I do not own Naruto.

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

Book I: Fire

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting." – Buddha

The eerie darkness surrounding the forest was only illuminated by the luminescent moonlight which peaked through the foliage of the trees, depicting shadows of ancient battles between warriors passed on the forest floor.

There, in the darkness, laid awake a warrior in the making. He had always suspected his former tutor of malevolent aspirations, although he was not surprised that it had come to this.

The man in question turned about and focused his vision on a lone figure that stood underneath the shade of a relatively large tree. I didn't even sense him!

The man clutched a hand on the scroll attached to his back defensively. He had come so far with this mission, he had no intentions of stopping now from attaining his goals of gaining the unlimited power he was promised.

"Who are you?" The man's snide tone tore through the cloth that was quite peace of the forest. "Show yourself or die where you stand!" He said in a tone so menacing, that had it been directed to him, he would have flinched.

His opponent did no such thing.

Instead the hidden figure started moving from the shadows to a slightly illuminated area of the forest floor. The only thing visible about the man – if he could be called that – was his bright blonde hair that turned platinum under the moonlight. Other than that, he was garbed in black shinobi attire.

"I had always suspected you of malevolent intents towards me, but so do the thousands of villagers wish the same." The figure started in a somewhat young but toneless voice. "But I never thought you'd actually betray the Village, Mizuki-sensei."

"This must be my lucky day." Mizuki, the man who stood in the clearing, began to laugh. "I get to steal the scroll and kill the demon brat too." His manic laughter caused him to fail to defend himself when the boy sped across the clearing.

Instead of an outright and advantageous attack, the boy appeared right in front of him with a blank face. That face alone shook the man out of his reverie. But what truly shocked him was when those cold, so very cold, eyes bled into a crimson red, with three tomoe swirling around an inner circle.

The tomoe started to spin faster and faster until he could feel the world darkening around him until he felt his body drop to the forest floor, hearing the last words muttered by his opponent.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan" The figure intoned. He then picked up the scroll, attached it safely to his back, and then tossed the man up his shoulder and made one-handed tiger seal and disappeared in a blur of speed.

Within the Village, there had been bustling shinobi activity for a few hours since the alerts had been set off.

The shinobi of the Village had assembled at the base of the Hokage Tower and had been issued commands by the Jōnin Commander. The infiltrator had had an accomplice.

The ANBU had been ordered to guard the inside of the Village, in case the true infiltrator was still within the Village walls.

The Jōnin and Chūnin had been deployed to search and apprehend the accomplice, the one who had fled with the scroll.

Throughout all this activity, the Sandaime Hokage stood at the top of his tower, one arm at his back, while the other held his smoking pipe to his mouth. Suddenly he felt a familiar chakra signature appear on the roof, right beside him.

"Naruto-kun. Did you manage to apprehend him?" Asked the Hokage glancing at the young man beside him. He noticed the body the boy was shouldering and realised immediately who it was.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I was right in suspecting Mizuki. I found him in the western forests, heading in the direction of Ta no Kuni." Said Naruto in a calm tone. "I suspect whoever he was working for is in that country."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." He received a nod in return. "A B-rank mission before graduating, I'm most impressed in you." The Hokage concluded with a smile, a proud gleam in his eyes as he glanced at the boy beside him.

"Thank you, Jiji." Naruto had a small smile on his tanned face. "I'll see you around." He said, placing the body and the scroll on the ground, before bowing then proceeding to leap off the rooftop.

"He's much like you sometimes, Jiraiya, don't you think?" Said the Hokage glancing at an empty spot near the railing. The area rippled and a tall man appeared.

"I still don't know how you do that, sensei." He said crossing his arms on his broad chest and a smile on his face.

The man was tall, very tall, even by shinobi standards. He was fair skinned, with a wart on the left side of his nose and waist length spiky white hair, usually tied in a ponytail, akin to a wild lion's mane with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. He also had two red lines which extended from under his eyes down to below his chin.

His attire consisted of a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which he wore mesh armour that is visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional geta and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. He also carried a large scroll on his back, and had a tattoo on his left palm, and he wore horned hitai-ate with a kanji for oil.

"You're still a thousand years early, my boy." Said the Hokage, his eyes crinkling upwards to show the humour he was feeling. "It's been a while. Welcome back."

"Thank you sensei. But I'm not just here on a trip this time." Said Jiraiya in a serious tone. The Sandaime nodded at him to continue. "I have information on the organisation Orochimaru joined some years ago. They are called the Akatsuki and it seems they are after jinchuriki."

"Meaning they are after Naruto and others like him." Said the Hokage getting a nod in return. "What more do you have on this organisation?"

"It consists of ten members, all S-ranked." The Hokage's eyes widened at the information. "And so far, the members I know of are Deidara the Mad Bomber, from Iwagakure no Sato, Hoshigaki Kisame the Monster of Kiri, one of the former Kiri no Shinobigatana no Shichinin Shū, and Uchiha Itachi." Jiraiya concluded grimly.

The Sandaime Hokage's eyes narrowed at the names of the listed shinobi. Shinobi this strong being under the leadership of one was preposterous. This was fairly troubling. His mind was made up.

"Jiraiya." The man straightened when the Sandaime started. "I think you should-" He was interrupted before

"I understand. I'll protect and train Naruto." Jiraiya said, his face and goal set in stone. "As I should have done his whole life." He whispered the last more to himself than his Sensei.

The Sandaime having heard the last part of his former students words, he sighed.

"But you have done well protecting him from the outside, Jiraiya, never forget that." He said softly, glancing towards Jiraiya. "Besides, I am the one who failed him more."

Jiraiya just looked at the Sandaime, then looked out towards the Village. Then he chuckled a throaty but bitter laugh.

"I suppose we both have another thing in common, Sensei." He said with a small smile.

There was a gathering at the Shinobi Academy. The previous day, there had been had been the annual graduation exam and twenty seven – half of the class – had graduated.

A third of this year's graduates were heirs of the most prominent clans of Konohagakure no Sato – including the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.

'They are all a bunch of irritating children at this point.' Came Naruto's vitriolic thought. Despite his association with them as a member of this class, they did not like him. Like being quite a stretch to their feelings towards him.

Naruto sighed. He pushed open the door that he had been staring at for quite a while. The moment he did, he flinched at the loud cacophony that attacked his sensitive hearing.

He started moving as fast and as quietly as he could up the stairs that led to his bench at the back row. Well, he would have had he not been stopped by one Inuzuka Kiba.

"What are you doing here dobe? This place isn't for losers like you." Said the wild looking boy. "And don't think that with your change of attire you've suddenly become a better shinobi than me." He said snidely with a ferocious smirk spreading on his marked face.

Looking down at at the commotion, the other students noticed what Kiba had pointed out. Gone was Naruto's burnt orange tracksuit. Now, his entirely black outfit made him unrecognisable to his peers. He wore a black zipped-up jacket with two grey stripes around the biceps and wrists. He also wore black pants, with one grey stripe on each side, that reached below his shins and black shinobi sandals.

The blue cloth of his hitai-ate had been changed to black. The hitai-ate held back his long spiky blonde hair and two bandages held the jaw-length bangs.

Naruto only stared up at the person standing in front of him and sighed. He had been trying to avoid altercation with anyone of his peers one last time but fate seemed to be against him. Again.

"Inuzuka, move." Those two cold words caused silence to breach into the loud classroom. "Or my hand just might slip this time." And everyone shivered at his words. Every. Single. One.

It was no secret within the Village that something had occurred some years ago – although what, was unknown – and it heavily involved the blonde boy. There had been a few people to lose their lives in that incident.

Kiba took a step back, slight fear evident on his face. His animalistic senses had always screamed ALPHA every time Naruto was in his perimeter. He had always tried to stand above Naruto to prove himself but he always failed. Dismally.

"Thank you." Naruto said calmly as he walked past the fearful boy and sat at his bench. The moment he looked outside, life returned to the classroom and the altercation had been forgotten.

Minutes later, their sensei – a man named Umino Iruka – walked into the classroom and began his speech. Despite the man's stereotype in the previous years, he had come to be the only fair tutor in the Academy towards Naruto.

The man began his speech about how the new generation of shinobi were always set to surpass the old, of how they should embody the Will of Fire, of how they were to protect the Village with their lives.

'He really is a good man and an even better teacher.' Naruto mused. Iruka, despite his lack of outstanding shinobi strengths, was quite possibly the best teacher there was in Konohagakure no Sato. He taught the Village's ideals with such perfect execution and sound reasoning. Truly, this man was to be feared when it came to being a teacher. Or leader.

Naruto's mind returned to him when Iruka had just finished announcing the members of Teams Seven and Eight. It seems Team Seven would consist of Uchiha, Haruno and Sai, and Team Eight, Inuzuka, Aburame Shino and Hyūga Hinata. The last two had always been the most neutral towards him.

"Team Ten will consist of Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. You will be led by Sarutobi Asuma." There was a loud complaining and an argument broke through between Haruno and Yamanaka until they were both silenced by a shout from Iruka.

"Be quiet!" Shouted Iruka from below. "You've both become kunoichi and it's high time you both act like them or you might lose your lives during your first missions." He said sternly, a frown etched on his face. Both girls looked slightly disheartened but said nothing else.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei asked that you meet him immediately at the Hokage Mountain." He said with a small frown. It hadn't been detailed about whom might teach his – secretly – favourite student.

"How come he gets a personal tutor while I'm left off with two losers." Said the toneless voice of Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura visibly deflated at his words but Sai showed no outward reaction.

Iruka bristled at the boy's words. "Genin." He said with emphasis. "It would do you well not to question Hokage-sama's orders." He said in a strong voice.

Sasuke tsk'ed and glared outside the window by his side. The tenseness in the atmosphere was almost palpable.

"Anyways." Iruka started after calming down. "May you make the Village proud and may the Will of Fire burn strongly in you." With that said, the door opened and Jōnin began filing in to collect their students.

In his bench, Naruto merely vanished.

Standing tall at the Hokage Mountain, Jiraiya overlooked the entirety of his home. The Village that he had given so – as it had taken – much for. His childhood, his friends and his students.

He sighed deeply as his mind ventured down the dark recesses of his mind. Despite the loses he had gained all in the name of the Village's wellbeing, it was still his home and he would not abandon it. Not like they did to it. To him.

His thoughts were interrupted when a figure appeared right next to him. He glanced down at the boy beside him. He sure has grown from the last time I saw him. He mused.

"Jiraiya-kyōfu. It's good to see you again." Naruto said in a toneless voice. "After all these years." He said, grounding out the last part.

Jiraiya, on his part, was greatly ashamed. He knew and he was mad.

"Naruto." He began, after taking a few breaths to steady his voice from breaking – from himself breaking down. "I know I can't apologise enough nor can I make up any excuses." He took in a deep breath, that was noticed by his shorter companion. "There's a reason why I'm here. There are people after you, people like you."

Naruto frowned and looked up at his godfather in slight trepidation. "What do you mean people like me?" He knew that whatever he was to be told would cause changes in his life. Jiraiya sighed.

"There's a group of S-ranked shinobi that are after people like you – jinchuriki. The power of a human sacrifice. Those who house the nine Bijū." The boy beside him gasped audibly. "You house the Kyūbi no Kitsune that attacked the Village twelve years ago."

Naruto's eyes had widened ever so slightly as Jiraiya informed him of his status. Is that why… his thought process was interrupted.

"No. I know what happened and that wasn't your fault. You know it too, Naruto." Jiraiya said sternly. "This group is one of the reasons why I've been away from the Village for so long. I've been tracking them down since Orochimaru joined them and it is only recently that their true intentions surfaced."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. So Jiraiya hadn't left him as he thought. That still didn't make it right but his godfather's actions were justified. As if reading his mind, Jiraiya responded.

"Yeah. I've been protecting you from the outside, just as Sensei tried his best on the inside." Jiraiya rubber his temple, a small smile stretching on his lips. "And now that I'm here, I'm not going to leave you again."

Naruto released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and chuckled. Jiraiya had – and always would – be family. Despite his abandonment of him at a young age, he hadn't truly done so. He had been doing his best to protect him.

"Whatever you say, Ero-sennin." Naruto said with a small smile adorning his whiskered face. Jiraiya's brow twitched slightly but eventually he just sighed defeatedly.

"Even after all these years…" He trailed off, a smile spreading into a small grin. "Well kid. We're starting with our training tomorrow at the crack of dawn and I'm going to make you a damn powerful shinobi. A shinobi far better than your father ever was." He said proudly, puffing out his chest with a wide grin of his face. Naruto let out a laugh at his godfather's antics.

"You really haven't changed, sensei." Naruto said with a smile.

'And I hope you never will.' Naruto said to himself.

From the top of the Hokage Tower, the Sandaime at two of his precious people. From where he was, he knew it wasn't by mistake that they stood on top of his late successor's rocky head.

'You would be proud of them, Minato.' He thought, while he noticed Naruto pull at Jiraiya's arm and proceeding to pull him over the edge of the cliff. 'I spoke too soon.' He chuckled as he saw the tiny speck of the ever stoic blonde boy spread his arms as wide as an eagle, before both master and student disappeared into the canopy of trees.

Genjutsu: Sharingan - By establishing eye contact with a target, the Sharingan user traps them within a genjutsu which can be exploited for one of various purposes, such as: causing instantaneous — but temporary — loss of consciousness or paralysis in the target, forceful extraction of information, relaying memories, removing genjutsu placed on the target by others, and controlling a target's actions.