Date of Journal Entry: November 16, 052 P.K.S. (Post-Kyûubi Sealing); 0937hrs (Military Calendar)

Location: Fire Fortress Bravo (IUMF Base Installation); Brazen City, Federation of the United Ninja-States (Formerly Known As: The Elemental Nations Continent).

Captain Naruto Takani Research Log

Subject: Naruto Uzumaki, Vol. 1/Part 1

The SPIRE Prophecy: The Legends' Genesis

Preamble

Please know what you will read will be in a third person 'informed' (not limited) format. There will be many different sources here that have been compiled in chronological order to recreate a real and authentic account of past events in a story format for reading enjoyment. After gathering all information in existence, I have finally completed the first part of a literary work that is half-biography of one of the most influential people in history and his comrades, and half-fictionalized epic novel for your personal entertainment. As such, the world can now know of the one who saved it time after time. He was the man my parents named me after. And now we will start, at the very, very beginning.

Before The Apocalypse War …

The I.U.M.F. …

The Fourth Great Shinobi War…

The United Ninja Army…

The Siege of Pain…

The Akatsuki Incidents…

The Spring Generator Event…

The Sand-Sound Invasion…

The Defense of Hidden Waterfall Village…

The Reclamation of the Fallen City...

The War of the Waves…

The Skirmish on Kikyo Mountain...

The Birth of the U.T.C.…

And Many Other Events…

There Was a Child of Destiny.

A Hero…

A Unifier…

A Leader…

A Protector…

The Sentinel Prime…

And before even that, there was just an innocent little boy.

Key:

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Voice Filter"

"Radio-link"

\Telepathy Communication\

"Scrolls/Emphatic Speech/ Writing"

"SHOUTING/2 OR MORE PEOPLE CASTING THE SAME JUTSU"

"Great Beast/Greater Summon Speech"

'Great Beast/ Greater Summon Thought'

Scene Change/Flashback (End Flashback)

Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 1, Childhood of Torment May 17, 5 P.K.S. (Post-Kyûubi Sealing); Timeframe Between 2100hrs to 2300hrs Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village)

It was late in the night, and the full white moon hung ominously overhead, casting pale rays upon the ground. It illuminated many dark streets and alleys in the small ninja village known as Konoha. It was currently spring, so the nighttime air chilly, but not unbearably so. The faint breeze gave a gentle whisper to the darkness. And no matter how much frightened another would be, the young child enjoyed the environment he was in.

The night made him feel… somewhat safe. Maybe it was that the shadows hid him from sight. And the wind seemed to be a friend quietly talking to him, making its presence all the more soothing. Despite it all, he was still moving silently with the constant fear of being attacked at any moment. Since his eyes could adjust to light with incredible clarity, his uncanny vision made him able to see in low light areas. With years of experience, he nimbly made it his way through the back alleys of Konoha, maneuvering around the worst of the rubbish or rubble.

This was just another night in his life. Another night as Uzumaki Naruto, struggling to survive. He had spent years struggling, learning the 'do's and 'don't's of this village, he learned how to hide, and remain hidden for long periods of time, he learned how to move, and even how to fight. While useless against the ones with the vests and metal plates, he was able to sometimes able to use his surroundings in the streets to discourage the other ones from chasing him. The traps were basic but often very dirty, especially in the alleys. But the other ones were different; you wouldn't ever be able to tell if a weak-looking person was really one or not until it was too late.

Naruto was an orphan, never knowing neither his mother nor his father, and had no other family whatsoever. He was basically alone. There was only one person who he knew, but it wasn't on a personal level. Though the Hokage, leader of their village, tended to drop by to check on him, and was the one responsible for giving him a home in a simple apartment where he lived alone.

He suddenly heard something behind him. When he turned around, he saw four adults wearing black cloaks. There was no way he could outrun them or fight back. He stood still and waited for the inevitable pain, and sure enough, it began as he was attacked yet again. Naruto had lost consciousness within a minute of their assault.

"Hey!" came a voice from down the street. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" demanded an angry-looking man while walking swiftly towards them. It was quick, but the men shared a glance and disappeared as he drew close. "Oh… Kami-sama..." He whispered horrified as he looked down at the thoroughly mutilated boy. 'This isn't good! Massive hemorrhaging throughout the body, he's covered in lacerations, I think they also severed several of his vital arteries!' the man thought in controlled panic as he took off his light sweater. Acting quickly, he tore it apart thinking it was lucky that he had just cleaned it. Taking the rags, he used them as makeshift tourniquets and gauzes to slow what bleeding he could. 'The internal damage must be even worse. I need to get him to an ER fast!"

Several Minutes Later. The Konoha General Hospital Emergency Room, Konohagakure no Sato.

The man was quick to approach a nurse upon entering the building; the apparent sight of a bleeding child who was currently unrecognizable made it easier to get the boy taken care of fast. He was quickly directed to an operating room where a female doctor and a nurse began to treat the boy as the man moved to the wall. However, when the blood and grime on the boy's face was wiped away, the doctor recognized Naruto and stopped immediately.

The man could sense the tension in the air before the doctor took a step back from the child. "We don't treat its kind here." She said coldly, turning to the man.

"His kind?" the man repeated more coldly than the woman. "…Do you see this?" he said through gritted teeth, showing them a small cane. "I couldn't use this to get here because I needed both hands to carry the boy. So now, I'm exhausted, in excruciating pain, and now I'm told that you refuse to fulfill your oath as doctor when he is concerned. As a result, I am really cranky right now. Therefore if that is your final answer, I will beat you unconscious and when you wake up you will be in front of the head of the Torture and Interrogation Division of the ANBU Black Ops. That's a promise."

"What? On what grounds?" the doctor demanded indignantly.

"Such blatant abuse towards the Yondamine's Legacy and utter disrespect for his last wish. Your actions aren't just criminal, they're treasonous!" the man growled menacingly. "And treason towards the village, and the Yondamine of all people, is a capitol offense. So are you willing to reconsider, or will I have to resort to harsher methods?" he said gripping his cane.

"Sumi-san, let me handle this." Came voice n the doorway. The speaker revealed to be a man with jet-black hair closely cut, and brown eyes. He was wearing a doctor's clothing and glasses that did nothing to hide his glare. "You two go and check up on the workers who were injured in that gas explosion." He said calmly walking into the room, his eyes never leaving the other man.

"Um… sure, Shinryû-san." She said looking between the two. She noted as soon as they left, her co-worker closed and locked the door behind them at the back of her mind.

"Takará-san, never, ever threaten another person while you are within this building. Are we clear?" Shinryû asked sharply.

"Yes." Takará answered without hesitation as he watched the doctor tend to the boy. "I trust this isn't the first time this happened." He said coldly, his distaste of the treatment towards the boy still evident.

"Takará-san, you know I can't give you much details about that. However, how did the once assistant-head of the Research and Development Department find this boy, and at this late hour?" Shinryû asked, his voice and face portraying no emotion as he healed the boy using his medical jutsu.

Takará was quiet for a moment as he looked at the boy, before he let out a sigh. He seemed to slump over ever so slightly as if he was tired or depressed.

Shinryû looked up at the man and took in his appearance. Takará had graying brown hair, glasses, civilian clothing of jeans and a black t-shirt. He had never seen him in casual attire before. Shinryû knew the man enough to realize something was off.

"I've heard some rumors, ones that I could not forget." Takará said quietly looking down to the floor. "I wanted to see if the village was really this..." he trailed off since he wasn't sure how to finish his sentence.

"So you strolled in the late night looking for trouble? That's crazy, even for you." The doctor stated in a matter-of-factly tone. "He'll be fine, by the way." He added almost as an afterthought. "His physiology is quite remarkable. He body has superhuman durability and he can heal naturally at an unreal rate." 'The possibilities if it is his own body's doing, a side-effect of the sealing... This is an ideal soldier's gene. The incredible chakra, the resilience, the accelerated and advanced healing factor, and who knows what else, are all enviable abilities. It makes perfect sense why ROOT wanted to draft him. If this could be replicated, or reproduced as a bloodline than it could rival the Uchiha and Hyuuga bloodlines.

"Shinryû, do you think I could speak with the Hokage within a few hours?" Takará asked, looking pensive. Shinryû could see a gleam in his eyes that made him curious. He may not know how Takará's brain worked, but he could tell when it worked.

Shinryû somehow feeling excitement at what that look was. However it was promptly crushed when past memories came to him. "Gambáru Takará, just what are you thinking about?" Shinryû asked, using the man's full name to show he was serious.

"Well Shinryû, while they won't respect the last wish of Namikaze-dono, I definitely will." He said strongly. "Shinryû… he needs help." He said much quieter, sounding sad. It was obvious he was sympathetic to the boy. "And we can help him. We can help him be the best."

"Do you mean to tell me that you want to make him your lab rat?" Shinryû demanded suddenly seeing where this was going. "SLAYER was a complete failure! You spoke out against it yourself! You know first hand what happened to those poor miserable creatures that the SLAYER Project turned them into! So how could you wish to but him through that?"

"Shinryû, you know me, I would never do such a thing. But…" Takará trailed of when he suddenly grimaced. "Ow…" he mumbled, sitting down on the ground as he clutched his hip.

"I also know you enough to tell when that light goes on in your mind. Just what are you playing at, Takará-san?" Shinryû asked more forcefully then before.

"Seven or so years, right?" Takará asked as he mentally calculated the probability of the program being a success: then he recalled certain conversations in the past. And then he had an obvious answer: yes. "SLAYER was almost entirely ROOT controlled. We had very little influence, so with those fools who were all but warmongers in charge, it was obvious that the whole thing would be a waste of time, resources, and lives from the start. But we couldn't do anything. I am talking about something entirely different, remember that theory codename: SENTINEL?"

Shinryû narrowed his eyes and frowned. "That was basically an entire adjustment to the Academy's lessons, right? The whole thing trained them for combat… but not as shinobi. A soldier that can fight exceptionally well in small groups in skirmishes on missions and in open warfare between armies both."

"That's not all of it, but a it is a part of it. The Sentinel Program is possibly the ideal course for him. I have already finished the curriculum years ago, but I never got the chance to present it because of chaotic events that disorganized the village." Takará clarified.

Shinryû nodded to show he understood, the fox attack and the war with Kumo were very demanding for the medical staff. They didn't have time to review a training program, especially for one as radical and theoretical as that one. It was completely inconceivable.

"And under a year ago, these events mostly stopped. The Yondamine clearly encouraged me make an actual draft of the program before he died." Takará continued, "I think he would want us to do this, to protect and support his Legacy. Putting the boy in the Sentinel Program is only fitting." Takará explained, in a somewhat incoherent fashion. Shinryû could figure out the gist of it though, and was going to wait for more information before chose to support, or more likely, protest about it.

Shinryû also knew that the man's head was probably swimming from pain and exertion right now. Trying to get more information now would be just as vague and confusing as his words before. And by tomorrow, it would be redundant as well when they discussed it with the Hokage. 'Sentinel… one who has been given the duty to guard and protect something or a group of people. In this case, both: the village and its people.' He thought as he recalled the definition.

Shinryû turned to Naruto and looked down at him thoughtfully. 'You might be an even greater savior of this village then you were before …you already began to guard us and Konohagakure that hellish night.' "Alright I'll hear you out," Shinryû said in a resigned tone, "Tomorrow I will inform the Hokage of your presentation. We can discuss this… Sentinel Program then, and everyone in our old branch will be there. So if it's not good enough yet, tell me now before you waste everyone's time."

"It will be worth their while, some have actually waited a long time for this. I trust you can look after the boy, so with your permission, I will take my leave. I have to get up early to ensure everything is organized as best as possible before the meeting tomorrow." Takará said wearily as he rose to his feet with the aid of his simple brown cane. 'I should probably ask her to watch over Naruto in the morning... She'll look after him and might Tsu should have some of what I need, he 'll deliver positive results if I give him that-'

"Yes, Takará-san, you are dismissed." The doctor replied, breaking the man from his musings. "Have a good rest, we're all counting on you…" Shinryû said before hesitating. "…Boss." Takará froze in the doorway, not quite believing what he heard. "The second chance for our disbanded R&W branch relies on you now Takará-sama; just you and your work."

Takará thought he would never hear that from another R&W Department member, let alone from his own branch after they were dissolved and he had to resign. Someone had to go down for the results of Project SLAYER, or lack thereof. But was he now forgiven for his past failures? He couldn't let them all down twice; he'd never forgive himself. 'This has to work!' The man thought as he left. And he had the upmost resolve to make sure it did succeed, too much was at stake.