I Do Not Own Naruto. I do Own Any Ocs I decide to use.

Change Log: I have made several changes to all chapters of my story. Changes for this chapter include but are not limited to structure, Tobirama's notes, character interactions, battle sequences and personal quotes. I also feel the need to mention I included Naruto meeting his darker half much earlier. I found the idea of a secretary with no name or real character distasteful so I created one. I also took the liberty of rewriting everything into a more crisp version of itself. I apologize in advance if you do not like my changes but if you do I suggest reading from the beginning once again to acclimate to all changes.

Part 1: Vivid Dreams from Within my Heart!

If you have ever looked over any of the hidden villages in the Elemental Nations, one word that comes to mind would be gorgeous.

The Village Hidden by the Leaves was lit by the light and fire of civilians and commerce in general.

This village in particular exercised the idea of civilians intermingling with ninja, to give them a closer look at their proud protectors.

This way of thinking made Konohagakure the most prosperous of the Hidden Villages, known for kindness, understanding, and forgiveness above all else. After all... how many villages refuse to deal the killing blow during war?

However this was just a cover for the real truth, every leaf has two sides. The Leaf Village was no different Beneath the surface our real tendencies dwell, hidden from the world. Konoha was just filled with spiders who had grown into experts at weaving webs of lies.

I have always had extremely vivid dreams about past events, and sometimes I think I should call them nightmares instead.

The nightmares always revolved in and around Konohagakure, my village.

In no particular order as far as time went, some days it would be after its recent formation from the alliance between the Uchiha and Senju.

Other days... it was the night of the Fourth Hokage's death at the claws of Nine-Tailed Fox.

Speaking of the strongest Tailed-Beast in existence, he always seems to find a way to make the nightmares even worse by gracing them with his presence.

His pulsating... vile chakra saturating the air, hanging over me like a raging storm cloud.

A sad reality my life was, the nightmares always ended the same way.

He world turn his gaze to look into mine, and the world was shattered like a cheap Genjutsu.

It was far from a perfect replica of the stories I had heard through my childhood.

I always heard that the Fourth Hokage defeated the Nine-Tails I combat, as in killed it at the cost of his own life.

Then where exactly was he, where was the Third Hokage while the beast trashed the village underfoot and under tail?

There were plenty of ninja around for sure, but they looked to be effectively pissing it off as they sprinted to their deaths and then... it paused.

It stopped moving altogether, its tails stilled but its body continued to fidget almost as if he were fighting an internal battle.

It raises its paws up and then slams them down onto the area in front of it, its head tilting up in painfully loud roar.

The sound was deafening, but far from the evil you would expect from a malicious demon of sorts.

It sounded angry and hurt, like a caged animal ready to lash out at the first thing to draw near.

It turns to look directly at me as I continue to observe from the Hokage monument, its eyes glazed over with an absurd of amount of sadness.

I briefly wondered if demons could feel pain... if they ever had regrets. Were we all really so different than one another?

Just like that the moment passed, its eyes changed again morphing into a triple tomoe pattern arranged around his dark pupil.

"Sharingan."

I whispered as the Sharingan began to slowly rotate, replacing the sadness with a hatred darker than life itself.

I slowly let out the breath out the air I was unconsciously holding in.

"Could it really be? Were you being controlled that night Nine-Tails? By the Sharingan?"

The fox opens its mouth wide gathering its pulsating chakra into a ball larger than its gaping maw.

It shrinks down into a small dense sphere before being eaten in one crunch.

The chakra dissipates from the air, the ninja everywhere pause, their eyes widening in shock. They knew what happened next.

He opened his jaws again and the chakra escaped its confines in the form of ionized energy beam.

The beam tears a path straight towards the Hokage monument, through buildings and even carving into the earth.

The orange chakra strikes the base of the monument, far below the stone faces but the effects were near instantaneous.

The chakra decompressed and the pressure that was built up ruptured the mountain.

Cracks sprouted from the edges and slowly consumed the mountain before my entire world was lit by white fire.

I was consumed by the explosion. The world went dark.

My eyes snapped open and I immediately sat upright in bed.

It was a force of habit, waking up from dying was like getting another life. It was refreshing in a messed up kind of way.

I swivel my lower body to get out of bed, pushing the covers away and quickly moving to stretch out.

My nights were always like this, a terribly long and brutal journey until morning came to save me.

When morning finally did come, it was filled with scorn and hatred for me alone.

Pure and unfiltered avoidance, alienation, and biased opinions made me into a lonely person to say the least.

I never had anyone to tell me goodnight before I slept, and never before had anyone been happy to see me awaken from sleep the next morning.

I was trapped in a depressing situation all my life, it was the distinct knowledge that no one would mind if you suddenly disappeared without a trace.

I shove a container of microwavable ramen into my microwave, and switch my focus to my underclothes.

My speed increases as I shake the grogginess from my mind, setting a carton of milk on the table and pulling my orange pants on next.

I pluck the container of ramen from the microwave and sit it besides the milk carton.

I pull a shirt on next and have a seat, breaking apart my chopsticks and digging in quickly.

Five minutes later I tossed both the carton of milk and the now empty ramen container into the garbage.

I crack my neck once and pull on the top of my orange jumpsuit, pausing long enough to zip it all the way up.

I turn around in a slow circle, looking around the room.

"Now, where did I leave my goggles?" I wonder aloud.

I snap my fingers with a chuckle before walking over to my messy bad, I lift the covers up the expose the green googles to the light with grin.

"I knew they were here!"

I chuckle to myself again as I slip the goggles onto my forehead and then glance at the clock once.

"Looks like I took the perfect amount of time getting ready, I can go see Old Man Hokage himself this morning."

I grab my keys from my bedside and sprint out of my apartment as quickly as possible, locking the door behind me during the short amount of time I stopped.

While it was indeed true that I failed the Genin graduation exams multiple times, it wasn't for the reason most people seemed to think.

I understood the applications of chakra, ninja tools, and had the everyday basics down... accept the Clone Jutsu of course.

I needed it to pass, but it wouldn't work for me at all. Even with hours and hours of practicing and training alone it still malfunctioned to an embarrassing degree.

I mean so what? My control is all messed up, I thought for once my large reserves might make up for this unforgiving disadvantage.

No such luck of course, it was might as well have not been there at all for all the good it did.

My early morning run to the Hokage mansion was an easy route without all the extra glares that the villagers brought with them as they woke from slumber.

I knew there would be trouble this morning, I knew the Hokage was in his office already.

I also knew the secretary didn't necessarily have to let me in without an appointment.

She leans forward onto her elbows, giving me a knowing smirk that infuriated me to know ends.

I clear my throat once to end the staring contest, "I need to see the Hokage this morning." She raises an eyebrow at me.

I had a bit of a love hate relationship with the secretary, she didn't exactly hate me like other people did.

She certainly wasn't nice to me, but she never looked at me with cold eyes wishing I would disappear.

She found my situation and I amusing, I could see it in the twinkle of her brown eyes.

"So... you need to see the Hokage why? Humor me. Give me one good reason to interrupt him from the village's much needed paperwork."

I chuckle, allowing my frown to morph into my patented mega-watt grin.

"He has more nightmares about his paperwork than I do about the Nine-Tailed Fox."

She pauses in her own paperwork and stares at me for several moments before bursting into laughter, tears forming in the edges of her eyes.

"Oh... goodness that is hilarious..."

She pauses stroking her chin as she thinks, "It's funny because its true... paperwork sucks. Whatever Naruto, go up and see the Hokage... he would relish the chance to take a break anyway."

I nod and slowly stuff my hands into my pocket as I made my way to the Hokage's office.

The moment I stepped in his office, four of the same Hokage looked up at me with interest before all but one went back to the paperwork.

"Ahh hello Naruto, up early I see. I hope Lilian didn't give you much trouble when you tried to see me this morning."

I shake my head in denial quickly, "I thought it might be an act... but she is different. She doesn't hate me like most other people do, I think she might just like giving people a hard time. That type of quirk is harmless though I suppose."

Hiruzen waves it off just as simply as a passing breeze, the smile still on his face.

"I believe it might be possible you're here to idly chat, but I don't buy it. What can I do for you Naruto my boy?"

I take a seat on the couch in his office before giving him a serious expression.

"Want me to be honest with you sir? I want you to tell me about the Nine-Tailed Fox."

The Hokage leans back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as if it was suddenly interesting.

"I figured you would come around at some point with questions. The Nine-Tails is a being composed entirely of dense chakra. From what we know, the beast was not known to attack settlements at random. I can see something further is troubling you though."

I place my hands behind my head and lay back on the couch, "I just keep... dreaming about the Nine-Tails. If that in itself wasn't strange enough, last night I swore I saw the Sharingan reflected in its pupils."

Hiruzen allows his gaze to harden considerably.

What he says matches the reports we received that night. Not a single Uchiha casualty because we forced them to stay away from the beast. Nine-Tails was under a Genjutsu hypnosis though. Possibly the defense mechanism we put into place on him.

"You are resonating with the beast's potent chakra."

I frown for a moment, "So the Nine-Tailed Fox still lives... and to resonate with something... you need to be connected to it."

The Hokage nods, straightening his shoulders and spine in his chair. "Naruto Uzumaki, the night the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked Konohagakure was also the night you were born to Kushina Uzumaki the previous Jinchuriki of the beast. That same night you became the newest Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, with the most intricate seal in all of the Elemental Nations."

I allow my eyes to widen as Hiruzen closes his shut. "In the event that you decided to remain a civilian... I would have specifically kept this information from you. Because you want to lead the life of a Shinobi... I saw fit not to lie to you Naruto. I need you to understand something critically important though my boy. You are not the beast you imprison. As a Jinchuriki your heart is especially susceptible to the darkness of this world. Your mother once said that she replaced the hate she felt coming from the Nine-Tails with love."

I pause, allowing the frown to slip from my face as all the things in my life seemed to click together.

"It all makes sense now. All the hate, all the stares, and my messed up chakra control."

I abruptly stand up to leave his office, my mind clouded with new information.

The Hokage simply let out a sigh and went back to his paperwork, he just hoped the truth didn't backfire against him.

I left for the Academy with an overload of answers I thought I would never have anytime soon. The short walk back to class was uneventful, my mind was consumed with new information.

"Kushina Uzumaki huh? I wonder who my father was." Now that I thought about it, Kushina was a full blooded Uzumaki. My father had to have had blond hair.

I shove open the door to the Academy as my time to get to class moved ever closer. I raced down the hallway, with one minute to spare before class started. I sense another presence just they slam me into the wall with thud, I grunt and look at my aggressor.

Standing before me was the smirking vessel for Uchiha pride, potential, and angst: Sasuke. His incomplete Sharingan was active, but his aggression and eyes were not because he hated me. The clan children didn't hate me like most others, Sasuke was just a jerk and an oddity.

"You don't fool me mister dead last. Your chakra reserves are massive, you have more than the entire class combined. Work on your control you idiot, with chakra like that you would be the only one strong enough to challenge me in combat."

I suppose I didn't exactly hate Sasuke either, he saw more than a talentless orphan. He saw an obstacle that might one day be fun to tackle. I was also selfish to be upset with other people for having things I don't. It wasn't their fault. Sometimes we are born into our destinies.

I enter the classroom behind Sasuke and immediately start moving up the stairs towards the back of the room. Sasuke pauses as he completes a fist bump with another Uchiha. He feels eyes digging into his scalp, he turns to the green eyes of another student.

"Oh, hi Sasuke it's so nice to see you!" She molds her hands together hopefully.

He grunts outwardly and brushes her off with a flick of his hand. Sasuke was a simple boy at heart. Like most Uchiha, they respected power. Competence was nice, but raw power was better. Rough edges could always be refined later on in their opinion.

Her expression quickly becomes sour and her hands tighten into fists. I was far from the only unfortunate one to ever exist. We all had hardships and problems. That didn't mean we all knew who to take it out on though.

Hey eyes settle onto my now relaxing form, they flash with a sick recognition. I was the newly selected target, but for different reasons than Sasuke.

"Say Naruto, how are the family treating you? Well I hope!" A smirk slowly forms on her face as she blocks out her negative emotions with more negative feelings.

"You know Sakura, if you are still frustrated about your love interest, you could always switch gears to Izuna. If you're not careful you might just end up all alone... just like me."

That stops her cold, the smirk disappears and her eyes harden in anger.

"Sakura, Sasuke, and Izuna take your seats immediately!"

Our Chunin instructor shouts as he enters the room with the other teacher. Sakura turns back for a moment to glare me before moving to return to her seat.

Iruka clears his throat once, and silence follows because people were actually excited.

"Alright class, now that everyone is present and accounted for we will immediately begin the exams. The final examination of basic skills will determine if any of you are ready to become Genin."

Iruka coughs again to get the attention of his class.

"Alright class, settle down. We are moving in alphabetical order, when your name is called proceed to the testing area. With your other skills duly evaluated, our last check is the simple Clone Jutsu. First up, Shino Aburame. Proceed with me to the testing area."

Before I even knew it, I was called upon for my turn, I also happened to be the last person to be called. I ignore the jeers and taunts of my classmates and ignore the solemn stare of my two sensei, one of pity, and the other and unreadable mask.

"Alright Naruto, whenever you are ready. Show us your stuff! You only need a single clone to pass."

I could think logically about this whole situation though, nothing had changed at all. I couldn't make a single clone.

"You can just cross my name off. I still can't create clones."

Iruka nods and start writing on this clipboard. "Well, Naruto it appears that you have failed. You will not be receiving a headband today."

Mizuki quickly interjects, "Iruka-sensei, I think you might be going about this the wrong way. This is his third attempt at becoming a ninja and just like the other times his scores bar the Clone Jutsu improve dramatically each time. Have you considered other circumstances might be stopping him from creating clones?"

Iruka frowns angrily, "Mizuki-sensei, Naruto failed to do what every other student did with ease. I have yet to meet another Academy student unable to do the simple Clone Jutsu. To pass him would be blatant favoritism, something I can't do in good conscious. This discussion is over."

Part 2: The Jonin level Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!

I nod obediently to my sensei and turn to leave, absentmindedly fiddling with my goggles. It was funny that such a basic jutsu was required to pass, when it was rarely ever used by any ninja. The few who would talk to me sold me so.

I allowed my thoughts to wander for a bit, should I head back to class? Why give them a chance to laugh, and the Hokage a chance to pity me even more than he does?

I slowly walk past my classroom, hearing the gleeful excitement of fresh Genin, about to meet their Hokage for the first time. As I walk out the front door I start to wonder again, why did I even desire to be Hokage? It was beginning to dawn on me that I would be required to protect even the people who scorned me the most, I was not so sure I could do that any longer.

The mask I liked to wear was already cracking under the strain, and I knew soon it would no longer fool anyone. I felt tears threatening me, even now.

The time ticks away quickly enough and soon enough my entire class was outside the building showing off their headbands to their parents. I fiddle with my goggles absentmindedly. People around me searched for a reason to mistreat when they never needed one.

Two parents in particular were guilty of this themselves, irrational fear projected onto a mere boy. Tsubaki broke the silence between the two, "Did you hear? That boy was the only one who failed to become a ninja."

Never taking her eyes off me she smirks in satisfaction, "Serves him right, he got exactly what he deserved."

Ibara frowns, "Just imagine for a moment what would have happened if he had actually become a ninja. I mean he is that boy who has the Nine-Tails-"

Ibara quickly cut her off. "You know as well as I do that speaking of that is forbidden and punishable by death, remember the decree?"

My ears actually perk up as I listen to their conversation my teeth grinding into each other.

So the Third Hokage told the truth did he now huh. I'm that boy, the one who imprisons the Nine-Tailed Fox.

I don't get a chance to think about it for long before I hear the underbrush to my right snap and crackle under the weight of a foot. I look up slightly into the friendly face of one of my Chunin sensei, Mizuki.

He smiles down at me, blue hair covering his forehead, "Naruto, I know you've had a long day, but want to come have a chat with me? I have some things you might like to hear about."

The walk was short and quiet on the way to Mizuki's home saturated in a comfortable silence. We didn't make any stops along the way, and when we finally reached his home, we just stared into the setting sun.

As the sky changes from orange to blood red Mizuki finally break the silence, "Iruka may seem like he has it out for you, but please don't misunderstand him. He wants you to be strong with all his heart, but he knows that will never happen if he goes easy on you."

I frown going back over the last several months of my life, "I trained so hard for this, and all I could think about was passing to prove them all wrong. I improved so much, but Clones have never been my thing."

He turns and stares at me intensely for several seconds before looking at the sky and chuckling softly to himself. "If that is truly the case Naruto, then you have pressed my hand, I'm going to let you in on a special secret." I turn to look at him with an inquisitive look, but he simply smiles at me in return. I was in for the ride of my life.

Later that same day hours after the sun had set, the Leaf village was on the verge of panic. Hiruzen quickly pulled on his Hokage robes and opened the door to the mansion, greeted with the sight of upset Jonin and Chunin.

He places his pipe in his mouth, and slowly lights it, "Alright, what is the meaning of this commotion?"

A man steps forward, a grim look marring his features, eye patch over his left eye. "Lord Hokage, twenty minutes ago the Vault was raided. The Scroll of Sealing has been stolen sir."

Hiruzen stares blankly for a moment before growling internally, quickly pulling out a palm sized crystal ball. Channeling chakra into the ball which glows white for a moment, before an image of me with the scroll on my back appears.

His eyes smolder with anger, "My vision is limited at this very moment. All Chunin and Jonin present, alert the entire village! We are as of right now in Level Red, lockdown. Search the forest area surrounding the village for Naruto Uzumaki, bring him to me with the Scroll of Sealing!"

At his order, all the Chunin and Jonin scattered, and moments later the siren for the Uchiha Police Force was in full effect. Hiruzen immediately went back inside the mansion to get his own battle gear, that scroll could not fall out of his hands so easily.

After successfully retrieving the Scroll of Sealing, it had been little more than child's play to leave out of the village and into the woodlands. Village security was oriented around defending from dangerous sources on the outside, rather than sources on the inside and no one had freer rein inside the Hokage mansion as me.

I slowly opened the scroll. It was expansive to say the least. Thousands of forbidden jutsu too powerful to ever leave the village, but most were fragmented and incomplete. Useless and ruined pieces of a puzzle abandoned by the world and called vile and evil.

In fact the only one that didn't seem to be missing important pieces was a clone technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu to be precise. Created by Tobirama Senju but deemed too dangerous for the average Shinobi, I falter for a moment but decide it's my only chance. If it was meant for a Shinobi with high reserves it probably wouldn't be too hard.

So I raised two fingers from each hand and molded my chakra, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Twenty minutes later I was indeed successful, Shadow Clone were definitely my forte, if fact I didn't feel winded at all from using them. Immediately after the sirens and alarms began, and soon after that Iruka appeared, irate as ever.

"Naruto! What were you thinking? You have put the entire village at risk, a leak or even a sleeper agent could have found you and made off with the Scroll of Sealing!"

I grin sheepishly, "Alright sensei, I admit it. I was wrong to take the scroll, but I proved some things this evening!"

He stares at me for a moment, but his features soften as he notices my condition, "You have been out here training? Who told you about the Scroll of Sealing Naruto?"

I smile, "Mizuki-sensei told me about it, and he also told me it could serve as a test. To prove I had the skills of a shinobi in the making. I managed to remove a valuable object from its place, sneak out of the village with it, and then learn a technique from it!"

Iruka frowns to himself, so Mizuki was the leak inside the village network huh?

Iruka turns at the sound of feet hitting the branch of a tree, "As odd as it sounds Iruka, while my intentions were not pure. He managed to get the scroll from under your noses, without my help. It's a shame you can't let the past go, he has talent, and he never let up. Even with the odds stacked to high against him, he never gave into despair."

He pulls out several kunai looking down at Iruka, "Stand in my way Iruka and I will kill you, there are some things at work here you just wouldn't understand."

Iruka pulls out a single kunai of his own, "I got time Mizuki, tell me all about the things I wouldn't understand."

Mizuki launches a barrage of kunai towards Iruka from both hands, immediately dropping off the branch and towards the ground afterword.

"You started this Iruka, prepare to finish it. Earth Style: Landslide Jutsu!"

After his hands touch down on the ground first, the ground cracks and splits before breaking apart and flying towards Iruka. Iruka dodges the kunai and then prepares three hand seals, breathing in deeply molding his chakra.

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

He sends a torrent of water towards the landslide of earth, slowing it down until it was harmless wet mud, looking for Mizuki intensely.

Mizuki chuckles slowly sliding out of the ground behind Iruka, "Earth Style: Antlion Jutsu!"

The ground begins to sink away underneath Iruka, the already moist earth entrapping him.

Mizuki frowns as he struggles his brow knitting together, "Why are you pretending like you actually care Iruka? I have seen the looks you give him, you are no different than the rest of the villagers who don't know the difference between the kunai and the scroll it's sealed into."

Iruka glares back at Mizuki, "You are wrong. I figured it out a long time ago. Naruto is no different than any other young boy, he is a citizen of the Hidden Leaf village. Someday he will prove that to the world, and hopefully it won't take as long as it took me."

Mizuki takes one of the Fuma shuriken off his back, but I have already heard enough. I step out from behind the tree, "That's enough Mizuki! If you ever lay another hand on my sensei, I will kill you."

He turns to look back at me, serious expression on his face, "I won't hesitate to kill you either Naruto, there are just complicated things here you wouldn't understand. Stand down."

I slowly raise four fingers into the seal in front of my face.

I never got to actually practice this, here's for hoping it doesn't blow up in my face.

"Please teach me then sensei! Because if you won't, I've got something to teach you. Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

I begin to call my chakra, and it responds quickly, in a large puff of white smoke the entire forest is filled with corporeal Shadow Clones, "Alright then! You and me sensei!"

Mizuki allows his surprise to show on his face, he had never seen so many Shadow Clones, ever.

"At this point Naruto, I think we should work on math. No matter how many times you divide yourself, one thousand times zero is still zero. Earth Style: Landslide Jutsu!"

He slams his palms into the ground, sending earth into the fray of Shadow Clones, easily dispatching numbers in the hundreds. He then takes both Fuma shuriken into his hands, he spins them up and toss them into two different directions taking out dozens of clones with ease.

Iruka struggles vainly trying to get out of the moist earth, "Mizuki, what could possibly be so important that you would betray your home!"

Mizuki gives him a single look before focusing on the attacking Shadow Clones again, tossing Shuriken into the trees with ninja wire attached to them.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall! Wasting your breath Iruka, I have a goal here. It's complicated and I don't have time to explain it alright!"

He smashes his fist into another Shadow Clones jaw dispelling it before tightening the ninja wire and swing through the clearing. Mizuki smirked as he landed by the real me, ramming his fist into my gut once, causing all the other clones to dispel.

"Looks like I found the real one huh?"

I look up, smirking, "Nope, try again sensei." The Shadow Clone goes up in a puff of smoke.

I leap towards Mizuki from behind catching his jaw as he turned towards the sound of noise, sending him back a couple feet before he got his bearings.

He grunts wiggling his fingers, before I can move wire encircles my arms and legs binding me to the tree directly behind me. He grins, two lines of ninja wire in his mouth, "You can thank the Uchiha for leaving their scrolls lying around. Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

The ninja wire acted a guiding conductor for the flames, I opened my eyes wide with shock, I was just outplayed, and this looked like the end of my story.

A man in pure white robes stood in a crouched position watching the battle intensely, from behind his white mask he hums.

"He is making considerable progress, perhaps our help may not be needed down the line."

He forms the several hand seals, ending with Tiger, "Sage Art: Liquid Bullets."

He mutters quietly, inhaling sharply to focus his Sage chakra before releasing a dense blast of water towards the clearing. He watches for a moment longer before sinking back into the tree, melding with it and erasing his presence.

The fire jutsu was interrupted by a blast of water striking it only a few meters away from me. The two jutsu collided in perfect proportions canceling each other out and sending scalding hot steam in every direction.

The steam was so hot the ninja wire began to wilt and fell away, singing my skin. I sank to my knees in pain, clutching the scroll to my stomach to protect it, another idea already invading my mind.

I immediately start digging into the earth in front of me ignoring the steaming smokescreen. I cover the scroll with dirt right after it's in place.

I stand up slowly, "Nice job Mizuki you ruined the scroll and my cloths!"

As the smoke begins to clear Mizuki stares at me hatefully, but even I could see he was already out of chakra, and his breath was ragged.

"You... you think you've won... you haven't... won anything... fuck...no..."

I walk towards him slowly, ignoring the stinging of my skin and burnt jumpsuit, cocking my first back and knocking him out with a single punch. I wipe sweat off my forehead, before turning towards the still submerged Iruka.

Who knew collaboration ninjutsu was this powerful. I'm definitely going to do some research on that.

I slowly walk closer to Iruka getting a firm grip on his shoulders and pulling him out of the near hardening earth.

"I'm not sure how I survived sensei, but I managed to beat him. It also seems that the Scroll of Sealing was destroyed in his fire jutsu."

He frowns for a moment before chuckling, "Lord Hokage will understand, better destroyed than in our enemy's hands. Close your eyes Naruto, I have something for you."

I look at him closely for a moment before closing my eyes, feeling the weight of my goggles leave my head. Only to be replaced by something sleeker.

"You can open your eyes now Naruto."

I open my eyes slowly, staring at the smiling face of my sensei, "Congratulations, Naruto Uzumaki! You graduate, and from this day forward you are a Genin!"

The sun begins to rise in the sky behind us and I stare with awe, "To celebrate your long awaited accomplishment, we are going out to eat ramen tonight, on me."

I slowly smile at Iruka, running up to him and hugging him tightly, and the sun shines even brighter.

Naruto, this is only the beginning, the road will only grow tougher and tougher now that you have become a ninja, but for now... I won't spoil it for you just yet, maybe later. Over ramen.

Part 3: The Hidden Leaf Hypnotic Conversion Jutsu!

As soon as the battle was over, ANBU began showing up, accessing the damage then gathering us and escorting us to the Hokage Mansion. Hiruzen was waiting for us, scowling with anger, but surprised about the ensuing battle.

"Raccoon, please alert the Jonin council that we are leaving disaster mode. Tell the Police Force to head home and get some sleep, the crisis has been averted."

He looks at Iruka and I with a serious expression, but struggles to not smile with pride.

"Naruto, I am heavily disappointed in you. Although I am forced to admit, your battle was exemplary. You managed to flush out several leaks, and even one sleeper agent amongst the Chunin. Losing the Scroll of Sealing is a major hit to us on a personal level, but most jutsu were useless unless completed."

He scratches his chin for a moment, "Now that I think about it, none of this information is to leave this room. The destruction of the Scroll of Sealing is classified. Only the three of us know of this information. Because of the nature of events that happened tonight, I am assigning this the label of a B-Rank assignment. You can come by later today to receive your pay in full."

Satisfied with his decision he reaches into his cloak for a moment before pulling out what could only be described as a tome.

"Naruto, because you are now a Genin and ready to take on the full responsibilities of a Jinchuriki I am giving you this tome. It contains information on the other Tailed-Beasts. You are both dismissed, get some rest."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later Iruka and I were sitting in Ichiraku Ramen, making up for lost dinner.

"Naruto, listen to me. Tomorrow is going to very important for you alright. I explained to Lord Hokage that you managed to learn and make efficient use of a forbidden jutsu, you may be called upon to go on special missions, or even assist Special Forces squads."

I listen closely but continue reading from the tome on the Tailed Beasts, "So I guess being able to make thousands of yourself is exactly a normal skill is it?"

He chuckles but shakes his head all the same, "It isn't just labor, every clone has your same abilities, and you show remarkable mental stability to be able to handle the mental offload. Every Shadow Clone sends back mental feedback in the form of experience."

I flip to the next page, and Iruka grows even more serious, "With the ability to use Shadow Clones like you can, the possibilities are endless. You might be the first to ever master their use, it was said that Tobirama never mastered it himself but he wrote down steps that needed to be taken. So we as a village know the end goal."

He finishes his bowl and tosses some ryo down onto the counter, patting my back lightly. "You will be feared Shinobi Naruto, never doubt that."

I finish my last bowl of ramen shortly after Iruka left standing up and stretching, honestly considering a nap like the Hokage suggested. I wonder if the fox haunts during the day.

"Alright thank you guys, I will see you later." I call cheerfully as I stand.

As I turn to meet the mask of an unfamiliar ANBU I blink several time, "The Hokage requests an audience with you immediately, Naruto Uzumaki."

I grunt irritated that my choice was stolen from me, "I will head there immediately."

He nods and disappears with a swirl of leaves, "Somebody is going to eventually teach me how to use the Teleportation Jutsu."

I slowly begin to trek towards the Hokage Mansion, ignoring the more pointed glares or anger, apparently I disturbed people last night with my purge.

After about twenty minutes of walking I arrived at the Hokage Mansion and was allowed through by Lilian without a fight. As I step into his office I think I was more surprised than its occupants, several ANBU Commanders, his personal advisors with, a strangely mummified looking man, and several other prominent people I should have been able to recognize.

No one said anything for several moments before a single ANBU Captain turns back to the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, you must be joking. You said you had a child who managed to learn to produce countless Shadow Clones, and take the mental strain. All I see here is the talentless dead last. Has he suddenly become talented?"

I keep my mouth shut, but notice the only one two of the group didn't openly respond. The man with the cane slowly makes his way over to me, a blank look on his face.

"Your qualifications are rough around the edges, but ROOT would be perfect for you and your specific talents. We await your answer with open arms Naruto."

He turns back around to look at the Hokage, "That is all I needed to say at this moment Hiruzen, I will be taking my leave." He then opens the door and steps out of the room without another word.

The Hokage looks around at the remaining faces, "Please don't misunderstand me. I am not offering him up to you like a lamb for slaughter. He won't be working for any of you at this moment, but when he gets assigned a Jonin instructor he will be within his rights to choose an organization to work for. Whether it be Root, any sect of ANBU, or personal operative for a Clan. I made a deal in writing that I would mention shinobi that had potential for things that normal ninja can't accomplish. You are not allowed to harass Naruto but you will be allowed to request him for missions, and he indeed does have freedom here."

There were a few tense moments after Danzo departed, but then everything returned to normal. Hiruzen reaches into his robes for a moment and produces a white envelope.

"Naruto if you aren't busy I have a personal assignment for you, same pay as a D-Rank but the experience is one not many understand."

I scratch my head for a moment in a mental debate.

might as well, I have to eat, and the Fox is just waiting for me to close my eyes.

I open them a moment later, accepting the envelope, "No worries Lord Hokage, I accept the mission. I will be back for the money later. What is the assignment?"

He chuckles for a moment, "I want you to head out to the clearing of... that incident, and use your Shadow Clones to fix the area to the best of your ability. ANBU and the Police Force should be done sweeping it for information, this is a test for you. I want to see how effective you are with Shadow Clones under continued strenuous activity. Remember, should this mission be successful and bear fruit, D-Ranks will be quick and easy for you, even alone."

I nod giving him the thumbs up, "Count on it Old Man."

As I turn to leave a young boy runs into the room, a single shuriken in his hand, and a look of determination in his eyes.

He takes two steps into the room before he steps on his long blue scarf and falls onto his face. I wince internally, it sounded painful that was for sure. He slowly begins to get back to his feet, rubbing it head muttering, "I swear something tripped me..."

Another man enters close behind the boy, in the standard shinobi attire.

"Honorable Grandson, are you alright? Also there really is nothing to trip over here, it's pretty flat."

He grumbles again before looking directly at me, he stands and quickly walks towards me.

"You were the one who tripped me, admit it!"

He pokes me in the chest once and I grab him by the front of his shirt, and short as I was I towered above him. I raised my right hand, and the Shinobi with in blue garb gasped, "Take your hands off him! That is the honorable grandson of the honorable Hokage!"

I lower my right fist and raise an eyebrow at the Shinobi.

So this is a relative of the Old Man huh? He strikes me as a lonely brat.

The boy smirks with a face that was used to getting away with things, "What's the matter tough guy? I thought you were gonna hit me! Scared because I'm the third Hokage's grandson?"

I laugh loudly at this, smashing my fist into the center of his forehead, sending him to the ground, "I don't care who you're related to! He could be your grandmother for all I care!"

The boy blinks slowly, head spinning from the hit, this guy... is different... I grunt and turn to leave, ignoring the stunned look of the other occupants of the room.

"I will be back by noon Old Man."

As I arrived back at the scene of the battle I grimace, the damage much worse in the light of day. I crack my knuckles and then my neck, "Alright, let us get started! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

I let the chakra flow loosely through my body holding the seal even as the smoke clears, staring at the bodies of a thousand of myself. I nod proudly, "Alright guys, you already know the mission. Let's get cleaning and fixing! I need one Shadow Clone to grab the scroll and get it home, you there!"

The Shadow Clone nods and flashes me the thumbs up, "I got it boss, I will get it home and hidden. I will dispel when it's done."

I give the Shadow Clone the thumbs up and start instructing the Shadow Clones, supervising it personally. Picking up the loose earth and moving it back to its original place, others retrieving the shuriken, kunai, and ninja wire. I would make sure nothing here went to waste.

After about an hour I stood by to appraise the work, "Alight last step, to fix the tree and dirt issue we are going to need to get water! All but ten of you need to dispel then I will personally get the water!" I receive a round of general agreement, taking off back towards my apartment.

After getting back to the clearing, followed closely by two hundred Shadow Clones with buckets of water. Each clone smoothed the earth back out, doing the same with the scarred trees. As I finished patting down the last bit of earth, I hear the sound of a trig snapping between clumsy feet. I turn a little seeing the small boy with the blue scarf, staring in awe at my Shadow Clones.

I turn towards him completely tilting my head and folding my arms with a raised eyebrow.

"You following me kid?"

He points at me grinning, "Not only are you different, but you are really strong! Please of please will you teach me Boss?"

I chuckle at the nickname I was just given, scratching my head, "Well, since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could teach you the basics. Give you a leg up on the competition."

I scratch my chin for a moment as the last of my Shadow Clones dispel, "Alright kid, tell me your name. I think we shall start with something truly simple. I'm talking the Transformation Jutsu, and then chance it into my infamous variant."

The kid practically starts bouncing in place with excitement, "Alright Boss, I'm so ready! My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi!" I grin as he said this, maybe there was more to his story.

I sent a clone to confirm my mission with the Old Man and decided to take a stroll with Konohamaru through town.

"Alright Konohamaru, I assume you already have a good handle on your chakra. For the Transformation Jutsu you need to be able to visualize what you wish to transform into. We won't get far just talking about, I want you to transform into me to begin with."

He studies me for a moment before forming the Ram seal, "Transform!"

White smoke envelopes him before finally dissipating, "Not bad Konohamaru, but my jumpsuit is a little off, so is the hair, and my whisker marks. To be fair you could pass as me from a distance."

He nods and reverts back, "I would say phase 1 is complete, now you need material for which my famous jutsu is named."

He pauses for a moment, "Where did you get your ideas from Boss?"

I scratch my chin for a moment, "Come to think of it, I used magazines. That gives me a great idea! The next test is to maintain the Transformation to enter a store and buy the magazine we are after."

He nods and we start walking towards said magazine store, on the way I decide to ask the question that's been eating at me.

"It's going to take about fifteen minutes to get there Konohamaru, mind telling me what this obsession with your grandfather is about?"

He remains silent as we continue walking, too sudden huh? He finally breaks the silence, "You know you are the only one in this whole village who calls me Konohamaru. I was named after the very village we all live in, it should be the easiest thing in the world to remember, but they don't. All they see is the honorable grandson of the honorable Hokage, I have been stuck in the shadow of my grandfather all my life. I thought being Hokage might... might make them acknowledge me for once, not for my grandfather's accomplishments, but my own."

I look down for a moment, thinking about my own history.

"We aren't so different Konohamaru, I always wanted to be Hokage because I thought people might begin to respect me because of it, but I was wrong. I remember a very wise man told me something special, it is not the man who becomes Hokage who is acknowledged by everyone, but rather the person who is acknowledged by everyone who becomes Hokage. I realized when he told me that... that I would never change people's minds by simply aspiring to be the strongest. I was stubborn at first, but I got to see with my own eyes... people can change, but it's not always for the best."

I raise my fist towards him, cracking a smile, "If you seek the office of Hokage, seek to change their opinion of you beforehand, make them see you for Konohamaru not the honorable grandson of the Hokage. If you want to be Hokage seek the light to banish the shadows you now sit in, fester in the darkness no longer. Just never forget what you are fighting for Konohamaru."

We stop near the building, "Alright Konohamaru, pick out an older person to Transform into, I already have double persona."

He nods and transforms into a much older looking version of himself with blond hair, no scarf and green clothing. I transform next, "Alright little brother, next step is the hardest, hold the Transformation while we get the magazines."

He nods, smirking a little, "Easy Boss, you're thinking too much."

I grunt, coughing a bit to change my voice to fit the body, satisfied I pushed opened the door to the business, greeted with a chime. The owner gives us a single nod as we pass by, after entering the first isle Konohamaru picks up a magazine and I grab two, "These will do eh little brother?"

He nods chuckling in amusement, "Easy stuff Boss, come on, we've got a jutsu to complete."

I nod and walk up to the store owner, he gives the once over before allowing me to pay. I give him the amounted Ryo and grab the magazines, a smirking Konohamaru behind me.

As we walk out we drop the Transformations and I give Konohamaru a pat on the back, "Test completed for Phase 2. Now the last step is to do the research and you will be ready to use the Sexy Jutsu, I warn you it's different than a normal Transformation. It requires encasing yourself in a chakra construct instead of projecting an image around you, it makes it appear all the more real."

He nods already reading into the magazines before we even reached the forest, "This might seem like a perverted jutsu, but the effects and abilities place you far above people your age. This is going to be sweet!"

I spent a couple hours experimenting with Konohamaru, helping when I felt he needed it, but he took to it surprisingly well. I was actually wondering when his personal trainer would actually show up, and soon he did. Glaring at me with the same eyes the rest of the village had, cold hurtful eyes. He jumps down from the tree limb, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Honorable grandson, it's time to go home now. You've wasted a day doing absolutely nothing productive today." He speaks in a professional tone of voice, glancing in my direction once with disdain.

Konohamaru clenches his fists at his side, growing angrier by the second.

"You know what Ebisu, you are wrong about me. I may be the grandson of the Hokage, but he didn't name me honorable grandson."

Ebisu blinks in surprise, "Honorable grandson what is the meaning of this? I thought you wanted to become Hokage? Hanging around with that boy and doing nothing is not getting you any closer to your goal. In fact it's setting you back."

Konohamaru grows even more annoyed, "You are right, I would love to be Hokage, but I know now that being Hokage isn't about respect or power. Being Hokage is about protecting everyone as if they were your own. So no, I don't want your help. Because my name is Konohamaru Sarutobi, and I know now that I am more than just the honorable grandson. I am a hopeful possibility for Hokage, I am a citizen on the Leaf village, and most importantly of all I am a Sarutobi! Never forget it!"

Ebisu frowns in frustration seemingly upset he wasn't getting through to him, "What rubbish has this boy been teaching you? Come along now honorable grandson..." He moves to grab Konohamaru by the scarf.

I sigh, even though he was so young he was already beginning to understand things were never as simple as they appeared. I raise two fingers from each hand, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

He stops moving towards Konohamaru and stares into the sea of grinning copies of me, while the real one begins to lead Konohamaru away.

That ought to keep him busy for some time, long enough to get out of range at least.

As we get further away I chuckle, "I forgot to mention something... there is no easy way to becoming Hokage. It will take blood, sweat, and tears, but you will get there. Believe it, you will make friends who see you for who you are Konohamaru, friends who will see the qualities of a Hokage within you. Those people, your peers will be your biggest supporters on your journey to Hokage. Someday I will see you take the title Lord Hokage, and I will be among the many cheering, but until then, I have something for you. It's always been with me, and I hope it serves the same purpose for you. I look forward to that day, Konohamaru."

I smile at him, handing him my old green goggles, before turning to leave, and raising my right hand in farewell, and Konohamaru salutes me, just you watch Boss. You say you're a failure, but I want to be just like you. I will make you proud. He looks at the goggles for a moment before placing them onto his head, a huge smile on his face.

I stopped by the Hokage Mansion to see the Old Man, he wasn't surprised to see me at all. In fact he took a break when I entered his office, Shadow Clones relaxing while the original spoke.

"Alright Old Man, I cleaned up the messed up part of the woodland like you asked, and I even bonded with Konohamaru."

He nods and hands me another envelope, "This is your pay for the D-Rank mission, now go home and get some rest Naruto. You have a big day tomorrow at the Academy, becoming a full-fledged ninja and all."

I chuckle with mirth, "Thank you Old Man, I will try to stay out of trouble until then."

He nods signaling his Shadow Clones that the short break was over, "Dismissed Naruto."

I nod absentmindedly already heading for the door when his voice halts me, "Say Naruto, while you were cleaning up, did you find remains of the Scroll of Sealing by chance?"

I go rigid for a moment before calming myself down, "Actually yes I did Lord Hokage, had I known you were looking for it I would have brought it back to you that instant."

He nods waving me away, but his eyes narrow nonetheless, he didn't call me Old Man that time. What exactly are you hiding Naruto?

I walk slowly as I get out the mansion, but from then on I start sprinting towards home.

I must have missed something in that damn scroll. I thought the jutsu were fragmented and incomplete, but something in there has the Old Man worried enough to have ANBU and the Police Force searching for it.

As I open the door to my apartment the Shadow Clone I sent with the scroll is calmly sitting at the table eating my ramen. I do double take at that, he was eating my ramen. I glower at him in anger.

"I thought I didn't receive memories, why didn't you dispel? This also provides data, you can sustain yourself for long periods of time you jerk?"

He chuckles, "Yes, it appears food high in calories gets converted into chakra for Shadow Clones, we should really try alcohol later."

I chuckle back at him calming myself down, "Alright what about the first part?"

He drinks down the last of the juice, sighing in obvious pleasure.

"I found something you would most certainly be interested in, but if I had dispelled you might have gotten nervous if Lord Hokage had asked you about the scroll."

I gulp audibly, "That bad huh? What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?"

The Shadow Clone stands and tosses the ramen cup into the garbage, before patting me on the back.

"The better question to ask, is what you have gotten yourself into."

The Shadow Clone smirks and dispels in a puff of white smoke. The memories and feeling of fullness rush into me like a wave, and immediately I pull the giant scroll out and start unraveling it, staring at the inscription for the Hypnotic Conversion Jutsu. It was created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and he himself sealed him own notes away with the jutsu.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

I closed my eyes, gripping the page as I unsealed the long forgotten notes of Tobirama Senju. The next step required one hundred and fifty hand seals to unlock the actual Hypnotic Conversion Jutsu. A failsafe, only the next person to view the scroll could unseal the jutsu, which meant even Tobirama himself could not retrieve it once sealed. I began the necessary hand seals, messing up a total of twenty nine times before I got it right, watching a dark grey smoke waft up from the page like some type of ghost.

Slowly it began to circle me, absorbing itself in through my pores, mouth, eyes, and nose. I cough and retch, but the smoke was already inside me. I stand up and immediately fall back down as my strength leaves me. The world spins and swims before my eyes, my heart beating faster and faster and the world begins to grow dark around me.

I grind my teeth in agitation and partial fear, standing in a barren wasteland colored with darkening ash. Lightning flashes across the cloudy sky.

Standing before me was the Nine-Tails, the Sharingan spinning rapidly in its eyes. It rears back onto its hind legs, its right paw raising into the sky to strike me down.

I leap backwards with the aid of chakra, its paw easily breaking the surface of the earth and sending debris everywhere.

A tail lashes out next, almost crushing my entire form. I shield my eyes from the rock flying loose. I run forward this time latching on the tail as it pried itself free and began to rise back into the air.

At the apex of its flight I leap off, hoping the landing would be smooth, my feet slipped but I got a grip on its pelt. It roars in anger, trying to get me off the back of its head. It bucks it head once, I don't budge. It bucks twice and I fly into the air landing with thud right between his eyes.

It reaches up again and swats the end of my legs, almost sending me plummeting back to the barren earth. I slide down just a little, and directly on my left I get a close-up of the Sharingan. The moment our eyes locked on each other's he stopped struggling, the Sharingan slowly disappeared from his pupil. The eye softened considerably before hardening again with a hate much deeper than before.

He rears his head back with even more strength than before. I fly into the air above its face, it smirks before opening its jaws wide and swallowing me whole. I heard its teeth snap shut before my world was devoid of any feeling at all.

The world around me was quiet and I began to wonder if the Nine-Tails in my dream was somehow metaphorical and being swallowed wasn't literal.

The sound of constant dripping and the smell of an old decrepit sewer system gave me the answer to my question. Steam spews from ruptured pipes above my head every so often.

I slowly begin to wade through the murky water, I feel a small stream of chakra enticing me forward. Guiding me deeper into the system of tunnels.

I pass through several gaping holes in the walls, feel the chakra in the air growing almost oppressive. I slowly suck in a deep breath as the short journey ends in front of a golden, intricately carved cell.

I force my rising panic to recede back below the surface and steel my features as I move closer to the bars. I stop moving with a clear distance of five feet between me and the bars. I squint in the oppressive emptiness of the cage.

A voice cackles from within the sea of darkness, the sound of scraping claws and heated breath make my pulse skyrocket into oblivion.

"Such a shame... they spent so much time fortifying your mental barriers and chaining me up. All for their efforts to come tumbling down in one go."

The Nine-Tailed Fox slowly slinks out of the darkness, and the first thing that I notice is he is much smaller. A bitterness seems to linger is his eyes as he stares me down with a sneer.

"I can sense everything about you. Your hate. Your fear. Your insecurities. The real you always visits me... he is so realistic."

I pause for a moment to shake my head, allowing his words to sink in.

"Of course they took every precaution available. They used the Sharingan and the Yamanaka to keep you under control. Either you're truly filled with overwhelming power, or they suck."

"Foolish... you doubt my near infinite power. Even split in half I am second to none."

He snorts, blowing out hot air in contempt.

I clench my fists together, "I don't care about your damn infinite power. I didn't ask for it and I most certainly don't want it!"

He slams his entire body against the cell and to my surprise the metal actually bends outward under the force.

"You think I asked to be sealed with in you? Did you ever imagine my life has been hell in a damp hole? You think your life sucks? At least you get die within a hundred years, I get to look forward to more imprisonment."

A creature with far more chakra and stature than I could ever dream of, and I stared it down. We were just two souls cursed to suffer together... and die together.

All across the village, as I had my first meeting with the Nine-Tails a jutsu was broken and the minds of hundreds were freed.

"Alright calm yourself down sir and speak slowly. You said before you caught sight of a suspicious man lurking around the market district this evening. Can you describe his appearance? Cloths, features, eyes..."

The man pauses, scratching his hair nervously as his eyes dart back and forth. His eyes find what he was indeed looking for, another man with a bandana signifying Leaf Shinobi status.

The Shinobi grinds a kunai in hand into the wall, causing the civilian to gulp. Bile rises in his throat as he realizes he was screwed no matter which way he went. Shisui grabs his shoulder.

"You have to trust me sir, you have to learn to trust the Uchiha Police Force. If you can do that, then you know I will protect you."

The man nods, his heart rate calming as he stared in the protective eyes of Shisui Uchiha. His resolve returns just as quickly as it left.

Shisui smiles, his senses having already alerted him to presence of another. The Shadow Clone watching in back from the top of a nearby terrace moves quickly. In a flash the Shinobi is ensnared, an adult Chunin surprisingly enough.

The kunai hits the ground as the man struggles vainly, sending volleys of curses in every direction. His breathing is labored, but just like with every criminal there was more to the story than the surface suggested.

"Damn Uchiha Police Force and your damn Sharingan. You think you're better than everybody around you. So what are you gonna do tough guy? Use the Sharingan on me? Just like you did the Nine-Tailed fox?"

Comments and barbed statements such as these usually didn't affect Shisui at all, but today is stung. The Uchiha had always tried to be friends with the villagers they shared a home with.

He felt remorse and sadness, and realized the idea that the village didn't trust them hurt. Why couldn't people see that the Uchiha only did what was necessary to protect the village?

"There is no need to use my Sharingan against you sir, you are coming back to the station for questioning. Along with mister Tazuka."

He decided to push it from his mind, at least for now. He had a bad feeling, but then again he was usually not one for bad omens.

The Nine-Tails slams its paw into the bars again, nails long enough to almost touch me. I raise and tighten a fist and an electrical current shoots through the bars, forcing him to take a step back.

"Let me just make this clear, I will not be a puppet to be manipulated or a weakling to be pushed around into submission."

He flinches as a bolt of the electricity coursing up through his fur from touching the bars.

"Yeah... keep telling yourself that flesh being. You're just a pawn to be used for a greater end or sacrifice, like those on a Shogi board. To control a person, or people is simple. Just make them think they are doing what they want to do."

I stare up at him with a harsh expression, "I am not a pawn in some game."

He slowly began to backpedal towards the back of his cell, disappearing from my view in a shroud of darkness. His voice remained.

"Keep telling yourself that Uzumaki, we are all pawns in the grand scheme of things."

My consciousness began to fade from the seal, my body shimmers and disappears.

Part 4: Team 7 Begins and Old Allegiances Crumble! New Comrades Await!

I wake up with start back in my own bed, the peace lasts for a moment before I am forced to jump out bed. I run to the nearest trash can and retch miserably, luckily most of my food was already digested.

"Damn... fox..."

I slam my palm into the wall and force myself back to my feet. I turn slightly to look at the clock near my bedside, my eyes widening in extreme alarm.

"Shit I'm late for Genin Orientation."

I dust my mangled jumpsuit off and stuff the notes on Tobirama's jutsu into my pocket. Things were promising to be an interesting day to say the least.

I take off from the top of my apartment building with all the speed I could muster at this point. My eyes snap to the sound of distress and the sight of fleeing civilians.

I stop on the next building, moving to the very edge and lying on my belly to get a closer look down below. I recognize their uniforms, the Uchiha Police Force.

A cell, a three man squad of Uchiha down on their knees. Surrounded by a larger squad of ANBU. One of the ANBU raises his sword high and my eyes widen in shock.

Before I realized I even made a decision, the leader took several steps back as a single kunai hit the area he was just standing in. The ANBU tilt their heads to look up at me, the Uchiha just recently resigned to their fate look just as startled.

I jump down from the top of the building, standing directly in-between the ANBU and the Police Force. The leader takes a threatening step toward me, twirling his sword in one hand.

I raise my hands together into a familiar cross symbol, a serious expression on my face despite my fear. His advance halts as another ANBU grabs the shoulder of the leader.

"This mission is over, we have failed the objective. Return to report our findings immediately."

The ANBU disappear in a Teleportation Jutsu, leaving behind a quiet and empty clearing. I turn back around to the Uchiha, watching as they slowly rose to their feet.

"I... I don't understand... why would you?" The man asks, his extreme confusion evident. "Why put yourself at risk for people like us?"

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and things like clan politics and all the other stuff mean nothing to me. We are all comrades of the Hidden Leaf Village aren't we?"

The other two Uchiha look at each other, as if the thought that we were already connected on a personal level shocked them. I extend my hand to the Uchiha in the front.

He stares at me hand for several moments before taking it in his own. The suspicion slowly fades away to be replaced by a genuine smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Naruto, my name is Inabi. I won't ever forget the kindness you showed us here today."

The other two Uchiha nod in agreement, Inabi then signals for the other two to follow him. I watch them retreat towards the Uchiha estate with a fair amount of trepidation.

"Glad I could help." I smiled and turn to go my own way.

I knew I was late already, but hopefully Iruka wouldn't be too upset with me. Especially with the excuse I had this morning.

I landed in front of building smoothly and quickly ran inside, I wondered briefly if my Jonin sensei was the type to early.

I was also surprised to see Iruka standing outside the class, a furious look on his face.

"Naruto! Why the hell are so late? Do you have any idea how important it is to be on time to meet your Jonin sensei?"

I blink several times as he ushers me towards classroom, "I have a serious excuse this time. I could be considered a hero at this point, believe it!"

He nods his head patiently as my brain moves to catch up, "Whatever you say Naruto, now get into class and have a seat."

I quickly scurry towards my seat in the back of the class, desperately hoping no one noticed my ruined jumpsuit. One conversation in particular attracted my attention, between Izuna and Sasuke.

"Sasuke... are we gonna talk about what happened last night?" Izuna asked carefully.

Sasuke grunts and his eyes harden, "Whatever happened was Uchiha business, meaning no one else in this room needs to know anything happened."

The conversation ends abruptly as Iruka steps back into the classroom. He sets a stack of white folders down on his desk before turning to us.

"Alright class, settle down immediately! I will be reading off who will be placed on what team, your Jonin instructors will be here shortly. I would like to take this moment to congratulate all of you, but exonerate you from what comes next. You have but one final test with your Jonin sensei to decide if you truly are to become Genin."

Iruka clears his throat while picking up the first folder. "I will now start listing off the current team setups. These will be your comrades for the foreseeable future, and even above and beyond your Genin years. Each team has a specialty they will work towards."

There was almost an audible gulp all across the room as people silently begged for mercy from whatever deity really existed.

"Alright to begin, Squad 5: Izuna Uchiha, Shiho, and Hibachi. Interrogation and Information dissection." He pauses at the sickened expression of some of his students. He would savor these moments for the rest of his life.

"Next up, Squad 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. In easy to understand terms this squad functions as a balancing team, or a frontline unit. It just so happens that this year it will serve as a frontline role."

I literally allow my face to hit the front of my desk, groaning in utter agony. I knew something like this would happen to me with my awesome luck.

"Moving right along, Squad 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Reconnaissance and information gathering. If you didn't know that already you should."

Judging by the edgy looks they just gave each other, the Inuzuka and Hyuga don't quite get along too well. What is it with people placing two volatile elements together and hoping it wouldn't explode?

"Sadly Squad 9 is in circulation with another instructor, so Squad 10: Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. The famous Ino-Shika-Cho, how exciting."

"Alright, I will leave you in the capable hands of your Jonin instructors, have fun guessing who your sensei shall be! Good luck my students."

I frowned at the way he said the last of his words, right before he quickly left the classroom. Something was off, and I didn't like the smell of it.

I don't get long to contemplate before a man with a wooden looking senbon in his mouth saunters in with a bored look.

"Yo. My new fellow shinobi, where is the new interrogation squad?"

The three Genin look at each other nervously for a moment before raising their hands.

He adopts a sadistic smirk for a moment, "I will be your sensei Genma Shiranui. You will also be co-taught by Anko Mitarashi, I'm sure you have heard of her."

I had never heard of the woman, but a chill went down my spine at the mere mention of her very name.

I silently ate a ripe pear watching the next Jonin enter the room, tall with a red mesh armored blouse. Dark hair, red ringed eyes. Had to be Yuhi.

She pauses for a moment looking at her three Genin with a sense of pride, "I think we are going to get along just fine. I am Kurenai Yuhi, Genjutsu mistress of Konohagakure. Follow me if you would be so kind Team 8."

Entering at around the same time she left was another Jonin, with darker skin, a beard, and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He lazily gives her a pat on the back before standing before Squad 10.

"I am Asuma Sarutobi, and I will be your sensei. Ino-Shika-Cho traditions and all, I am sure you understand it better than I do."

He breathes out a plume of smoke onto his students, causing them to cough hard and scowl at him.

He chuckles and I mentally guess that it was on purpose, he had a sense of humor. I lean back in my seat, there was always an odd ball in everything in this world.

Our sensei was an oddity in that he preferred to be late, I could already feel it.

Precisely two hours late our Jonin sensei entered the room with an already bored and irritated yawn, running a hand through his gravity defying silver hair.

He give us a disinterested look, but with only one eye visible, it was really hard to tell from where I sat.

"My initial thoughts of this group: Boring, and lacking originality. All the easier to fail you later I suppose. Meet me on the roof of the Academy if you will my cute Genin."

He sighs and disappears in a swirl of leaves erasing his presence. I groan and stand to follow, Sakura already trailing behind Sasuke, a hopeful expression on her face.

Our sensei was already lounging on the railing on the roof as we finally sat in front of him, looking bored as ever.

"Alright... introductions. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I like... well... I don't feel like telling you that. My hobbies... well I have lots of hobbies. Dreams for the future... never thought about it."

Well it's nice to know our sensei is just bursting with personality, all I got was his name.

He points at me lazily, "Alright blondie, you first." I unconsciously stroke my spiky blond hair frowning. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I like ramen, and training. My hobbies are unimportant, and my dream for the future? I wish to live long enough to find people who accept me for who I am."

His one visible eye narrows, it seems the reports were correct. He no longer aspires to be Hokage, and I can't tell if that is a good thing or not. Only time will tell I suppose.

He slowly rotates his head towards Sakura, "Alright Pinky, you next if you don't mind."

Sakura remains unfazed, raising her voice.

"I am Sakura Haruno and I like trivia games, my studies, and dumplings! I dislike spicy food, cherry blossoms, and verbal tics..."

A bead of sweat slowly makes its way down my forehead, doesn't she have a verbal tic of her own? Kakashi silently nods and looks at the final member of our group, lounging on his back without a care in the world.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha, heir to the Uchiha Clan. I love my clan, and I love my home, even if there are idiots in it. I dislike people who don't respect the Police Force, and I have a personal bias against the Hyuga... sue me if you like."

Kakashi sighs quietly and stands almost as if he did this a lot, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright now that introductions are over, report to training ground seven for the final test to determine if you shall truly become Genin. I will give you a word of warning... tomorrow will be harder than anything you have ever done in your lives. If you decide to eat breakfast, prepare to lose it after I am done with you."

He disappears in a swirl of leaves, definitely a Teleportation Jutsu. I ignore my teammates in favor of running back towards the bottom floor of the Academy.

I barely made it past the door to the Academy before a hand feel upon my shoulder stopping me in my tracks.

"Naruto, hold up a bit would you." I turn to see a grinning Iruka.

"You were lucky little brother, so much stuff happened today that no one bothered to mention your ruined jumpsuit. No matter how you look at it, it's ruined beyond saving. We are getting you a change of clothes this instant, no arguing."

He pauses for a moment thinking, "Better yet, I am going to get you a new custom tracksuit, with less orange of course, and the Uzumaki Crest."

I nod enthusiastically for a moment but a frown forms in its place moments later, "Uzumaki Crest?"

He pauses for a moment, acknowledging his slip up with a nervous nod but happy to give me information. "Yes Naruto, your family crest is the whirlpool symbol all flak jackets and your tracksuit has then emblazoned upon them."

I scratch my head for a moment, "So I do have a Clan then? Where are they? Why wasn't I told about them?"

He grimaces for a moment, wondering if I should know my family was all but dead. "They use to live in The Land of Whirlpools. The Village Hidden by Whirling Tides. They were wiped out in the last war. We had close ties with them and they were distantly related to the Senju, but whatever happened was too quick for them to be saved by us. We mourned them, but many have already forgotten the loss of our greatest allies."

Listen Naruto, I am going to go get you that tracksuit, stay out of trouble little brother."

I nod and give him the thumbs up, "Trouble? Not on your life sensei. I just have some more research to do, believe it!"

He almost frowns at this, but manages to smile instead.

After Iruka was out of sight, I created a group of Shadow Clones and sent them to the archives building. There were somethings I wanted to understand better.

Then a single Shadow Clone to camp out near the Hokage Mansion, instructed to wait for the information I needed before entering. The original went home, the next jutsu was waiting for me.

I took the folded up notes from my pocket, can't hurt right? I have a fifteen minute walk, I suppose I could start reading. I unfolded the notes and held them closer to my face, beginning on the first page.

Day 1:

My Older brother is no longer showing signs of a healthy recovery, the battle with Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End has left him in a weakened state. This was not the initial case, briefly after the battle he began to recover as he always did with the village in high spirits. This reality was suddenly very short-lived as his condition continues to deteriorate. The best doctors we have already told me, that he will not remain in this world much longer. I will find my own time to grieve at this loss, but I won't allow this his death to cloud of my judgement. Trouble is growing upon the horizon line as I write this. The Uchiha grow restless, the Hyuga grow bolder, and the first seeds of corruption have been sown into the civilian council. I have already estimated that by the time I truly ascend to power... it will be far too late to stop things from spiraling out of control. So instead I will begin today, to create a jutsu that will ensure the safety of my home. It was what Hashirama would have wanted after all.

Day 60:

I have yet to make an actual progress on the original jutsu but I decided to take a different approach today. I took a step back and took a look at a jutsu I already created before now. If you were to simply disassemble my Flying Thunder God Jutsu, it is simply a mixture of Ninjutsu and the Sealing Arts. I believe how these two come together might be the first step in the right direction to controlling individuals against their will. I have also come to another conclusion, the answer to the problem at hand might just be the problem itself. I came across a possible future subordinate and the right frame of mind clicked together all at once. The Uchiha use the Sharingan for multiple purposes, one of which is for hypnosis. I believe I am onto something.

Day 120:

I was correct in my previous assumptions that the Sharingan started the problem and had the power to end the problem. The hypnotic eye of the Uchiha works by disrupting the chakra running through the minds of your enemies. The eyes themselves are the medium. Kagami Uchiha was kind enough to explain the intricate process to me in detail. Facing Uchiha in battle in one thing, you learn how to counter their Dojutsu and not necessarily understand it. I trust Kagami, he brings out a side of myself I had let the darkness take. He reminds me of why I wish to keep the peace in Konoha with the Uchiha. Even without the dreaded and all too traumatic Mangekyo Sharingan... this boy surpasses his entire clan in Genjutsu. The effects are subtle and powerful, and I theorize his children will only grow in power down the line.

Day 405:

I knew the day would come for me to take the seat of Hokage, I knew the day Hashirama would die would correlate between the two. I never wanted this, and I would give it all back if only were he to return to me. I ran into a debilitating road block for a long time. To mimic the unique properties of the Sharingan require a medium in which to cast them. I was so stuck on the idea of visual stimuli to cast Genjutsu that I forgot there are multiple ways. I went with another personal idea, and made the medium into a metronome. I did preliminary testing on consenting friends and the results were underwhelming. The simple noise was much too obvious, the brain unconsciously fought against it. I need another sound to cover up the real hypnosis.

Day 435:

The idea was always staring back at me while I looked the other way. The chime of a clock would be perfect to mask the metronome. I conducted another experiment on a group of consenting civilians. Focusing chakra with hand seals, I could have the metronome miles away from the victim. Transmitting the noise across long distances to probe the mind unnoticed. All subjects tested were ensnared in a dream-like state and their minds could then be manipulated from my end. The next and final step is to test the jutsu on Shinobi, but I foresee the outcome already. I have succeeded in my endeavors after so long. I can now only think of one more thing I need to do, and that would be to place clocks within the Uchiha and Hyuga districts without them knowing. Once the clocks are set, there will never be talk about rebellion or increases in political power ever again so long as I live and breathe.

The longer I read from the aged notes, the more confused I became as it became clear Lord Second openly created a jutsu to control his people against their will.

The question I had was simple of course. Was it necessary? I personally didn't think so, but maybe that was why I wasn't cut out to be Hokage.

I lower the notes back to my side as I stand in front of my apartment door, I pull the keys from my pocket. I kick open the door as gently as possible and toss the keys onto my bed and the notes on the table.

I raise my fingers together, creating a Shadow Clone and immediately dispelling it. The newest information in my mind passing onto all my active clones. Including the one waiting outside the Hokage's mansion for the signal.

The secretary gets one look at me and her mouth morphs into a grin. I forgot to make an appointment with the Hokage, damn you Lilian.

"Hello Naruto-san, do you have an appointment with the Hokage?"

I sigh out loud, desperately trying to get around the inevitable as she would so aptly put it.

"Fair Lilian, I simply forgot to schedule a meeting with Lord Hokage this evening. While I do need to see him immediately I could always leave a Shadow Clone to regale you about your well-known beauty."

She chuckles, the devious light in her eyes growing brighter.

"Keep going. Flattery will get you everywhere."

I let out a calming sigh as I pushed open the door into the Hokage's office, Hiruzen looks up in at me with fair amount of shock.

"Ah, evening Naruto my boy. How can I be of assistance?"

I slowly walk over and plop down on the couch, getting as comfortable as possible. "I want you to tell me about Tobirama Senju and Orochimaru of the Sannin."

Hiruzen pauses for a moment, thinking back to what seemed like a very long time ago in his youth. He leans back in his chair to get comfortable as well.

"You wish to learn of two men who were the antithesis of the other to an insane degree. To get a fair understanding, we must go back in time to the era of warring states, and the time of war when Orochimaru was born."

As the original I felt no need to stay awake any longer, I could sift through my new memories when I woke up in the morning.

I was assaulted with the smell and sounds of my mental sewer system, unpleasant as it was it did belong to me. I pry my eyes open to the sight of the scowling Nine-Tails towering above me.

"Let me out." He snarls in a low tone for someone his size.

I shake my head once, "Not a chance."

"You humans make me sick." He grunts and moves backwards into the oppressing darkness.

I look down for a moment before sitting myself, trying to ignore the cold water.

"I'm sorry."

"If you're so sorry remove that chakra suppression seal." His voice echoes from the darkness.

"How about no. I can't even feel sorry for the both of us because you just won't let me." I huff flustered with him.

"Alright then Uzumaki, I will bide my time and patiently wait. When you are at your very lowest I will assume full control of your body... and I will murder all those precious to you."

It was at this point where the banter became vulgar and I violent that I stood and decided to leave. Turning my back as I move to exit the tunnels.

"Ignore me while you still can Uzumaki, because your weakness is my very essence. You need me! You are nothing without me!"

I stop walking, turning around to meet his smoldering red eyes filled with so much hate, so much pain. I needed him to understand though.

"That is where you are wrong Nine-Tails, I would be everything without you."

"I can wait Uzumaki, my chance will come in due time. It's funny though, Kushina said the same thing when I was sealed into her... and she is dead."

I don't stop walking this time, the seal fades around me.

Part 5: Pass or Fail! Team 7 Meets Their Match!

I groan into my pillow with annoyance, everything hurt and I was tired as if I hadn't just slept. I turn over and sit up in bed, rubbing my eyes.

The first thing I notice is the new outfit carefully laid out on my table, and I couldn't stop the mega-watt grin from splitting my face in half.

It was a tracksuit created by a divine god, obviously friends with the god who created ramen and himself.

Black pants, orange shirt with gloves attached to it. The Uzumaki crest proudly emblazoned on the palms, the chest, and the back. Not to mention orange Shinobi sandals.

"Iruka you sly dog... I need to set him up with someone for this kindness."

I stop talking at the sound of almost urgent knocking on my door, I raise an eyebrow and slowly wander over to the door.

I unlock the door and push it open to look out, I push the door open all the way to find the walkway empty.

I was just about to close the door back when I notice stark white box with a preserving seal on the top with a note attached.

I hum silently to myself reading the note and closing the door behind me. Today was going to be... interesting.

A special thank you from the Uchiha Clan to one Naruto Uzumaki for his fearless intervention between ANBU assailants and the Police Force. Your actions have been noted, consider yourself trusted and taken care of from now on.

I chuckle and sit the box down on the table, I quickly pull my new jumpsuit on before digging in. "Fruits and vegetables that are fried, such a wonderful idea."

I think for a moment as I chew, a wicked idea invading my mind.

"Ramen plus fried fruits and vegetables! Deliciousness plus healthiness!"

When I arrived at training ground seven after being an hour and half late to the irritated scowls from his teammates. They couldn't figure out who to hate more, their sensei or their teammate.

"That's just great, I was beginning to wonder if that old tattered jumpsuit was all you owned."

I grin back at him, "I now have two jumpsuits, but at least mine look different. Having a lot of the same thing doesn't make you cool. Orange will be famous when I move up in the world."

He grunts at me and turns away, he sometimes acted strangely. His Sharingan would just silently observe and analyze my chakra.

Kakashi appeared with a puff of smoke in the center of the training ground, as nonchalant as ever. He raises his right hand, still reading his orange book.

"Yo, Team seven."

He reaches into his pockets and pulls out two bells, and a clock, "Alright, here is the deal. You three need to get the bells I have here before noon, or you might be heading back to the Academy."

He pauses as he feels a shift in the wind, sniffing quietly.

"I know this chakra signature..." He murmurs

Not a moment later a man appeared in probably the most unique looking Teleportation Jutsu I had ever witnessed up close. One moment he wasn't here, and the next he is.

He ruffles his short black hair for a moment and then turns to us, adjusting his brown tanto harness over his black high collar shirt.

"Greetings Kakashi, I wasn't planning to interrupt, but I just couldn't help myself. I beg you, please allow me to test your fresh Genin myself."

Kakashi eye smiles before pocketing the bells, "I see no problem with that. They should be honored, all we need to do is change the rules just a bit."

Kakashi thrusts his thumbs towards the newest arrival, "The test has changed slightly. To win, all you must do is touch Shisui here, just a single touch before noon."

Sasuke immediately drops into a crouch and tosses two shuriken towards Shisui. In a low flash of light and clang of metal both shuriken lay in the grass, his tanto held in a reverse grip.

He remains undeterred and rushes forward with a single kunai, Shisui raises an eyebrow and moves to meet his charge.

I watch the exchange curiously, but considering they were both Uchiha, Sasuke probably had a better handle on his battle skills than we did.

He tosses the kunai at chest level and continues forward after it. Just before it actually hit Shisui he disappeared in a Teleportation Jutsu and reappeared above Sasuke.

His eyes slowly drag upward as Shisui touches his palm to his right shoulder and then jackhammers down onto the middle of his back. I blink in utter surprise as Shisui casually sits on Sasuke, his arms immobilized.

"I thought I told you to never try that on my Sasuke, weaknesses on your opponent only work when they are unaware of it." Shisui hummed softly.

Sasuke grunts angrily from underneath Shisui, his voice laced with killing intent.

"Are you lousy teammates gonna just watch him sit on me? Help me!"

Sakura tosses a kunai towards him, hoping to make him move at least a little. He caught it easily without taking his eyes off me, it appears we had the same idea.

I raise four fingers into a cross sign in front of me casually, several corporeal clones springing to life around me.

Shisui strokes his chin, still watching me with interest.

"Shadow Clones..."

He stands just as quickly as he pinned Sasuke, reaching down and grabbing him around the neck to heft him up. He tosses the boy like a rag doll, and me being a nice guy caught him.

As I turned back around Shisui was already gone, and Sakura stood their stunned. Her thoughts were probably similar to mine in that we had no chance against this guy.

"We have to work together..."

I look down at the panting Sasuke in surprise, but a grimace covers the surprise as he spits out a bit of blood.

"I trained with my brother... more than Shisui... but nothing has changed. His biggest assets are speed and Genjutsu... but if we are lucky he is only using his speed. The only chance... is to work... together."

I nod and a couple of my Shadow Clones help him to his feet, his Sharingan already active.

"Got him." Sasuke growls breaking the contact to send a single kunai into a shaded area near the edge of the clearing.

The kunai hits Shisui square in the chest, the gasp of surprise causing them both to wince right before his body dissolves in a murder of crows.

Sasuke allows his face to twist in horror as hands land on both their shoulders.

"You guys are horrible comrades." Sasuke winces prematurely as he rams our heads together and allows us to slump forward into the grass.

He turns to Sakura still frozen to the spot and raises his right hand slowly. She falls over as well.

"That was horrible, that was my lowest level Genjutsu."

Kakashi slowly wanders over to his downed team, book still in hand.

"Shisui, you should reign in your killing intent. While it's not enemy kind of intent, you're like a cat playing with a mouse. Sakura was like a Nara deer caught in a lighting jutsu."

A group of four ANBU quietly watch from a fair distance away, they had recently agreed it was more slaughter than a battle.

"Still as fast as ever I see, Shisui. There all down as of right now, but I noticed these are the perfect opponents for someone like him."

Another of the ANBU huffs and folds his arms over in defiance, "I don't see how. Shisui is as his moniker suggests... a teleporter."

Cat shakes her head incessantly, "Shadow Clones, plus Sharingan, and... I'm not quite sure about the girl but not everything is perfect."

Lemur waves her off with his hand and Bobcat quiets them both before an argument can even begin.

"Shush, both of you. I wish to see round two in earnest."

The four masks snap back to attention as the three Genin stir from their impromptu slumber.

I shake my head and the memories immediately come rushing back to me like a waterfall of knowledge from a Shadow Clone.

I slowly rise back onto my feet, much to the slight surprise of Shisui. He grins though, not upset in the least.

"So you can still move at all after that? Either you're delusional, or you're stronger than I pegged you for."

I slowly crouch down and start shaking Sasuke calmly, but there was definitely urgency.

"Sasuke, you have to wake up. I need that Sharingan of yours."

Shisui takes a step forward and my hands snap together, "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clones this time form a ring around the still recovering Sasuke.

Shisui hunkers down and sprints forward to break us apart yet again, his hand going for his tanto. A single kunai with an explosive tag lands directly in front of him.

His eyes widen just a fraction in surprise, teleporting backwards to escape the explosive radius. He looks up towards the source, surprised to see Sasuke standing on a low branch of the tree Sharingan active.

He looks back towards the unconscious Sasuke, which goes up in a cloud of smoke.

"Shadow Clones... so troublesome." He mumbles quietly.

Three kunai lands just behind him, and my Shadow Clones move along his right flank, blocking him in. Sasuke was almost done with his hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" He breathes fire into the only area of escape instead of directly at Shisui.

He nods to himself as the plan begins to make sense to him, Sakura is next wrenching her arms apart to reveals several strands of ninja wire.

"I like where this is going... keep it coming..."

My Shadow Clones begin to rush towards Shisui, leaving his only exit through them or Sasuke.

"Alright put the brakes on, I have seen enough."

Kakashi slowly walks back into the center of clearing, clearly still reading his book.

"I know you three aren't the biggest fans of each other, but what you did just now... it was beautiful. You came together to do battle against a vastly superior opponent... even though you knew he could wipe the floor with you at any moment."

Shisui slowly walks over to Kakashi and pats him on the back, "I knew they had it in them. Anyone can work with anyone, it just depends on how much you want it."

Kakashi eye smiles and turns back to us, still standing with stunned expressions on our faces.

"Team 7 officially passes their Genin exams, congratulations. Report back here bright and early tomorrow for our first training session."

He flashes us a thumbs up, but then looks into the sky with a melancholy like smile.

"I'm going to quote an old friend of mine right now. In this harsh ninja world we all live in those who break the rules are scum... but those who would abandon friends are worse than scum. Obito... he taught this valuable lesson I won't ever forget."

Shisui hums to himself softly as we slowly begin to make our way away from the training field.

"Well aren't you full of surprises Naruto. I get the feeling there is so much yet to come."

I scratch my head thoughtfully as I walk towards my apartment, sifting through the newest additions to my memory.

Orochimaru of the Sannin had an illegal experimentation laboratory in Konoha. He did extensive experiments on the populace is attempts to engineer perfect immortality.

His actions were brought into the light by Lord Third and the other Sannin, but he escaped with the help of a Kekkei Genkai clan living on the border of the Land of Fire.

I'm willing to bet that something in that lab can help with this next jutsu I need to learn. I sigh as my stomach begins to rumble again.

"Ichiraku it is I suppose eh."

I turn around to start heading in the direction on the ramen stand when someone lands behind me.

I turn to face another member of the Uchiha Police Force, albeit much lower rank than the ones I had met previously.

Her appearance didn't scream Uchiha at me either, she seemed off. Whether it was the elongated incisors, or the lack of strong chin. It might have been the odd hair.

Chin length hair the color of crème, I did a mental comparison to Sasuke and Shisui. She just didn't carry herself like an Uchiha, I filed this information away for another time.

"Lets see... blonde haired shrimp... check. Whisker marks... check. Blue eyes... definitely. Not ugly... yep. Your name Naruto Uzumaki?"

A bead of sweat travels down the back of my head at her checklist.

"Is that really how I was described in detail?"

She ignores my question, "You went up against Master Shisui, and you're not dead. Congratulations."

I scratch my head thoughtfully, "I don't honestly think he was trying to kill us. We would be dead if he had."

She simply shrugs and tosses a white box in my direction, "Naomi Uchiha. Special delivery for Uzumaki."

She wiggles her fingers at me playfully, "Welcome to the family little shrimp. Unlike other people we nourish our young so they grow up to be strong."

She salutes me before disappearing in a Teleportation Jutsu.

After my unexpected dinner I opted to attempt meditation to enter my mindscape without the need for sleep. I could almost feel my chakra being suppressed, slowly dissipating.

A breeze of frosty hair forced my eyes open, my mouth hung open in surprise. Sitting across from me in the lotus position on top of a mountain set an identical copy of myself.

I pulled my hands apart, and his eyes snap open to reveal a black sclera with red pupils. He smiles at me, an almost sick demented smile.

"I never thought we would meet so early. We are still so young."

"We? I don't suppose your the Nine-Tails."

I ask curiously, I couldn't feel my chakra or his. It couldn't be too much of a big deal.

"Yes, I'm you and you are me. It's very simple." He answers with an almost bored expression.

I open my mouth to refute his words, but it closes just as quickly. He raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"I can believe you're me, considering there are thing I would like to forget."

He chuckles to himself quietly, "I remember everything you wish to keep in the past. We are light and dark, you have a hard time not forgiving. While I have hard time forgetting."

I nod sadly at his statement, this only proved it true. A part of me was still hurting, and just couldn't let go.

"We are like Yin and Yang, we cannot and will not exist without one another. Even the Nine-Tails is constantly harassing me, he is a wily fox."

I sigh out loud to express my agitation. "Please avoid him, he is just trying to make me depressed."

Dark Naruto shakes his head, "Don't confuse me with a friend of yours. In time you will seek to destroy my existence. I will be waiting for you then."

He dusts off his own identical pants and stands, facing away from me. It seemed like every aspect of my life was always ready to turn its back at a moment's notice.

"It's time for you to get out, we have nothing further to discuss."

The mountain precipice we were occupying disappeared from sight, and once again I was back in my apartment. A scowl on my face.

Orochimaru holds the keys, while I am in possession of the infamous safe. The first step in true perfection lies with his hidden laboratory. I must find it.

I lift up the window and balance myself on the pane and turn myself ever so slightly. I close the window behind me and leap into the rapidly darkening night.

As I plotted a course towards the East gate of the village I began to wonder if people saw me as a weapon of mass destruction. A thing made to harness the power of the Tailed Beast residing inside of them. I wondered if they saw me as a person at all. I tried to get it out of my mind.

I arrived at the Eastern most portion of Konoha, staring at the remnants of a once grand mansion. Now left to rot forever under close scrutiny.

It was the perfect place to hide on top of an entrance, and if my hunch was correct it was an entrance into a labyrinth below the village.

I push open the door with zero effort and continue into the decrepit building, already searching for the stairway to the basement.

I descend down the stairs as quickly and safely as possible, each step causing the wood to groan and bend under me.

I kick an empty white tub sitting at the bottom of the stairs and continue deeper trying to ignore the strong scent of mold and grime.

I brush away a particularly large cobweb and stare at my newest obstacle, a brick wall. I place my hand against the hard surface, stroking it slowly.

I raise my other hand to the wall and push in with all my weight. The wall falls inward before disappearing in a sort of ghostly image.

"Genjutsu." I mutter to myself.

I take one look into the oppressing darkness of the over sized hole and steel my resolve. I take the first steps into the maze. The shadows swallow me whole.

Every step I took in the dark cavernous hallway sent echoes throughout the entire complex. If the sound was anything to go by, this place was absolutely massive.

The second thing that catches my attention would be the light cascading down from what looked to be an exit. I increase my pace, I was curious to say the least.

As the reach the spot flooded with light of the rising moon I understand then. The ladder lead to the surface which wasn't properly sealed up. How strange.

I grip the rungs of the ladder and start climbing towards the rapidly brightening moonlight. I push the rusted metal plate out of way at the top, allowing my head freedom.

"Luscious forestry with a foreboding dark undertone, complete with fence surrounding the enclosure. This is... the Forest of Death."

A large spider slowly making its way up a tree turns at the sound of my voice, all sense of boredom leaving its eyes.

My eyes widen in horror as it drops from the tree to land on the ground. It jumps once, closing half the distance as I force the metal plate back into place.

Seconds later a thud is heard against the metal followed by the sound of fangs scraping into the metal.

"This actually makes sense for a place to be used in conjunction with a lab, the fauna here are beyond crazy."

I slide down off the ladder and continue walking down the corridor, playing with a kunai nervously.

I take a corridor branching off from the main once, leading to a steep decline into a much shorter hallway. This of course wasn't surprising.

What did shock me were the many corpses littering the hallway, propped up against the walls. Whether before or after death I would never know.

They were old corpses but far from ancient, the skin was intact and they had a faintly unpleasant smell. There wasn't any real ventilation down here.

My frown grows wider as I notice I couldn't differentiate between male and female. They were stripped down to absolutely nothing with no real markings of any kind.

I keep moving down the incline, the corpses finally dissipating until I came face to face with a tall metal door.

"This isn't the lab." I mutter as I silent observe the door.

"No shit." A voice answered back snidely.

Something in my gut told me this place was by far worse than the lab I was looking for. I reach out with all my strength behind my arms.

"Keep going. I'm curious."

I push open the door to find myself in an expansive room stripped bare down to the steel floors. Not an inch of wall space was clear, filled entirely with incessant scribbles.

I took further steps into the cold room and slowly walked the edges, reading the walls. I fought back tears, but even I was bordering on depression.

A man who hadn't identified himself had spent the last days of life trapped in the room. Testing a potent Genjutsu that entered you through your nose or mouth.

It caused vivid hallucinations that took effect while you were awake, and didn't let you sleep. He eventually had a nervous breakdown and succumbed to his insanity.

"A Genjutsu delivered without hand signs isn't really a Genjutsu is it?"

I turn around, the sound of maniacal and clearly insane laughter following in my wake. At least the man found his peace in the end.

"Is this the price of learning new things? Rest in peace." I closed the door behind me with an audible thud.

I ran back up the corridor and into the main hallway, but every lab station was the very same. Every room stripped bare and filled with ash and dust.

All the evidence, data, and intelligence was had been wiped from the face of the earth. They omitted the truth when they said they failed to capture Orochimaru.

They were too busy destroying all the work, it was almost insulting to those who had died for that knowledge to exist and be recorded to meticulously.

I sigh and continue down what felt like an endless system of corridors when I strike gold. On the farthest end of the hallway was a dead-end incased in what looked to be a mound of concrete.

I examine the slab of concrete for several moments, including the white paper near the center with the word seal inscribed into it. It looked similar to the one holding the Nine-Tails.

"Your fucked kid." Nine-Tails rumbles from within his mind.

"Thank you mister Nine-Tails for the vote of confidence." I mutter as I inspect the relatively simple seal.

I frown and snatch the white piece of paper off the wall, surprised that it would give so easily. As the seal fades from the paper another sealing formula appears on the wall.

The kanji begin to glow a faint blue for several moments before it fades again, the matrix along with it. The rock underneath the seal just simply turns to dust, revealing the entrance to the decommissioned lab.

"I think things are about to get exciting." The fox generally sounds excited. That made me nervous if nothing else did.

I ignore the fox and take slow steps into the lab, my eyes slowly taking in the entire room. It appeared the main lab was not excluded from the massacre.

The only thing still standing in the room not connected to the floor was a dusty metal workbench shoved into the corner.

I knew I probably should have left right then, something just seemed off with how easy it was to get inside here. Almost like someone was challenging someone else to do it. I don't think I was the intended target

I shoved my hands into my pockets and started to walk towards the workbench, when I reach it I sit down quietly. I needed another plan since this one apparently flopped.

That's when I noticed the distortion in the wall just below the workbench, metal bent slightly out of line with the wall. I pull out one of my kunai and hack into the wall repeatedly until I make the hole large enough to get my hand in.

The first thing my hands close around feels like a tiny jar used to hold pickles or cucumbers. I retract my hand with the jar in tow, holding it up to the dim light of the room to get a better look at it.

"Can we eat it?" I sigh in annoyance, but then I wonder if he is actually serious about eating an unknown substance.

I stiffen as a presence radiating power suddenly appears on my radar, directly behind me. I turn around slowly, intent to show I meant no harm.

My fear escalates as I stare into the stark white mask of Crow, from the white markings around his uniform... Captain Crow.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are trespassing in a heavily restricted area. I am within my rights to take you in for detainment... but it seems you found something even more important than a trespasser."

I look at the jar again and then back up at Crow who was slowly walking towards me now with a sense of purpose.

"That was a cache set up by ROOT operatives attempting to hide the genetic experiments of Orochimaru. ANBU was ordered to gather the remnants of these experiments, but ROOT was playing the opposite side. A fair trade I would say."

He quickly gathers all the items that were hidden within the hole in the wall. Several jars and documents before sealing them all in a white box.

"This is deeply troubling to stumble across. We must not allow ROOT to get their hands on this dead drop. It could mean the end or possibly the beginning of something dastardly." Crow said as if it were as simple as that.

He seals the box inside of another scroll and attaches it to his belt, he turns and starts to walk back towards the entrance without anymore words.

"I am going to destroy this lab now, whether there are other stashes or not no longer matters. I won't risk the situation any further. If you would be so kind."

He waits patiently as I exit the lab after him before raising a simple earth style wall into place. He pulls out a handful of explosive tags and sticks them to the door.

I watch curiously as he raises another wall just a bit away from the first.

"You might wish to stand back from this part. It could be considered rudimentary and crude. It also includes a fair amount of shrapnel."

He forcefully slams his palm against the second wall sending it forward into the first. My eyes widen as the wall sets the tags off all at once, bathing the corridor in white light.

The explosion sends shards and rock and stone into the lab, destroying everything still standing, the foundation gives way under the pressure.

The entire corridor begins to crumble under the new weight, and Crow turns away from his simple handiwork.

"Damn effective. I would kill him last if I got out."

I stroke my stomach uncomfortably. I had read that the One-Tails was suppose to be sadistic and bloodthirsty.

"This is the last time anyone enters this lab, I have made quite certain of this." He sounded certain, and I was inclined to believe him.

He pauses as his collar buzzes, he reaches up with one hand and grabs his collar.

"This is Crow, go ahead." He pauses with the static, waiting for a response.

"I have detected a multitude of chakra signatures within the tunnel systems. They are closing in on your position as we speak." A subtle feminine voice spoke.

"Yeti, where are Sloth and Crane? We need to link back up and reassess the situation." The static flares again on his end, and he frowns.

He pauses for a moment when there isn't a response and then suddenly pulls the wiring from his collar muttering quietly to himself.

"They are jamming our communication frequencies. We must find them and escape before we are captured." He stuffs the transmitter into his pocket.

"Who exactly is after us? After your team really?" I ask curiously from behind him.

He pauses for a moment considering if I really need to know. He was considered a wise child for various reasons.

"This is the doing of man named Danzo Shimura who is in charge of the Foundation. He follows his own path, the path he believes is best for the village." He spoke as if his words were fact, but it didn't sound right to me in the least.

He beckons me forward before turning and sprinting off in the direction he had first come through. I took off right behind me, but I had this horribly nagging feeling.

That Crow and I were just poor flies in spider's web, delusional to believe we could escape with our lives.

x

We were just two souls cursed to suffer together... and die together.

AN: Massive Update 6/27/15