Author's Note: What it do all? This is my first fanfic in over five or six years (still first one here though) so don't be to hard on me. This story will take place from the beginning of Naruto but with a twist. The majority of the story will told by Naruto in first person point of view as he on the verge of death. The fight scenes will be in third person point of view as well as the important dialogue of others. It will follow the storyline but only as a backbone the majority will be created by me. That way, hopefully, there will be no one skipping over my stories. Romance will also play a roll in this story but not right off the bat, but I already have my idea pair. And no its not the usual pair people have grown used to. Matter of fact I do not think I have even read a Naruto fanfic that has the pairing. We'll thank you for you patience and please R&R. Hope you enjoy!
Update on 1/3/2008: Rahhel gave me the idea to add here some of the reasons why the low review count. I failed to post this story in the Naruto U./Kyuubi section until Aldo Montonya told me I should do so around the seventh chapter lol --'. So thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the rest of the story '.Update on 11/7/08: Revised
Immanence
Chapter
One: Genesis
Life... To live or to die? What really is life when you think about it? Is it a dream or is it merely a test to see if you are allowed to move on to some better place? For me, that word centred around those who I considered my precious people. The very people that I would toss my own life aside without the slightest doubt to preserve theirs. I never once thought that my life was important enough to place on equal ground with others. Even after I had accomplished my goal of becoming a Kage, in spite of the fact that it was not of the village of my birth. But beggars can not be choosers.
I looked over to my left to see my once glorious village now shrouded in a fog of smoke as the fires continued to spread rapidly. The screams of my people, my precious people, were pounding at the very fibre of my being, letting me know how truly weak I was. I could not even protect my village, I did not deserve the right to be called a Kage.
My mind began to wander back to the days of my youth, the days of trials and tribulations, the days were I wore a mask every day to hide who I really was for so long that it became apart of me. And the sad thing is, I did not even know why I did so when I had so many close ones after I grew older. I did not even try to fight it. How I wish that I could go back to the days of my innocence and freedom... I even miss that baka kitsune... She did grow on me after a while.
...The Beginning...
A cool breeze blew past me, tickling my nose a little. Just enough to stir me in my sleep. Unfortunately for me, that was the end of my peaceful sleep as mother nature seemed to be far from pleased with me trying to sleep in on this day of all days. The rays from the sun burst in through the already opened window, letting me know that I was going to be late... Late!
"Ahh!!! Iruka-sensei is going kill me for sure today! I'm going to be late!"
I quickly jumped out my bed but my body seemed to still be sleep, even though my mind was more than alert. This made me come crashing down to the floor face first in an instant.
Man how clumsy I was back in those days. Still wonder how I became who am today with the way I was in the past.
After saying a few swear words that a kid of my age had no business knowing, I managed to push myself off the cold hardwood floor and dashed towards my bathroom. Yet again, my body was yet to catch up with me and I tripped over the floor rug and fell directly in the tub.
That was more than a sign that today was going to be a horrible day for me. But I was far to naïve and dense to pick that up when I needed.
After a quick wash up and brush of my teeth, I quickly threw on my black t-shirt and the orange jumpsuit that ojii-san bought me along with my favourite goggles.
I owed so much to that old man, no telling what the villagers would have done to me if he was not there for me. He of all my precious people was the one I missed the most. He taught me so much.
I quickly locked my door and exited the apartment complex and began my dash toward the academy.
"Man how could I have slept in on what could be the most important day of my life! Baka! Baka! Baka!"
As I ran down the street I could not help but notice the angry stares and glares that were shot at me like daggers. But those very looks I had grown very used to and I continued to run, acting completely oblivious to their existence. As long as they did not attack me like they used to; then they could stare all they wanted. One day I just knew I would gain their respect when I become the Hokage, then they would have no choice.
During my sprint, I noticed a shinobi in training around my age laying on the grass right in front of the academy staring up at the clouds almost in a trance. I instantly knew who it was.
"What...are...you...doing...Shikamaru?" I questioned as I panted for air.
"Huh? Of it's just you Naruto.." He said in his usually bored voice.
"Are you late too? Why aren't you inside?" I asked but I already knew the answer.
He yawned as he raised up and dusted himself off. "Too troublesome..."
"But isn't the genin exam today?!" I yelled frantically as I just remembered why I was running and now I was definitely late.
"Yeah. Yeah, it is. Just thought it was too troublesome to even deal with it." His lazy tone was almost making me give in to my still sleepy body.
I swear Nara Shikamaru may have been a genius but when it came to motivation he scored an absolute zero even when he became my right hand man.
I decided to grab him and run inside of the academy hoping that Iruka-sensei would not notice 'us' absent, but as soon as I tried to sneak into the classroom, my ears was met with a very familiar tone.
"NNNNAAARUUTOOO!!"
"Hai?"
"Where have you been?"
I looked around trying to think of a logic answer but nothing came. I started to look at Shikamaru for an answer but he had somehow sneaked to his desk without getting caught and had his head resting in his hand, in his usual bored position, leaving me to deal with Iruka-sensei by myself. I looked up at Iruka-sensei and place a hand behind my head and began to scratch it giving my usual stupid look and decided to play my usual act as well.
"Uh... gomen sensei.. I started to eat my favourite flavour of ramen and forgot all about the time..."
Some of the other kids began to giggle and laugh at my own expense. I guess that's what I get for acting like the class idiot. Iruka-sensei let out a loud sigh and ordered me to my seat, as I walked up to my seat, I glanced over at my eternal rival, Uchiha Sasuke, one of the two surviving members of the Uchiha massacre with the first being the creator of said massacre. He shot me a glare of his own as I took a sit. It was very low but I heard him say something.
"Dobe."
This as usual sent me into a blind fit of rage as I ran up to him.
"What was that, teme?!"
I stared directly at him with as much anger and killer intent as I could and he easily matched mine with one of his own. As if he was so far ahead of me that even his killing intent was so large that I was not even worth receiving a full dose.
Damn, how I hated it when people looked down on me like that teme used to.
"Leave Sasuke-kun alone, Naruto!"
I glanced up to see that I was now surrounded by fan-girls of Sasuke, which was the majority of the girls in our class including my former crush, a pink haired kunoichi in training by the name of Haruno Sakura. Sad thing is, she was one of the biggest Sasuke fan-girls in the class that was only matched by her former best friend Yamanaka Ino.
" I seriously do not see what you guys see in Sasuke-teme here. I am ever bit as good as he is any day."
"Ha, baka! Sasuke-kun could swipe you away just like the annoying 'little' fly that you are! There's no way you're even half of the man that Sasuke-kun is!" One of the girls yelled.
She even had the audacity of making fun of my height as well! Hell, I wasn't that short back then!
"Like you, baka, would know what a real man is anyway." I said under my breath but not low enough to not be heard. The next thing I knew, all the girls in the class, except one, began to pound on me until Iruka-sensei decided that it was time to get serious and freed me from my beating. But not before I was given several bumps, bruises, and a bloody nose. Mizuki-sensei entered the class room right after my 'bashing' was complete and began to announce the rules for the genin exams.
"Ok, class this is how the exam will proceed. Iruka and I will split you guys up in several different groups and have you perform a jutsu that we have trained you on. If you perform the jutsu correctly then you have officially graduated from the academy as a genin."
Now, I did say that I acted like a baka to hide my true face. But during that time of my life I was actually a clumsy idiot. Even though it still is hard to admit even as I speak, Sasuke could have easily wiped the floor with me back then. To say I was nervous about this jutsu test was a huge understatement. Especially since that bastard Mizuki was my instructor who I knew hated me like everyone in that village unlike Iruka-sensei.
In my group were Sasuke-teme, Hyuuga Hinata, Sakura-chan, Ino and I; the last two girls were practically drooling over the fact that Sasuke was in our group, who just ignored them as if they did not even exist to him. The jutsu Mizuki had decided for us to do was the one jutsu that I just could not master if it meant death. That damned Bushin no Jutsu. I noticed Mizuki smirked as he said the name of the jutsu. I swore under my breath as I moved to the back of the line by Hinata.
"Ano...g..g good l..l..luck, Na...Naruto-kun" A soft voice said to me. It was Hinata, the one girl who did not go crazy at the sight of that Sasuke-teme.
"You too, Hinata! Arigatou."
I noticed her face complexion turn a few shades redder but for some reason I could not understand why nor could I explain why she would stutter so much around me.
Kami-sama, I was so slow and dense back then. I'm almost grateful for what Mizuki did to me.
Unfortunately, everybody but me passed their genin exams that day. The Bushin I created, not to mention that it was only one and the requirement was three, looked as if someone had thrown him through a blender and then dragged him through a puddle of mud.
I sat on a swing outside of the academy yards where all the other newly instated 'shinobi' were with their parents celebrating their new status.
I could not figure out which I was more jealous of: the fact that they all succeeded in passing their genin exams and I failed it causing my dreams of becoming the Hokage to be forcefully taken away or... the painful truth that I had absolutely no one to comfort me or even scold me that I could consider family. That was one of the first days when I truly felt alone.
"Naruto, ne, Naruto, come here."
I looked around trying to find where the voice was coming from. I then looked behind the tree that supported my swing and there stood Mizuki. Confused, I walked over to him to see what was it he wanted this time.
"You have not failed just yet, Naruto." Those words quickly shifted my feelings from near suicidal to hopeful.
"How?!" I yelled with excitement. He looked around and shushed me.
"Now this special exam is the toughest and most dangerous. If you succeed you actually get skipped up to chuunin instead of genin. Are you sure want this mission?"
"You better believe I do! Dattebayo!"
At that moment I was almost willing to do anything to get a second chance to continue my dream.
" You are going to have to sneak into the Hokage tower at nightfall and 'borrow' the scroll of forbidden jutsu. Study it and bring it back to me. Then I will give you your own personal forehead protector, making you an official Konoha shinobi."
II
My excitement was on the verge of reaching the point where I could no longer contain it. Nightfall could not have come any quicker and getting the scroll was easy enough. It was not even guarded which really confused me at the time, but I really did not care since I had completed the first part of my task. I quickly dashed through the trees of the forest trying to find the area where Mizuki had told me to wait for him. I decided that now would be the perfect time to try and learn a few of these 'forbidden' jutsu. To my dismay, the very first jutsu was the one that I had suffer with all my life, but a more extreme and interesting version of it.
After about three to four hours of rigorous training to the point of exhaustion Iruka-sensei appeared.
"So this where you been Naruto. What do you think you doing?" He asked in his stern voice.
"Working on becoming an official ninja Iruka-sensei. Mizuki told me there was another way that I could become a ninja and even be promoted all the way the up to chuunin. I have already learned four of them!"
Iruka's look switched to one of utter shock and dismay. It was hard for him to believe that Mizuki had been the one to deceive me. I guess he already knew I would have not done this without someone telling me to.
"Mizuki told you to do this?"
"Yes I did, Iruka." Speaking of the devil, Mizuki landed on a very run-down shack near the end of the clearing. "Very good, Naruto, now hand me the scroll so I can promote you."
"No, Naruto! Do not hand him that scroll!"
Iruka-sensei walked over beside me and prepared himself for battle. This caused the expression on Mizuki's face to switch to a mask of utter anger and disbelief. Now I was completely confused with these new turn of events.
"Don't you want to get your revenge as well, Iruka? Why do you protect the very thing that killed your parents?"
Now that completely sent me into a whirl. My twelve year old mind went to overwork trying to figure out what he was talking about.
"Why don't you just kill the demon and join me, Iruka?"
That was the last straw as my curiosity wanted to know what he was talking about.
"Demon?" I asked.
"Yes, Naruto, you are the demon that attacked our village over twelve years ago. That is the very reason why all the villagers hate you."
"Do not listen to him, Naruto!" Iruka shouted as he stood in between me and Mizuki. Everything began to make sense to me at that time, why I was always alone and treated poorly. My emotions began to boil over as hot tears began to flow out of my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. At that time I honestly thought I was that demon.
"Do not listen to him, Naruto! Yes, you do have the Kyuubi sealed within you but you are not it. You are its jailer, a hero to this village. Now ru..."
Before Iruka-sensei could complete his sentence, Mizuki had launched several kunai at me, but Iruka-sensei leaped in front of me while still talking and fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. The closest thing I had to a father had just died before my eyes and I had just found out that I was a 'jailer' to a demon that almost destroyed the village that I wished to protect. Suddenly, a fiery rage began to build up from within me as I felt a second presence begging to be let out. Ripping at my very core to be set free, so 'it' could satisfy its thirst. The reaction caused a burst of chakra that I had never felt before and I tried to contain the beast. I decided that this would have to be best time to test out my new jutsu, one of the four I had manage to learn and the very first on the list.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" The forbidden jutsu allowed me to create well over sixty clones of me and we all began to gang up and pound on the shocked Mizuki, beating him almost to death.
"Wow, Naruto...well done."
I looked down and saw Iruka-sensei and leaped on him as I could no longer hold back my tears of happiness, causing him to groan in pain. I seriously thought he had died, so to see him move and speak again brought great relief.
"Congratulations, Naruto, you are officially a Ninja now."
He untied his forehead protector and placed it wobbly in my hands.
At that moment I did not care that I was made an official ninja. It did not even dawned on me until I woke the following morning. The only thing that mattered to me at that time was the fact that I had managed to save one of my precious people. That night was the first night that started a drastic change in me. That night was the first night I officially met her...