Kyuutsuki no Uzumaki

by AJ Katon

The Shinobi continent has been a world all on its own for many centuries. Isolated and embroiled in their personal conflicts, the Shinobi inhabitants have forgotten the other world so close to them. Naruto Uzumaki learns that he is a part of that world and soon he will have to dive into it once more as he begins to remember who he truly is and as the two worlds begin to collide.

1. Awaken Satsujin Uzumaki I

Kyuutsuki No Uzumaki

By

AJ Katon

Disclaimer: I do not own the Nasu-verse or Naruto seeing as they belong to their respective owners. I do own the various OC's that may be introduced later on.

Summary: The Shinobi continent has been a world all on its own for many centuries. Isolated and embroiled in their personal conflicts, the Shinobi inhabitants have forgotten the other world so close to them.

A dark world of heightened dangers and amazing wonders. Where Nature is alive and the truth of the World is so much more than they could possibly imagine.

However on the night of the Forbidden Scroll incident, Naruto Uzumaki learns that he is a part of that world. And soon he will have to dive into it once more as he begins to remember who he truly is and as the two worlds begin to come back together.

Arc 1: Maelstrom Konoha

Chapter 1: Awaken Satsujin Uzumaki I

Cheep. Cheep.

Usually I'd be annoyed by the sound of Cicadas. Hearing them at night can get annoying but right now it felt right.

I was lying on my back in the courtyard. The feel of the soft green grass tickled my back. The warm sun of the summer afternoon was above me, working on my tan. Not that I really needed one anyway. I like to think it was a side effect of my good complexion.

It was good to be outdoors and relaxing again. When I didn't have free time it was non-stop training. I know that **n***-sensei wanted me to be strong—heck I wanted to be strong—but that didn't mean I didn't want to have fun or stretch my legs. Plus there was so much going on in the city that I couldn't wait to go back out and explore.

But I did wonder what was going on though.

K***** -sensei did say that there was something he wanted to discuss with me but before that I had to help clean the outside and keep the others company. Not that I had a problem with it but I was still curious.

I wonder if that other girl was still here. She looked like she could use someone to play with and having an extra person.

**i**-chan could use more friends...

**ru**.

"Oi! Fishcake! Come on, we gotta go rescue the Princess!"

N*r*o.

I scowled as I sat up and turned to look at **i**. "For the last time, my—"

*a**to!

"—name is not Fishcake."

Naruto!

"It's—"

NARUTO!

~KYUUTSUKI~

"Mwah!? I shot to my feet with a pencil clenched in my hand. I don't know who the dead man was but when I get ahold of him, I'l—

My brain managed to come back to life in just a few seconds. I blinked and remembered where I was.

"Dammit."

THWACK.

A piece of chalk hit me right on my goggles. It was hard enough to make me fall back on my chair.

Ouch.

"Language, Naruto." The person who threw the chalk shouted at me. Around him I could hear the sound of laughter that could only sound mocking. I guess it figures since I was just called out and put down in front of the rest of the class.

I'll have to fix that later.

Looking up, I met the annoyed stare of my Chūnin-Sensei (Journeyman Ninja Teacher), Iruka Umino. We were about the same height with him being brown skinned with dark brown hair and a scar across his nose. He had on a green vest over a blue shirt and pants with a couple of pouches used for Kunai and other stuff.

Next to him was another Chūnin-sensei with white hair named Mizuki. The less said about him the better.

"And I expect to not see you napping again during class."

"But what about Shikamaru?" I complained d tugging at my goggles. Why should the lazy bum get special treatment?

THWACK.

Oh. Never mind then.

"Mnh. Troublesome." The black haired boy grumbled as he was hit too. "Dangit, Naruto."

"Really," Iruka grumbled as he rubbed his face with his non-chalk throwing hand, "To think that there would be such lazy students today. I'm trying to import some important knowledge onto all of you so shape up and stay awake. This stuff will be useful not only in real life but for the upcoming Genin (Junior Ninja) Exam. I'm expecting many of you to pass."

"Hai, sensei!" Everyone else replied.

"Especially those of you that are currently near the bottom of the class." He narrowed his eyes on a select few of us, me included.

"Yeah, Naruto. We all don't want to end up as repeaters." Someone called out. The class erupted in laughter at my expense.

"Wanna say that to my face, asshole?!" I shouted moving so that I was standing on the desk. No one said anything.

"That's what I thought."

THWACK.

And I get another chalk for my troubles. And some snickering.

Deciding that while I was made fun of but still put my own brand of fear in them, I sat back down to watch as Iruka-sensei went back to the lesson. He was right though. I did need to get ready for the big exam.

The Genin Exam is the big test where all the Academy Students were tested to see if they could become Shinobi, the badass fighters and soldiers of Konohagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Leaves). For the last five years, me and the rest have gone through the ringer learning all about what makes a Shinobi strong along with a bunch of other stuff.

Mostly the etiquette stuff, history, and that guideline book.

Psh. Me? Using etiquette?

Hahaha.

Anyway about the Exam itself.

After going through five years worth of kunai and shuriken throwing, stealth training, jutsu theory and practice, and sparring, we have the chance to get tested on those skills and the basic three Ninjutsu in order to pass.

The basic three are Henge (Transformation), Kawamiri (Substitution), and Bunshin (Clone).

The Henge and Kawamiri are pretty cool. Changing your form to something or someone else and using a log to shield you from getting stabbed. Not bad to start of with.

The Bunshin…was not as good as the other two. It's given me a lot of trouble since it needed chakra control and just a bit of chakra to use. I unfortunately have too much chakra coursing through my veins and not enough control to make it work.

At the moment anyway.

~KYUUTSUKI~

Bring. Bring.

"Well that's it for today. I'll see you all bright and early for the Genin Exam. Do what you can today, get a good night's sleep, and be ready to show the best of your abilities." Iruka shouted over the rush of students leaving out of the classroom. I'm not sure most of them heard him.

As for me, I decided to take the scenic route to leave the Academy. The good old window leading outside of the first floor classroom.

Finally class was over for today. Now I can get back to doing something worthwhile. It was time to get some training in.

Outside I jumped onto the ledge of a short building that was close by. The jump was pretty high considering the place was the same size as the Academy—about six, maybe seven floors high. It's a good thing for all that practice since my legs to make the leap and land comfortably onto the roof.

The added affect of having chakra pumping through my legs just makes it easier and sets me up for the next jump.

After going through an entire block of houses with just three jumps—oh yeah, I'm just that good. I'm not even breaking a sweat—I found my special spot. It was a tiny place that was a little ways into the forest surrounding the village. A small stream from a nearby waterfall and waterhole could be seen just a few feet away. I think some girls from the village used it as a swimming pool and a stream that flowed down a rocky quarry. There were no girls here today so I wouldn't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping.

Not that I would eavesdrop on those girls either.

In the grassy area away from the stream were a couple of trees broken down to make training stumps.

Training stumps that little red spots decorated on them.

Time to get to work.

As I went through some body stretches, I thought about this place again. I thought about the village that the Academy says I have to bring glory and honor to.

And apparently give my life for.

Konohagakure no Sato. The place said to be the strongest amongst the Hidden Villages. The village that had four of the strongest Shinobi to ever come out in maybe a hundred years.

And the place where I've had to live and train in for the last five years.

You hear a lot of things about ninja villages. Being who they are, Shinobi could be the greatest people that ever lived with hearts of gold as they saved many lives. Then they could be the coldest of murderers that kill anyone who gets in there way.

Since they're so strong and have those reputations, I can see why ordinary people would want to live close to them. Free Protection.

Despite the threat of death that comes with it, they can freely call this place their home.

I can't. I would never call this place home.

A home is where there's a Mom and Dad to see you off to school with a good breakfast and encouraging words. It's a place where the people you meet on the street will stop and wave at you with a smile.

And when you come home, they're waiting to see you after a long day at the Academy and welcome you back.

I had that back at the Fire Capitol. Here was something completely different.

For the last few years, I've only gotten only a small bit of basic human courtesy from people that I could count on one hand. I can probably add a couple of more to the list but I'm not really sure they would count as friends.

Everyone else was just happy to hand out a scowl. Some choice words spread in whispers or yelled in my face.

Or a rock thrown at me. That usually ended in a fight and me getting in trouble at times.

A couple of places wouldn't allow me to get in even when I was trying to buy some food.* When that happened it would require a bit of Shinobi tactics to get pass it and get what I wanted.

And there were those nights…This place definitely is not what it advertises but what the general rumors say. They do put up good acts for the outside, though.

Well I'd like to say that stuff doesn't get to me that much. If it did, I probably wouldn't still be here.

But I stick around and bear it. I also take my usual spots of revenge against them. A little "tactics" here, a brawl there and maybe a wide prank and bam. They back off. They're not that strong if you push back. Even if it got me in a spot of trouble, that didn't matter.

I wasn't going to let them push me around and not expect a wonderful gift in return.

But still there were times where I would've liked to have done more to get my point across…

I shook my head to clear those thought away. They came up from time to time but they wouldn't do me any good at this point.

Shrugging off the top of my orange and black tracksuit, which left me in a mesh shirt, I went over to the training stumps and got to work. Cracking back a fist, I let it fly in a right straight.

Crack.

Hehe. Nothing more satisfying than seeing the fruits of your own training right in front of you.

As I continued, my thoughts went to the other things.

Crack.

The academy itself…kinda sucked. I'm not just saying that because I don't like sitting behind a desk all day and reading stuff out a book over and over until I get it memorized. I'm saying that because when it came to the ninja training, to me it was…not that good.

Crack. Crack.

While Iruka was a quality teacher, being strict or kind when it was needed, it just feels like it was not enough. The Instructors tell us to learn from the book when some can't afford it. Then they show us something—a technique or theories that are mentioned in that annoying book— and expect us to pick up the rest and train our butts off to make it passable.

They never really give that extra push to make us really know these Jutsu.

Like—off the top of my head—throwing Kunai at us to make us get the timing right for the Kawamiri. Or have us walk around to maintain the Henge and act like another person to make sure we are believable.

Just like I had to do when I needed some things for the house.

Crack. Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Plus they didn't count stealth as a grade all its own. I know that knowing Jutsu and being fit to fight was important for survival but shouldn't being able to hide in plain sight or in the shadows be valued the same? Actually even more considering the job those ANBU have to do?

Or what about seduction? I'm pretty sure there were things written about a lord getting seduced by a beautiful woman only to end up dead or how a woman was conned out her savings by some smooth talker.

While not good things to practice the fact that Shinobi have done and will continue to do that stuff should mean something. Shouldn't we know how to be able to see when people are trying to seduce us just to kill us or worse?

Crack. Crack. Crack.

We are seriously missing some classes the fact that we're all teens, we should really learn this stuff considering the fact that they raised the Genin age to sixteen. It was like they were sending us off half-cocked and expected us to do fine.

There was belief in one's abilities and then there was just throwing them off a cliff into a dark ocean.

Sigh.

I stopped to lay a hand on the stump. Even now, despite all the stuff I do know it doesn't make up for what I don't know. I have to make up for it so that I can survive. So that I won't come so close to death again.

I don't know why but when I was nine, I was in an accident. It could've been a lot of things like a bandit attack, a Shinobi attack, or just a natural disaster. But whatever it was I woke up from it in a hospital in the Fire Capitol with a large scar on my chest and a large gap in my memories.

My family had been there to see me get better. I've never seen Kaa-san cry so much. At least I think I've never seen it.

That was another problem. Some of my memories had been lost when I went under. Large chunks of it from up until I was six and living with the Arima's—a branch family that worked alongside the Tohno clan, a rich clan housed in the Fire Capitol. Then a few more before I hit nine and had the accident. However I felt there was something about me that was different from other people.

I felt it whenever I walked amongst a crowd and somehow I knew to blend into it so no one would find me. I knew the right way to hold a knife and which place would be the best for a quick kill.

With all this happening, Kaa-san finally decided to tell me the truth.

She told me that that I was a Shinobi. That despite being young, I was capable of using stealth to sneak around outdoors under the cover of trees or indoors in the shadows of every nook and cranny I could find. That I knew Taijutsu because by the age of seven I was trading blows with someone in a spar. Then later I used those skills to take someone down.

And most importantly, how to kill.

I couldn't recall who the person that taught me was though.

I was…shocked to say the least. But that didn't compare to when she finished telling me what she knew of my short ninja career, I was bombarded with images. Short memories that highlighted a few kills I had to make.

Yeah, if there was one thing I won't be forgetting, it's the number of people I've had to kill. I only remember the killings though, not the reasons behind them. I've even used a Jutsu or two to help with this.

I was frozen. I was so amazed and horrified that I was capable of so many things. And despite all that, I was so close to joining all of those people in death. Kaa-san had held me close and cried for a long time.

With all this knowledge I decided to put it to good use and train with them. I was able to remember the Henge and Kawamiri quite easily due to a quick flash of past experience. It was when I was eleven that I found out that I was also good at Fūinjutsu.

But despite all these skills, I had to keep them secret.

Especially the Fūinjutsu. I thought as I touched my face. I walked over to the stream to splash some water on my face. I needed to cool off.

When the last of the sweat and cool water finally left my eyes, I looked at my reflection.

It was the same one I woke up except for a few changes. My face wasn't as chubby as it used to be but the tan I had was proof that I liked to move around outside. Same blue eyes and yellow hair as usual, but I'm thinking about getting it cut. I can deal with the spikiness but having hair that went down to my shoulders is starting to make me look like a girl.

I looked to the six whisker marks on me cheeks and sighed.

Like I needed a reminder of that for as long as I lived.

Staring at my reflection a bit longer, I make a decision. I wasn't going to use it. I just wanted to see. To be reminded.

Taking a moment to close my eyes and move my chakra around, I stopped a flow that went to my eyes. Well it was more like the seal that was drawn on them.

It was a special seal only meant for one purpose.

To not make me see…them.

Standing up, I turned around and saw it.

It was a line. A crack that extended from the middle of the tree stump to the upper right side. A ignorable crack that wouldn't get anyone's attention.

Except that except for me, no one else can see it. Nobody could see them.

The cracks that were on the posts. On the trees. On the rocks and walls and homes. On the very ground that we all walked on everyday.

Not even the ones on…the people themselves.

The lines that hold everything together. The glue that keeps it from falling apart. They're the single greatest flaw in the whole world and make the world so fragile. So easily breakable.

And it's all thanks to my eyes that I am the only one that could. My Chokushi no Magan (Mystic Eyes of Death Perception).

Soon I began to feel sick. Good I still didn't like them.

Recharging the seal, I saw the cracks disappear, as if it was never there to begin with. As it does its purpose, I know the seal fades so that no one could see it in effect. A little feature I managed to add with a lot of help.

But no matter how much I don't want this…ability, it was mine to carry. For whatever reason why, it was mine.

"…Our full abilities, huh?" I remembered Iruka-sensei say back at the Academy. Sorry but this one is going to shown to anyone. Ever.

"But you know Naruto, despite how rare you're gift is, it still is something that you were meant to have. God wouldn't have given you those eyes without a good reason. I think there will come a time when you really need them.

So don't you ever live in denial of them and when the time comes and you have to use them, let be without regrets, okay?"

I couldn't stop the smile as it began to grow on my face.

Well things weren't all that bad after I woke up. I met many people that made the situation better, like the Arimas who provided a home for two years. I even made a few friends my age back when I went to a civilian school for a time.

There were rough spots here and there but they were still the best years of my life.

Then there was her. Aoko-Sensei.

She helped me figure out many things. Helped me solve my sight problem and answer a few questions I had. I thought placing my hand back on my face.

I still had many more after them but at least…I was content. I had an answer for who I wanted to be.

I wanted be a strong Shinobi. Someone that was powerful and had the lowest amounts of regrets for what he does. And most of all, I wanted to be able to protect those I hold close.

My eyes soon darkened.

Then I came to Konoha. As good as I was, I wasn't completely ready. I needed more training and for that I needed to go to the Shinobi Academy. So when a Konoha Shinobi came to offer me training, I took it and was off to Konoha.

The village leader, The Sandaime Hokage (Third Fire Shadow) or Hokage-jiji (Old Man/Grandpa Hokage) as I like to call him, who apparently had been the Dad of the guy who brought me to Konoha, had been kind to me and helped out a lot during my first year here. He managed to get me the house all for myself and got me into the Academy.

And it's thanks to him letting me in, for trusting me really. The young suspicious kid that I was with little to no background and so many secrets behind me, that I was able to get here. Back then, I didn't have any idea how to thank him for all he's done.

Then I entered the Academy. The place where I would begin my idea and follow through with it. And it's the greatest idea I've ever had.

"Well next to the cherry bomb incident about a year ago." I chuckled remembering that one. Those poor fools in the bathroom.

No wait, the greatest one had to be the one I recently pulled. That will definitely make people remember my name as the greatest prankster Konoha had ever seen.

The painting of the Hokage faces up on the Kage Mountain.

Ah, it still felt like it was only yesterday when I dared to do the impossible…

~KYUUTSUKI~

Flashback…

One day ago…

It was the dawn of another early morning for Konoha.

The golden sun rising from the east was imparting its warm spring rays helped breathe life into the sleepy village and get those that were a little lazy—or extra lazy if you count the Nara, the sun was forever their enemy—or quickly giving those who had the most stamina that early morning boost to start their next day.

And if they happened to be Shinobi, there was a good chance they were already awake due to a night-shift so they could only see the infernal big ball of heat as another annoyance before going back to work.

Yes. All was well and calm in this humble vill—

"Oh my god! There's blood going down the Sandaime's nose!" A random villager shouted while pointing as something far in the distance.

…Well except for that little problem, there was nothing els—

"And there are swirl marks and a goofy smile on the Shodai!" screamed another villager.

All right so there was a bit of a crisis going on but it wasn't that ba—

"And the Yondaime looks like a drag queen!"

…Wait what?

At the mountains that could easily be seen from the village's front entrance gates, loomed a stone monument that was considered the greatest pride that Konoha had to offer. It was a simple of the greatest people that had ever come from the village, whose amazing deeds and amazing sacrifices helped the people of their home stay alive for so long and prosper as the strongest of the Shinobi villages.

The Kage Mountain.

There resides the stone heads of the four Hokages that have currently taken the hat and led the village through war and peace.

The Shodaime: Hashirama Senju. Wood-style ninjutsu user and one of the most powerful men in history. The Nidame: Tobirama Senju. Water-style ninjutsu user and previous owner of the lightning element sword. The Sandaime: Hiruzen Sarutobi. The only living and current Hokage. Hailed as a genius in many forms of ninjutsu and trainer of Sannin Trio, another group of great ninja of Kononha.

And finally the Yondaime: Minato Namikaze. The former Hokage who gave his life to save the village from the Kyuubi no Yoko and had led Konoha through the 3rd Shinobi War.

Also known as the Yellow Flash. Totally not a stripper name. All of them great men that were worthy of nothing more than respect and fear from all.

And now they were all sporting graffiti.

As previously pointed out, Hashirama had strange swirl marks on his cheeks and his mouth had been painted over to show a smile that was devoid of intelligence and a couple of teeth. Tobirama had a big bushy ridiculous eyebrows set over his eyes and a full on smile showing his teeth. Drawn a couple of meters under him was a crudely drawn hand giving a thumbs up.

Many people shuddered in dread and disgust as those attributes reminding them of a certain two people. Hiruzen had two long streams of red paint going down his nose and what could only be described as a leer on the rest of his face. A few quiet chuckles were given out at that. That one was a little more truthful than the others.

But the most appalling and cringe inducing had to be Yondaime. True to the one who shouted earlier, the fabled blond Kage could be described as a drag queen. Or at least as close as a drag queen he could be. With a twin blushes on his cheeks, ruby red lipstick, and what could be construed as a feminine sultry look on his face, that was what many assumed the person who did this was going for despite the lack of good materials on hand.

Many were shocked. Many were disgusted. Many were very disturbed by the fact that some of the women—and some secret guys—were giving an appraising eye to the Yondaime.

A strange time for Konoha indeed.

"Hey look! Someone's at the top of the mountain!" shouted a young woman while pointing at the mentioned suspect of the…travesty. Many groups of ninja and a couple of civilians ran to get a closer look and figure out who would do such a thing to their mountain. When a small group made it to building that was close enough to mountain to give them a clear visual, they groaned in anger and annoyance when they saw who would have such audacity.

However before they could get close enough, the mysterious prankster darted off the Kage Mountaintop, most likely heading towards the forest behind the mountain.

"Do not let that bastard get away! He must be captured for the honor of our Kage and Konoha!" shouted one of the ninja who had shown up, a Chunin most likely, as he pointed towards the escaping fugitive.

He then took off with a few other Chunin, Genin, and two squads of ANBU trailing behind him.

And thus began the great chase scene of seven Chunin, five Genin, and eight ANBU off to pursue Justice. Justice in the name of their tarnished pride and the chance to gain proper retribution from the whelp that would have the stones to do deface their monument.

In broad daylight no less!

Pity that it didn't pan out that way. And to this day, no one knew who it was that managed to score such a major blow to their pride.

~KYUUTSUKI~

Flashback over…

"Hahahaha. That was great. And then there were those guys that chased me." I laughed to myself as I remembered the Shinobi that tried to get me for my work. So many dog piles into garbage cans.

So many pies to face. So much fun.

Though I did regret that one guy that wound up in that apartment of that woman in that brown coat and chainmail top.

Ugh. I can still hear that laughter. The laughter of the insane. Poor bastard.

Well anyway. Despite that setback of one casualty, it was still a good prank.

And right now my next best idea was this: what better way to repay the Hokage-jiji and the others for the last few years? For helping me get where I am today? For getting my big plan this far?

By becoming a badass Ninja and helping him protect his home, of course!

It's foolproof! I get what I want and he gets something he needs.

And tomorrow the next step was about to happen.

I turned my head to stare up to the faces of the 4 Hokages, the strongest ninja the Leaf ever had etched into the mountain overlooking the village.

I stop at the Yondaime.

Around the time I was born, the Yondaime had saved the village by defeating the Kyūbi no Yōko (Nine-tailed Demon Fox): the strongest Bijū ever known. The books say that he probably used a forbidden technique to do so and that cost him his life. I even heard that he was just a regular orphan with no Shinobi clan in his name.

For a guy with no background to become one of the strongest people in Konoha with just his wits and some Fūinjutsu.

"...Defeated the Kyūbi, eh?"

I clenched my fist thinking about that line. Because to me, those words, the whole report or book they wrote, was wrong.

The Yondaime didn't kill the Kyūbi.

He couldn't kill it.

I should know. Because I have the damn thing sealed inside my gut.I was the so called Kyūbi Jinchūriki. Just another one in a total of nine people who have giant Chakra monsters in our guts. And I did not like it.

And it has been to my displeasure to be here as well, Ningen (Human)…

I ignore the voice. I have enough bad thoughts in my head without thinking about it…

No one can kill the Kyūbi. Hell even when I was told the truth I really wanted to know: can a human destroy a gigantic demonic chakra monster?

I doubted it unless that had something really crazy up their sleeve. For some reason, I'm pretty sure Sensei would be able to defeat it for a time maybe but outright killing it, I don't think so. She was mysterious like that.

But still the Yondaime was able to defeat it with Fūinjutsu, since the tattoo on my stomach couldn't be anything else, and died doing it.

Minato Namikaze. The man who saved a whole village, me included, by sealing a powerful monster inside me. And by doing so, a lot of things that I can't remember happened and now I live in a place where the people would rather see me dead.

I slapped my face a couple of times. This was not the time to get all pessimistic. I had better things to think about and a test to complete.

Now it was time to get that Busnhin fixed. And then another Jutsu I've been itching to fix.

~KYUUTSUKI~

Konohagakure no Sato: Shinboi Academy…

The next day…

"Naruto...You pass!"

Ha! I knew I'd get it this time.

You see, as I said earlier I couldn't do the Bunshin like everyone else. Right now, I can't get it squared down to at least three of them. My control isn't that good…and I may have fudged it a bit because I got excited but the point is I can't do it on a small scale.

But when I do it in bulk, well, hehe, there were no problems.

Not three clones. Not five. Not even ten. But twenty. Twenty Bunshins.* All of them in epic poses.

Why were they posing? Just because.

"Hey! Hey! Not bad, Naruto!"

I looked up to see Mizuki-sensei, smiling at me. Despite how girly he looks, he sure can play the nice guy very well. Probably one of his better traits as a Shinobi shining through.

Other than that I wasn't sure if he was that good. I've outrun many a Chunin before so I would know.

Mizuki and Iruka-sensei were sitting in front of me with a large row of Konoha Hitae tai (Headbands) next to them. I smiled the first time I saw them right in front of me. Metal plates that were just a little longer than a kunai with blue cloths stitched onto them so that we could wrap them anywhere on our bodies.

They were the badges that told everyone that you were a Shinobi of Konoha. But they were kinda dumb when you thought about it.

The whole other people seeing what ninja village you work for thing confused me a lot. Wasn't the whole point of being a ninja not being seen or identified by people who shouldn't know who you are? The civilians in the village was really pushing it since they could leave and tell people outside the village how many people who wore the headband and not.

Maybe there's a mind wiping trick for anyone that decides to move?

Well while I do have the headband now, I'll probably keep it in my pocket when I finally get work outside the village. While inside…meh, I'll wear it.

"Well I'd say that Naruto pretty much has this in the bag, Iruka." Mizuki-sensei said to Iruka-sensei as they assessed my skills. "He's done pretty well on the weapons and is one of our best in stealth. His Taijutsu is one of the few best we've seen out of all the Genin, and he did the basic three right on the dot.

He's come pretty far hasn't he?" Mizuki-sensei explained, actually complimenting my skills.

I turned to look at Iruka-sensei.

"...Well what you said is true. Besides a few bad marks on his record like those numerous disturbances he's had with the staff and other students, and those pranks around the village—"

"Those were never proven." I retorted.

"Just because we couldn't find any evidence on you, doesn't honestly mean that you didn't do it. Don't insult the intelligence of Chunin and higher up Shinobi Naruto." He gave me a dry look as he summed up his feelings on the matter.

Hey it wasn't my fault that those people started the problem. I just retaliated. Sometimes with great force but still it was repayment for insults and problems given. I still don't get how Iruka-sensei could know that it was me or why he didn't report me. You know besides the fact that I got rid of the evidence.

"Naruto is one of the better qualifiers for Genin..." Iruka-sensei stopped to rub his pineapple shaped hair with a sigh.

He then turned to look at me. Now I'm not much of a face reader or whatever it's called but on Iruka-sensei I could see that there was something he was still hesitant on.

After...I don't know how long minutes maybe, of silence, Iruka-sensei let out a groan.

"I still have reservations but you did pass Naruto. There are still subjects that you're not as great in like your history and etiquette but that can be fixed and improved over time. However besides all that you've definitely got what it takes. You're probably one of the few who does."

Iruka then smiled as he took one of the headbands from the table and tossed it to me. I caught it and just took a moment to admire it.

My proof.

"HAHAHA! YES! IN YOUR FACE, NON-BELIEVERS!" I shouted with a bit of a jump. Gotta play it right.

"Congratulations Naruto, I hereby qualify you as a Genin of Konoha. Be sure to represent Konoha with pride. Also be sure to report here within a week for your team evaluations."

"Sure thing, Sensei. Wanna have a bowl of ramen to celebrate later?"

"Another time. I still have some papers to grade along with other things. But still congratulations on making it this far."

With a nod, I walked out of the room. I got looks of annoyance and a few people saying "I got lucky" when they saw the headband in my hands. I got congratulations from only three people. I didn't mind it that much.

When the Academy was over, I stopped at the door leading outside where there were parents showering their kids with praise or consoling them with promises of retries. Seeing it, I felt an old ache in my chest but I pushed it away.

Out there were people who would be glad to see me failing.

I needed to do something other than what I was originally going to do. I so wanted to jump and scream my head off. I wanted to shout with triumph from the Hokage Mountain. I wanted to give the closest girl a full blown kiss on the mouth.

But for this moment, I had to do something better in mind. Something that would send a message to all the non-believers.

A few moments later it came to me. Tying my headband tightly on my forehead, I opened the door. Many turned to look at me and immediately I could see the anger and confusion on their faces. They really didn't try to hide it.

Seeing this I walked out the door and through the crowd. They didn't make any moves to stop me. They just moved their kids out of the way, whispering words meant to hurt me.

Words like "abomination", "demon brat", and "monster". Even hearing this I still moved on ahead, leaving them with their own celebrations damaged just by walking by. I felt a bit vindicated by it but…you know what, never mind them. Right now was my moment.

My day.

And there were people that I wanted to celebrate with.

~KYUUTSUKI~

"HAHAHAHA! Congratulations Naruto, my boy!" an older guy shouted as he passed me a bowl of ramen noodles while laughing.

This man was Ichiraku Teuchi.

I don't know how old he is but I could tell from the wrinkles on his tan face and the grayish black hair that he was far from hitting Hokage-Jiji's age but he was approaching it. He was wearing a white chef's outfit that looked a lot like a kimono along with a small hat on his head. He was the owner and proud cook of Ichiraku Ramen.

Funny thing: his eyes are always squinted like a fox's. Always.

It's a small white and red restaurant with a large round sign on the front that said Ichiraku. This place sells at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and was my all time favorite place to eat. Trust me, once you've had the Miso and Chicken ramen, there's no other place you'd want to eat.

Teuchi-jisan and his daughter, Ayame, were a part of the few people that I liked and like me in Konoha. They invited me for a bowl when I was hungry and was turned away from one of the grocery shops. I'm pretty sure that they knew about my condition and yet they still made the effort to approach me and offer me kindness.

Just that little try was enough to peak my interest and I, for the first time since I got to Konoha, tasted a nice cooked meal.

That was five years ago. And now I'm always here ready to pay for a bowl.

"Sorry that Tokie-san and Ayame couldn't be here today but you know how school is. I'll be sure to tell them about your graduation for you though." He said with a smile that said he was proud of me.

...I'm very glad I found this place when I did.

"Heh. Thanks Teuchi-oji. I'm just glad that I passed." I replied rubbing the back of my head. Man this was just too nice.

"Hmph, it's about time you showed me that the training I gave ya amounted to something brat. After the last two failures, I wasn't holding out that much hope."

And just like that my good mood is gone. Dammit.

"Screw you Sougen-Jiji. I told you that those first two times were flukes and I would get it soon. And now look, third times the charm and I'm a ninja." I replied, turning to look at the old man.

He definitely looked the part.

While his face still looked kinda young, there were still wrinkles forming along with how white his pulled back hair was starting to look. Even those crazy long whiskers he called a mustache was white. His dark blue eyes still had that mad doctor look from the first time I met him.

I wonder if he has some large glasses hidden away somewhere.

This old guy was Sougen Jinan.

Although he looks like a mad scientist, he's actually a doctor that works at part-time at the General Hospital and worked in herbal remedies in the district my house is close to. Though no one would guess that since he always wears a kimono and never a doctor's uniform.

He's also the one who taught me my Taijutsu.* It was from an old scroll that he apparently learned from when he was much younger. I wonder if he ever had to use it on anyone. So although he's a doctor, he was still an alright person. A lot better than a lot people in Konoha anyway.

Not that the bastard will ever know that.

"Hmph, your lucky there is a third time. But I guess it's better than nothing. Though I do hope that you at least did better than the rest when it came to fighting. I didn't waste my time training you for nothing."

He stopped to slurp some of his mushroom ramen before he smirked at me.

"Especially given how bad you were when I first trained you."

"Oi! Of course I kicked as-"

"Naruto..." Teuchi-jiji gives me that eye. It was weird to see what his eye color looked like since he mostly kept his eyes closed to small slits like I usually did.

But whenever he opens that eye and gives that look, I know it meant serious business.

I chuckled nervously and put my hand behind my head. "Ah sorry, Teuchi-jiji."

Man why did old people have the ability to make others feel bad with just a look? If it's not them its women...

"I mean, of course I kicked their butts. The only one I had problems with was Sasuke, Kiba, and Setsuna when her class was brought in to spar with outs, and Shino but I'll get better. I always do."

"Good. That time you came in with a broken tooth was embarrassing and horrible to look at. I don't even deal with teeth so why you came to me is a mystery."

"Urk." He just had to bring that up didn't he? I was young, dammit! And it was just one screw-up! The tooth grew back anyway!

"Plus at least now, I won't be bothered as much to look you over for anymore bruises from your beat downs now. You're going to have to learn to take better care of yourself. That and the less I have to see your flabby boy body the better."

"Hey!" Now I know he was full of crap. "My body isn't flabby at all! Tokie and Ayame said so!"

...

Oh crap. What did I just say?

"And why would Ayame know how your body looked Naruto...?"

Oh crap that look is back. And when did Teuchi-jiji get that butcher knife?

"Uh..."

Okay Naruto think carefully. You don't wanna die, right? Right. So the best way out of this was to act casual and give them a good reason why both of their daughters would see me without a shirt. Wait why didn't Sougen-jiji say anything? Was he just waiting to hear an explanation or was he just enjoying me squirm?

Bastard.

"Well...this one time, I went to visit Ayame at her school but see I had just finished this really intense training to get my Chakra under control.

You know that right? That I have too much Chakra and it messes me up sometimes right?"

He nodded but didn't put down the knife. Okay now what...

"Well I put too much effort into it and got really tired from some reason. I think it's because I used too much or all of my chakra so I kinda crashed to the ground as soon as I saw her. When I came to, she was helping me onto the couch at my house-"

"And when did this happen?" Teuchi-jiji asked, slowly lowering the huge knife. Thank Kami.

"Bout a year ago." I turned away hoping that he wouldn't see my face.

Just remembering that day…

"It was...kinda weird waking up to find her helping me with my shirt off. And kinda...scary.

...You won't tell her I said anything about it will you? If she knows that you know, she'll be embarrassing me forever and right here at the shop. Please. Please don't tell her."

I'm being honest right now. I was lucky that she didn't say anything around Teuchi-jiji but I knew she wanted to tease me about it. All girls want to tease people.

Those girls back at the Academy prove it!

Old man Ichiraku gave me that eye for another minute before it finally closed and the feeling of death finally went away.

I sighed in relief.

Old people could be really scary when they wanted to. Wait, why was Sougen-jiji just laughing at me? Shouldn't he be concerned for his daughter?

...Not that I would do anything bad to Tokie-chan.

He stopped his creepy hyena laugh and saw that I was looking at him. He raised a brow at me but said nothing.

"Aren't you gonna ask me when Tokie-chan saw me with my shirt off?"

"Bah. I already knew about that lad."

I flinched. He already knew?! Oh crap!

"I was there when it happened after all."

...Gah! Y-you sick bastard!

Perverted Old Bastard!

"It was the day when you got so horribly defeated by that Uchiha boy that Tokie herself asked me to take care of you. That of course meant treating the multiple bruises on your face and your chest.

What did you think I meant boy?"

...F&%k you Old man.

~KYUUTSUKI~

Well this has been a great day for me. I can't wait to see Tokie and Ayame-nechan and see them congratulate me as well.

Hehehe.

As I walked home, I wondered something.

Back in the Academy—that's totally behind me now—there was a lot of talk about Konoha nins favoring teamwork amongst its greatest strengths. So that means that come next week, I'll be hanging out with three people for a good long while.

Whoever it is I just hope it's not someone who hates me like—

"Hey Naruto!"

I turned back and raised a brow at who called me, "Mizuki-sensei?"

He looked at me with a smile. "I wanted to tell ya congratulations for passing. I had a feeling you'd pass. Oh and don't be disheartened about Iruka. Scar-face may be tough on you kids but he does want what's best for you. He feels he has to be especially tough on you since he feels you're the same as him."

"The same?" What's he talking about?

"Yeah. You know that he knows that you pulled those pranks last year and a few days ago right?"

Yeah, and I still don't know how he found out. I'm sure I covered all my tracks and everything.

"Well that was a lot like Iruka used to be. He was a big time prankster when he was about your age. Though he did caught more he still sees your situation as the same since well...Iruka had to grow up an orphan as well."

...Huh. Iruka-sensei... I never would have guessed...

Mizuki-sensei then smiled again and patted my shoulder. "But there's not much to worry about now is there. From this day forward, you, me, and Iruka are all comrades for the same village, right?"

"...Yep. We sure are." Though I won't hold my breath when it comes to you.

"You know Naruto," Mizuki-sensei suddenly said, "There's something else that I wanted to talk to you about If you're interested that is…"

Trying to bait me, huh? Like that hasn't happened before. But still it might be interesting. "What's up, Sensei?"

"Well there is something...else about the graduation exam. I mean, you passed and everything which is great! But what if I told you that you could gain a little more...credit for when you want to go higher in rank?"

Mizuki whispered, as low as a bug.

Ah, tempting me with a chance of faster promotion. I have made it known that I want to be a strong Shinobi so someone like Mizuki would think that translated to I want to be Jounin or something.

"What's it about?"

"Well when it comes to certain candidates, we have what you may call, Black Ops tests. You see while the Big Three Jutsus in the Academy are important to be considered Genin, there are still students who bring a few things that are beyond Genin rank. Not anything jutsu based, anyway. And when we find them, it's usual to offer a little extra work to see if they want to rise higher in the ranks.

It doesn't happen often so we really need to keep our eyes open. We had a few that came close but one of them that actually made the cut…was you."

…Wow. He is good. A believable story that someone that didn't study how the system worked would go for. Though I do wonder if there is such a test.

Okay. He's got me. I want to know where this is going.

"You got it Mizuki-sensei!" I replied in joy.

"Shh! Not so loud, Naruto. It's supposed to be a secret remember?"

Oh yeah. Whoops.

~KYUUTSUKI~

Forest outside Konoha…

Later that Evening…

"Whew I finally got it." I said wiping the sweat from my face. I probably stink right now from all that effort but that really doesn't matter anymore.

Turns out that secret assignment was a simple one. Well simple for me anyway.

I had to sneak inside the Hokage's office and take a large scroll called the Fūin no Sho (Scroll of Seals) and bring it back to a safe location without being detected. It was pretty easy since I've been in and out of the Hokage building for a lot when I was younger.

It was mostly to see the old man at lunch or when I needed something.

Then there were times when I was picked up by ANBU because they believed that I was the culprit behind a few incidents in the village.

It was me but like I said to Iruka-sensei, there was nothing to prove it was.

Anyways, since I had a pretty good layout of the place and Mizuki had provided me with the movement schedules for the ANBU available, it was a pretty easy job. The fact that some Chūnin knew the movement schedule for the ANBU—secret ninja that are the best at stealth—was kinda sad…and scary when you think about it.

Sheesh, am I going to have to clean up the holes the security keeps making?

The mission wasn't without a mishap though. There was that quick moment where Hokage-jiji almost had me but I got him with a secret technique I made a while ago.

The Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu).

It was something I originally made for fun. Fun and a curiosity about the Henge. After many hours of training, I managed to change my form into that of a young woman. Who looked a lot like me.

And…you know. Naked.

Make any joke you want, but that Jutsu would've been an amazing prank and distraction for the male population. It would make robbing people a heck of a lot easier too.

Unfortunately Ayame and Tokie had forbidden me from using it, especially after the first time I showed them. I got the reason why they didn't like it but seeing the evil glare in their eyes really sold me on marking it a secret Jutsu.

I think Ayame realized where I got the body inspiration from…

"…W-well this was a quasi mission so they won't need to know anyway. S-so I don't anything to worry about right? Right. So it's all good."

I took a small breath at this. I know I was acting a bit out of it but there's a good reason. A very good reason.

"Anyway, that Jutsu was a bit tougher than I thought. Who knew that a Bunshin could take that much chakra?" I stood up and dusted my pants off.

While lifting the Sacred Scroll, I had a sudden thought. That place was the vault for the strongest techniques in the village right? And since I was already on a mission to get this scroll, no one would mind if I borrowed another one for my own.

With that, I grabbed two more scrolls and dashed out, only to meet Jiji and reveal one of my secret Jutsu.

It took sometime, like half an hour to an hour later, before I got the Jutsu to work. I took a peak at the other scrolls and managed to copy the notes for them.

I'll get to them later.

"But it's pretty cool."

I made a cross seal and called up my chakra. After getting a bit more than the bare minimum I could manage, I called it out, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)!"

The chakra was let out and in a puff of smoke, a clone of me popped up. He looked exactly like me down to the last detail. He even had a copy of the giant scroll attached to his back. As I moved closer and examined him, I poked him on the headband.

Oh yeah, I wore my headband for this. It felt like my first mission for the Konoha so I thought what the heck.

That is what made this jutsu so cool. This was an honest to God clone!

A true physical one that can punch and kick people. This blew the Bunshin straight out of the water!

"This is so cool!"

"I know right?" the clone replied with a blank look on its face. "So what do you want?"

"Uh…nothing. I was just trying the jutsu out again."

"So I was basically summoned here for no reason other than your curiosity?" I slowly nodded to its question but was confused. This was a clone of me right? So shouldn't he be smiling or something.

"Heh. I should've figured as much. I am just a clone after all." He looked down at the ground with his arms folded.

"Uh…are you okay?"

"Is there really anything okay about being a clone?" He looked back up and stared at me right in the eye. It's kinda freaking me out.

"I am not real. I am merely a construct made out of chakra. No heart. No brain. No blood pumping through my nonexistent veins. Just a mass of chakra shaped into your form and given life. Hmph, I can't really classify myself as a life, can I?"*

Okay. Now this was getting creepy.

"Naruto!"

The hell?! Iruka-sensei? What was he doing here?

"You might want to hide." I turned to the clone as it turned to face the incoming Chūnin. "Iruka-sensei might not be involved in the test. If that's the case, then as the one securing the package, you cannot be seen. Hide yourself in the forest and try to eavesdrop to be sure."

…Okay what is the deal with this clone?

"Why are you still standing here? Get moving." I didn't speak another word and just hopped into the trees. As I was far enough to actually hide myself well, I settled in to watch what would happen next. The clone seemed sure that Iruka-sensei wasn't a part of this test and hiding until I get confirmation that he was involved while the clone talked to him was…a smart idea.

Why didn't I think of that earlier?

~KYUUTSUKI~

"I've been looking…all over for you!" Iruka said in between pants. He had been running around the village for awhile and only recently thought to check the woods. He also used his special technique to search the darkened woods for anything abnormal. It was a jutsu he had been working on in his free time but he had no name for it yet. It turned out to be a success.

"Do you have any idea of what you've done!?"

Rubbing the back of his head, the fake Naruto replied, "Haha looks you've found me Iruka-sensei. I only had time to learn one Jutsu from the scroll."

Iruka paused and took a good look at Naruto. He could see the few tears and dirt clods on the Uzumaki clone's clothing. Had the blonde been here actually studying the scroll?

"Hey listen, all I need to do is show you this technique and I pass? That's the deal for this secret exam right?"

"…Secret exam? Naruto who told you about a secret exam?" Iruka asked raising an eyebrow.

The blonde was about to say something when he stopped and blinked. "Uh, sorry Sensei but I don't know what the codename for the mission is but if you look at the scroll, I guarantee that it's the real deal. But seriously where's Mizuki-sensei? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

That got Iruka's attention. Mizuki told him? But that would mean—

Swoosh!

"Sensei move!" Naruto shouted as he heard something incoming.

Poosh!

The clone was momentarily stunned when it received a strong shove that pushed it off its feet. It could right itself in a second but—

Thunk!

Thunk!

Snickt!

The blonde managed to right himself and turned back to the older male. "Sensei are you—"

…Blood. Small red droplets of blood were falling off Iruka-sensei. Sticking into unprotected parts of his shoulders were small metal disks with bladed edges. In his shoulder was a short ninja knife with a circular end and a hoop to put their finger into.

Iruka was just attacked by Shuriken and Kunai.

The moment the real Naruto had seen the action he was about to get out there and provide assistance. When—

"Hmph should've figured that you would find him first."

Naruto, both the clone and the fake, snapped their heads around to see who had done this. They gaped when they saw the enemy. There was no one else who would have white hair in this village.

No one other than Mizuki.

"You were always the one able to find him Iruka but that doesn't matter now. Naruto, give me the scroll!" Mizuki-sensei shouted as he appeared on a tree branch overlooking the two people in the clearing. On his back were two Fūma Shurikens and on his face a twisted smile.

"Wha—what the hell's going on?"

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled while he pulled all the last kunai out, small traces of blood could be seen falling from both his Chūnin flack jacket and his mouth. "Whatever you do don't give Mizuki the scroll! It contains dangerous techniques known only to our village!"

"And those secrets will go a long way to any top buyers that want them. Oh and speaking of secrets…" this time Mizuki's face changed to a menacing and all knowing smirk, "…Hey, Naruto how'd you like to hear a secret? One that pertains completely to you."

This caused the three lower Shinobi to stop and stare.

"What are you talking about? What secret?" the clone shouted, staying in character. Though it was curious about whatever possible lie that Mizuki would spin to get its attention, the longer it kept the traitor talking to more time it and the original had to plan an escape or counterattack.

"Mizuki don't say it! It's forbidden!" Iruka shouted in panic causing the two blondes to turn to him. The way the Chūnin was move through those injuries, whatever Mizuki was saying was the truth. And it was something that the Uzumaki was not to know. Interesting.

"It started five years ago before you were brought back into the village." The white haired Chūnin started off as he stared down at the two weaklings. This was a long time coming with the guy that he hated and the Kyūbi monster and he was going to savor it as long as he could. Then he would deal the final blow.

"It started out like any regular day but then one of the village sensors picked up on something out in the Hi no Kuni (Fire Country). It caused us to shut down a few venues and put the village on lockdown until we could respond to it. The Sandaime managed to contain the situation well enough and write off the incident as nothing more than an exercise.

But behind the scenes, we learned about you. What you represent. And what you hold. And against all common sense, we brought you here. Right in the center of the place you almost destroyed. Somehow who you are got leaked into the village and the Sandaime had to really work to keep things quiet.

He made it so no one would ever speak of your secret under the penalty of death."

The clone paused but on the inside, it was mentally shaking its head. He knew exactly what it was the Chūnin was talking about. So now that little bit was figured out, he had to decided how to Iruka out of the way so that the original could find the other Konoha-nin.

He had no idea what the original was doing but decided to keep playing along. "What was the decree? Why does everyone else know of it but I don't? What happened to me?"

"It actually had to deal with the Kyūbi attack on the village fifteen years ago and its death by the Yondaime." Mizuki's smirk became downright evil. "That was nothing but a lie. He couldn't kill the fox so instead he did something else…"

"Mizuki don't!" Iruka shouted in vain.

"He used a forbidden Ninjutsu on a new born baby and sealed the beast within the kid. However the baby was taken away from the village and never to be seen for ten. Whole. Years. Then just five years ago, he was found thanks to a random sensor-nin that got lucky! And lo and behold, they found you!" Mizuki shouted with a demented look as he stared right into mine.

"NOW DO YOU SEE NARUTO?! YOU ARE THAT BABY WITH THE MONSTER THAT ATTACKED KONOHA INSIDE YOU! YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX!"

…

Silence settled on the field. There was nothing to say. Or it could be there they could say. After such a revelation, the clone lowered its face so that its eyes were shadowed by its face. Iruka could only look on with a pained grimace, only thinking about the multitude of ways that the boy would do.

Mizuki was just happy to get another hit on the two people he hated the most. Oh if only the boy would cry.

"It's sad…"

The two older nins waited in bated breath to see what would come next.

"It's very sad…that you are so pathetic, Mizuki."

…That was not what they were expecting.

"It's very sad that in all the years you've known me that you think I wouldn't be able to piece together the fact that the Kyūbi is sealed inside me on my own or even before I came to this village." The two Chūnin gaped at the new information.

"It's sad that the people of this village would turn to make the life of young child hell just to sate their grief. It's sad that they would attempt to hurt and break the child inside and out for five whole years without any explanation to the child if they didn't already know.

And the saddest part is that they got used to it. They never decided to move on and past it. They never thought past their hate and pain to see that maybe there was something wrong with blaming a child for the fault of a monster. To never attempt to get to know the child and hopefully move on, like Iruka-sensei did. He may not have been comfortable with me at first but he still tried."

The clone then looked up with nothing but crystal blue orbs of distain at Mizuki, "And I'm going to make sure that Iruka stays alive."

It formed a ram seal and erupted in a puff of smoke, only to reappear a few inches in the air in front of Mizuki.

Before the Chūnin could react, he found himself with a face full of bare knuckles.

The Chūnin then woke up from his shock and flipped back to his feet. He didn't know how the little monster managed to teleport but he was going to pay him back for that.

"Oh yeah you little demon-brat!" Mizuki shouted. He hefted one of the Fūma Shuriken on his back in one hand and began to spin it around, the clone staring him down.

After a few seconds of twirling the huge weapon and he threw it. "Come on and die!"

"Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu)...?" Iruka was stunned. When did the blonde learn the technique?

But then he remembered the fact his former student was facing off against his former friend in a life and death battle.

"Naruto, watch ou—" A hand clamped down on the scarred man's mouth and pulled him away from the area, with Mizuki none the wiser.

Iruka managed to remove the hand from his mouth and wrench himself free. He was about to go on the defensive on this possible accomplice when "Iruka-sensei, it's me."

Iruka stopped when he recognized that voice. Confused he turned his head to the side to see, "Naruto?"

"That's a Kage Bunshin fighting Mizuki. I learned it from the scroll." The blonde then grabbed the Umino Shinobi's arm and placed it over his shoulder. "Now come on, we gotta get outta here before—"

The blonde stopped when a quick flash came before his eyes. He saw himself jumping in the air and dodging the Fūma Shuriken by a few scant inches before rushing forward to ram another fist towards Mizuki's face. The Chūnin, seeing it coming this time, moved to the side and dodged it. But the clone couldn't stop its ascent.

The last thing the depressing clone saw was the Konoha Mountain in the distance before everything went dark.

Naruto wobbled and fell to one knee. "What the?"

"Dammit! That was a clone!? Where the hell is that brat learning this Jutsu?!" Mizuki shouted in anger and confusion. He then took off in a random direction, desperate to find the two before it was too late.

Iruka, seeing Naruto's slumped posture and hearing Mizuki's run, ducked both Konoha nins lower into the bushes. The scarred Chūnin knew a bit about the Kage Bunshin and the drawback of its secondary effect: Memory Feedback, when the user receives the memories of the clone when it's killed/dispelled.

And judging from Naruto's expression, he just experienced himself dying.

"Naruto, you need to pull yourself together. We have to get out of here and get back-up before he finds us."

"I…I know that. Just give me a second."

"…So…how long have you known? About the Kyūbi?" Iruka decided to ask, while checking their perimeter to make sure Mizuki hadn't spot them.

"Since before I came here."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Let anyone from this village know that I have a powerful monster in my gut that killed loved ones from fifteen years ago? Yeah, not the best idea, Iruka-sensei." Naruto replied with a shake of his head.

He definitely did not expect this from the technique.

"Not even Sandaime-sama?"

"It never came up. He didn't think I knew about it and I didn't want to talk about it. Hell I wasn't even sure I could trust a lot of people with what I knew. It was just better to act like I didn't know."

The Chūnin grimaced at the truth. Frankly that was the best idea Naruto could've had. For any ninja taken in by the enemy village, playing dumb was the best way to gather your own information. The fact that Naruto suspected Konoha of being the enemy village stung but after everything that has happened, he couldn't fault the thinking.

So for a couple of years, the blonde had been by himself. No family, no friends, and in unfamiliar place.

However Iruka was glad to note that it didn't last long. For the enemies that Naruto unconditionally made of the civilians and the neutral but wary Shinobi forces, the blonde had managed to at least befriend the Ichiraku's, the Jinan's, Sandaime-sama, some of the Clan children from Iruka's class, and Iruka himself.

He had changed things. While he was an even worst prankster than Iruka used to be, the blonde was still so very different.

"You know, I saw myself in you Naruto." His words made the blonde turn to look at him. "I know what it's like to grow up without anyone. What it's like to be alone for a long time. To act out like the class clown just to get attention. I was just like that when I was your age. I had lost my parents in the Kyūbi attack. It hurt a lot knowing I wouldn't see them again. I even saw the beasts face once.

It was the single most terrifying thing I had ever seen in my young life. And it only cemented the idea that my parents wouldn't be coming back from it.

When I heard about you and that you wanted to be a Shinobi, I knew that I was going to be the one to teach you. I was…hesitant, even a bit angry to see you, knowing that you had the monster that took my parents away inside of you. I didn't want to get close to you but…well a lot of things happened. Like when a certain someone came across a few Ame Kunoichi and I had to help save their butt."

"That was more of team-up. I totally had two of them on the ropes." The blonde replied, a bit of humor returning to his voice after hearing Iruka's story.

"But after that, I tried to move on from that. I got to know you and I had to say: you are not the fox nor are you responsible for what it did. You're a good kid, Naruto. You can be friendly and you're strong. You may have had to deal with loneliness but you handled it better than I did. You didn't become a clown to cover up the pain and anger. You stood up and worked right through it. First on your own and then when the others stood behind you. But when it came to me…it took you getting attacked before I even thought about helping you."

Small tears began to fall down his eyes as he clenched his fist. "I'm sorry Naruto. I—"

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu)!"

Iruka turned around and paled in fear. A large fireball was heading straight towards them! Thinking quickly, Iruka grabbed Naruto and threw him back into the woods before taking off in the opposite himself.

Boosh!

The explosion from the fire jutsu erupted in a bonfire, no doubt leaving a crater of scorched earth in its wake. Iruka however was not concerned in the blast but where the caster was. And luckily, Mizuki had not hidden himself. Thinking on the fly, Iruka summoned his chakra and called out, "Henge no Jutsu."

In a puff of smoke, Iruka's form changed to that of Naruto, scroll and all. Hoping that Mizuki would follow the ruse, no questions asked, the disguised Chūnin took off in a run.

Luckily he was right. Mizuki in a rush, raced after what he was perceived as his target.

Having a similar idea to what Iruka had, Mizuki assumed the Henge form of Iruka. A simple plan but something will work nine time out of ten. That one time where it doesn't requires a very intelligent person.

It was safe to say what Mizuki thought of Naruto's intelligence.

~KYUUTSUKI~

Sometime Later…

Naruto stood over the beaten and bloody body of Mizuki, an full toothed smile on his face as he looked at Iruka who sat a few feet away.

Mizuki's plan had fallen apart the moment Iruka turned the tables on him during the short chase. During the small moment where the truth was revealed and their Henges dispelled, the pair of Chūnin went into a small discussion about Naruto.

Mizuki proclaimed that Naruto was just like him and would use the Forbidden Scroll to release the Kyūbi's power and take revenge on Konoha for the wrongs they committed on him. He even questioned why Iruka would help Naruto if he hated the Kyūbi for killing his parents.

However while Iruka accepted and out loud admitted that he did hate the fox but he countered the rest of Mizuki's claim by stating, "Naruto is not the Kyūbi. He is Uzumaki Naruto, a proud ninja of the Leaf and my student and I'm proud that he is."

Unbeknownst to the two, Naruto had been hiding nearby and had heard everything. Having heard everything up to Iruka's speech, the blond found it hard to hold back the giddy smile he had been feeling. Iruka had accepted him, even proclaimed he was proud of him.

Those simple words were worth more to the blond Jinchūriki than anything. He had someone who initially didn't like him now trying to protect him.

That was one more person to add to his list of people he was close to.

So when he saw Mizuki about to take Iruka out with his last Fūma shurinken, Naruto promptly leapt in as Iruka's assistance and managed to defeat the white haired traitor with the Tajū Kage Bushin no Jutsu, a solid clone technique that could make hundreds of the creator.

It was over in just a couple of minutes.

Naruto scratched the back of his head looking sheepish as he asked, "Hehe I guess I overdid it huh?"

Iruka chuckled. "Yeah I guess you did." He then paused to consider something but smiled when he was done. "Hey Naruto come here for a minute."

The blond hero was confused for a second before he complied with Iruka's wishes and walked over to the injured teacher. Once there Iruka asked Naruto to keep his eyes closed until he was done. Naruto was hesitant at first but he did as he was told and closed his eyes. The blond could feel Iruka doing something to his headband but didn't really know what it was.

A few seconds later he reopened them to Iruka smiling at him.

"Sorry, it's just that your headband was kinda messed up and about to fall off. Can't have a fellow Shinobi's headband look bad now can we?" Taking a moment to sigh and lay back, Iruka stifled a groan of pain and looked at his now former student in the eye. "Congratulations Naruto. You've really earned that headband."

The large grin on Naruto's face was all that was needed to be said. All was right with the world.

"Oh how sweet."

A vindictive voice sneered throughout the small area. Both Naruto and Iruka turned to see none other than Mizuki slowly standing back up, his wounds from Naruto's clones still aching and present.

"The beaten teacher awarding his student for saving his life. Hehehe and what's even funnier is the fact that it's the very same student that housing the thing that kills his parents!" Mizuki laughed a bit more, though it was bordering on the side of maniacal than regular. After a minute he stopped and glared right at the two loyal leaf shinobi, prompting Naruto to take a defensive stance for his teacher.

"It's over Mizuki. Come with us now and you won't be hurt any further." Iruka stated though in his current state it wasn't much of a threat.

"Tch. You were always too soft when it came to kids Iruka but not me. I've hated that stupid job and this village for too long. This is my chance for bigger and better things. I've come too far for you and some orange retard to screw this up for me." The traitor Chūnin reached into his vest pocket while Naruto prepared for anything.

The blond was confused when it was revealed that Mizuki pulled out what looked like a small flask with a strange symbol on it. He was even more confused when the purple haired man downed the contents in a second.

Mizuki then threw the small container away and gave Naruto and Iruka one nasty smile, "So I'm going to end this little charade."

As soon as he finished that sentence, Mizuki's body erupted in a blast of foulest, most malevolent chakra Iruka had ever felt. It paled in comparison to the Kyūbi's chakra from the two times he had felt it but this was still pretty close.

It felt as if it was draining and killing the green life around them, since it did look like the grace he was standing on was wilting away into nothing. Naruto and Iruka could only stare as the purple energy circled the former teacher in a typhoon of energy. His Chūnin flack jacket was shredded from the energy output along with the mesh shirt underneath.

After a few seconds, the swirl of power died down and revealed a much different Mizuki that Naruto and Iruka were not prepared for.

The new Mizuki had grown to a height of six feet, effectively towering over Naruto and Iruka. His whole body had suddenly increased in muscle mass, making him look like a weight lifter, while taking on a strange orange color. The final change was the dark tattoo marks that had appeared on the left side of his face and down his arms and sides.

He clearly resembled a black stripped orange tiger.

Mizuki reveled in his newfound power. It felt so amazing! It felt like he could take on all the heavy hitters of Konoha all on his own. Oh that would be so glorious right now if he didn't have to get out of here before the Hokage showed up.

The now primal Mizuki sneered as he refocused on his two victims for tonight.

"Now look and see you little trash! Witness the power I've gained from Orochimaru-sama!"

The reactions from the two were different.

Iruka was struck with both shock and fear when he heard the traitorous Snake Sannin's name. The situation had just gotten worse and with that weird stuff that Mizuki had taken there's no telling what he could do now.

He had to get Naruto away from here and get help!

Naruto…Naruto suddenly clutched his head as the biggest and most violent headache started to come over him.

That weird energy, whatever it did to Mizuki…it was all wrong. It reeked of something foul and unnatural. It made his blood boil. His head was swimming in agony. His pulse was picking up and down in a crazy rhythm.

The boy dropped to his knees. What was going on with him?

Mizuki saw this and laughed in an uproar, "Looks like the little Kyūbi brat can't handle my new power. Well don't worry gaki, cause you'll be dead in a little bit!"

Mizuki then shot forward with a large muscled arm pulled back; ready to pound our blond hero into paste.

Luckily for the Uzumaki orphan, Iruka managed to muster enough strength to push Naruto out of the way and dodge the punch himself before it could connect. Unfortunately since he was still in pain, Iruka did not have enough strength to move fast enough to dodge the second punch to his face.

With no energy left, Iruka was sent straight for a nearby tree and slumped into unconsciousness.

~KYUUTSUKI~

BA-BUMP.

I can feel it banging against me. My head just won't stop. What's wrong with me? Why is my head trying to explode?

Not now. This is not the time for a headache.

I have to help Iruka-sensei or we'll both end up dead. But I should've been paying attention or I would have realized that Mizuki was coming right at me but I just couldn't let go of my head. Suddenly I felt a hand on my side that pushed me far enough to be safe. It was obviously Iruka-sensei.

I felt glad that even now he was watching out for me and that gave me enough strength to push past my headache and sit up so that I can get to my feet and unleash some more clones. A good couple hundred oughta buy us enough time to get back into Konoha.

Unfortunately when I looked up I wasn't expecting to see Mizuki drive one of his new huge fists to into Iruka-sensei's face and send him to a tree. A pit of distress began to invade my gut. Iruka-sensei couldn't…he just couldn't be…dead?

BA-BUMP

Could he be? Was he…No Iruka-sensei couldn't be gone. He's a precious person. He acknowledged me and fought to keep me alive.

He's gotta be alright…he just has to be.

BA-BUMP

I gotta get up. I gotta get us out of here. If I can get him to the hospital they may be able to help sensei.

But there's still Mizuki.

He's so much stronger than normal so I don't think that my Kage Bushin are going to do any good. I need something more powerful to beat him.

BA-BUMP

I need this damn headache to go away so I can concentrate! I need…I need…

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

You need to kill him.

What?

He's no longer a regular human. He's unnatural. He's a monster. He's going to kill you and Iruka-sensei. He may even kill the others just to spite you. If you get rid of him, you'll both be safe.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

That's true…Mizuki was a monster now. An enemy.

It's a shinobi's job to kill all enemies both in and outside their homes. So you know this is the right course.

For some reason I could feel that whoever was talking to me was smirking.

…Just do as you did it before.

A flash came of light appeared in my mind. When it cleared, I was standing in a clearing that was a couple of miles away from Konoha. I could tell since the trees were not as high as the ones back in Konoha and my muscles felt a bit tired from all the running I've done to get this far.

Standing a couple of feet away from me was large sack. Inside it was a girl that I knew from the Academy, who was most likely unconscious.

And right in front of me was a man, cut off at the waist. The knife that did him in was clenched in my hand, heavily stained with his blood.

I didn't smile. I didn't cry. I just stared. Stared at body of the dead man I had killed with my eyes. I made that decision to save someone. I did it because the man was stronger than me and I would have died without them.

"Remember to be careful with those eyes, Naruto. Special abilities attract other special abilities. So only use them in a situation that really calls for it."

BA-BUMP.

I don't think I was completely conscious when I felt the seal let loose and the lines began to appear. I remember Aoko-sensei's words well and its time I followed through with them.

I know what I have to do…

Chapter 1 end…

Next time:

The Impulse is sated.

Hmph to think I had to be woken up by a low monster like you.

And revelations are given light.

Naruto I am sorry that you had to hear all that from Mizuki.

Jinchuuriki means "power of human sacrifice". It is the term used for a human who is used in the process of sealing away Bijuu.

However the blood stained hands must move forward.

She was now standing before me, a crimson piece of metal lodged through her chest.

I was…so sad.

Yes Naruto, you are not the only one.

Now after so many years, the name is heard.

W-who…what are you?!

...Isn't it obvious?

Nanaya.

I'm NARUTO.

The blade descended.

Kyuutsuki no Uzumaki

Chapter 2

Awaken Satsujin Uzumaki II

Edited: 05/16/2013

AJ Katon out.