Wildfire

Chapter 2: Burnt Mask

"Speech."

"Emphasis."


The two were running late to his academy reunion, yet Naruto still took his sweet time in consideration of his companion's recovery period. He walked along as he stared down at the girl's feet as she did the same, her not wanting to trip on her own overused, thin legs.

Three days had flown by since the birth of the village's most recent topic of conversation and light gossip, whispers circling around as to who could have caused such a disaster just outside of the surrounding walls. The scene, when peeked at by the eyes of nosy citizens and curious shinobi alike, appeared as if it was the aftermath of a quarrel between two enraged fire specialists. The remains of scattered embers and loose weaponry reminded a certain raven-haired prodigy of a catastrophe from childhood.

The Hokage had visited the blonde child in his apartment the evening after Tayuya had been brought in, assuring him that he had already seen what had happened using his crystal ball. The retired instructor of the Sannin had sent his forces to their location as soon as he understood the situation, having activated the Telescope Technique to track down the stolen scroll once notified of it. The runaway child remained sound asleep throughout his visit, exhaustion having caught up to her.

The Third allowed Naruto to let her stay in his room with him, the two strangely suiting each other quite well, eliciting a sincere smile from the fox child. Admittedly, Hiruzen wanted to know an accurate measure of the kid's newfound abilities, and having the reason for his awakening right beside him would only aid in that endeavor. The final remark he made before vanishing back to his office was that Naruto would be allowed to graduate with the others on the condition that he cares for and protects the redheaded girl who would be joining him as a fellow genin of Konoha.

It had taken Tayuya until this morning to awaken to bandaged limbs, the alluring smell of fresh ramen broth, and the smile of the blonde boy leaning dangerously close to her over the shaky bed. His bashful smile was something she'd soon look forward to seeing each day, while her acceptance of that fact would take much longer to mature.

After slurping down the contents of the disposable bowl at an astonishing rate, she indulged in her first warm shower and changed into her new set of plain clothes in the bathroom, taking much longer than expected in there to learn how to properly utilize the store-bought toothbrush laid out for her. She came out to see the bed sheets that had been stained by the rancid mud from her dirty clothing were now replaced, not knowing how much of the boy's savings were spent on her without complaint. He told her of the meeting they'd need to head towards as soon as possible, and while she'd usually respond with doubt, reluctance, and immense sass to her old roommates, she couldn't muster up any motivation to do so to him.

The shinobi academy shortly came into full view, Tayuya looking up at the insignia of the Leaf and around at the ones rushing towards the entrance, all of them seemingly being Naruto's age. They eventually made it through the newly trampled waxed halls, her following his guide to an open classroom door.

He took an exaggerated breath before entering, walking up the wide steps inside and towards the back, the location meant for the more reserved kids of the class. They sat down in two empty seats beside one another, having gone mostly unnoticed by the others, save for a ponytailed boy with observant, slanted eyes.

The room was chock-full of rowdy kids and even bantering, an onslaught of girls recklessly throwing themselves at the class pretty boy, clawing for the seats near him. Next to the window, a boy wild in appearance with facial clan markings was tapping at the glass, flexing a toothed smile at an excited pup outside. The back hosted three more unique class members, the first being a chubby one inhaling his way through barbecue-flavored potato chips, simultaneously chowing down while opening up his next bag of delicious victims. The second was an introverted girl squirming in her seat while Naruto inquisitively stared at her, sporting short purple-tinted hair and whitish lavender eyes. The last boy in the very corner had a gray collar high enough to conceal his mouth while wearing pitch black sunglasses despite being indoors.

After the instinctive scan of the inhabitants, Naruto suddenly snapped around to face his roommate.

"I forgot to tell you earlier, but those clothes were the only ones on sale at the store I go to. They're not the best, sorry." He wanted to at least say something since she'd find out about the clothing's quality at some point anyway, her hasty response back starting with a playful smirk.

"Well, they are pretty comfortable. I can't complain." A grin was plastered on top of his canine features, the moment quickly broken by the entry of a chunin sensei.


"Naruto Uzumaki, huh... He still looks the same to me. He does seem happier around the girl, though." The gray-haired Cyclops glanced down at the Hokage's crystal ball, centered around the holder of the Nine-Tails.

"The presence he has now has greatly improved, whether influenced by the fox or not. In general, having enough confidence is a great start to one's success." The Third looked up from the illuminating vision being portrayed and at the entourage of loyal jounin, them doing the same to respectfully face him having heard the shuffling of his movements. "Do not tell any of your students nor juniors from your lines of work of what has happened to the boy. This is and will remain confidential until further notice."

His wrinkled eyes darted toward Fire Country's Copycat Ninja. "During your test tomorrow morning, Kakashi, analyze and put aside the other students first before taking on Naruto alone. The rest of us will once again meet here to watch as you do so. However, do not underestimate him nor lower your guard at any time. Do you understand?"

A stern nod came from the well-known student of the legendary Yondaime, Hatake having garnered enough battle experience to have picked up on thousands of deadly techniques. Disregarding of Sarutobi's remarks, however, no jounin there truthfully believed a newbie could come close to matching a regular elite, let alone someone who had been a notoriously strict Anbu captain at one point.

They all reshifted their focus down as the class teacher commenced listing off the groups of genin.


"Team Seven will be Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka began, hearing the wooden desks being physically tortured by the trimmed nails of anxious fangirls, "Sakura Haru-"

"YES!" Before her name was even fully read, she skyrocketed from her seat, provokingly pointing at a slender blonde girl across the row from her. "I told you I'd be with Sasuke!" A vicious groan reverberated from the defeated Yamanaka, the teacher's ominous glare forcing Sakura to sit from embarrassment at having interrupted him.

"As I was saying, your next member will be Naruto Uzumaki," his name being called helped perk him up from mindlessly staring off into space. He had been unsurprisingly bored more often lately, his chakra boiling as it yearns to be used for combat. "Your final member will be..."

He wasn't sure if it was a misprint, but left without any other option, he managed to croak out the words on his paper.

"...the new girl next to Naruto Uzumaki." The dumbfounded class stared at the aforementioned individual, Naruto raising his hand before calling out anyways.

"Oh, she's my new friend, Iruka-sensei. Her name's-"

He never asked for it.

Gulping from realization, he gently nudged her with his elbow, a forced laugh coming from him. "She can introduce herself just fine, right?" Her deadpan look tore itself from the flushed boy and toward the instructor.

"Tayuya."

Iruka awkwardly nodded, clearing his voice and repeating to the class her name to reannounce the squad's final member. A bit of mumbling as to why there was a group of four established including an unknown graduate spread throughout the packed seats, but it slowly died off as their teacher finished listing the other two shinobi combinations.

Team Eight was composed of a Hyuuga, an Inuzuka, and an Aburame. The dojutsu belonging to the prominent family would be able to scout for and identify enemies miles away, helpless targets to be swarmed by the ravenous armies commanded by an Aburame. The two would be best at planning and moving at a distance, Hinata's melee capabilities being a safety measure against those who would blindly rush at them. Of course, that would be extremely unlikely, as slipping past the frontline of an Inuzuka and his hound would require one to be both impossibly silent and scentless. And with the enhanced partnership jutsu of an inseparable pair, even the strongest fortresses would crumble at their feet to be sieged and investigated.

Team Ten continued the famous layout of its members' clans, consisting of a Yamanaka, a Nara, and an Akimichi. A Nara's techniques could both hide in and emerge from the large shadows cast by an expanded Akimichi as the latter bulldozes down those caught in dark, tightened strands. The restricted movements would also allow Ino to delve into the minds of any shinobi, uncovering priceless secrets they may have knowledge of. Choji could additionally serve the role of an unyielding distraction as Shikamaru and Ino infiltrate opposing headquarters. And while members of the Nara clan are often complete slackers in daily life, when it comes down to executing missions for the sake of Konohagakure, they are able to put together any and all tidbits of information to formulate an optimal course of action.

"That's all for your last class with me. After lunch, you'll be meeting with your new jounin sensei. For the final time, class is dismissed." Applauds and cheers roared out from the crowd, including from the students who didn't particularly favor their assigned group members.

Iruka sank down into his creaky desk, reminiscing on fond memories of him lashing out at rambunctious kids during his lessons, glancing at his graduating pupils. He took notice of the new girl, an odd exception to the school system, joining them on the very last day of the academic year. In the end, he sincerely smiled at his favorite amongst them all, the fiery Uzumaki who had managed to charm his way through to gain his very first friend.


Tayuya headed toward the yellow yard benches, finding a place to sit as she waited for Naruto to order two portions of food from the cafeteria.

A minute or so passed as the pink-haired girl from earlier spotted her, deciding to sit next to Tayuya as she unraveled her own boxed lunch. "You're Tayuya, right? I'm Sakura Haruno, your teammate."

"Yeah," Tayuya said in return, having never been around such a peppy person before.

"Since you're new here, you probably don't know how lucky we are to have Sasuke-kun with us! He's the strongest and handsomest guy here. I guess it really is fate for him and I to be together..." A pink blush arose on Sakura's cheeks, a similar coloration as that of the flower she was named after. "Too bad you sat next to Naruto, though. You pretended to be his friend to shut him up, didn't you? I feel so bad for you already. He's the worst one here, completely useless, dumb, short, and so average looking. He wouldn't last a second against Sasuke." Her rant continued, not paying attention to Tayuya's growing scowl. "We should become pretty good friends as long as you aren't like Ino. You're actually pretty cute yourself, I can't even see the makeup you're using! Anyways, let's just avoid Naruto for now and-"

"Shut the fuck up."


Team Seven stood waiting on the academy rooftop, with Tayuya sneering at a berated Sakura. Naruto had been dragged away by his roommate to eat their sandwiches elsewhere when he arrived at the scene, curious of the shocked features on his old crush. Their classmates were then picked up by the other jounin leaders after lunch was over, with the four youngsters being the only ones left. Iruka had strolled up to them then, sending the shinobi squadron to the roof to wait for their own sensei.

Sasuke remained observing from his gloomy spot near the building's edge, staring down at the streets and homes that cluttered Konoha. Although he said nothing, his irritated demeanor showed his frustration at having to wait for so long.

Just as they all felt the need to break the silence, a breeze carried an array of fluttering green leaves between them, thrown about and swirling around a figure appearing out of thin air.

The tall man with long, spiked silver hair wore a slanted headband that hid his left eye, adorned in the usual Hidden Leaf uniform of a green flak jacket, dark blue pants, and open toe sandals. He grinned through the black weavings of his mask as he greeted his new batch of students.

"Hey there. I'm Kakashi Hatake, your jounin sensei. Sorry about being a bit late, Sasuke, Sakura, Tayuya, and Naruto," his revealed eye looking at each in turn as he listed their names. "Life can throw one astray from their rightful path at times."

His philosophical statement was met with annoyed teenage groans. "Okay then. I'd normally make you guys introduce yourselves to one another, but you'll find out what hobbies, likes, dislikes, and dreams everyone has in no time. For tomorrow, be at the public training spot as soon as the sun rises, since I'll have to test you guys to see whether you should be sent back here to learn more or not. Also, don't eat anything beforehand, as you'll just barf it up anyways."

The notion of repeating another year resonated through the minds of three of the genin there, the one who had failed thrice vowing to pass this time around.

"Well," he took out an orange piece of erotic literature, turning to the bookmarked section, "good luck against me during your survival test." He went elsewhere the same way he came to them, his body blending with the howling winds as the sounds of chimes echoed, signaling his departure. The time he spent talking to them had been but a fraction of the time they had wasted waiting for him.

Sasuke scoffed at the man's bluffs before leaping toward the direction of the reconstructed Uchiha compounds. Sakura followed his decision as she rushed down the stairs to get home, avoiding any contact with her female teammate.

Naruto gave the only one left a questioning look, referring to Sakura's behavior, feigned cluelessness emerging on Tayuya's face.


Unsurprisingly, he was late yet again, this time walking instead of teleporting to them. The terrain they were on was that of a flat grassland surrounded by thick woods and gushing rivers, the usual battleground of shinobi within the Land of Fire. Naruto was the first to speak to the whole group that morning out of concern.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think you should let Tayuya sit this one out. She's still healing from some bruises..." His remark ticked his stubborn friend off, but before she could loudly retort, their teacher had seemingly ignored the both of them.

"For this test," he held out two small bells with strings attached to them within his palms, "Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura will be working as a team to take these bells away from me before the sun reaches the middle of the sky. The two who obtain the bells will be able to pass, meaning the other will be forced back to the academy. But just because not all of you will make it doesn't mean that you should work individually, since there is no way you'll take them from me without some help."

Facing an elite on an empty stomach seemed a daunting task even for the Uchiha, but to defeat the one who has plagued his mind for years, he'll have to do whatever it takes and sacrifice anyone to become stronger.

"So is Tayuya sitting this one out then?" The response Naruto got in return only served to infuriate him.

"I didn't say her name because I realized last night that someone as mysterious and as injured as her shouldn't even have a spot on my team."

Naruto aggressively snapped back, "Does that mean that Tayuya won't pass, no matter what?!" The son of his amazing sensei slowly looked at him with hatred, but as Hatake remembered his instructions from Hiruzen, he gave the only answer he reasonably could. He knew The Third and the other jounin instructors were watching him.

"She has yet to even learn the academy basics, so don't you think attending would aid her? I'll let her pass, however, if you take both of my bells. That is, if you're desperate enough to keep a weak member like her on your team." Naruto leered up at him, instinctively clenching his fists at his words, having been riled up on purpose.

Kakashi placed the metal bells into his left pocket. "The test begins in three, two, one..."

Sakura and Sasuke dispersed from the area to strategize, Tayuya reluctantly dashing away from the line of direct combat as Naruto remained firm in front of Kakashi.

The Copycat used Shunshin to leave Naruto behind, teleporting himself to the others' hiding place within the forest canopy, relying on offense rather than his usual defense. He held back considerably, knocking them out of the treetops using only a taijutsu array of kicks too fast to be seen by the naked eye.

He gunned for Sasuke first, forcing chakra to his feet to launch from the branch he perched on and at the boy lying on the ground, using his momentum to slam his palm onto the younger one's chest. A gasp was heard from Sakura nearby, with her soon relieved to see a log in place of the Uchiha survivor, dust clouding the air from the impact alone.

The textbook Body Replacement Technique was followed up by two thrown kunai, both caught by one of Kakashi's hands. He sent them flying back to their source, pinning Sasuke to the tree bark behind him by his clothing.

The Cyclops turned his attention to Sakura, swiftly engaging her in hand-to-hand combat, analyzing the execution of her academy training under pressure. He wore her out to subdue her, never taking the chance to go for a possibly fatal direct shot, her dropping from sheer fatigue. Although her strikes were not perfect, he didn't expect any trainee to be thinking straight in a situation that risked demotion.

Sasuke, after gaining his freedom from the weapons, cupped his hands in front of his mouth, bellowing out his most powerful technique. "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

The ball of fire started out marble-sized, rapidly expanding to be as wide as Kakashi is tall, eviscerating everything in its path as it jutted toward its target.

Kakashi flashed through a series of hand seals, his palm connecting with the sandy ground below as he shouted, "Doton: Doryuuheki!"

The dog-style wall rose from the ruptured earth to intercept the fireball, taking the full brunt of the attack, no visible lasting damage seen on it.

Sasuke, panting from the recent chakra loss, slowly realized that this wasn't a test. If it was, their sensei would at least give them a fighting chance until noon.

It was a humiliating act of elimination.

Kakashi's knee dug itself into the boy's gut as he had his consciousness knocked out of him. The jounin witnessed Naruto finally moving from his spot across the grassland, racing toward him, a kunai in hand.

As expected of the village's prankster, he was easily caught and disarmed, Kakashi holding the blonde's arms behind him. "Don't you think that was too obvious? Don't let emotion drive what you do."

His hand came down to chop at the back of Naruto's neck to put him to sleep for a few hours. Instead, it reeled up to his face as a human reaction to sudden pain, hovering over his scorching left cheek.

He leaped back from the boy, his hand heating from the steam of burnt flesh as he tugged at the rim of the seared hole in the fabric of his mask. The clone he had been talking to earlier disintegrated into a pile of silver powder with a malicious smirk, his sharingan activating as it recognized the chakra signature present.

Sounds of footsteps came from every angle possible, the noises hastening as his red eye hurriedly dilated in an attempt to locate the demon fox. By this point, his vision was glazed over, a scarlet shade covering his bloodshot eyes.

It was as if a smoke bomb had suddenly detonated, the ringing accompanied by a thick gray cloud spanning the entire field, curtesy of the jutsu whispered into the Uzumaki's thoughts by his tenant. Naruto had diluted his signature throughout the whole cloud, not allowing even his voice to be tracked down as it came from the forests, rivers, earth, and sky.

"Tajuu Kayaku Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Streams of powder grinding together were heard to signify the birth of the gunpowder clones. Kakashi had to bring his arms up to his face to block the relentless barrage of hundreds of claws and slashes coming at him from all around, tearing apart his skin and clothes. He fought back enough to hear the disappearance of most of the clones he lashed out at, the bodies collapsing back into piles of gunpowder, him coughing from the particles in the air.

"You know so many tricks, but are a master of absolutely none," taunted Naruto, the roughness and depth of his voice a result of merging with the Kyuubi. A pair of blazing red eyes shined through the lightless and grim smoke, Kakashi trying to swipe away at it as the crippling image of the impaled Minato and Kushina came back to haunt him.

He was fighting on the fox's terms, furious at himself for underestimating him earlier, now being toyed with as he slowly bled out. Tightening his left hand around his right arm, he chose to go with his own original technique, ensuring that he'd at least stun Naruto for long enough to end the powder effect. Clenching his teeth, he used the jutsu meant solely for the purpose of ending life to save another, igniting the millions of grains floating through the toxic air as lightning crackled between his fingertips.

"One Thousand Birds..."


Jutsu Introductions

Tomegane no Jutsu/Telescope Technique [A-rank]: The user sees a vision of a familiar person or object within range portrayed through a crystal ball. This technique allows information to be gathered while one remains completely out of harm's way, possessing few drawbacks.

Shunshin no Jutsu/Body Flicker Technique [D-rank]: Moving at extreme speed by stimulating one's body with chakra allows for nearly untraceable, teleportation-like movement.

Kawarimi no Jutsu/Body Replacement Technique [E-rank]: The user replaces their body with a nearby object, usually when an enemy attack is about to hit to pretend it had landed.

Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu/Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique [C-rank]: A signature of the Uchiha clan, the user expels flames from their mouth either in the form of a fireball or flamethrower, the strength and heat depending on the amount of concentrated fire chakra.

Doton: Doryuuheki no Jutsu/Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall [B-rank]: The user spits out mud infused with chakra to form a defensive wall to block attacks, the strength of the barrier correlating with the capabilities of the user. Kakashi Hatake utilizes a different version, as he slams his palm down to the ground to erect the wall adorned with sculptures of dog heads.

Kayaku Bunshin no Jutsu/Gunpowder Clone Technique [B-rank]: Unique to Naruto Uzumaki, this variant of the Shadow Clone Technique allows him to form his clones from gunpowder, them turning into piles of these materials when destroyed. The Tajuu/Multiple version summons hundreds or thousands at once.

Senpuku no Jutsu/Concealment Technique [C-rank]: The user masks their presence, dispersing the sounds they make as well as their chakra signature throughout their environment.

Kayaku Kemuri no Jutsu/Gunpowder Smoke Technique [B-rank]: Unique to Naruto Uzumaki, this technique first unleashes a loud sound before saturating the area in dense gunpowder, inhibiting sight.

Chidori no Jutsu/One Thousand Birds Technique [A-rank]: Developed by Kakashi Hatake, the user concentrates lightning chakra into their hand, dense enough to produce a sound similar to that of chirping birds. The user then tunnels to their target to plunge the technique into them, usually ending the target's life.