A/N: The academy is receiving some changes, since the one in canon has many flaws. All kids enter at 6 and graduate at 12, taking 6 years. Naruto enters at 4 and would graduate at 8, due to being a special case and technically being the strongest weapon in the known world. This would put him at 12 if he failed twice then succeeded on his third try, as per canon. He has just turned 8.
Published 10/27/2014.
Updated 11/4/2014. Awesome beta-reader helped revise chapter 1.
Naruto Uzumaki, self-proclaimed Hokage in training and best ninja ever, shifted in his sleep and fell out of bed to start off his day. Grumbling to himself, he got out of bed and made on with his morning rituals, setting a pot of water on the stove. Naruto sat down, idly awaiting the water for his ramen to finally boil, looking around at his sparse apartment and glanced at his calendar.
He froze. "Shitshitshitshit I've got to get to the academy NOW!" Naruto swore, jumping out of his chair and sprinting out of his house at full speed. Of all the days to sleep in, our hyperactive number one unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja had to be late for his graduation exam.
Iruka had just arrived at the academy, beginning to set up his things at his desk. In the middle of preparing the items for the students to use on the exams, he heard a loud thud at his door, and shortly thereafter an orange blur raced into the room.
Naruto banged into Iruka's desk, opening his mouth and spewing forth a seemingly never-ending stream of words, "Iruka-sensei I'm so sorry I'm late I know I'm not the best student and I drive you crazy sometimes but can I please still take the exam I'm really sorry and I won't ask you for anything again but please please please let me take the exam and-"Naruto paused, needing to stop for breath and Iruka took this chance to clamp his hand over Naruto's mouth.
"Naruto, calm down! You're actually early for a change – very early. The exams don't start for another two hours."
Naruto, shaken from his panicked state of mind, looked outside. The sky was the dreary dove grey of the early morning, the sun only beginning to lighten the horizon.
"Oh…. Sorry Iruka-sensei." Naruto scuffed the floor with his shoes, blushing at his silliness.
Iruka smiled softly; it was rare to find students who had such a drive to be a shinobi this early on. "It's fine, Naruto. Tell you what, since you're here early you can help me set up for the exams and I'll give you some pointers."
Naruto looked up, beaming. "Really? No one's ever helped me like that before! Only Hokage-jiji really talks to me outside of class."
Iruka winced, harshly reminded that he never paid Naruto the attention he should've, both from a teacher's standpoint and from a fellow orphan's. Naruto's casual dismissal of his own loneliness only emphasized how accustomed he was to isolation at this point.
"Of course, Naruto-kun. Remember that even after these exams, pass or fail, you can come to me for help. I'll still be your teacher for a long while yet, and don't you forget it!" Iruka grinned, rustling Naruto's hair.
Naruto laughed, batting away Iruka's hand. "Thanks Iruka-sensei! I know I'm not the best at anything, but the Bunshin especially always messes up for me, and I don't know why. It's like when I try to do it, my chakra just goes out of control and overflows. You keep telling me to just keep trying to improve my chakra control, but it doesn't seem to get any better." Naruto sighed, frustrated with himself at having to complain about something so minor to his teacher, but too worried to stay his tongue that he would never be a ninja if he couldn't even master the Bunshin.
Iruka grimaced, not at Naruto's problem but at his own internal conflict. 'I can't tell him about his burden, not without permission, and I can't just say he has too much chakra; not even Hokage-sama has too much chakra for the Bunshin. He'd tell everyone how much chakra he'd have, and they'd connect the dots… I'm not even authorized to teach him any other clone jutsu! And if I lie to him, when he eventually does learn about the fox he won't trust me again, and coupled with his emotional problems already…' Iruka sighed, too conflicted to keep the dilemma from his face.
Naruto, of course, took the sigh to be an exasperated one, an indication that Iruka was upset with him, and backtracked quickly, flapping his hands excitedly and grinning brightly. "Nevermind Iruka-sensei! I'm just being lazy I guess, you don't have to tell me again. I'll just keep trying to get my chakra control better and better! I'll get it down in no time, believe it!"
Dismayed, Iruka watched Naruto's show of false bravado and wondered how he ever let things get to this point. Already the boy thought everyone was against him. Steeling his resolve and damning the consequences, Iruka took Naruto's hand and led him off to the Hokage's tower.
Naruto was terrified; he didn't want to lose his dream of being a ninja, not when he was so close! "Iruka-sensei, I'm sorry I ever said anything! I'll do it on my own, I swear! You don't have to say anything to Hokage-jiji!"
Iruka's mouth quirked. 'Hokage-jiji…?' Shaking his head, Iruka looked back at the boy he was basically dragging along, "Naruto, you're not in trouble, and I'm going to help you with your problem. I just don't have the clearance for it. We'll go to Hokage...jiji, and he'll tell you, whether he wants to or not."
Sarutobi rubbed his temples, the stress of his position weighing heavily on him. It was seven in the morning and he already had a mountain of paperwork to go through. He had tried shadow clones before, but he couldn't deal with the overwhelming backlash of information. Since every fact needed to be memorized and it was all important, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he couldn't just hand it off to clones and not suffer from it. Thankfully, his darling assistants and beloved teammates, AKA paperwork dumps, were there for a reason. Really, what other point was there to them?
Dismissing these thoughts as the procrastinating ramblings of an old man, he prepared to begin his work when he sensed both his favorite ninja and favorite ninja-in-training. He waved to his guards to open the door.
"Naruto-kun, Iruka-kun, what brings you to my office today? Not that I'm complaining, mind you," chuckled the Hokage, gesturing to his veritable mountain of paperwork.
Naruto was gaping at the stacks of documents that were larger than himself, and Iruka barely suppressed a shudder. He thought he had it bad at the academy…? Shaking himself from his thoughts, Iruka spoke, "Hokage-sama, I need to speak with you concerning Naruto's condition. I think this needs to be in private."
Sarutobi sighed, gesturing at his guards to leave, and forming a hand-sign to activate the sound suppression seals in his office. "Oh my, already? I would've thought we had at least some years more to us before we had this conversation." Hiruzen said tiredly.
Unused to the Hokage being so frank, Iruka gaped. "Hokage-sama? You knew this was coming, then?"
Sarutobi nodded, smiling grimly. "Oh yes. I expected Naruto here would figure something was wrong, but so soon? I had hoped to forestall this until Naruto-kun here was a bit older and wiser to deal with it."
Naruto, silent until now, spoke, "Hokage-jiji, what're you and Iruka-sensei talking about? I just wanted help with my Bunshin. Why're you guys so… I dunno. Weird?"
Sarutobi laughed, remembering Naruto was still only eight. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. We're just talking around it like grown-ups like to do when they really don't want to finally get to business. First of all, Naruto, I need for you to understand something. What we're about to tell you is classified. Amazingly classified. Ridiculously classified. So classified that – "
"Get to the point, old man," Naruto deadpanned, crossing his arms petulantly.
"Ha! You brat. Anyways, I hope I've impressed upon you that this is incredibly important, and not to tell anyone about until you are absolutely positive you have their trust. If you tell anyone else you don't trust fully about this, they are liable to hurt you in ways you can't even imagine. Understand?"
Naruto swallowed, feeling the gravity of the situation upon him. Iruka squeezed his shoulder, letting him know he was behind him on this. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi nodded. "Well Naruto, it has to do with your birthday, and the Kyubi. Channel some chakra for me, would you?"
Naruto did, his chakra streaming off him visibly.
"Good. Now, lift up your shirt and look at your stomach. I'm sure you can figure out the rest," Sarutobi said, his mouth a grim frown upon his face.
Naruto lifted up his clothes, hands trembling. He looked at his belly and saw the black markings. He didn't pay attention in class that often, but he knew Fuinjutsu when he saw it. "S-so… Old man… The Kyubi. It? Really? I'm the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox? I thought the Fourth Hokage killed it?"
Sarutobi sighed. "No, Naruto, he didn't. He could no more kill the Kyubi than he could the winds to stop blowing or the earth to stop spinning. I am sorry you had to learn this at such an age, but I do want to commend you on realizing that you are not, nor will you ever be, the Nine-Tailed Fox itself. It was a beast of awesome power and terrifying might, and it was only luck that we had a sealing genius as our Hokage. Else, the village as you know it would not be here. I'm sure you realize that you aren't at that level yet," he chuckled, trying to break the tension.
The Hokage stood from his chair and walked over to Naruto, who simply stared at the seal as it faded.
"Now, I've got some explaining to do. Come, walk with me through the village," he said to the boy. Turning to Iruka, he smiled gently. "Iruka-kun, you did well to bring this to me, and I know it took a lot of will to do it. I am thankful. You are dismissed."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Iruka saluted. To Naruto, he said quietly, "Naruto, I know this is hard for you, but like I said before, I will always be here for you, like I should have been from the start. Come to me for anything you need." Hugging Naruto, he exited the office and Shunshined away to the academy.
"Now, first of all, I need to tell you why you weren't informed of this sooner. You probably have made the link that a lot of older people knew of your condition, and that I'm probably a royal bastard for doing this to you. You're right on both accounts, but hear me out," Sarutobi said to the subdued boy, who trudged along with him silently as they walked along the outskirts of the village. Naruto looked up at the Hokage blankly, unshed tears in his eyes.
Naruto wiped them away, talking aloud, "You know, Hokage-jiji, I'm not as mad as I think I should be. I was ignored by almost all the adults, and a lot of kids too, and I'm living on my own and all, but I can't seem to be mad. I've known that I was different from the looks I've gotten, but I just don't know how to react to this." Naruto gestured helplessly in the air. "I've got nothing, so I'll just ask questions. Why in the hell couldn't you tell me, of all people?
"If everyone else knew BUT me, then what good does it do if I know or not? Couldn't hurt if I told anyone, could it?" Naruto asked, getting louder. "Doesn't make a lick of difference, does it? Oh sure, let everyone else know but the one whose life it fucking affects. No, no, that's just fucking DANDY isn't it?" Naruto yelled. "All it did was make me think they were right, that there was something wrong with me! I thought that I probably deserved all of it, that I was some freak or whatever the hell? But now, the best part, it's all true! I'm probably the closest thing to a living fucking bomb that exists, so why SHOULDN'T people ignore me!? I'm just an accident that shouldn't even exist!"
Naruto shouted at the Hokage, sobbing. He didn't realize how much it fucking hurt to bottle that up. He felt better having let it out, after having to endure the stares and coldness everyone gave him without knowing why. He felt better having let it out, now that he actually understood why he had always been treated so coldly.
Sarutobi did the only sensible thing he could at that point, and hugged Naruto, consoling the boy. "Naruto, I know that you feel that you've gotten the short end of the stick, and that you should've been told and that everything sucks right now, and to be honest with you, you're not very wrong." The Hokage sighed, feeling the weight of the years on him. "Come, sit with me and we can talk."
He led them to a bench where they could sit and talk, undisturbed.
"Naruto, let me clarify some things that seem to be worrying you. First, not everyone knows. Only the older generation knows since anyone who's actually seen the Kyubi or any of the monstrosities known as the Bijuu know that they simply cannot be killed. The younger generation doesn't know, and they won't unless you tell them. We couldn't tell you because a young eight year old, especially you, wouldn't resist telling everyone. Let's be realistic, Naruto. If someone told you they had one of the most dangerous things to walk the planet, and you didn't know them at all, wouldn't you be wary of them? Not everyone knows the full extent of the burden you bear, which is why some of the older generation treat you poorly."
Sarutobi looked up at the sky, watched as the morning sun continued to lighten it and heard the low, whispery rumblings of the awakening city. "To be quite honest, those without a large knowledge of Fuinjutsu have a reason to be scared. You see Naruto, you aren't the first container of a tailed beast – a jinchuuriki. There can be eight others at any given time, and not all of them are mentally stable. Some of the seals that hold their beasts in check are not as flawless as your own. Some are prone to insanity and attacking others, and despite my best efforts to assure the people otherwise, the people don't realize your seal is the pinnacle of Fuinjutsu. Your tailed beast will not have any control over you unless you allow it directly. That means no unfortunate side effects, no outbreaks, nothing. Your mind is truly your own."
Naruto was silent, absorbing the information. There was one question that lingered in his mind, unexplained.
"Why couldn't you adopt me, Hokage-jiji?" Naruto asked, hopeful and child-like, looking up at the Hokage.
Sarutobi sighed heavily, feeling positively ancient. "Naruto, you have to realize something. I am the Hokage. I run a village of incredibly powerful killing machines that are at my beck and call. I also have to deal with a ton of bureaucratic nonsense every day, as evidenced by my mountain of paperwork. Then, on top of that, I cannot neglect my own training and skills, and I must also deal with many other miscellaneous things now and then – one being you, you little squirt. So you see, I simply couldn't. I didn't have the time to give you the care you deserve. And to make it so that any of your potential enemies didn't find out your identity, I could only visit you so often, and special treatment was right out. Even with all that I still assign different ANBU squads to watch for you. I deeply regret that you feel neglected, Naruto, but please know that I have always watched over you."
Naruto was silent for a moment, then nodded. The boy was much more perceptive then he let on, Hiruzen noted. The two spent some time in silence, simply thinking and watching, until Naruto spoke up again, still curious about his original intent. "So…What happens with my ninja training now? I still can't do a Bunshin."
The Hokage slowly grinned at this point. "Well, Naruto-kun, due to the fact you've learned this at a much earlier age than I'd originally anticipated, it's time for the plans I had for you to start accelerating. Starting today, you're now a Genin, and will be assigned a solo instructor who you will report to at 7 o'clock in three days at training ground 3. Congratulations, Genin Uzumaki. Here is your forehead protector."
Naruto was dumbfounded, looking slowly between the Hokage and his forehead protector.
'What?'
"Oh, and I'll also teach you the Shadow Clone Jutsu, an A ranked clone technique to help you with your Bunshin problem!" Sarutobi said, barely containing his mirth.
Naruto's mouth formed a perfect O.
Sarutobi's grin widened further. 'And now for the knockout.'
"Your teacher will be Itachi Uchiha, a young prodigy himself and one of the best active shinobi in the entire force."
'Bingo.'
Naruto's eyes rolled up, and down he went.
Sarutobi laughed.
A/N:
So, this story is basically a what-if Naruto manages to get in touch with Kurama earlier, way earlier than normal, and actually approaches him with a modicum of respect. I'd like to think that the world would be much different than before.
I've tried to make Naruto not an idiot, since he has been trying hard for the first exam, and the whole prankster business hasn't yet set in. I'm also going to give Iruka a larger role in this so he can be Naruto's tutor as well. Naruto will have many trainers.
I've also tried to make Sarutobi an old, firm Hokage who is frankly done with this shit. The guy is a legend beyond legends and he's just bored at this point, and while he does have to be the strongest shield and sword, he's not afraid to voice how utterly bullshit his life is for having to serve as Hokage for over 50 years. He's not disdainful of his job or anything, but you try doing 50 years of paperwork and dealing with the stresses of such a job.
Please R&R, and tell me of any mistakes that I've made, or improvements, or what have you.