Arc One, Chapter One: Cherry Blossoms and New Beginnings
Naruto was scared. No, scared wouldn't even cover it. He was terrified. He had about 30 minutes to learn a jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing before Mizuki arrived. Currently, he couldn't do any. He was reading the scroll, to see anything he could learn.
(Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Suiton: Gufū Suika no Jutsu - Typhoon Water Vortex Jutsu, Doton: Jiware no Jutsu - Earth Fissure Jutsu...Useless!) he thought angrily, until he saw something at the near bottom of the humongous scroll..
It was labeled: Kinjutsu: Senbonzakura.
It said as a note underneath it: 'All that is required to release this artifact is the simple swipe of said person's blood. Beware: If you fail the Test, then you die. No retaking it...'
Naruto thought about it for a split second. 'If I can't pass the test, then I will not be a ninja! I won't fail!' he exclaimed.
He bit his thumb, and swiped it across the the space required. Naruto felt a sharp pain in his body, and he fainted.
Mindscape...
Naruto was in a peaceful place. It was a giant hill, and he saw someone under a gigantic sakura tree. Naruto ran towards it, to see who it was, so they could possibly help him return home.
It was a woman, tall, and she gave off a powerful aura. It screamed power, but also had a strong feeling of peace and understanding. She had long, black hair, and a warm smile on her face. She didn't even turn Naruto's way.
"Oi, who are you?" Naruto asked rudely.
As soon as he uttered those words, she frowned, which Naruto would later note that he never wanted to see that frown on her face. The reasons were currently unknown.
She sighed, and looked his way. 'Naruto, must you be this rude? You are in the presence of a lady, act like it...' she told him.
He was shocked. How did she know his name? Nonetheless, he began to use his manners towards the obviously noble lady. "My apologies. Who are you, and where are we?" he asked.
She gave him the warm smile again. 'See, now was that so bad? And to answer your questions, I am Senbonzakura. I am the spirit of a very powerful sword, called a Zanpakutō. And for where we are, we are in our mindscape.' she informed him.
Naruto was again puzzled. "Lady Senbonzakura, I am confused. What do you mean by 'our' ? And why are you here?" he asked the woman.
She grinned. 'I mean what I said. Our mindscape. Well, not until I give you the test first.'
"What test?" he wanted to know.
She sighed, but never lost her smile. ' You really have to pay attention more. I am fully aware that you have a brain, so use it. And for the test, it is one simple question. If you had power, what would you use it for?' she asked, now paying more attention than she showed previously.
"Power?"
'Yes, power. If you could completely wield me, would you get revenge on those that ignored you? Or would you do something else with my power?'
He knew the answer as soon as she asked him. "No! I would use your power to protect. To protect the ones close to me." he answered, which made her proud.
(Finally, someone worthy to use my full power. Haven't had a wielder this passionate since …...Little Byakuya...) she thought. 'Perfect answer Little Naruto. Revenge only leads to pain, and suffering. You don't want to be the compared to the beast sealed in you, though it isn't as evil as they assume ...' she said.
He frowned. "So the Kyuubi really is in me, huh? It explains a lot..." he said, getting sad. He had a hunch about why he was always ignored. He knew it could be worse , though it never made the lonely nights better. He perked up in a second though. "So, did I pass your test?"
She grinned twenty times as bright hearing his question. 'Of course you did. If you had failed, then I would have to kill you...Never-mind that, you passed, so I will tell you about me. I am Senbonzakura. I am an ancient Zanpakutō. I have had only one wielder besides you. You remind me so much of him, it's scary. The passion in your voices were so alike. Little Naruto, I need for you to do one thing, and we will never be defeated. Trust me. As long as you trust me, I will never fail you. Let me guide you, and no one will stand in our way. Cherish me, and you will never be alone.' she said, showing much passion towards her new wielder.
Naruto smiled. "Hai Lady Senbonzakura. We will never lose!" he yelled, before getting a palm tightly shut on his mouth.
Senbonzakura sighed. 'Naruto, you will also have to change your attitude. Please, for me, let your mask crumble. Let the world see the real you. That doesn't mean that you have to fight for attention. If someone is truly interested in you, then they will show it. Do not fall for false affection, that will only put weight on your heart, and I will not allow that. Also, you need to quit being so rude. I am a noble, and you will be trained to have some characteristics of one as well.' she told him.
He was reluctant, but he agreed. He was tired of getting hurt.
'I know little one. But with me by your side, then you will never be alone. '
"Hai Lady Senbonzakura. I understand. Let's go back to the real world now." he told her.
'As you wish, but just think what you have to say to me, and I will answer, ok?' she asked him.
He shook his head yes. He disappeared.
(Byakuya, you would be proud of him...) she thought sadly.
Real World...
Naruto woke up, happier than he thought possible. (Thank you Lady Senbonzakura...) he thought.
He could feel her pulse happily on his waist. (You're welcome Little Naruto...)
Naruto could feel Mizuki coming towards him.
"So...Naruto, did you learn a jutsu from the Scroll?" he asked
Naruto looked impassive about the matter. "Hai Mizuki. I did..." he said in a monotone.
(I got him where I want him now!) the chuunin thought. "Well, hurry and give me the scroll, so I can go and mark you down as a graduate with your class!" he said, in a great rush.
Naruto still kept the monotone in his voice clear for all to hear. "I don't think so Mizuki, as I know about your plan...Oh, yes I know. Kill two birds with one stone? Get the Forbidden Scroll and kill the so-called 'Kyuubi brat.' Pretty impressive for someone as close minded as yourself I may say."
Mizuki snarled, then smirked. "The fact that you know justifies the fact that you ARE the demon!" he retorted.
Naruto and Senbonzakura sighed simultaneously. "Baka, but I guess that I will have to kill you...Watch closely ANBU-san..." he said, making the ANBU in the nearby trees wonder how he knew their position.
Mizuki laughed. "As if the likes of you could even hope to kill me, much less hurt me! Go ahead and try...I'll even give you first shot!" he shouted arrogantly, which was no problem for Naruto.
Senbonzakura talked to Naruto in his mind. 'Let me take over for a second. I want to show you a bit of my power...' she told him. He gave her control.
Senbonzakura, in control of Naruto's body held the Zanpakutō straight on his chest.
"Chire, Senbonzakura."
Those two words released the blades first form, which made the blade transform into so many cherry blossoms, it was hard to count.
Mizuki, not paying attention to the blossoms/blade, laughed again. "Kami, you really are a dumb ass! As if they could-" he was interrupted by him dying slowly.
The blossoms tore into the traitor, killing him in a harsh, yet beautiful manner.
"That will teach trash like you to defile my peace..." They said as one.
She gave Naruto control of his body once again. 'How'd you like the show, Little one?' she asked.
Naruto scoffed, but got a mental slap in the back of the head.
'Manners Naruto.' she chided.
"Hai Lady Senbonzakura. Oh, and to answer your question, I loved your 'little performance'.
She was pleased. 'I know. Remember to act like your true self. ' she advised him.
He nodded. "Hai."
He looked towards the trees. "You know you can come out not ABNU-san, right?" he said appearing to be talking to no one, but seconds later, two ANBU appear out from nowhere.
"Thank you Uzumaki-san. We will report this to Hokage-sama." the Neko mask ANBU said .
Naruto waved his hand. "No problem ANBU-san. I'll return the Scroll to Hokage-sama." he said, as he disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms.
In the Hokage Tower...
The Hokage watched everything happen on his Orb of Konoha, which allowed him to watch various things in the village. He saw Naruto leave, and he knew it wasn't a Shunshin.
He felt a chakra signature, and knew it was Naruto.
"Naruto my boy, thank you for returning the scroll. Did you learn any jutsu from it?" he asked curiously.
Naruto shook his head in the negative. "I could not Hokage-jii. They were too difficult."
Sarutobi smirked. "What I'm about to tell you was meant to be kept secret until you have reached Chuunin rank, but I feel that you are ready. Your mother was like that as well. She had a bloodline that hindered her from using most jutsu, but her bloodline allowed her to use the rare Jinton [Swiftness Element] & the Dokuton [ Poison Element]. In fact, we knew you had the Dokuton because we ran tests on your blood to see if it would manifest in you. We found out that your body is holding poisons from weak to very acidic. That is the reason why you can't use chakra like everyone else . The poison is taking the place of chakra, making your ability to use even the most basic jutsu next to impossible. You may be able to use the substitution jutsu, but not much else. However, an upside to that load of terrible news is that you can make jutsu only your Dokuton." he explained to the boy.
Naruto secretly assumed there was a reason why he couldn't even so the regular Bunshin no Jutsu. He heard Senbonzakura in his head.
(Little one, you don't have anything to worry about. From what I heard from your Hokage, you won't be hindered. I am the best offense, and your Dokuton can be a perfect , just trust in me, and we can do anything.) she reminded him.
He smiled. (I know. I trust you with my life Lady Senbonzakura.) he said, which made her smile.
"Hokage-sama, do you have any information on both Dokuton and Jinton?" he asked the old man, which surprised him. Naruto was never this well mannered. He chalked it up the Zanpakutō. There wasn't any information on it in the scroll, so he would let Naruto keep it.
He went into a drawer, and pulled out two scrolls. "Here is everything I have on Dokuton. However, I don't have anything on Jinton. You can look them up in the Uzumaki compound, which you are entitled to now. Here are the keys, and also here is the reward for defeating a nukenin." he said, handing him the three scrolls, and the keys and reward money, which was almost 100,000 ryo.
Naruto nodded, and was about to walk out, until he heard Sarutobi clear his throat.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your Hitai-ate. You more than deserve it for defeating the traitor. Be in the academy for team assignments in the morning.) he commanded to the boy.
"Hai Hokage-jii." was all he said, before leaving in a swirl of cherry blossoms.
He went to the clothing store on Senbonzakura's request. He remembered what she said.
FlashBack
'Naruto, you definitely have to change your wardrobe...' she informed him.
Naruto repressed the urge to scoff. "Not likely Lady Senbonzakura. They clothes are awesome!" he retorted.
She pouted. 'Little Naruto, you would make me sad...Please do it. Dress like the Shinobi you are. Those clothes may have been ok for an academy student, but you are a ninja now, and I demand that you get better clothes...' she demands.
Naruto sighed. "Hai Lady Senbonzakura, I will do as you wish..."
She smirked smugly. 'Thank you...Now was that so bad...'
FlashBack End
He walked in the store, one that didn't mind him coming.
He nodded to the owner, and went to look for some different clothes. He made him change his wardrobe completely. He left the store happier than he had been before.
He now wore a white t-shirt, slightly tucked in a pair of loose black pants, with a white belt tied in a bow around his midsection (called shimenawa.) He tucked his Zanpakutō in the loop around his shimenawa. He also wore bandages on his hands and feet. He had a cherry blossom sewn on the back of his shirt, for the world to see. He got different colors of the outfit, such as red, black, white, purple and a burnt orange. He also got some arm guards, and shin guards for safety. He realized he may need some scrolls, so he bought three scrolls, and one huge scroll.
Naruto didn't want to admit it, but he looked good. Unfortunately, Senbonzakura could hear his thoughts, and was extra smug about it.
'See, I told you it wouldn't be too bad. Now you look like the person you should be. ' she chimed in.
He nodded. "I guess Lady 's get to the Uzumaki compound. I would like to sleep and get everything situated tomorrow after team assignments." he told her.
He walked to the Uzumaki Clan Compound, and looked around. It wasn't extravagant like the Uchiha clan's, but it was still pretty big. It had a huge Uzumaki swirl insignia on the front gates. The inside was homey...It had eight bedrooms, three bathrooms, a moderately sized kitchen, and a clan library, which made Naruto happy. He would definitely look into the library after he was assigned a team.
For the first time in a long time, Naruto went to sleep with a smile on his face...
In the morning, he got dressed with a white shirt, tucked into a pair of black baggy pants, with a pair of white sandals. His white shimenawa was tied around his waist.
He wrapped his arms and feet in bandages. He ran to the library, and grabbed a scroll on Dokuton. He tucked Senbonzakura in his loop, not forgetting her.
'You better not forget about me...' she said threateningly, before cheering up quickly. 'Hello Little Naruto! Ready to go to the academy?' she said excitedly.
He smiled. It seemed as he wasn't the only one that was excited. "Hai, I'm as excited as you are. Let's go and see what team we get assigned to." he told her, exiting the front door, then locking the gates to his compound.
He arrived at the academy, and saw Iruka at his desk. He turned towards Naruto and smiled. "Hello Naruto. Nice wardrobe by the way. The other students will be arriving in a couple of minutes. Oh! Naruto, good job with Mizuki." he praised.
Naruto nodded. "Thanks Iruka-sensei." he said, going to sit down.
About five minutes, students began filling up the classroom. Sasuke Uchiha, his ex-rival, sat down next to him, neither saying nothing to one another.
Five minutes after that, two girls rushed in the classroom. One blond, and one with exotic pink hair, which amused Senbonzakura.
'Nice hair.' she snickered, which made Naruto mentally scoff. He also swiftly received a slap to the head, curtesy of Senbonzakura. (Damn it Lady Senbonzakura!)
The pink haired girl yelled at Naruto. "I don't know who you think you are, but this is my seat!" she screeched.
Naruto looked at her, and looked back ahead of him. He closed his eyes.
The blond girl talked next. "Yeah! This is my seat, not some nobody like you!"
Naruto scoffed this time, not getting slapped. The reason being that Senbonzakura did the same. "Shut up Ino-san." he simply said.
She exploded in anger. "Who the hell-" she was interrupted by Iruka.
"Settle down you two. Go pick a seat. Now, let's get the team announcements over with."
"Team One-"
"Team Two-"
"Team Three-"
Team 4-"
Team 5-"
Team 6-"
Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno sensei is Kakashi Hatake."
Naruto stopped paying attention after that. Senbonzakura, however scolded her wielder. 'Naruto, you have to pay attention , it wouldn't affect you in any way, you still need to pay attention.'
The class looked at Iruka like he had three heads and a tail. The pink haired girl, Haruno Sakura, yelled, "Where's the idiot Iruka-sensei? I thought he failed like the baka he is!" she smirked.
Iruka sighed as he heard two or three more students agreed. He decided to put a stop to it all. "Well, if you payed more attention, then you would have noticed that you were talking to Naruto the whole time!" he announced, as everyone, except Sasuke, looked at Naruto.
"No way...That baka doesn't dress that way, plus, he's always talking about being Hokage and trying to date Sakura!" she said smugly. There was no way this boy could be that idiot.
Naruto cracked one eye. "Ino-san, I wish you would refrain from talking about me in such a manner. Lest you want to lose a limb..." he said, letting the threat hang. Shino, and even Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his emotionless manner of speaking.
He closed his eye. Iruka sighed. "Well, that's that. I'm proud of all of you...I hope to hear great things form all of you. Goodbye." he said, as he poofed out of the room.
Most of the student's sensei have come and got them, except for Team 7.
Sakura walked up to Naruto. "Baka! Why did you talk to Ino like that? You better remember your place, or else!" she threatened.
Senbonzakura scoffed again. It sounded like Naruto's bad habits were rubbing off on her, which made Naruto smirk smugly.
He looked up from his Dokuton scroll. "Like I told her, shut up. You know nothing, you're a shallow little fan girl, going with anything your 'Sasuke-kun' says. Get a life Haruno-san." he said frostily. He got back to reading his scroll.
(Hmm...It says that the poison won't harm anything Dokuton users unless the user wishes for it to be so. Interesting...It says that to draw on the poison, do it as you would chakra, but it should be easier. Let me try...) he thinks to himself and Senbonzakura.
He stands up, and walks outside, do a tree. He gathers the poison in his body, and breathes it out into a small condensed ball of poison. He spits it to the tree, which begins to creak and thinks of a fitting name for the attack. He labels it Dokuton: Doku o Konzetsu – Eradicating Poison.
Sakura, watching the "dobe", eye's widen when she sees the damage from the basketball sized ball of dense poison. "Where'd you learn that jutsu Naruto-kun?" she asked sweetly, not fooling Naruto nor Senbonzakura.
He looked at her impassively. "Funny how I'm 'Naruto-kun' now, when ten minutes ago I was 'baka' and 'dobe'. You're more fickle than I thought." he said, making her feel slightly ashamed, but the feeling left as soon as it came.
She turned up her nose, and walked back in the classroom.
He pulled out a pen, and logged it in the huge scroll he bought. He got back to reading the scroll. It read:
(Dokuton and Jinton, [Poison and Swiftness Elements, two powerful elements, but they come at a price. Though they are a blessing, they can possibly be a curse. You see, the members of the Uzumaki and the Kageyoshi clan are the holders of the Jinton and Dokuton abilities. The downside of the Dokuton is that the user isn't able to perform most jutsu. The upside is that you can use your poison to make your own unique jutsu. Now, about Jinton. There are no known jutsu logged in any jutsu archives on Jinton, except for Jinton: Kyokutan'na Sokudo – Extreme Speed. The reason this jutsu is the only one archived, is because of the strain put on the body. Using Kyokutan'na Sokudo is like changing all of your bodies particles, to go faster than the speed of light. It appears as if you are teleporting. Only two have been able to use this technique consecutively, and they are: Meiyo Kageyoshi and Hiiro Uzumaki. They were able to maintain the jutsu, due to their godlike stamina and sheer will. The other risk of using the jutsu, is that continued use shortens the life span, not by years, but minutes. The Dokuton has three jutsu, Dokuton: Idaina Dokuryū no Jutsu– Great Poison Dragon Jutsu [C-Rank], Dokuton: Fushoku Nadare – Corroding Avalanche [B-Rank], and Dokuton: Doku no Kabe – Poison Wall [C-Rank]. These jutsu are the only ones archived for a reason. That reason being that each Dokuton user was unique, and created different jutsu that were fitted for them. Know this, they can be copied by certain bloodline, but worry not...Without knowledge of producing the poison, they can tear their organs, or worse, corrode them the point of killing themselves. There's also something else to know...Users of the Dokuton can produce poisons from anywhere in their body, some users even were able to make their blood into a deadly poison. It depends on your imagination and use for the poison, but you can make the poison into a paralyzing poison, or a one that burns through iron...I'm afraid that this is the only thing that I have to put in the scroll. Hopefully this is an Uzumaki or a Kageyoshi, and this helps greatly...
Kageyoshi Clan Head Mizuro Kageyoshi
Naruto finished reading the scroll just in time. Their sensei had just arrived, and only two hours late!
Senbonzakura smirked. 'At least you learned a important lesson today...' she said.
Naruto decided to take the bait. 'Oh yeah, and what lesson would that be?' he asked.
She smirked. 'Patience is a virtue. You will have to be able to wait for an opening, instead of rushing into would have to be much stronger to do that. And the only person I knew who could do that was Little Byakuya's comrade, Zaraki Kenpachi. That man was a machine...' she trailed off.
Naruto walked inside the academy, and sat down, silently telling their sensei that he was ready.
Kakashi nodded. "My first impression of you three...You need work. Meet me on the roof." he said, as he poofed away, showing that he was a Kage Bunshin.
Naruto left the academy in a swirl of cherry blossoms, startling his teammates.
Sakura turned to Sasuke. "When did he learn to do that?"
He simply shrugged, and walked up to the roof. She followed him, not wanting to anger her sensei so soon.
They got on the roof, and saw Naruto already there, leaning on the wall.
Sakura was upset. "How come you didn't wait for us?" she said, almost growling.
Naruto just cracked open one eye. "Because you weren't fast enough, do not blame me Haruno-san. Instead of being Uchiha's lackey, do something to get better..." he said, genuinely trying to help her. Just because he didn't like her, didn't mean that he wanted her to die on a mission because her skills weren't up to par.
She growled, but actually thought about it. Training didn't sound too bad.
Their sensei was looking the three over. He noticed that Naruto was different from what his reports say about him. (Probably falsified...) he thought.
He smiled. "Well, since we're going to be a team, tell me about each of you...You know, likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future ." he said.
He pointed first to Sakura.
She nodded. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like flowers, and reading. I dislike Ino, and my dreams...I want to live a long life, and settle down and have a family." she said, looking at Sasuke, which made said genin shiver.
He looked at Sasuke.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like much, I dislike a lot, and my dream is more of an ambition, which is to kill my brother, and to regain honor for the Uchiha clan." he said, making both Senbonzakura and Naruto scoff. "What's so funny dobe?" he asked angrily. How dare he laugh at his dream!
He shook his head, and closed his eyes. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like my Zanpakutō, training, and poison. I dislike people that think they're better than everyone else [Looks at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye], and useless killing. My dream for the future will be a reality, which is to bring peace to my clan, and to make the Uzumaki clan great again." he said, still with his eyes closed.
'Good dream Little Naruto. I will help you make that dream a reality.' she said glad to hear his dream.
Sakura was confused. "Uh Naruto, I've never heard of the Uzumaki clan. Who were they?" she asked, making Sasuke nod his head slightly.
Naruto sighed. "The Uzumaki clan were a powerful clan from Kirigakure. Also, there was a clan called the Kageyoshi bloodlines, the Jinton and Dokuton were coveted and feared by many elemental nations. They were the first rivals of the Hyuuga, because of the fact that we don't have chakra for them to be able to seal. There was a time in history that the Uzumaki and the Kageyoshi clan were betrayed. The Hyuuga, also a clan originating from Kirigakure, allied themselves with Amegakure. So they combined forces, and went to war with Amegakure. Eventually, they settled down after the small war between the clans. Eventually, they mated between the two clans, combining the bloodlines. If you are an Uzumaki of a Kageyoshi, you can either get the Jinton, the Dokuton, or both. I'm not going to tell you which I am. So naturally, the Hyuuga greatly dislike me, and I feel the same way towards the Hyuuga."he finished, shocking the three of them.
"Kami...You can't use chakra? That must suck." Sakura said.
Her teammate and sensei nodded.
Naruto shook his head. Not really. I may be a Shinobi by profession, I mostly use my Zanpakutō, and you forgot that I may be able to use either Jinton or Dokuton. Poison and Swiftness Element...Sounds pretty dangerous to me." he said.
Kakashi, smarter than a Jounin, figured out that he can use both elements.
"Well... Since we got the introductions out of the way, we'll have the real Genin test in the morning!" he said, making all three Genin narrow their eyes in anger and confusion. Luckily for them, Sakura voiced their opinions.
"Ne, Sensei, I thought we were already Genin. What happened?" she asked.
He chuckled, which didn't help his case. "No, that was to make sure you were able to take the real genin test...So...I'll see you in the morning. Oh, and don't eat breakfast in the morning, or you will be !" he said, poofing away.
Sasuke walked away sulking for some odd reason, not important to either Naruto or Senbonzakura.
Sakura left shortly behind him, trying to talk to him, but not succeeding in the least.
Naruto stood there, eyes closed, thinking to himself and his partner. 'Lady Senbonzakura, what do you think...?'
She responded as soon as he finished thinking that thought. 'I think you should be weary of his motives. He could be trying to get you to understand something deeper than what he lets on, and I'm telling you to eat breakfast, or you will be sick!' she advised.
'Thank you Lady Senbonzakura.' he thought gratefully.
She nodded. 'You never have to thank me for something as trivial as that...'
He nodded in his mind. He stood there, silent, and suddenly disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms...