My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I am a well-known librarian's assistant, though I haven't done anything worthy of note. I have taught myself routes to travel, ways to go around the village without being seen. I have an apartment, which I use mostly for storage, I wear a bright orange sports jacket with the number nine on the back (a gift from a distant 'god-father' who is on a long-term mission) and I don't care for attracting attention. When you become the village pariah, you have two options. You can become so desperate for their attention that you do anything for it. You become loud and obnoxious, you pull pranks and cause trouble, you go out when there are people out and you go home when the streets are empty. Maybe in another life I would get the privilege to choose this option.
Instead I strive to be out of sight. A day that I don't see a villager is a good day, but they are few and far between. I have a few obligations to the village, of which I do my best to fulfil. I would like to say I am a typical twelve-year-old boy, but as my world consists of the atypical, I am unable to tell people this.
The turning point in my life, if you could call it that, was six years ago and at the time I was unaware of the forces at play. Politics was just another stupid word I had heard 'old' people use, so when I was told that instead of being enlisted into the ninja academy to set me on the path I had dreamed about I was to serve as a library assistant, I wasn't best pleased. I wouldn't come to understand my situation until a few days later when I was visited by a tall, dark-haired man who didn't care to be messed with.
"Don't make a fuss, don't try to fight this. You are a librarian's assistant in name only. There are things at play here that are out of your control. If you want to survive, play along, do as they say, and never give up"
That would be the only time I would see him for two years, and even now I remember everything about that encounter. I am known to be a little energetic and can sometimes find it hard to focus, but that speech got me to listen. I remember being thrilled with the idea of having a secret life with plots and ploys and the unknown. I also remember believing in the tooth fairy.
As it would turn out, I would be doing a lot more than helping at a library. Soon after I was given my apartment and shown where I would be working, I was approached by another man. He was older, bandaged, and a heck of a lot scarier. Unlike the last man, I would be seeing this new man again soon. Every week in fact until now. His speech was brief, consisting of only an address, a time, and a warning. "Don't tell anyone". The old me would have told the old man to shove it and I would run straight to the Hokage's office and tell him all about the meeting. Luckily, even an outcast like me has connections. But I never said anything. I didn't run, I didn't go to the Hokage and I didn't question it. I just accepted.
That first meeting would give me the taste of what my new life would be like for the next six years. If, on the rare occasion, I tasked myself with trying to come up with a word to describe this meeting, it would have to be 'hell'.
The address took me to a house on the edge of the village. It was unassuming, and I didn't think much of it at first. I knocked, and waited. I didn't hear or see anything whilst there. All I remember was feeling a sharp pain on the back of my neck and everything going dark. Scared wouldn't begin to describe my feelings when I awoke. I was in the middle of a large, cold room with no light and the occasional dripping from a pipe. In front and behind me were doors made from metal. After a few minutes of anguish, one of the doors opened.
"I'm sorry about you being brought here in such a manner, but unfortunately it is necessary. How else could I ensure your silence on our location?"
It was the same man who gave me the instructions. Go figure.
"Regardless, we won't have to worry about that now. Here are how things will work. Every week, at the same time, you will turn up at the house you did today. You will enter and find the passage to this room. You will remain here for twelve hours. After you will be allowed to leave. Whilst here, you will fight. There is no stopping, there are no breaks. You just need to survive"
As with most things, I wouldn't learn until later that the cursed tongue eradication seal had been placed on me, making it impossible for me to talk about this room to anyone. Neither would I learn that these twelve hours would be the harshest, most brutal thing I would experience.
"I bid you goodbye Naruto. I'm sure you will impress me"
With this, he left the room and was replaced by a boy twice my size. There wasn't any introductions or warnings. He simply walked over to me and kicked me in the face. Then my stomach. Then with a quick left-right, I was thrown onto the floor, blood oozing from my nose and eyebrow. That first session was the worst. I tried reasoning with him, begging, running, shouting, screaming, all to have the same result. Me, on the floor, bleeding. I even tried fighting back, but landing a hit was impossible.
After the twelve hours were up the door behind me opened, and I couldn't even drag myself to it. I remember simply laying there, feeling sorry for myself and cursing everyone. I cursed the boy that just beat me, the man who invited me in, I cursed the entire village. It wasn't until I blacked out that I cursed myself for not being strong enough.
Eventually I dragged myself to my apartment. I didn't know what time it was nor did I care. I got into the bed and let sleep take me.
The reality was I wasn't being punished, for I hadn't done anything wrong. I was being trained, and I came to see that eventually. It took a few sessions.
The following weeks were a mixture of dread and annoyance. I didn't want to go back to the room next week, but it was clear they could kill me if they wanted to. It didn't matter if it was there or in my apartment. Clearly, they didn't kill me for a reason. That is what kept me going.
During the week, I would work at the library. I sorted books, kept things clean, updated records, nothing terribly entertaining. The work wasn't stimulating, but at least the library had some story books I could read on the sly when I was alone. In fact, as I was the one sorting them, it wasn't a difficult task to take a few books back to my apartment with me. As I said, I didn't take to being outside for longs periods of time. It might be because of the many injuries I had suffered and I didn't want people to laugh at me, or it might have been the fear to see anyone new after how these newcomers had changed my life.
No matter how many times I prayed, next week came, and I went to the room obediently. The man, who I later found out to be Danzo, walked through the door and smiled.
"Glad to see you are here. I hope you can give a better performance than you did last week"
I nearly spat at the man. Soon after he left the same boy from before entered, and I instinctively began running around the room. Like the week before, I ended up bloody and bruised and broken. However, I was able to accomplish something.
I couldn't tell you what hour into the fighting it was, as time blurred whilst I was there. I couldn't tell you how I was able to do it, but what I could say was it felt so damn good. I landed a hit. After being hit time and time again, you start to recognise the punches, the kicks, the forms. Unfortunately, it turns out I learn best when the punches and kicks hit me. It was when he threw a wide right at me. He had quite a few times fainted a wide right and caught me off-guard with a hard left. He seemed fond of the way my face crumpled when he hit the unguarded side with all his weight. Without thinking, I ducked the left and led with an uppercut. If you had asked me to repeat it I would have been unable. The only way I knew how to throw an uppercut because I had been hit by a few thanks to my opponent.
Slowly, rubbing his chin, he rose, a sick smile forming on his face. It appeared that while it was an important stage in my growth, it did not help me out in the short term. I merely stoked the flame in the boy, and for the next few hours I was hit harder and faster. I did not repeat my earlier success. I didn't forget it either.
After the twelve hours, despite being a lot more injured, I fought the desire to rest where I lay in a pool of my own blood. I had hit the boy today. I had succeeded. I wouldn't be lying on the floor like a loser.
From then on, I held onto these little victories, allowing myself to feel proud or happy that I had done better. I didn't care about impressing people, least of all Danzo. I still had dreams about being Hokage at that point, I had personal goals that ensured that I stuck to the path of improvement. Also, being in a library made it easy to learn about treating wounds. It didn't take long for me to procure a good knowledge of cuts and bruises and how to treat them.
I didn't have too many people to talk to. I had superiors in the library, but they were quiet and didn't talk a lot. They told me what I had to do and that was all. I did make friends with a few ramen chefs in the village, one of the rare luxuries I allow myself, and they more than anyone gave me a sense of family I never had. It was difficult at first, when I came for ramen the first time I was covered in bandages and looked very much worse for wear. I couldn't tell them about the room, so I ended up covering by saying I had a disease that makes my bones brittle. I owed a lot to them. I guess they owed a lot of business to me, as I pretty much spent most of my money there. The only other person I was close to was the Hokage himself, who gave me monthly visits to see how I was doing and to talk to me. He didn't let on that he knew about my meetings.
Meetings four, five and six provided me with the same result, except with increasing success in reading his moves. I wasn't yet able to replicate my lucky hit, but I felt like I was getting better. My injuries were not supporting this claim.
It was around the sixth brutal defeat that I realised I was an idiot. I had an entire library at my disposal and yet I hadn't thought to look for one book on Taijutsu? The idea hadn't occurred to me that I could learn about fighting without fighting.
It was around the seventh defeat I learned the valuable lesson that reading about something in a book does not mean you have mastered it. My attempted leg lock became three cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Unfortunately, no session in the room ends early.
I unknowingly fell into a routine. The days after my meetings in the room was a rest day. I didn't have work, and I pretty much just read. Sometimes I read stories, sometimes I read about where to hit someone to paralyse them. I liked to vary the material. After this, I either worked (generally it was from dawn until dusk) sorting books and cleaning or I learned how to ease my injuries. After every day, I made my way down to the ramen stand for a few bowls of the house special.
Even though I made no mention of my meetings, there was a mutual understanding that there was more to my life than just being a library assistant. It was the elephant in the room, and both parties were happy to ignore it. They didn't buy my illness lie. For a few hours each night, we laughed, made jokes, told stories, and just made everything worth it for me. All the fighting became a trivial matter.
Add in the occasional visit from the Hokage, who seemed pleased at my content demeaner, the weeks rolled by. I remember it was around the tenth meeting that I began to keep a diary on how the meetings were going, what I did wrong, how I could exploit the boy's failings. Slowly I was getting less injuries.
No matter how hard I tried, progress was slow. I realised at around session twelve that I wasn't the only one learning. I remember the fancy flip that allowed the boy to catch my head with his legs and nearly break my neck. It was a new move, one that I didn't want to see again.
Thinking back, I was simple-minded back then. I never once wondered if the boy was in the same situation as me. I used to think that I was special, that I had a unique life. It could very well be that this opponent of mine had very much the same life. It wouldn't have mattered much if that was the case. It wouldn't change the bloody mess I was left in after the sessions.
Analysing, practicing, failing. This I had learnt well, and it was an important lesson. If I expected to fail and succeeded, I have gained something. If I expect to succeed and failed, I have lost something.
Number twenty was the day I finally hit the boy. It had taken a lot of practicing, but I had finally replicated my lucky hit. From there, I could throw a few shots back at the boy. The feeling I got from it was so intense that I laughed whilst doing it. I know it seemed crazy, goodness knows what the boy must have thought, but I could barely believe I was doing it. It was hard not to put the person who completely outclassed you on a pedestal, so to climb onto that pedestal and throw him down was an incredible feeling.
It didn't change the semi-permanent broken nose I had received from the numerous sessions, but if I could inflict some back at him, that was good enough.
I never did learn his name. After the first session, I knew he would never respond. I never gave much thought to what would happen after I beat him. It was weird, in some ways I had come to see the boy as an important part of my life. He was a goal, a target, a constant. I could rely on it. There was never any need to doubt that. Come the twenty third session, I had succeeded in beating him. I was bloody and limping, but I had been able to get him on his back and whilst he had certain instructions to keep me conscious and stop me from receiving anything fatal, I had no such reservations.
After a few nasty hits, I knocked him out. It didn't take long for the door to creak open. I was greeted by a slow clapping.
"Well done, you have earned the right to progress to a more difficult opponent. Felicitations Naruto, I didn't expect you to come this far"
I felt hollowness in my victory. Nothing felt right when this man was around.
"Keep besting my expectations, boy"
The boy who I had known for twenty-three weeks was taken away, and soon replaced by an older girl. I can only imagine what I must have looked like to her. Some upstart boy covered in his own blood and the look of fear on his face. She, not unlike the previous boy, went straight on the attack. Unlike the previous boy, her attacks were sharper, faster, and when they hit they caused searing pain. I was back to square one. I had to learn how to counter a whole new set of moves, ones which were deadlier and faster. Life seemed a little cruel that night, especially as I had to crawl out of the room.
Weeks turned to months as I stuck by my routine. Reading, working, fighting and hanging out eating ramen. My life was simple, but I liked it. Before I knew it, it was week thirty-five and I was already able to avoid the most painful injuries. I became good and learning how people fought, and a few sessions later I was onto my next opponent.
I could get to the stage of reading their moves a lot faster, being able to confidently block and dodge the third person's attacks by the fortieth session. It was here that I hit a crucial barrier. I was never one for meticulously learning every form, practicing said form until your legs fall off and then practicing some more. I liked experience, and unfortunately this means that to best people, mostly you must be fast and strong. If you don't have technique, you must rely on other things. At that time, I wasn't doing much exercise around the sessions, I didn't really have the time. But after experiencing ten sessions of the same stalemate, I decided to change things up. I now added running and muscle workouts every other day.
It served me well, as I felt like I was getting faster and stronger, and at some points I could feel myself winning against my third opponent.
My birthday came around, but I only realised due to the festival preparations. That night I had been offered to stay in the library in the back room. I gladly accepted due to people getting a bit more hateful on the day of the festival, and I had the best birthday of my life. The Hokage stopped by and we shared a cake and I got my first ever gift. It was an orange sports jacket that was too big for me. I couldn't quite believe that I had received a present, and broke down in tears. I think it really freaked the Hokage out, but once he realised he laughed with me.
He told stories until I fell asleep. When I awoke in the morning, a note and a book was left next to the bed, along with the jacket. It read 'don't give up', and the book was called 'Tale of the Gutsy Ninja'. Suffice to say, it is still one of my most precious possessions.
Before I knew it, I was eight years old, I had gone to more than one hundred sessions and I had an easy time taking on new candidates. I would get a cracked rib or two, but I no longer left bleeding profusely. By my count, I had moved onto the fifteenth person and it looked like I wasn't going to be on this one long. Since I had been having success, I had begun to get cocky. I often tried to have some banter with them, tried to provoke them to say something. It hadn't worked yet, and I think I pissed someone off with my attitude.
The sixteenth person who entered wasn't as big as the people I had face previous. She had bright white hair and green eyes, but as with everyone else who I faced, she didn't have any emotion behind them. I waited for the obligatory rush they normally tried out, but when none came I laughed.
"Scared of little old me?"
I remember that was the last thing I said before I got side-swiped by a stream of water, and spent the next four hours being whipped, drowned and torn apart by various water ninjutsu. Just before she left, she ran up to me and pretended to kick me. I flinched.
"Scared of little old me?"
She was good.
As soon as I had rested, I was straight to the library. Day off or not, I had to do something about this new type of opponent. There was nothing I could do about her jutsus. They were too fast for me to avoid and too strong for me to shrug off. I searched all the books in the library, and didn't really find anything of much use. I didn't have access to anything more advanced, so other than basic ninjutsu theory (that didn't really go into any detail) there was no repository I could use.
Or rather, there wasn't a repository I could use legally. I knew the library well at this point. I knew where people would be and what was guarded properly. Luckily, Aoki the librarian enjoyed his two-pm nap more than the safety of some of the village's secrets. It was almost laughable how easy it was, and because they didn't do a check of all the books in the library (instead trusting in the record), I could keep any book as long as I wanted. I swiped a few books and a scroll on basic Suiton techniques.
Turns out that apparently to do jutsu you needed a good understanding of chakra and how to draw it out. This took a few more stolen books and a few nights of reading. Come the next week I hadn't learnt a single thing about performing a jutsu. I thought I would fare better with the extra knowledge I had, but as it turned out my opponent was far beyond the basics. Her Suiton moves were lethal and vastly more complex than those I had read about.
I knew just how screwed I was when I realised that we were effectively in a sewer. I could see pipes around the walls with various valves on them. With those, it was as if she had all the water she could ever need at the simple turn of a lever. Often, she would start a nasty string of jutsus by letting some water into the room so that it was ankle height. How she floated on the water's surface was a question that I endeavoured to get the answer to, among other things. After another gruelling session, I returned with the familiar bloody and broken state of being I had become so accustomed to. I had not missed it.
I repeatedly tried to get just one simple Suiton jutsu to work, only one would do. I had to combat what was being done to me, that was all that mattered. It was around this time that I received a letter while I was at work.
"Naruto, you have a job outside of the library" My boss said, sighing. "You are needed at one of the clan's archives to document and sort through their information. You have been personally requested, by the head of the clan, no less. Details are here, get to it as soon as you are able"
My relationship with my boss began and ended with work. Over the two years I had worked, I did my job diligently and he spared me pleasantries and irrelevant conversation. It was nice, if not a bit lonely.
My life had taught me to fear such a change in my life, but I didn't have a choice. I thought that I might as well get it over it. I remember clearly heading back to my place and cleaning myself up, not wanting to meet an important person looking a mess, and rushed over to the Nara compound. It was quiet, slow, calming. It was hard to describe the area, it had this certain effect on you that made you want to just take your shoes off and relax.
"Uzumaki-san, I'm glad you came so quickly" A familiar tall, dark haired man said. "I trust everything is going well?"
"It's you?!"
"Whoa, relax" The head of the Nara clan yawned. "We don't shout around here, too noisy"
"Oh, sorry" I said, awkwardly looking at my feet. I had no idea of what to do in this situation. "What job do you require me to do?"
He looked at me closely, and cracked a smile.
"Just follow me"
We travelled in silence. I wasn't going to force conversation. We walked into a nearby building, the man nodding at another clan member as he entered. He took a key from his pocket and opened the wooden door inside the building, revealing a large storeroom full of papers. From a quick glance at the ones closest to me, they seemed fairly focussed on medical stuff.
"Right, this is the task I have assigned you. This is the Nara's clan entire record of medical knowledge form case studies to independent research projects. There is a lot of work to sort it all out, and it shouldn't have been neglected so long. This isn't something that I care to rush however"
He took a quick break from talking to walk into the room.
"Why have I been assigned this task?" It was a fair question, I was only an eight-year-old assistant to a librarian. Why was I given this task which was clearly meant for someone a little more experienced?
"I am interested in you, Uzumaki-san…"
"Naruto, just Naruto please" I interrupted, not used to being addressed formally.
"My apologies. Anyway, who do you think pushed for you to be in the position you are in now? This may come as some surprise to you, but some powerful men wanted you, wanted to use you. I was able to broker a deal wherein you still retain some independence and follow whatever path you want"
"Me? Why would anyone want me?" It took a few moments for me to spit that out. It was all a little much for me to take in.
"You are special Naruto, but these men don't care about what is best for you. Now, tell me, how have your weekly 'sessions' been going?"
Suddenly I felt a surge of electricity run through my body, stopping me from speaking or moving. The man closed his eyes in understanding.
"It's alright, I understand that you won't be able to speak to me about it, I was just checking. Now, I am Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan. I'm only here to look out for you. While you are here, I encourage you to hang out with my son if he is around. You probably don't get too many chances to socialise, right?"
I nodded meekly, still shook from the seal activating.
"Great, now I'm going to go get back to taking a nap. You can start on the storage room, or you can start another day, I don't mind"
With that, Shikaku left, and I was alone. Even now the man is incredibly hard to read, and I had no idea what to say to him. Ever the enigma.
Regardless, his son wasn't home for the time being, so I shrugged and began picking up a few case studies and started reading through them. Truly, Naras did not skimp out on details when writing case studies, everything was written down and written in a clear, concise manner. It was just intelligent, and it made for good reading.
I got quite into the many case studies, and before I knew it the sky was turning dark. I turned to leave and nearly screamed.
In the doorway stood a dark-haired boy who looked roughly my age. I didn't sense him at all.
"What the hell?!" I eloquently said.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? Um, well… you see…" I was unsure of what to call myself. How did you even talk to eight year olds? "I am Uzumaki Naruto, Librarian extraordinaire!"
A little bit of bravado couldn't hurt, could it?
"Right. I'm Nara Shikamaru" He said, turning around and wandering outside. Even compared to me, he wasn't your average eight-year-old.
I packed up the papers, taking my notes and walked outside where I found him sitting on the step.
"Do you know how to play Shogi?" Shikamaru said, setting the board up.
"I don't really know what that is"
"Oh, well, it's easy. I can show you if you like"
Was this how people made friends? Piece of cake.
"Sure!" I shouted, awarding me a wince from my new friend.
After a short lecture on the pieces, I thought I understood the game. That was until Shikamaru started systematically taking every piece I had. I couldn't keep up, I couldn't read his moves. After he obliterated me, I demanded a rematch. He shrugged, reset and we played again. I was more cautious this time, I tried to remember what he did last match. I did better, and even was able to cause Shikamaru to smile at one point.
"So, you aren't as dumb as you look" He said, chuckling.
"Hey! I'm not dumb! This is my second game!"
I couldn't help but smile too, and we ended up laughing together. Eventually, we began talking and the game went to the back of my mind, despite our continued play of it.
"Do you go to the academy?" I asked, curious.
"Yeah. Parents want me to become a ninja and take over the clan and all" He replied, taking another piece. "What about you?"
"Me? Ah, I'm just a librarian. But, one day I'll be a ninja" I said. Shikamaru was not convinced.
"Normally, ninja are trained in the academy"
"Normally, you are right" I said, and to my surprise he seemed satisfied. The boy was smart, he could read between the lines.
"How is being a librarian?"
"Lots of reading, a little boring, but at least I can learn a lot" I said, realising that no matter my move, I would be checked next time Shikamaru went.
"Sounds nice, maybe I should change my career"
"By the sounds of it, I'm not so sure your parents would be happy with that"
"Mothers are troublesome, right?" Shikamaru wasn't looking at me, so he probably missed the flinch of pain across my face.
I let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah, troublesome…" I awkwardly moved my piece.
We continued talking for a little while and played another game of shogi. I wasn't very good, but we had a good time talking. Eventually he was called in by his Mother and we parted.
It went well, considering that was the first eight-year-old I could make friends with. It was confusing, the entire Nara clan confused me, but I was happy.
My working time was spent either at the library or at the Nara compound. Shikamaru and I met every time I came over and talked. Sometimes it was about being a ninja, or sometimes it was about something I had read. The boy was truly smart, and I realised why his parents were so keen for him to be a ninja. That kind of intelligence isn't seen often, and I did not want to fight him. I felt like even if I had a thousand jutsu, he could form a plan to defeat every single one. It was an unfortunate that I couldn't speak to him about the room. I feel like my success rate would double with his plans.
Regardless, the next session was upon me, and still any Suiton jutsu was beyond me. I got beat around and drowned until the very last second.
And that's how things were for me. I had a new friend, more responsibility, and got beat half to death once a week. I think Shikamaru noticed by the second time, but didn't say anything. Sometimes it scared me how perceptive he was. As so often in my life, the weeks turned into months, and I was still stuck in the same spot. It wasn't until my one hundred and fifteenth meeting that I would have a breakthrough. Again, I was dodging a sharp water whip from the left, and could see a kunai coming straight for me from the front. I didn't have time to dodge, so instinctively I made some hand seals.
My eyes were closed, so I didn't realise I had stopped it at first. The sound of my opponent dropping her attacks was my first sign that something had gone right.
Opening my eyes, I saw a veil of water in front of me, and a kunai impaled in it. I had succeeded in performing the basic water wall jutsu, my first ever jutsu. I was about to celebrate, scream for joy and dance, but unfortunately my mood was short lived when my opponent began cackling, sending a water whip to crush my defence and slam me into the ground.
The idea that I had learned a Suiton technique must have riled her up, as she became far more ferocious and cut throat with her techniques, meaning that if I didn't pay attention I was dead.
When I stumbled back to my apartment, I sighed. I was a fool to think that I could learn Suiton techniques to best hers. It would take years for me to get good enough to rival her, and even then, she would have learnt many different techniques. I needed a new approach.
The few books I was able to get on it did provide me with an interesting idea. Suiton techniques were weak against Doton techniques, meaning that it would be better for me to learn those. However, there was no earth in the room I fought in. How the hell could I even use such a technique in that environment? I knew you could perform a few of them without pre-existing earth, but that required a better grasp of the element and more chakra. I needed all the help I could get.
"Let's say, hypothetically, you are faced against someone who uses Suiton techniques. They declare that you have a month to figure out a way to beat them before they try to kill you. What would you do?" I asked, careful with my wording.
"What?" He said, confusion in his voice. "That is an awfully specific hypothetical"
"Forget about it, it was stupid"
"Nah, let me think. Right, if they boasted strong Suiton techniques that made it impossible for me to use taijutsu, then I would come up with a counter to buy my enough time to get close or find a weakness to exploit in their techniques"
I mentally cursed.
"OK, how about we say their technique is flawless"
"Then I would use explosive tags"
I looked at him unintelligently.
"Those are real?!"
He facepalmed.
"Let me give you a piece of advice. There isn't a person who can't be killed by an explosion. Any person that survives an explosion wasn't hit by one that was big enough"
"But… that is so simple"
"Sometimes it is good to have an overly complex plan with numerous factors, but then everything falls apart if one element goes wrong. Simple plans have their merits"
I smiled at the young Nara, and gave him a hug.
"You are a genius Shikamaru!"
"Quiet, jeez" He said, wincing.
I figured that I should start reading about equipment. In fact, the only equipment I had was a few kunai I had picked up from fighting my various opponents. None of them thus far had used anything other than that, so I never really thought about bringing any.
Now, I wasn't earning a lot of money, and all that I did earn went directly into Ichiraku's Ramen, so I couldn't afford explosives. Luckily for me, there were a few scrolls on how to make them.
Fuuinjutsu looked complex, and the many warnings about its dangers were not lost on me. I did find one book to teach me the basics, but its title nearly made me put it back to find another. Too bad they were scarce.
It was called 'an idiot's guide to Fuuinjutsu', and didn't have an author. I thought it was strange that such a serious subject was taught in such a casual way, but it was the only thing I had to go on.
It described in detail the various parts of seals, how they worked, why they were important. It became apparent that this wasn't an overnight solution, so alongside this I began trying to learn Doton jutsus. I thought seeming as I had performed one jutsu, this one would be a lot easier. Turns out that water and earth are very different elements, and I wouldn't be learning one fast.
It was remarkable how easy I was to accept the total defeat I received weekly. She did not let up her attacks, even now that I could use a water wall, and left unharmed at the end of each session. I had quite easily accepted the fact that she was better, and I had to learn to get better. Each week was another lesson in patience. Surprise was key. Remembering her reaction when I used the water wall, I knew that I had a chance to attack while she was surprised. I was foolish for not capitalising on it.
Seals weren't just confusing, they were improbably. So many things could go wrong with each element, I was so scared to make my first. I triple checked every line, reread the theory of each part, ran through what I had to do to compile it. Before long, all that I could to was compress it into one seal.
I focussed all the chakra into my palm, and slowly place it in the centre of the array I had drawn. I paused, feeling out each part with my chakra, before pulling. Suddenly the carefully drawn characters all began to glow, before spinning around the centre. They converged to the middle, before coming to a halt. The glowing stopped, and I hesitantly lifted it up. My first seal hadn't killed me yet, and a quick test in the sink proved it. I made it to be weak for this very reason, and it worked perfectly. I cheered, and quickly began on my second. Soon, I was celebrating my tenth seal by the time my next fight came around. The next fight, I had forty, and the one after that a hundred. All the while biding my time.
I couldn't be rash. Using my explosives recklessly would only reward me with pain. I needed the surprise I had before, it could create the perfect opening. That left me with only one option – jutsu. Other than my water wall, I had nothing. I hadn't really been trying to learn a Doton since my seal work had started. It was just difficult, and my last successful jutsu was done in the moment. I couldn't rely on that learning style for jutsu.
I was stuck, so to speak, and when one is stuck they need to do something drastic. I had a plan, but it wasn't smart by any means. Some would say it was damn right foolish. Luckily, I didn't ask for anyone's opinion on the matter.
I had to find a teacher. This was no easy matter, as it is rare to find someone to teach those who aren't at least genin, let alone someone as hated as I am. I didn't even have the money for tutoring regardless, so that crossed most options off the list. Logically, the next place to try would be those we didn't need money and were good at jutsu.
I had read the bingo book as we get new editions in frequently, and knew about a certain ninja who knew over a thousand jutsu. He seemed as good as any to steal a few techniques from. Obviously, I understood that he wouldn't just bend over and give me a lesson. A ninja is rarely direct, and never fair.
Research was key, and it seemed that he was a well-known man.
"Who doesn't know about Kakashi-san?" Ayame said, cooking some noodles. "He is famous for his skill and aloof attitude. A mysterious man"
"How can he be famous and mysterious?"
"He is famous because he is mysterious. Although he does walk around the village with a perverted book"
Whilst Kakashi was well-known, I would like to think I was well-read. There was only one perverted book people read, we even had a few copies in the library of the popular series. I only knew about it because the author's name stuck out. 'Jiraiya', the Sanin, one of the strongest ninja ever to step foot on this earth. He could topple nations and rival the power of even the great tailed beasts, and yet he writes smut.
Luck was on my side, as it just so happened that the allusive prequel to the series was stored in the library, preserved in a box in the back rooms. No one can see it, unless they are the head of the library or the Hokage. I wasn't either of those options, but I was sneaky.
It wasn't a good idea to mess around with one of the strongest Jounin in the village, but then, I've faced worst odds than that.
Meeting someone so illustrious is nigh impossible, unless you are a well-connected individual whose connections aren't against doing you a few favours for free.
"The Hokage said you wished to have an audience with me" The Jounin said lazily, hopping through my window.
First meetings are important, and I believe I made a good impression.
"Gah! What the hell?!" I remember screaming, being startled at his sudden appearance. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"
"A ninja that knocks? Please…" Kakashi said, waving his had in front of his face.
"You took your time, I've been waiting here all day"
"In which case, you should be more alert"
I could tell that Kakashi could (and would) keep teasing me all day, and despite some reservations, I know when to give up.
"Look, I asked to meet you because I thought we could broker a deal of sorts" I began after calming down. "If you aren't opposed to making deals with no name civilians"
Kakashi chuckled. "So, a no name civilian asks the Hokage to meet me to make a deal with me, and the Hokage dutifully accepts?"
"Uh, yes?"
"Well, that seems reasonable. What's the deal?"
I was thrown off guard, and stuttered a little. I reached for a piece of paper on my desk.
"Basically, I want you to teach me a few useful Doton techniques, with the Hokage's consent of course" I said, staring the man in the eyes.
I couldn't tell what he was thinking. His face was pretty much fully covered, showing only a single eye. Trying to read him would prove futile.
"I am to potentially risk the safety of the village by teaching a no name civilian some jutsu?" Kakashi said, hand moving to his chin. "And what do I get in return?"
"Oh, nothing special. I mean, I am a no name civilian. It is just, I can get access to Icha Icha: Academy"
Kakashi visibly shifted at the mention of the name.
"Now now, child. One shouldn't throw that name around carelessly". He leaned in closely. "Don't even try lying to me"
It was my turn to laugh now. I picked up my library identification card and smiled.
"I am a librarian in the library that houses it. I can get you access to the book"
The Jounin remained in the same position, eyes darting over the card to confirm its legitimacy. I tried to not let my nervousness slip, and thought of even provoking him. I promptly reminded myself that I was being stared down by an unbelievably strong ninja and if I valued my limbs it would be advised to let the man do what he likes.
"Meet me at training ground three tomorrow at six in the evening. I will teach you a few techniques" He said, still staring.
"And after I can perform them, you can see the book" I replied, smiling.
"Careful, I'm being generous. Don't try to barter recklessly with a man who can remove your head from your shoulders from over a hundred foot away"
I gulped.
"See you then, Naruto-kun"
He jumped out the window, and I laughed nervously. Note to self: Don't try to antagonise Kakashi.
Soon, I forgot about that note as I learnt that he was chronically late. I learned the hard way. It was nine before he showed up.
"Where the hell have you been?!" I asked, fuming.
"Sorry, I got lost on the road of life"
"Bullshit!" I know it wasn't proper, but I was mad. "We had a deal!"
"And I am sticking to it. Calm down, shut up, and pay attention"
Whilst the man was late, he knew he stuff about jutsu. His lone eye analysed my every move, correcting my every mistake. And, more importantly, by twelve I could make an earth wall.
"That's one, I know I'm amazing"
I couldn't even say anything. I had struggled for months to get one Suiton jutsu down, and yet this man comes along and I've learnt a new jutsu in three hours.
"See you tomorrow" Was all he said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
I was impressed, and even if I knew he would be late, I was there six on the dot. I spent the time waiting for Kakashi reading about various seals. Storage seals would be a necessity I decided. Already I was forming a battle plan when my sensei showed up and he showed me another technique – Earth Spike.
It was rather impressive and flashy, but I figured out the reason he chose that one. It required a lot of the theory of the Earth Wall, but you just had to change a few of the properties. Either he wanted to show me that Doton release was versatile and that learning more would be easier, or he was being lazy. Regardless, true to his word, I could perform the technique after a few hours.
"You are damn lucky kid that you have mad chakra" He said, messing up my hair. "Most academy students couldn't dream of spamming a technique one hundred times a night to get it right"
"Really?" I had no idea of the capabilities of the other students. I assumed I was average.
"It is pretty impressive, I must say. Don't get the wrong idea, your execution is terrible right now. You need to keep practicing that technique for at least a month before it will be strong enough to reliably used, but most wouldn't be able to even practice. Now, let's forget about that, what of the book?"
I didn't hear the man, processing what he just said.
"Naruto-kun? Don't make me force it out of you" He said ominously.
"Huh? Oh! The book! Stop by my apartment tomorrow after I finish work"
"Alright, see you then kid!"
Everything was coming together. Despite Kakashi's advice, it only took a week for my technique to be useable. I had learnt how to make storage seals, and had a few full of dirt taken from the training field. I discovered also that my Earth Wall technique could be moulded into different shapes, though it took a little extra time and chakra. I had read somewhere that intimidation is a large part of what makes a good shinobi, so after some playing around I was able to make a bastardised version of the Earth Wall – Stone Hand. It didn't really serve as a wall, as once raised it fell over. It was stone though, so it boasted quite the weight. It looked like a giant trying to slap a bug, and I could only imagine what facing it would look like. First of what I like to call 'The Uzumaki Clan Secret Hidden Super Techniques of Cool', or 'Uzumaki Secret Techniques' for short. I figured that many people would frown at its full title. It did take an extra few months to perfect, but I think it was worth it. In that time, I also made a few extra explosives and storage seals, and had a little practice of using them.
Now it was all about putting all that I had learned to the test.
I entered the room a few minutes early, and glanced into my equipment bag strapped to my thigh. Everything was there, accounted for and ready. My opponent walked in, kunai spinning on her finger. She had been trained to be emotionless, but I could see the cockiness in her stride. To be fair, she had every right to be. I wasn't sure I would be able to get anything other than a draw from her.
As per, she attacked first, launching a Water Whip aiming for my neck. I ducked and dived left, avoiding the kunai she threw just after. I ran towards the wall, eyes noticing a familiar set of hand seals as she exhaled, a torrent of water shooting from her mouth towards me. I ran up the wall and backflipped, placing a tag on the wall as I did. I wasn't completely sparred from the attack, but I was able to shrug it off and continue to dodge.
Her aim was precise, even when using various justu her kunai flew fast. I had received a few nicks, but nothing serious yet. It was amazing just how good she was at fighting. I knew many didn't get the privilege of fighting over ten battles with the same person, more reason to end the fight today.
Placing another tag on the opposite side of the room, I deflected her kunai with mine and threw it at her. She didn't realise that it had a tag on it until she was thrown off balance by its blast. I dashed forward and flared my chakra, knowing I wouldn't get another chance. My storage seals I placed at the two ends of the room activated, large quantities of dirt exploding out of them. Despite her ears ringing and being in mid fall, she lashed out with her Water Whip, aiming for my legs. It came faster than I expected, and jumped back just out of its range. My practiced hand seals were fast, and I slapped the ground.
"Doton: Stone Hand" I cried, pouring all the chakra I could into the technique.
Thanks to my storage scrolls, the dirt around the room provided the perfect ingredients for the Stone Hand, and true to its name and the giant stone structure rose from the ground biblically. My opponent stared in shock before realising her blunder. She poured all the chakra she could into her legs before leaping straight up.
Readying her shuriken, she narrowly avoided the hand crashing down below her and launched her arsenal at me. I was unable to avoid two of them, one hitting me in the shoulder and the other in my leg, but this was expected. I knew that to perform my last technique I would have to take a hit.
"Doton: Earth Spike!" Ending with snake, a spear came out of the stone hand, shooting up at the Suiton user. She knew as soon as she threw those shuriken that this would happen, and had thought up a counter.
She gathered water in her palm, slowly forming a large ball of water. As soon as the spear was close, she thrust her palm into the tip of the spear.
As the techniques clashed, water and dirt were thrown everywhere, concealing her from view. As the obstruction cleared, I was greeted by a foot to my face, launching me back into the wall.
"You think a few fancy moves can stop me?" She said, spitting. "I hope you weren't trying to impress…"
Her words wouldn't leave her mouth as the tag I left by her feet went off, consuming her. I fought the burning in my chest and sat upright.
And immediately fell back down to avoid a kunai.
"What the hell?! How tough are you?!" I said, earning a laugh for my efforts.
There she stood, half of her uniform blown off and her skin burnt.
"Maybe you did impress me, just a little bit" She said, finding it hard to stay upright.
I got to my foot, albeit slowly, and made my way towards her. My chakra was nearly out, the Stone Hand technique really took it out of me.
"How about we end this with our fists?" I said, dropping my kunai on the floor.
She stared at me, and laughed.
"You are trying to sound cool, right? Idiot."
Her kunai hit the floor, and I lead with a left.
It took all of four minutes for me to end the fight. Whilst she was a demon Suiton user, her taijutsu wasn't as good as those I had faced before. Her performance could be due to the half of her body being burnt, but that was for the historians to debate on.
I pulled a scroll out of my worn jacket.
"Here, salve for burns and all that" I said, scratching the back of my head. "I prepared that for me, expecting my explosive tags to hit me"
She laughed, taking it.
"You aren't half bad kid. See you around"
With that, she passed out, and I waited for the next fight.
Danzo walked out, instantly running a chill down my spine.
"Such an improvement. You spend over four months being a practice dummy, and now you come out with two new devastating techniques, explosive tags and more importantly a plan. Keep up with this and I'm not sure there will be enough people for you to fight"
I chuckled, all until he threw a kunai at me handle first.
"Unfortunately, I fear that this is a game to you. I'm not sending these people after you to mess around for months, practicing techniques to your heart's content. Now, kill that ninja"
I looked at the kunai, and looked back at him.
"Kill her? Why?"
"That is what a good shinobi does, that is the world we live in. You must be able to kill people, and why not start now. She is a good ninja, true, but I've got better. Failure is normally death. If not yours then another's. We all need to learn to take responsibility for it"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"That is what you call being a good shinobi?" I spat on the ground. "If that is the world we live in, then I will change it. Mark my words"
"Here I was thinking you were smart. Turns out you are just another idiot"
A kunai imbedded itself in the body of the kunoichi, too fast for me to see until the blood shot out of her. My eyes went wide as I rushed towards her.
I noticed that the wound would kill her if I didn't act fast. I looked up at Danzo, but he was already walking away. I shouted at him.
"You won't abandon this girl"
I treated her wound, using the scroll I gave her minutes ago. Danzo stopped for a moment, turning his head over his shoulder. My hands were fast, and after stopping the bleeding I bandaged her up. He smirked.
"The more I look the more surprises you have. My spies are ill informed, you know more than you let on. I'm feeling generous today, I'll spare her life. As I said, she was useful. But don't expect such kindness in the future. Get out of here"
I scornfully looked at the man, before slowly collecting my things. That night, I wouldn't sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about that man, and about my situation. If only I didn't have this seal on me, I remember thinking. There are quite a few times in my life where I look back and think, how didn't I get that?
The day after when I was taking stock on my seals that I realised I was studying seals and could focus on doing something about it. Nothing was as simple as that, but I had beaten the odds before.
I knew next week there would be a new difficult person waiting for me in the room. I would get beaten hard, now that I had played my hand. I couldn't learn anything substantial in a week, but I could prepare to give them hell.
A few months later, I walked out of the room triumphant against the next ninja. He was fast, hard hitting, and the few Suiton techniques he knew gave me hell. I didn't beat him by getting a teacher, nor did I found a new book. I simply got stronger through physical exercise and practicing techniques. It was around this time that I also found myself finishing the Nara project.
When I found the last papers, I was a little shocked. I couldn't believe I was nearing the end. Shikamaru and I hung out far into the night, I stayed over for dinner and even slept at his house. There was a first time for everything, after all.
I enjoyed his company a lot. His quick wit, though often at my expense, was funny, and to chat with someone so intelligent was always a pleasure. I didn't know what he saw in me, but for whatever reason he liked me too. I left before he woke up.
I suspected my life would go back to normal, to what it was before I had the pleasure of the Nara clan. Good thing that I make a habit of being wrong. Two days later, another task required my attention, this time at the Yamanaka clan. Despite not being as big as the Nara clan, they did a lot of work on the psychological elements of humans, and as such had a lot of research notes and the like that required help.
Inoichi was a shrewd man, or at least that was my first impression. My second was that he was an ass.
"Uzumaki-san, I'm glad you could make it. I have a lot of paperwork that requires a librarian's touch. Unfortunately, I could only afford the help of a librarian's assistant" He said, smirking.
I was a little surprised, but couldn't allow myself to be outdone.
"And here I thought the illustrious Yamanaka clan was full of riches? Is it not a noble clan?"
The man laughed, slapping his knee.
"You will do just fine here, kid" He said, pointing to the other room. "Go through there and my daughter will show you where your work will be required"
"Yes, your grace" I said, bowing.
Ino showed me where I was working. She was curious, I could tell. I was nervous, and I hoped she couldn't tell.
I had a look around the room. It was messy, much messier than the Nara's, and a quick glance of the closest paper told me that it would take a lot longer to understand each one.
"Daddy says you are a librarian's assistant?" Ino said, walking around me. "Didn't realise people our age did those sort of jobs"
"Didn't realise people thought about my job"
"A little uptight, aren't you?" She said, flicking her hair. "I get it, I can be overwhelming"
"As if!" I knew it wasn't the right reply, but I didn't know the right one.
"Relax Romeo, I was joking!"
"I didn't…. eurgh never mind!"
I picked up a stack of paper and walked over to the desk, and began to make notes on the first paper. Ino, not having anything better to do, observed me work.
"What are you doing?" She asked, glancing at the pile.
"Are you in the ninja academy?" I asked, not looking up.
"Of course! You know I am heir to a powerful ninja family"
"Well, then I am sure you can appreciate that some things are to remain secret"
"That is true… except my job requires that. You are a librarian, so I am not sure it is relevant"
I rolled my eyes, and chanted to myself. She wants to get a rise out of you, she wants to get a rise out of you, she wants too… I chanted.
"Is there anything you do for fun around here?" I ended up asking, trying to ignore the previous conversation.
"Normally I head outside and play with my friends. Want to do that?"
The idea made Naruto sick.
"I'm alright thanks…"
Despite what people said, Ino could read people. She didn't push him.
"I could always sneak into the family shop and mess around with the more dangerous plants…" She paused, rubbing her chin. "Normally I can't do it, because I don't normally have an accomplice, but now I do!"
It was like she was a completely different person. Or rather, she decided to show me a bit of Yamanaka Ino. Underneath the popular, top of the class perfect girl, she was really a trouble maker. I guessed I should reciprocate.
"Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm an assistant librarian, and one day I am going to be the greatest ninja this world will ever see"
Ino was surprised at first, but then laughed.
"My name is Yamanaka Ino. I am your team leader, and we are going to steal some supplies. Our fun begins here, subordinate"
And like that, Ino and I became friends. Sneaking into her shop was easy. She did have a key to the backdoor after all. I went home first and picked up a book on various herbs and what they can be used for, and we spent the rest of the day taking parts of certain herbs.
"So how did you become a librarian's assistant" Ino crushed a leaf using a pestle and mortar.
"I guess I didn't have a choice in the matter"
"Why don't you join the ninja academy? If you want to be a ninja"
"I figure I will just take the test when I'm twelve and get in that way. I like being a librarian right now"
She puzzled it over in her head.
"How are you going to take the test when you wouldn't have been able to learn the jutsu and ninja stuff?"
"I literally work in a big room full of books on everything. Eventually you find books on ninja stuff"
"Still, you would learn faster with a teacher" She hit me on the arm. "I bet you can't even do the Transformation jutsu yet!"
I looked at her blankly.
"Please, educate me" I said sarcastically.
"Those books are looking pretty worthless now, huh?" She teased, forming the ram seal. "Transform!"
She was enveloped in a puff of smoke, and in her place stood a carbon copy of me. From the blond hair, to the black t-shirt and orange jacket. I nearly fell off my seat.
"You have to teach me that!" I said, jumping up.
"Oh Naruto-kun" She whispered. "You don't think I will just give you this information"
I shuddered. "What do you want"
"Sit still!" She shouted, pushing me in the chair and turning me around. "Let's test out some of these plants!"
"What? Are you insane?" I said, trying to force my way out of the chair.
"I won't use anything lethal, I'm not crazy" She scooped the crushed leaf out and spread it on my arm.
"If your book is to be believe, your arm should react by swelling to double its size" She said, pointing her finger to the picture of the plant. "Think of it as an experiment!"
True to the book, it didn't take long for my arm to balloon. It didn't quite go to twice its size, but it was still freaky. The book said it should last a few hours, but after twenty minutes my arm was back to normal.
"I guess we didn't put enough on?" Ino said, chuckling. "Still, it was cool!"
I itched my arm. "Cool for you, maybe"
"Well, you did it, so I guess I should show you the transformation technique. Here"
My next challenger walked into the room, and immediately drew his blade.
"Swords, huh? Never fought one before" I said, pulling a kunai out. "This will be interesting"
If by interesting I meant painful, then I was right. His sword was too fast to see, and many a time I ended up cut due to being slow. His movements were fluid and his sense sharp, making my Stone Hand effectively useless against him. He cut right through my spikes and he could avoid every explosive I set for him.
I lost a lot of blood, and once the twelve hours were up, I fell unconscious. I left the room the next day, limping. I was in a bad way, and cursed. I couldn't keep that up for months, I had to find a way to deal with swords.
As far as books were concerned, other than training in the way of swords for hours on end each day, there wasn't much of a counter. Not that I expected a magical solution to fighting swordsmen.
I couldn't afford a sword, so the training option didn't appeal to me. Then again, I wasn't foolish enough to think I could magic up a new jutsu out of thin air and expect to defeat someone with it.
Sorting through the Yamanaka files, I tried to come up with a plan. I needed to learn how to fight people with swords, and whilst the few books I had read were useful, it would be at least a month before I was able to hope to block any strikes.
Ino was at the academy, so I had ample time to think to myself. I logically thought about the options I had, and concluded to get experience I needed only to ask one question: Where do people practice fighting? The training grounds seemed a good bet. I was familiar with number three and I had heard of people using them frequently.
Sure enough, I was right. Two genin grasped at katanas, wildly swinging them at each other. This was the reward for squatting in a bush for five hours? They fought for a short time, neither were as good as my opponent. Seeing this display was an embarrassment. Just as I was getting bored, one of the genin struck hard and disarmed the other, launching his katana over into the bushes near me. As it turns out, the gods were on my side. Four minutes later, I was back in my apartment, katana in hand.
It was cheap, sure, but at least I had something to defend myself with. Or to pretend to defend myself with. I had no one to train me.
I practiced forms long into the night, trying to get my body to remember. The katana was a little big for me, making me look a little goofy, but I didn't care. I was nine, and I wasn't going to get cut again.
I should have been more perceptive at the time. Two genin just happened to be training at the training ground I was waiting at, clumsily playing with katanas. I was a fool, truly. It was a game to Danzo, he wanted to see if I could surprise him with swordplay, and I jumped right into his hand.
The next session came soon enough, and I didn't feel confident. The boy entered the room as before, and slowly stepped into the middle. He drew his tanto, and smirked. As he lunged, I twirled the katana over my head and swung down. I thought I looked cool, and maybe my opponent did also. That might be because his blade pierced my shoulder, but that was beside the point. Turns out you can't learn swordplay in a week. I wasn't that foolish though.
My hands dropped my sword and latched onto his arms, running through seals as I did so. I gripped tightly.
"No running now, I'm sorry"
To give the boy credit, he didn't flinch. Not even as the Earth Spike drove up from under me straight into his stomach. He coughed up blood onto my face, his body falling limp.
I stared at the corpse and vomited. I didn't even notice Danzo walk into the room. I didn't hear his words. I drew the blade from my shoulder, and cleaned it on my shirt. I unstrapped the sheath from the boy's back and put away his tanto.
"What was his name?" I asked, voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Kenta" Danzo replied, frowning.
I left the room early that night. I thought I heard Danzo shout at me, but I wasn't listening. I wasn't going to fight that night.
I told myself I wouldn't kill. I told myself that if I did kill, I would endure it. That is what ninja do. Sometimes you must kill. I thought I would be alright with killing one of the people that I have to face each week.
As soon as I got back I cried. All night I wept. Nothing could sooth the feeling I had inside me, the pain I felt over killing someone. I built a shrine in my room, and placed the tanto on it. Every night I would burn incense for him, for the man I didn't know. I didn't turn up for work that week. I remained inside, trying to deal with the fact that I killed someone. I could barely look in the mirror anymore.
The next session came by, and I dutifully made me way to the room. A new opponent stood waiting, same as before. It was as if nothing happened.
They went to attack me, but I remained still. Their fist connected with my face and sent me to the floor. I did not move. They kicked, knifed and broke me, but I would not move. Twelve hours of agony like I had never felt in a session, and I walked out. It didn't make me feel any better about the boy's death, but I hope I got the message across. I made my own decisions, and if I didn't want to fight I wouldn't.
I went back to work a few days later and pretended nothing happened. I went to the Yamanaka's place and organised their papers, played with Ino, and trained. I fought in the sessions, and I burnt incense every night. My skills increased, and I began defeating opponents quickly. By the time that I was twelve, I had finished the Yamanaka project and finished the Akimichi project (yet another project that was an excuse for me to socialise with the heir). I made good friends with Choji, and even saw Ino and Shikamaru in the time I had been with the Akimichis. I had bested countless people in the room. I had taken to practicing each night with the katana, but I never used it in battles. I didn't deserve to.
For the three years since I killed Kenta, I had only trained the skills I knew. My Doton techniques were quick and heavy, my taijutsu formless but deadly, and my explosives plentiful. I usually used tactics to win my battles, mostly involving the use of distractions and elements of surprise. I had learnt to incorporate the transformation jutsu into my fights, capitalising on every opportunity I could.
There was one opponent who no matter how much I trained, I struggled to beat. They used Doton release, and this proved a bad matchup for me. Nothing I did had any effect, and my moves were countered by theirs. Eventually, I resorted to the magic jutsu plan.
I knew that a decent Raiton technique would win me the battle, but they proved to be more difficult than any jutsu I had tried previous. Nothing worked, and when something did finally work, it was far from its intended affect. What the technique did was build up the electricity in your hands, and you discharged it by slapping something or someone. The idea I had was if I hit their defence, it would travel along the ground and shock them. When I slammed my hand in the wall, nothing happened. I remember sighing, cancelling the technique and having a bolt of lightning dart across my face.
Turns out that instead of building up energy, I had made it so my hands ionised the air around them. When the technique cancels, it released a lightning bolt that travelled along this air, balancing the charge and stunning anyone in the area. Happy accident!
Soon enough came the academy exam. I couldn't help but be nervous. I had been waiting six long years for this to happen, to just get the chance to prove myself.
I entered the classroom, and glanced at the many would-be ninjas sitting at the desks. I gulped. My attention was drawn to the waving hand of a familiar blond-haired girl, beckoning me over.
"Over here!" She shouted, hitting Shikamaru. "You can sit here"
Sighing, the Nara ascended to his feet and moved up a space. I smiled.
"So guys, how we all feeling?" I said, cracking my neck. "Ready to break some legs out there?"
"We have been ready for years, idiot. We just thought it would be best to wait for you"
"Oh, of course, my mistake" I said, bowing. "Please, do forgive my misconduct your grace"
She laughed and shook her head. Shikamaru smiled and Choji handed me a crisp.
"You sure little old Shika over there is passing? I've seen his test results…"
"Worry about yourself, librarian" Was all the Nara said before falling asleep.
After ten minutes of waiting, Iruka walked into the room, and began calling names to go be tested. It wasn't long before I was called in. The room was small and unremarkable, holding a small desk and a chair opposite. Three men were cramped around the desk, all observing me closely.
I slowly walked over to the chair, nodded to the men, and sat.
"Uzumaki Naruto" The man on the left began, looking at his clipboard. "You are here to take a test to see if you are worthy to become a ninja. Whilst this is highly irregular, I see you have a recommendation from the Hokage"
"I do, as he believes as well as I that I am ready to be a ninja" I tried to sound brave, but my voice wavered a little. To think that I have fought countless battles and have even killed, and yet this is what scares me.
"Big words. Right, let's not waste any time. Your written test results are shining, we are here to test your other skills. Namely, taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and anything else we deem appropriate for you to know. Generally, as long as you can defend from them, this test won't be difficult. Let's get started"
I learned a little later that my test was a lot more thorough due to my situation, but it didn't matter. Most academy students don't know numerous strong elemental jutsu.
It wasn't long until I was sitting in the same classroom wearing a headband. I couldn't stop smiling, even as I clutched the resignation confirmation letter from the library.
"Everyone shut up. Now, from this day forward…" I couldn't pay attention to the speech. It was dull, and I was more interested in what would follow. I had all the information on who the Jounin were, and had already guessed what the teams would be.
"And without any further ado, team one is..."
I looked at the Uchiha, melancholy boy still obsessed over the revenge of his clan. Noble aim, but he wouldn't get far until he realised that he would be dead if he allowed hate to consume him.
A quick glance at the girl next to him told me all I needed to know. An admirer of his. She was top of the class, boasting a high intellect. Truly I would have to pull my weight on the team, but I wasn't worried. I could work hard if need be.
"Team seven, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto"
People didn't know me yet, that was a good thing. I had already received a few glares since coming here, but that didn't bother me. As long as my team didn't think I was a freak. I walked over to my new team.
"Hi, I'm Naruto. Want to sit together?"
Was what I intended to say. Instead, I tripped over someone's foot that was stuck out. Without thinking, I thrust my hands out and leaped over the desk in front of me, realising that I was heading head first into Sasuke. Unfortunately, the commotion caused the Uchiha to turn around right at the moment of impact. My lips slapped against his, causing all noise to stop in the classroom.
So much for first impressions.
Author's Note
Dear Reader,
I see you have found the start to what I hope is a very long and exciting story. I've tried to set everything out, and prepare things for many events to happen in the future. If it is a bit too rushed, I apologise. Though it is over thirteen thousand words long, I did try to be quick about it.
I encourage everyone who reads this to review and follow! I love criticism, and I also love praise! I thank anyone that took the time to read my work and can only hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
I will respond to any questions you have, so bring it on!