Hello y'all, and welcome to my first Naruto Fic! I know that I've been quite tardy on my other works, but life has been busy, and I want to pump out as many ideas as I can so even if I lose the creative flow once, I can just continue it later. New chapters of Arcs of the Moon and A Fairytale of His Own are nearing completion, so be on the lookout for those in a while.
One more thing before I start is that this story is a Gamer Fic, although this one is closer to the traditional Gamer, as opposed to A Fairytale of His Own, that we all know and have a love-hate relationship with. To be honest, in the Naruto-verse, a Gamer isn't really that much out of place compared to the ridiculousness of some characters if balanced right, and I sure will try to do just that.
Now that I've spoken my mind, lets get on with the story.
Chapter 1 - Initialisation
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, the Professor, and the Third Kami of Shinobi, had many things that he regretted over his long tenure in the world of the living. He regretted not being able to predict his student Orochimaru's fall to the darkness, his inability to execute the man when he had the chance, not being able to save his successor or his wife the night of the fateful Kyuubi rampage, and above all, not being able to assure a normal childhood for their son, the current jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, to name a couple.
However, all of them seemed to take a back seat as his latest and almost undoubtedly prominent regret rose to the surface; not being able to defeat his worst enemy; paperwork.
He honestly had no idea whatsoever how his counterparts in the other Hidden Villages were able to vanquish such a foe; one that couldn't be bested with any jutsu, one that couldn't be put down with any amount of violence or weaponry, and one that continuously grew. He honestly thought about torching the offending sheets with an S-ranked fire jutsu multiple times, but realised it wouldn't do any good; because paperwork had the unnatural ability to replicate itself on a scale that even an experienced practitioner of the Bushin couldn't hope to match.
He bit back a curse as a Chunin brought yet another stack of paperwork towards his desk, causing him to hold back a whimper as his teeth clenched on his pipe, which was luckily stocked with enough nicotine to get him through the rest of the day. His pain must have shown on his grizzled face, because the Chunin smiled apologetically when he placed the papers on top of the mountain already on his desk. He could also feel that the ANBU currently stationed in his office were both smiling beneath their masks. Lucky black ops bastards. Didn't have to do squat when it came to the mundane tasks of life. Those were usually thrown to the Genin, Chunin, or in this case, him.
As the Chunin left to take care of his other responsibilities, the Hokage picked up one of the sheets, which was a petition for, and he couldn't believe his eyes, Konoha to begin importing Darjeeling from Cha no Kuni, he wished that something major would come up so that he could hightail it and leave the damn sheets of misery in the dust.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on one's perspective, his wish came true. The misfortune probably came from the fact that his relief came at the cost of somebody else.
"Jiji!", cried a young voice as the owner barrelled through the door to his office, causing the ANBU to stiffen and take their combat stances before they recognised the oh so powerful intruder; a seven year old child all too familiar to those in the village of Konoha, especially the ANBU corps and the Hokage himself. Not all of them saw that in a bad way though.
Sarutobi began to smile at his surrogate grandson, the legacy of his successor, when he registered Naruto Uzumaki's face. His blood ran cold when he saw the blonde boy in tears, his blue eyes rimmed with red and his form trembling. His clothes, which were a shade of orange that could kill the well trained eye and provide absolutely no increment to stealth, were dirty and ragged, as if he had been in a scuffle. In a second he closed the space between them and enveloped the jinchuuriki in a hug, and within seconds, his statement forgotten, Naruto slipped into unconsciousness, falling against him. Gently lowering him into a seat, the Hokage was about to instruct the ANBU present to find out what the hell had put him in that state when one of his other Chunin burst in with nearly the same urgency.
"Kurenai, I hope your arrival heralds some explanation to Naruto-kun's state?", he said sharply, on high alert after bearing witness to the boy's condition.
Kurenai Yuhi, rapidly becoming known as the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha, wasted no time in getting to the matter at hand, her fists clenched in anger, although she calmed herself and spoke in an even but urgent tone, as one can't freely speak to the Hokage in an official setting without some semblance of authority.
"Hokage-sama, he was attacked in broad daylight.", she said rapidly, causing Sarutobi's heart to skip a beat.
"Attacked?", he repeated somewhat dumbly, while his mind whirled through the possibilities. Unfortunately, it was common knowledge to the villagers of Konoha where exactly the orange fuzzy beast that ravaged their town and destroyed their families now resided, and despite his best efforts, Sarutobi couldn't keep the villagers from taking out their hatred and misery on Naruto, who was obviously innocent of any of the crimes committed by his... tenant, in a matter of speaking. Despite the laws he had put in place to prevent knowledge of Naruto's jinchuuriki status from getting out to the newest generation, the people still found ways to get back at him for the crimes the Kyuubi committed. After all, Sarutobi reflected bitterly, it was much easier to take out their anger on an innocent, defenceless child than a mountain-sized killer fox. He had been ostracised from practically everyone, overpriced for even the most basic of resources if he wasn't outright kicked out of an establishment, and parent's kept their kids from having any sort of contact with him, and those were only a few of the non-violent methods.
As for the violent ones, many 'accidents' seemed to take place around Naruto. Produce carts would somehow begin rolling down hills towards him, bricks would fall from random ledges, and people would 'misplace' their shurikens. And the topic of shurikens led obviously to the vengeful shinobi that outright attacked him under the cover of darkness or by luring him away. In fact, after a 'stray' Grand Fireball Jutsu nearly immolated Naruto and his only friend in the Konoha orphanage a few years ago, the latest in a series of the all too familiar 'accidents', Sarutobi had seen fit to move him to an apartment complex where he could be easily monitored and kept safe.
And of course these were only the domestic threats to Naruto's life. If Iwa had somehow figured out who Naruto's father was, Sarutobi knew that there wouldn't be a waking moment without an Iwa shinobi attempting to assassinate him. And of course, his ever present jinchuuriki status painted a target on his back, as there would be no end to the people who wanted the power of the infamous Kyuubi no Yoko, his old student Orochimaru being one of the most prominent.
Of course, the ANBU that Sarutobi had posted to guard Naruto after the final incident in the orphanage managed to prevent such attempts, usually before the boy even noticed something wrong, but it was saddening to the ageing Kage that people could hold that much hatred in their hearts, and even risk their own lives just to strike a blow at the demon that they believed Naruto to be, without even realising that if they killed Naruto, they would just be freeing the Kyuubi, as it would just regenerate elsewhere as good as new after a couple years, owing to the fact that Bijuu were not mortal in the same sense humans were.
But all of that took the back seat as Sarutobi, due to the experience throughout his long life, knew when to reflect on such issues and when to act. Which is why he immediately stowed his thoughts away as the kunoichi before him continued with her impromptu report.
"A drunkard.", said the red-eyed woman, wrinkling her nose with distaste. "Uzumaki-san merely bumped into him, and he went homicidal. Tenzo was nearby and detained him, but not before the man could launch a strike with his knife."
The Sandaime Hokage narrowed his eyes. "Naruto-kun is fine, physically at least...", he said, wondering why Kurenai had seen fit to draw attention to the fact that the perpetrator had managed to get in a blow of his own.
Kurenai's eyes dipped for a moment before they met his own again. "That's just the thing, Hokage-sama... Uzumaki-san is fine because Genji-san took the hit for him. He was critically injured by the blow, and I delivered him to the hospital. Uzumaki-san came straight to you first. He was shaken by the ordeal. And I don't blame him... I would have reported in sooner, but I did not want to risk using the Shunshin and further aggravating Genji-san's injuries."
"Hence how Naruto reached me before you.", said Sarutobi, his face hard and grim. "Anything else to report, Kurenai?"
"Only one, Hokage-sama.", said Kurenai, getting to what she felt was probably the most important part of the whole ordeal. "On the way to the hospital, I ran into Yuriko-san."
"One of the orphanage workers.", remembered the Hokage. And the only reason he had even remembered this particular piece of information was because the teenage Iryonin was one of the only people to treat Naruto like a normal child. It had been her plea, after all, that got him to move Naruto out of the orphanage, because she feared she could no longer protect the boy as she was under pressure from her peers and they were resorting to using shinobi against him, and while she was a rather skilled Iryonin, Yuriko hated violence and hence wasn't trained in the other shinobi arts, only opting to learn medical ninjutsu.
"Yes. And when I informed her of what led to Genji-san's plight, she involuntarily spoke two words."
"And those were?", said Sarutobi, having a bad feeling he knew exactly what those two words were.
"Not again."
Sarutobi cursed under his breath. "Thank you Kurenai, I will look into this matter myself. Please make sure the man responsible for this is secured. You are dismissed."
Kurenai bowed in respect and exited his office, and the Hokage let out a sigh, setting his pipe down on the table. A snap of his fingers and the two ANBU responsible for his immediate well-being moved from their respective positions, standing at attention. He noticed one of them, bearing a cat mask, was radiating a small amount killer intent, while another with a dog-like mask was radiating a cold aura.
"Neko-san, please alert Inoichi-san that his services are required and meet me at the hospital.", he commanded calmly.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!", said the ANBU quickly removing herself from their presence to heed his instructions.
"As for you, Inu, I would very much appreciate it if you sent Naruto to me once he awakens. He will undoubtedly wish to see Genji-kun when he wakes up."
"Of course, Hokage-sama.", said Inu, his trade-mark lazy tone somewhat subdued.
Sarutobi Shunshined out of his office, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Inu looked at his temporary charge, whose stricken expression hadn't changed from when he had barged into the office.
"I'm sorry sensei.", he murmured softly, his eyes never leaving the blonde boy, momentarily replacing him with someone close to his heart. "It looks like another has taken up the role I was too much of a coward to take... and is paying the price for his courage..."
The Hokage marched into the front lobby of the hospital with a tall Jounin by his side, both their expressions grim. This new man wore a regular Konoha jounin outfit, with a heavy green long-sleeved shirt and a loose red cloth vest layered over the flak vest being the only variations present. The Konoha hitai-ate was displayed on his forehead with clear pride, and he had his long dirty-blonde hair tied up into a pony tail. His pale blue eyes shown with equal parts determination, disgust, and worry.
The receptionist gasped and stood to greet them with a nervous expression, but a stern hand gesture from the Third showed that no such greeting was necessary. Knowing which floor and room Genji had been taken to before-hand, the Hokage led his companion there, finding Neko waiting by the door as he had instructed her.
He strode in, as the room was undefended and not out of the ordinary in the least, which wasn't surprising considering the person he was here to see was no one of importance. In the material sense, anyway.
All three let out a pained gasp at the patient's condition. The white-haired boy known as Genji was lying on his bed, hooked up to an IV and various other life support devices. Yuriko, a young woman in her early twenties with black hair and brown eyes, was the only one present, staring sadly at her ward's current state, holding the unconscious boy's hand.
She stood up abruptly, wiping her eyes, when the Hokage and his two escorts came in, somewhat shocked.
The Third calmed her before she could begin the long list of pleasantries that were quite literally designed to eat away time.
"What is his condition?", asked Sarutobi, striding forward to take a look from himself, and flinching when he saw the normally small and frail boy look even tinier in the light of his injuries, his bandages demarcating a massive slash wound that seemed to start from his right shoulder and end at his heart. Yet another failure on his part, he thought miserably.
Genji, by many definitions, was a nobody. An orphan who had surfaced a little over a year after the Kyuubi attack ravaged Konoha, born to unknown parents. He had no political or material worth whatsoever. But the Third disagreed, as did the select few who knew the true reason why Genji was important. Because he was Naruto's only friend. No one knew how the two had made or what kindled their friendship, but Sarutobi did know that Naruto and Genji cared about each other deeply, almost to the point where one would have believed they were brothers.
And that was the reason why he lay on this hospital bed now. The Hokage didn't need the jounin he had brought with him to know that Genji had probably acted in defence of his surrogate brother, and landed himself here.
A surge of affection rose in the old Hokage as he beheld the boy that had against all odds made friends with the village pariah and remained the only shoulder the boy could lean on with the exception of Sarutobi's. And it was at that moment that Hiruzen's subconscious superimposed Genji's image with another, and the Third bit back a gasp as he realised that he had most likely discovered something extremely important. He felt like kicking himself; how had he not seen the resemblance before? Of course, the boy was only six, but there was no way he could have missed something like that without being exceptionally stupid.
He felt his companions flinch behind him as they too got a closer look, Neko's killing intent becoming somewhat noticeable.
"He's suffered a lot of internal damage, Hokage-sama.", said Yuriko quietly. "His injuries have been healed, and by all means he should be fine, because he was immediately given a blood transfusion, but the slash seems to have damaged his chakra coils, and I think he'll be comatose until his body can repair the damage done to them."
"Yuriko-san, you have done enough.", said Sarutobi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I was informed you've been working on him for a few hours now. You should get some rest, your chakra reserves seem to be depleted."
"H-hai Hokage-sama.", she said shakily, wanting to protest, but giving up and leaving the room after kissing Genji's forehead. She really did need to rest. She was physically and mentally exhausted.
There was silence for a few moments when Yuriko exited the room. The Third snapped his fingers, and Neko immediately set to putting up several security seals around the room.
After they were all placed and activated, Sarutobi spoke.
"Yamanaka Inoichi, what happens in this room from here on out does not leave these walls without my permission. Is that understood?"
The now identified head of the Yamanaka clan, one of the top experts in mind arts, nodded, his expression more grim than it had been in a long time.
"You might be wondering why I've called you here, Inoichi-san, so allow me to clear that up. Genji-kun is now here, near death, after taking a physical blow meant for Naruto Uzumaki."
Inoichi's eyes widened before he clenched his fists in anger. Now things were beginning to make sense. He had been horrified to learn that a child around the same age has his daughter was attacked in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses and suffered a critical wound, but this put a completely new perspective to the matter. The man had always seen Naruto as a human being, both trusting the Yondaime Hokage's work with the seal that kept the Kyuubi at bay, as well as his own techniques, having delved into Naruto's mind on the Hokage's request once before just to make sure that Naruto wasn't being tormented by the demon fox. And he had proudly given the all clear; the Bijuu was not influencing Naruto in any way. He had sensed it in Naruto's mindscape, but it was far away from Naruto's consciousness, and the jounin was sure that Naruto wasn't going to meet the Kyuubi any time soon.
"I can't believe it.", he spat, his killing intent rising briefly. "I knew Konoha was vindictive but this is taking things too far!"
"And if recent information is to be trusted," agreed the Third. "Then this isn't the first time either. I fear something is going on without my knowledge in regards to this manner, so I summoned you in order to examine Genji-kun's memories and find out if my theory has any merit."
Inoichi nodded. How could he protest? Here was a boy, willing to do what he couldn't, due to the constraints of politics. Of course, he and many of the clan leaders knew that there was no way that Naruto's seal could be shoddy or dysfunctional. It had been prepared by the Fourth Hokage and subsequently examined by both Sarutobi himself and Jiraiya of the Sannin, undoubtedly the best fuinjutsu practitioner in the world. When they had caught wind of the treatment he was getting, they had tried to adopt him, only to be stopped by the Village Council, who pushed them away with the excuse that 'possession' of the jinchuuriki would give far too much power to a single clan, and used the political red tape to shut them down. Of course the shinobi corps were a plausible option, but many of them also couldn't see past the Kyuubi, and sticking Naruto with a trained killer that had a grudge against him was a clear no-no.
Inoichi himself had seen the two children going around cheerfully himself, ignoring the hateful glares of the villagers, a sight that both warmed his heart and made him want to gut the townspeople with his kunai. That was why he was originally worried when he heard that Genji was the one who was injured; in a way, he felt somewhat the white-haired boy was buying them time to find a way to tear apart the political barriers that kept them from helping Naruto. Hearing that he had taken it for Naruto in a situation he could picture all too well increased his fury and sorrow considerably.
"I will get to it immediately, Hokage-sama.", said Inoichi, taking Yuriko's former seat and immediately, wasting no time, delving into the comatose boy's mind.
"T-this is ridiculous.", said Neko, and the Third turned to see that she had taken off her mask, revealing a beautiful woman with purple hair whose eyes were locked firmly on the process taking place before them.
"Indeed it is, Yugao.", said the Hokage, turning his gaze to the two as well. "And that is why I will make sure nothing of the sort ever happens again.
They both turned when the door opened, and Inu walked into the room.
"I left a clone with Naruto, Hokage-sama.", said the dog-masked ANBU, removing it, and behind the mask of Inu lay a man with one lazy-looking eye, the other being covered by a small black eye-patch designed to fit inside his ANBU mask. A dark blue spandex face-mask covered the bottom half of his face all the way to his nose.
"Forgive me, but this matter has become somewhat... personal.", said Kakashi Hatake. "Genji-kun's injuries are a testament to my failure, and I've realised that I owe him a debt for looking after sensei's son in my place."
Short and simple, yet the words carried a huge weight, especially since Kakashi's tone was deadly serious, without any of the humorous tint his voice usually bore.
"Understood.", said the Third, smiling to himself. A motivated Kakashi was a thing of beauty, after all. "However, there is still time till Inoichi is finished, and there's something else I require you to do..."
"Oh?", said Kakashi, raising an eyebrow, and even Yugao looked curiously at the Hokage. "And what would that be, Hokage-sama?"
"Call it a hunch, Kakashi..."
[One Hour Later]
Inoichi blinked awake as he removed a hand from Genji's immobile body. His forehead was caked in sweat, and he was breathing heavily. The Hokage, Kakashi, and Yugao looked up at this movement, and they were surprised to see the blonde jounin shoot up from his seat, his body trembling with rage and sorrow.
"How dare they...", he growled out quietly before exploding, much like the calm before the storm.
"THOSE BASTARDS! HOW DARE THEY!", he roared before slamming a fist on a nearby wall, causing it to crack slightly. Afterwards, he worked to regain control and managed to calm himself down somewhat.
The three spectators were stunned to see the normally calm and composed clan head to fly off the handle like that. They unanimously decided to give him a minute more to calm down.
"Did you see anything notable?", asked Hiruzen after what felt like an eternity of tense silence. It sounded stupid, even to him, considering the blonde man's reaction to whatever he found in Genji's head, but he needed to get the ball rolling somehow.
"Anything notable? ANYTHING NOTABLE?! THE KID'S MIND IS A F****** HELLHOLE!", roared Inoichi, losing his composure again as he grit his teeth, trying to regain some of that lost calmness.
"What did you see, Inoichi?", asked Yugao, horrified by the man's behaviour, asking the question as Kakashi and the Third were frozen in shock, dread crawling over them. They had seen him enter the minds of some of the worst and messed up missing-nin to walk the earth, and not once had they seen him react like this. It was frightening, to say in the least.
"What didn't I see?", he spat sarcastically before taking a couple deep breaths and seating himself. "But what I saw in there... we need to discuss this privately. Hokage-sama, the situation is much worse than we suspected. And I've found something even more disturbing, but completely unrelated to the issue."
"Much worse...?", said Yugao, looking sadly at the stricken patient, observing the rising and falling of his chest with gentle eyes. "How much worse?"
"Enough to make the treatment Uzumaki-san gets seem like a Kage's wedding."
All three listeners flinched, giving Inoichi their unwavering attention. Yugao seemed to be trembling with rage, while Hiruzen's face was ashen and Kakashi's eye was closed.
"I trust this area is secure for the information that we are about to receive?", asked the Hokage sharply, causing Yugao to nod.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. The seals put into place were only a step down from the ones placed for your own office's privacy. Nothing will leak out."
Kakashi nodded, and turned his eye back to Inoichi's pale face.
"The first thing you should know is that I wasn't done examining his memories.", said Inoichi, causing all of them to stare at him in surprise. But this didn't prepare them for the shock that came next.
"He threw me out of his head."
Only the Hokage's presence kept Kakashi and Yugao from audibly expressing their shock, but they stiffened anyway, and for once in his life, Kakashi was giving his full and undivided attention.
"Explain.", said Hiruzen, although his tone carried an incredulous air.
Inoichi shook his head. "It's like I said Hokage-sama; Genji-kun's mind overrode any modifications I tried to make to his memories and threw me out. This hasn't happened since I was a mere Genin learning the technique, and yet somehow, a mentally degraded six year old resisted me. In fact, if his mental health was at least at average level, I can confidently say that the Yamanaka clan techniques would be practically useless against him."
Their shock grew.
"That is definitely something that should be looked into... but what did you discover in the memories that you saw?", said the Third, reeling from the discovery that a master of the mental arts got booted by a wounded, somewhat mentally unhealthy child. Not to mention worry. Inoichi was not a man known for exaggerating, and as his occupation demanded, needed to be precise with the facts he was dealing with. So that begged the question that Hiruzen wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to; what set Inoichi off so much that he would resort to open cursing?
"You see, Hokage-sama, with Naruto, the people could only project their hatred by isolation, insults, and scorn. They would throw him out of their establishments, overprice any and all commodities, keep their children away from him, treat him like he doesn't exist, the like. They couldn't harm him physically, because as he got older they realised that any physical damage done to Naruto might release the Kyuubi or at least drive him to tap into its power and kill them. Not to mention the fact that the ANBU were looking out for his safety, and any violence against him would be met with swift execution."
It was Yugao who caught onto what Inoichi was implying, and her face was marred by horror as she understood the full weight of what Inoichi had uncovered.
"But Genji-kun doesn't have anything like that."
"Exactly.", said Inoichi, confirming their mounting fears.
"He was beaten nearly every day, underfed to the point of near starvation, Physically and Mentally tortured in ways even Ibiki hasn't discovered yet.", he continued bitterly, causing Kakashi to focus his gaze on the wall as he tried to bore a hole through it with the force of his glare. Yugao was beginning to tear up by this point, her clenched fists shaking.
"He's had almost no exposure to human kindness, and his mind has degraded to the point where he practically believes that it is his role in life to get abused by others. He would have ended his own life a long time ago if it weren't for three people; Naruto, who he sees as an older brother, Yuriko, who he sees as an older sister, and you, Hokage-sama, who he sees as a grandfather. The thought that his death might affect you and make you sad is the only reason why he hasn't seen fit to seek it. From his memories, I've found out that Yuriko was the only one to know of his plight, and healed him up every night, being an accomplished iryonin in her own right, but was unable to help him due to being under pressure by the rest of the orphanage staff. In fact, the only food he even gets in a day is anything that Yuriko sneaks him. This hasn't reached your attention as Genji believes that your duties as Hokage and the business that comes with it are far more important than his own troubles, and feels something along the same line with Naruto as well."
There was pin drop silence, which was broken by a massive surge of killing intent created by the cumulative effect of all three listeners, and was enough to make the wounded Genji stir uncomfortably on his bed.
Hiruzen was mortified. He had no idea that Genji held him in such high regard. He barely had any interaction with the child, mostly a few sentences and a present or two he threw in due to him being Naruto's only companion. And the level of maturity he possessed for one so young... was what was seemingly leading to his own demise. The sense of failure he had begun to feel was only multiplies, and would only increase further if his suspicion about Genji was right. It made sense, though; with almost no exposure to kindness, he would latch on to even the smallest of gestures.
"Why him?", said Kakashi, his eye hard and unwavering. "There's no reason for him to be going through something like this; he isn't even a jinchuuriki!"
"A few years ago, Naruto was fed up of his treatment and was about to try and run away from Konoha, believing that nobody wanted him around, giving into his depression. Genji convinced him to stay, and promised Naruto that he would always be there for him, even is he had to stand against the world to do it. However, this scene wasn't unnoticed, and needless to say, Genji-kun's suffered for his kindness.", said Inoichi curtly, still shaken by the experience he had inside Genji's mind. No child should have a mindscape so degraded that they didn't even believe in their own existence.
"The villagers blamed him as the reason that Konoha still had its 'demon', and unanimously decided to make his life a living hell. And they succeeded, if his psyche is any indication. And from what I can tell due to his memories, Yuriko feared that if this was reported that they would resort to even worse methods of suppressing him and would keep her away from him, so she kept quiet, especially at his insistence. He isn't with Naruto and Yuriko all the time, however, and whenever he isn't he either gets beaten to the ground or spends his time among the animals of the forest, and eventually developed an ability to communicate with almost any living creature, similar to how the Izunukas can understand their ninken's speech."
"And one last thing; when Naruto and him were attacked by that man today, the people were cheering.", finished Inoichi, gritting his teeth.
"Hokage-sama, this is unacceptable!", yelled Yugao, tears spilling as she squeezed the fallen child's hand. "Nothing could be done about the scorn and isolation, but you cannot let the people get away with this!"
"I agree.", said Kakashi, his voice trembling with an undercurrent of rage, and feeling even more like a coward than he had at the Hokage's office. A child had not only taken the role he should have in honour of his sensei, but went through hell because of it and was now barely alive due to his negligence. Due to his insecurities. He felt like Obito would have slapped him upside the head for allowing something like this to happen.
"They won't.", said Hiruzen, his face like marble, covered by the shadow of his hat. His sense of failure had blossomed to new heights, and he cursed himself more than a few times for allowing any child to be treated like this, forget one so important to Naruto. "Inoichi-san, I wan't you to launch an investigation into this. Find out those responsible, and report to me."
"Hai, Hokage-sama, but there is one more thing I must tell you; Genji-kun has perfect memory, ever since he was born. He remembers every beating, every ounce of pain that Konoha inflicted on him, every time they stomped him into the ground. And I discovered something else.", said Inoichi, honestly wishing he could forget what he had seen in the boy's mind.
"And that is?", said Hiruzen, speaking through the stabbing pain in his throat.
"His full name is Genji Otsutsuki. That surname name was floating around his subconsciousness. He doesn't seem to be aware of it, but its undeniably in his head. "
"Otsutsuki...", said Hiruzen, furrowing his brow. Something felt awfully familiar about that name, but he just couldn't trace it. Well, that was a matter for later.
"Hokage-sama, there is no way Genji can become a proper shinobi like this.", sighed Inoichi, running a hand through his hair. "With his mental state compromised like this, he would never be able to operate properly, and even less in a team. He needs therapy, and in this case, he needs love that only a parent or someone of the like can provide in order to patch himself up. Naruto and Yuriko have been great siblings to him, but it isn't enough to heal his mind. Obviously, I can go on about how to bring him back to the light, so to speak, but without the first condition being fulfilled, everything else will be useless."
"The clans-", began Kakashi, but was cut off by Inoichi.
"Cannot take him, because everyone knows that Naruto is at least as loyal to Genji as he is to the village, and feel that by adopting him, we would have a semblance of control over Naruto. And the villagers are out of the question."
"I will.", said Yugao quietly, earning the attention of the three males.
Seeing Hiruzen's questioning look, she went into detail.
"It's obvious from Inoichi-san's discoveries that almost no one in Konoha can be trusted with his welfare, and most shinobi simply cannot raise a child properly, much less heal one. Although some of my missions will undoubtedly take me out of the village, Anko-chan most definitely will not stray too far due to her condition."
"Meaning someone will be there to watch over him at all times.", concluded Kakashi, nodding his approval. He had considered it himself, but he had his own issues to deal with. There was no way he could help a mentally affronted child. He couldn't even work up the courage to speak to Naruto, which spoke volumes about his ability to help in this situation.
Yugao, however, was a much more suitable candidate, in his opinion. Commonly known for being a mother hen to her squad-mates, she had both the patience and the lack of emotional baggage to deal with this situation. Her friend Anko wasn't the most gentle of people, but unlike what many believed due to her past with her former sensei, Orochimaru, was a good person. Another plus was that she too knew how it felt to be an outcast, and could use that to connect to Genji on a more intimate level.
The Third's thoughts seemed to be along similar lines, for he nodded slowly.
"Very Well, Yugao. If I recall, you were looking for a new home?", he said, his forehead creased in thought.
Yugao blushed, and mentally cursed Asuma. The man didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. She would so get him back for this, and it sure as hell would involve Kurenai.
"H-hai, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen smiled at her. "Then I may have something for you. Consider it a thank you for taking Genji-kun in."
Yugao let out a squeak of embarrassment, causing Kakashi to roll his eye and Inoichi to grin, before he turned serious again.
"I'm sure the exact terms can be worked out later, but first of all, the kid needs to wake up."
All of them looked at the pale-skinned boy, whose chest steadily rose and fell.
"I don't think that will be a problem, Inoichi-san. After all, Genji-kun seems to be very resilient."
"That he is, Hokage-sama.", agreed Inoichi. 'After all, with what he's been through, he's still managed to keep his sanity.'
[Genji's Mindscape]
Genji sat on a rock, overlooking a beautiful blue river. The sun was high in the midday sky, and the air was filled with the chirps of birds and the sound generated by the flow of said river. His brown eyes took in everything in detail, and he simply relaxed, free from the misery of his daily life. He didn't have to look behind him to see what lay there; all the pain he had suffered, the sorrow and anguish that encompassed his life and marred his very soul.
This one pocket, which he had dubbed the Oasis, contained all the positive aspects of his psyche. He liked to dwell here, free from the weight of his constant torment. He never knew why he had to go through so much pain, but after the first couple weeks, he had begun to accept it. It was a constant and unyielding aspect of his life after all, with few breaks. Maybe it was just fate?
But to him, none of it mattered. He would never give up on Naruto, he would never betray him, and would live to see him become Hokage, just as he always proclaimed. He didn't understand why everyone was so opposed to him befriending Naruto to the point where they gave him the same scorn, with the added bonus of physical abuse. Naruto was a good and kind person. Sure, he pranked people and was annoying sometimes, but he was pure and didn't hold even a drop of hatred in his heart. Then why did no one except for Hokage-jiji and Yuriko-neechan treat him right?
He didn't know. From the way the adults always spoke in hushed tones, he knew that there was some sort of secret he wasn't being told. And Naruto didn't seem to know either. Yuriko seemed to know, but she had never told them and Genji trusted her enough to know that there must have been a good reason behind that. Maybe he was the son of a bad person?
Genji didn't know, but any possible theory he could think of still didn't make it right for the villagers to make Naruto suffer like that. After all, blood didn't decide one's character or personality. Most of the time. Then why did people not realise something that someone as young as him knew? None of it made any sense.
"Life usually doesn't.", said a voice.
It wasn't his voice.
Genji nearly jumped out of his mental skin and whirled around to see that he wasn't alone on the rocky precipice. And his companion was by far the weirdest looking person he had ever seen.
Said person was a tall and pale-skinned man, who had deep wrinkles and a strong jawline. He had spiky, shoulder-length, pale brown hair, with a chin-length, braided lock hanging in front of his left ear. He also sported a goatee, which tapered down to his waist. He had a pair of horn-like protrusions extending from either side of his forehead and pupil-less white eyes. He also had a strange red marking in the centre of his forehead. He wore a white, full-length kimono with a pattern of six black magatama around a high collar, beneath which, he wore a necklace which was also made up of six black magatama. On the back of his kimono was a larger, black marking similar to the red one on his forehead with a pattern of nine magatama arranged in three rows of three beneath it. The man, if he could even be called that due to his bizarre appearance, gave off an aura of gentle but overwhelming power, although his very being seemed to put Genji to ease, although he was pretty sure that this character was not a part of his mind. He was sure he would have remembered if the stranger was.
"W-who a-are you?", he stuttered nervously, looking at the strange character with wide eyes.
The man chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Genji to flinch momentarily for a second before a strange calmness began to spread through his being, causing him to relax, his fears quelled.
"The one who gave you life.", he said serenely, smiling as Genji's stunned eyes locked onto his.
"You're my father?", he asked, shocked. "Wait, then what are you doing in my head?"
"Yes and no.", said the man with a sigh. "My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and I was once your father, a long time ago."
"That doesn't even make any sense!", exclaimed Genji, his face scrunched up in thought.
"You will come to understand in time, Genji. As for what I am doing here, we are connected. In fact, my link to you has always been stronger than the one I had with Asura and definitely stronger than the one with Indra. But even my time with you is limited. This may possibly be the last time I will be able to speak to you through your mind, as your special power is rapidly reaching the end of its development and is nearly ready for initialisation."
"Special power?", asked Genji curiously, before letting out a laugh. "There's nothing special about me, Hagoromo-san. I'm just someone too weak to stand up for his friend. That's why people always hurt me; because I can't stop them. Because they're better than me."
"And that's where you're wrong.", said Hagoromo firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Your will is and always has been the strongest I have ever witnessed, even without that which makes you special. You never gave up on that friend of yours, did you? Even if the whole world seems to be against you, you still stand by his side."
"I didn't give up on Naruto.", said Genji quietly. "Because I believe in him."
"Just as I believe in you. You've always exceeded expectations, from the very beginning. I suppose that's why I gave you a second chance. A chance to finish the battle that was thrust upon you so long ago. I sense you have many questions, but it is up to you to find your own answers. Your power will awaken soon, most probably when you reach seven years of age. Until then, though, you must heal yourself and rise from this darkness, or you will lose before you've even begun. You cannot succeed alone, Genji, and the road ahead of you will be filled with hardships, but also promise. So tell me, are you willing to give up everything to create a better world?"
For a few moments, they sat in silence.
"Yes."
Hagoromo smiled. "Then I have nothing more to say to you. Farewell, Genji, and hopefully, by the next time we meet, you will realise what has come before... and what must come after."
And everything went dark.
[Konoha Hospital]
Genji's eyes snapped open and he let out a gasp as he returned to the physical world. His chest hurt, and all it took was a split second for the memories of the event that had put him in the hospital as well as the discussion with Hagoromo in his mindscape to return, and he winced, clutching his chest. His awakening did not go unnoticed however, as within seconds he was being throttled by a crying Naruto, who chewed him out for taking the hit for him like that and getting hurt. Of course, Genji apologised gently, and promised that he would be more careful next time, although he had to admit that he was distracted by the conversation he just had in his mind. Of course that took a backseat when his second visitor drew his attention.
"Ah, Genji-kun, how are you feeling?", said Hiruzen anxiously, watching him take several breaths and scratch his bandages.
"Um, Fine jiji. I'm okay.", he said, taking off his bandages, which to the Third's silent amazement, showed that he had obtained no scarring from the wound he had taken. Oh well, that would be a mystery for him to solve later.
"Well in that case," said Hiruzen, snapping his fingers, causing Yugao to enter the room, her nervousness masked by the professional appearance that life in the ANBU corps had drilled into her. "I'm happy to inform you that you've been adopted, Genji-kun."
"Sorry, what?", asked Genji nervously, trying to melt into his blanket.
"Isn't it great, Genji!", said Naruto cheerfully. "You got a new big sister and we're neighbours now!"
Genji fainted, having taken a critical hit from the shock to his person.
"Um, jiji, maybe we should have told him a little slower."
"I agree, Naruto-kun."
"I second that."
It was night time, and Hiruzen was about ready to resign from his duties for the say. Genji's adoption had gone without a hitch, much to his satisfaction, and although the boy still didn't trust Yugao, which was sadly understandable considering what the 6-year old boy had been through, the Third was sure that he would accept her in no time. Thanks to some help from himself and some ANBU, they had settled into their new home, a two-story home that was within easy supervising distance. Do the delight of both of his surrogate grandchildren, Naruto's abode was also rather conveniently next door, meaning the two could see each other more often. All in all things were looking good, and that reflected in the Hokage's mood. After all, he was still bitter that he had been blind to the plight of an innocent child, when as the Hokage and a proponent of the Will of Fire, he was responsible for looking after everyone in the whole village.
With a wave of his hand, the Hokage's crystal ball lit up, showing a cheerful Yugao tucking a baffled Genji into bed, the boy's face making it clear that he couldn't believe that such a thing was really happening to him. Hiruzen absently noted that he needed to get a picture of that expression for the future. Smiling to himself, he extinguished the image, before the grin dropped. After all, there was still one last order of business that he needed to attend to.
"Inu, Tenzo, report.", he said firmly, reminding the world why he was considered the Third God of Shinobi.
The two ANBU, Inu A.K.A Kakashi with his dog mask, and Tenzo with a cat mask slightly different from Yugao's seemed to fizzle into existence before dropping to one knee in a gesture of respect. Inu then stood up and deposited a dossier on the Hokage's desk.
"Hokage-sama, I must report that during the incident earlier today, when I stepped in to apprehend the perpetrator, I noticed something unique; Genji-san had a seal on him, which was broken by the slash wound he had received. It was located over the Gate of Death."
"Oh?", said Hiruzen, clearly interested. Even Inu turned to look at his colleague.
"While its purpose is unknown, I only managed to take a brief look at it before it faded, and it appeared to be a suppression seal of some sort. Why this hasn't been noticed before is as of yet unknown."
"Look into it, Tenzo. You are dismissed.", said the Third firmly, causing the man to nod and bow again before he Shunshined out of the office.
This left only Inu, who was lazily leaning against the wall. Sometimes, Hiruzen wondered if the man was part Nara.
"The testing was done just as you asked, Hokage-sama. And your suspicions about his parent were on the mark as well. The match was irrefutable.", said Inu.
"Hmm... I was afraid of that, especially when Genji-kun was just taken in. But even if he knew, it would be highly unlikely that he would stick around Konoha. Perhaps it is for the best."
"Maybe, Hokage-sama, because after all, considering the man's, er... reputation, so to speak, it must be obvious how exactly Genji-kun came into the world."
"*sigh* Another headache for later, I suppose, although I think this time his antics may have produced something helpful for once.", said Hiruzen, taking a puff on his pipe. "Anything else?"
"Yes, actually.", said Inu. "His medical testing was done in private by the ANBU, just as you ordered, and we discovered something rather... odd."
"How so?", asked the Third, mystified.
"His chakra coils appear to be radically more advanced than anything we've seen before. Instead of the normal artery-like tubes that encompass the body, there appear to be nodes that occupy the tenketsu points, with noticeably larger ones at the Eight Gates, which radiate chakra outwards like a field, yet causing the radiate chakra to bounce back to one another, creating a dense chakra field that remains within his body, almost like a wireless version of the chakra circulatory system. Nothing like this has been seen before in the history of Konoha, and it is highly doubted that any other village discovered something like this."
"What does this mean?", asked Hiruzen, stunned. First the matter of Genji's father had come into the light and now this. He was starting to get a headache with all the mysteries surrounding the child that he had more or less adopted as his grandson.
"Tanuki, on suspicion, tried closing Genji-kun's tenketsu. It failed. He even reported that with the Byakugan, he couldn't see any of the normal wiring and flow that he would normally see on any other person. Instead he described it as Genji's body being coloured with chakra, with slightly brighter shades at these nodes."
"This means that the Gentle Fist-?", said the Third, amazed.
"Is practically useless against him.", agreed Inu. "And the other observation was regarding his chakra."
"What about it?"
"He has less than an Izunuka puppy."
"What?", asked Hiruzen, stunned for what felt like the millionth time that day.
"Tanuki theorises that it has to do with the node system. He said that the field to be radiated seemed to have the potential to be much stronger, meaning that although he has practically no chakra now, he can pump it up to Kage-level in the future. What's more is that the chakra he does have probably has the highest density ever recorded, being compared to the chakra of a Bijuu."
For a long moment, Hiruzen was silent, processing all that he had heard, taking another puff from his pipe.
"Inu, as of right now this is an S-rank Secret. I want no one to know of this. This information stays between you, me, and Tanuki. No written documents, no evidence that this is even possible. Allow Tanuki to continue his research, but only based on whatever information he has collected today. I am not turning Genji-kun into a test subject or a breeding mare.", he said firmly. He knew that was exactly what would happen if Danzo or the Council got wind of this. He had already failed Genji once, and he wouldn't fail him again.
"Hokage-sama, wouldn't it be wise to inform Yugao? After all, she is legally his caretaker now."
"Yes... but just in case, I've decided to give it the standard six months probationary period, as we don't know if something unexpected may happen. With all that we learned about our young friend today, I'm not sure whether something unforeseen may happen.", said the Third.
"Of course, Hokage-sama.", said Inu, vanishing with a Shunshin when the Hokage dismissed him.
After the ANBU left, Sarutobi walked towards the window, watching the sleeping village and smoking his pipe.
'Genji-kun, what secrets do you hold within you? And just what kind of shinobi will you be when you grow up?'
And there ends the chapter, folks. One thing I'd like to point out is that I am no where near as well versed with Naruto as I am with RWBY, so if there's something that I'm getting wrong, please inform me immediately and I'll change it.
As for the direction of this story, it's going to diverge from the original Naruto story-line as there will be new villains and new problems along with the addition to the hero roster that Genji brings to the table. Know this; its going to be BIG, and there are going to be tons of new tales, altered plots and new pathways, and most importantly, kick-a** jutsus that will leave people gaping in shock... or rolling on the floor laughing.
Not to say that nothing that happens in canon will happen, but some fates may change and some people might undergo changes as well. It all ties in to the massive ripples that Genji's insertion brings to the Elemental Nations. As for this chapter, it is a basic introduction to what is going on; Genji's past has been delved into briefly, and his life is beginning to take a new direction. Of course, there is still a LOT more stuff to delve into, as this chapter barely scratches the surface, but don't worry; I'm getting there.
As a challenge, whoever can correctly guess the Identity of both Genji's little visitor and the ANBU known as Tanuki will have a custom jutsu of their choice inserted into the story, So send me your guesses! And of course, please support this fic, your love means a lot to me and serves to inspire me to keep going. And if any of you can give me some more Naruto lore that I may have to incorporate in the future, feel free to share it with me.
That's all for now, and I'll see you all in Chapter 2 next time!
SpatialPhoenix here, burning to ashes.