Twelve years ago, a nine-tailed fox and a ten-tailed wolf suddenly appeared in the Villiage Hidden in the Leaves. Their tails lashed out, smashing mountains and sending tidal waves crashing to the shores. They used their chakra of fire and ice in perfect harmony against the ninja who rose up to defend their village. The pair were angry and bloodthirsty for revenge for many unknown reasons.
"Hold the attack and wait for the Fourth Hokage!" one ninja ordered his comrades.
"They're getting closer!" another alerted them. "Don't let them near the village!" A giant toad with a pipe in his mouth appeared and faced off the two biju. On top of the toad was a single man.
One shinobi faced the two biju in mortal combat. He sacrificed his life to capture the two beasts and seal it in two human bodies. This ninja was known as the Fourth Hokage.
Two children were crying laying in the center of what looked like an altar of some kind. Candles surrounded them and two seals were on their bellies. They were the same, yet different at the same time, yet each held the beasts in the small children.
The Third Hokage watched as a nurse held a red-headed infant in her arms and stared down at the younger blond newborn. She looked up at him, wanting to be absolutely sure of his decision. He nodded at her and she placed the one-year-old next to her screaming brother. The red-head looked at the baby and moved herself closer to him and placed her small hand on his clenched fist. He smiled as the newborn calmed enough to finally open his big blue eyes and stare at his elder sister who stared at him with her own blue eyes. With that being seen, Sarutobi knew he'd keep the children together despite others saying it was a bad idea.
Twelve years later...
Naruto and I ran in the street, laughing and holding our paint cans. Naruto had his orange jacket tied around his waist revealing his black shirt underneath. I had paint on my purple top and black pants. My hair, which normally hung down to frame my face, was in a high ponytail to it wouldn't get messy with me and my baby brother's latest prank.
"Naruto, Akari, get back here!" One of the ninjas behind us ordered. "When I get my hands on you!"
"You've crossed the line this time, Naruto, Akari!" Naruto and I shared a grin before jumping up from the ground then from building to building to avoid getting caught.
"Give it up!" Naruto laughed at them. "You're just because you don't have the guts to do what we do!" The "line" we crossed was painting the faces of the Hokages on the mountain overlooking the village. "Do you? Losers!"
"Wannabes!" I called behind me. "You'll never catch us! Not in a million years!" We jumped back to the ground then back to the buildings before going back to where we were before and hiding behind a sheet that looked like the boards behind us. We saw the ninjas jump to the ground before following where we had been.
"Naruto! Akari!"
"Hold on!" We dropped the sheets and gave each other a high five at our escape.
"That was too easy," Naruto laughed rubbing the back of his head.
"I think they're getting dumber," I commented with a wide grin on my face as I laced my fingers behind my head under my ponytail.
"Oh yeah, Naruto? Akari?" We both jumped up, turned, and landed on our butts looking at Iruka-sensei.
"Where'd you come from, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him
"No, what are you two doing here?" Iruka-sensei asked us. "You're supposed to be in class."
"I'm at the end of my rope you two," Iruka-sensei scolded us. He'd tied us up and sat us in front of our class. I'd started class late so I'd be able to stay with my younger brother. Even failed the graduation a couple times to make sure we stayed together. "You both failed the graduation test last time and the time before that. Tomorrow you got another chance, and you're messing up again. Akari, your his older sister you're supposed to set a good example."
"Humph!" Naruto looked away from him in stubbornness and I sighed before falling back and laying down. Iruka-sensei glared at us in his annoyance before turning to look at the rest of our class.
"Fine! Because you two missed it, everyone will review the transformation jutsu!" The students groaned in annoyance and we all lined up.
"All right, Sakura here. Let's do it. Transform!" Sakura transformed into Iruka-sensei.
"You transformed into me. Good." Iruka-sensei made a note on his pad. I stood between Naruto and Shikamaru with my hands behind my head as I watched them. Out of everyone to pick to transform into, Sakura decided to be a brown-nose and transform into Iruka-sensei. I don't remember him saying we had to transform into him, not that I was really paying attention. Sakura undid the jutsu and cheered for herself.
"Yes! I did it! Yes!" She turned to the bluenette next to Naruto and blushed. "Sasuke, did you see that?"
"Next, Sasuke Uchiha." Sakura went to the end of the line and Sasuke stepped forward. Every girl had a crush on the broody clan heir that couldn't be bothered to even talk to the rest of us. Sasuke made the hand sign and transformed into Iruka-sensei. "Uh, good." Sasuke transformed back to himself and went to the end of the line.
"Next, Naruto Uzumaki."
"This is a total waste of time, Naruto," Shikamaru told him.
"We always pay for your screw ups," Ino added.
"Like I care," Naruto said moving forward. Naruto made the hand sign and bent low. "Transform!" He transformed into an older girl form of himself, smoke covering the private bits, and winked at Iruka-sensei. I hung my head and sighed as Iruka-sensei was thrown back with a major nosebleed.
"What the hell is that?" Shikamaru asked.
"Just don't look and you won't be scared," I told him before I could hear Naruto transform back to himself with a laugh.
"Gotcha! That's my sexy jutsu!" Naruto laughed.
"Cut the stupid tricks!" Iruka-sensei yelled at him. "This is your last warning!"
After school, our punishment was to clean the Hokage's faces.
"This sucks. Loser," Naruto mumbled.
"Just wipe it up," I told him as I scrubbed the stone face of the Fourth Hokage.
"You're not going home until you've cleaned off every single drop of paint," Iruka-sensei shouted down to us.
"So what?" Naruto called up to him. "It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for us!" I could feel Iruka-sensei's eyes watching us as we washed off the paint.
"Naruto? Akari?" he called down to us gently.
"What do you want now, sensei?" Naruto asked him angrily.
"Well, I was just thinking. Maybe after you clean this all up, I could take you out for some ramen. The good stuff. What do you think?" I could almost feel Naruto brighten as he stared up at our sensei.
"Huh?" Naruto asked excitedly. "Now that's some serious motivation! We'll have this clean in no time!"
That night, I sat next to Naruto who sat between Iruka-sensei and I as we ate dinner.
"Naruto, Akari," Iruka-sensei started saying.
"Hm?" we asked him.
"Why would you do that to the Hokage faces?" he asked us. "I mean, you know who the Hokage are, don't you?"
"Of course we do. Who doesn't?" I asked him.
"Everybody knows," Naruto added after he downed his ramen. "They were the greatest shinobi of their time, right? The best of the best. Undefeated ninja champs. And the Fourth Hokage's the one who saved the village from the nine-tailed fox and the ten-tailed wolf. He was the most amazing."
"Then why?" Iruka-sensei asked us.
"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them," Naruto told him. "Me. Naruto. The next Hokage. A ninja legend! Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting us and look up to us. Believe it!" Iruka-sensei just stared at Naruto as I stayed quiet.
"Then why did you do it, Akari?" he asked me and I just grinned at him.
"Because it seemed fun." I don't think Iruka-sensei believed me, but I didn't really care.
"Uh, by the way, I kind of want to ask a little favor, sensei," Naruto said pulling the attention from me.
"You want another bowl?" he asked Naruto knowingly.
"Uh-uh," Naruto denied. "I want to try on your headband," Naruto begged with his hands in front of his face. "Come on, please?"
"Oh, this?" Iruka-sensei asked gripping the metal of his headband between his finger as he grinned down at us. "No way. You can only wear the Leaf headband when you finally graduate from the Academy and become a ninja. You've got to pass the test tomorrow."
"That is so uncool!" Naruto told him and I laughed at him.
"Hey, is that why you took off your goggles?" Iruka-sensei asked him with a laugh.
"Uh," Naruto flustered for words.
"I want another bowl!" I demanded, saving my little brother from his own words.
The next morning, Naruto and I sat in class, on time for once, as Iruka-sensei told us what we had to do to graduate from the Academy.
"We will now start the final exam," Iruka-sensei told us. "When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the close jutsu." I flinched and looked at Naruto who had his hands dug in his hair. We'd stayed up all night practicing and studying every jutsu we could think the graduation exam would be over. But this was still Naruto's worst technique. I sighed before running my hands through my hair.
"Looks like I'm not graduating again," I mumbled.
"You know, you could have passed a long time ago and been out of here. What's the point of staying?" Shikamaru asked me and I just looked at him.
"You probably wouldn't understand," I told him leaning my head on the table in front of us. "You're too lazy and selfish."
"You're so annoying," he groaned and I just closed my eyes. I watched as Naruto walked out of the testing room angrily and I sighed. That told me all I'd needed to know.
"Akari Uzumaki." I rose from my seat and walked into the testing room. Sitting in front of me was Mizuki-sensei and Iruka-sensei. I made the hand sign and gathered up my chakra.
"Clone jutsu!" There was a poof of smoke and I looked beside me to see three clones each with different hair colors and skin colors. There was a tan, green-haired me, a dark, blue-haired me, and a pale, blonde me. "Whoops." I laced my fingers behind my head and shrugged.
"You fail!" Iruka-sensei yelled at me and I undid the jutsu before walking to the door.
"Akari." I turned to the two sensei and waited for them to speak. "Why did you do that? Why did you fail on purpose?" Iruka-sensei asked me.
"Iruka-sensei, why do you think she would fail on purpose?" Mizuki-sensei asked him. "She's attempted the graduation exam three times so you know she wants to be a ninja."
"Mizuki-sensei, you've seen her grades and her skills. You and I both know that she could have passed last year with the students in her age group, but she stayed behind," Iruka-sensei told him.
"Have you ever had someone that you wouldn't leave behind? No matter what it cost you?" I asked and they just watched me. "I won't leave him behind like the rest of you have." I walked out of the room and back to my seat. I glanced at Naruto who was looking at me curiously. I shook my head before placing it on the table in front of me.
After everyone had graduated, Naruto sat on the swing and watched the parents of our former classmates fawn over their new shinobi children under the watchful eyes of Iruka-sensei and the Hokage. I leaned on the tree and watched them with no emotion on my face. It was always like this, kids did something their parents could be proud of and we stood on the sidelines and watched them. Having no parents of our own, we'd never know the feeling.
"Why us?" Naruto asked quietly and I looked down at him sadly.
"Don't worry, Naruto. We'll graduate one day," I assured him. I moved to his side and wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him to me.
"There. Do you see them?" I heard one of the mothers ask. I glanced up to see two women staring at us.
"It's those kids. I heard they're the only ones who failed."
"Hmph. Well, it serves them right."
"Just imagine what would happen if they became ninjas. I mean, they're the kids who..." Naruto moved away from me and put his goggles back on his head where he'd planned to put his forehead protector.
"Shh. We're not allowed to talk about that." Naruto and I heard someone stand next to us and we looked up to see Mizuki-sensei.
We sat on the edge of a building overlooking the village with Mizuki-sensei next to us.
"Iruka-sensei's tough, but he's not against you two," Mizuki-sensei assured us.
"Then why?" Naruto asked him. "Why only us?"
"He wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you." I thought about Mizuki-sensei's words for a moment. "He's like you, you know? No parents, no family." I looked at Naruto and held his hand tightly. We had a family. We had each other, but sometimes I think he wanted more than that.
"But this time, we really wanted to graduate," Naruto mumbled.
"Then I guess I have to tell you," Mizuki-sensei chuckled.
"Tell us?" I asked him curiously. "Tell us what?"
"It's a secret, but I'm going to let you in on it."
After getting to the meeting place Mizuki-sensei told us we both sat down and opened the scroll.
"Let's see," I said reading the scroll. "The first technique is multi-shadow clone jutsu."
"Ugh, not this again!" Naruto cried out slapping his forehead with his hand and I laughed. "It's my worst jutsu!"
"Looks like you'll learn how to make clones or you don't graduate this year," I told him. "Shall we start?"
A couple of hours later, Naruto and I were sitting down panting the scroll was across his back. We looked up when we heard someone walk up to us.
"It's all over," Iruka-sensei chuckled and we grinned up at him with laughter of our own. "Huh?"
"Damn, only one jutsu," I said.
"Got us already." Naruto stood up before helping me up. "Not bad. You're quick, sensei. Akari's right, we only had time to learn one technique."
"Not the same one, of course. What would be the fun in that?" I asked him. Iruka-sensei just stared down at us in shock. "Listen Iruka-sensei. We're going to show you these amazing jutsu, and you're going to let us graduate." Naruto looked at me with an excited grin and I couldn't help but grin back at him.
"Then everything will be OK!" I agreed, looking back at Iruka-sensei. "That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from the scroll passes and becomes a shinobi."
"Huh?" Iruka-sensei asked, his eyes widening. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"Mizuki-sensei told us about it," Naruto told him happily, but something was off. "Believe it! Mizuki-sensei told us where to find the scroll and this place..." Naruto seemed to finally notice Iruka-sensei's shocked face.
"Did we do something wrong, Iruka-sensei?" I asked him worried and curious. Iruka-sensei suddenly looked behind him.
"Look out!" Iruka-sensei pushed the two of us out of the way before he was attacked by a barrage of kunai.
"I see you found our little hideaway." I followed the voice to stare at Mizuki-sensei in shock and fear.
"So that's the way it is, huh? I should've known." Iruka-sensei glared up at the silver-haired chunin.
"Naruto! Give me the scroll, now!" Mizuki-sensei ordered.
"Wait a minute," Naruto said, both of us still confused. "What's going on here?"
"Naruto, Akari, don't let Mizuki get the scroll!" Iruka-sensei ordered pulling a kunai out of his leg. "It contains forbidden jutsu that could put this village in great danger. Mizuki used you two to get the scroll for himself for his own power!" Did we really spend the last few hours learning forbidden jutsu?
"Naruto, Akari, Iruka's just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you two to have the scroll," Mizuki-sensei told us and I saw Naruto look at Iruka-sensei in shock. Iruka-sensei was the only person who ever treated us as normal kids. While everyone whispered about us like we couldn't hear them, Iruka-sensei actually acted like he'd cared about us.
"Stop lying Mizuki!" Iruka-sensei yelled at him before turning to us. "Don't let him trick you two!" Mizuki-sensei laughed down at us.
"Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying." Mizuki-sensei's words startled me.
"No, Mizuki!" Iruka-sensei looked scared and angry now. What was he so afraid of?
"They've been lying to the two of you your whole life, Naruto, Akari, since the decree 12 years ago."
"What decree?" Naruto asked, his face paler as I'm sure mine was.
"Everyone knows except you two. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up."
"What is this decree? Tell us!" I ordered him, my hands clenched. I didn't even notice when I broke the skin.
"Why does everyone else know about it?" Naruto asked him.
"Don't tell them! It's forbidden!"
"The decree is no one can tell you the nine-tailed fox and the ten-tailed wolf is inside the two of you." My eyes widened in surprise. "The fox and wolf spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your bodies. You are the nine-tailed fox and the ten-tailed wolf."
"Stop it!"
"They've all been sneaking around hiding things from you your whole lives. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated the two of you? Like dirt, like they hated you just for being alive!"
"No!" Naruto denied angrily, tears filling his eyes. "No, no, no, no!"
"You're lying!" I shouted holding back my own tears.
"Naruto! Akari!"
"That's why you will never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved sensei hates your guts!" Mizuki-sensei told us smirking. We never noticed him pulling one of the large shurikens from his back and spinning it. "Die, Naruto, Akari!" He threw the shuriken at us and I pushed Naruto.
"Get out of here!" I ordered. He fell on his ass and started crawling away. I got behind him and pushed him up so he could run away when Iruka-sensei called out to us.
"Naruto, Akari, get down!" We both fell to the ground, me covering Naruto, and waited for the stabbing pain. When I felt nothing, I opened my eyes and looked behind me. I stared at Iruka-sensei in shock and he shook and groaned in pain, blood falling from his mouth.
"Iruka...sensei..." I said slowly as blood fell on me and Naruto.
"Wh-Why?" Naruto asked him just as confused as I was.
"Because we're the same," Iruka-sensei told us. "When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn't have time for me. They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped. I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me and to know my name. My schoolwork wasn't good enough to get their attention, so I did crazy things. And then I had to pay for it. It was hard." Iruka-sensei's tears fell on us now as he told us his story. "I know that's how you feel, Naruto, Akari. You feel lonely and it hurts inside, and I could have been there for you more. I let you two down. I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer that much. No one should feel alone like that." Mizuki-sensei just laughed at Iruka's words.
"Don't make me laugh! Iruka always hated you! He was orphaned because the nine-tailed and ten-tailed wolf killed his parents, and those beasts are now inside the two of you!" Naruto looked back down at the ground. "He'd say anything to get the scroll from you." Naruto took off into the woods.
"Naruto!" Iruka-sensei called out.
"We weren't alone," I said quietly still looking up at Iruka-sensei. "We have each other." I took off after my baby brother.
"Akari!"
I watched Naruto stop and hide behind a tree before I sensed two others behind me. I quickly hide opposite Naruto right before Iruka-sensei crashed between us and skid along the ground. I saw Naruto skid to a stop in front of a tree, panting.
"It can't be," Iruka-sensei said as Naruto removed the scroll from his back. "How did you know? Naruto, how did you know?" A cloud of smoke covered Iruka-sensei and he became Mizuki-sensei. "That it was me, and not Iruka?" Naruto laughed before a cloud of smoke covered him and revealed Iruka-sensei.
"Because I'm Iruka."
"You're a fool," Mizuki-sensei told him. "Why are you protecting those freaks? Naruto is the fox and Akari is the wolf! They're the ones that wiped out your family."
"I don't care what you say," Iruka-sensei told him. "You're not getting your hands on that scroll." Is it true? Did Iruka-sensei really not care about us and only wanted the scroll? Did he hate us because of something we couldn't control? Because of something that was done to us?
"As if you could stop me. Don't you get it? Naruto and Akari are just like me."
"How's that?"
"They want the scroll for their own power and their own vengeance. That's how beasts are," Mizuki-sensei told him. "They'll pout all their rage into the scroll and destroy everything."
"You're right." I felt my heart break at Iruka-sensei's words. The one person who ever believed in us was lying. I don't know what was worse: pretending to like us or just ignoring us completely. I wrapped my arms around my knees and pulled them to my chest and laid my cheek on them. "That is how beasts are. But that's not who Naruto and Akari are." I gasped lightly as tears started to pool. "They're nothing like that. Naruto is one of a kind, works hard, out his whole heart into it. Akari has sacrificed her dreams to stay with her brother, making him feel like he wasn't alone, always pushing him to be his best. Sure they mess up sometimes, and everyone jumps them. But their suffering only makes them stronger. That's what separates them from being beasts. So you're wrong. They are nothing like the nine-tailed fox and the ten-tailed wolf. They're Akari and Naruto Uzumaki of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." I held my mouth over my hand to cover the sound of my crying.
"Hmph," I heard someone move and looked to see Iruka-sensei still on the ground. What was Mizuki-sensei doing? "You really believe that drivel? Iruka, I was going to save you for later, but I changed my mind. You're finished!" I heard the second large shuriken being spun and Mizuki-sensei attacking Iruka-sensei. I quickly moved from my spot and was joined by Naruto and we headbutted him away from Iruka-sensei, the shuriken thrown from his grasp. We skidded to a stop on the ground as Mizuki-sensei skid away from us. "Not bad, for little punks."
"If you ever lay a hand on our sensei," Naruto started telling him with a dark look in his eyes.
"We'll kill you!" I said angrily.
"Such big words. I can completely destroy you with a single move," Mizuki-sensei told us.
"Funny," I smirked. "I was just about to say the same thing," I said making a hand sign as Naruto did the same.
"Take your best shot, fool. We'll give it back to you a thousand fold!"
"Let's see you try!" Mizuki-sensei yelled at us. "Show me what you can do, nine-tailed fox and ten-tailed wolf!"
"Shadow close jutsu!"
"Clone jutsu!" Thousands of our clones surrounded Mizuki-sensei and I made the signs for the ram then the ox. "Ice style: ice sword!" each of my clones had an ice sword appear in their hands. Mizuki-sensei turned around and stared at all of us in confusion. "Wha... What is this?" Naruto and I called out to him multiple times as did all of our clones.
"If you're not coming,"
"Then we're going to come after you." Mizuki-sensei screamed in pain as we attacked him until he was unconscious.
By the time the sun was up, our clones were gone and Mizuki-sensei was beaten black and blue with cuts scattered on him.
"Sorry," Naruto chuckled rubbing the back of his head. "Looks like we kinda got carried away."
"Are you okay, Iruka-sensei," I asked him worriedly as I knelt in front of him.
"Yeah," Iruka-sensei told us and I sighed in relief. "Naruto, Akari, come here a minute. I've got something I want to give you." Naruto joined me at my side and we both stood up in front of him. "Close your eyes." We did as we were told. I heard him move around before I felt something on my head.
"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto asked him impatiently.
"Ok, you can open your eyes now." We did as we were told to see his headband gone. "Congratulations. You graduate." We stared up at him in surprise. "And to celebrate, I have a surprise. We're going out for ramen tonight." I smiled up at him in happiness. "Huh?"
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto and I tackled him to the ground in our happiness. We all talked and laughed before going back to the village.