Hello everyone! I'm sorry for this long author's note in the beginning of this story, but it's imperative that I get a couple of points across. You may have heard of the story The Fourth's Legacy. It was first published under the username estrellaskies in 2012. Well, that person was me before my account got hacked and some fun stuff happened afterwards. I wasn't happy, and I walked away from all of my stories because I had no backups. I recently found my notes and decided to restart this story. Now that I have more experience as a writer in general, I'm confident that this story is better than when I first published this in highschool. I wanted to give a shout out to Akira-chaan. I don't know if she ever finished her story called Legacy, but she was a good sport and took my challenge a long time ago. I still need to find her story when I have time and check it out to see how it ended up. Please, read her story when you have a chance. It was brilliant when I checked a few years ago.
As for the story itself, nothing romantically will happen between Naruto and Kakashi until the Shippuden arc. This will be very slow burn to make it believable because of the long character development until that point, hence the Naruto/Neji pairing in the beginning. This story will be angsty as hell, and some characters may die earlier than canon. I hate copying things so I changed most of the events.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Without further ado, I present to you the first chapter of rewritten The Fourth's Legacy. Edited 8/16/2016
"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba yelled to his furry companion.
Akamaru barked and went into formation, turning into a splitting image of Kiba. The pair turned into a spiraling tornado, making their way towards Yoroi. The sound ninja dodged the attack and avoided being drilled to death.
Naruto was impressed as she watched the fights. The participants of the Chunin exams were talented. Despite her friend participating in this round, Naruto found it hard to pay attention to the fight. Even Sakara's wasn't spared from her inattention.
From the concerned eyes of Neji, Iruka, and even Kakashi, her disinterest was evident. Hell, Kakashi surprised her because he didn't care about her before. Why break the tradition? She shook her head to get her mind off the one-eyed ninja and back to her previous thoughts.
She was unnerved from her encounter with the Sannin Orochimaru. His unnatural ability to stretch his long tongue wasn't on her mind. Although, it was creepy to think about. Her fight with him was interesting. Her mind drifted off to the memory as Kiba and Yoroi resorted to hand to hand combat.
Naruto glared at the Snake Sannin, who evaded her blows. She wanted to knock that damn smug smirk from his face. After engaging in combat with him for fifteen minutes, he had yet to lift up his hands and perform a single Jutsu. He was toying with her, testing her limits. The thought fueled her anger because he didn't see her as a threat. With a yell, she put her fingers together to summon fifty shadow clones, hoping at least one would deliver a blow.
His calculating gaze showed he was waiting for something. What the Sannin wanted, she didn't know.
"I expected more from you, Naruto-chan." Naruto's eyes widened at his acknowledgement. "I had hoped you would be able to use my gift that I had graciously given to you."
"What're you talking about? I'm sure I would remember if I had met you before. You're kind of hard to forget," Naruto mocked. She grunted when Orochimaru caught her fist in his hand.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I raised you for three years. You simply can't remember this fact," he said with mock sadness.
Things went to hell after his words. Sasuke jumped into the clearing, trying to save the day with his fancy new Jutsu Kakashi taught him. Sasuke overestimated his abilities and ended up getting a nasty looking bite from Orochimaru.
Naruto let out a heavy sigh, remembering why she was uncomfortable replaying the events of the Forest of Death. Naruto's real gender was kept secret after she was found outside Konoha's gates when she was seven. Sarutobi assaulted her with questions about her whereabouts, since she reappeared after a three year absence from the village. Her sole memory was waking up, and she obtained a new ability of speaking with the Kyuubi no Kitsune or Karuma. The events were a mystery, for Kurama couldn't remember what happened when she asked him.
Her fingers ran through her blond hair. Did Orochimaru played a role in her kidnapping? His words implied that he did. If so, she had him to thank for Sarutobi-jiji placing a seal on her body, concealing her gender. The old Hokage was under the impression that being a boy would keep her safe. His precaution had no effect. The villagers still treated her like a pariah. Her thoughts were interrupted by her name being called.
"Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha," Hayate repeated.
Her inattention to the matches besides Kiba's, Sakura's, and Bushy Brows' made her forget that she still needed to fight. To her luck, Sasuke didn't get paired with anyone else either.
Naruto plastered a big grin on her face, jumping over the railing of the balcony to get into the arena. She had hoped to fight the Uchiha at this tournament. She wanted to be seen as an equal in his eyes.
"Ready to end this, dobe?" Sasuke asked, his lips upturned.
No matter the situation, Sasuke was arrogant and overconfident in his abilities. Was this fight even fair? Sasuke's curse mark hindered his abilities if he didn't want to activate it. Sasuke's haughty demeanor was a facade to hide his brief handicap. Naruto was polite enough not to remind him of this fact.
"You wish. I won't lose to you. When I beat you, you will concede that I'm a competent ninja. Believe it!" Naruto said gesturing to her puffed out chest with her thumb in an exaggerated manner and earning a snort from the Uchiha.
"In your dreams. You will always be a loser in my eyes," he paused, taking in his surroundings and observing the spectators before returning his dark gaze to Naruto."After I beat you, everyone present here today will see how much of a loser you are as well."
It took all of Naruto's self-control to not let her carefree facade drop into a pout. Sasuke was trying to rile her up. She wasn't petty enough to exchange words. Her actions will show Sasuke and all the ninjas present that she was deserving to be a Chunin.
As soon as Hayate said "Hajime," Sasuke was on Naruto. She had to lift up her arm to absorb his punch, starting an impromptu Taijutsu sparring match. The duo were equal in strength. Sasuke became bored after they exchanged blows for minutes before bringing out his kunai, forcing Naruto to bring hers out.
She met each of his blows. The kunai clanged upon impact, echoing across the arena. Despite her bouts of recklessness, she followed Sasuke's every move. His Sharingan was a problem, and she wanted to tire him out first before taking action.
Not that she could do much, the sole Jutsu in her arsenal was the Shadow Clone Jutsu. She didn't know how long they were fighting. Sasuke's shoulders were slumping.
The sight made Naruto smile at her tired opponent. The only thing left to do was ending this fight.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, summoning a hundred shadow clones to engage Sasuke.
Some of the clones' blows managed to hit the Uchiha, but he used a Fireball Jutsu to dispel many of them. Naruto didn't waste any time to replenish her supply of clones to continue her relentless assault with her Uzumaki Barrage.
"U-" A clone yelled as it landed a punch on his face. Naruto jumped on the clone's back and projected herself into the air. She began to spin, giving her body momentum for her part in the technique.
"Zu-" Another clone said after kicking Sasuke in the back.
"Maki-" Another clone uppercutted Sasuke into the air so that Naruto could kick Sasuke back down.
I got this, Naruto thought, descending from the air.
"Barrage!" She yelled, bringing her foot down to land the final blow on Sasuke's head.
Before her foot landed, Sasuke caught her leg and threw her against a wall. Her eyes winced as pain seared on her back. She groaned when she fell on the ground. Her arms protested, shaking as she lifted up her body. She grunted at the sudden strength Sasuke possessed. Her eyes widened at the change in Sasuke's appearance. Black marks covered his body and his right eye was a bright yellow.
"What the-"
"I feel it too, Kit. That seal is giving the Uchiha an unnatural amount of chakra," Kurama interrupted, his tone laced with distaste. He hated Uchihas, and the way he spat out "Uchiha" reminded her of how he viewed her friend.
Naruto frowned as Sasuke grasped his arm, his back hunched. The air started to crackle, and the hairs on her arm stood up from the built up electricity in the air.
"Sasuke, stop!" Kakashi yelled from the balcony.
Naruto matched Sasuke's murderous glare. Kakashi's command was ignored as the Chidori expanded. Naruto had never seen the Chidori in action, since Sasuke was unsuccessful in using it. If Kakashi was riled up, then the Jutsu was dangerous. Sasuke was willing to kill her if it guaranteed his place in the finals. She didn't know if it was the cursed mark making him vindictive or desperation.
"If you interfere, Kakashi, both students will get disqualified." Hayate warned.
Naruto scoffed at Kakashi wanting to interfere. If he cared, he wouldn't have taught Sasuke the damn Jutsu in the first place. Kakashi found out about Gaara entering the exams beforehand. The revelation warranted Sasuke the ability to be trained by Kakashi. The month before the exams started, Kakashi took Sasuke aside and taught him the Jutsu, leaving herself and Sakura with Ebisu.
Naruto shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. She could yell at Kakashi about his unfairness and incompetence after the fight. She had to worry about not dying by the lightning that manifested around Sasuke's arm. She braced herself as Sasuke ran towards her. She dodged each of his strikes that tried making contact with her body.
I can't get close to him. That stupid Chidori is making me be on the defensive, Naruto thought with a pant.
The longer the fight dragged out, the more her body fatigued. A hard surface prevented her from jumping backwards. Her eyes widened, realizing she backed into a wall. She didn't have time to dodge. Sasuke grin grew triumphant as his arm descended towards her. Her eyes closed when he made contact with her chest. The Jutsu burned, and the unbearable pain caused her to scream.
She heard Kakashi uncharacteristically curse. Gai muttered something about Sasuke being unyouthful. Many people were calling to end the match so that she could receive medical attention.
"Hold on, Naruto. I got you!"
Kurama's voice was a godsend in her situation. Throughout the years, they became fast friends. Naruto felt a massive amount of chakra flood her being, and the familiar chakra forming a cloak around her. Her eyes started to burn. When she opened them, she could see Sasuke's aura.
"What's going on?" Naruto was looking at both Kurama and Sasuke. Whatever happened to her eyes allowed her to see in multiple planes.
The crowd began to go crazy.
"I didn't know the Uzumaki clan had a Kekkei Genkai," someone muttered.
"Naruto has a dojutsu?" Another person asked.
Many more questions were asked, but Naruto had a hard time singling them out. The spectators began to speak animatedly with each other at the turn of events. Naruto pleaded with her eyes for Kurama to help her make sense of the situation.
Kurama's eyes widened before narrowing. "Now we know what that snake bastard did to you. No time to explain. All that matters is getting the Uchiha off you. I don't know how much more chakra I can give you, since your seal is keeping me at bay."
"How do you suppose I do that? It's kind of hard to ignore Sasuke's hand in my chest," Naruto said, her eyes wincing from the unbearable pain.
"Just grab his hand and pull his chakra into you."
How can one absorb chakra? She didn't think this topic was covered in the academy, or she may have missed it while she was sleeping on her desk.
"I don't think it's that simple," Naruto said.
"Trust me, brat. I know how your eyes work," Kurama snarked.
Naruto didn't have to look at her companion to know he was rolling his eyes at her. She turned her attention back to Sasuke, and his grin was manic. The bastard believed he was winning. Well, she decided to trust Kurama in this situation. She grabbed Sasuke's Chidori arm with her free hand that wasn't blocked by Sasuke's body.
Here goes nothing, Naruto thought, pulling on Sasuke's chakra.
The Chidori started to flicker before dissipating. Naruto could feel Sasuke's chakra enter her system. Absorbing chakra felt almost intoxicating. Sasuke jumped away to stop Naruto from stealing his chakra. Sasuke's eyes widened after noticing Naruto's change.
"A dojutsu? How on earth did a dobe like you get one?" Sasuke asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto said, feeling Kurama's chakra healing the spot where the Chidori hit.
With a snarl, Sasuke ran towards her with his kunai drawn. He began slicing at her with less finesse than usual. Naruto brought her kunai up to protect her face from Sasuke's frantic swing. They reached a stalemate when both kunais crossed. Her arm shook as Sasuke leaned forward, trying to get the upper hand. Sasuke decided to move first. He jumped into the air, leaving Naruto to stare at him on the ground with narrowed eyes.
"Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled before inhaling more air than was required for breathing.
"Why are you standing there? Do you want to turn into a pile of ash?" Kurama scolded.
"Can't I absorb it like the Chidori?" Naruto asked, watching the massive fireball advancing towards her direction.
"You really are so dense sometimes," Karuma deadpanned, hitting his face with the palm of his hand. "No, you can't just spam the same Jutsu over and over. You need to recharge. Now quit stalling and dodge!"
Naruto didn't need to be told twice. She performed a back flip to avoid the massive fireball. As soon as the fireball made contact with the ground, it shook the entire arena. Dust flew everywhere, and smoke rose to the ceiling from the gigantic crater on the ground.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, using the smoke in the arena to her advantage.
"What's the matter? Having trouble using the other Jutsu?" Sasuke mocked while engaging in combat with her clones.
"He's testing you. He's starting to suspect the limits to your techniques," Kurama informed with a growl.
"He's making quick work of my clones," Naruto admitted with a frown.
If this Jutsu had a limit, then Naruto was toast once Sasuke used another Chidori.
"But he's also running out of chakra. That Chidori doesn't look like it carries that much of a punch like the other one," Kurama observed.
"I would personally not like another Chidori to the chest to test your theory. Thank you very much, " Naruto answered with a huff, causing Kurama to snort at her choice of words.
"Of course not, baka. Hold out your hands and imagine pushing the Uchiha away. The Jutsu is Shinra Tensei. Secure your victory and put the Uchiha in his place," Kurama said.
"Thanks, Kurama," Naruto said with a smile before directing her attention to her opponent.
"I hope you enjoyed your free shot, Teme, because that's the only one you'll get," Naruto taunted, bringing her hands up. " Shinra Tensei!" She yelled, flexing her fingers upward.
Before the Jutsu took effect, small pebbles floated in the air then Sasuke started flying to the other side of the arena. Naruto's mouth dropped open, not knowing what she just did. The crowd shared her sentiment because they gasped at the turn of events. As soon as Sasuke hit the wall of the arena, the wall cracked by the force of impact. Sasuke let out a grunt from the pain before his body slid to the ground.
Seconds turned into minutes as everyone watched the prone Uchiha on the ground. He showed no signs of getting up, and the crowd was silent. They murmured to each other about the fight they just witnessed. Their reaction to the battle caused Naruto to smirk to herself. She loved breaking people's misconceptions about her. She wasn't called the most unpredictable ninja for not trying.
"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!" Hayate called the final preliminary match, breaking the awkward silence.
Naruto's knees fell to the ground as her friends cheered. Her body was exhausted, and her eyes started to close. As her consciousness started to fade, she didn't hear the crowd gasp, nor the room become eerily quiet. She also missed the looks of confusion that the spectators shared before returning to look at her. The only thing Naruto heard before she became unaware was Sakura's unmistakable voice yelling, "Naruto's a girl?!"
Next: Naruto's tale
Excerpts subject to change:
"It's been a while Kabuto nii-san."
"I see you finally remember me, Naruto."
AN
I hoped you all liked it. I'm going to try and get the cover art to this story commissioned. This story will be a more realistic approach than the show. The majority of the plot holes will be answered in the next chapter. You will see a contrast how Naruto acts. Outwardly, she will be in character, but she does internalize things. Only with certain people will she reveal how she truly feels. Even though Naruto has the Rinnegan, she won't be overpowered. If she was overpowered then this story will only be 10 chapters long with no character development. The Rinnegan is an important plot device. I sort of hinted at it in this chapter but let's see if you all can figure it out before it really comes to play. Although I won't bash anyone in this fic, I will have certain people called out on their behavior. Thank you all for reading!
