I liiiiiiive! Well, glad we got that out of the way! Hey, everyone! Uzumaki Ricky here, giving you the first chapter of a brand-new fic! I know, it's been a long time since I posted an actual chapter and still need to get my Shy Naruto rewrite up. But, right now, I'm going to be focusing on this fic and one other first, then I'm going to be working on that one. So sorry fans of the original, but the rewrite will have to wait for now. Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoy this. If you don't, I'm just going to keep writing it anyway, but it'd be nice f you guys did like it. Also, I owe a big thanks to brown phantom and some other friends of mine on here for letting me bounce ideas off off of them. But since brown phantom also helped me with the chapter, I owe him an even bigger thanks. So shout out to you, bro! Anyway, to quote one of my favorite songs, let's get it started in ha! Let's get it started in here!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, then Naruto would be with Hinata by now or be with her and another girl or two, would have gotten the picture after the first time Sakura punched him in the head, and wouldn't be so focused on Sasuke. Not only that, but Sasuke wouldn't be getting so many undeserved power-ups and would have died by now, plus Madara would already be dead again.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

'Direct Quotes from Books/Scrolls'

Rise of the Yondaime Rikudo Sennin

Prologue

It was a day just like any other in Konoha. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and a gentle breeze blew through the village. It was actually one of the better days, one that most would say was the perfect setting for a painting or a movie opening before things started to go wrong. People were going about their business and almost no one was in a bad mood. Well... most of them, at least.

A young blond-haired six year old boy with cerulean blue eyes and three odd whisker-like birthmarks on each cheek wasn't having a very good day at the moment. His name was Uzumaki Naruto and, like it did for almost everyone else, his day started well. He woke up feeling pretty happy and almost looking forward to the day. That is, until he went outside to find something to do to occupy his time. That was when the glares and overwhelming sense of unwelcomeness came, given to him shamelessly by a vast majority of the people in his hometown. People that were unashamed to treat this lone orphaned child, dressed in little more than donated black and brown clothes the donaters had hoped would go to someone else, as if he should apologize to them just for being visible.

Naruto had to deal with them every day and tried to never let them completely ruin his day, so he was sure that today would be no different. Little did the young, blond, whisker-marked Uzumaki know that, today, one of several events that would permanently change his life would occur. At the current moment, Naruto was trying to ignore the glares he got from the populous. Some days it was easier than others, like he was briefly numb to them.

But, sadly, that meant there were days when the pain of knowing people seemed to unanimously disapprove of him. For reasons he couldn't even begin to guess at, those days were the ones that made him wish he could just find someone to hold him. Today was looking to be one of those days if he stayed around them much longer.

'Things will get better someday Naruto my boy, just have faith and strength to see it come true.'

The encouraging words from an old man briefly passed through the mind of the young six year old boy walking down the streets of his hometown. Rather than feel uplifted by the sentiment, he closed his eyes and tensed his lips, resisting a tempting scoff. 'Yeah old man, a lot of good that does me now in the meantime! Why can't he ever help me in the here and now? It's like I'm drowning but instead of telling me how to swim he's just telling me what will happen once I get to shore!'

Normally, Naruto didn't have bitter thoughts. Or at least ones he cared to take seriously. But being unable to go out in public without people looking at you like you're nothing but one giant, middle finger to them did tell to cause some less-than-friendly feelings on occasion. And yet the one person who could provide him even a little relief seemed so concerned about the long run that he was ignoring the short run completely.

Don't get him wrong, Naruto did appreciate what the old man did. He just wished that said old man would think about the short run a little more and provide him with at least some form of relief from the glares. It was days like this, where the glares seemed to hurt even more than usual, that made Naruto want to either hit something or go hide somewhere and cry. Admittedly, his life was worse before. Before, he'd had at least one drunk person try to kill him each year on the anniversary of the day the Kyuubi was defeated, which was coincidentally also his birthday. But for some reason, when he was four, those just stopped completely. Naruto didn't know why they stopped, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The worst part of his day-to-day life, aside from being regarding as some kind of Patient Zero, was the sheer and often soul-crushing loneliness. He did everything alone. Live alone, played alone, ate alone, slept alone, even cried alone. Far from an environment that was healthy for any child, even one that wasn't glared at on a regular basis. It seemed nobody could tolerate his presence for more than a couple of hours.

Even the old man, the Hokage himself, had to tell Naruto to go away and let him do his work more often. To this day, Naruto couldn't remember anyone willingly spending more than six hours in the same room as him. The kids his own age must have decided to mimic the adults and regarded him as if a sign was over his head saying 'Under absolutely no circumstances must you be friendly to this boy'.

Naruto closed his eyes and lightly shook his head. 'Stop thinking about this.'

Unfortunately, such a thing was easier said than done, especially as Naruto could feel the glares on him as if people were trying to make him combust by willpower. Fortunately, none of the people in Konoha could ignite things with just their eyes right then. But, if there were and if they did such a thing, at least it would have been quick compared to the civilian's attempt to do the same. Tears threatening to form, something the boy refused to do in public since in the past it only encouraged people to treat him worse, Naruto felt he had only one choice now. He turned down an alley and picked up the pace.

Once he felt he was far enough in the alley to be out of sight, he broke into a run and began to navigate his way through the familiar twists and turns. The same ones he took on other days when the glares got to be too much and he felt the need to be alone. Whenever he'd reach a street between the exit to the alley he was running through and one across from it, he'd put his head down and break into a run. But, this time, he was unaware of that fact that a middle-aged ramen chef, who actually wasn't looking at him with hate in his eyes, and his daughter, who appeared to be about five yealrs older than Naruto himself, were coming down that street and saw him come out of that alley and run into the one adjacent to it.

"I wonder where he's off to in such a hurry." The daughter asked casually.

The older man's expression tensed a bit. "I don't think he was heading to some place in a hurry, dear. Instead, he looked more like he was running away from some place in a hurry."

The daughter looked up at her father questioningly.

"What could he be running away from, Tou-san?" The daughter asked, feeling a little upset as she remembered seeing tears streaking down the younger boy's cheeks and behind him as he ran. She'd thought she'd imagined it at first, but now she wasn't so sure.

"I don't know. But, whatever it was, I think we should try and make him feel better if we see him again. Anything that can make a kid run off crying must be bad. And with no one trying to make him feel better, the situation needs someone to make an effort." He told her.

The girl nodded in agreement with what her father said before the two of them continued on their way. But, even as they did so, the sight of the crying young boy with spiky, sun-kissed blond hair didn't leave their thoughts. Naruto didn't stop running until he saw just trees and no buildings. Where exactly he was didn't matter to him, he was just glad no one else was there either. Though, just to be sure, he had to look around. To his relief, he really was alone.

'That's better.' He thought, leaning against a tree then letting himself fall to the ground sitting against it.

With the comfort of solitude he let himself get some of his tears out of his system. Naruto gave himself a minute to catch his breath from running, then moved to a more physically comfortable spot. Once he found one, he began to let the tears that were almost begging to fall spill out as he sat down with one of his hands on the ground, palm flat to the ground.

'Is it so much to ask to have a friend?' He asked himself.

All Naruto wanted was a friend. Just one person to accept him for who he was and not look at him as thought they hated him for just being alive. One that would stand by him through thick and thin, no matter what. He may not have wanted others to suffer the treatment he got because of being near him, like he feared they would, but he did want someone that could help drive away the sadness, loneliness, and pain that his social isolation left him feeling. At least for a while.

As Naruto thought these things, he felt an odd, almost tingling feeling travel through his body. It was even building in some spots. But Naruto was so emotionally distraught that he just ignored it. Soon though, he began to feel something brushing up against and tickling the palm of his hand that was on the ground. Something that he knew wasn't there before. Curious, he carefully lifted his hand and, poking out of the ground, was a tiny tree sapling, sporting only two leaves.

'Where did that come from? That wasn't there earlier... was it?' He asked.

Naruto turned his hand over and looked at his palm. He knew that the tree sapling wasn't there before. If it had been, he would have felt it against his palm when he put his hand on the ground. Knowing this, he began to wonder if that strange feeling that traveled through his body and something he'd overheard once about something that everyone had, including him, called "chakra".

"Was that it? Did my chakra thingy make this tree grow?"

There was only one way to find out for sure. Naruto tried putting his hand over his palm and channeling chakra into the plant from his hand. Nothing happened.

"Maybe I'm doing it wrong." He said, sure that that was the explanation.

Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated before trying again. When he reopened his eyes, he noticed that the sapling looked a little bigger, but not enough for him to be sure he wasn't seeing things. Closing his eyes again, Naruto put both of his hands down around the sapling and concentrated with everything he had, putting all of his focus towards his hands. What he felt and mentally pictured was what he could only describe as some kind of blue or yellow energy rushing through him, down into his hands, and out of them into the sapling before something surprising happened.

He knew for a fact he hadn't been touching the sapling before. But, with his eyes closed, he knew he could feel bark in both hands. And, if he wasn't mistaken, they were pushed a bit more apart than they had been before. He opened his eyes and dropped his jaw to see the sapling was replaced with a more grown tree, a diameter at the trunk easily six inches and with a height he couldn't guess at but he could at least see the top of it.

Naruto looked down at his hands and could only think 'Whoa... I really did do that...! But still, I'm kinda disappointed. I mean, some people can talk to dogs, some people can see through walls, some have a hive inside them, and some can even make their body parts grow! But me... I get stuck with a shinobi-style a green thumb...!'

An idea came to him. 'Hmm... is that all this can do though? Can I maybe choose the plant that grows, or make the tree take on a specific form? Like a wall or spikes or some kind of weapon? Ooh, can I make clones with this? I hope so, then that clone test I heard from that older student won't be so hard for me when it's my turn.'

Naruto smiled at the idea of not failing due to not being able to make normal clones. It was widely known that Naruto's clones were terrible. Whenever he tries to make one, the best he gets is a pale head or torso. This usually caused other students to either laugh at him, be grossed out, or some combination of the two. But if he could find a way to make clones with this, he'd probably be able to pass that test more easily.

Naruto soon realized that he was getting ahead of himself. First, he had to see if he could find out more about this ability. Naruto had heard that there was a library or two in Konoha, with access to both civilian knowledge and shinobi knowledge. He'd even passed one once during his walks through the village. But most of the shinobi knowledge was in a section restricted to anyone below the rank of genin. Undaunted, Naruto made his decision.

'I better head to the nearest one and see if I can find out more about this! And it might be a good idea to not tell anyone I can do it until I have a good idea of how they'd react. Wouldn't want people chasing me down or trying to kill me... well, again, at least. And with them not acting weird and talking funny.' Naruto thought as he picked himself up and began to head out of the forest.

Suddenly, he stopped. 'Wait, I better confirm at the very least how long these trees can last. They wouldn't do me much good if they disappear as quickly as other jutsu I hear do.'

With that, he went back to the tree he created and used a rock to carve an N into the bark. 'I'll come back tomorrow. If this is still here, I'll know this green thumb can be used for something long term.'

With that in mind, Naruto wiped his face on his sleeve to get rid of any remaining tears before once again beginning to head out of the forest. Once he was out, he took to the alleys again and began to navigate them to make his way to the nearest library. He did this solely to avoid going back out into the sea of glares, not wanting to let them get to him again. Konoha's library wasn't like most libraries in other towns. While it did offer books to read for research or recreation, and even movies or historical documents as well, it's primary purpose was the containment of ninja tactics that were considered public domain instead of private property.

Of course, such material was off-limits to civilians and Academy students only got to see a little bit of it. So 'public domain' was mostly a term to use in place of the less appealing phrase 'non-clan property jutsu and taijutsu'. Not much of a reader, and already aware of how welcome he was in other places, Naruto had never really tried going here before. But there was no better place to start his quest for information on how chakra could make plants grow. He had to know if this was unique to him or something just anyone could do.

Soon enough, the library was in sight for Naruto. As he got closer, Naruto began to get a little excited at the idea of getting some answers and was actually starting to genuinely hope that he'd be allowed in. Once he got to the library, he opened the door and walked in before looking around from the entrance for the nearest librarian or staff member in the hopes of asking them for help in completing his self-assigned task. Once he found them, he walked up to the desk they were working at.

"Umm... excuse me?" He humbly asked, figuring as long as he made an effort to be polite the other person wouldn't be likely to strike him on sight.

The librarian looked up from her paperwork and saw the whiskered blonde. A scowl formed on her face as if by sheer reflex. Naruto flinched a little bit at the scowl, but didn't let it stop him. He just had to get some answers.

"I-I was wondering... do you know if there's any information here about people using chakra to create plants or trees?" Naruto asked, trying to not let the librarian's scowl deter him.

The librarian's scowl deepen briefly as she started to look up and away from Naruto and ignore him. But, when she did so, she seemed to catch sight of something across the room that made her pale briefly before she looked down and smiled at Naruto.

"Actually yes, we do. Go to the catalog and look under the name Senju Hashirama. I'm sure there's something in the non-restricted section pertaining to him." She said kindly.

"Thanks." Naruto said, then went off to find this catalog. 'Obviously, I'm not the first person to do this. But, since she only mentioned a person's name instead of something like 'plant jutsu', that might mean it's not a common thing. Does that mean I'm somehow related to this guy? Some skills can only be gained if you're part of a clan. And if it's not a common thing, then does that mean he didn't know that much about how to use it either?'

No answers coming to him, Naruto opened to catalog and looked through the contents. He found Hashirama's name and directions to the sections he was in, all except one being restricted for ninja use.

Smiling, Naruto headed towards the closest section about Hashirama, eager to start finding out more information. But he couldn't help but think that, somehow, Hashirama's name seemed familiar to him. He knew he'd heard it somewhere before, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

He got his answer when he opened the first book he grabbed and saw the words "Shodaime Hokage" next to Hashirama's name.

'The Shodaime Hokage? I've got the same power as the man who founded Konoha?' Naruto thought in disbelief.

Naruto read further and learned that the power that he and the Shodaime Hokage shared was called Mokuton. Naruto read more, but only found things about Hashirama's achievements in life as Hokage. Closing the book, he put it back and moved onto the next one, his mind burning with even more questions than before. But, unfortunately, he had too many questions for his taste and not enough answers yet. Opening the next book about Hashirama, Naruto began reading and soon found out that the Mokuton allowed Hashirama to create wood and trees, conjure up entire forests, control wood and trees, and even create things made of wood like clones and even a dragon or giant humanoids creatures.

'It all seems to revolve around wood. Is it limited to just that or did he never try anything else?' Naruto wondered, though he wasn't able to find anything. But his eyes widened like it was some kind of doujutsu when he came across one particular sentence.

'After his inauguration and the defeat of Uchiha Madara, Hashirama managed to find a wife, who went by the maiden name Uzumaki Mito.'

Naruto continued to replay that bit of information in his mind over and over again. Uzumaki. Uzumaki Mito. He had the same ability as the Shodaime Hokage and his surname was the same as the maiden name of the Shodaime's wife before she married him.

'This is getting way too weird to be a coincidence...!' Naruto thought, starting to get a little freaked out. 'I have the same last name as this Mito person before she married the Shodaime and I have the Mokuton like the Shodaime did! Could I... could I be related to the two of them somehow...? Even if it's just distantly or indirectly... is it really possible...?'

Naruto read back a bit to see if he might have missed anything. He found that Hashirama could also use a Mokuton jutsu to create trees with flowers on them. Ones whose pollen could have an effect on his opponents if used in a combat situation. Not exactly what Naruto was hoping to find, but he'd still file it away for later with the other things Hashirama could do using the Mokuton.

After an indeterminate amount of time Naruto couldn't find anything more on Mito except where she came from, some place called Uzushiogakure. This bothered Naruto, not only was this basically teasing him about possible connections, but it was regarding the wife of the Hokage as a mere footnote. Either she had never really done anything for the village or anyone that was worth mentioning, or someone decided she wasn't important enough to do more than mention. A bit disappointed about not finding out more about Mito, Naruto went back to his original task of trying to find out more information about the Mokuton.

After a bit, he noticed something missing. 'Wait, it describes what he did but it doesn't give an actual list of jutsu or how he performed them. Don't tell me that stuff is in the restricted section. How am I supposed to learn how to use my own Mokuton if I can't get actual instructions? By trial and error?' Naruto thought, frowning more deeply than most people thought a boy his age could.

Something clicked in the boy's mind and the sour expression left him, replaced by an intrigued one. 'Hmm... that might actually work.'

Going by what he'd read, Naruto began to imagine different possibilities that could come from him experimenting with the Mokton. 'The question now is should I experiment with this alone or not?' He asked himself.

Naruto's mind then began to conjure up the villagers' possible reactions to him having the Mokuton. He could see them, at best, treating him a little less harshly or just acting like he doesn't exist. At worse, he could see them somehow accusing him of copying or stealing the Senju clan's Mokuton and hunting him down. He knew that the old man wouldn't react that way, but he couldn't be so sure about the rest of the village.

'I think I'll hold off on telling the villagers this. Same with my classmates, until I'm sure they like me first. Though should I ask the old man for a possible tutor?' He thought, his face deep in thought.

Naruto thought about it for a minute. On the one hand, having the aged Hokage behind him on this would be helpful. On the other hand, how could he know whether or not the old man would keep it between them? After all, even if he did care about him, the aged Hokage was a village leader and shinobi first and a person second. He'd most likely think about the village's best interest first and Naruto's own second. So if he felt that others in the village knowing about Naruto having the Mokuton would benefit the village, he'd likely tell those that he knew would help ensure that.

'And then tell me what he did long after it's too late to do anything about it.' He thought, then closed his eyes briefly. 'For now, I'll keep this to myself.'

With his decision made, Naruto closed the book he was on and decided to look through one more to see if he could find something to help him learn a little more about how to at least control his Mokuton if he couldn't find anything about any jutsu for it.

'Where can I look for that without going to the restricted section?' He asked himself. 'Is there a book that offers generic advice for kekkei genkai? Sort of a one size fits all kind of guide?'

Naruto began to think about it more. Eventually, he decided to go back to the catalog and look and see if such a book was in the library.

'Let's see.' He said to himself, looking through the list. 'Kekkei genkai. List of... types of... elements... hmmm... general theory... that might work.'

Naruto looked closely at where the general theory book was, then headed towards the section it was in. Once he reached it, he looked through row after row until he found it. Right away he grabbed it and opened it to the index, not wanting to read the thing cover to cover to find what he was looking for, if it was even there. It took some searching, but Naruto found the section on the Mokuton. Turning to it, he started reading.

'The Mokuton is one of the most famous kekkei genkai to come out of Konoha, but it is also the rarest. As of this book's publication, Senju Hashirama is the only person in Konoha's history to possess this bloodline. The exact reason why is unknown.'

'The only one? Then who taught him how to use it?' Naruto asked.

Naruto found this odd. If Hashirama was the only one in history to possess it, did he learn it through trial and error, too? Rereading that part, Naruto noted a part he missed. Hashirama was the only one in Konoha's recorded history to have it. Did that mean that someone had it before him before Konoha was founded? If so, then did he learn it from them or were they already dead by the time Hashirama was born or discovered he had it?

This was getting Naruto nowhere. So far, he'd only discovered that he had the same kekkei genkai as the Shodaime Hokage, most likely only some of what Hashirama could do with it, and that he might be related to Hashirama or his wife Mito in some way. All of this searching and Naruto still had more questions than answers.

'And it looks like I won't get more answers until I become an official ninja.' He thought dejectedly.

Sighing, Naruto turned back to the index to see if he could find a section with basic knowledge on some kekkei genkai to give him an idea of what he'd be getting himself into.

'The Mokuton is considered part of the element class kekkei genkai, to be more specific the sub-element class. Rather than be an advanced or unique manipulation of one of the five primary chakra elements, it is a combination of two elements together in order to form a sub-element. According to Hashirama, it was a combination of earth and water. Other sub-elements on record include but are not limited to ice, magma, boil, scorch, and storm.'

Other than wonder what was a scorch element, Naruto wondered if this might be part of the learning process for his potential trial and error. Naruto began to wonder if researching the other elements as well could help him better understand his Mokuton, as well as come up with new and more unique ideas on what to do with it. Naruto went back to the index and found the section on the ice one, then turned to it and began to read.

'The Hyoton was a mixture of water and wind to create ice, owned by the Yuki clan of Kirigakure. This was different than the ice techniques that come from Yukigakure in that the Hyoton can actually freeze water in the surrounding area and manipulate it, whereas the latter could only use snow and ice already present.'

Naruto arched an eyebrow. 'So it's possible to mimic a kekkei genkai, just not as effective. Maybe someone's tried mimicking the Mokuton? That might lead to some ideas.'

Naruto began to smirk at the possibilities that concept brought to mind. If someone could mimic the Hyoton using snow and ice present in the area, then just think of what he could do while having the Mokuton if he could find a way to control and manipulate wood and trees already available to him. A slightly evil chuckle, one reminiscent of his mood when he'd pull a particularly good prank, escaped his lips at the thoughts that came to mind at that idea. Putting such thoughts aside, Naruto turned to the next section, the one on the magma kekkei genkai, and started reading.

'The Youton is a combination of earth and fire to create magma. Oddly enough, this kekkei genkai comes in variants with no clear connection between them other than the elements used. One form uses pure and simple magma, another results in a type of rubber instead, and a third results in the substance quicklime.'

Confused on how lava, rubber, and whatever the heck quicklime is could all be a part of one kekkei genkai, Naruto did get one thing from this entry. That kekkei genaki were not restricted to just one expression of themselves. This meant that while he could use wood, there was no guarantee that was all he could use. Naruto began to smirk more as more and more possible experiments came to mind.

Oh, the wonders of elemental kekkei genkai. They could be so versatile on how they are used and can come in different varieties of themselves. He read that that Youton could also come in a lava form and that there was supposedly even a justu for the Youton that allowed you to coat yourself in a magma armor. That one sounded almost painful to Naruto. Interesting, but painful.

'I mean, how can you get covered in an armor made of magma and not get liquefied by it? And even if you don't get liquefied by it, wouldn't the heat make you sweat like a pig?' Naruto thought, still confused about the mechanics of that jutsu. 'Obviously the user has some form of protection against their own element, though that might be more because of great control than an automatic thing. I mean, a if a tree were to fall on me, I doubt it would break before it hit me.'

Naruto decided to contemplate that more later and turned to the next section. The section on Futton, the Boil Element.

'The Futton is a type of kekkei genkai found in Kiri, one that has resulted in the deaths of many ninja before they even knew what they were experiencing. According to the survivors, as well as the autopsies, the bloodline works by combining fire and water in order to create dangerous gases that can either dissolve skin and melt flesh upon contact, or combust into flame if lit with a spark. Speculation suggests that the gases can also be toxic if inhaled. By mixing these gases into the fog around Kiri, or by using it in conjunction with the Kirigakure no Jutsu, a ninja possessing this kekkei genkai could kill a large group of enemy ninja before they even knew something had happened.'

'Whoa...! That's pretty deadly.' Naruto thought, surprised by the brutality of the skill yet impressed by the effectiveness of it at the same time.

Refocusing on his task, Naruto turned to the next section. And that section covered Shakuton, the Scorch Element.

'The Shakuton combined fire and wind in order to produce miniature suns and various flames different than normal Katon jutsu. Found only in Sunagakure, these flames were dangerous in that they could kill their victims even without touching them. Close proximity to a Shakuton jutsu often evaporated the vast majority of the water in their bodies, effectively mummifying them. Direct contact was little different than living cremation.'

'Wow.' Naruto thought, bothered but impressed by the effectiveness of the techniques. 'Wouldn't want to fight those guys with wood. But I like the idea that, even if you miss your target, you can still do damage. I wonder if I can do the same somehow...'

Naruto began to contemplate it more and imagined having wooden spikes just out of the wood or trees he created or controlled if they initially missed their target, stabbing or slashing the target even while missing at first. An evil smirk crossed his face at this as he imagined more wooden spikes jutting out of the previously created ones. Shaking himself out of it, Naurto turned to the next section, which covered Ranton. The Storm Element.

'The Ranton works by combining water and lightning. However, unlike what the name suggests, it does not generate actual storms. Rather, it instead generates condensed chakra that can best be described as lightning one can actually aim. The name probably originated from the idea that water and lightning are only found naturally together in thunderstorms. The bloodline is primarily offensive and provides only an intercepting form of defense which requires fast reaction times to accomplish.'

Naruto nodded. 'Almost sounds like the opposite of mine. Mine is primarily defensive, but can be used offensively if I'm quick and creative enough.' Naruto continued reading.

'These are only some of the elemental kekkei genkai out there. Some of the known ones are currently impossible to confirm the true nature of, such as crystal, and others are suspected but not confirmed, such as magnet. Some theoretical kekkei genkai appear to be merely made up, like the rumored Tetsuton.'

Naruto made note of these in case he ever encountered someone with one of those bloodlines, however unlikely it might be. He also decided to look them up and study them too sometime, either to give him more ideas or to help him come up with ideas to counter them later on.

'That reminds me, I better consider what the Mokuton is strong against and weak against. Fire obviously comes to mind, but what else?' He asked himself.

Naruto thought about it more. Obviously, lightning would have an advantage over it too if things in nature were an thing to go by. And it could obviously stand up to water. Then again, if it was reinforced with enough chakra, could a Mokuton jutsu stand up to something it had a disadvantage against?

'I mean, I hear that fire always has the advantage over wind. But, if that were true, then blowing out a candle would be impossible. Wind should be able to defeat fire if it's reinforced enough, so there's no reason wood couldn't withstand fire or lightning if reinforced, too.' Naruto thought. 'Besides, don't some kinds of wood take longer to burn then others? I remember hearing something like that in the fire safety lessons.'

Naruto thought this over and decided to put his theory to the test at some point. Maybe when he was a genin, if he trusted his sensei enough to tell them about his Mokuton and if they knew any fire jutsu.

'Alright, I have a good idea how to start this. And, if the forest around Konoha really was created by the Shodaime Hokage, then I don't have to worry about these jutsu having a time limit or anything. Heh, you know what, this is actually an impressive ability. Most ninja can only destroy, but I can create.'

Naruto began to feel proud of having the Mokuton. Not just because he shared an ability that the Shodaime Hokage had, but because he could also create when most shinobi could only destroy. He felt that that was something he felt he should be proud of.

'Hey if I can grow fruit I won't have to worry about going hungry again.' He thought with a smirk before losing it. 'Oh wait, if I can grow vegetables too, then the old man will say I have no excuse not to eat them now.'

Naruto sighed, since he now had a problem. On the one hand, since he could grow fruit, he wouldn't have to worry about running out of food before he could get some more cash or get himself fed. On the other hand, he hated vegetables. And, if he could grows those too, the old man would get on his case a bit about not eating them if he found out. Then again, he didn't know for sure that the Mokuton could also be used to grow vegetables. Since it mostly focused on wood, trees, and things that can grow on trees, it probably wouldn't apply to vegetables.

'I can live with eating fruit daily, but not vegetables. Besides, maybe I can share fruit with others and get them to like me. You don't win friends with salad.' Naruto thought.

Naruto it over and decided to give that a shot sometime. Besides, if the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" was true, then maybe he'd never have to see a doctor or go to a hospital again if he had at least one apple each day.

'Hmm... if the tree grows really quickly, I bet I can make the fruit grow quickly too. I just hope I don't have to grow a new tree each time I want something. Hey, what if I can adjust the fruit a bit, like make orange apples or something instead of red or green? I bet people would buy that at least once.' Naruto thought, contemplating the possibilities.

Naruto began to think up new and more inventive ideas of how to use his Mokuton in his daily life without having to tell anyone about it. He even began to come up with a few prank ideas involving it.

'Ooh, maybe I can create my own treehouse with this. A fortress of solitude.' He thought with some excitement. 'But when do I show this to others? Hmm... probably not until when I'm older and can use it effectively. Know my limits and strengths, that sort of thing.'

Naruto smiled at this, but then shook is head and decided to get back to his research. He then began to look back at the book and turned it back to the index to see if there were any sections on any of the remaining element-based kekkei genkai it mentioned. He found a section marked "Theoretical Kekkei Genkai" and decided to give it a look.

'All villages have their secrets and their own kekkei genkai, some more than others. Due to the fact that each village and clan guards these secrets, it's difficult to confirm the natures of known kekkei genkai or if some jutsu are actual kekkei genkai or merely advanced element manipulation. One example of advanced manipulation is Kumo's Black Lightning, which appears to be mostly Raiton jutsu modified in a unique way.'

'Black lightning...? How is that possible...?' Naruto thought, confused on how someone could create Black Lightning without it being some kind of kekkei genkai.

'Reports even tell of bubble jutsu from Kiri, though this is currently considered a similar form of advanced element manipulation with Suiton jutsu. Rumors claim that some ninja in Iwagakure are capable of flight, which if true would implicate a type of advanced manipulation of Futon jutsu. Of course this is mostly speculation.'

'Well this is helpful.' Naruto thought sarcastically.

'Types of jutsu seen but not confirmed to be either kekkei genkai nor advanced manipulation include coral jutsu from Kirigakure, sand jutsu from Sunagakure, and powder jutsu from Takigakure. The natures of these ninjutsu are at the time of publication impossible to determine, leaving nothing but theory.'

'What kind of reference book only offers guesses?' Naruto asked himself, then sighed and decide to read further, in hopes of finding something else that was actually helpful or useful.

'Due to the rarity of the Mokuton, it's confirmed as a recessive bloodline, meaning unlike other clan jutsu not everyone in the clan gets to use it. Another example of a recessive bloodline belongs to the Kurama clan of Konohagakure, which is shown in only one member every other generation. The same can be said of the Shikotsumyaku, a bloodline belonging to the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure, which is active at presumably the same rate.'

'So if it's something that really only happens once in a while instead of all the time, then it really isn't impossible that I might be connected the the Shodaime or his wife.' Naruto thought, hope growing.

Naruto began smiling at the idea of that. he might actually be learning a bit about his own heritage while learning how to use his Mokuton. He might even have family out there. But, at this, a frown began to form on Naruto's face.

'If that is true, then why am I alone now? I mean, if I'm part of a clan, how can no one know about it? Wouldn't there be someone trying to find me? Is there some way to, I dunno, test to find out who I'm related to? I didn't pop out of the ground like that tree did, I had to come from someone. Someone has to know my parents, there has to be a way to find them.' Naruto thought, thoroughly upset now.

Naruto felt himself burning with even more questions. Except, this time, they were questions that he'd already wondered about before. For a long time now, Naruto had wondered about the truth of his origins. He'd burned to know who his parents were and why they weren't with him now. Did they abandon him?

Did they die? What were they like? These were questions that Naruto had asked himself more times than he count count. He'd even asked the old man these same questions. But he always got the same answers. Knowing where this train of thought would take him if he let it continue, Naruto shook his head as if to literally shake off the thoughts themselves.

'I'll think about it later, and maybe I should see if the old man has ever bothered looking for my parents. If I bring this up to him, he'll have no reason not to, but I'm not sure that's reason enough to tell him now. Agh, stop thinking about it.' Naruto thought to himself.

He closed the book, hoping that might make it easier for him to ignore these thoughts. 'I should go back to the forest and try some tests. That will get me at least some answers.'

Nodding his head, Naruto put the book back. After thanking the librarian for her help, he left the library. But what he didn't see was that someone was watching him from behind a bookcase. The person came out from behind it, walked over to where they saw Naruto looking through books, and pulled out the books in the spots they memorized from when Naruto pulled them out. Opening the books one-by-one and looking through them, one thought came to the person's mind when they found out what Naruto was looking at.

'Why was Naruto-chan looking at books about Senju Hashirama and kekkei genkai...?'

To Be Continued...

Well, that's it for the first chapter! Hope you liked it, cause it took a lot of work to finish this in the amount of time I wanted to. Also, since I'll be going to Job Corps in soonish, expect updates a minimum on every two weeks once I get in. Again, big thanks to brown phantom for his help with this! And another big thanks to Spyrofan777 for giving me the kick in the pants I needed to get my writing motivation back. Kudos to both of you guys! Well, til next time! This is Uzumaki Ricky signing off. Shaka and Aloha, readers!