Author's note!

Alright! This is my first chapter of my first ever Naruto fanfic. I've lurked around this site for a while, but I finally got around to making a profile so I can post this story!

Alright, WARNING! Sasuke annoys me, ergo expect the poo gods to dump on the arrogant bastard every now and again. I'll try to keep it under control though. In my opinion, excessive bashing is almost as annoying as emo kids and lol cats. For my opinion of Sakura and pre time skip Kakashi . . . well, reread the previous sentence and replace 'excessive bashing' with 'Sakura and Kakashi.' I must also admit that stupid people annoy me, as such Naruto in this fic will be ignorant but not stupid. The difference is subtle, but important.

Summary!

A pebble dropped in a pond creates ripples. One day Naruto happens to overhear a casual comment about Kiri's famous Seven Swordsmen and immediately decides that swords must be almost as cool as learning new jutsu.

Disclaimer!

I'm a Starving College Student, One Each. If you think I own Naruto, I have a bridge in New Mexico I'd like to sell you.

Naruto: Sage of the Broken Path

It was the day after Naruto's tenth birthday, and Naruto was feeling dejected. Most people, however, wouldn't have noticed. Between a loud voice and fox-like smiles it was amazing what people could miss. Still, for those that had actually bothered to get to know the short blonde, the difference was obvious.

Ayame watched the last of the lunch crowd leave before she met her surrogate little brother's eyes as he finished his seventh bowl of ramen. "Want to talk about it?" she asked softly, her left eyebrow lifting towards her hairline inquisitively and a gentle smile gracing her features.

Naruto hid a wince before giving a wide smile and reaching up to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh, it's nothing Ayame-chan," he said with the fake smile still on his face, "I just had to spend all morning cleaning up my apartment."

Ayame immediately felt her lips begin to turn into a frown before she clamped down on the expression. Naruto might not be the neatest person ever born, but she highly doubted that he'd ever need half a day to make his small home presentable. Which means, she thought viciously, that the villagers decided to vandalize the place last night. She bit back a sigh as the blonde dug into his eighth bowl of ramen. Life truly wasn't fair. An accident of birth, and he's doomed to be the village's whipping boy for life. If the poor kid had been born even a day later . . .

Ayame shook herself mentally as Naruto began to reach for his wallet to pay for his meal. "Not today, Naruto-kun," she said as he began to pull ryo notes from his 'gama-chan.' The undersized blond looked up at her, startled. It made her want to cry as she looked into his eyes and saw the fear in them. The poor kid was honestly expecting to be kicked out or assaulted! Days like this make me wish I was more like mom than dad. Her mother had been a chunin specializing in fuinjutsu before her death, and sometimes Ayame wished she'd had the chakra reserves to be admitted into Konoha's academy. It would be worth the trouble off being a ninja just to be able to beat the occasional idiot into intensive care at the hospital. "Did you really think I'd let you pay for your meal today? It's on the house; happy belated birthday, Naruto-kun."

The honest smile that slid across his features was well worth the cost of his meal in her humble opinion.

"Thanks, Ayame-chan!" Naruto said as he slipped off the stool and out through the curtain. Ayame managed to hide the tears in her eyes until after he left.

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For a moment Naruto struggled to keep from crying as he slipped out of the curtain and away from Ichiraku's Ramen. For a second I really thought . . . For just a second as he'd tried to pay for his meal he'd seen one of the villagers glaring down at him instead of Ayame. Quickly wiping the corners of his eyes he made his decision, I won't let them make me feel sad! I'll become Hokage and show them all!

His decision once more made, Naruto headed for his favorite and usually uninhabited training ground. Tripping and almost running into a well dressed woman that scowled at him before her nose shot into the air as she sneered at him. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her back before continuing on his self-appointed mission, entirely unaware that in almost every parallel dimension he hadn't been able to catch himself in time. In those dimensions, he spent the rest of the day running from the mob of villagers out for his blood. In this one . . .

Naruto ran as fast as he could through the village and out towards one of Konoha's most isolated training grounds expecting to have the place to himself when he arrived. While he was still a minute away he could tell that that particular hope was in vain. There was at least one other ninja training in his favorite spot. The explosions were a good clue.

For a moment, he was tempted to be annoyed. The pout had even started to form on his face before a thought struck him. Wait a minute, if there's a ninja training there . . . I might be able to learn a new jutsu from watching him! A smile immediately spread across his face as he considered being able to toss around massive fireballs or lightning bolts. Then Sakura-chan will definitely see that I'm better than Sasuke-teme!

Naruto stepped into the woods and hurried towards the clearing just ahead, utilizing every bit of stealth skill he'd gained from outrunning ANBU squads after his pranks to remain hidden. However, upon reaching his training ground he was disappointed.

A ninja wearing a chunin vest was picking himself up off the ground, the fight clearly over, "Damn, Shin, you've gotten a lot better in the last month," he said as he slid a short, straight-bladed sword into a sheathe on his back, "I thought I had you with that Shunshin combo, but you weren't fooled at all, were you?"

The black haired ninja across from him smiled briefly, "I've been training too, you know!" he said with exaggerated indignation, "as if I'd let someone like you beat me! You're not exactly one of the Seven Swordsmen, you know, Kaien," the apparent ninjutsu specialist teased.

The newly identified Kaien laughed, "I wish! One of the Seven Swordsmen could go through a team of Jounin like a kunai through butter!"

"No doubt," Shin agreed with a smile. "C'mon! I'm thirsty! Lets hit the bar already," he laughed, "and this month, you get to pay!"

Naruto, still hidden in the bushes at the edge of the clearing was frozen in thought. He'd never really thought about learning how to use a sword before. I always thought that ninjutsu was better. After all, fireballs were awesome! How could the bad guys fail to cower in fear of him if he could do something so totally cool? But the Chunin's words continued to bounce around in his thoughts, One of the Seven Swordsmen could go through a team of Jounin like a kunai through butter! Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts and smiled. "Alright! I've decided! I'll learn how to use a sword until I can beat all of the Seven Swordsmen at once!" he yelled out, "Then the villagers will have to make me Hokage! Believe it!" The wide grin stretched across his face for another moment as he envisioned seven men with swords begging him for mercy before a though occurred to him. "But I can't afford a sword with what the shops in town charge me for supplies!" he yelled again, his attitude doing a sudden 180. "Oh, man!"

Naruto turned away from the training field, disappointed and no longer in the mood to work out. "It was such a good idea too," he complained aloud. Kicking a stone in the path, Naruto started walking slowly back towards the village. Wandering aimlessly with a disappointed frown on his face, Naruto finally looked up to find that he'd made his way to the Hokage's tower. Suddenly, he brightened. Maybe the old man can help!

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The Third Hokage glared at his most irritating foe before massaging his wrist and picking up another sheet of paperwork with a grimace. If I have to deal with one more idiotic civilian trying to sneak a marriage contract for the Uchiha past me with a Genjutsu-

The door to his office crashing open interrupted his caravan of thought before he could build any real momentum. "Hey, old man!" a familiar blond yelled in greeting and the Hokage felt a smile form in response.

"Hello, Naruto, how can I help you today?" he asked, taking the excuse to set his paperwork aside for a while.

That question started a metaphorical deluge from Naruto. He related his decision to pursue Kenjutsu and then his subsequent realization that he couldn't afford a weapon with which to practice. By the end, Sarutobi was having a hard time keeping the smile off of his face. The entire series of events was somehow very uniquely Naruto. Finally, the young blond finished by asking, "What should I do, old man?"

For a moment, the Third Hokage stopped to think. Konoha wasn't well known for experts in Kenjutsu, but there were a few that might be interested in taking on an apprentice. The only problem was the boy's age and reputation. The elderly Hokage was trying to come up with a plan to convince one of them to teach the boy when he was struck by a sudden thought.

Quickly, Sarutobi got up from behind his desk and moved towards one of the many hidden compartments in his office. A quick set of hand seals deactivated the security seals and the compartment came open. "I'd almost forgotten about these things," he admitted aloud as Naruto followed along behind him, craning his neck to see what was in the secret compartment. "Before Uzugakure was destroyed, the Uzumaki clan was able to send some of their possessions and a part of the clan's library away to keep them safe in case the worst happened," Naruto's eyes shot open in what appeared to be surprise. This caused the third some confusion. "What's wrong Naruto? You seem surprised."

Naruto shot him a look, "Of course I'm surprised! I have a clan? And we even had a village named after us! Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded, looking hurt.

Sarutobi, in turn, blinked in sudden surprise. "You should have heard all about them in your history classes in the academy. I-" the Third Hokage cut off suddenly and seemed almost to fold in on himself. "Of course. It seems that I'll have to have a . . . discussion with some of the teachers at the academy," after all, if they weren't teaching one thing accurately just to spite Naruto, how many other things were being taught poorly or not at all? Did it never occur to the fools that they were stabbing an entire class in the foot just to spite one boy? "It seems I will have to fill in the blanks your Academy instructors have left in your education. Yes, there was a village named after your clan. Uzugakure was led by the Uzumaki clan since its founding. Your clan specialized in Fuinjutsu. Though because of their proximity to Kirigakure they were well above average in Kenjutsu as well. They were also known for their bloodline which-"

"You mean I have a bloodline too!" Naruto interrupted, jumping to his feet before a quelling glare from the Hokage made him cover his mouth and sit back down.

"Indeed you do. The Uzumaki clan possessed greater than normal chakra reserves and an unusually dense life force," the Hokage explained. seeing Naruto's expression of confusion he elaborated, "This means that you will probably live to be even older than I am now."

"But you're ancient, old man! You're saying I could be even older than you?"

Feeling somewhat insulted, Sarutobi nonetheless smiled in amusement. "Just so, Naruto," he said, then shook his head in irritation at the never-to-be-sufficiently-damned Academy instructors. "I took your lack of comment about your clan and bloodline as disinterest. I suppose I should have known better," he said as he once again began sifting through the rather disorganized compartment. "All of this will be yours anyway when you reach sixteen years of age or become a Chounin, but I suppose I can release some of this to you earlier than that," he said with a smile as he finally found what he was looking for.

Sarutobi smiled as Naruto's eyes shot open wide at what he pulled out of the wall. "That's for me?" Naruto squeaked looking at the beautiful sword in the Hokage's hand. He reached for it, but Sarutobi lifted it out of reach, much to Naruto's disappointment.

"First, you must promise me that you will not treat this blade as a toy, Naruto," he said severely. "This is a battle-ready weapon and you could hurt or kill yourself or someone else with this if you do not treat it with respect," Naruto immediately sobered, for once reading the seriousness of the situation correctly.

"Alright, old man, I promise."

Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction before handing the weapon to Naruto and passing along four scrolls that had been bundled with the weapon. "This blade would have been used by your mother if she had possessed a desire to learn Kenjutsu, use it well, Naruto."

It warmed the old Hokage's heart to see the look of happiness and gratitude in Naruto's eyes. "Thanks a bunch, old ma-" he hesitated for just a moment, "I mean, Hokage-sama," he said with a very respectful bow, tears forming in his eyes, "This means a lot to me."

He seemed surprised when Sarutobi grasped him by his shoulders and drew him into a hug. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

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It was all Naruto could do to get the door of his apartment unlocked. His hands were shaking so badly in anticipation that he almost dropped his key twice before he could get it into the lock. Finally, he succeeded in opening the door and rushed to drop the scrolls off on his table.

For several moments all he did was look at the sword in his hands. The scabbard was coated with a lacquer a deep blue color so dark it was almost black with a pattern of spirals and waves done in an equally dark red. The Tsuka was wrapped in dark blue silk and what appeared to be some sort of rough leather. All in all, the weapon was beautiful. Naruto reached out, intending to draw the blade, but hesitated before his hand could touch its hilt, the promise he'd given the Hokage briefly replaying itself in his memory.

Regretfully, he placed the sword aside before opening the first of the scrolls that had come with the blade and began to read.

"To whoever is reading this message," he read aloud, "If you aren't an Uzumaki, throw the scroll as hard as you can and run in the opposite direction. Our clan does not tolerate thieves," Naruto blinked at the scroll a couple of times before noting a seal just below the statement he'd just read. "A security seal?" he asked aloud, scratching the back of his head all the while.

"Why didn't they just put one of those blood seal things on it so-" a thought cut him off in mid sentence. Wait, the old man said they sent my mom these scrolls during a war. Naruto bit his lip; pieces of an explanation were flitting around his head like butterflies, but they wouldn't quite come together. He pursed his lips before continuing to read, this time silently.

'If you're still reading instead of fleeing for your life, then I'll assume that you are the intended recipient. Kushina, I apologize for the lethality of the seal placed on this document, but I could not be certain that it would not be intercepted before it came into your hands. I pray that we will be able to hold until Konoha can arrive to provide assistance to us, but I doubt that such a thing will be possible. It seems we have done our work too well. No less than three other villages have allied against us and struck preemptively to destroy us before we could call to our allies for support. I'm afraid they are likely to succeed.

'With that belief in mind, I have sent you as much of our archives as I could on such short notice along with the messenger seeking aid from Konoha. I pray you will make good use of them if what I fear comes to pass.

'The last object, though is likely the one that will bring you the most sorrow. Your grandfather's blade, Akisame, is sealed along with the scrolls I sent you. I wish I had been able to tell you in person, but that would likely have been impossible in any case. It was only his skill, and the courage of the team he led that allowed our clan and our village this slim chance of survival. Hopefully, this missive is premature, but I doubt that greatly. If things go as I expect, know this. All our love goes with you Kushina-chan. It was my greatest joy to be your father.

The letter was unsigned, but that made sense. His mother had doubtless known who it was from. For a few moments he let his mind wander, imagining what his life might have been like if he'd grown up as a member of a respected clan instead of a barely-tolerated orphan before his natural good temper kicked back in. The last thing I want is to act like Sasuke-teme. Naturally, his eyes shifted to the sword on the table and he couldn't help but to reach out and trace one of the spirals on the sheathe.

He was tempted to move straight to the sword, but resisted manfully as he opened the second scroll. This one too had a familiar seal at the top, though it did not give any warning to the person that opened it. Unrolling more of the scroll, Naruto arrived at the title and smiled widely as he read it. "The Uzumaki clan hi/kenjutsu. The Honorable Sword of the Roaring Tides," Naruto was practically giddy. "My clan even had their own secret sword style? Awesome!" he yelled literally bouncing in the chair. It was all he could do not to start in on the scroll immediately before another thought occurred to him. What if there's something even more awesome in the other two scrolls?

Immediately the blonde opened the next scroll. For a moment, he wilted a bit thinking it was a copy of the previous one before he noticed the words 'intermediate level' tacked onto the end of the description. "Alright!" he yelled in excitement. There must be a lot of awesome techniques on these! I'll be an amazing swordsman in no time! He thought before moving on to the final scroll. It was when he read that title, though, that he truly began to salivate.

"The Honorable Sword of the Roaring Tides: Supplementary Ninjutsu Archive," he read aloud, his voice rising in pitch so that the last word was little more than a squeak. It's a whole scroll of ninjutsu and sword techniques that work together! "Amazing!" he managed to say before the urge to grab the sword and start training conquered his restraint. He was about to carelessly grab the sword and run off before he again remembered his promise to the old man and calmed down.

Cautiously picking the weapon up he again looked at it and spoke, "So, your name is Autumn Rain, huh?" for several more moments, Naruto simply traced the patterns before carefully drawing the blade from its sheathe. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at the wavelike pattern of the steel that would, in another world, be called Damascene.

Beautiful. It was the only word that did the sword justice. It was different than the weapon the ninja he'd observed earlier had used. For one, it was curved where the other's blade had been straight. For another . . . It's long. Naruto realized, Too long, in fact. He laid the blade along the scabbard, and just as he'd expected, it was a good two inches longer than its sheathe.

Naruto stared in shock. "That's not possible," he stated accusingly as he pointed to a sword that even he knew was breaking the laws of Physics. Experimentally, he sheathed the sword again just to be certain that it had, in fact, fit. When it once again slid into the sheathe right up to the Tsuba, Naruto just sat and stared for nearly a full minute.

However, not even a weapon that refused to obey natural laws could dampen the blonde's spirits for long. Instead, Naruto made a mental note to ask the old man Hokage about it the next time he saw him and immediately made for his favorite training field. I'll prove I have what it takes to be Hokage one day. Believe it!

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Terminology

Tsuka: the part of the sword where one's hand goes (the 'rough leather' referenced in the story is actually stingray skin, but I wouldn't expect Naruto to know that)

Akisame: As is stated above it translates as autumn rain. This fits better with actual Japanese tradition (in which swords were rarely named) as opposed to Hollywood stories(in which every sword ever made has a name and glowy super powers of Epic Awesome)

Tsuba: The part of the sword that keeps another swordsman from lopping one's fingers off aka the handguard.

Alright! The first chapter of my first posted fic! Please take the time to tell me how I can improve! I can use all the help I can get .

Until next time,

Shaydewalker