AN: Heyyo! Foonator rolling out his first fic here! I'm kinda pumped here as this is the first time I've ever written something of my own volition and then show it off to the world.
Anyway, this fic is mainly gonna revolve around Naruto and my female Sasuke's lives. If you couldn't tell, the pairing is Naruto/femSasuke (why would I change Sasuke's gender if this wasn't going to be the case). A few other things that will be different than canon include: more importance being placed on the memory feedback of the Kage Bunshin, Naruto isn't going to be a disgrace to the shinobi race, and the sun isn't always going to shine out of his ass (i.e. he's not going to be happy and boisterous all the freaking time). I don't plan on overpowering Naruto in the beginning, but as the story progress there are going to be fewer and fewer people who will be able to match him.
Please, please, please review. I'm new at this kind of thing; if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know. You can be blunt in your opinions (I honestly prefer it that way) but no flaming. I like to think people can express their opinions without resorting to personal attacks.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. A guy by the name of Kishimoto does.
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As the sun rose to shine upon the Konohagakure, one Uzumaki Naruto laid in his bed. The 12 year old boy had blonde hair and what appeared to be three whisker marks on each side of his face. As rays of light began to fall upon the boy's face, he began to stir from his slumber. Eyes of the deepest blue snapping open, Naruto groaned as he prepared to face the challenges that the new day would bring him
'Today's the day,' he thought. 'Today, I take the first big step to becoming the world's strongest ninja and the greatest Hokage. When I blow this exam out of the water, people will finally see that the strength Uzumaki Naruto is not to be trifled with. Then, everyone will respect me '
With dreams of grandeur in his mind, Naruto rolled out of bed and began to go through a series of stretches and light exercises. After he passed the graduation exam, Naruto made a mental note to thank the crazy lady who smelled like snakes if he ever saw her again. Had he not bumped into her that one time he was in the Forrest of Death, attempting to evade the wrath of yet another mob, he might never have gotten any sort of tips at training at all. And to think that all it cost him was a few sticks of dango.
Okay… so maybe it was more than a few sticks. Snake Lady had put a sizable dent in his wallet dango was to that woman what ramen was Naruto: something to be devoured in extremely large quantities. Still, she gave him all sorts of helpful little tips about being a shinobi; and for that, he would be eternally grateful. She gave him guidance in how to develop a training regimen fit for an aspiring genin, and Naruto had come along quite nicely since he had met her about one year ago. He had become much more physically fit than other kids his age, he was proficient in the basic taijutsu style, his abysmal chakra control had improved, and he had mastered two of three jutsus necessary to pass the exam.
His training usually consisted of stretching to warm up and cool down, going through some of the academy taijutsu katas, some cardio, various exercises (push ups, sit ups, pull ups etc.),meditating, and a chakra control exercise involving sticking leaves to various parts of his body and spinning them on his palms and fingertips. He worked out fairly hard, as he had always had an unreal healing factor (the boy had never been sick a day in his life). One thing that got put into practice a lot was his endurance and stealth, both involved in his evasion of mobs that formed in response to his pranks or for whatever reason the villagers hated him. He was particularly proud of his ability to elude ANBU in his bright orange jumpsuit. It usually wasn't too bad, and he really only had to fear for his life around his birthday during the festival that celebrated the Fourth's victory over the Fox.
'If it weren't for the fact that I had such a ridiculous amount of chakra, I would be able to do this stupid clone jutsu! And the worst part is that Iruka-sensei probably won't accept this as an acceptable reason as to why I can't do it. No matter how hard I try, the Bunshin seems to be out of my reach. But I can't let this stop me! What kind of ninja quits over the fact that he can't do one simple jutsu?'
Naruto never showed off what he knew in front of the other students and instructors, with the exception of Iruka of course, for fear that certain instructors would attempt to hinder him more than they already had. Despite his outward appearance and usual upbeat manner, the boy wasn't an idiot. He noticed how he always got the bad textbooks, and that was when he got a textbook at all. Teachers would sometimes just send him out of class on trumped up charges of being a disturbance to the other students. Often, he was deliberately given incorrect information or instructions. All this stuff, and more, didn't just happen without a reason. Though Naruto could not for the life of him figure out why, many villagers simply had it out for him, while the rest were content to ignore his existence.
Finished with his morning warm up, Naruto opened his cupboard to retrieve a cup of ramen. As he prepared his breakfast, the boy couldn't help but ponder why he only ever was able to buy ramen at a normal price. Were it not Ichiraku's Ramen, he wondered if he would be able to buy any food at all. No matter where he went, he was either kicked out of stores or charged ridiculous prices for third rate goods. No matter where walked, he was either treated like he didn't exist or he was given those awful stares.
Those stares… those stares filled with such hate.
'Why do people call me "demon" and "monster"? It can't be just because I was born on the day of the attack? I know there were other kids born in the same day as me, and they don't get treated like I do. If it's because of my whisker marks then people would also hate the Inuzukas because of their animal traits. Why torture me then? Everyone knows the Fourth Hokage killed the Kyuubi.'
'…Right?'
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Entering the classroom, now dressed in an orange jumpsuit so bright it hurt to look directly at it, Naruto searched for an empty seat, preferably one by a window. A brief glance showed that the only unoccupied seat was right next to Uchiha Sasuke, the Emo Queen herself. Sasuke wore a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha fan on the back and had white armbands on her forearms. She also wore a short, black skirt, two weapons pouches on either hip, white leggings around her shins, and normal shinobi sandals. Her raven colored hair merely came straight down to base of the neck, and her bangs were parted to either side of her face. The girl was the last of her clan if you didn't count her brother Itachi, and she had been ever since the man had murdered their entire clan a few years back.
'Great,' Naruto groused, 'now I have to sit next to the girl with the emotional range of toothpick. She even took the window seat.'
Sometimes Sasuke was simply insufferable. While she didn't go around arrogantly flaunting the fact that she was an "Uchiha elite" (as he had heard some of the overawed civilians call her) 24/7, the girl had a rather sizable ego due the fact that the very ground she walked upon was worshipped by some. If it were not for the little barbs that Naruto and Sasuke traded back and forth, the girl's silence that would have rivaled Shino Aburame's. Sasuke seemed to have a pole lodged so far up her ass that he doubted that the only thing that would remove would be a thorough ass kicking. Naruto had no doubt that it was only a matter of time before she fought someone who was simply better than her, and the boy could only hope he'd be there to see it.
Taking his seat next to the girl, Naruto tried to at least be a nice a guy and offered up a, "Good morning, Sasuke."
"Hn," she replied.
"I find myself, once more, awestruck by your exceptional conversational skills." His voice was simply dripping in sarcasm.
That actually got the hint of an amused smirk out of the stoic Uchiha, before she quickly recomposed herself. There were times when the girl's aloofness would falter as she expressed some form emotion.
Smilingly lightly at what he considered a little victory over the class's top student, Naruto turned his attention to the pinkette behind him, the object of his affections - Haruno Sakura.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, how bout we go on a date after school, eh?" Naruto asked while scratching the back of his head with a huge grin plastered on his face.
"SHUT UP, BAKA! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY NO FOR YOU TO GET THE MESSAGE[!" screamed the girl with an abnormally large forehead as she slung her fist towards the boy. The fist impacted against Naruto's face, knocking him out of his chair, and sending him sprawling on the floor. With a groan, he picked himself off the floor and sat back down in the chair.
"Rejected," said Sasuke with a smirk.
"That's not what your mom said last night," replied Naruto coolly. But he immediately regretted his rather poor choice of words upon seeing pain flit across her face, almost to quick to catch, before her expression become harsher and her eyes hardened. She turned away to stare out the window. 'Real smooth there, Naruto. Way to crack a joke about the girl's mom when she was basically murdered right before Sasuke's eyes.'
"Look, Sasuke, I-" Naruto began.
"Just shut up," interrupted Sasuke.
"I'm sorry," said Naruto quietly.
He got no response.
He remembered that there wasn't always a time when Sasuke was so distant and condescending. In the months following the Uchiha massacre, Naruto would often find the girl sitting on the pier gazing across the lake. He would sometimes stop there and lean against a tree not far from where she was, close enough for Sasuke to be aware of his presence, but not to the point where he would be an intrusion. They would often sit that way for hours, just enjoying the peace and the semi-company of another who knew such great pain. One had never had anything at all, the other had it all taken away.
The class's chunin sensei, Umino Iruka, chose that moment to walk in. "Okay, class, settle down. As I'm sure you are all know, today you will all take the graduation exam to determine if you are to become genin for Konoha. Before we begin however, I want to let you all know that, pass or fail, I'm proud of you either way." Iruka briefly made eye contact with Naruto as the ghost of a smile passed over his lips. Naruto grinned broadly in return.
'I don't know what I would do if I had never met Iruka-sensei. He has been one of the few people that have ever been truly kind to me. He takes me out for ramen on occasion, helps me with schoolwork if I ask, and he even gives me a few ideas for pranks on the sly. If I had a family, he's definitely what I would want my older brother to be like.' Sighing at that last thought, Naruto refocused on Iruka as he called out the name of the first examinee. The process continued to repeat itself, with some kids walking back to their seats proudly displaying their new headband, while the rest returned with looks of disappointment and sadness.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Choosing this as a good moment to defuse some of the awkwardness and bad feelings between the two, Naruto spoke up and said, "I'd wish you luck, but we both know you don't need it."
Sasuke looked at him for a few seconds before replying the usual "Hn."
"Pleasure as always," the boy quipped.
Watching the raven haired Uchiha quietly get up and leave, Naruto was beginning to sweat a little.
'I still don't have the Bunshin down! I cannot pass without it and Iruka already told me it would be unfair if he made a special exception just for me. I guess I'll just have to do my absolute best and pray for a miracle.'
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Slowly getting up, Naruto began walking towards the front for his test. Passing Sasuke, with her new headband, on the way, he was surprised when she said, "I'd wish you luck, but we both know it won't be enough."
"Hn," Naruto replied with a straight face.
Sasuke smirked as she sat back down whilst Naruto arrived at Iruka's desk. The chunnin briefly put a hand on his shoulder and whispered a quick "Good luck."
Smiling in acknowledgement, Naruto performed both the Kawarmi and the Henge when he was directed to. Then came the moment of truth.
"Excellent work, now please form a Bunshin." 'Come on, Naruto, you can do this,' thought Iruka.
'I think I'm screwed here. Oh well, here goes nothing.' Breathing in deeply, Naruto focused everything he had into performing the jutsu correctly. But instead of an identical clone, what came out was a pale and sickly looking version of the blonde haired youth.
"Damn it," muttered Naruto.
"I-I'm sorry," said Iruka "but I'm afraid that you have failed this exam." How it pained the young man to say those words. Lowering his voice level so only Naruto could here, Iruka whispered, "Don't worry about it too much, I know it's not your fault. While I cannot make an exception for you,I'll talk to the Hokage and see if something can't be done about this. At the very least, there's always next year."
Looking into Iruka's warm eyes, Naruto smiled a weak, but genuine, smile and said, "Thank you, Iruka-san," before returning to his seat.
'I really don't know what I would do without that guy,' the Uzumaki thought fondly
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Naruto smiled to himself as he made his way through the forest with a large scroll strapped to his back. 'I knew Iruka-san would pull through for me! I can't believe that he managed to work out this extra credit test with me and Mizuki. Now that I have taken this scroll form the Hokage Tower, all I've got to do is and learn a single jutsu from it. Now let's see here… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It's a B-rank, huh? The scroll also says it takes a ton of chakra to perform AND it's a kinjutsu! They might as well have put "Tailor made for Uzumaki Naruto" next to it. This little bit about memory feedback sounds interesting, though I can't exactly figure out what it means. I guess I might as well get to work on it.'
An hour later, Naruto was surrounded by ten solid clones of himself. Slightly weirded out by fact he was being stared at by ten different copies of himself. Naruto told two of them to go away from the group and tell each other a joke. After complying with the orders, the clones dispelled and Naruto was hit with the memories of two separate clones, among which was a rather pathetic knock-knock joke.
'…"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" Really? What am I, 6 years old again? Well at least that shed some light on the whole "memory feedback" thing. Now what should I do?' Naruto thought as he glanced down at the scroll at his feet… the Scroll of Seals… a scroll filled with who knew how many powerful jutsus…
Naruto face nearly split from the resulting grin.
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"Naruto!"
Turning around, Naruto looked at Iruka leaping through trees towards him. He'd just finished copying down the scroll and conducting a few more experiments with shadow clones. Turns out they only transferred memories, nothing physical like muscle soreness. "Hey Iruka-san! It took you long enough to get here. I thought it was gonna be Mizuki, but now I get to thank you for setting up this little test for me." The whole time Naruto was talking though, he never noticed that teacher's face was sporting an increasingly confused look as the man came to a stop in front of him.
'What? Mizuki? Test? What exactly is going on here? At first I thought this was just another one of his pranks, except he didn't know exactly how serious what he'd done was. But now-'
"Hey, is something wrong?" asked the blonde, who finally noticed the look on the man's face.
"Naruto, wha-"
That's when Iruka heard it. A whizzing sound... a fuuma shuriken! And it was heading right for Naruto! Iruka quickly leapt at Naruto and covered him, knowing he wouldn't be able move him out of the way quickly enough.
The sound of metal tearing through flesh. The spray of blood. The scream.
"What's this Iruka? Why would you sacrifice yourself to save a monster?" asked an amused voice from out of the darkness in the branches overhead.
"M-Mizuki!" gasped Iruka. He'd barely made it in time to stop the shuriken from hitting Naruto. The shuriken was embedded in his back but it didn't feel like it was a deep wound.
Mizuki stepped out of the shadows with another fuuma shuriken on his arm. Looking down at Naruto, the man growled out, "Hand over the scroll, Naruto."
"…" Naruto merely gaped at the man as he couldn't fully comprehend what was happening to him.
"Come on, Naruto, hand over the scroll and the test will be complete," Mizuki said with a sinister smile.
"Don't do it! He's lying!" said Iruka, who had finally managed to stand back up having removed the shuriken from his back. Fortunately, it hadn't hit anything important and was merely excruciatingly painful.
"Your one to talk," replied Mizuki with a gleam in his eye. "You wanna know who the real liar is here Naruto? You've been lied to your face for years now? It's the reason people hate you so much."
'He knows? Is he lying again.'
"Mizuki, no!"
"You see, the Yondaime didn't really kill the Kyuubi 12 years ago. He actually sealed the demon into a child," Mizuki was now sneering at the boy.
'No,' thought Naruto, 'it can't be…'
"STOP! IT'S FORBI-" Iruka tried to stop the crazed chunin before it was too late.
"AND THAT CHILD WAS YOU NARUTO! YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX! AND NOW I'LL FINISH WHAT THE FOURTH STARTED!" finished Mizuki with a scream as he threw his final fuuma shuriken at the blonde.
'…So it's true… I really am a monster after all…' It all made sense now. The stares, the mobs, his birthday's, his healing, even the whisker marks. Like the pieces of a puzzle, the information formed one coherent fact that could not be denied. Naruto contained the strongest tailed beast in existence. It could not be denied. Noticing the weapon was nearly upon him, Naruto merely closed his eyes and waited for the shuriken to end all his pain.
Perhaps in the process it would rid the world the monster within him.
For the second time that night, the sound of metal impacting flesh reverberated through the forest. But when the pain didn't come like Naruto expected, he forced his eyes open.
They widened.
Standing before him was Iruka, having again taken the hit for him. But this time he wasn't nearly as lucky. One of the four blades ran clean through the man's chest.
"N-N-ar-u-to," gasped Iruka in a strained voice "run…" Then Iruka collapsed to the ground.
The boy's pupils became slits as his eyes flashed red.
Chakra exploded out of the boy, and it was accompanied by a horrible blood lust that hadn't been felt for 12 years. Mizuki froze, the killing intent left him breathless and immobilized, his own death flashing before his eyes. The swirling, red chakra briefly formed the head of a fox before it dissipated, revealing Naruto hunched over the fallen form of his teacher. His nails had lengthened to resemble claws, his canines had grown, and his whisker marks became more pronounced. He lifted his head to glare at a terrified Mizuki.
Said man tried to run away only to find that his lower legs had been removed as Naruto held him up with one hand 30 feet above the ground.
Naruto released his grip. Mizuki screamed.
The impact with the ground cracked several of his ribs on the left side of his body along with shattering his left arm. The unfortunate man then found himself being picked up again by the demonic looking child before he was slammed bodily into the tree trunk behind him. He tried to scream again, only to feel his first fuuma shuriken being run through his right lung. The man looked down for a split second before looking back up to find Naruto's fist rocketing directly towards his face. An instant later, Mizuki's head exploded in a shower of gore.
The whole battle lasted less than 10 seconds.
As the Kyuubi's chakra left him and his features reverted back to normal, Naruto ran back towards the man who had sacrificed his life in order to save him.
Him. A monster.
"Naruto-kun, come here." Iruka was struggling to keep his voice even. The man knew he was going to die shortly. Nothing could change that now. The only thing that remained for him to do was to help the poor child one last time.
As Naruto neared, he began to cry as he said, "I-I-I am s-so sorry th-that you did thi-this for a de-"
"No," said Iruka softly but forcefully. "You're not a monster. I did this because-" he gasped in pain. He was running out of time. "Because you remind me of me when I was younger. The pranks, the attitude, the determination…" He embraced Naruto. "I'm so proud of you. Y-you have been through so much, yet you still smiled through it a-all. D-don't ever lose th-that s-smile, N-N-Naruto-kun." He paused a moment, closing his eyes, before re-opening them and saying, "Close your eyes."
Naruto closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, his body being racked by his sobs. Then he felt pressure on his forehead, causing him to stiffen.
"Y-you can o-open them now."
Blue eyes met dark ones. Naruto felt the headband around his forehead with his hand. This was all to much for Naruto
"Congratutlations."
The youth buried his head into the man's chest as the tears flowed without restraint now. A bittersweet smile adorned Iruka's face as his eyes began to lose their glow.
Using the last of his ebbing strength, Iruka steeled himself in order to deliver one final message to his pride and joy. "Naruto. Know that no matter what, I will always love you; I will always be there for you. I know that you have the potential to become even greater than the Fourth. Find people who see you for you and protect them with all your strength. Don't let this change who you truly are on the inside." Though his voice never faltered, it was still fading fast. Iruka took one last, pained breathe.
"G-goodb-bye, Naruto-kun…" he said as his eyes lost all their light.
Umino Iruka had passed away.
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EDIT: Let it be known that I did smite an error from this chapter in the name of "exhaustion." Were it not for his keen and discerning eye, the abomination unto proper grammatical etiquette might have been allowed to live for all eternity. THREE CHEERS FOR EXHAUSTION!
I'm pretty sure that also added some stuff too. But that was not in exhaustion's name… though I can't help but feel that it should have been.
Peace!