Long story behind this, so please bear with me.
Long ago, when Naruto was still in it's infancy, I had the idea to make a character that was half human, half wolf. Originally, it was just her clan that had these attributes, but that idea evolved into there being a second continent inhabited by Half-Humans. This continent is called the "Land of Beasts" and is divided into several countries like the "standard" continent. Those countries are:
Land of Thunder (home to the Hidden Storm Village and about half of the canine Half-Humans, mainly the Wolf Tribe)
Land of Light (home to the Hidden Sun Village and the reptilian Half-Humans, mainly the Lizard Tribe)
Land of Darkness (home to the Hidden Web Village and the insect and nocturnal Half-Humans, mainly the Spider Tribe)
Land of Peaks (home to the Hidden Mountain Village and the bird Half-Humans, mainly the Hawk Tribe)
Land of Bones (home to the Hidden Bone Village and the violent Snake Tribe of Half-Humans)(I picked them for a reason...)
Land of Reeds (home to the Hidden Marsh Village and the other half of the canine Half-Humans, mainly the Fox Tribe)
Land of Prairies (home to the Hidden Shrub Village and the feline Half-Humans, mainly the Lion and Tiger Tribes)
Land of Seashells (home to the the Hidden Wave Village and the aquatic and amphibious Half-Humans, mainly the Shark and Frog Tribes)
Land of Forests (home to the Hidden Tree Village and an assortment of Half-Humans, mainly the Bear Tribe)
The leaders of these villages are called "Kage" but they are Kage in name only. For specific titles, message me. There is also a large village in the center of the Land of Beasts called the Hidden Beast Village. The leader of this village is called the "Kemonokage" and is treated as a "true kage."
Anyway, the Land of Lightning is currently the weakest of the nation because its biggest village, the Hidden Storm Village, was destroyed. The strongest would be the Land of Prairies and the Land of Light. The others fall in-between.
Now: down to my OC. He originally started off as a female, but then I couldn't watch Naruto anymore because of my job and school, so she kind of fell to the wayside. After the dubbed version of Shippuden started airing here in the US, I got back into it, but after re-examining my OC, I figured that the personality would fit better on a male character, so Koma Shiomizu was born. The only thing I didn't change about the OC was the wolf pack he has as pseudo-summons (I'll explain what I mean soon), his backstory, and the fact that he crushes on Kiba. Koma is a Wolf Tribe Half-Human, so anytime I say "his ears _" it means his wolf-like ears, so imagine what a dog's ears do when they experience a similar emotion.
If you actually read all that, you get a cyber-cookie and a hug. Now that I'm finished: enjoy.
Legal stuffs: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto-san does. All I own is this fic and my OCs. This site is the only one with permission to post this fanfiction; if you see it anywhere else, please let me know. If you'd like to use this fic, an excerpt, or any of my OCs, message me for permission and let me know what you plan to do with them.
Enjoy!
Koma shuffled his feet as he made his way towards the Ninja Academy building, his ears drooping. Today was his first day as a real ninja, but he couldn't help being on the verge of tears. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, he thought, this isn't right. I should be—.
"Hey! Koma!" The wolf-boy's thoughts were cut short by someone calling his name. He recognized the voice, but turned to face its owner anyway.
"Kiba," he said as the Inuzuka boy approached, Akamaru on his heels, "what's up?"
"Oh come on," Kiba said as he gave Koma a hard pat on the back, "you know what's up. We're ninja today, man! Finally, we'll get to go on real missions and stuff." He examined Koma for a moment and frowned. "Hey, what's wrong? Aren't you excited?"
"Of course I'm excited," Koma said as he put on a fake smile, "there's nothing wrong, really."
"C'mon now," Kiba replied with a raised eyebrow, "I spend enough time with dogs to understand their body language. The droopy ears and tail means something's up with you. C'mon, you'll feel better if you tell me."
"Well," Koma gave in, "it's not that I'm not excited to become a ninja; I am, really. It's just...when I envisioned this day, I-I..." Koma began to tear up and his voice started to crack. "...I always thought...that I'd be becoming a ninja...of my own village, and my mom and dad w-would be there..."
Kiba put an arm around Koma's shoulders. He knew well enough what happened to Koma's home village, the Hidden Storm Village. He didn't want his friend to have to repeat the experience if he didn't want to.
"Hey," he said as he continued with Koma towards the Academy building, "don't forget you've got family here, too. Mom and Hana and I, we're your family. Have you already forgotten how they praised us both when we graduated? Don't worry," he said as he folded his arms behind his head, "everything will be fine."
"Thanks Kiba," Koma sniffed, "thanks for everything."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Now come on." Kiba grabbed Koma by the wrist. "Let's go become ninja; I'll race ya!"
…...
The two boys now sat among the rest of their class, waiting for Iruka to show up. Kiba had taken up his usual position near the back of the classroom and Koma sat in the seat behind him. The wolf-boy rested his head on his crossed arms as he listened to Kiba talk about what he and Akamaru dug up the day before. Not soon after, Ino and Sakura burst into the room in a huff about Sasuke and which one of them would date them. Koma cast a bored look at the two before turning back to Kiba.
"What idiots." He yawned. "Who cares about that prick Sasuke anyway?"
"I know what you mean," Kiba replied, "I'd hate to get stuck with either one of them. Speaking of which, you've never told me about what you think of the rest of our class."
"Well if you really want to know..." Koma began using his index finger to indicate each one of his classmates. "Naruto's a noisy annoying bastard, but he's been through a lot, as far as I've heard, so I guess that's his way of coping. Hinata's a really sweet girl with the heart of a lion, but she's too busy trying to hide from Naruto while trying to confess her love at the same time, although why she's got a crush on him, I'll never know. I wouldn't mind being on a team with her, especially since she's the only girl who doesn't fawn over Sasuke. I'm not sure what to think of Shino; I've never really talked to him. He's so mysterious, but in a kind of...intellectual way, I guess. Shikamaru's a lazy fuck, but he could destroy you with his mind before you could say 'help,' so he'd be a good guy to be teamed with. I think Choji's the biggest beef-processing place from here to the Land of Beasts, but he's a friendly guy; I suppose he'd be good to have at your back. And then there's you." He grinned at Kiba. "Loud, wild, prideful, and dog-like...but in a good way. Since I don't know anyone else, I suppose the team I'd like to be on would be...you, me, and either Shikamaru or Hinata."
"That would be a pretty good team—"
Kiba's thoughts were interrupted by an uproar from somewhere toward the front of the classroom. Both boys turned to see Naruto and Sasuke, lip-to-lip surrounded by a crowd of angry girls. They both laughed, but Koma was secretly wishing that that spectacle could be him and Kiba. His cheeks flushed as Kiba turned back to face him.
"Oh man, that was great!" That was when he noticed Koma blushing. "Hey, why are you blushing? Oh," Kiba grinned slyly, "do you have a crush on one of them?"
"Wha—of course not," Koma replied while trying not to make his blush deepen, "I told you, I don't like the prude or the loud-mouthed idiot."
Before Kiba could offer a smart-ass remark, Iruka walked into the room and greeted the class. He began calling out the teams that the kids would be assigned to. Koma couldn't help but giggle when Iruka called out the composition of Team 7. He started to run through the possible scenarios that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke would be in due to all the unrequited love between the three when Iruka called out the first member of Team 8: Kiba. Come on, come on, he pleaded in his mind, please let me be on Kiba's team.
He sighed and laid his head back down on his arms when Hinata and Shino were revealed as Kiba's partners. Great. With my luck I'll get stuck with Ino or someone worse... As Koma wallowed in his bad luck, Iruka continued.
"The members of Team 9 will be: Koma Shiomizu," Koma's sensitive ears perked up at the mention of his name, "Aisu Hitofuki, and Kohaku Maboroshi."
Koma raised his head and glanced around. He knew his new teammates by name only; he had no clue what their personalities were like. He spotted the white-haired Aisu sitting across the room, her arms crossed and her eyes closed. Apparently she either wasn't interested in her new partners, or just plain didn't care who they were. Sitting a short distance away from her was Kohaku, easily spotted by his dark red hair. He glanced around with genuine interest to spot his teammates. When his and Koma's glances met, he offered a friendly smile and wave before turning to face the front of the room again. Koma looked quizically at the back of Kohaku's head for a moment. The boy seemed to trust him, regardless of the fact that they had really just met. He shrugged and stood as Iruka dismissed them for lunch.
Kiba followed him outside and they headed to a small field near the training grounds. The field was noting special; just a large open space ringed by trees with a single, lager tree in it's center, but it held more meaning to the two boys than any other place in the village. This field was where, years ago, Kiba and Koma had first become friends.
They headed to the tree in the center and sat in its shadow, taking out their lunches. Kiba began munching on his favorite flavor of jerky while Koma was eating something that resembled still-raw meat.
"So..." Koma swallowed and kicked at one of the tree's roots.
"So?"
"I guess we're not going to be on the same team, huh Kiba?"
"Guess not."
"This sucks," Koma said, his voice dripping in disappointment "I really wanted to be teamed with you."
"Yeah," Kiba replied, "me too. But this isn't all bad."
"Really? How so?"
"Well," Kiba leaned back against the trunk of the tree, "now we can push each other to be better. You know, see who's got the better team and all, of course we both know that I'm gonna win that one." He grinned
"Hey!" Koma grinned back and punched Kiba in the shoulder. "Don't count me out yet you mutt!"
The two boys laughed and stared up into the clouds for a moment.
"What are you eating, anyway?" Kiba pointed to what little was left of Koma's near-raw meat. "It looks raw."
"It's beef," the wolf-boy replied, "and it is raw. Because I've got beast blood in me, sometimes I have a craving for stuff like this."
"But won't it make you sick? That what mom tells me every time I try to eat it."
"No." Koma pulled off a chunk of meat. "My beast blood gives me the cravings, so naturally it also gives me the proper stuff to keep from getting sick. Now if you ate it, you'd be bent over the toilet for the next week."
"Yeah, thanks for that image." Kiba let Akamaru have the rest of his lunch. He suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. "So, what do you think our sensei are going to be like?"
"I'm not sure," Koma replied as he finished his lunch, "I've never met any Jonin before, so they could have any personality from Naruto's to Sasuke's, although I doubt they'll be like either of those two."
"I guess you're right." Kiba hopped to his feet. "Anyway, we'd better get going now. By the time we get back, Iruka-sensei should be ready to start."
Koma nodded and climbed to his feet. Akamaru barked happily as he finished Kiba's food and jumped into the front of the boy's jacket. Koma laughed and he and Kiba headed back towards the Academy. As they neared the building, Koma stopped.
"You go on ahead, I'll be there in a minute." Kiba turned to look at Koma before shrugging and walking into the building. Koma bit into his finger and used the blood to form a seal on his hand palm and followed that with a few quick hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke appeared as Koma slammed him palm into the ground and from it a large, grey, battle-scared wolf appeared.
"You summoned me, Koma?"
"Yeah." Koma pat the wolf on the head, his thumb running over a long scar over the wolf's left eye. "Juuro, I'm about to meet my new teammates and my sensei and I just wanted some back-up going in to it."
"Hmm." Juuro nodded. He knew what had happened to the boy in the past, and it wasn't easy for Koma to repeat those events to other people. Sometimes he needed a helping hand. "I'm with you, pup." Koma smiled and led the wolf into the Academy building.
…...
"And that's the gist of what I know." The Third Hokage turned to a man with shaggy brown hair.
"How horrible," the man said, "I can't believe he had to go through that, and at such a young age, too. Something like that would be enough to cause adults to give up living, but for a child..."
"I won't lie to you," the Hokage said, "when he came to me, he was near catatonic. I could hardly get him to tell me his name."
"Really?" The shaggy-haired man held a hand to his chin. "And you say his father was the Arashikage at the time?" The Hokage nodded. "And you want me to keep an eye on him?"
"Yes," the Hokage answered, "while he may have recovered from the initial trauma, I've no doubt that the events of that night still haunt him. I want you to make sure that he doesn't slip back into the depression he was in before. Also, out of all the Jonin, you have the most experience with Half-Humans, so I want you to make sure his feral chakra doesn't get out of control."
"Yes sir." The shaggy-haired man bowed and left. The Hokage turned back to his crystal ball.
"Koma..."
…...
Soon, Koma was seated back in his seat with the rest of his classmates as Iruka stood before them.
"Alright," he announced to the room full of students, "your Jonin instructors should be here any minute. When they arrive, they'll take you off somewhere so you can get acquainted. That being said, I was proud to be your Academy teacher and I hope each of you become great ninja. Ah, here's the first of your instructors now."
A man walked in and briefly introduced himself before leading three of the students out. Kiba turned around and began to talk with Koma until a woman walked in.
"Hello," she said partly to Iruka and partly to the students, "I'm Kurenai Yuhi and I'm here to get Team 10." Hinata and Shino immediately stood and walked down to her.
"I guess that's me," Kiba said to Koma, "see ya!" He waved to Koma before joining his team and leaving. Koma laid his head on his hands and watched Kiba depart, trying to keep from tearing up. This sucks, Kiba, and not just because we won't be together. It's because...I like you...a lot. Koma closed his eyes and let his ears do the 'watching' for his instructor. Juuro eyed the boy with suspicion. He knew something was going on, he just couldn't tell what yet.
About a half hour and a few Jonin sensei later, the shaggy-haired man entered. He greeted Iruka before turning to the much smaller group of students.
"Hey there," he greeted them with a wave, "I'm Ikichi Hinotama and I'll be the instructor of Team 9. If you're on my squad, let's head out."
Koma's ears perked up when he heard the man say 'Team 9.' He opened his eyes and headed down to face the man with Aisu and Kohaku, Juuro following in his footsteps. He waved for them to follow him and exited the room, the three genin on his heels. He led them through the village to a small square with a few benches and bushes spread around. Ikichi motioned for the three to take a seat on one of the benches and leaned himself against the outside of one of the buildings lining the square as Juuro sat at Koma's side.
"So, you three are going to be my charges for the next while, huh?" He grinned. "Well, I guess we should get to know each other, then. Now, tell me about yourselves."
"What exactly do you want to know?" Koma questioned.
"Well," Ikichi thought for a moment, "go ahead and tell me a little about your pasts and hopes for the future. And go ahead and tell me any special combat skills you have. You can go first." He pointed to Kohaku.
"My name is Kohaku Moboroshi. I don't have a very interesting past." He blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "I was raised here in the Leaf by my father and my grandmother. My mother died when I was young, so I don't remember her. I hope that one day I'll be able to become a legendary ninja like the Sanin or the Hokage. As far as combat goes, I've got a Fire chakra nature, so I use a lot of Fire Style techniques, but my real skills are in genjutsu."
"Alright, very good." Ikichi nodded and motioned to Aisu. "Next."
"I'm Aisu Hitofuki. I was born in the Hidden Mist Village, but my parents and I moved here when I was little. My clan was formed from the joining of the Hitofu clan from the Leaf and the Yuki Clan from the Mist. I haven't really thought much about the future; I'm more of a 'live for the present' kind of person. My combat abilities revolve around my Ice Style kekki genkai from the Yuki Clan bloodline that was passed on to my clan. Due to that, I have a duel type Water and Wind chakra nature and I can use a few techniques from both."
"Excellent. And now you." Ikichi pointed at Koma.
"My name is Koma Shiomizu and, quite obviously, I'm from the Land of Beasts. My home village was the Hidden Storm Village, but..." He paused and glanced down at the ground. Juuro eyed the boy with concern while Ikichi observed him with interest. So this is what the Hokage was talking about. Ikichi thought
"...but the village...it was attacked and destroyed when I was a kid. My parents...they were..." He paused again and was trying hard to fight back tears. Juuro placed a supportive paw on his thigh. "...they were killed...and I was forced to watch."
Aisu and Kohaku both nearly jumped in shock, and Ikichi's eyes widened a bit. The Hokage didn't tell me that. I guess his knowledge only extends to the general destruction of the village.
"But my hope for the future," Koma continued, "is that I'll become a great enough ninja to succeed my father as the Arashikage and rebuild my village. I've got a Water chakra nature, so most of my ninjutsu are Water Style jutsu. I've mastered a few of them, and I've even managed to teach myself the Hardened Water Drill used by the Second Hokage. My father also schooled me in kenjutsu, so I know a bit of that."
"And what about your friend there?" Ikichi asked as he indicated Juuro.
"I am Juuro," the wolf replied, "and I am the alpha of a pack of ninja wolves that are sworn to protect the members of the Shiomizu Clan."
"It's true," Koma added, "ownership of Juuro's pack is passed down from parent to child of those born into the clan when the child turns six. They can be summoned using a special seal, but they're not really summoned creatures. The seal just acts as a beacon so they know where to come. Also, there will be times when a new wolf is born the day the ownership of the pack is passed down. This wolf, that we call a 'Bonded,' is said to have a special bond with the child who just obtained ownership, but this occurrence is very rare"
"So," Aisu asked, "is Juuro the wolf that's bonded to you."
"No." Koma pricked his finger and drew the same seal, with one character being different from the one he'd summoned Juuro with. He pressed his hand to the ground and a younger wolf with jet-black fur appeared.
"This is Ichiro," Koma said as Ichiro jumped up and licked his face, "he's my Bonded."
"Yep," Ichiro replied, "I've known the kid here my whole life! He's just like a brother!"
"He's energetic," Kohaku said as he scratched Ichiro's ear, "just how many wolves are in the pack, anyway?"
"Ten," Koma replied, "and Juuro here is the oldest. He was...my father's Bonded."
"Well I think we've got the makings of a top-notch team here! A genjutsu-user, someone with a kekki genkai, and a Half-Human who already knows a Summoning Jutsu...you three certainly leave a number of collaboration techniques and combat strategies open. But we'll see how good you do on your first mission tomorrow."
"Alright!" Kohaku cheered. "We've already got our first mission!"
"Slow down," Ikichi said, his voice suddenly serious, "don't get so excited yet. I like you three, so I'll tell you this ahead of time. This mission tomorrow will be a survival test. It will determine whether you three become Genin or whether you're sent back to the Academy for another year."
"What!" Koma nearly jumped off of the bench. His movement had startled Ichiro, who did jump up. "Oh, sorry Ichiro, but: what? I thought we'd already become ninja!"
"Yeah," Aisu added, "isn't that what the Academy was for?"
"Yes," Ikichi replied, "but that's not all it's for. You may have noticed that some of your classmates were a bit older than you. It's not because they entered the academy late or that they failed the exam or anything. Let me explain: each year, only 12 out of the 30 graduates of the Academy actually become Genin. The rest are sent back to the Academy for further training. This survival exercise is given to all the squads and only four of them are going to make it through. Whether you pass or fail is up to the instructor.
"So what your saying," Kohaku said, "is that you're going to judge our performance tomorrow and if you don't think we're good enough to become ninja..."
"...you'll be sent back to the Academy." Ikichi finished for him. The three students sat in silence. The only thought in their heads was that they couldn't get sent back to the Academy after they'd worked so hard to graduate.
"Well then," Ikichi said after a few moments, "I think that'll be all for today. Meet me over at our assigned training ground tomorrow at 5 am, and make sure you bring your ninja tools. Oh, and I've been told you're not supposed to eat before hand. See ya!"
…...
The next morning, Koma walked toward the training ground where he was supposed to meet his team, Ichiro and Juuro walking beside him. Koma stretched and yawned as he neared the field.
"I can see you're not used to being up this early," Juuro laughed, "poor little pup."
"Yeah," Ichiro said as he chased after a butterfly fluttering just ahead of the three, "I bet you'd rather be in bed now huh?"
"You have no idea," Koma yawned again, "why couldn't they have made this exercise later?"
"It's a survival exercise, pup," Juuro told him, "he probably wants to test you and your teammates on how you can operate under extreme stress like lack of sleep or hunger." Koma's stomach growled. "My point exactly." Koma's face turned red and he muttered 'shut up' as Juuro and Ichiro laughed.
As they approached the training ground, Aisu and Kohaku glanced up and greeted Koma.
"Man am I tired," Kohaku said as he plopped down at the base of a tree, "and hungry. I hope I'll be able to make it all the way through this exercise."
"Don't talk like that," Aisu said frankly, "unless you want to go back to the Academy. But I do hope Ikichi-sensei gets here soon." As if on cue, Ikichi walked up to the group.
"So, you're all here? Good, then we can get started. Your mission is simple, all you have to do," he pulled two bells from his pocket, "is take these bells from me."
"Hold it," Aisu said, "I think you're missing a bell."
"No," he replied, "and that's what I didn't tell you yesterday. See, either two of you can pass this test," he pulled one of the bells into his hand, "one of you can pass," he pulled the other bell up, "or none of you can pass. But there's no way for all three of you to pass. One member of each team is always sent back to the Academy, no matter what."
"But that's messed up!" Koma shouted.
"Yeah," Kohaku agreed, "you can't do that!"
"It's ridiculous!" Aisu agreed.
"Calm down," Ikichi told them, "look, the point is that only two of you can pass, and it's going to be the two of you who get these bells. And by the way, I'm not going to hold back on you, so I expect you to do the same."
"Oh there'll be no problem there." Aisu glared at Ikichi and the two boys nodded in agreement.
"Well then, I see no reason to stall any further." He attached the bells to his waist. "Begin!"
Koma was the first to move, quickly closing the distance between him and his sensei. He reached for the bells, but Ikichi dodged into the branches of the trees that were in the training ground and took off into the small forest. Just as I thought, Ikichi thought, Koma's beast blood gives him greatly enhanced speed. Not only that, but his enhanced sense of smell will make it easier for him to track me. At least they'll make this interesting. Come on you three, show me what you've got!
I'll just do a simple explanation of some of the characters introduced in this chapter:
Kohaku-Kohaku is a genjutsu and Fire Style user. His mother died when he was only two, so he doesn't remember much about her, which is why he doesn't get upset when he talks about her.
Aisu-Aisu has an interesting family history. Her clan, the Hitofuki Clan, was formed when a woman from the Yuki Clan, which Haku is a part of, came to the Hidden Leaf Village and fell in love with and wed a member of the Hitofu Clan, who were part of the Leaf Village. They combined their clan names to form "Hitofuki," although their marriage was objected to by both clans, so the Hitofuki Clan and its members are considered outcasts by both clans. Due to the fact that the Yuki Clan woman possessed the Ice Style kekkei genkai, it was passed on to the members of the Hitofuki clan. I will say that I will be combining Haku's techniques, the Ice Style used by the ninja in the first Naruto movie, and some original techniques to make up her arsenal. She also gets bitchy when she's tired and hungry. XD
Ikichi-Ikichi is from the Hidden Leaf Village. He doesn't have a super interesting backstory (yet). He's a Fire Style user and a medical ninja. In addition to that, he incorporates several basic techniques into his jutsu (and by 'basic' I mean things like ninja tools, substitution, shadow clones, etc.). More info on Ikichi to come in the future.
Juuro-Juuro is the Alpha of the pack of wolves (called the "Battle Wolf Pack") that act as pseudo-summons for Koma's family. As was said above, ownership of the clan is passed down from parent to child when the child turns six. In addition to this, a wolf may be born exactly when ownership is passed, giving this wolf a special bond to the child who just received ownership of the pack. This wolf is called a "Bonded." Juuro was born when Koma's father, Banken, gained ownership of the clan, making him Banken's Bonded. He acts as a father-figure to Koma and is the most summoned wolf other than Ichiro. He lost his left eye during the destruction of the Hidden Storm Village. More on Juuro to come in later chapters.
Ichiro-Ichrio is the youngest wolf in the pack, making him the newest addition. He is Koma's Bonded, and can often feel what Koma is feeling. He can also tell what Koma is thinking or if something is bothering him much easier than even Juuro can. He is hyperactive and immature, which is somewhat due to his young age. He's also a true prankster at heart. He didn't know Koma's father, so that's the only problem he can't really help the boy with. More on Ichrio to come in later chapters.
If you've got any more questions about characters, background, techniques, etc., just send me a message or post a review. Please review; constructive criticism welcomed, but no flaming please. More chapters to come soon!
La lune du sang-a.k.a. "La Volpe"