Chapter 1

Foreigner to the Great Shinobi Nations! Traveling Bard of Unparalled Romance, ZUN!

Staring into the bowl of his steaming ramen, Naruto stares dejectedly into the broth. He had recently failed his third attempt at the Genin Exams and there would no longer be any more chances to try so again. One of his teachers form the Ninja Academy named Mizuki told him that there would be a special retest later today, but the aspiring Hokage wasn't sure if he could manage it.

"Excuse me! Could I get a large beef ramen with a large side of kelp?"

Shaken from his thoughts, the blonde turned to the new arrival. The stranger sat a seat away from his right. His thin but angular face wore a wry smile as his oval, green tinted glasses shined in the dim lamp light. Black bangs hang limply on the sides and atop it all sat a brown beret. He wore a simple collared black shirt and faded blue jeans. Noticing the attention, the man turned to him. "Is something the matter?"

Eyes blinking owlishly, he remained unresponsive until muttering an apology and returned to his cooling meal. Unshaken by the cold shoulder, the brunette tried once more. "C'mon, you look like you need someone to talk to. How 'bout it?"

Naruto then proceeded to share his misfortune with the Genin Exam and the special retest. The man simply listened and ate while nodding every other moment, giving off an occasional "Mm". After finishing his tale, the preteen sagged less and smiled more often. Seeing this, the stranger thought it opportune to introduce himself.

"Ah, how rude of me. After all that, I never even mentioned my name. I'm a traveling bard, going by the name of ZUN. I've heard good things about this village, and decided to come here to see for myself. Pardon, could I get a beer? Any kind is fine."

After placing a cold mug onto the counter, the waitress returned to her rounds. Taking a deep sip, ZUN broke off with a loud, satisfied sigh. "Ah, that's the stuff! But yes, I think you can do it just fine, Naruto-san. After all, you're going to be Hokage, aren't you?"

Feeling his brazen attitude returning, the blonde looked back to his new companion and give him a confident thumbs-up. "Yeah! I can totally do this! This test's gonna be cake for the great Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Haha, that's the spirit!" Rubbing his chin in thought, the bard contemplated in his thoughts. 'Hm. I know I'm not supposed to meddle, that's Yukari's thing. But still, I like this kid's charisma…'"Kid, I think you deserve a little something from me. Come over here, will ya?"

Shifting closer to the man, Naruto looked up to him. "What is it?"

Reaching to the back of the blonde's head, ZUN unstrapped the goggles off and laid it onto the counter. He placed his right hand onto the boy's forehead and spoke in a deep, baritone voice. "IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT WHITE BORDER, I DEEM THIS CHILD WORTHY OF THE EASTERN LANDS."

"…"

"…"

"…"

A crow in the distance cawed loudly. "BAKA! BAKA!"

"That's it?"

Taking his hand off his head, he smiled sheepishly. "That's it. Think of it like a bard's blessing to an upcoming warrior."

Pouting, his arms crossing as he looked away from the man. "Lame…"

He had done it.

He stole the scroll, just as Mizuki-sensei instructed.

He even mastered a technique from it!

But why couldn't he shake this sense of foreboding away?

"FOUND YOU!"

Leaping into the clearing, Umino Iruka glared at his student. "Naruto! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Um, hey Sensei. Wait, what do you mean? You mean I've passed right?"

"Passed? What's going on? Explain yourself, NOW."

"Mizuki-sensei told me to steal this scroll from the tower as a special retake on the Genin Exams. He provided maps and instructions to come to this clearing to learn a move from the scroll before someone came. That means I passed, right?"

He did not like the confused expression on his scar-faced sensei. No, not one bit. Before the Chunin could speak, a shuriken as large as a human torso embedded itself into his back. Looking into the direction where the weapon came from, Naruto saw his other teacher, Mizuki, smirking a wicked grin. On his back was an identical shuriken to the one that hit Iruka's back mere moments ago.

Gasping in pain, a rasp "Why?" escaped Iruka's bloodied lips.

The grin widening, Mizuki jumped down into the ground to look at his handiwork. "Quite simple, Iruka. If you want power, you have to do whatever it means to obtain it. Even if it means abandoning your former nation, family and friends to do so." Stepping closer to the bleeding body, the grin grew into a malicious and mad smile. "It was fun while it lasted, but business comes first. Get ready to say hello to your parents again, IRUKA!"

Stumbling into a sprint, he reached for the shuriken on his back and threw it at the incapacitated ninja. The grin fell off his face as the shuriken missed as Iruka's body was replaced with a log. After viewing his surroundings, Naruto seemed to have disappeared as well. No matter, he'll have them both killed and deliver the spoils to Orochimaru in due time. A pulse of purple chakra oozed from his neck. Oh yes, he'll have them killed in due time.

Leaning against a tree, Naruto fought to catch his breath as quick as he could. His mind was still reeling in denial as to what just transpired. Before he had time to gather his thoughts, a voice caught his attention.

"..b-Because I am Iru-ka."

Jumping behind a tree, he saw his two instructors: One lay on the ground with the massive wound still leaking into the forest dirt below him. The other standing over him with a kunai knife in hand.

"Honestly Iruka, why do you go through so much trouble for the sake of a monster? Didn't you hate that brat as much as I do? He killed your parents, after all?"

'I'm… the Kyuubi? What does he mean by that?'

"I will admit, I did blame him for my parents' death. But he is not the monster that killed them! He is a proud ninja of Konoha! He is Uzumaki Naruto!"

Sneering at his former comrade, Mizuki tightened his grip as he swung at his jugular. "I GUESS THIS IS THE END, EH IRUKA?"

His widened, as he ran to his teacher's rescue. "SENSEI! NOOOOOOOO!"

A splatter of blood fell onto Naruto's face as Iruka's throat was cut open. Trembling hands reached for his face to wipe the excess fluids off. He stared at the dripping blood as Mizuki's laughter echoed throughout the forest. Stifling himself, he dashed at the grieving boy. Before he could get within striking distance, a bright white light encircled the blonde and pushed the murderous man back into a tree trunk. The light shifted into a bright reddish orange as kanji began to shape onto the boy's torso. It then lifted itself off from Naruto and grew in size and clarity. Squinting, Mizuki could barely make out the text from the lumisnence:

REACH FOR THE MOON ~ IMMORTAL SMOKE

The light was replaced with flames as it engulfed the unconscious preteen. The fire condensed into a human sized shell as Mizuki stared in awe at the phenomena before him. The embers simmered away as a new being emerged from the heat. It was Naruto, but his demeanor and appearance spoke something different. His blonde hair was now a near-white lavender, eyes burning with a vermillion red and a stern glare directed at the man before him. His clothes were singed and several red-white sealing tags were on his pants.

Cautiously leaning onto a tree for support, Mizuki stammered. "w-Who are y-you?"

The glare lessened into a smirk. "The name's Fujiwara no Mokou."

And that's chapter 1. Reviews would be nice.