Ever wonder what happened long before the time of young Naruto Uzumaki? Ever wonder how the Hidden Leaf came to be? How the evil of the Akatsuki came to be? Why Madara became obsessed with the Jinchuriki? This series explains just that. This is the story of Ryuji Mine.

"Ryuji…you're late…again!" Mikkel said, as Ryuji raced to his seat.

"Yeah, yeah, we're about to graduate and become ninja anyway! Who cares when I show up!" Ryuji laughed.

"I'm sure your fellow classmates care…," Mikkel said.

"Whatever…, are we gonna learn or are yaw just gonna sit there and insult me!" Ryuji yelled.

Ryuji Mine- Age: 12...Appearance: Young, African Japanese, white fuzzy hood, red jacket, black shirt, black pants, sandals, once he receives his headband, he wears it sideways. He is an experiment of the Mine clan, who was given an artificial Biju, with DNA mixed from their wolf summons and the five tailed dolphin horse, giving it their wolf like five tailed form.

"Fine…you wanna learn? You'll learn…some respect! Everyone in the class must focus their chakra and walk across the pool," Mikkel said.

"Come on Ryuji! That's not fair!" Umitaka pouted as he folded his arms.

"Shouldn't be a problem for me!" Saru chuckled.

"And no kekkai genkai!" Mikkel smirked.

"Come on Ryuji!" Saru whined.

"Whatever…I'm the greatest ninja alive…I don't care about your guys insults," Ryuji shrugged.

"Alright…ready everyone? Nami, you're up first!" Mikkel said.

"Right…," Nami said as she did the tiger hand sign and closed her eyes, a circle of chakra formed around her feet, and she began walking on the water.

Nami Michishio- Age: 12...Appearance: Young, Japanese, long brown hair, very poofy, kept in a braid, wears a blue hoody, green pants, and blue sandals. Has water style jutsu's, uses the water to summon different watery creatures.

"Excellent job Nami! Next up…Tatsumaru!" Mikkel said, reading off Tatsumaru's name from the list.

"Watch and learn kiddies!" Tatsumaru grinned as he focused his chakra in the most obnoxious way possible.

Tatsumaru Nagisaka- Age: 12...Appearance: Young, Chinese, spiky black hair and black robes with a green belt, and two white circular dots, he wears khaki pants. Controls metal and can liquify and solidify it at will.

"Excellent job Tatsumaru, I knew you could do it," Mikkel smiled, as he began reading down the list, "Looks like you're finally up Ryuji," Mikkel grinned.

Ryuji smirked, and stood up, "FINALLY! I was getting older just waiting around here! I'm ready to show my stuff!" Ryuji laughed as he eagerly raced towards the lake shore.

"Make sure you don't mess it up Ryuji!" Tatsumaru laughed.

"Shut up! I can do this, I'll prove it to you!" Ryuji said as he closed his eyes and began focusing his chakra.

"Ready Ryuji?" Mikkel asked.

"As I'll ever be!" Ryuji said as he took one step and plunged directly to the bottom of the pool, everyone immediately began laughing.

"Overconfidence gets the best of him every time!" Kokoro laughed as he fixed his glasses.

Ryuji emerged from the water, "Whatever! I meant to do that!" he shouted, it was evident in his voice that he was just crying.

"Anyway…that's it for today class, remember, tomorrow is the graduation exam, study up!" Mikkel said.

"Thanks sensei," all the students, excluding Ryuji said as they cleared out, Ryuji was still floating in the water, with his arms crossed, and his eyes closed.

"Ryuji…why do you always try to show off like that?" Mikkel asked.

"I'm not showing off! I'm the best! I already told you I MEANT to do that!" Ryuji yelled.

"Ryuji…calm down…, you have to understand, to you, you're pranks and jokes are funny, but to everyone else…their just…well…not…," Mikkel explained.

"Come on sensei, what am I doing wrong? I'm gonna be the best some day! The best ninja ever! Even better than the Hokage!" Ryuji smirked.

"Better than Hashirama eh? You aim high kid," Mikkel chuckled.

"I'm serious! I will surpass Hashirama and become the second hokage!" Ryuji winked. Mikkel smiled back warmly.

That night, a ninja broke into the village and tried to find something worth stealing.

"This place is useless…I've been here almost all night…so far I've seen nothing worth stealing…," the ninja said.

"You won't make it out of here alive unfortunately," a leaf ninja said.

"You wanna pick a fight with me? Tch…this village may be new, but there's WAY to many pests wandering about, guess I'll have to EXTERMINATE YOU!" the thief laughed.

"You won't beat me! I'm a chunin of the leaf, I will not let you get away with this!" the leaf ninja replied.

The next morning came, and several leaf ninja were gathered around the fight scene.

"This…guy, he was a jonin!" One of the leaf chunin said.

"Who could've beaten him so badly, do we have a traitor among us?" Another leaf chunin asked.

"Either way, we've got to report this to Lord Hashirama, this is an act of assault," the first leaf chunin said.

"Right!" The other leaf chunin said, as they both vanished to report it.

"Alright, class, tomorrow is the graduation exam, make sure you're all prepared," Mikkel smiled.

"We're all very well prepared!" Ryuji jumped up and laughed.

"Quiet down…, what makes you think you can pass?" Kokoro laughed.

"Shut up Kokoro! I'll show you, I'll pass this class, and become better than you!" Ryuji yelled.

"You really don't have any brains at all, do you?" Kokoro grinned.

"That's enough you two! Anyway, the exam will be on the transformation jutsu, if you can successfully transform, than you graduate and are officially qualified to become a ninja," Mikkel said.

Back at the Hokage's office, the situation was being explained.

"Lord Hokage! We have a problem sir," A leaf chunin said.

"Yes, what is it?" Hashirama asked.

"We…we found a jonin, incapacitated in sector four of the village, he was badly injured, and lost a lot of blood, there were a few kunai and shuriken surrounding his body, he's in care of the Medical Ninja right now," the other chunin said.

"But how's that possible, who do you think could have done it?" Hashirama asked.

"We suspect treason…or…possibly a trespasser," a chunin said.

"He couldn't have gotten far, I want you two, and a squad of some jonin, and even ANBU on this, bring that ninja to me NOW!" Hashirama ordered, "And alert the academy, we'll have to have a lockdown until this ninja is brought to justice," Hashirama added.

"Yessir!" The two chunin said as they vanished, one of them went to the academy.

"Mikkel…we have a problem," The chunin said.

"What is it?" Mikkel asked.

"Students, we are having an emergency lock down, this is not a drill, exact reasons will not be given to you, as academy students, you are unable to assist, therefore, all reasons have been given to your instructor, I expect you all will follow the rules until this lockdown ends," The Chunin explained.

"What's this all about? An emergency lock down? Why would they spring this up so fast?" Saru thought.

"Alright class, remain here until the lockdown is called off," Mikkel said, as the other chunin vanished.

As the squad dispatched to apprehend the rogue ninja set off, the rogue ninja decided to attack the academy.

"I wonder why this place was so important that they had to have a lockdown?" The rogue ninja thought, "Maybe this place is worth checking out," he said as he placed a paper bomb on the window to Mikkel's classroom.

"What was that?" Mikkel asked.

"On the window! It's a paper bomb!" Saru shouted.

"Everyone! Get down!" Mikkel screamed, as the window exploded, all the students, and Mikkel took cover, as the rogue ninja stepped out of the dust.

"Well well, a classroom? This must be the Konoha ninja trainee academy," The rogue ninja chuckled.

"Who are you? What is your business here?" Mikkel asked.

"And you must be their instructor," The rogue said, "What a pity the students have to watch their precious sensei be chopped to bits right in front of their eyes," he continued.

"I'm sorry, but you are NO match for me!" Mikkel growled, as the did a handsign, "Secret Art: Diamond Armor jutsu!" Mikkel shouted as his skin turned to diamonds and a small diamond wall formed in front of the students.

"This is a new technique, perhaps one worth stealing for my master," The rogue said.

"Oh, so you're working with someone? Tell me who it is!" Mikkel demanded.

"You're in no position to making such demands, considering your life is about to come to an end," The rogue said.

"I'm warning you…you don't want ME as your enemy!" Mikkel grinned.

"Oh…too bad, and here I was hoping we could be friends," The rogue said sarcastically, as he formed a handsign, "Too bad…Secret Art: Complete Freeze Jutsu!" The rogue said, as Mikkel's eyes slowly blurred.

"What is this…, I…I can't see a thing…," Mikkel said.

"Yes…perhaps now that you're blind, I can just take you to the boss," the rogue said as he picked Mikkel up, "For a diamond, you're pretty light," he chuckled.

"I won't go willingly," Mikkel said.

"Don't struggle, that Genjutsu will only get worse for you if you do!" The rogue said.

"LET HIM GO!" A voice said.

"What the…," The rogue ninja said, but was interrupted by a sharp pain in his stomach, he dropped Mikkel, and clutched his stomach and looked to see who had punched him, it was Ryuji, "Who the hell are you!"

"I'm the one whose gonna beat you!" Ryuji growled.

"Beat ME? You're just an academy brat, like you could even scratch me…," The rogue said.

"I'll do more than that!" Ryuji said as he charged the rogue ninja, pushing him, and Ryuji out the hole in the wall.

"How did you get me?" The rogue asked, as he tried to form a handsign, but Ryuji stopped him with a kunai.

"No jutsu for you, fool!" Ryuji chuckled.

"How is this kid so strong? He's only an academy student, he's not even a ninja yet!" The rogue said.

"Now Ryuji! It's my turn to help you," A voice said.

"Mikkel sensei? I thought you were under a genjutsu?" Ryuji asked.

"That genjutsu is only active while I'm in the same vicinity as him, when you tackled him out the hole in the wall, it wore off immediately, and I could come to your aid," Mikkel explained.

"No way! This is impossible," The rogue said, "I'll defeat you!" He said, forming a handsign.

"Not so fast!" Mikkel said, "Secret Art: Diamond Fist Jutsu!" Mikkel said, as a his hand turned to pure diamond, "Now, we end this!" he said, as he grabbed the ninja's head, and slammed him full force into the ground.

"Nice move sensei!" Ryuji grinned.

"All in a days work," Mikkel chuckled, as an ANBU appeared.

"Excellent work you two, he will be incarcerated and interrogated for his actions as soon as possible," the ANBU said, as he disappeared with the knocked out rogue.

"Ryuji…, I don't think, in all my days as a ninja, I have ever seen something so stupid…yet so heroic…," Mikkel smiled.

"Well, I believe I already told you sensei…," Ryuji said.

"Hmmm…and what was it that you already told me?" Mikkel asked.

"That I'm the best ninja in this village! Better than everyone, even the Hokage!" Ryuji laughed.

"Well Ryuji…you sure have proved you are a splendid ninja, better than me, when I was your age," Mikkel thought, "Anyway Ryuji…we'd better get you cleaned up, and get you home, you've got A LOT of studying to do for tomorrow's graduation exam," Mikkel chuckled.

"Oh crap! I totally forgot! Don't worry sensei, I'll pass, I promise I'll pass!" Ryuji said, Mikkel just chuckled.

(end episode 1)