Kaihi Shōgai: Averted Hindrance
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or plots that Masashi Kishimoto has used. I only own characters I have created and the crazy little plot bunnies that appear in my head.
~prologue start~
The Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure sat at his desk, before him multiple piles of paperwork. Yet, he didn't notice the work he had sitting before him, lost in his thoughts as he was. He seemed nostalgic to anyone who might have been looking at his expression, but his thoughts were anything but. In fact, he was rather pensive. Four years had gone by since the incident that had caused the loss of Konoha's beloved Yondaime. Sarutobi Hiruzen still regretted how little he had been able to do for the village. So many lives had been lost, the grief and sorrow from the attack still lingered among Konoha's populace. Not a day had gone by that the Third had wished that he had taken the Yondaime's place in the sealing ritual that saved their village. The Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, had been young and still had many years ahead of him.
Sarutobi's thoughts turned to a yellow haired blue-eyed child. All that had been left of Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina. Young Uzumaki Naruto still suffered much of the village's scorn, resentment, and hate, whilst unknowingly shouldering the burden of caging the most powerful Bijuu, the Kyuubi. Sarutobi wondered how Naruto had not lost his sanity.
"The villagers are most foolish, to not be able to understand the difference between the jailor and the prisoner. I can only hope that once Naruto grows old enough he forgives them for their foolishness. For now though, I must find a way to help him defend himself from these attacks" thought Sarutobi.
No one knew of Naruto's heritage. If they had, he might've been so spoiled he would've become a pompous stuck-up brat, and they already had enough of those *cough*Uchiha*cough*. Even then Sarutobi had not been sure how and whether or not that would outweigh the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto. In the end, Sarutobi had decided to play it safe and not announce Naruto's heritage. He gave Naruto his mother's maiden name in order to protect him from possible outside assassination attempts. If it were known who Naruto's father was, the results could have triggered another war.
"Inu, report. How is Naruto doing?" asked Sarutobi.
In a flash, a spiky, silver haired shinobi with a dog mask kneeled before the old Hokage.
"He was fine when I left him, yet I am not sure if he should be out there Hokage-sama. Weasel is watching him right now" reported the ANBU, codename Inu (dog).
"That's very good, very good. The damn council is so adamant on not allowing Naruto to live normally, Danzo wants to train him as a weapon, and all the villagers want to kill him, thinking him the demon. If he really was, they wouldn't dare attack him in the first place" Sarutobi sighed.
Hiruzen really wished he could help the boy, but the council had made sure most loopholes were covered. That, however, did not mean that all had been closed. In fact, that was what the old Hokage was trying to figure out, if there were any loopholes that could be exploited.
"If that is all, Hokage-sama, I will take my leave" the ANBU stated.
"Ah yes, sorry for keeping you, I'm sure you'd very much like to get back to reading hmm, Kakashi?" Sarutobi jested.
"ahh…"
Had the ANBU not been wearing his mask, he would've been seen blushing.
"I shall take my leave then, Hokage-sama"
Just as the ANBU was about to leave, Hiruzen spoke.
"Wait, I think I found something I can use to help Naruto. Please bring him to me at once" the old man ordered.
"Hai" the ANBU barked (no pun intended) as he shunshined away to retrieve Naruto.
As the Hokage waited for the ANBU to return, he thought over his plan once again, to make sure it was soundproof.
"Yes, that will work out just fine, as long as he listens and follows orders" thought Hiruzen. "But will he want to take this path?"
-scene change-
Elsewhere by the academy, a lonely yellow haired boy sat on a swing, swaying forlornly as he wondered why everyone seemed to hate him so much. As he contemplated, there was suddenly a hand on his shoulder and Naruto froze fearing the worst. Instead, an ANBU walked out from behind him, squatted down and waved.
"Hello Naruto, the Hokage wishes to see you" the ANBU said.
"Old man Hokage wants to see me? Alright inu-san! Let's go!"
Kakashi just eye-smiled (even though Naruto couldn't see it) at the child's antics and shunshined both of them to the Hokage Tower.
"Hello, Naruto. Thank you Inu, that will be all" greeted Hiruzen
"Hai" came the terse response.
As Inu left, the Hokage starred thoughtfully at the child standing before him. The child had, before the tender age of four, been the subject of much hatred and scorn. Yet through it all the child had endured and kept a smile on his face. Sarutobi, of course, knew that this was just a mask, that the real Naruto on the inside was hurt so badly that if he didn't get help soon, he would not learn how to express himself, instead of the figurative mask he so often wears.
"This is mostly my fault, I could've stopped Minato from performing the Death Reaper Seal… Naruto could've had his father…Okay Hiruzen, the past is in the past, let us focus on helping Naruto" Sarutobi thought.
Naruto looked at the old man that he considered a grandfather and gave him a look. When Sarutobi saw the questioning look he mentally berated himself for spacing out on the youngster.
"Naruto, what would you like to be when you grow up?"
"I want to be a ninja like Inu-san! He looks so cool in that mask and with that sword… I wish I could jump on the roofs like Inu-san and disappear and reappear like Itachi-san!"
"Very good Naruto, but are you sure you want to be a ninja? It's a very difficult job and you could get killed on missions" Sarutobi mused.
"I'm sure old man! Besides… it's not that much different from staying in the village…" Naruto muttered.
Sarutobi visibly cringed at this statement, he had hoped that the villagers would not actually harm Naruto, but inside he had known they would. Hiruzen hoped that what he was about to do would atone for his mistake of allowing the villagers to hurt Naruto. He had checked and made sure while Kakashi went to fetch Naruto. Hiruzen decided that the loophole had not been closed either because the council had thought that he would not go that far, or that if he did that Naruto would be killed in the process. Well he would make sure that Naruto would not die, and that the council would have no idea what Naruto would be doing.
"Naruto, if you really want to be a ninja, I have a suggestion for you. I could start your training early under a few conditions, and you could become as cool as Inu-san" Sarutobi offered. "Hold on, let me get something, Naruto. You think about considering my suggestion."
Sarutobi got up, went over to the bookshelf near the Hokage's safe (the safe can be opened by the Hokage's blood and chakra and only the current Hokage's) and prepared to activate the seal there.
"Please guard the room from the outside, Neko-san, Tori-san" Sarutobi instructed.
As soon as the he could no longer sense the two ANBU in the room, Sarutobi activated the privacy seals to insure that there was no way this conversation between Naruto and himself would be known by the council or Danzo. As soon as the seal was activated, Sarutobi turned to Naruto once again.
"Naruto, I want to ask you if you'd like to join Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai and learn how to be a ninja" Sarutobi finally stated.
"Uh, old man? What's Antusa Zentsu Rokusha Futai?" Naruto asked somewhat coherently.
"Not Antusa Zentsu Rokusha Futai Naruto, Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. It's what ANBU stands for" Sarutobi corrected. "That is the group Inu-san and Itachi-san are in. Was it really the best idea for Itachi's ANBU mask to be Itachi? They are the elite of the ninja, and they are handpicked by myself and the ANBU commander and are the strongest ninja in the village" he elaborated.
"Really? But, I'm not even a ninja yet… I don't know anything about being a shinobi…" Naruto lamented. Here was his chance to become a cool ninja like Inu-san and he couldn't even take it….
"Actually, Naruto, I wasn't inviting you to join ANBU right away. I am going to be training you for a brief period of time in order for you to deceive the rest of the populace about some things. After I deem that you are ready, I will send you to ANBU to be trained by the captains there. This is just the basics of my suggestion, and if you agree I'll go into more detail" Sarutobi clarified.
"I'll really be able to learn how to be a ninja? THANKS OLD MAN!" Naruto yells as he leaps to give the old man a hug.
"Calm down Naruto" Sarutobi chided laughing. "Since you agreed, there are some things you should know, like why the villagers seem to hate you so much" Sarutobi said as his expression turned grave.
Naruto immediately stopped laughing. Sarutobi could see that the boy's eyes held sadness, yet Naruto was holding it in, trying to keep himself from showing any weakness.
"Naruto, this is an S-classed secret. Only you are freely allowed to tell others of it, though I'm sure you would rather keep it to yourself for now" Sarutobi told Naruto. "The penalty for other people speaking of it, however, is death. If you decide to tell anyone who does not already know, make sure they understand that. Now then, the reason why everyone seems to hate you, is because you are the container of the Kyuubi" Sarutobi paused to allow Naruto time to absorb this information. "I want you to understand Naruto, you are NOT the Kyuubi. You are merely the jailor, yet how everyone else does not understand that is bordering on stupidity. My point is that they do not hate you, but rather what you hold inside of you, and are believe that you are the prisoner you hold rather than yourself. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, never let anyone convince you that you are the Kyuubi"
Naruto had been stunned into silence. Suddenly everything made perfect sense to him. Even if he was four years old, the way the world had treated him had forced him to grow up quickly and learn how to understand things in ways that other four-year-olds would not learn until they were at least nine or ten. As soon as he realized that the old man, no, the Hokage had recognized him, he began to cry because someone had finally acknowledged him. Naruto soon calmed down, and looked Sarutobi straight in the eyes. Sarutobi was confused though; he wondered why Naruto was staring so intently at him. Just as Sarutobi was about to ask Naruto why he had been staring, Naruto spoke.
"Thanks old man, I don't want to be a ninja anymore" Naruto said. Sarutobi gaped at Naruto's statement. He had changed his mind so quickly, but why? "I want to be Hokage instead!" Naruto declared confidently. Sarutobi's expression was that of complete and utter shock. This was better than what he could have hoped for. Finally Sarutobi regained control of himself.
"That's all nice Naruto, but to become Hokage you have to be the strongest ninja in the village, as well as know a great deal about politics, economics, and the like. Are you sure that's what you want?" Sarutobi inquired.
"Yeah, old man, I'm sure! I see how all the people acknowledge and respect you and I want to be just like you!" Naruto stated.
"So he wants to be acknowledged huh? Definitely makes sense. Well Naruto, to become Hokage you need to be the strongest in the village, so your actual training will start tomorrow, okay?"
"Yes sir!"
"Oh, and Naruto. There's one more thing I want to mention. No one else knows, but I think you would like to know who your parents are, am I right?" a single nod from Naruto was all Sarutobi needed to continue. "Well, first I want you to promise me that you will not tell a single person until you are at least ANBU captain or elite jōnin you understand Naruto?" a nod of acceptance from Naruto prompted Sarutobi to continue. "Okay, your parents names are Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Do you know who they are?" Sarutobi asked
"Na-mi-ka-ze Mi-na-to? Why does he sound familiar? Never heard of Uzumaki Kushina though… that's where I got my last name from right old man?" Naruto asked confusedly.
"Namikaze Minato was the Fourth Hokage, Naruto. He's the one who sealed the nine-tailed fox into you" Sarutobi elaborated.
"Wha…. ? But, why? Why me?" Naruto asked frantic for an answer.
"Naruto, if he hadn't sealed the fox into you, the entire village wouldn't be here" Sarutobi reminded Naruto. "I am sure that the villagers are grateful to you for holding back the Kyuubi, but their hatred for the Kyuubi blinds them and shows them that you are it. That is why they take out their anger on you, Konoha lost many people in that attack."
"I… I think I understand old man, but I'm not sure I can accept what my… my… dad did to me…"
"Well, I'm glad you can see things logically, Naruto… I hope that you can one day forgive your father. He and your mother both loved you very dearly. They only wanted the best for you, to watch you grow up, become a ninja…" Sarutobi sighed forlornly.
"It's okay old man… so now what?"
"There are still some more things that need to be said. In order for our plan to work out, I'm going to teach you a special kinjustu, after you master the basics of ninjutsu. So Naruto, what do you know about chakra?"
"Uh… I don't know old man. Aren't we supposed to be learning that in the academy?"
"Yes, Naruto, but as I said before, we are going to be starting early. In order for us to begin your training tomorrow, I need to teach you the theory behind chakra and ninjutsu, as well as the very basics of taijutsu, and possibly some genjutsu. We will definitely need to work on your chakra control though, since the fox's chakra adds to your own pool and makes it harder to do jutsu that need a lot of control" Sarutobi explained slowly.
"Oh… alright then, old man… so what is chakra?" Naruto waited thoughtfully for the answer.
"Jutsu is a "Technique" or "Art". They are the basic fundamentals of the ninja art itself. To perform any Justu, a ninja must learn to control and mix chakra together, the body and the spirit and the mind to manipulate and create the Jutsu. There are 5 elemental types: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Lightning. Each requires different amounts of chakra to perform. Jutsu can be divided into 3 main categories: Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjustu. There are side categories like: Fuuinjutsu, Kinjutsu, Hidden jutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Doujutsu, and Kuchiyose no Justu", the aging kage summarized.
"Uh… old man, I only asked what chakra was. I didn't need a whole explanation on jutsus…" Naruto reminded.
The Hokage face-faulted, he had gotten a bit carried away in his little tirade about the ninja arts.
"Well, Naruto, since I explained already, I'll tell you about the exercises you need to begin starting tomorrow. As I said before because of the fox sealed inside you, your chakra reserves are quite high, even now. If you ever want to be able to use genjutsu or medical ninjutsu, your chakra control needs to be at least proficient, if not close to perfect. I…"
*stomach gurgle* "uhh… old man? Can we go get something to eat?" Naruto asked somewhat hesitantly.
The kage just sat there for a second, then gave a quiet chuckle.
"Of course Naruto, where would you like to go eat?"
"Let's go to Ichiraku's!" Naruto cried out. The Hokage had taken Naruto there a couple of times before, and after the first time Naruto had been completely hooked on ramen, though it wasn't as if he could go and buy food anywhere else.
"Okay Naruto, we'll go to Ichiraku's, but we can't talk about this there, we'll have to come back here later to finish talking okay?"
"OKAY!" Naruto readily agreed and was ecstatic about having his favorite meal (again) for lunch. "Let's go!"
-scene change-
After their little lunch excursion, the wizened Hokage decided that instead of discussing chakra control back at the tower, that he could take Naruto to go see some of the more trusted villagers, ones whom he knew would not act against Naruto or did not think he was the fox. He decided that, since Naruto would soon be learning to be a shinobi, he had best learn where to outfit himself and how, as well as what weapons he needed to have a supply of. He decided that Higurashi's shop would be the best choice to take Naruto to.
"Just because I told him that we weren't going to go start training right away doesn't mean I can't take him to get outfitted… and I think Higurashi-san actually likes Naruto…"
"Naruto! We're not going to head back to the tower today" Hiruzen said. As Naruto gave him a questioning look, he continued "Instead, we'll go to Higurashi-san's shop, and see what equipment we should get you, since tomorrow you'll start your training!"
"Thanks old man! New stuff? WOOHOO!" Naruto exclaimed as he began jumping around ecstatically. Hiruzen noticed some of the villagers eying Naruto with hatred, but then turn away as they noticed the Hokage's gaze on them. "Foolish villagers… I wonder what would happen if young Naruto does become Hokage…hopefully I'll be around long enough to see it…"
"Hey old man, aren't we going to Higurashi-san's shop? I want new stuff!" Naruto exclaimed as he prodded the old man.
Hiruzen chuckled. "Sure Naruto, just follow me and we'll go see Higurashi-san."
-scene change-
*At Higurashi's Weapons*
*bell rings* "Hello sir, how may I help you tod… Hokage-sama?" greeted Higurashi.
Chuckling, Hiruzen replied "Yes Daisuke-kun, it's me. I still remember when you were a young boy running around, shouting about how you'd make the best weapons in the world."
"Ahhh…" Daisuke chuckled embarrassedly. "Oh, who's this hiding behind you, Hokage-sama?"
"No need to be so formal Daisuke-kun. This is young Uzumaki Naruto."
Daisuke just walks up to where Naruto is hiding behind the Hokage, squats down, and stares at him… and stares at him… and then stares some more, while Naruto is slowly being freaked out and edges even further behind the Hokage.
Hiruzen coughs slightly, "Daisuke… I think you're scaring young Naruto" as he smiles amusedly at Daisuke. Slightly embarrassed, Daisuke rubs the back of his neck.
"Whoops, got a little carried away there huh…" As Daisuke talks more with the Hokage, a small head pokes from behind a wall.
"Tou-san? Who's here?" a little girl asks.
"Oh, Ten-ten! This is the Hokage! And the little kid hiding behind him is Uzumaki Naruto!" Daisuke exclaims.
"Hello Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-san" Ten-ten greeted politely.
"HEY! Old man! I'm not a little kid!" Naruto nearly screeched.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD MAN!" roared Daisuke. "I'll have you know I'm only thirty-four!"
"… I'm just four… so to me you're an old man!"
Hiruzen and Daisuke both face-fault, while Ten-ten just giggles quietly. "I like this Naruto kid… he's funny…"
"Hey Ten-chan! Don't you think they're both old men? Right Ten-chan? You think so too right?" Naruto pestered.
Ten-Ten blushed a bright red. "Ten-chan? Does he… like me? Uh… what was he just asking… right! Are they old men… hmm…"
"Yeah, they are old men!" Ten-ten decided.
Hiruzen and Daisuke both face-fault. "I'm not old!" they both exclaimed.
"No, I'm not! He is!" Daisuke screamed.
"I see how it is… team up on the old man huh…" Hiruzen bows his head.
"SEE? You just admitted it yourself!" they all yelled at him.
"…" Hiruzen had nothing to say to that. "Daisuke-kun, before we discuss how I'm so old any further, I need to talk to you about the why we came here in the first place…?"
At that, Daisuke was all ears. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Is it about outfitting Naruto?"
"Ah, right on the mark Daisuke. You are absolutely correct. So can you outfit him? He'll need kunais, shurikens, pouches and holsters for them for now. We may need more things later though, but for now just the basics."
"Of course, Hokage-sama. I'll have them prepared right away."
"Daisuke… how many times have I told you not to be so formal with me…"
"That would be the… four thousandth and twenty-second time" chuckled Daisuke.
The Hokage just sweat-dropped. " You actually counted?" he asked in slight shock.
"Nah, I just like messing with people's heads!" laughed Daisuke.
While all this was going on, Naruto had went over to Ten-ten and was chatting animatedly with her.
"Hey Ten-chan! What do you do most of the time?" Naruto questioned eagerly.
"Um, I don't do much, really, just learn things from Tou-san and not much else…"
"Ten-chan? Would you… be my friend?" Naruto asked shyly and somewhat hesitantly.
"Your friend? Sure… why not?" Ten-ten decided.
"WOOHOO! I have a new friend!" Naruto shouted right as Daisuke finished gathering up the new equipment for Naruto.
"Hahaha, Naruto is really interesting, isn't he, Daisuke?"
"He sure is, Hiruzen. He sure is... well, if that's all…?"
"Ah yes, of course. Thank you for your help Daisuke. Come Naruto! Let's go." Hiruzen said.
"But old man! I just made a new friend!" Naruto pouted.
Ten-ten giggled and blushed. "He looks so cute when he pouts!"
After a brief glaring contest between the Hokage and Naruto, Naruto gives in.
"Fine old man! You win this time, but I swear I will become Hokage one day, and then I shall be the one glaring you down!" Naruto boasted.
"Hai hai Naruto-kun. Now are you coming or not?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yeah I'm coming…" Naruto grumbled. "Bye Ten-chan, Higurashi-san!"
"Bye kid, come back and visit or if you need more stuff!"
"Bye Naruto…kun!" Ten-ten exclaimed.
As Naruto and the Hokage left, Daisuke looked at Ten-ten with a mischievous grin.
"Naruto-KUN, Ten-ten? Does my daughter like someone?" Daisuke laughed
"TOU-SAN!" Ten-ten screeched.
~prologue fin~
Author's note:
This is my first fanfic, and so constructive criticism is welcome but no flaming: if you don't like the concept or something, keep it to yourself unless you think it can benefit me as a writer and/or the story as a whole. I promise to consider any suggestions. Some parts of my story may be influenced to other fanfics, but as I don't remember exactly who I took it from, I'll just say thank you to all the people who have inadvertently helped my writing with theirs. Please review!
I also need a beta, so if anyone's interested…
P.S.: School is kind of busy, so no guarantees on timely updates, if people like this story and want me to continue.
I'm not used to the odd formatting that transfers from a word document to have, so bear with me.
