Summary: Konoha possesses many dark secrets, not the least of which is the heritage of orphan Tokugawa Nimetsu. Placed upon Team Seven in place of Sakura, Tokugawa will discover who he truly is…
Author's Note: Hello and welcome to Heritage. This will be a major undertaking to flesh out my first Naruto OC. I hope you enjoy the work I have put into this. Also, just a note, if Tokugawa comes across somewhat immature at first; it is because I am trying to age him appropriately. Starting out he is just an eight year old. As he grows older, I will be attempting a natural progression towards maturity. The story starts off pretty light-hearted, but will grow darker as time progresses.
Pairing: Uncertain at the moment, but most likely Tokugawa/Hinata though I will accept suggestions. As for side pairings, I am leaning towards Naruto/Ino.
Warnings: Character Death, Spoilers, Gore, Violence, Language, and general dark themes. The rating will stay at Teen for now, though that may be upped to Mature in future chapters.
Chapter One
Shoulder-length black hair framed the young boy's hardy face as he reverently read the scroll in his pale hands. Aristocratic brown eyes glinted intelligently as the six-year-old memorized every word. A gift from the Sandaime Hokage for joining the Shinobi Academy, the scroll contained basic to moderate chakra control training techniques as well as the process to begin infusing one's chakra with an element.
The boy had been ecstatic upon receiving the gift. Unlike children born into clans, the young orphan had no one to teach him more advanced techniques until he became a genin. As such, he had thought he would be limited to Academy Training until receiving this precious gift.
"…Molding chakra involves the extraction of energies from both the body's cells and the mind's consciousness, then mixing them together within the individual. The amount of energy will differ based on the type of technique the ninja wishes to execute. In other words, a ninja could create too much or too little chakra for a given technique, resulting in the chakra being used inefficiently. In addition, if a ninja is able to mold the correct amount of chakra, but cannot manipulate the chakra properly, then the desired technique will not be as effective or even execute at all. Wasting energy will also create weaknesses like early exhaustion, which will hinder the shinobi's ability in long-term battles. A basic technique for learning chakra control is the Leaf Concentration Method. This method is done by placing a leaf over one's forehead and direction all chakra onto the leaf, using it as a focal point. Mastery is achieved when the leaf responds to the element of the user. For example; a wind user will achieve mastery when the Leaf splits in two, while a fire user's leaf will burst into flame. This training technique is best used for Academy Students. Other more advanced techniques include tree walking and water walking. These training methods are only to be attempted after mastery of the Leaf Concentration Method…"
Tokugawa Nimetsu smiled and placed the scroll under his pillow. "Tomorrow, after class, I will start the leaf concentration method," the young orphan smiled as he snuggled deeper into his covers.
The morning came quickly for the child. Ignoring the still sleeping forms of the other children who belonged to the orphanage, Tokugawa rushed to get ready for his first day at the Academy. After showering, the young boy threw on a pair of black cargo pants and a forest green t-shirt that fitted his lithe form. Hurrying down the stairs, Tokugawa was surprised to see the head of the orphanage waiting for him. Mistress Ophelia, a strict woman by any definition of the word, had always had a soft spot for Tokugawa. This was evidenced by the already made lunch she had prepared for the young child. Tokugawa smiled at the elderly woman and said in a sing-song voice,
"Thank you, Mistress Ophelia!"
"You can thank me by becoming a powerful shinobi and using some of your money from missions to help repair this place," the woman harrumphed.
"Hai!" Tokugawa responded with a smile and rushed out the door.
The Academy was but a ten minute walk away from the orphanage, but Tokugawa still found himself in a hurry. Today was the beginning of his shinobi career! It was going to be awesome!
The young boy soon reached the Academy and felt himself somewhat intimidated by the large crowd of children and parents. A brief pang pulsed through his heart as he watched the children interact with their parents. Tokugawa had never discovered the names of his birth parents, though the Sandaime Hokage had mentioned that they had been extraordinarily powerful shinobi. So powerful, that just knowing their names could put Tokugawa in danger. And so, the Sandaime Hokage had forbidden such knowledge to Tokugawa until he reached the rank of Chuunin.
The young boy's thoughts were interrupted as the voice of the Sandaime broke through the chatter of the crowd,
"Greetings! As Hokage of Konohagakure, I welcome all of you today to a very important stage in your life. It is here, that you children will learn to become shinobi of Konoha. I warn you now, this is a hard and dangerous life. There is no shame in deciding to become a civilian. Know this though, upon graduation from the Academy, you are forever bound as a shinobi of Konoha. These next five years will allow you to determine if you are fit to become a shinobi."
Tokugawa shifted nervously at the Sandaime's words. "Will I have the strength to become a shinobi?" the child wondered before turning his attention back to the Hokage's speech.
"Once again I welcome all of you. I support each and every one of you for attempting to become shinobi. You are the generation that will one day possess Konoha's Will of Fire. Study hard, train harder, and never forget your duty. Now, I will let the head of the Academy, Jounin Suzaku, give you your instructions."
Tokugawa smiled as the Hokage disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Hokage-sama was such a drama-queen. The young boy shook his head and turned his attention to the man standing upon the dais.
"Greetings, I reiterate the words spoken by our honorable Hokage. Now, each of you will be assigned a sensei who will be in charge of your class until it is time for you to graduate. I will speak your name and the sensei you are assigned to as well as the room number you will be taking your classes in. Upon hearing you name, the children will make their way towards the appropriate room. The adults will stay so that we may answer any questions you may have. Let us begin…"
Tokugawa's mind wandered as he thought about who his sensei would be. Hopefully it would be someone who could teach well, a good solid chuunin who understand what it meant to be a shinobi. The boy was interrupted from his daydreams as Suzaku suddenly spoke his name,
"Tokugawa Nimetsu! Your sensei is Iruka Umino in room thirty-three."
The lithe boy smiled and entered the Academy. Several minutes passed as he looked for his room number. "Thirty-one, thirty-two, and there it is! Thirty-three!"
Tokugawa smiled as he entered the room and quickly observed his classmates. So far only a few had entered. One was a boy with a pine-apple shaped ponytail asleep in his chair; another was a larger boy eating potato chips; one was a girl with white-eyes and for a moment Tokugawa thought she was kind of pretty before grossing out over the thought. Girls were weird and icky.
Tokugawa grimaced before taking a seat next to a spiky-haired boy with the Uchiha Fan on the back. The young orphan was about to say hello to the young Uchiha, before the other boy beat him to it,
"Hi! My name is Sasuke Uchiha! Who are you?'
"My name is Tokugawa Nimetsu," the boy said with a smile, "So you are an Uchiha? What is it like being a member of that clan?"
"It is awesome! My brother Itachi is the best though! He always trains with me and teaches me stuff."
"Cool! You must be loads ahead in training."
"I am a little bit. I know some basic taijutsu and ninjutsu, but I don't know any genjutsu yet."
"What is the difference between the three?" Tokugawa asked in confusion.
"Oh, you come from a civilian family?" Sasuke asked curiously.
"Sort of; I actually live at the orphanage, but according the Hokage my parents were shinobi."
"Ah, okay. Well, taijutsu is basically physical attacks like punches or throwing weapons like kunai or shuriken. Ninjutsu is where you use your chakra to do really awesome stuff like breathing fire or creating clones of yourself. Genjutsu is illusions and has to do with messing with your opponent's mind."
"I gotcha. So are there any other branches?"
"Sort of; I don't really know many others, but I do know that kenjutsu is sword techniques."
"Cool! I always wanted to have a sword."
"I know the Uchiha Compound has many in the weapon's storage. Maybe you could come over after class. My father is the Clan Head, so he could possibly give you one."
"Really? That would be awesome!"
The two boys continued chatting until a man walked to the front of the room. Tokugawa noticed he had a scar across his nose, but also had a large smile on his face. He seemed nice.
"Hello everyone, my name is Iruka Umino and I am going to be your sensei for the next few years. Why don't we go around and introduce ourselves? Let's start in the right back and go from there. Tell me your name, why you want to be a shinobi, and one thing about yourself."
"Hello, my name is Sakura Haruno. I want to become a ninja so I can protect the village, and I like roses."
Tokugawa noticed several snickers from the other boys as the girl mentioned flowers. He turned his attention to the next speaker.
"I'm Ino Yamanaka! I want to be a super powerful ninja who brings honor to my family! My best friend is Sakura!"
Tokugawa looked at Sasuke and noticed that the other boy also had a look of irritation on his face. Did she have to be so loud?
The introductions continued down the line; Tokugawa noticed that the sleeping pine-apple head's name was Shikamaru Nara and the potato chip boy was Chouji Akimichi. The white-eyed girl's name was Hinata Hyuuga. Soon they had reached a blonde boy who Tokugawa had not noticed,
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I want to become Hokage! I like ramen! Believe it!"
"Are all blondes loud?" Tokugawa wondered in confusion. Soon the it was his turn,
"My name is Tokugawa Nimetsu. I want to become a shinobi so that I may protect Konoha and learn my heritage. My favorite food is teriyaki chicken."
Iruka-sensei nodded and turned to Sasuke.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I want to be a shinobi because I want to honor my clan and become super powerful. My favorite food is tomatoes."
"Very good; I will now hand out the scrolls for this class. Do not lose them. They will be vital for your growth and studies this year…"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mikoto Uchiha watched in amusement from her kitchen window as her youngest son walked down the street towards their home. Her youngest had always held a special place in her heart. His joyful disposition was a breath of fresh air in the normally dour Uchiha compound. Her eyes widened in surprise, however, as she saw her son's companion. The black hair and brown eyes sent a brief jolt of fear through her heart. Her son was friends with….him.
"Interesting," a voice spoke from behind her. The mother turned to see her husband with an amused smirk upon his face, "He has his father's litheness and face."
"Hai, but those brown eyes could only have come from his mother."
The head of the Uchiha Clan sneered at the mention of the woman before carefully schooling his expression into neutrality. Despite the Hokage's order that he was not to seek out Tokugawa Nimetsu, Fugaku knew that the soft-hearted Hokage would never obstruct a friendship between the orphan and Sasuke. This could be the doorway to gaining a potentially powerful ally…
"Okaa-san, Otou-san! I am home!" their youngest yelled. The two elder Uchiha smiled briefly as Sasuke dragged his companion into the kitchen.
"Who is your friend, Sasuke?" Fugaku asked with false curiosity.
"This is Tokugawa Nimetsu. We met in class, today," Sasuke responded exuberantly.
"Greetings, Uchiha-sama," Tokugawa bowed slightly.
"And greetings to you as well, Tokugawa."
"Tou-san, Tokugawa wants to base his fighting style on the katana and I was wondering if we could give him one from the Uchiha Armory," Sasuke spoke up. The two adults shared a brief look before Fugaku let a small smile come across his face,
"I think we could arrange that," Fugaku turned to the young orphan, "Considering your youth and size, however, it would be better for us to give you a wakizashi until you are old enough to wield a proper katana."
"Thank you, Uchiha-sama," Tokugawa responded with a smile upon his face.
"Follow me," the elder Uchiha turned and began to walk away. The two boys smiled at each other and followed the Uchiha Clan Head. As they walked, Fugaku turned to Tokugawa and asked,
"What exactly do you have in mind for your kenjutsu style?"
"Well, I remember reading something about the techniques of the Samurai from the Land of Iron and how they are able to send blades of chakra towards their enemy. I would like to do something similar, but infuse those blades of chakra with my elemental energy."
"You are going to want a sword that can easily conduct chakra then," Fugaku stated, "Do you know your elemental affinity? We have several swords designed specifically for certain types of chakra."
"No, Uchiha-sama."
"I might as well test both you and Sasuke then. It is never too early to begin elemental training."
Tokugawa smiled and looked at his friend who also had an excited smile upon his face. The young Uchiha was not quite certain why his father was taking such an interest in his friend, but knew that his father had a reason behind everything.
Soon, the three had reached the Uchiha Armory. Fugaku flashed his credentials towards the guard and the man bowed slightly while allowing them in. Tokugawa felt his eyes widen in awe at the amount of weaponry the clan possessed. Kunai, shuriken, and all manner of bladed weapons adorned the walls. Fugaku walked towards a barrel that was filled to the brim with scraps of paper. He pulled two scraps from the barrel and turned to the two boys,
"These are chakra enhanced pieces of paper. With this, you should be able to test your chakra nature. Sasuke will go first. Just push your chakra into the paper."
The young Uchiha nodded and took a slip of the paper. Closing his eyes in an effort to center himself, Sasuke slowly injected the paper with chakra. The paper slowly crinkled and Fugaku smirked.
"Interesting, you are a lightning type, Sasuke. It has been a while since the Uchiha Clan possessed a lightning-user. Your turn, Tokugawa."
"Umm, not to sound stupid, but how do I infuse the chakra into the paper. I have not yet begun to use chakra outside of my body."
Fugaku nodded and said,
"To begin, you must first access your chakra through meditation. Are you capable of that?"
Tokugawa nodded and Fugaku continued,
"After accessing your chakra, you will need to control your chakra to your fingers where you will slowly force the chakra out your tenketsu points. Think of tenketsu as veins of chakra running through your body and tenketsu points as where those points can expel chakra into the outside world. It is more complicated than that, but that is it in layman's terms. It may help if you form the ram seal."
"Ram seal?" Tokugawa asked in confusion and Fugaku sighed before saying,
"I am aware that you are an orphan, Tokugawa; but I will not allow a future shinobi to be hindered because he does not have access to advanced training. From here on out, I will be training Sasuke and yourself for two hours after the Academy ends."
Both Tokugawa and Sasuke's eyes widened. Tokugawa felt his heart nearly burst with gratefulness to the man. This was his chance to learn advanced shinobi skills. And it would be with his first true friend no less!
Sasuke was not as pleased. Was his father more interested in his friend than himself? Why had only now his father offered to train him? More importantly, what was so special about Tokugawa? Fugaku noticed the consternated look upon Sasuke's face and lifted his eyebrow. The younger Uchiha took that to mean that they would talk later.
"Thank you, Uchiha-sama," Tokugawa bowed slightly to hide the near tears in his eye.
"Very well; now here is the ram sign," so saying the elder Uchiha formed his hands together in a way that Tokugawa knew he could easily copy. The young boy performed the sign while accessing his chakra and smiled as his chakra flow responded to his commands through his body.
"Now, take the paper and infuse it with your chakra."
Tokugawa smiled and took the paper. The boy's eyes widened in happiness as the paper crinkled and turned to ash. Fugaku also smiled and said,
"Now, I want you both to try again. It is very rare to possess two elements, though the Uchiha Clan has always been known to possess two through a side effect of our Kekkei Genkai. If you do posses two, the second one will be weaker than the first but will still be stronger than any of the other elements."
"Kekkei Genkai?" Tokugawa asked.
"A Kekkei Genkai is an ability only available to members of a certain clan. For example, we the Uchiha Clan can activate the sharingan. An eye technique that allows us to break and cast genjutsu with only our eyes; a fully matured sharingan can also copy any technique we see other than another Kekkei Genkai."
Tokugawa nodded and took the next slip of paper. He smiled wide as the paper crinkled, indicating his secondary type as lightning. The young orphan turned to Sasuke and smiled even wider when he saw Sasuke's second type as fire. "Wait, Fugaku said it is rare for someone other than the Uchiha to possess two types. Maybe one of my parents was an Uchiha?" Tokugawa thought in confusion. Fugaku noticed the look on Tokugawa's face and not for the first time wished that the boy's heritage was not an S-Class secret.
"Don't ask, Tokugawa," Fugaku responded with a sigh, "The Hokage promised he would tell you one day. It would be wrong of me to break his commands."
"Hai, Uchiha-sama."
"Now, let's find you a proper wakizashi. You will want one that can easily conduct fire natured chakra," so saying the Uchiha Clan Head walked over to the wall and pulled a plain looking sword off the wall. Fugaku nodded as he tested the balance. This would be a proper weapon for the friend of his youngest son.
"This one will work well," Fugaku handed the blade to Tokugawa with its sheath. Tokugawa held the weapon in amazement as a he felt warm feeling settle in the pit of his stomach.
"Now, Sasuke, if you would, please take Tokugawa to the Dojo and begin showing him the proper way to stretch. I will begin teaching the two of you the basics of taijutsu."
"Hai, Otou-san."
The two boys quickly left the armory and headed towards to the Dojo. Fugaku sighed as he shook his head. The two boys would have to gain strength as quickly as possible if the worst was to occur. Every Uchiha and potential ally would be needed if Civil War broke out.
"Otou-san, who was Sasuke's friend?" a voice broke Fugaku from his thoughts. Fugaku smiled and turned as his eldest son stepped out from the shadows.
"Tokugawa Nimetsu. He and Sasuke met during class today. For some reason, Sasuke felt a kinship with the boy. I am glad he did."
"Otou-san?" Itachi asked in confusion.
"Do not worry about it, Itachi. Just know that Tokugawa could become a vital ally of our clan."
"I understand, Otou-san. Do you wish for me to keep an eye on him?"
"Yes, that would be wise, but do not let the Hokage know of this unless you absolutely have to."
"Hai, Otou-san."
"If you will excuse me, I must see to Sasuke and Tokugawa's training."
"Of course, Otou-san."
Two Years Later...
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in irritation as he sat back in his chair. It seemed fate had a desire to fuck with him lately. First was the issue of Naruto Uzumaki. The boy was wasting his potential. Hiruzen could easily see the natural talent that lay beneath the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's exterior if only the boy would apply himself. Instead, the child wasted his time on pranks and stupidity. It was maddening.
The second issue of the day was far more troubling. Tokugawa Nimetsu was growing closer to the Uchiha Clan. If war was to break out, Hiruzen knew that Tokugawa's hidden potential would play a vital part in deciding who would win the conflict. And based on his knowledge of the past two years, the boy would most likely side with the clan that had taken him in and provided something of a family. Sasuke and Tokugawa were as thick as thieves according to Iruka and were constantly pushing each other to do better. Give them another year and the two boy would most likely be at genin level despite the lax training in the Academy.
Which lead to his third issue; Danzou was pushing for a return to the old wartime Academy system where shinobi were graduated according to their skill rather than their age and emotional maturity. Unfortunately, many of the Council agreed with the warmonger.
"Hokage-sama," Hiruzen turned to the voice to see the object of his thoughts, "We must talk."
"What now, Danzou?"
"Our spy has solid evidence that the Uchiha Clan is planning a coup."
"Shit!"
"My thoughts exactly, Hokage-sama. I have spoke with the Council and they have given me permission to initiate Operation X. Itachi Uchiha has his orders and is currently engaging the Uchiha Clan."
"What do you mean engaging the Uchiha Clan? I told you not to act without my express permission!" Hiruzen responded angrily.
"The Council decreed that it must be done immediately. I acted so that if new of this was to ever come to light, you would be innocent."
"And what of Itachi's request regarding Sasuke?" Hiruzen asked with a sigh, his anger spent.
"The Council agrees with Itachi's plan to be the scapegoat. It has also been decided that Sasuke Uchiha will live, but in his place we have ordered the death of Tokugawa Nimetsu. Tokugawa is too close to the Uchiha Clan and as such we must eliminate any allies the Uchiha would have against us. Even if that ally is a no-name orphan."
"Are you insane?" Hiruzen asked angrily upon hearing these words, "If Tokugawa dies, we lose our best chance of controlling the Kyuubi should it ever break loose again!"
Danzou's one eye widened in surprise. Tokugawa was more than just another orphan it seemed.
"Please explain, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen shook his head before standing from his chair,
"All will be explained shortly. First I must make certain Tokugawa is safe from Itachi. Follow me."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
The two kage-level shinobi disappeared in a swirl of leaves as they rushed towards the orphanage in which Tokugawa Nimetsu live.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tokugawa Nimetsu sighed as he lay in bed, a scroll describing the history of Konoha in his hands. The young boy had grown stronger over the past two years. Considered a genius on par with his best friend Sasuke Uchiha, Tokugawa had mastered all of the basic Academy Jutsu as well as the Great Fireball Jutsu. His taijutsu was strong, though not as good as Sasuke's; it was when he wielded his wakizashi that Tokugawa truly shined in physical combat. Fugaku-sensei had called him a prodigy of the blade considering he had already mastered the first three levels of Konoha Kenjutsu and had also mastered conducting chakra along the blade that strengthened cutting attacks. Soon he would learn to infuse his fire element into his chakra so that he could even use his blade to melt through opponents or shields.
Tokugawa sighed once more; he was still so far away from being able to wield what he called fire bursts, blades of fire enhanced chakra sent forth when he swung his wakizashi, that it was laughable to think he would master the technique before becoming a genin. The first step for this technique involve being able to release chakra from his body without hand seals, something that was coming across very difficultly for the young orphan.
Despite his prodigious strength with kenjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu; it was in genjutsu that Tokugawa thrived. The young boy had quickly learned to cast genjutsu with one handed seals. It was genjutsu that allowed Tokugawa to win most of his spars against his classmates including Sasuke. With genjutsu, Tokugawa was able to slightly misdirect his opponent every time. Fugaku-sensei had said that as he grew older he would be able to cast more widespread and larger miss-directions. Tokugawa smiled as he thought of who he considered his adopted father before drifting off to sleep.
The young boy awoke several hours later to the shrill scream of Mistress Ophelia. Tokugawa quickly jumped from his bed and grabbed his wakizashi from beneath his bed. The academy student noticed most of the children had woken as well.
Several more shrill screams pierced the night as Tokugawa sensed a malevolent chakra one floor below himself. It was only the strength of the chakra that allowed Tokugawa to recognize it considering his lack on skill in chakra detection; Tokugawa briefly remembered what Itachi-sensei had once told him about detecting enemy chakra and that chakra detection was something that had to be developed from experience rather than taught in a classroom.
Tokugawa gulped as the screams suddenly ceased and realized that the children on the floor below himself were most likely dead. The boy was about to jump out the window and run for help when the door to the room he shared with several other orphans was suddenly kicked in. Tokugawa sighed in relief as he recognized the form of Itachi Uchiha.
"Itachi-sensei! Are you here to help?" Tokugawa asked frantically. The boy noticed his teacher's sharingan eyes spinning and felt himself paralyzed. Despite his fear recognized that Itachi had placed him under a genjutsu. "Why would Itachi-sensei place me under a genjutsu unless…No! His chakra is the same as the one that was downstairs? Why would Itachi do this? I have to escape from this genjutsu or I am going to die!"
So thinking, Tokugawa slowly forced his hands together in the ram seal, fighting through the paralysis genjutsu, and muttered,
"Kai!"
Tokugawa was surprised when he felt his muscles relax. He had not expected to have been able to break free from Itachi's genjutsu. The elder boy must have underestimated him.
Tokugawa did not have time to celebrate as he fell backwards, the blade of Itachi's katana barely missing his throat. Tokugawa noticed from his position on the ground that Itachi had already killed the rest of the children in the room; he must not have wanted witnesses. The blood of his roommates seeped into the carpet of the floor and Tokugawa felt his stomach rebel.
"Why?"
"Do you consider yourself Sasuke's best friend?" Itachi suddenly asked.
"Of course," Tokugawa stuttered in fear, wandering what was going on in Itachi's mind.
"Then you must become strong. Become a challenge to Sasuke when he tries to kill you."
"Why would Sasuke try to kill me?" Tokugawa asked in confusion. Itachi glared at Tokugawa and the young orphan noticed that Itachi's sharingan had morphed into a kaleidoscope shape.
"This is the ultimate power of the sharingan, only available to the one who kills his best friend. Sasuke will kill you, so that he may kill me."
"Why would Sasuke want to kill you?" Tokugawa screamed in confusion.
"Tsukiyomi."
Tokugawa found himself in a world of red. He watched in horror as Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha Clan. Tears filled his eyes as he watched Fugaku-sensei and his wife Mikoto beheaded. He felt his heartbreak as he watched Sasuke scream at his brother.
"I hate you," Tokugawa coldly turned to the murderer of the Uchiha Clan.
"Good. Hatred will make you strong."
The world suddenly became normal as Itachi released Tokugawa from the Mangekyou Sharingan's powerful genjutsu. The prodigy of the Uchiha Clan turned and made to make his way out the door.
Tokugawa glared at Itachi's retreating form before shaking himself from his stupor. The boy quickly formed the ram seal for a misdirection genjutsu, unsheathed his wakizashi, and rushed towards the Uchiha Prodigy, infusing chakra into his wakizashi as he ran.
The Uchiha turned and widened his eyes in surprise at what he saw. Immediately shaking the image from his head, Itachi moved faster than Tokugawa's eyes could see and knocked the boy unconscious. What he had seen…this changed things.
"Itachi!" a voice suddenly broke him from his thoughts. The Prodigy turned to see Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzou. The Uchiha bowed even as a tear entered his eye.
"Do not kill, Tokugawa!" Hiruzen yelled.
"I was not planning on it, Hokage-sama," Itachi responded. The look of relief upon Hiruzen's face surprised Itachi. What made Tokugawa so important besides…ah…
"What happened here, Itachi?" Danzou ordered.
"I came to motivate Tokugawa to strength. It will benefit Sasuke to have a strong rival."
"Tch," Danzou muttered, "You just wanted a strong opponent for the kid to face to gain his Mangekyou."
"That," Itachi paused, "Is not entirely incorrect. Though something changed as he attacked me."
"Oh?"Sarutobi asked with a smirk as though he knew what had happened, "Do tell?"
"Tokugawa just activated the sharingan. He was an Uchiha."
Sarutobi sighed and nodded even as Danzou looked at him in confusion.
"It began with Orochimaru, but Tokugawa is far more than just an Uchiha…" Hiruzen formed a hand seal and a shadow clone appeared beside the Hokage. The shadow clone grabbed Tokugawa and made for Konoha Hospital. The three powerful shinobi made their way to the Hokage's office as Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the truth of Tokugawa's heritage...
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tokugawa awoke to white. White walls, white sheets, and white curtains all indicated his current location at the Konoha Hospital. The young boy let loose a sigh of relief as he realized that he had survived Itachi's attack. The boy grimaced as he thought of the man and what he had done to Sasuke. It pained his heart to know that the Uchiha Clan and his fellow orphans were dead, but he knew that whatever pain he felt was nothing compared to Sasuke's pain.
The young boy sat up and grimaced once again as pain shot throughout his body. Tokugawa forced himself out of the bed to the restroom. The boy rubbed his eyes irritably. There was a pressure behind them that irritated him. It was almost like a light tickle. As he relieved himself, Tokugawa wondered about his future. With the death of the orphanage, would he be moved to another one? Or placed with a family? Would he still be allowed to become a shinobi?
The boy sighed as he washed his hands and looked in the mirror. The pressure behind his eyes continued to bug him and in irritation, Tokugawa forced a brief bit of chakra to his eyes in an effort to scratch the itch. The itch disappeared, but Tokugawa nearly screamed as he stared at himself in the mirror. One tomoe appeared in each eye and lazily began to spin in a sea of red.
"No. Freaking. Way." Tokugawa whispered. It seemed one of his parents had been an Uchiha.
A knock on the restroom door shook Tokugawa from his stupor. The boy walked opened the door and was surprised to see the Sandaime Hokage.
"I see you have discovered your sharingan. It seems I will have to give you a brief bit of information regarding your heritage on your father's side."
"Who was he?" Tokugawa asked quietly. Sarutobi sighed before shaking his head,
"I cannot tell you just yet. You are still too young and if such knowledge was spread, you would be in grave danger. The deal still stands: you become chuunin, I tell you about your father and your mother."
"No offense, but what if you die before then?" Tokugawa asked angrily.
"My successor will receive all the files on you as will your Jounin sensei. You will receive this information. I promise."
Tokugawa sighed and said,
"What happens to me now?"
"I have spoken with Hyuuga Hiashi. He has agreed to offer you a home and teach you the proper decorum required of a Clan Heir."
"What do you mean, Clan Heir?" Tokugawa asked in confusion.
"You and Sasuke are the last Uchiha loyal to Konoha. Sasuke, however, has told me that he wishes to renounce all Clan Titles to you so that he can focus solely on getting strong enough to kill Itachi. Sasuke still possess all the land of the Uchiha, but you have received all mercantile investments as well as political power the Uchiha hold. When you are of age, you will be offered a seat on Konoha's Military Councils."
Tokugawa's eyes widened in surprise before nodding his head.
"I understand. Where is Sasuke? I want to speak with him."
"He is in the room next door. I will show you to him if you wish."
"I do."
The two slowly left the room and entered the room of Sasuke Uchiha. Tokugawa immediately noticed the bags under Sasuke's eyes and recognized that the boy had not slept recently.
"Sasuke?"
"Get out," the other boy responded coldly.
"What? Why?"
The other boy glared at Tokugawa and said,
"Bring our clan honor, but get out. Our friendship is through."
Tears filled Tokugawa's eyes as he nodded and left. The reason behind Sasuke's actions perfectly clear. The Sandaime seemed to understand the truth as well. Sasuke did not want to be tempted to kill his only remaining relative for power. "I will always be your best friend, Sasuke," Tokugawa thought sadly.
"He does not mean that, you know," The Sandaime Hokage spoke quietly.
"I know," Tokugawa murmured through tears, "Can you introduce me to Hyuuga Hiashi now?"
"Very well."
The next month passed in a blur to the newly named Tokugawa Uchiha. He soon moved into the Hyuuga compound and was taught etiquette, politics and historical lineages as if he was being groomed to become a Daimyo. Thankfully, his newly activated sharingan assisted with the rote memorization of names and places.
Things became routine for Tokugawa. Wake up, shower, get dressed, Academy lessons, train in the Hyuuga Dojo, more political lessons, and then back to bed. Tokugawa grew bored and lonely. The only other boy in the compound was Neji Hyuuga, yet the elder boy wanted nothing to do with the "Uchiha." The only other person near Tokugawa's age was Hinata, yet the young Uchiha did not feel brave enough to approach the girl on his own. Hiashi Hyuuga noticed the melancholy mood of his ward and decided upon a simple solution.
"I want you to learn Jyuuken," Hiashi spoke one day as he watched Tokugawa train. The boy stumbled for a moment, but it was a testament to his training that he did not cut himself with the wakizashi he was running through katas with.
"Excuse me, Hiashi-sama?" Tokugawa asked in confusion.
"With your sharingan, you are capable of memorizing pressure points. Jyuuken can be easily adapted to pressure point. Jyuuken on the pressure points is even more damaging because it uses chakra to enhance the attacks."
"I would like that, but what about my sword style?" Tokugawa asked.
"If you are insistent upon using a sword, I recommend switch from a two handed style to a one-handed style. This way, you are capable of using your blade for cutting and piercing and your free hand for damaging Jyuuken attacks. My father was actually a user of this style. I will speak to him and see if he would be willing to train you in it."
"Thank you, Hiashi-sama," Tokugawa bowed.
Surprising, Hikuzen Hyuuga agreed to train the young Uchiha in the Hyuuga style of KenJyuuken. The elder Hyuuga was a harsh taskmaster, even more so because Tokugawa was able to copy most forms with his sharingan.
Four years passed and soon the time for graduation was at hand. Tokugawa had learned much under the tutelage of the Hyuuga. No longer was the child coarse and unruly, but held himself with a maturity many in the village respected. In the Academy, the young boy was second in his class only to his relative Sasuke. The two boys still respected each other, but no longer did they share the companionship they once did.
Tokugawa had not only grown in attitude, but in strength as well. The lithe form of the twelve year old was firm with muscle. In genjutsu, the boy's misdirection was unmatched by any of his fellow comrades thanks to his sharingan which held two tomoe. In ninjutsu, he had finally mastered the fire bursts. He had also melded his ninjutsu and taijutsu together, creating a technique known as blood boils. Upon touching an opponent with his free hand in a Jyuuken strike, Tokugawa could cause the very blood where he had touched to melt through the opponent's skin. Ideally, the technique would eventually encompass the whole body, but Tokugawa had hit a road block in how to fully form that technique.
The boy often wondered as to the identity of his father and mother, but knew that the Hokage told the truth when he said that such information would only become available to him if he became chuunin. The day of graduation, things change.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"He's late!" Naruto grumbled.
Tokugawa sighed as Naruto complained and Sasuke glared. It annoyed the young Uchiha to no end that he had been placed on the team with the dead last. At least Sasuke was competent. Tokugawa knew that with Sasuke on his team they at least had a chance of looking like professional shinobi.
The KenJyuuken user sighed as Naruto's bright orange jumpsuit assaulted his eyes. Pathetic. Did the kid have no fashion sense? Tokugawa briefly did an overview of his own clothes. A loose white long sleeve shirt with the Hyuuga symbol on the sleeves to honor the clan that had taken him in; the Uchiha Fan upon the back to honor his true heritage; black cargo pants; a Hyuuga Jian Straight sword strapped to his back; two tattoos upon his wrist useful for sealing kunai and shuriken in; and the Konoha headband strapped to his forehead. All in all, he thought he looked pretty damn professional.
"Hehe, this will teach him to be late," Tokugawa sighed as he watched Naruto place an erased in the doorway. Truly he did not think to fool a Jounin with tha-
Poof! The eraser landed in a mess of spiky silver hair.
"How should I say this? My first impression of you guys is that I hate you."
Tokugawa grimaced at his new sensei's words. Stupid Naruto, making a bad impression on the one who would determine your fate for the next few years was stupid.
Shaking his head from such thoughts, Tokugawa took in the site of Kakashi Hatake. The man had his headband covering one of his eyes and a mask covering the lower half of his face. The man's form was tall and limber, indicating that his taijutsu style was most likely based on finesse rather than brawling. The gloves indicated one familiar with weaponry so as to prevent blisters. Tokugawa desperately wished he could activate his sharingan so as to get a feel for the man's chakra, but knew that the man might react in a hostile manner if he did.
"Follow me," their new sensei spoke.
Tokugawa was the first to fall in line behind the man and tried to observe any weaknesses in the way the man walked. Surprisingly, he found none. This guy truly was a Jounin. After walking several stairs, the three genin and their sensei reached the room of the Academy. Kakashi motioned for the three of them to take a seat before saying,
"Let's see, why don't all of you introduce yourselves?"
"Introduce ourselves?" Naruto asked in confusion. Tokugawa nearly snorted. It was not that hard idiot.
"You know," Kakashi spoke, "Your name, what you like, what you hate, hobbies, or dreams for the future. Stuff like that."
"Hey, why don't you go first, sensei, so we can see how it is done?" Both Sasuke and Tokugawa looked at Naruto in annoyance. Was the blonde serious?
"Okay, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream…" Kakashi looked off into space before saying, "I have a few hobbies."
Tokugawa smirked. This guy was obviously one of those mind game Jounins, but according to Hikuzen-sensei they were usually the best ones.
"Your turn, you first Blondie!"
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! Believe-"
The blonde suddenly yowled in pain as Tokugawa suddenly smacked him over the head.
"If I hear you say "believe it" one more time, I am going to cut off your testicles and feed them to a dog! Got it?" Tokugawa yelled.
"Okay! Okay!" Naruto held up his hands in surrender. Tokugawa noticed both Sasuke and Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. Good, he was not the only one who found that annoying then.
"Where was I? Oh yeah! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like cup ramen, but I like the ramen Iruka-sensei bought for me at Ichiraku even more. I hate the three minutes I have to wait after I put in the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramen! And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage!"
Tokugawa looked at the blonde in confusion. This kid, this ramen obsessed kid, who never really studied hard or trained, wanted to become Hokage. Pathetic.
"You next, sword man!"
Tokugawa glared briefly at Kakashi for the nickname before saying,
"My name is Tokugawa Uchiha. I like training and swords. I hate etiquette lessons and those people who require them. My hobbies include reading, taking walks, and studying. My dream for the future is to learn the truth behind my heritage and restore honor to the Uchiha name."
Tokugawa hoped that the glint in Kakashi's eye meant the man was impressed.
"Your turn, emo kid!"
Tokugawa nearly laughed at the designation before sighing and turning his attention to Sasuke,
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things I hate, and not a many things I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan…and to kill a certain man."
Tokugawa nodded. It was to be expected considering Sasuke's upbringing.
"Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. We are going to begin a mission starting tomorrow."
"What kind of mission is that, sensei?" Naruto asked.
"First, we are going to do something that we four can do."
"Oooh! What is it? What is it? What is it?" Naruto asked in excitement.
"Survival training."
Tokugawa narrowed his eyes in confusion. Why was this considered a mission? Was it a method of testing their skills and allowing Kakashi to train them properly or something else?
"This is no ordinary training," Kakashi suddenly spoke.
"Then what kind of training is it?" Asked Naruto as Kakashi began to chuckle.
"What is so funny, sensei?" Tokugawa asked coldly.
"Well, if I say this, I am sure it is going to really surprise you."
"Huh?" Naruto murmured.
"Out of the twenty seven graduates, only nine will become genin," Kakashi suddenly spoke. Tokugawa's mind ran at an incredibly fast pace before speaking up,
"Teams Seven, Eight, and Nine."
Kakashi's one remaining eye widened briefly before asking,
"What makes you think that?"
"It would be political suicide for any of these three teams to fail," Tokugawa spoke suddenly.
"Huh, what do you mean Toku?" Naruto asked.
"First of all, my name is Tokugawa. Secondly, Teams Nine and Eight consist entirely of Clan Heirs. For the Hokage to fail those two teams would be akin to alienating half of Konoha's power. Team Nine consists of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chouji Akimichi. That is three powerful clans right there. Then you have Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga on Team Eight. Another three powerful clans including the one with the most political clout in the Hyuuga."
"And what about Team Seven," Kakashi asked dangerously.
"While I am a little iffy on including us considering Naruto is on our team and he is not related to any clans or special abilities that I know of," Tokugawa ignored the indignant shout of the blonde and continued, "We also have more political clout than any of the other teams aside from those two I just mentioned."
Kakashi started to chuckle,
"You are paranoid, you know that kid."
"I live with the Hyuuga. It is to be expected."
"Alright Team Seven, Tokugawa is actually correct, however I am still going to have to test you in order to gauge your abilities. And don't worry, I will make it worth your while to pass this test."
Tokugawa noticed the awed look of Naruto and the annoyed look of Sasuke before asking,
"What do we get in return?"
"One A-rank technique of my choosing in accordance with your fighting style. How does that sound?"
The three genin looked at each other and nodded.
"You gotta deal, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled.
Interlude
"Tokugawa figured it out, huh?" Sarutobi asked with a mirthful grin.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. I was quite surprised at his awareness."
"Really, even knowing what you do of his heritage?"
"It is his father's heritage I expected to catch such a thing, but even Sasuke who also bears Uchiha blood did not catch the political machinations of yourself."
"Sasuke is obsessed with revenge. He sees nothing else. Tokugawa is whom Konoha rests our hope for the Uchiha Clan upon."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"I wonder how Sasuke and Tokugawa will react to Naruto's secret?"
"Honestly, I don't think they will care. They see Naruto as an idiot and quite frankly I have to agree with them."
"You are their Sensei Kakashi. You can guide Naruto in the proper direction. It is what Minato would want."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
Interlude End
Tokugawa awoke the next morning with a grin on his face. Today was a chance to learn a powerful ninjutsu. He could only hope they passed the test. Quickly dressing and attaching his sword to his back, Tokugawa walked down the steps of the Hyuuga Compound for breakfast.
Taking a seat at the long cafeteria style table, Tokugawa smiled shyly as Hinata entered the room. Over the past year he had noticed that the girl was incredibly cute in both looks and mannerisms. However every time he attempted to talk to Hinata, he froze up. The girl was just too adorable to hold a proper conversations with.
Tokugawa turned his attention away from the young Hyuuga and grimaced as he realized Hikuzen-sensei had also entered the room and was looking at him with a smirk on his face. Well, at least the former Clan Head seemed to approve.
The relationship between Tokugawa and the KenJyuuken master was a strange one. During training the man was harsh and unforgiving, but outside of training the man was perfect for giving advice and had become something of a kind mentor to Tokugawa.
"Good morning, Tokugawa, Hinata."
"Good morning, Hikuzen-sensei."
"Good morning, Honored Grandfather," Hinata demurely replied.
"So today is your ultimate genin test correct?" Hikuzen smirked.
"Hai, Honored Grandfather."
"Apparently," Tokugawa smiled in attempt to impress Hinata, "We impressed our sensei enough that he went ahead and passed us."
"Oh, Naruto-kun already passed then?" Hinata asked and Tokugawa nearly grimaced. He knew about the girl's crush on the blonde, but for the life of him could not understand it.
"Hai," Tokugawa responded through gritted teeth.
"Who is your sensei, Tokugawa," Hikuzen asked as he took a sip of water.
"Kakashi Hatake."
The man's nearly choked on his water as his eyes bulged.
"You mean to tell me Kakashi Hatake passed your team? He has never passed anyone before!"
"Really, well good for us then," Tokugawa smiled.
"Damn, listen Tokugawa; Kakashi is the best damn shinobi Konoha has aside from the Hokage himself. Listen to him and learn from him. He is only listed as an A-rank in the bingo book, but that is so that enemies underestimate him. The guy is easily an S-rank shinobi."
Tokugawa's eyes narrowed as he said,
"We are going to be tested by him today for a chance to learn an A-rank jutsu; any advice you can give?"
"All I can say is look underneath the underneath. With Kakashi, there is always a hidden meaning."
"Thank you, Hikuzen-sensei."
"Good luck, Tokugawa," Hinata suddenly spoke up. Tokugawa smiled bright at the girl before saying,
"And you as well Hinata."
Tokugawa quickly finished his breakfast, pointedly ignoring Kakashi's warning about food, and head out the door to the training ground.
When he arrived, he was surprised to see that he was the first one there. Deciding not to just sit around, the boy quickly scouted out the training ground before returning to the meeting spot. To his surprise, neither Naruto nor Sasuke had arrived. Wondering if he was in a genjutsu, Tokugawa activated his sharingan before realizing that he was an hour early.
"Idiot! Might as well do something productive."
The young Uchiha sighed and walked over the nearby lake and began water-walking. He was already pretty far behind the Hinata when it came to this training, but knew that most genin had not even mastered tree-walking yet.
"Oi! How are you walking on water, Tokugawa?" a loud voice interrupted the KenJyuuken user's concentration, causing the boy to sink into the water.
"Dammit Naruto! I almost had it!"
"Jeez, sorry!"
The two remained silent until Sasuke arrived when they greeted their teammate. Three hours passed and Tokugawa felt himself grow more irritated by the minute. "S-ranked shinobi my ass," the Uchiha thought in irritation, "At least be on time dammit!"
"Hi fellas! Good morning!"
"You're late!" Naruto yelled.
"Well, you see, a black cat crossed my path so I had to go pray at the shrine for good luck."
"Bullshit!" Tokugawa glared at the man. The man seemed unperturbed before raising his eyebrow,
"Now Tokugawa, everyone is entitled to religious freedom in Konoha."
Tokugawa groaned.
"Well, what is the test?" Naruto asked. Kakashi seemed to smirk beneath his mask before holding up two bells,
"Get these two bells from me. The person with a bell gets to learn an awesome technique. You have until three p.m."
Tokugawa narrowed his eyes, so Kakashi was trying to turn them against each other. Interesting. Perhaps this Jounin was not so pathetic after all. Tokugawa sighed before turning to Naruto and Sasuke,
"Guys, there is no way we can get a bell on our own. Here's the deal, we all work together to get a bell, and I will let the two of you have one. I have the sharingan so to repay me you can both just use your new technique in front of me and I will have it copied."
"Wait!" Naruto yelled, "You can copy jutsu?"
"Yeah, Sasuke here will be available to as well when he activates his sharingan. It is a trait unique to the Uchiha."
"Damn bastards!" Naruto yelled.
Kakashi watched in interest as the three yelled, Naruto talking about how unfair it was and the two Uchiha defending their clan's Doujutsu. Tokugawa certainly seemed skilled in destroying his plans even if the brat did not realize it. Still, better to let them work for it.
"Alright, begin!"
The three genin stopped arguing and glared at Kakashi. The Copy Ninja smirked as the three disappeared, though Kakashi did notice Tokugawa and Sasuke had to drag Naruto away. At least two of them had tactical sense. The powerful shinobi sighed and pulled a copy of Make out Paradise from his pouch. Time to wait.
Four hours passed before Kakashi started to get worried. It was nearly three. It was kind of ironic that they were making him wait considering what he had done to them earlier. Maybe he should find them? Nah. They would come to him.
A few minutes passed before an army of Naruto's came rushing out of the trees, Kakashi smirked at the horrible taijutsu style of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and marked it as something to work on with the kid. The army attacked him, but the powerful Jounin easily dodged and dispelled the clones.
Suddenly a more advanced taijutsu attack came from his left and Kakashi recognized the attacker as Sasuke. The two exchanged a flurry of blows with each other before jumping apart. Kakashi's eye widened in surprise as Sasuke formed the hand seals for the Great Fire Ball Jutsu and blew out a giant fireball. The Jounin was about to go to his left but recognized an army of Naruto there and was about change his direction to the right before he realized another fireball was coming from that direction. So they at decided on a three pronged attack to keep him from moving. It would have worked on a chuunin, Kakashi thought amusedly before sinking into the ground.
The three genin looked around in confusion before Sasuke was suddenly dragged into the ground, only his head remaining above.
"Head-hunter jutsu," Kakashi whispered. The man turned and yawned as the army of Narutos attacked. The man once again easily dodged and dispelled the attacks before kicking Naruto into a tree,
"Don't you have any other attacks or jutsu?"
"Nope!" Naruto growled. Kakashi notched up another thing he needed to work on with Naruto, before deftly dodging a sword thrust. Unfortunately for Kakashi, his dodge had placed him in the position of Tokugawa's left hand. The left palm strike that Kakashi immediately noticed was infused with fire chakra.
Kakashi took the hit in the stomach and screamed in pain as his bowels began to melt downwards before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Dammit," Tokugawa muttered as he recognized it as a shadow clone. To be able to fool his sharingan with a shadow clone was pretty damn impressive.
"That's a pretty powerful technique," Kakashi spoke from behind him, "In a few years as your chakra grows more potent I could definitely see it becoming S-ranked deadly, but for now it is merely a B-ranked jutsu. Also, once your sharingan has fully matured, it will be easier for you to recognize clones by the size of their chakra."
Tokugawa growled before sending a burst of fire chakra towards the man with a swing of his Jian sword. The Copy Ninja jumped into the air and threw several shuriken at the genin. Tokugawa easily blocked the shuriken with this sword and sent another wave of fire towards the Copy Ninja.
"My, my, I would say that technique is based off of the Samurai sword techniques from the land of Iron. Very nice."
The Jounin suddenly turned as twenty Narutos attacked his position. The man easily dodged once again and worked his way towards the real Naruto. The man was about to knock the genin unconscious before several shuriken came flying towards him. The man recognized the throws as from Sasuke's direction and realize the boy had broken free from the head hunter technique. Kakashi also noticed the wires attached to the shuriken and swiftly dodged the Uchiha Prodigy's attack.
He dodged right into another sword combo of Tokugawa and nearly cursed before realizing it would damage his nonchalant façade. The kid was fast and deadly with the sword of that there was no doubt. The Dance of the Crescent Moon sword technique would be the perfect technique to teach Tokugawa once this was finished. As for Naruto, it would be good to teach the kid a wind technique and Sasuke he could teach Flame Bullet Technique.
The man suddenly grimaced as one of Tokugawa's attacks scratched his arm and Kakashi immediately recognized that Tokugawa's sharingan had matured to three tomoe. Damn, this would be more difficult now.
Suddenly the bell rang and Kakashi smirked at the down trodden faces of his three genin. The three definitely needed more training together considering that their teamwork was atrocious, but at least they did work together. Kakashi sighed, even with training, it would be difficult to get this team to work together cohesively. Tokugawa and Sasuke were more akin to ANBU Ninja who worked silently and alone while Naruto was essentially a weapon of mass destruction. Teamwork exercises would be their primary focus for the next couple of weeks.
"Okay guys, even though you did not get a bell, you passed the moment you decided to work together. Do you guys feel up to start learning your new techniques or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"
The hungry looks on his three genins' faces told him everything.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AN: Longest chapter ever written. Please review! Let me know if I need to continue this story. Thanks!