Now, I know that people have already been waiting for the next chapter of Naruto: Different Upraising, Different Life for a while, but I became recently very inspired with this new idea. Recently, it was Spike TV's Kun-Fu action week, which started off with the classic Bruce Lee movie, Enter the Dragon. Thinking about Naruto as an anime, it's predominantly a Japanese culture, obviously. So, I thought, to further accentuate Naruto as an outcast in his world, why not portray him as a martial artist? Ninja who rely on only Taijutsu are rare: the Hyuuga and Rock Lee are the only ones who really can pull it off. And the Hyuuga have their Ninjutsu-esque abilities, so they're iffy. Now, I hope I can portray Naruto correctly in this capacity.
I am going to be using mostly English for terms that people would normally name in Japanese. Namely Jutsu. Taijutsu styles sound so much cooler when said in English. I will be keeping a choice few, like chakra, Kyuubi, Bijuu, and honorifics. But don't be disappointed when you aren't having trouble figuring out what the techniques mean. ;)
For the people reading my other piece of work, don't worry. I'm half way through the chapter, just having a writers block. Expect it within the next few weeks.
Warning for readers: I replaced Hokage with the literal English translation, 'Fire Shadow'. Bear with me. If I get enough complaints, I will change it back to Hokage.
Also, I don't own Naruto. I just use it as proverbial molding clay to make my sculptures.
"Talking"
"Thinking" "Inhuman/Ultra Evil" Enter the KyuubiChapter 1.0
A long time ago, in a country wreathed in flame, a true warrior was born. He was created out of the ashes of the powerful Bijuu, the demon fox Kyuubi. It was rumored to have the most power out of all the other Bijuu, even rumored to have limitless youkai. It was so potent that when it came to the village hidden in the leaves, it sent all of its resources to confront it. Many of its talented shinobi perished just in an attempt to slow its advance towards the proud village. They could do nothing to stop it.
But, their greatest warrior finally stepped in. The Fire Shadow of the village, its first and foremost shinobi put his life on the line to save the village he cared so much for. However, whether the stories of the Kyuubi having limitless youkai are true or not, he was not able to defeat it. Instead, taking from the teachings of his old sensei, the great Frog Hermit, he sealed the being into a baby boy. This sealing cost him his life.
However, just before the last vestiges of his soul were ripped from his broken body he made one wish. His final will, as told to the previous Fire Shadow, who came out of retirement after his death, was that none of the children of Konoha would know of the dark secret harbored within that boy's body. This child would have enough trouble for holding the Demon in, and he should be treated as a hero. After he dictated his will, the glow faded from his eyes, and the fourth Fire Shadow passed from this world to the next.
Naruto Uzumaki, the blond newborn who had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, was placed into a local orphanage as a ward of the state. The mewling baby cried itself to sleep. Born into a world that used him as no more than a container, this young one would show the world what he could really do.
Chapter 1.2
"Once more!" The old man called out sternly. His young blonde pupil slumped slightly against a training pole. The sweat was running like a river from his brow, rolling over his eyes, and across his strangely whiskered cheeks. Wiping the sweat from his face, the boy nodded.
"Hai!" The young boy cried out. Straightening up, he slid into a solid stance facing the training pole, and began to strike the outcroppings. At first, it was slow and unsure, his hands trembling from hours of practice. However, as the adrenaline flushed his body once more, the fatigue withdrew, and he sped up, striking out at the training pole with a flurry of blows.
"Stop!" The man called. The blonde immediately complied, and turned towards his teacher. "Naruto-kun, that's enough practice for today. Go in, and ask Rinoka whether dinner's ready." Naruto nodded.
"Hai, Osamu." His pupil said. "But what about the orphanage? Karin-obaa will beat me if-" Osamu cut his student off before he could even finish his sentence.
"I'll talk to Karin-san about that" Osamu assured Naruto. "Anyways, Rinoka is a better cook than those people at the orphanage. You need to get a good meal once in a while, you know. Now, go on. I'll clean up here." The nine-year-old blonde nodded and ran out of the training room, the padding of his feet slowly fading away. Osamu smiled as he wiped the sweat off the floor and the training pole. Putting the rag away in the supply closet, he turned off the lights in the training room.
Chapter 1.3
In fact, Osamu had been correct about how much better Rinoka was at cooking food than the workers at the orphanage. She prepared steamed barbeque pork dumplings, steamed vegetables fresh from the market, and some delicious fried rice. At the orphanage, Naruto would have probably been given some bread, some cheese, and some water for dinner.
The three quickly sat down and all called out "Itadakimasu!" Before digging into the food. Naruto scarfed down as much of the food as he could without choking on it. The first time Rinoka and Osamu had seen him do this, they were surprised, but that was so long ago. Now, they just laugh kindheartedly at his enthusiasm for the food.
A little while into the chow down, Rinoka asks, "So, how was your practice today, Naruto?" The Uzumaki stopped inhaling his food, and immediately gulped down what was left in his mouth.
"It was great!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. "I think that I'm going to start beating Osamu pretty soon!"
"Yeah, right!" Osamu exclaimed cheerily. All three of them had a good laugh at the blonde boy's antics. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyed, he beamed. "Naruto is making great progress. I bet that by the time he gets admitted into the academy, he'll have foundation done. From there, he'll have no trouble working on his academy studies. I bet that he'll be the most talented student in the academy."
"Really?" Naruto asked, not expecting that he would actually be doing that well. "I mean, my birthday is next week. And week after that, the next semester starts. Do you really think I'll finish the basics by then?"
"No, you'll never finish the basics." Osamu told his enthusiastic protégé "You don't finish the basics until the day you die. But, by then, you'll have a comfortable enough grasp upon the basics that I won't have to worry about you ever forgetting about the technique." Naruto smiled at his words. He was so glad that he was finally getting somewhere.
Chapter 1.4
He has spent the first five years of his life in the orphanage. There, they made him work all the time, mostly cleaning the place. Karin, the old lady who ran the place, would beat him when she was sober. Luckily, most of the time, she wasn't. When Karin was passed out after drinking too much sake, the children would go out into the streets and play. But, they wouldn't play with Naruto. Karin treated him especially bad, and the others didn't want that to happen to them.
So, he spent that time wandering around the village. Wherever he went, people yelled at him, cursed at him. Sometimes, some of the drunks would get out of the sake bars and chase him. But still, it was better than being in that evil old orphanage, he reasoned.
Eventually, Naruto stumbled upon a place where the adults didn't yell at him or pick on him. To him, this was heaven. The foreign quarter of Konoha was where he would spend most of his time, wandering the streets, basking in the absence of hate. And that was how he met Osamu.
Now, even though the foreign quarter was nice to him, there were still some mean drunks in the sake bars. One day, Naruto was passing one of these sake bars, mostly populated by western immigrants, when three of them stumble out into the road, right in front of Naruto. They turned their drunken eyes towards him, leering while cracking their knuckles. The blonde orphan cowered back and closed his eyes, waiting for the hits to land. But they never came.
Before they could even think of hitting Naruto, an old man appeared out of nowhere, putting himself between the drunks and the boy. Growling, the three attacked, but still the man immediately dispatched them with his taijutsu skill. The three drunks stumbled away from the man, fear evident in their hazy eyes. Afterwards, the man left without a word.
Naruto was very impressed with the man's skills. So impressed that he followed the man home. Even though he was wearing an orange jumpsuit, the man didn't notice Naruto following him. Once he found out where the man lived, he began to beg the man, who was named Osamu, to teach him how to fight. Eventually he took the boy in, offering to train him in the ways of Taijutsu.
Naruto would tell Osamu about how badly people in other parts of Konoha would shun him. The blonde would tell Osamu about how bad it made him. Through articulating his frustration, Naruto figured out that he wanted them to respect him. When he thought of it, he realized that the person people admired most was the Fire Shadow. So, Naruto became determined to become a ninja, and make people acknowledge him. Osamu just smiled at his energetic outbursts of determination, and continued to teach the boy Taijutsu.
Now, that had been almost five years ago, and the young Uzumaki had changed so much. Quickly ditching the jumpsuit, Osamu gave him a white, sleeveless gi with orange trim, and the Konoha symbol in orange on the back. To protect his hands from all the rigors of practice, he also gave his pupil orange and black leather gloves. Going up his arms and legs was bandages, protecting his extremities from outside threats.
Every day he trained on the basics with Osamu, going through a rigorous physical regimen. The training was solely one on one. Even though Osamu had been a wealthy instructor far to the west, he gave that up a long time ago to move to Konoha to retire in peace. However, Naruto's determination brought him out of retirement once more to help the child. He didn't begrudge his decision, though. It was much easier than running a full dojo, and it was nice to have such a nice kid running around the place.
After dinner, Osamu took Naruto back to the orphanage. Luckily, the old lady, Karin, was still passed out on the floor, so Naruto just snuck in without waking her up. Chuckling to himself, Osamu left the dank orphanage to return to his home. Things were about to change for the young Uzumaki, and they would bring his true greatness out.
Chapter 1.5
The two weeks before his admittance to the Konoha ninja academy flew by. Naruto was glad that he was so determined to get in; he kept on begging 'Gramps,' the current Fire Shadow residing over the village hidden on the leaves. Eventually, the old man bowed to the blonde's desires, and signed him up on a free scholarship. Ninja academies were expensive, as the training talent was expensive.
Knowing that Karin wouldn't get him anything for entering the academy, Naruto spent the day before buying new clothes for the academy. He couldn't exactly show up to school barefoot in his gi. The two settled on standard navy blue ninja pants and sandals, along with an orange sleeveless shirt. The clothes felt similar enough to his gi, that the two were confident that it wouldn't impede him using his taijutsu skills.
However, they weren't one hundred percent sure that it would work, to Osamu and Naruto had a quick practice section to make sure. In the end, the two decided that he should still wear the gloves, in case he actually needed to fight. After the practice, Naruto stayed for dinner like he had done countless times before. In the kitchen, Naruto noticed in the house were many boxes, and the shelves were empty, but he didn't think much of it. After dinner, Osamu took Naruto out into the back yard.
"Naruto." Osamu said, requesting the attention of his pupil. "You have done well, learning the basics of Taijutsu." Naruto basked in the praise of his sensei. "However, we have come to a new stage of your life. You have decided to become a ninja. And, as I think you know, ninja have different responsibilities."
Naruto cocked his head, the confusion apparent upon his face. "What are you saying, sensei? I don't get it."
"Well," Naruto's teacher started, "Taijutsu warriors are about perfecting the art of hand to hand combat. A true master is formed from spending his entire life learning, and taking his life experiences into developing his skills. This usually means that a taijutsu warrior lets his direct training take a back seat to learn of other fighting styles to adapt into his basic style."
"Are you saying I should stop practicing with you, Osamu-sensei?" Naruto asked, a slight tremor of fear in his tone.
"Yes, Naruto." Osamu told Naruto "I am getting old, and I cannot teach you much longer. However, your journey on the path of life is just beginning. I think that you need to learn your own way through life. I have shown you the first few steps along the path of being a martial artist, but you long for taking the path of a Ninja. Now, these paths collide countless times, along with many others, but I believe that you need to train in the ways of a ninja. You have your heart set on becoming the Fire Shadow, and that means you have to be a capable ninja."
"But I want to become strong in the ways of taijutsu!" The blonde cried out. "There's still so much I can learn from you, and I want to learn it all!"
"You can still become a great taijutsu master," Osamu assured him. "It's just more important now that you learn how to be a ninja first. Many great ninja were taijutsu specialists. But they took their ninja training as their first priority, and that's how they became great ninja. I have faith in you. You can become the Fire Shadow if you set yourself on the task. But that means committing to be a ninja. Once you've finished the academy, then you can start your true journey. Just remember, your education comes first.
Also, more importantly, I have to go back to my home country. My son was injured badly, and he needs me to be there for him. We're not sure if he'll make it, so I might even have to attend a funeral. After then, I'll probably be too old to make the trip to return here. I'll take up the rest of my retirement there."
Naruto began sobbing heavily, bringing his arms up to his face, hiding his watery eyes from Osamu. "But… but… I don't want you to leave here, Osamu! You've been so nice to me! If I have to stay in the orphanage full time, I'll die! It's so horrible there!"
Osamu smiled sadly at his student. "You can still come and visit whenever you want." He assured his student, rubbing the blonde's back paternally. "And, if you're worried about having to go back to the orphanage, I think I have a good surprise for you."
Naruto wiped the salty tears from his face, looking up at his teacher with his pink eyes. "What… what does that mean?" He asked, the tremors still prevalent in his voice. Osamu smiled warmly at Naruto.
"Well, I went and talked to the Fire Shadow for you," Osamu told him, "And he had you removed from the orphanage. Since you're a ward of Konoha, he was able to sign an independence form. You're no longer required to live in the orphanage. Isn't that great!"
"Really?" Naruto asked, a smile beginning of form on his face. "I… I don't have to go back to Karin-obaa? Thank you so much, Osamu-sensei!"
"That's not all." Osamu said. "Also, since I have to go back home, I won't be living here anymore. I would sell it, but I won't really need the money when I get back home. Also, you need somewhere to live. So, I decided that I want to hand over the deed to you. The place is yours to keep. I've even left all my taijutsu scrolls here. I don't need them where I'm going, so I thought that you would like them along with the house."
Naruto just sat there, his mouth agape. In fact, it probably was so open that a good-sized squirrel could fit in there without him noticing. But after a second, Naruto jumped up from his seat, letting out loud whoops of joy. For quite a while, the young blonde pranced around the yard, yelling at the top of his lungs to thank the kami. As soon as he was done, he collapsed in front of Osamu.
"Do you really mean that?" Naruto asked. Even though he had physically exhausted himself, the energy was still in my voice. "Not only I don't have to live in the orphanage anymore, but you're letting me live here? This is more home to me than anywhere else. Giving the house to me means almost a much as all the training you gave me! Thank you so much!"
"Think nothing of it." Osamu told Naruto. "I would do almost anything for you. In fact, through all the years, I don't think that I have had a pupil I've liked as much as you. You're so energetic and enthusiastic, yet you never give up. Those traits give you more potential than any of my other students. I just wish that I could see your training all the way through."
Chapter 1.6
The two just sat there, gazing up at the stars for a long time. They stared up at the heavens until the ten-year-old blonde boy fell asleep. At this point, Osamu took Naruto, and placed him in his new bed. Rinoka came in and stood by her husband.
"Did you tell him?" She asked softly. "We must leave soon. Before the convoy heads out."
"Yes, I told him." Osamu said. "I just wish we didn't have to leave so suddenly. It seems like we're dumping so much stuff on him. It's been five years, yet he's still a child. I don't know if he'll be able to handle himself without us."
Rinoka nodded "Don't worry, he'll be fine." And with that, the two turned out of the room, away from their life in Konoha, Naruto, everything that they had invested in their stay there. Now it was time for Naruto to succeed or fail. But they weren't truly worried about the little boy they had brought up. Something just told them that everything would turn out all right for the blonde. Uzumaki Naruto was destined for greatness, and there was nothing that he would let get in his way.
Author's Notes
Once again, I apologize to all my readers for Naruto: Different Upraising, Different Life. I'm planning a trilogy for that, and I hope that I am able to complete it. But right now, it's stopped in its tracks. I have major writer's block. However, if I ever finish the chapter, (I'm not completely sure how long the writer's block will last for that chapter will last. That's why I started another fic) you'll all thank me for the great genius of it. Just kidding. It probably will be horrible and you will all hate me for taking so long on it. Anyways, back to this story.
If you guys want me to continue this, please review on it. Showing interest makes me interested in working on whatever it is. The more replies I get, the more prompt I reply. Also, on the whole Fire Shadow deal, if you want me to go back and change Fire Shadow to Hokage, I will. It's just that Fire Shadow sounds a heck of a lot cooler to me than Hokage. That, and everyone says Hokage. I like to break the mold if I can.
For pairings, I'm no good, but I was thinking NaruHina. I'm not a shipper, but the other fic is going to be NaruIno, and I want a change. Also, It makes sense to pair up two taijutsu specialists, don't you think? So, that's it for now. I'll probably have a new chapter up this weekend. I have no life. Tootles!
- PhilosopherofthePen