Development Arc: 1 of 6.


Disclaimers: I do not own Naruto or any of the stories mention in Author's Notes.

12 years ago, a Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly appeared. Its ginormous tails swung wildly from behind, smashing mountains and sending tidal waves crashing into shores. The shinobi of Konohagakure fought valiantly to defend their home. Many were defeated and killed by the rampaging Kyūbi and losses kept escalating. When the village's leader, the Yondaime Hokage, finally appeared, Konoha had already lost 50% of their forces. Realizing there was no way to actually kill the Kyūbi, the Yondaime resorted to fuinjutsu. Because of the immense chakra, the Kyūbi could not be sealed into an adult whose chakra coils are fully developed. With a heavy heart, the Yondaime Hokage sealed the Kyūbi into a newborn child whose umbilical cord was cut only moments ago. Because of the technique the Yondaime used, his life was forfeited. His last dying wish was for the villagers of Konoha to regard the baby as a hero. His wish, however, fell on deaf ears…


5 Years after the Incident...

After the defeat of the Kyūbi, the people of Konoha have been working days and nights to rebuild what used to be a prosperous village. Shinobi who were out on missions during the attack rushed home to increase the village's security. Many of them, however, have been taking missions after missions to prove that Konoha still stand strong. Merchants come and go, bringing new merchandises as well as any worth-mentioning gossips. New buildings began replacing the ones destroyed during the attack.

With the lost of the Yondaime Hokage, the Sandaime Hokage was forced out of retirement to assume the role until a replacement was found. The Council, which exists to advise the Hokage, became corrupted. The Sandaime have been past his prime time and is now most commonly viewed as a kind old man. Most of the Council have forgotten that he was once known as "The God of Shinobi". There are 20 seats in the Council: eight goes to the civilian side, eight to the shinobi side, three goes to the Hokage's personal advisers, and one for the Hokage himself. With the death of the Yondaime's family, there was a vacant seat in the shinobi side, thus creating an unbalance of power

After the Kyūbi attack, the Sandaime passed a decree forbidding people from speaking of the demon sealed inside of the boy with the penalty of death. It was passed immediately after the beast was sealed within him. He hoped that by preventing the news of the boy being the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, he will be able to form bonds with children his own age and live a normal life. Suffice to say, hindsight was always 20-20.

Hatred for the Kyūbi ran deep within their veins. The civilian clans mistreated and abused the boy while the shinobi clans chose to act neutral, neither helping nor harming him. Most of the time the Council was held to discuss his fate. Some proposed to turn him into a weapon (three people wanted this. Can you guess who?), some favored to just get rid of him. Like every other time, it was the civilian side who brought up these trivial issues. The Sandaime, as well as the Shinobi Clan Heads, grew tired of these repetitive meetings and only wished for it to end. Sadly, however, they lacked the power to do so.

Parents told their children to stay away and not associate with him. While the children did not know the reason behind such warnings, they obeyed their parents regardless. Shops overcharged his items and some even forbid him from entering. People sent hateful glares, names, and verbally abused him. Even at the orphanage where he resides, the caretakers occasionally "forgot" about his well-being.

The boy who people treated as the plague.

The boy who was supposed to be regarded as the village's hero.

The boy whose very existence was denied.

The boy with three whisker marks on each side of his face.

The boy with blue eyes and blond, spiky hair with ears and a face structure that resemblance two of Konoha's most respected and feared shinobi.

The boy whose name was Naruto Uzumaki.


9 Years after the Incident...

A young boy in an orange jumpsuit is seen walking down the street. He has blue eyes and blond, spiky hair. On his face are six whisker marks, three on each side. His stomach growls as he searched for a place that will let him eat. He was recently kicked out of the orphanage for "misconduct". When he brought it up to the caretakers that he was not the one who did the crime, which involves stealing food from their plates, they kicked him out and wouldn't hear another word of it. He never saw the relief looks on their faces when he opened the door and left.

On the streets, the populace of Konoha began whispering among themselves as they saw him.

"Hey look, it's that boy."

"Yeah. I can't believe he's still around."

"Doesn't he contain the-"

"Shhh. We're not supposed to talk about it."

"Talk about what mommy?"

"Nothing. Just stay away from him."

Naruto lowers his head as he continued his search, trying his best to not let the glares and harsh words get the better of him. He never did understood why people would so be cruel. In fact, he has seen criminals receiving better treatment.

'Why do people avoid me like I'm some sort of disease? What did I ever do to them?' so distracted by his thoughts that he did not see who he was walking into until he bumped into them and stumbled back. Assuming they would just yell and hit him for "causing trouble", like always, he pay them no heed and began dusting himself off.

"Hello there Naruto-kun," an old man greeted. He noticed that Naruto wasn't paying attention and was just standing there with his head down. "What's wrong?"

Naruto snapped out of his musing and turned toward the voice. It was a man in his late sixties. On his face were a few noticeable liver spots, wrinkles and a mole on his left nostril. The man wore a red, full-length kimono tied with a white sash. On his head was a hat with the kanji for fire engraved. Upon realizing that it was the Sandaime, "Hey jiji! Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

The Sandaime noticed the sadness in his eyes but for the time being, he decided not to bring it up. "That's fine Naruto-kun. Where are you heading?"

As if on cue, Naruto's stomach rumbled. He ducked his head to avoid the embarrassing blush spreading across his face. "I was looking for food."

That caught the Sandaime's attention. Last he heard Naruto was in the orphanage. They must be feeding him. Right?

"Did you not get enough to eat at the orphanage?" asked the Sandaime. Naruto muttered something that sounded, "More like they never give me anything to eat..." Unfortunately, he heard what Naruto had said and made plans on visiting the place for a talk. "Well, I heard there's a good ramen place up ahead. Would you like to join me Naruto-kun?"

Naruto perked up and looked at the Sandaime with wide eyes. "YES!" he shouted with much enthusiasm. Ramen is his favorite food after all.

As they walked down the street to the noodle stand together, Naruto was bouncing around shouting what he thinks the ramen will taste like, completely oblivious to the stares he was getting. The Sandaime, however, noticed the hateful looks in the villagers' eyes. He recalled the Yondaime's dying wish and how he couldn't fulfill his promise. A pang of guilt spread throughout his body as he lowers his gaze toward the ground, his hat shadowing over his eyes. It wasn't Naruto's fault the villagers couldn't tell the difference between a container and its contents. He made a promise to himself that from now on, he will give Naruto the treatment he deserves. Though the civilian council might oppose, any relief to Naruto's current condition was well worth it.

They approach a stand with red lanterns with the fire kanji carved on it. Separate curtains hang from the entrance but only reaches halfway toward the ground for privacy. The name "Ichiraku Ramen" were painted across the curtains. As they enter the stand, they saw a man in a white cooking robe with a white hat with the kanji "Chef" carved in red. He was around mid forties with short, black hair with a few gray strands. He was cleaning the dishes when they walked in. When he turned to greet the costumers and saw who they were, he was shocked.

"Hokage-sama!" He bowed. "I never expected to see you here."

The Sandaime nodded slightly. "Well, I was taking a walk when I ran into Naruto-kun here." He made a gesture toward Naruto. "I was hoping if you could serve us both some ramen."

The chef, whose name was Teuchi, nodded, before turning around. "Ayame! We got costumers! Can you take their orders? I'm going to handle the broth."

"Alright dad!" came a young voice from the back who started making her way to the front. Ayame was a 14 years old slender girl with long, brown hair and eyes, and fair skin. She wears a white robe with the sleeves folded, a sort of dark blue apron with ribbon ties at the top and a bright white bandanna. When she saw the Hokage, she had the same reaction as her father. "Hokage-sama!" she greeted with a bow. When her eyes move from the Hokage's to Naruto's, the two of them stared at each other in curiosity. Confused by what she was staring at, he tilt his head. "KAWAII!" Before Naruto knew what was happening, Ayame appeared right beside him and started hugging him to death. "Aww he's so cute!"

Naruto was so startled by the suddenly embrace that he didn't know what to do. This was the first time he had physical contact with someone else who didn't want to hurt him. He was so unsure of what to do that he froze in place with his face bright red in embarrassment. A few moments passed before Ayame finally released him and started running her fingers through his whiskers. "I've never seen these kind of birthmarks before." Against his will, Naruto began purring and leaning into her hand. Of course, this was the wrong thing to do when around any females. "KAWAII!" And Naruto suddenly found himself back into a death hug.

The Sandaime looked at the scene with a very amused smile. He made sure to remember every details of this scene so that he could tease Naruto about it later.


11 Years after the Incident...

The Sandaime was in Naruto's apartment, giving him his allowance for the month and advising him on what he should spend it on. After the orphanage had kicked him out, the Hokage managed to pull a few strings and allowed Naruto to live in his own apartment as well as grant him entry into the Ninja Academy. When the villagers heard where he was living, they began exiting the premises. The landlord wanted to deny Naruto the room but one stern look from the Hokage told him otherwise. Since then, the entire complex was empty save for it one occupant.

To say things been quiet since then would be a major understatement. The civilian council rejected the idea of the boy being anywhere near their children. The Hokage said a few convincing words that persuaded them otherwise. Even though Naruto went to the Ninja Academy, he was still mistreated thanks to the parents who "advised" their children to stay away from him. Nevertheless, Naruto took what they dished out and came back with smiles on his face.

The following years were quite interesting. There was this one incident involving the Hyūga heiress, Hinata Hyūga. Naruto apparently stood up for the Hyūga heiress when she was bullied by a few students. He found her trembling and on the verge of tears as the offenders kept going with their verbal abuse. Naruto told the bullies to pick on someone else and they did. He took the beating and as a result, they forgot about the heiress. However, when a clan member arrived on the scene, he saw a crying Hinata and the battered and beaten demon boy laying on the ground. He told the heiress to stay away from the boy before he dragged her away from him. Her pleadings of how Naruto came to her rescue and how he was injured because of her fell on deaf ears. They later came into the Sandaime's office asking him to pass on their gratitude to Naruto for saving Lady Hinata. They then told the Sandaime how fierce and adamant Hinata was in wanting to give the boy her thanks and how far she was going to do it. The Hyūgas had never saw such a fierce look on an 11-years-old girl's face, or the unimaginable pain that promised to come if her request was denied. Suffice to say, they never wanted to be on the receiving end of that look ever again.

Then came the incident that happened in the forest. Konoha patrols came across enemy spies and a battle had ensued. The place was then placed off-limits but somehow Naruto got in. Not only that, he managed to recover a special kunai which held a piece of paper with details on Konoha's security routes. Not mentioning the fact he was then chased by three enemy kunoichi who were send to retrieve those plans. Several near-death encounters occurred as Naruto ducked and weaved through the hail of kunai and shurikens. Iruka Umino, one of the teachers back at the Ninja Academy, headed out after Naruto after hearing from the Nara's heir, who goes by the name of Shikamaru Nara, the agreement that took place between Naruto and a group of boys. Iruka managed to find Naruto, but also his three pursuers. When all hope was lost and they were beginning to lose ground, a team of Jōnin led by a man with a mask and silver hair came to their rescue.

Needless to say, when Naruto told him the story, he was impressed, disappointed, and could feel a headache coming. The reason why Naruto was there in the first place was because of an agreement Naruto made with a group of boys. They knew he wanted to make friends so in order for him to join their group, they told Naruto to go into the forest and find the corpses. Iruka, perhaps the only teacher who saw Naruto as a human, punished the boys severely for the prank they pulled.

'It was ironic really.' The Hokage began musing. 'With what Naruto had done, it is well within his right to be called a hero. First, by keeping the Kyūbi sealed within him, he's preventing the kitsune from rampaging in the village. Second, because of his forgiving nature, Naruto is not going on a killing spree, which is what most people would have done had they had been in his situation. Third, by recovering the note that was attached to the special kunai, Naruto had just prevented the village from a possible invasion. And yet, the village still sees Naruto as nothing more than a demon.' The Sandaime exhales. It will be some time until Naruto gain the recognition and respect he deserves. Thinking back to the Hokages before him, specifically the Yondaime, he wonder if he could somehow reverse the outcome. What would life have been if it was the Yondaime who survived and not the Sandaime, who time has long pass? He exhaled again. 'I'm sorry the village did not honor your wishes Minato. Truly I am.'


12 Years after the Incident...

It was a beautiful morning. The sunlight covering Konohagakure cast an amber color tint. The sky was blue with a few clouds. The villagers were busy setting up their shops for the day. Everybody greeted one another with a smile on their face. The fresh smell of morning food filled the village as everyone prepared for the work. Life was normal. It was as if the Kyūbi attack never happened. Yes. Life was perfect. Well almost...

"NARUTO!"

A single sound of laughter could be heard echoing throughout the village.

"Get back here you brat!"

"Haha no! Catch me if you can!"

The spectators sighed. It seems the village's number one hyperactive knucklehead was up and already causing mischief. When Naruto started attending the Ninja Academy, his pranking days also started. Since then, the village experienced a series of pranks coming from the blond devil himself. Yes... It was another one of those days...

Currently running from his pursuers, our blond hero was carrying a bucket of paint. Moments ago, he just painted the Hokage Monument in board daylight while wearing a hideous orange jumpsuit. On his head were a pair of goggles which he now wore wherever he went. The Hokages used to be a symbol of pride for the village. But now, Naruto made a mockery of each and every Hokages. White paint symbolized drool, green for snot, and then a mixture of colors for random symbols painted on their faces. It wasn't a pretty sight.

The pursuers composed of Chūnin had yet to capture the Prankster King from Hell himself, as he was known throughout the village. The blond teenager ran at full speed and made a sharp turn at the corner. Seconds later, the pursuers made the same turn and lost him.

"Where did he go?"

"This way. I think I saw something."

When the pursuers left, the fence they were near moved. Naruto removed his camouflage cloak, happy to once again deceive his pursuers. He laughed. "That was too easy." He grinned. He didn't noticed the shadow standing behind him.

"Oh yeah Naruto?!" shouted the mystery person. When Naruto heard that voice, he knew just who that was. Iruka Umino. He is a man of average height and build. He has brown hair that he keeps in a ponytail, dark eyes and a scar that runs across the bridge of his nose — which he has had since his youth. He wears the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with headband, sandals, and flak jacket. His sleeves are also rolled up about ¼ way.

Still, knowing the voice didn't help calm the fact that Iruka had snuck up on him so Naruto ended up jumping in the air and landed on his butt.

Turning around, "Oh hey Iruka-sensei!" He had a cheeky smile. "I found you!" He pointed dramatically at Iruka.

"Baka! I'm the one who found you! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in class," said Iruka while tapping his foot.

"Ah well you see sensei. I was on my way to class when a black cat across my path so I had to walk the long way around it," answered a sheepish Naruto scratching his head. Both of them knew what happened but it was still a routine of theirs. Iruka would catch Naruto and Naruto would pretend not to know what he did and/or occasionally make excuses.


Somewhere in Konoha, a silver-haired Jōnin who was paying his respect at the Memorial Stone sneezed. "Hmm. Why do I have a sudden urge to buy a blond kid all the ramen he wants?" After a moment he shrugged. "Oh well. I still got an hour left until the meeting." And resumed staring at the names engraved in the memorial.


Back in the academy, Naruto was tied to a chair, forced to listen to Iruka's lecture.

"... And that's why you shouldn't ditch class. You understand Naruto?" Naruto hmphed, causing Iruka to sigh. "Just take your seat. We're about to begin our graduation exam." Iruka untied Naruto and waited until he got to his seat. When he got there, Iruka continued. "Alright class. It's time for the graduation exam. In order to pass, each student must successfully perform the Body Replacement, Clone, and Transformation Technique. With that said, when your name is called, please step into the adjacent classroom."

One by one the names were called. Naruto anxiously waited for his turn thinking how this year would be his time to shine. This will be his fourth time taking the graduation exams. He failed his other three tries but he still felt confident about it. After all, fourth time the charm right? Or something like that. His name being called snapped him out of his daydreams. While it was Naruto's turn and he was nervous, he tried his best not to show it. After failing the exams three times before, he was determined to pass it this time. As he got up and left, he never noticed the Hyūga heiress poking her finger together with a pink tint on her face silently wishing him good luck.

As he enters the room, he spotted Iruka and his assistant sitting behind a table with hitai-ate on top. Each held a clipboard and a pen in their hands.

"Ok Naruto. Whenever you're ready," signaled Iruka.

He nodded. "Transform!" A pop of smoke appear and when it was disperse, it was a replica of Iruka himself.

After carefully analyzing the fake, he nodded. "Good." A pop signaled that Naruto dispel the transformation. "Next."

With another pop of smoke, he replaced himself with a broom that was at the corner.

"Very nice. And finally, the Clone Technique."

'Ok you can do this,' he thought confidently. Putting his hands together to form the ram seal, "Clone Technique!"

A pop of smoke appeared and when it dispersed, next to Naruto laid a pale and nearly dead looking clone. Naruto had a sheepish look while praying to kami-sama he passed.

Iruka's eyebrows twitched and he sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto but I can't pass you." Naruto hung his head in sadness.

"Maybe you should give him a break Iruka. He's really trying," came from Mizuki, his blue-haired assistant.

"The other students were able to perform all three techniques flawlessly. Naruto can only perform two and his clone is pathetic. Just look at it." He turned and once again look at the clone. He then shook his head. "I'm sorry but I can't let him pass. It'll wouldn't be fair."

Naruto lowered his head even further and started walking out.

Outside of the academy were each students' parents. They came to congratulate their children for passing. Meanwhile, one blond hair kid was sitting on a swing in the shadows of a tree with a downward gaze. Parents were whispering among themselves when they saw him.

"Hey, did you hear? It seems he failed again."

"Serves him right. Just think about what would happen if he actually passed."

"Yeah. Doesn't he have the-"

"Shh. We're not supposed to talk about that."

His mood worsen. He lowered his gaze to the ground even more, unaware of the person approaching him.

"Hey Naruto."

He looked up and saw Mizuki standing there with a compassionate look on his face. "What is it, Mizuki-sensei?"

"You know, there is another way for you to pass."

He perked up. "Really? What is it?"

Mizuki smiled. Neither one noticed the presence of Iruka and the Sandaime watching the whole exchange nearby.


It was midnight. There was a full moon in the sky. The white surface reflected enough light into Konoha that there were no need for lanterns to see. Near the Hokage building, which was located near the Ninja Academy, a shadow slowly made it way toward the building. Night patrols are unaware of the intruder as they made their rounds across the village. When the patrols disappeared from sight, the shadow moved in.

Sneaking in the building was easier than he had thought. Making his way down the corridor, he arrived at his destination. There in the room, stood the Scroll of Sealing. "So this is what Mizuki want," said the mysterious shadow. Picking it up, he slowly made his way out. Just then he heard a voice that made him froze in his place.

"Naruto? What are you doing?"

Turning around, he came face to face with the Sandaime Hokage. Thinking fast, he performed a hand sign.

"Transform!" A pop of smoke appear and with it came with a sight that the Hokage never expected. Within the smoke appear a nude female. The woman had long blond hair tied up in pigtails that goes to the waist. Smoke barely covered the female's assets as she took a seductive pose. Whisker marks made the woman appear more exotic and desirable. "Hokage-sama," she said in a sensual and laden tone completed with a wink and blowing a kiss.

The reaction? Two big blood geysers coming out of his nose as he knocked his head on the wall. One might be surprised if he didn't died from blood loss. Though, considering he's the "God of Shinobi", he might live. Maybe.

Not being the one to stay and find out, Naruto ran as quickly and quietly as he could. Not once did he thought back on how effective his technique was if he had caught the Sandaime with it.


A shadow was moving high speed through the forest. All that can be see was a large scroll attached to his back and an orange jumpsuit. Moving out into a clearing in the forest, he arrived next to a shed. Taking the scroll off of his back, he begin reading the first technique.

Shadow Clones Technique - Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates exact copies of the user. However, these clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own but will usually disperse after being hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own or be dispelled by the user of the technique. Shadow clones can't be distinguished from the original without special abilities. Shadow clones also seem to be able to think for themselves and can feel the original's pain to some extent and vice versa. There are also secrets abilities that the user must find out themselves.

"Aww great. This is my worst technique!" whined Naruto. "Oh well. Might as well get started."


Meanwhile...

"Where is he?"

"He's gone too far!"

"Stealing the Scroll of Sealing is not a prank! It's treason!"

The shinobi started panicking among themselves. The Scroll of Sealing contains many forbidden techniques that if used in the wrong hands, would cause the death and destruction of many and possibly, all inhabitants of Konoha and Konoha itself. It's a very scary thought indeed.

The Hokage stepped out of the building, making his way toward the assembled shinobi. Their attention turned toward their leader as he approached them. Blowing out a puff from his pipe, "Alright. Bring Naruto here at once!"

"HAI!" and that, everybody scattered. Blurs were seem across town, moving at high speed. The manhunt has begun.

A panting Iruka briefly stops on top of a building. 'Where would he go?'

In another part of town, Mizuki is on the hunt with a sinister smile on his face. 'Now that I've told everyone what Naruto did, I can eliminate him. They'll be glad he's gone. Then, of course, I'll keep the scroll for myself.'


Panting heavily, Naruto had just finished performing the technique. His jumpsuit is all dirty and he's currently on the ground trying to catch his breath. Iruka appears and made his way toward Naruto.

"I've finally found you," said Iruka as he towers over Naruto with his hands on his hips.

Looking up, he gave his sensei a smile and scratched his head. "I guess you've found me. You're pretty fast Iruka-sensei. I've only have time to learn one technique!"

Observing his surrounding, he noticed how exhausted his student was and could guess how hard he worked. The only times he ever saw how hard Naruto worked was when he was running from the authorities. 'If only he applies that to his academics,' he mused.

"So does that mean I pass sensei?" Naruto asked, snapping Iruka out of his musing. "I mean, that's the rule isn't it? Anyone who can learn a technique from this scroll passes!"

"Huh?" Eyes widen. "Where did you get that idea from?" He had a sudden suspicion that Naruto was somehow tricked. His suspicions was confirmed with Naruto's answer.

"Mizuki-sensei told me about it. He told me about this place and how to get the scroll..."

Whistling were heard from behind. Pushing Naruto out of the way, he took the brute force of the projectiles. Luckily, all of the kunai and shurikens missed any vital spots.

"I see. So that how it is," said an injured Iruka. "I should have known."

Mizuki came into view, squatting on a branch. Attached to his back were two fuma shurikens. "Naruto! Give me the scroll now!"

Completely confused at the current situation, "Wait a minute. What's going on here?"

Pulling out a kunai embedded in his legs and wincing from the pain, "Naruto, don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden techniques that can put this village in grave danger!" Still panting, "Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself. You mustn't let him get his hands on it!"

Mizuki gave a sly smile. "Naruto. Iruka just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have to scroll."

"Quit lying Mizuki!" shouted Iruka

A chuckle escaped Mizuki's mouth. "Oh I'll tell you who been lying. They've been lying to you your whole life, since the decree 12 years ago." Seeing the questioning look on Naruto's face, he continued. "Everybody knows except you. Iruka is trying to hide it from you even now. He'll do anything to shut me up." Ignoring Iruka's shouts, "The decree is the Kyūbi is inside you." Naruto's eyes widen. "The Kyūbi that nearly destroyed Konoha and killed Iruka's parent is inside you. You are the Kyūbi!"

It was at this moment that Naruto's world came crashing down. He remembered all the harsh sneers and glares sent his way. All of the abuse that happened whenever he's in a store or on the street. All of the harsh whispers people spoke around him, about him, and how they passed it down to their children. It suddenly all made sense... Every single one of them believed he was the Kyūbi... He never got the sense to prove otherwise. He stood there, frozen like a statue. His mind running a mile an hour, recalling every harsh treatment he received in his life.

So deep in his thoughts that he never noticed the fuma shuriken coming his way until Iruka pushed him down on the down and got on top of him, taking the full force of the impact.

"Why? Why would you do that?" asked Naruto, completely unsure of what to do at this point.

Iruka recalled the conversation he had with the Sandaime, about why Naruto behaved the way he did. Tears started running down his face. "Because we're the same. When I lost my parents, no one seem to care. They didn't have time for me. They just forgot about me. My grades dropped. I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me, to acknowledge me. My grades weren't good enough to get their attention so I did crazy things. And then I had to pay for it. It was miserable. I know how you feel Naruto. You feel lonely and it hurts inside, and I couldn't be there for you more. I'm sorry. I let you down. No one deserves to suffer that much."

Standing in the tree, Mizuki started chuckling and then laughing. "Iruka is just saying that. His parents were killed by the Kyūbi sealed inside of you. He'll say anything to get the scroll back."

Deciding he had heard enough, Naruto made dash into the forest, completely ignoring Iruka calling his name.


Upon resting against a tree, Naruto heard noises. It sounded like two people hitting the ground. Soon, he heard chatters and realized it was his both of his sensei.

"You know Iruka, Naruto is a lot like me."

"How's that?"

"He wants the scroll for his own vengeance. That's how beasts are. He'll channel all of his rage into the scroll and use it to destroy Konoha."

"You're right," Naruto felt his heart breaking with that statement. He realized Iruka was just like the rest, who only saw him as the kitsune. "That is how beasts are." Naruto's eyes widen. "But that's not who Naruto is. Naruto is a unique and hardworking individual. Sure he's goofy and everyone jokes on him, but his sufferings only makes him stronger. That what makes him different from a beast. He's nothing like the Kyubi. He's Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure." At this point Naruto felt tears coming down his cheeks.

Staring at Iruka in disbelief, "You know," Mizuki reached for his last fuma shuriken, "I was thinking of saving you for last but now I've changed my mind." The shuriken detached from just back and Mizuki posed, ready to throw. "Die!"

'So this is it,' Iruka mused. He had a wry smile on his face, willingly accepting his fate.

Just as Mizuki was about to throw the shuriken, an orange blur came out of nowhere and tackled him, completely throwing the shuriken off course. The orange blur was Naruto, who had set the scroll aside and had a fierce and determined look on his face. "If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!" He snarled the last part.

"Such big words." Mizuki taunted. "I can completely destroy you. Let see what you can do Kyūbi!"

Making the cross sign, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Smoke began to fill the area, making Iruka's eyes widen. When the smoke cleared, there stood in the forest were hundreds, if not thousands, of Narutos. Mizuki was also having a difficult time comprehending the situation.

The clones taunted him. "If you're not coming, we're going to come to you!" All of the clones sudden diverge on Mizuki. When all of the clones were dispelled, there on the ground laid a bruised, beaten, and battered body. "Sorry," apologized Naruto while having a sheepish look on his face and scratching his head. "I got carried away."

Iruka chuckled. "Naruto, come here. I want to give you something." Naruto complied and began walking toward his sensei. "Now close your eyes," As he closed his eyes, he felt his goggles being removed and replaced with something with a metal surface. "Congratulation." Iruka smiled. "You are now a Konoha shinobi." Naruto's small smile increased until it threatened to split his face. So Naruto did the one thing he could to express his gratitude. He tackled the injured Iruka into a hug, completely forgetting Iruka was injured. "Haha alright Naruto that's enough. We'll celebrate later. We have to return the scroll to the Hokage."

Naruto's expression did an almost complete 180 in an instant. His happiness was gone and now he had a worried expression on his face. "Iruka-sensei, wouldn't I get in trouble for this?"

Iruka shook his head. "No Naruto. You were tricked into believing something that was a lie. It wasn't your fault. I'm sure the Hokage will understand." Naruto nodded slowly and the two began their journey back into the village with an almost unrecognizable body in tow.


Upon entering the office, Naruto noticed that the Hokage was looking at him with understanding eyes, not one filled with hatred or disappointment, as Iruka gave him his report. Actually, his eyes are more like sadness and relief? Shaking out his thoughts, he walked forward and handed the Hokage the scroll. Afterward, he dove into the Hokage's robe and started crying.

"There there Naruto-kun. It's ok," comforted the Hokage.

Sniffling, Naruto pulled away from the Hokage and wiped the tears off his face. "Sorry Hokage-jiji. I didn't mean to get your robes wet. Or get snot on them."

The Sandaime had a sweat drop on his head as well as Iruka and the hidden ANBU. 'Of all the things he could have apologized for' - "Wait, snot?" The Hokage looked at his robes and yes, there were snots. He shook his head and looked back up. "Never mind. Not the point." Naruto chuckled. "Tell me Naruto, how are you feeling?"

"Well, to be fair, a part of me is relieved to hear the reason why I was treated so badly." The Hokage and Iruka lowered their gaze when they heard that. "But another part of me is angry because they're blaming me for something I had no control over. Why did the Yondaime sealed the Kyūbi inside me jiji? Do you know the reason?" asked Naruto.

Realizing he couldn't tell Naruto the whole truth, he decided to tell part of it. "In order for the Kyūbi to be sealed, an undeveloped chakra system was required. Moments before the kitsune was sealed, you were born. The Yondaime believed that you'd one day learn to control the Kyūbi and use its power. His last dying wish was for the villagers to regard you as a hero. Sad to say his wishes were denied." He shook his head. "The pain and suffering that the kitsune caused were too great to be forgotten. That was why I issued a decree forbidding people from speaking of the kitsune in hopes that you'll forge bonds with people among your age. I'm sad to admit the parents passed on their will of hatred through their children."

Questions came up in Naruto's mind. Choosing the ones he considered to be important, he asked, "But you said the Kyūbi was sealed inside me jiji. Why are they still afraid of that? I mean I'm not hurting anyone or anything."

Puffing from his pipe, he answered, "Because people always fear what they don't understand Naruto-kun. Many believed that because of its immense power, the seal was not strong enough to hold back the beast. Many believe that you are its reincarnation. Their hatred for the kitsune were channeled at you because you hold the beast within you. By mistreating you, they feel as though they are getting back at the beast who was responsible for the deaths of their loved ones. I confess that it is sad people cannot tell the difference between a kunai and a sealed one." He shook his head.

Naruto looked down, recalling all of the memories of his childhood. His fists clenched. 'How can people be so stubborn? Why can't they see that I'm not the Kyūbi but instead his jailer?' The two occupants in the room, as well as the three hidden ANBU, looked at him with worried expressions, hoping he wouldn't plot his revenge, though they probably deserved it. After a moment, Naruto looked up, his face was full of determination. "Well if that how people think of me, then I'm going to change it." The Hokage and Iruka's eyes widen. "By becoming Hokage people will acknowledge me as Naruto Uzumaki, not the Kyūbi reincarnated. I don't care how long it takes! And if people still oppose, I'll change their image of me! I'll make them acknowledge me, even if I have to die to do so."

When he was finished with his speech, there was a moment of silence before the Hokage started chuckling. "Well, you sure do have the spirit to make it happen Naruto-kun. But I'm afraid you do not have the skills nor the knowledge."

Naruto took those words into consideration as he remembered the ninja academy. The teachers, except Iruka, were treating him the same as the villagers. He also remembered how his tests were different from the other students'. "Hey jiji. I think the teachers at the academy set me up to fail. I mean, now that I know the reason for all of the hatred they point at me, I thought back to the academy. Most of the teachers there mistreat me like the villagers and gave me different tests as well."

When Naruto had said this, Iruka was now regretting not paying more attention to Naruto. The Hokage however, "Thank you for informing me of this Naruto-kun. I'll see to it that tomorrow morning, I'll visit the academy to have a talk with those teachers." The way the Hokage emphasized "talk" sent a shiver down their spines. "And I'll also see to it that you'll learn what you should have learned by your instructors, if not more." Reaching into his desk, he pulled out a piece of paper and begin writing on it. "Here. Tomorrow you'll go to the library and give them this note. They should let you in. If not, tell them to take it up with me." Reaching into his desk again, he pulled out a scroll. "Also, for playing a role in the capturing of a traitor and returning a priceless item of Konoha, I hereby present you with the completion of your first B-ranked mission." After he finished writing, he pulled out an envelope. "Here is your payment Naruto-kun. You might want to use it to have a change of outfits and get some new shinobi gears."

Naruto frowned. "I would jiji but the stores kicked me whenever I enter. And when they don't, they overcharge me on my items, saying something about "demon taxes" and that I had to pay for it." The room temperature dropped several degrees when Naruto had finished.

"Naruto-kun," the Sandaime spoke calmly, "and Iruka. Meet me here in my office tomorrow morning so we can go find a store where you can buy supplies." 'And also tell you the secret behind the Shadow Clone Technique. Telling him now would be a waste since he needs his rest from his long day, and it's midnight already.'

"Hai jiji/Hokage-sama!" came the responses. Though Naruto received an eye twitch from Iruka. He responded by giving him his mega watt smile.

"That would be all. Dismiss." As they left, he sighed. He truly was getting too old for this. He looked over at the Yondaime picture. "Why do I get the feeling you're mocking me Minato?" As if the picture was alive, the Yondaime's smile widen.


After getting home, Naruto did his bedtime routines then plopped onto bed. 'Today was exhausting'. Mentally that is, there was no way for him to be physically tired with the amount of chakra he held. Slowly, he began to fall asleep.

Opening up his eyes, he saw what appears to be a sewer. The walls were at least several stories high and had an eerie glow on them. Following the source, it came from in front of what appears to be a giant gate. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion what that was behind the gate and where he was. It was confirmed the moment he saw the kanji for seal written at the center, serving as a lock.

Every instinct and sense in his body told him to stay away but being Naruto, he walked forward. Within the darkness of the cage, he saw two glowing, red-silted eyes staring at him. Soon, there appeared a fox-like grin which, surprising, also glowed in the dark. In what appears to be a growl, the beast behind the cage spoke.

"So, my jailer has finally come."


Revised 4/6/2015 - Grammar, spelling, and dialogue issues. Added a small mention of the ANBU. Minor changes. Should flow easier now. And added a few fun facts below. Previous versions had the same problems and changes.

Revised 4/12/2015 - Grammar, spelling, dialogue. Changing the way things are set out (e.g. jutsu underlined, thoughts have ' to show start and end). Making flow better. - Courtesy of my new BETA reader/tester, SomeRandomBagel (SRB).

Revised 5/8/2015 - Spelling, Grammar, you know, the usual.

Revised 6/13/2015 - Added arc.

Revised 1/1/2016 - The usual.

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Age: 12

Birthday: October 10th

Rank: E+

Titles: Genin, Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead, Prankster King from Hell, Jinchuriki

Affiliation: Konohagakure

Taijutsu: E

Ninjutsu: D-

Genjutsu: E

Other Skills: D

The stats is for people (like me) who wants to know Naruto's progress and other fun facts like his titles.

I had to add those events involving the forest and saving Hinata in because they only mentioned those events happening in Naruto Shippuden and I wanted a complete ish timeline of the events.

I'm also not using the Japanese version of the jutsu because my Japanese isn't good. I'll use the literal English version while underlining it.

The first copy of this chapter had Kyuubi spelt as Kyubi until I Google search and saw it was written as Kyuubi without the special letters. After that, I decided to just stick with the script and used special letters for all words and name that requires it (e.g. Hyūga, Jōnin, Chūnin, Kyūbi, etc).

I decided to have Naruto meet the Kyūbi sooner because, well, I did say the Kyūbi was going to be good. Ish. Sooner than later. Had to set it up somehow!

Never thought writing could be this difficult. My respects to all you fan fiction writers went up.

My apologies to the readers who first read this chapter. It was incomplete at the time and I was messing around with the buttons... It was my first fan fiction so I wanted to see how the whole "publish your own story" thing worked. I'm pretty sure I can still add more details in. Hope you enjoyed!

Until next time!