In the dead of night, a young, spiky blond haired boy sat on the ground. His eyes glanced wildly around, recognizing the scroll in his hands. He gasped in remembrance and swore. "What the heck is going on? Am I dreaming?"
"You fool, haven't you realized by now? You triggered a forbidden Jutsu." A voice snorted inside his mind.
Familiar with the voice of the demon inside him, Naruto shot back silently. 'What are you talking about, fox?'
"Forget it, I'll explain later. Just do yourself a favor, start copying that scroll. Do that stupid clone thing. Hurry, there is very little time."
'What?' Naruto questioned.
"Just do it!" The fox snapped back. "The information on the scroll will come in handy. Don't be a fool, quickly!" Naruto decided he didn't even want to know what was going on as he snapped to attention. Sliding the scroll out, he jerked several blank scrolls from his backpack and made a few shadow clones, putting them all to work.
Once he finished he was exhausted, feeling quite drained from the use of his clones. That hadn't happened in a while, and it was making him nervous. Suddenly, the fox snapped, "Quickly, hide them and roll the scroll, brat!"
Deciding not to question, Naruto did as the demon said, fastening the original scroll to his back. At just that moment, he heard another familiar voice growling, "It's all over." The man chuckled in a decidedly unfriendly way.
"Déjà vu," Naruto thought.
The fox growled. "Do what you did last time. Whatever you do, don't screw up."
"I…oh, um…" Naruto stuttered. His face turning into a grin, he reenacted the scene as he remembered from before. Scratching his head, he smiled brightly and laughed. "Caught me already! You're quick, Iruka-Sensei! I only had time to learn one technique."
'He's been out here practicing! He looks exhausted, I can tell.' Iruka noted with surprise, looking down upon his student with confusion as the boy threw out his arms, talking with his hands.
"Look, Iruka-Sensei. I'm going to show you this really great technique then you're going to let me graduate and everything is going to be okay. That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns a Jutsu from this scroll passes."
"Huh?" Iruka asked, shocked. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Mizuki-Sensei told me about it! Believe it! He told me where to find the scroll and this place…" Naruto trailed off, knowing this was the moment he had realized something was wrong the first time around. He looked at his Sensei.
'What? Mizuki?' Iruka thought with a frown. A suspicious feeling began to nag at the corner of his senses when suddenly he heard something whip through the air. He reached out, shoving the young boy out of the way of the oncoming kunai, shouting, "Naruto, look out!"
Naruto had forgotten this part. As his Sensei shoved him away, protecting him from the weapons, the fox reminded him once again. "Don't change things, brat. Remember, let it happen the way it did."
Crashing to the ground a few feet away, Naruto watched helplessly. For the second time in his life, his Sensei was injured by several Kunai in his leg and shoulder and pinned to the old house.
"I see you found our little hideaway." Naruto heard the voice of his old Sensei speak out.
"So that's how it is! I should have known." Iruka shot back.
At that moment, it took all of Naruto's power not to pummel the man. At the moment, slicing his throat open sounded like a great idea. The fox growled again. "Control yourself, foolish kit. Let things flow as they did before."
'Why? I just want to-' Naruto was cut off, the fox growling in warning. Naruto huffed silently, allowing his face to relax into confusion and fright as he remembered he had done before.
"Naruto, give me the scroll now," Iruka called to him.
"Wait a minute, what's going on here?" Naruto questioned, his voice slipping with confusion.
His Sensei jerked the weapons from his body, calling out, "Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden Jutsu that could put this village in danger. Mizuki used you to get the scroll, so he could use it for his own power!"
"Naruto, Iruka's just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll."
The acting was really becoming hard for him, but Naruto did his best as his favorite and most precious person Iruka-Sensei growled, "Stop lying, Mizuki. Don't let him trick you, Naruto."
"Ha! I'll tell you who's really lying." The man laughed.
"Mizuki, no!" Iruka shouted in warning.
"They've all been lying to you your whole life, Naruto! Since the decree twelve years ago."
"What decree?" Naruto questioned. Inside he was fuming. 'Stupid fool, I already know why. Can't I just kill him you dumb fox?'
"
'Fine, but you definitely owe me an explanation.' Naruto snorted, turning back into the conversation outside his head.
"Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you; even now, he'd do anything to shut me up."
'I'd do anything to shut you up.' Naruto retorted silently. "What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?"
"Don't tell him, it's forbidden!" Iruka cried out desperately.
"The decree is that no-one can tell you that the nine-tailed fox is inside you."
'Duh,' Naruto thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Following along with what he was supposed to do, he acted frightened and confused as Mizuki went on.
"The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parent's and destroyed the village is inside of you and has taken over your body. You, Naruto, are the nine-tailed fox!"
"Stop it!" Naruto heard his Sensei scream. He continued to his part as the frightened and upset child.
"They have all been sneaking around, hiding things from your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you like dirt? Like they hated you for just being alive?" The man spat.
That was one thing Naruto really didn't want to remember - his life as a child. His chakra flared and he shouted, "No! No! No!"
'Naruto!' Iruka called out in his mind. Worried and sad, he remembered the words of the Hokage earlier that day about his and Naruto's similarities to each other. His heart ached for the boy.
"That's right, you will never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved Sensei hates your guts."
The conversation haunted the young teacher. "Iruka, Naruto never had a family. He was shut out of everything and he doesn't even know why. He's hurting, always thinking about the family he's never had. He's never known the warmth of a parent's love, or anyone's, for that matter. That is why he plays pranks. He's hoping someone will notice him"
He had been one of them, Iruka realized. He was just as guilty as anyone in the village and his heart ached seeing the look of pain on his student's face.
"Die, Naruto." Iruka heard. He looked up, and his eyes widened at the windmill shuriken weapon heading for his student.
"Naruto! Get down!" He shouted.
The memories flooded him. No matter how much Naruto tried to forget over the years, his scars never really healed. He looked up just in time to see the weapon heading for him. Turning over, he tripped, his eyes squeezing shut waiting for death, only opening when he heard the grunt of pain above him.
Iruka had saved him once again. Naruto's eyes filled with tears as the man he loved like a father cried, his tears dripping down on him as he spoke about his painful past, apologizing for not being there for him more.
Naruto wanted to pull the man into a hug and tell him how much he loved him and he understood and he forgave him, but the persistent voice of the fox demanded he make a run for it like he had last time.
"Don't make me laugh," Mizuki scoffed. "Iruka always hated you because he was orphaned because of you, the nine-tailed fox. He'd do anything to get that scroll from you."
It pained him to have to run, but Naruto knew the damn fox was right. He slid out from under his teacher, Iruka looking on in sorrow as he fled into the trees. His heart was pounding and he ached inside. Another watched his pain from far away, high in Hokage tower. 'This is not good. Mizuki has a big mouth. He's made Naruto feel so bad, worse than he has ever felt… and now, it could release the power of the nine tail fox. If Naruto keeps tampering with the scroll, then the seal could be broken. I fear for all of us.' The third Hokage thought, watching what was happening through his crystal ball.
Hidden behind a tree a few feet away from what was going, on Naruto's heart ached as old memories assaulted him, the fox inside him cursing him for his weakness.
"Shut up, stupid fox." Naruto snapped, wiping the tears from his eyes he silently stated, 'I'm human. I'm not like you and I can't help it. It just hurts so much.'
"Human fools," the fox snorted, deep inside the boy's body. Naruto had had enough. Now it was time to stop the Mizuki bastard from killing his teacher. He moved quickly to intercept the windmill shuriken from killing the injured man leaning against another tree, only realizing too late that he had lost his kunai and shuriken, probably when he had pulled scrolls from his pack earlier. With no other choice, he intercepted the thing the only way he could.
Eyes widening as his student suddenly appeared Iruka cried out, "Naruto, No!" He watched helplessly as the weapon stabbed through his student's shoulder, so deep blood splattered and the metal weapon's point came through to the other side.
Naruto grunted, falling to his knee in pain. He clawed the ground with his hands, the fox growling at him for his foolishness. Naruto ignored him as Mizuki laughed, stating, "You really looking forward to dying, don't you, beast!"
"If you ever lay a hand on my Sensei, I'll kill you," Naruto growled. Jerking the weapon from him, he shouted from the pain. Gritting his teeth, he tossed the weapon away glaring at the man.
"Big words for a dying beast." The man laughed, adding, "It's time to finish this, and all it will take is one move."
" Take your best shot, fool! Whatever you do, I'll give it back to you a thousandfold!" Naruto growled, shaking as he took to his feet. He prepared the hand sign for his shadow clone Jutsu.
"Let's see you try. Show me what you can do, beast."
"Shadow clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, performing his technique. Suddenly, thousands of Naruto clones appeared, shocking both teachers. Mizuki's jaw dropped as he stared around him.
'Naruto… those aren't just illusions, they're solid clones!' Iruka thought, surprised and proud. His student had mastered an extremely difficult Jutsu.
"Huh? What!" Mizuki looked panicked as he glanced around, the clones all shouting at him.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Naruto shouted, "If you're not going to come for us, then we're going to come for you." Naruto could not have been more thrilled as he and his clones struck out, beating the bastard to bloody pulp.
When Mizuki was unconscious, Naruto stood over the man, resisting the urge to spit on him. Remembering what he had said before, he scratched the back of his neck nervously and grinned. "Sorry, I guess I kind of went overboard." He turned to his sensei and asked, "Are you alright, Iruka-Sensei?"
"Yes." The man answered, thinking. 'He's amazing! He wants to surpass all of the Hokage, and I am starting to believe he just might do it.' He called out, "Naruto, come here for a moment."
Naruto knew this part well and was excited and thrilled. Moving to his Sensei, he had completely forgotten about his own injuries.
Far away in the village, the Hokage was informing the others that the scroll was safe. Naruto would return from the forest soon.
Naruto was smiling brightly at his teacher. Tears in his eyes, he tackled the man whose headband he now wore. "Iruka-Sensei!" Unfortunately, the impact not only hurt Iruka, but Naruto's own injuries became too much, and the blood loss caused him to black out in Iruka's arms.
"Naruto?" The man asked, concerned. Having forgotten the boy's injuries, he became worried when the boy didn't move, his clothes and hands saturated in his blood.
Pushing the pain of his own injuries to the back of his mind, Iruka quickly gathered the boy into his arms and raced back towards the village.