Hey everyone, Nagato21 here, so here is my first crack at Naruto, I have been experimenting with a few prototypes but never got into it much due to how disappointing the manga ended. Naruto had so much potential and yet it barely scratch the surface. So here is my own twist. Enjoy!
Prologue: A spark of hope
In one of the many training grounds of Konohagakure, a young boy with blond hair, three whiskers adorning each cheek, sparking blue eyes, and wearing a monstrously orange colored jumpsuit was working hard in performing a series of complex hand seals. As he completed the Jutsu, a small cloud of smoke erupted, and then cleared to reveal a figure resembling the boy except it was sickly looking.
"Damn it!" curses Naruto Uzumaki as the sick looking clone dispels "Why can't I get this Jutsu right?"
"Working hard I see" calls a familiar voice, causing Naruto to turn around, facing him was an old man wearing a white robe and a red and white hat with the Kanji of Fire on it.
"Hey old man!" greets the young boy cheerfully "What are you doing here?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen also known as the Sandaime Hokage and Kami No Shinobi smiles slightly "I was going for a stroll when I saw you training here."
"Oh?" says Naruto as he rubs the back of his head, a sign he was embarrassed "I've been trying to master the Bunshin no Jutsu but I can't seem to get it right"
Hiruzen nodded his smile hiding his concerns; truth be told he did not walk here by coincidence. Naruto being their resident Junchiriki and while scorned by many was still considered as an important investment. While Hiruzen would have wish the boy to live the life of a normal child and had gone to great length to protect him from the villagers abuses he knew deep well that being a ninja was in the boy's vein and that one day he would need to confront the demon residing inside him. Under other circumstances, Naruto would have been under lock and key, constantly watched by ANBU and trained harshly to become a cold killing machine.
However Konoha was not like the other villages and Sarutobi aware of the Uzumaki legacy as the Kyuubi's jailers was not about to break the tradition despite Danzo and other war hawks demanding the boy be turned into a weapon. Beside he owed his father and mother too much to consider doing such thing. To that end he had placed the boy in the Academy with the hope that he would foster strong bonds with others of his age that were unaware of the secret inside him. Unfortunately despite his orders, Sarutobi had failed to notice early that the hatred of the adults for the boy would spread to their children without them having to reveal the truth.
Worse Naruto had joined the academy at the early age of six but the teachers sabotaging caused him to fail the graduation exam thus he was now returning for a second term of five years but this time he would be with students slightly younger than him.
However the problem didn't just lie with the teachers, Naruto's tenant was also a cause of disruption. That brings us back to the problem at hand.
Naruto was unable to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu because such Jutsu requires small amount of chakra and despite Naruto's attempt to use small fractions of it, the Kyuubi's chakra often mixes with his own thus disrupting his control and forcing large reserves out of his body.
"Naruto how many Bunshin are you trying to make?" asks the Sandaime
"Three but I can only make one and it's not good enough" growls the blond boy
Hiruzen rummages his hand through his grey beard, his mind deep in thoughts "Try to make as many as you can."
"Huh?"
"If you do it that way it will help you measure the amount of chakra you need to use when making three."
Naruto was confuse but agreed nonetheless since he trusted the Hokage who was like the grandfather he never had. Naruto performed once more the jutsu and poured as much chakra as he could. Suddenly a massive cloud of smoke filled the entire training ground, when it dissipated; Hiruzen had to refrain from having his jaw fall on the ground as he saw hundreds of Naruto's
"Wow! I did it, I did it!" shouts the boy in pure joy, he runs and hug the Hokage
"Thank you Jiji!"
Hiruzen smiles "You are welcome Naruto but it's not over yet. Now you must learn how much chakra you must use to make a small number, which means you must improve your chakra control."
"Huh?" says the boy with a confuse look "What is chakra control?"
Hiruzen had to refrain from palming his own face. 'What is the academy teaching these days?' He had to admit that because of the constant stream of paperwork he had not been too privy about the academy curriculum but he had to wonder how come Naruto did not know about chakra control.
"Chakra control is a way to help a shinobi in manipulating the flow of chakra inside his body, this way he can use many Jutsu without being too exhausted."
"Huh?"
A sweat drop ran the back of his head, he forgot that Naruto was not exactly the sharpest kunai in a holster "It's like a river that is overflowing with water, if you want to stop it from overflowing you build a damn, this way it prevents the water from flooding the surrounding and at the same time brings enough water for everyone."
"Oh okay" reply the boy now understanding, "That means if I have chakra control I can use Bunshin no Jutsu without having to use too much chakra."
Hiruzen nodded "That's correct Naruto; however chakra control is a difficult exercise for those who have too much chakra like you and you will need to exercise regularly to avoid losing control, otherwise you won't be able to execute your Jutsus properly."
"No problem, if its hard work I can handle it" spoke the boy while puffing his chest; Hiruzen had to admire his tenacity. Despite Naruto's present lack of skills, the boy was definitely stubborn and always working hard.
'Just like you Kushina' thought the Sandaime as he recall the image of a spunky young red hair woman full of vigor.
"Will you teach me chakra control?" asks Naruto with a hopeful tone
Hiruzen had to think for a moment, he could help Naruto and certainly the boy would skyrocket through the academy, however he could not reveal his involvement to the villagers and it would create too much problems, not that he did care about rumors but politics were a hassle when being Hokage.
"I am sorry Naruto but I can't" spoke the Hokage softly "If I train you, people would accuse me of favoritism and others would want to be trained as well."
"I understand Jiji" says the boy while smiling but his voice was slightly hollow "It would be unfair to the others but thank you. Now I know what I need to do." he spoke with enthusiasm but Hiruzen had seen a small glint of sadness in those blue eyes. It tore at his heart but it was necessary. A small smile curled on the God of Shinobi however, because he still had a trick up his sleeve to help the young boy move forward.
"Here Naruto" he says while taking out a scroll from under his robe
"What is this?" asks the boy curious as he took the scroll he read the title "The basics of the Shinobi way by Tobirama Senju"
"Naruto" the Hokage's voice had become serious as he pronounced the boy's name "This scroll belonged to my late Sensei, the Nidaime Hokage."
Naruto's eyes widen so much they threatened to fall from their sockets. As an aspiring candidate to Hokage hood, Naruto had read everything he could about the former leaders of Konoha. Unfortunately, information on them was very scarce and those that did only contained a brief story of their achievements and famous Jutsu but no details whatsoever. Even the Yondaime story could be described in a few pages.
While Naruto's reaction was funny, Hiruzen expression remained serious "Tobirama sensei started writing this scroll during the founding of Konoha. Originally it was to become the standard education for the academy but it was not approved by the Council due to politics. Instead Tobirama sensei reserved it for those who would have the potential to become Hokage."
At his words, Naruto felt he died and went to heaven "Are…are you saying this scroll is a manual on how to become Hokage?"
"No!" said Hiruzen forcefully "There is no shortcut in how to become Hokage, Naruto. Being Hokage means putting your personal needs aside for the good of the village. It means sacrificing your own happiness for the sake of others. If you want to become Hokage, your Will of Fire must burn as brightly as the sun that shines upon our head every day."
Naruto nodded slowly, ashamed by his own arrogance, he remembered the old man telling him about the Will of Fire. While Naruto felt bitter about people hating him for no reason, he also felt that it would do him no good to respond to their hatred. Instead he would become Hokage to prove to them he wasn't what they made him out to be. As years went by in company of the Hokage, Naruto had learned that shinobi were not always invincible, they were humans just like him and that they did many terrible things so that people like him could sleep soundly at night without worries. This realization had strengthened his resolve to become a shinobi and protect his home from the dangers of outside. He had no love for the villagers of course, but not everyone was bad nor were they perfect. He had few friends and he cherished them, thus he would do his part so that they would not suffer.
Hiruzen did not know about Naruto's resolve but he suspected something along those lines. He knew Naruto was more observant than he let out. Were he given the right tutelage, he would already be hailed as a prodigy shinobi; alas the villagers had a remarkable capacity to be ignorant idiots.
"I know why you want to become Hokage Naruto" Hiruzen says softly as he rubs the boy's hair "It will take time to accomplish your goal, a lot of time and a lot of blood and sweat. Sometimes you will feel like giving up but if you persevere you will surely reach your goal. Focus on becoming a strong shinobi, make bonds with friends you can trust and protect Konoha with all your might."
Tears began to pour out from his eyes and Naruto hugged his surrogate grandfather who responded in kind. They both stood silently in the middle of the training ground for several minutes. That day, unknown to them and the world at large would mark the beginning of a new legend.
...
AN/
So here ends the Prologue. Now a few clarifications, at the start of this story Naruto is ten years old and two years older than the students of class 9 thus by the time he graduates he will be fifteen years old, this also means that team 9 (Neji, Tenten and Lee) has already graduated but they will be genin for a longer period instead of one year. Also just to make it very clear, Naruto is not going to become some UBER FANTASTIC GOD. EVER, he is going to mature and he is going to act like a true shinobi, meaning its going to be quick, bloody and dirty so expect a lot of violence at some point. Anyway I won't spoil it further.
Next chapter coming soon.