A Heroe's Tale!

Prologue: The Saga Begins!

Heroes, they are the envy of all. People look up to them, cheer them on, cry when they fail, and celebrate when they succeed. However, how does one become a hero? Is power the path that leads to heroism? Is sacrifice the key to immortality? The best way to find out naturally is to watch one rise from the ashes. In our case we enter a world where conflict defines the land. In this world, there are no guns, tanks or cars. Instead you have ninja. Ninja have been admired for their skills in concealment and assassination and nowhere is this more true than in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Here is where our story begins and as we watch our boy grow into a man and eventually a hero, perhaps we will gain some insight as to what a true hero is.

"This is bad" Joe thought as he raced to get dressed. It was the first day of final exams at the academy and he had stayed up so late cramming information that he had forgotten to set his alarm. He knew that he could not afford to be late as his GPA was low enough already. These exams were important and if he did not score high enough than he would be forced to repeat his academy training or worse; be dropped from the program forever. As he left his small apartment building he thought about why he had joined the Konoha ninja program in the first place. When he was a child, his village had been involved in a brutal war with the Village hidden in the Clouds. Those days were still a blur to him but he did have one memory. He remembered a giant red ball about to crush him when all of a sudden a man in a ninja uniform appeared out of nowhere and reflected the ball back at the beast. It was because of that man that he had decided to become a ninja. He tried to remember what the man looked like but whenever he tried his head started to pound with pain. He could remember one thing though, the sinister red eyes of the shadow as a blood-red talon reached out and tried to grab him. Joe shook his head, "I don't have time to dwell on the past, I have to get to the academy as soon as possible!" Joe thought as he grabbed his necklace and ran.

As he was jogging to the academy, he noticed a little girl watching him. "Joe!" she exclaimed. "Oh hi Ariana, what are you up to?" Joe asked. "Nothing really, Lady Mariko let me come outside for a little bit to pick flowers!" she happily answered. Ariana was a 5 year old who was a very close friend of his as she would always come out to meet him when he was on his way home from the academy. "Are you here to play with me Joe?" She asked hopefully. "Nah not right now Ariana, I have to get to the academy." He felt bad for turning her down. Because of the recent wars and the dangerous animals that lived in the surrounding forest, children were not allowed to leave their homes unless they were accompanied by an adult. Seeing as Ariana was an orphan, the only times that she could leave were when Joe could watch her. "Oh okay." Ariana said somberly. "Don't worry Ariana, I'll come by after exams." Ariana smiled and waved goodbye. Feeling better, Joe ran off to the academy resolving to keep his promise.

"Finally, I can see the academy from here." As Joe ran the home stretch to the Academy, he was thinking about the exam. To be honest, he had no idea what the exact tests would be like. He had heard stories of what the other villages' tests consisted of, some easygoing while others were completely brutal. As he drew closer to the academy, he remembered a story he had heard from the older ninja about exams. They told him of how in a far-off land, the final exam consisted of an all-out battle royale between the students. A battle to the death where only the last man standing would go on to become a ninja. "Hopefully this exam will be nothing like that one." He said to himself as he reached the door. All of a sudden he was knocked over as the door shot open and slammed into his face. "Got him." "You mean you were planning that the whole time? You're so awesome Yahiko!" "Ah great, the pretty boy and his little groupie are here. Fantastic." Joe thought to himself as he got up. Yahiko Shimazu was one of his classmates at the academy. Not only was he considered handsome by the girls at the school, but he was one of the top students in the class and a real pain in Joe's ass. "Hey Yahiko, why don't you tell your boyfriend to leave so he doesn't have to see me ruin your face." Joe said as he faced towards Yahiko. "What did you call me you idiot! How dare you!" Sakura said as she planted a punch in Joe's face. "Oww. I forgot Sakura had such a mean right hook." Joe thought as he rubbed his face. Sakura Haruno was another one of his classmates. She was also one of the smartest girls in school though she had eyes for only one trophy, Yahiko's heart. "Why are you here? There's no way a slacker like you is going to pass the final exams." "I'll do better than that Sakura, I'm going to become the strongest ninja in the world!" Joe replied. Upon hearing this Yahiko laughed and said, "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard, you a strong ninja? You can't even block a punch from Sakura, much less pass final exams. But I've wasted enough time. I'm leaving." "Wait Yahiko, I'm coming too! Later loser." As he watched Sakura and Yahiko walk off towards the classroom, he thought, "If I pass this exam and they end up on my team, I think I might actually kill them." As he daydreamed about the ways that he could beat up Yahiko, he failed to notice someone come up from behind. "So you expect to pass the exams but you can't even sense when someone sneaks up on you?" Joe instantly wheeled around and then smiled. "It's about time you got here Shikamaru." It was good to see a friendly face, especially on exam day. Nara Shikamaru was his best friend not to mention one of the smartest students at the academy, even though he was too lazy for anyone to notice. "From that bruise on your face I'm guessing that Yahiko pulled another sneak attack on you huh." Shikamaru said. "Yes and no, let's just say that Sakura doesn't exactly like being called his boyfriend." Joe answered. Laughing Shikamaru replied, "Hahaha you sure have a way with women. C'mon, let's go tackle this final exam!" "You got it!" Joe replied and with a smile on his face, he and Shikamaru headed for the classroom.

Chapter 1: The First Test!

As Joe entered the classroom he was greeted with a somber silence. The students were all sitting in the rowed desks. Some were cramming in some last minute studying. Others were practicing their basic jutsu in the corners of the classroom. One kid however was sitting apart from all the rest. He was wearing a white shirt with a blue vest and mesh underneath, along with blue shorts to match. "Hey Shikamaru, whose that kid over there?" "Good question, maybe he was held back and is here to retake the exams." Nara replied. "Maybe… he looks a little young to be a washout though." "Yeah, you're right Joe, I wonder what his story is." Just as Joe was about to walk up to him Darren Hirotayama, the main instructor walked into the room. "Alright listen up. I know you are all stressed over the final exam but I don't want you to worry. People have passed these tests before. However, if you fail do not get discouraged. For some, failure will mean staying back for more training and retaking the exam. For others, failure will mean termination for the program. The truth is that though you all wish to be ninja, we can only take the best. If we were to allow people who are not qualified to be ninja, than we risk not only the lives of our fellow ninja but the safety of the village as well. It is not everyone's destiny to be ninja and even the ones who make it can expect a hard life filled with sacrifice and sorrow. That being said, it's time to find out if you have what it takes to be a part of the Leaf Shinobi. Everyone follow me outside." As Joe walked out he began to wonder what the exam would be. He looked over towards Shikamaru. If this exam was really going to be a battle royal, he knew that he could not do it. He could not kill his best friend, but what if he fought against Yahiko? Shikamaru was his friend but Yahiko was a different story. Yahiko was always trying to one-up him in everything they did, whether it was training, Kunai throwing, or even smack talk. Could he kill Yahiko if it came down to it? Even though he hated Yahiko for harassing him, he didn't think he could do it. "Sure Yahiko deserves a beat down or two, but death? No, that's too far. So if this does turn into a battle royale, what do I do?" Joe thought.

Finally, after walking for what seemed like hours they stopped in front of a forest. "This is part of the forest that surrounds and protects our village from our enemies. The first part of this exam is designed to test your Taijutsu skills. Your goal is to reach the other side of the forest." Hirotama explained. " But how is this supposed to test our Taijutsu skills sensai?" Sakura asked. "Good question Sakura. You're right that Taijutsu is mainly a combative style. However, in order to carry out the advanced Taijutsu required by higher level ninja, a shinobi must have discipline and mastery over his body. This part of the forest is special. It houses many dangerous animals who will attempt to attack in close combat which will test your Taijutsu skills. However, it will also test your stamina. This forest may look normal on the outside, but on the inside it has been modified to better suit our needs." "What kinds of modifications have been made to the forest?" Joe asked. "Now now Joe, that would spoil the surprise." Hirotama replied slyly, "are there any more questions? No? Good then begin." With that the first part of the final exams had begun.

At first the students began to file in slowly, unsure of what sort of trap that the instructors had waiting for them. However, patience had never been one of Yahiko's strong suits as Joe recalled, and he immediately ran in front of the line desperate to get a head start. As Yahiko ran Hirotama smiled. All of a sudden Joe heard Sakura call out "YAHIKO WAIT!" It was too late however, as Joe saw a look of panic form on Yahiko's face as he was half-swallowed into the ground. "That must be the surprise that Hirotama-sensei was talking about Shikamaru. Quick sand! It looks like the whole forest floor is coated in the stuff." Joe exclaimed. "Somebody help me quick!" Yahiko shouted. He was beginning to panic no doubt from fear of being the first to fail. "Someone help him before he is sucked under!" Sakura exclaimed. "It's just quick sand, Sakura. Your boy toy isn't going to die anytime soon, just give him a branch or something and let him pull himself out. And for god sakes Yahiko stop struggling or else you're going to be sucked in completely!" Joe shouted. "C'mon Joe let's keep moving. The question is how do we reach the other side without fighting the quick-sand?" Shikamaru asked. "I have a better question Nara, how good of a climber are you?" Joe replied. With that they began climbing up the trees until they reached the branches. As he climbed Joe looked down and noticed that the other students had begun to do the same. He realized that the point of the quick-sand was to force them to stay in the trees. In order to cross the forest, they would need to utilize all their balance, strength, and agility skills. With the path ahead clear, Joe and Nara began to traverse the forest.

"This isn't so hard" Joe thought as he and Nara began to outpace the others. "As long as we keep moving we should be the first one's out of the woods and it will be harder for us to be attacked." He looked back at Shikamaru to see how he was doing. Unfortunately, Shikamaru looked like he was battling a cramp. Concerned, Joe asked, "Whats a matter Shika, you look like your struggling?" "I'm fine it's just that stamina isn't one of my strong suits. Here, I'm going to stop and rest for a sec, you go on." He replied. "No way Shika, we can rest for a couple minutes and keep moving." "Thanks Joe I appreciate it." "Wait here Shika, I'm going to find us some water to drink, there ought to be a stream around here somewhere." "Alright, don't take too long though; we still have an exam to finish." Giving him a quick wave, Joe then went searching for a stream. Eventually he found one not too far from their rest spot and began to refill their canteens. He was feeling good about the first part of the exam. So far they had managed to avoid the quick-sand and any unwelcome "pets" as well. As if on cue, he suddenly heard a shout come from where he had just been. Worried about Shikamaru, Joe sealed the cantina he was filling and began climbing. When he got back, what he saw shocked him. Shikamaru was glued to the side of a tree with some sort of white silk like substance. However, that was not what had him worried. His bigger concern was the giant Spider slowly moving closer to Shikamaru. The spider was enormous; easily four times the size of Joe. It had 4 pincers on its mouth and well over a hundred red eyes, eyes just like the shadow except more. Instantly his mind flashed back to that night, the sinister red eyes, the hand reaching out for him and everything turning re"WAKE UP JOE! I HAVE NO INTENTION OF BECOMING A SPIDER TURD!" Joe was instantly jolted back to reality. He immediately sprang into action, closing the gap between the beast and himself. Reaching into his holster, he pulled out his Kunai and began stabbing the beast but it was no use. The spider kept moving not even noticing his attacks. "I don't think that is working Joe, maybe you should TRY SOMETHING ELSE!" Shikamaru yelled. "Any Ideas?" Joe asked. "Oh I don't know try blowing him up. That usually works." Joe again reached into his pouch and pulled out a bomb tag. The beast hearing Joe's yelling, began to turn and attack him with its pincers. Focusing on the beast, Joe waited for it to lunge and front flipped onto its back hitting two of its eyes with kunai as he flew. He then quickly placed the seal and quickly leaped away. The beast, preoccupied with its eyes roared in pain. "Lights out!" Joe said with a smirk as he made the hand-sign to activate the tag. He watched as the tag exploded taking the beast with it. However as the smoke cleared, instead of seeing hundreds of mini-spider bits like he expected, he saw a pissed-off spider looking for revenge for its eyes. "You and your brilliant plans Shikamaru!" Joe shouted. His face had a look of horror as the spider closed the distance between them in a single leap. As he watched the spider rear itself about to attack, he found himself immobilized by the red eyes, like they had some sort of hypnotic effect over him. He closed his eyes expecting the end. A moment passed, then two, and finally three. Curious as to why he wasn't spider chow, he opened his eyes. Shikamaru had somehow gotten free and was making some sort of weird hand sign. The spider was no longer reared as it had been before, but was standing still as if it had suddenly lost all will to attack them. Looking at the ground he noticed that Shikamaru and the spider were connected by some sort of shadow. "Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikamaru exclaimed. Slowly he walked to the branches edge. The spider followed, mirroring Shikamaru's movements until it ran out of room and fell into the quicksand. As if the connection had broken, the spider began to struggle and was pulled into the abyss. "How'd you get free Shika?" "When you detonated that paper bomb, the explosion freed up one of my hands and I cut myself out with a Kunai knife. Speaking of which, what happened back there? There were two times where I saw you just freeze up with this pale look on your face? Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm okay Shika. Just a little tired, it's been a long day. C'mon let's keep moving." Hoping that his friend's concern would fade with that response, Joe and Shikamaru continued their journey to the other side of the woods.

"Finally, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, err forest." Joe said as they finally exited the woods. The last leg of the journey had been a quiet one. Joe had wanted to avoid detection but Shikamaru must have known that he was only using it as an excuse to avoid talking about the spider debacle. "It's not that I don't want to talk, it's just that there isn't anything to talk about considering the fact that I can't remember anything. At least without a severe pain in my head." Joe thought. As he and Shikamaru reached the group of instructors, he looked around. There was a good amount of students left over, about 3/4s of what they had started with. Yahiko who was standing off to the side, kept looking over the survivors expectantly. Upon noticing Joe, he quickly walked over to him. "So Yahiko, are you here to thank me for saving your sorry butt back there?" Joe asked. "Nah, I'm here to tell you that well you were busy running from spiders, I was locking up first place in the first part!" As Joe was thinking of a comeback, Sakura's voice could be heard off in the distance calling Yahiko's name. "Whoops, time to go. I don't have any more time to waste on you or her. I have to start getting ready for the next part of the exam. See ya loser." And with that he stormed off, a sneer plastered on his face. "I really despise that guy." Joe said. "I know Joe but we can't let him get to us right now, we have to focus on the next part of the exams." Shikamaru replied. "He's right" thought Joe. "Our biggest priority right now is passing. I wonder what the next part will consist of?" A voice suddenly rang out over a speaker. "Alright, now will all the surviving students please report to me immediately to begin preparations for the next part of the exam." As Joe looked over at the man, he noticed that this man was different from all the other instructors. He was older appearing to be in his 50s, he had a scar right above his right eye and wore a bandana over his head. He was also covered in a long cloak concealing most of his body. However, what struck Joe the most was his eyes. To Joe, they seemed cold and piercing as if the man was looking straight into his heart. "Hello students, my name is Ibiki. I am required to advise you that this next phase is even more dangerous than the last one. It is designed to introduce you to the torture that you could experience at the enemies' hands." "Torture?" Joe thought. "Oh great."