Heir to the Raijin
Naruto != mine
~Chapter 1~
Ren Senju stood at the door to his classroom for the next year. He bore a startling resemblance to his great-grandfather, Tobirama Senju, which was something that warranted a pair of ANBU operatives keeping an eye on him when he was younger, in case he was targeted by assassins due to his ancestry. After all, in the ninja world, grudges could last for generations.
Ren had, as a result of his unique heritage, been raised and taught by his protection detail due to the fact that his parents had died on missions during the recovery after the Kyuubi attack, where in order to keep up an appearance of being unaffected by the event by maintaining the same rate of mission completion, all ninja available were required to take on as many missions as they could to make up for their losses to the Kyuubi. All of the chunin-level or higher ninja were tired and overworked, and his parents made mistakes, leading to their deaths. The recovery, though still not entirely complete, was to the point that the ninja forces weren't spread nearly so thinly, and allowed a good amount of time for shinobi to rest and recover between missions, preventing lethal mishaps due to fatigue.
Now it was almost Ren's turn to join the Konoha ninja corps. All he had to do was survive a year in the Academy. He steeled himself and opened the door.
The classroom was filled with kids around his age, and almost all of them were clustered into noisy groups. There were two largish groups which stood out. One was in the back corner of the room, and was comprised of an Akimichi, judging by his rotundity and the spirals on his cheeks, a Nara, if the head on the desk was anything to go by, and an Aburame, based upon the dark sunglasses and a jacket which hid his features from view. Additionally, a blue-haired, pale-eyed Hyuuga, and a feral, fang-marked Inuzuka, a white puppy in his hood, its paws on his head, were in that group. Across the room was a boy who had black hair and eyes, marking him as an Uchiha. He wore a pair of white shorts and a dark blue shirt with his Clan's distinctive red-and-white fan emblazoned upon the back, erasing all doubt as to who he was. Around him was a large group of what could only be described as fangirls.
Ren strode into the classroom and looked to the teacher for instructions. "Ah, right, we have a new student. He will be joining the class until graduation. If you will please introduce yourself," the scarred chunin instructor prompted, eliciting a sigh from the Senju. "My name is Ren Senju. I don't feel like sharing anything else," he said in a flat, bored voice.
"How come he gets to join now? We had to go through years of the Academy to get here and he gets a free pass?" the Inuzuka asked angrily. "The reason is, Inuzuka-san, that I, as the heir to the Senju clan and a direct descendant of the Nidaime Hokage, am a prime target for assassination or kidnapping, and was therefore tutored by my caretakers so that I would be able to defend myself or evade capture until help arrived in addition to learning about politics and etiquette, among other things," Ren explained, his tone sharp as he gave Kiba a blank stare which made the dog-user shift uncomfortably.
Without further delay, Ren took an open seat near the back and pulled out a scroll as the day's lesson began.
The year passed agonizingly slowly for Ren. He had excellent grades, and his practical skills were about even with Sasuke's. He and the Uchiha had developed a fierce rivalry, and the two often traded verbal barbs on the training field. In addition, Ren gained a small following of fangirls who defected from Sasuke's group. Graduation came and went, and Ren tied with the Uchiha for Rookie of the Year, but gave the title away saying that he hadn't been trained at the Academy and was therefore exempt. And now today was the day that the Teams would be assigned. The graduates were quiet, at least once everyone had calmed from Naruto's surprise graduation, and nervous. Iruka came in and delivered a final speech before reading off the team assignments. The first few teams were made up of the weaker graduates, and it wasn't until Team 7 that things got interesting. "Due to unusual circumstances, Team 7 will be composed of Ren Senju, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake," Iruka stated before rattling off the rest of the team assignments. Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga were put in Team 8 under a Kurenai Yuuhi, while Team 10, a new InoShikaCho trio was assigned to Asuma Sarutobi.
His job concluded, Iruka sat down to do paperwork while the jonin came to collect their teams. The first to arrive was a woman with tousled black hair to her shoulder blades and compelling crimson eyes. She wore a dress-like garment composed of vine-patterned bandages and a single red sleeve on one side. "Team 8," she said, and said team got up and fell into line. The next to arrive was a bearded man smoking a cigarette and wearing a typical jonin outfit, with the addition of a sash and a pair of trench knives, who bore a distinct resemblance to the Sandaime Hokage. "Team 10, with me," he said, his tone lazy.
The members of Team 7 were waiting for their sensei, who was over an hour late. Iruka, finally finished with his paperwork, packed up and left. Naruto, childish and impatient, wedged a chalkboard eraser in the door in an attempt to prank their tardy sensei, while Sakura stared creepily at Sasuke, who was simply brooding at his desk. Ren, meanwhile, was reading a scroll in his seat. "What are you reading, Ren-san?" asked Naruto excitedly. "I'm reading a scroll on suiton manipulation exercises designed to increase one's mastery and versatility with suiton jutsu," Ren explained, not looking away from his scroll. Not understanding, Naruto went to pester Sakura for a date.
It wasn't until almost two hours later that their sensei finally arrived in a puff of chalk dust as the eraser fell on his head. "On first impression, I hate you idiots. Meet me on the roof in five minutes," the jonin said lazily, not looking all that irked by the prank, though it was hard to tell with at least seventy percent of his face concealed by mask, only one eye visible. Ren rolled up his scroll and put it away before he climbed the stairs with his teammates.
Kakashi Hatake examined his team as they assembled on the roof. The first through was the Uchiha, followed closely by Uzumaki. Shortly after came the Senju. He was a bit of an unknown quantity, prompting Kakashi to examine him closely to see if he could discern anything useful.
He was dressed in a cobalt blue short-sleeved shirt with a long-sleeved net shirt beneath and a pair of dark gray pants, taped at the bottom, with a blue shuriken holster at his right thigh. He wore basic blue sandals and his forehead protector was holding his shaggy white hair away from his red eyes. He would have been mistaken for the nidaime were it not for the lack of red lines on his cheeks and chin. He was tall, standing an inch or two taller than Sasuke, and had a thin build. His abilities were a mystery to Kakashi, so he withheld judgement on the albino Senju.
The final member of the team was the Haruno, who arrived barely in time and a bit winded.
"Now that were all here, let's begin with introductions," Kakashi said. "Can you go first so we know what to do?" Sakura asked.
"Very well. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like many things and dislike a few things. I have a lot of hobbies. My dream, hmm, not going to tell you," he said, not looking up from his book.
'Informative', Ren thought sarcastically. "Pinky, you're up," Kakashi said, indicating Sakura, who shot him a glare before beginning. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like Sasuke-kun. I dislike Ino-pig and Naruto-baka. My hobby is…" she blushed and looked at Sasuke. "My dream is…" the pinkette trailed off again as she got starry eyes and emitted a fangirl squeal that had both Sasuke and Ren shuddering while backing away.
Kakashi turned to Sasuke next. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I have few likes and quite a few dislikes. I don't have any hobbies. My dream… no, my ambition is to kill a certain man and revive my clan," Sasuke said darkly. Naruto was next. He began loudly, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, Jiji, and Sakura-chan. I dislike the three minutes it takes to prepare ramen and Sasuke. My hobby is training, and my dream is to become Hokage so everyone will respect me. Believe it!"
Kakashi turned finally to Ren. "My name is Ren Senju. I like water, scrolls, books, and blades. I dislike ignorance and perversion. My hobbies are reading, swimming, and training. My dream is to honor my clan by serving Konoha loyally, and to reclaim the Raijin no Ken from the traitor who stole it," Ren said earnestly.
'So we have an emo avenger, his fangirl, a noisy eyesore, and a loyal but enigmatic Senju,' Kakashi thought to himself, 'This could be interesting.' "Meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow morning at eight. Don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw up," the eccentric jonin said, giving them a slightly creepy eye smile before poofing away in a shunshin.
Their sensei gone, Ren turned to Sasuke. "So, Sasuke-san, what do you say to a spar?" he asked. "What rules?" Sasuke queried, perking up slightly at the thought of fighting a challenging opponent. "Limit it to taijutsu. No need to use potentially lethal techniques. Where would you like to do it?" Ren said. "We can use one of my clan's training grounds," the Uchiha volunteered. "Lead the way."
Ren stood across from Sasuke on the training ground, in his ready stance. His right hand was around waist level and his left hovered around chest level, while his right foot was forward of his left in a wide stance which resembled a sword stance. Sasuke, meanwhile, was in the opening stance for his clan's Interceptor style. At an unspoken signal, the two clashed. Sasuke initiated the conflict with a fast punch, which Ren twisted out of the way of before delivering a kick to the ribs using the momentum of the twist to power it. Sasuke jumped back and started circling, an action which Ren mimicked. "What style are you using? Because that is definitely not from the Academy" Sasuke asked his opponent. "I am using Yaibaken, or Sword Fist, one of the taijutsu styles that my clan has within its library. It puts emphasis on fluid and efficient movement, and shares many if it's core principles with some styles of kenjutsu. It also targets vital areas to deal maximum damage," Ren explained before their fight resumed, the pair exchanging blows. By the end, Sasuke had come out the victor, though Ren's skill was by no means feeble compared to his own. "Good match. Same time tomorrow?" Ren asked with a small smirk. "Sure," Sasuke said, a shadow of a smile appearing on his face for a moment before his face resumed its normal neutral state.
The next day arrived and the members of Team 7 assembled on the training field. They had been waiting for sensei for an hour when Ren asked Sasuke if he wanted to do a light taijutsu spar as a warm-up. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do," the Uchiha agreed. Like the day before, the two of them got into their respective stances and started their bout.
Kakashi arrived to find the three males of the team discussing something intently in a huddle. Sakura, meanwhile, was enraged at their sensei. "You're late!" she screamed, releasing some of her pent-up frustration at her exclusion from the conversation, startling the guys out of their reverie in the process. "Sorry about that. You see, a black cat crossed my path, and to avoid it I had to take the long way around, but then I would have had to walk under a ladder, so I had to double back and find another route to avoid bad luck," the Jonin explained, ending with an unconvincing eye-smile. "That is simultaneously the most inventive yet least convincing excuse I have ever heard," Ren commented sarcastically.
Shrugging off the sarcasm, Kakashi started into his explanation of the day's agenda. "Alright, since we're all here, it's time for the true genin test," Kakashi explained. "Wait, didn't we already become genin when we passed the graduation exam at the academy?" Sakura asked, while Naruto was confused and Sasuke looked darkly at the jonin. Ren took a thinking pose, running hand along his jaw, considering the portents of this development.
"The graduation test was just to determine if you were skilled enough to become genin. This test determines whether you will be or not," Kakashi explained. "Now. I have three bells. If you get a bell, you stay on the team. If not, you're going to go back to the academy for another year. You have until noon. Come at me with intent to kill, or you will fail," Kakashi said, producing an alarm clock and setting it before placing it on a convenient tree stump and attaching the bells to his belt. "But won't you get hurt sensei?" Sakura asked. "I doubt a fresh academy graduate could harm a jonin," Kakashi said condescendingly, "So, with that out of the way, begin."
The four genin hopefuls scattered into the surrounding trees to plan their attacks. From their hiding spots they tensed as they saw their sensei reach into his equipment pouch… only to pull out his orange book from the day before. Sweat-dropping, Team 7 dispersed to prepare for the upcoming challenge.
Ren was currently searching for his teammates, hoping to team up in order to get the bells. He heard the distant sound of combat and rushed over to its source. By the time he arrived, Sasuke was buried up to his neck in the ground. Ren dug him out and helped him to his feet. "I have an offer for you. I suggest we team up with the other two and work together to get the bells," Ren said. With a somewhat reluctant agreement the two set off to find the others.
The duo found Sakura passed out under a tree whimpering about Sasuke. He rolled his eyes at her single-mindedness, even when unconscious. They brought her back to the real world with a quick pulse of chakra from Sasuke to dispel the illusion. "Sasuke-kun, I thought you were dead," the hysterical fangirl said, glomming him while on the verge of tears. "Hn," came the ever-so-articulate reply from the Uchiha as he pried the hysterical pinkette off of him.
"Now, we have to find Uzumaki-san. I have a plan, but it will take all four of us to pull it off," the Senju said. Heading towards a loud cry of pain and surprise, the three went to collect their boisterous teammate, who they found in a tree clutching his ass.
Kakashi was waiting in the clearing, giggling pervertedly at his smut book. His reading was interrupted, however, by a volley of shuriken from all directions. Kakashi simply drew a kunai with his free hand and deflected the spinning projectiles. What he was not expecting, however, was a cry of "Suiton: Teppoudama!" from his left flank. He looked and saw several grapefruit-sized water bullets approaching at a rapid pace. The jonin quickly jumped out of the line of fire, only to have a mob of orange-clad Narutos emerge from the trees to his front, all brandishing kunai. Seeing that the time for Icha was at an end, Kakashi readied his own kunai and rushed through the mob, leaving smoke clouds in his wake.
Through the smoke clouds, however, came a flurry of knives as the remaining clones all threw their kunai at the cyclops. With some difficulty, he deflected the weapons and proceeded to finish off the surviving clones, only to have to duck a punch as Sasuke attacked from behind with taijutsu. Engaging in taijutsu with the Uchiha heir, Kakashi was forced to leap away yet again by an unexpected volley of shuriken from another angle. It was then that Ren made his first appearance, using Naruto as a springboard to launch hinself into the air, preparing the seals for a jutsu. "Suiton: Teppoudama!" he shouted again, sending down yet more watery projectiles at the jonin.
Kakashi, spotting an opening, then took the initiative. He kicked away Sasuke and sidestepped a clumsy punch by Naruto, following up with a chop to the neck. A quick shunshin and he was behind Ren. Grabbing him him around the neck, Kakashi choked him until he fell unconscious. Sakura, meanwhile, had broken cover and ran to Sasuke's side. Kakashi approached her cautiously, trying to get a clean knockout. However, he did not expect her to spin around, an enraged look upon her face as she held a kunai in each hand and savagely assaulted the cyclopean jonin. Seeing as her form was sloppy, he quickly was able to knock her out with a swift chop to the neck. 'Well, that was certainly a surprise. It appears they might actually pass. Well, that's a first,' Kakashi mused as he hauled his unconscious team to the training posts and bound three of the genin hopefuls to them.