went off to get ramen at his favorite place, Ichiraku's. He ordered 5 bowls of Miso Ramen, downing them all in ten minutes. Soon Naruto knew that he had to coat his feet in a thin layer of chakra, too much and the tree would crack, too little and he would slip off. He summoned fifty clones and set them off to work on it, once they had all perfected it they would disperse. He went back to his apartment, deciding that he would let his clones take care of the tree training. He remembered that he read about weights that one could wear which would enhance their physical abilities. He decided that it was about high time he got to that and he headed for a basic ninja supplies store. He ended up having a nice conversation with the merchant who recommended some light weights to start off, gave him some basic tips and sent him on his way.
He arrived at his apartment a bit tired from the additional weight of his new training tools. He decided that it would definitely be worth it in the end. He had them around his ankles and wrists.
He decided that he needed some rest and didn't bother doing the homework that night. He fell asleep and for a while it was peaceful.
He yelled in pain as he woke in a cold sweat, his clones all dispersed at once sending a rush of information to his mind. He felt like a nail was just driven into his skull and as he thrashed around the pain slowly subsided, until it was just a dull throbbing. He did notice however that he did indeed know the perfect amount of chakra with which to apply to his feet if he wanted to walk up a tree. Without needing to practice it he felt as though it was already second nature for him to walk up a tree with absolutely no effort.
(Time Skip to the End of the Year)
The rest of the year went by in absolutely no time, Naruto becoming physically stronger and fit due to the weights and his own personal training, his chakra control becoming much more refined to the point where he could perform a basic Bunshin with absolutely no problems. Heck, Iruka even taught him some basic jutsu from all of the elements. Nothing too powerful, but he would be able to get by with most of the students in the academy no problem now. Naruto stayed at the bottom of the class due to the fact that he was constantly tired and unwilling to apply himself. He felt that his favorite thing to study in practical combat was Jiu Jitsu. It was an art to be used on the battlefield specializing in barring the opponent and throwing. There were many practical uses he found in it which is why he decided to learn more about it. The only thing he felt was weak in his arsenal was his genjutsu. He could counter it, but performing it was another matter altogether.
As Naruto stepped up to the testing room, Iruka eyed him with a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment in the fact that in just a year he had made this dead last student, well… still the dead last, but a dead last student who could fight. He trained a boy who could very well turn out to be the strongest child in the village one day. As he called out the two techniques required to pass the test, Naruto performed them flawlessly and received top markings for his performance.
Naruto walked out of the room with his new headband proudly tying it around his fore head to symbolize that he was a true Konoha shinobi. Most people who didn't keep up with his progress had no idea that Naruto could properly perform the Bunshin, so his graduating came as a surprise to them.
"Damn Naruto, you actually passed what a shock!" Kiba said genuinely surprised. He was congratulated by the small group of friends he had obtained through his adventure as an academy student.
"Yeah, well it's a wonder that you passed too." Naruto retorted, not caring about how stupid it sounded just happy that he graduated.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch with each student passing. All of the kids had someone there for them except Naruto. When he saw all the kids happily celebrating with their parents, Naruto looked down at his feet. 'I may be a ninja, but I still don't have parents…' Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up and saw Iruka smiling down at him.
"Good job Naruto, you're a real ninja now." Iruka said proudly, and although Naruto probably didn't think so, Iruka felt like a true father. 'I may not have been there when he was younger, but this could be the first step to a very good relationship.' The two shared a smile until one of the parents called out for Iruka to thank him, "Well, I'll see you in a bit Naruto, training ground 71?" Iruka asked quietly.
Naruto smiled like an idiot and responded, "I wouldn't have it any other way Sensei!" He then left the academy heading off to Ichiraku's to celebrate with two of his favorite people in the world. Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-Oneechan warmly greeted him asking how he did and Naruto left no details out.
He spent an hour just conversing with the two while eating his ten bowls of complementary ramen. Seeing how the sun started to set he decided to leave for the training ground for what would probably be the last time he would train with his Sensei. He arrived just as dusk set in and found the area to be empty. 'That's weird he's usually always here before me, preparing something for my training…' Naruto's mind trailed off. He shrugged it off considering it was graduation day and he was probably swamped with the parents.
Over the past two months he developed a habit of always keeping a clone or two around him scouting to see if anything was amiss, very rarely something actually came up. Today was one of those days. His clone reported back that he saw an unknown person charging towards the area at a very high speed. Naruto knew that something was out of place, but he was just going to have to wait and see.
(Meanwhile At the Hokage Tower)
"It seems that Mizuki, a traitor to the village, has stolen the forbidden scroll, it is of utmost importance that the scroll be recovered immediately. If you see him feel free to use force to get him to comply. Remember, the safety of the entire village depends on your retrieving the scroll, now GO!" The Hokage exclaimed.
Dozens of ninja's vanished from sight. Iruka knew he was late for training with Naruto and thought that he would check up around the forest where they trained as he wanted to warn Naruto of the danger.
He dashed off hoping that Naruto would be okay. Soon after he arrived at training ground 71 he spotted Naruto just sitting there, as though he were waiting for something to happen. Iruka spotted a blur going through the trees, he thought it was Mizuki, but the figure lacked the white hair that Mizuki had. He knew that he had to do something or his student would be in a dangerous position. He charged towards Naruto at full speed, hoping to intercept the traitor. He reached Naruto just before a kunai embedded itself in his student's back. Iruka gasped as he saw the boy disappear in a puff of smoke. 'Oh thank Kami that wasn't him.'
He turned to look at the man who had entered the clearing, a man with an Anbu mask. The person bore no resemblance to Mizuki other than the hair color. As he took his mask off Iruka was just as confused. This was somebody he didn't recognize, a young man with long white hair with a headband from Oto.
"Who are you?" Iruka yelled across the clearing.
"I guess I can grant a dying man his last wish… My name is Kabuto and that is all you need to know at this point. Best me in battle and I may tell you more, but I doubt that is even a possibility." Kabuto stated with a smirk on his face.
Iruka looked at the man and sized him up. 'He's strong, that's for sure. Jounin level at least. I hope I haven't lost my old skills, I'm going to need them all for this fight…'
Iruka lunged forming hand seals along the way, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Five perfect clones appeared also sprinting alongside the original.
"How predictable, I expected more from you Iruka!" Kabuto yelled in a crazed fit of laughter.
"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu" Iruka yelled not missing a beat. A large stream of fire erupted from his mouth encasing the spot Kabuto had been standing.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Kabuto yelled from the branches above. Before he could react however one of Iruka's clones grabbed him and tried to restrain him, but Kabuto had anticipated this and reacted with a swift elbow to the clone's chest causing it to disperse. He jumped clear over another fireball launched by Iruka throwing numerous shurikens at the man causing him to jump back.
'My god, these two are fighting on an entirely different level… There's no way I could possibly keep up with this, I would only get in Iruka's way if I tried to help…' Naruto thought while hiding behind one of the trees trying to conceal himself.
Looking back at the fight he saw Iruka going at the other man with a kunai in hand, however he was gaining hardly any ground. In the other man's hand a glowing green scalpel. Naruto saw the man make a cut at Iruka's leg, blood gushing out. Naruto winced as though he could feel his Sensei's pain wishing there was something he could do. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw another Iruka sneak up from behind the white haired man with a tag in hand. 'What could he be up to?' Naruto wondered his eyes dead set on the fight.
"Come on Iruka, I've heard so many great things about you! What happened? You're losing so much ground to a mere boy!" Kabuto stated mockingly.
'Che, he's good. There's no way I can win this one, but that clone might just be able to save the scroll. I don't want to leave Naruto alone, but it's a sacrifice I have to make… He's strong, he'll survive without me.' Iruka thought optimistically, his mind racing at a mile a minute.
Before long Kabuto grew tired of playing with the older man and with his scalpel made a mark that showed that he meant business. He slashed straight across Iruka's face opening the scar that brought the man so many tragic memories. 'God damn this, he's too good. I have to end this soon or I won't be able to survive.' The blood streaming into his mouth and onto his vest he sent a mental command to his clone that was in hiding. Iruka felt himself growing light headed soon getting more and more cuts all over his body. Kabuto still didn't feel the need to take him seriously. 'He's going to regret underestimating me soon…' Iruka thought, a devious plan crossing his mind. He mentally traced the scar across his nose, a stream of memories pulling him back into the past.
(Years Prior, a Lab near the Outskirts of Konoha)
He skirted along numerous traps, kunai flying at him from various directions, every step he took he felt the walls moving as though another trap had been activated. He knew he had found something incredible and he felt that he could handle something like this on his own, not knowing what he had gotten himself into.
He cringed as he narrowly avoided having his head sliced from his body by a swinging axe. Another step forward and two enormous logs came crashing together only to meet each other.
'What the hell is it with this place, there has to be something hiding here and I'm going to find out what the hell it could be.' He thought to himself avoiding more traps.
He finally reached a door and knew that this would be his last opportunity to request backup. Very quickly he gave his coordinates but did not wait, overconfidence clouding his mind making him think that he could take on the world right now. He stepped in and was greeted with scenes that would make your average shinobi vomit, hundreds of dead children lay strewn across these work benches and tables like discarded rags. He swallowed deeply and took another step inside, 'Heh, at least no traps here, so far so good.' He thought the lump in his throat growing larger by the second.
As he ventured deeper into this hellhole someone had deemed a lab he found incubators full of infants who seemed to have survived these cruel experiments, some having numerous markings resembling tattoos across their backs and chests, others looking fairly normal. He knew there was something different about all of them and was trying to piece the evidence together when he heard a shrill laugh coming from directly behind him. He quickly turned around, meeting a face everyone in the village would recognize in a second. Orochimaru, one of the three legendary sannin known for his unusually quiet demeanor.
"Well, who might you be my young guest?" Orochimaru asked very smoothly, hoping to deceive the younger man.
Iruka foolishly letting his guard down around someone he thought he could trust responded with, "Umino Iruka. I was tasked to investigate this lab by the Hokage, are you my reinforcements?" He asked.
"Why yes, I am your backup." Orochimaru said with a small smile on his face, but Iruka noticed it. Seeing the man tense up he tried to relax him, "Don't worry, with me here there isn't anything that could possibly harm you. I'm considered to be one of the strongest in the village, right?"
"Yes, you're right, I'm sorry. I'm just very nervous investigating a place where some cruel, twisted scientist would perform these fatal experiments on mere infants." Iruka said, pretending to let his guard down. Orochimaru was a good fighter, but he couldn't tell heads or tails when it came to human behavior.
Orochimaru told him to follow his lead, putting his guard up, feigning ignorance in the light of his enemy. Leading him deeper into the lab where the children's bodies grew more grotesque to the point where some could not be identified as having ever been alive. Iruka's eyes bore holes in the back of his head, watching his every move. Not letting any killing intent out Iruka was ready for anything at this point.
Orochimaru had prepared certain notes for this very occasion. The plan would be to show Iruka notes that he had faked, hoping to distract the man long enough to kill him quickly and quietly without any chance to survive. He had overlooked the fact that Iruka had called for backup.
Iruka was thinking on an entirely different plane, he was waiting for his reinforcements to arrive, and they together would fight the former hero gone rogue. Iruka may not have been the smartest man in the world, but it was quite obvious that Orochimaru was feigning this entire charade. The fake emotions, the fake guard, the fake friendship, it was all fake. Finally Orochimaru had led him to the point where the false notes were laying hidden, digging them out he looked at them for a moment before turning to his colleague telling him to look at these papers. Iruka glanced at him, his heart racing a mile a minute, he realized that Orochimaru would probably strike as soon as his attention was on the papers.
He took the notes from his hand and prepared a Kawarimi for the exact moment when he would surprise him. To anyone else this ploy would be obvious, but Orochimaru did not take pride in his social skills, only his shinobi skills. Orochimaru waited for the perfect moment and dashed forward with a kunai in hand expecting to end this pitiful man's life in one flick of the wrist. He didn't expect the man to disappear and turn into a dead infant. Realization coming across his face he scanned the room for where the man might possibly be hiding.
'I just used a dead baby to save my own ass… I'm pathetic!' Iruka thought to himself, but quickly realizing he had more pressing matters currently. 'I can mourn later, now I need to hope I can stall long enough for the others arrive.' Iruka thought. Iruka was a man of confidence, but he knew his limits, and he knew fighting Orochimaru head to head was well outside his limits.
Soon however he would be found and if he didn't do anything he would have just wasted time. He decided to make the leap towards him, knowing that simple jutsu wouldn't work against the man who prided himself in his knowledge of techniques. Kunai in hand they clashed, Orochimaru playing with the young man, his biggest mistake being his own ego.
"You think you can stand up to me, a living legend? What are you, a chunin?" Orochimaru asked sarcastically not expecting an actual answer.
"Contrary to what you believe, I am actually a member of the Anbu, and I plan on stopping you here Orochimaru!" Iruka said, lying through his teeth, not expecting him to buy it.
Orochimaru laughed in what seemed to be pity for the younger man, "You think you can actually go toe to toe with the great Orochimaru? I'll humor you and let you think that you actually stand a chance!" Orochimaru said, so confident in his own abilities that he told him his plans to toy with him.
As Orochimaru made ground, Iruka smirked. The reinforcements should be here any second, but before that Orochimaru decided to leave him with a parting gift before killing him, slashing straight across the man's nose. His mouth filled with the taste of copper, he narrowed his eyes and spat the blood at Orochimaru.
"What desperate tricks from a desperate man, wouldn't you say? Actually, I know the perfect job for someone like you, they say those who can't do, teach, and you my friend are a prime example of someone who cannot 'do'." Orochimaru sarcasm lacing his every word.
Iruka let the thought cross his mind and decided that a path in teaching may fit him better. Iruka fronted a last stand as he started to push Orochimaru back with a new found vigor. Orochimaru just shook his head and said, "You're fighting a losing battle foolish boy!"
Iruka receiving a signal that they were on their way right now decided to voice his opinion on the man, "Sorry traitor," Emotion washing over him as he truly felt himself come face to face with a rogue, "it's actually you who is fighting a losing battle!" And as though perfectly timed, a squad of Anbu members along with the former Hokage burst through and instantly reacted to the situation. Orochimaru realizing this fatal mistake decided that it was time to escape this place he once called home. Beforehand he had constructed certain seals that allowed for him to escape with a single seal from his hand. As he made the seal and yelled, "Shushin!" He seemingly dissolved from existence.
"Iruka, are you alright" Sarutobi asked, worrying that they may have come too late.
"Just a few cuts Hokage-Sama, but I'll be fine… Nothing time won't heal, but I think it's about time for me to retire at the ripe old age of twenty. I think it's time I took a job up in teaching, they could use a decent teacher at the academies right now, eh Hokage-Sama?" He asked a smile coming across his face as he pictured himself living the easy life just teaching children for the rest of his days.
"Are you sure? You're an incredible shinobi Iruka, we need someone like you to do the jobs no one else can!" The third hokage stammered, wondering what could have happened while Iruka spent time with Orochimaru.
"I think it makes sense, why be one good shinobi when I can create hundreds of shinobi just like me?" He asked, honestly thinking that he could create a difference for the village by teaching academy students.
"Are you sure you don't want to be a jounin instructor? I could easily arrange that!" The third said still dumb struck at his seemingly nonchalant reaction to what had just occurred.
(Training Ground 71, Present Day)
Jolting him back to reality, a deep slash across the chest and Iruka realized he could only stall for two minutes at most before he was overwhelmed by the boy. His clone made a mad dash for Kabuto while Iruka held him at bay with his kunai, not allowing him to escape. Kabuto realized the mistake he made and cursed himself for it.
"Damn, it was obvious this was going to happen! Orochimaru-Sama will kill me if this washed up old man doesn't. I have to escape with my life!" Kabuto hastily thought out loud. 'Fuck, did I just say that out loud? I screwed up here, didn't I?' Kabuto thought inside his head this time. Kabuto panicking for the first time in years wondered how his master would react when he heard about his most trusted subordinate's failure.
The clone successfully attached an explosive note to the back of the scroll forcing Kabuto to drop it and make an escape as fast as he possibly could, or be caught in the explosion. Iruka realized it was too late to save the scroll and dashed away as fast as he could with his injured leg making it to the cover of the trees. 'Fuck… I let him get the best of me and I lost the scroll without even killing him!' Iruka berated himself mentally until he realized his student was still hiding nearby waiting for some sort of explanation as to what just happened. The adrenaline wearing off, Iruka was forced to limp as he went light headed before reaching Naruto. He sat down next to the tree with Naruto's eyes wide with shock.
"What the hell just happened?" Naruto asked his eyes wide and his mouth gaping.
"Naruto, I promised I would tell you who I am, and how I got this strong. It's now or never… Naruto, I was a member of the Anbu… I decided that it was high time I got to teach the future shinobi who would protect this village with their lives. Ask the Hokage to tell you the rest of the story, there's something else I want you to do. Grant a dying man his last wish, will you?" Naruto nodded his eyes flashing as the possibilities crossed his mind. "Naruto… Don't spend the rest of your life regretting what happened here tonight, become stronger so you can protect those precious to you." Iruka said, his eyes flashing in and out of the realm of the living.
"No. NO! NO! You're the closest thing I have to a friend! The closest thing I have to a father, and if you die who will that leave me with? Don't abandon me; look, help will be here soon!" Naruto said, denial filling his entire being.
Iruka smiled softly, "I'm sorry, I can't see you grow up… Please, you can create a new life, it's going to be alright, just keep going and you'll be fine. I- I think this is it Naruto." A single tear rolled down the man's cheek before his eyes closed for the last time.
"No… You had to go and die on me, huh? You couldn't stay with me until the very end, could you?" Naruto asked tears streaming down his cheeks as the first person he ever considered a father closed his eyes for the last time… 'Orochimaru… you will die, I swear it…' Naruto thought to himself as he stared into the dead man's eyes, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
A/N – Yeah yeah, I know, my writing is a bit awkward and I don't write emotional scenes very well, but do review and tell me how I can improve.
Do tell me what you found original, unoriginal; feel free to contribute ideas, because after all, I'm still human.
Seriously though, be honest. I want to hear how I can fix any problems I may have. If I have certain mechanical errors, do point them out and I will definitely fix them for future readers. In advance, thanks for the alerts, reviews, favorites, favorite authors and whatnot. I appreciate every hit I get and I cherish them.
Oh, definitely tell me how I can fix my awful writing… As always, thanks for reading!
Honestly though, do give me constructive criticism as to how I can improve!
Thanks again!
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