A/N: First i want to Think my beta who helped me with this and the next two chapters are already done and loaded just waiting for you peeps. Alright to answer some of the polls and reviews. I won't Add Kurenai, because well this chapter pretty much explains why. And also I won't add Tsunade or Shizune because being 12 years older then him kinda creeps me out. Kinda like the KakaSaku stories I see. Imagine big daddy and place the old man with Kakashi and his ex girlfriend with Sakura. Gross old balls. I also have someone Hanabi is going to be with.
However there is still the OC Slot not filled. Choices are:
Yugato
Sumi (from Silver Flash)
or
Kin
Elysium
Chapter 2
Journey
-
Itachi stood at the north gate patiently for his new teammate to accompany him. He watched as Naruto giggled as he ran in circles around him. Watching the kid for the last fifteen minutes made Itachi come to this conclusion; the kid was easily amused. It started with the walk from the Kazama estate. The young boy had run from him ten feet, and then ran back and giggled; he continued doing this the whole way to the gate. Finally, when they had finally reached the gate he had proceeded to climb up the gate while the two chuunin gate guards screamed at him to get down.
Now . . . this. . .
He wanted to scratch his head in confusion, something an Uchiha was not allowed to do, what was this kid up to?
"He's happy that someone other than the Yondaime and I don't look at him like he's a monster."
"Kurenai-nee!" the boy had stopped running in circles and almost tackled the female that had spoken.
Beautiful.
That was all that was going through Itachi's head as he stared at the dark haired vixen. Her red eyes would throw anyone into thinking she was an Uchiha herself.
Her stance also was full of control and confidence.
She had to be a demon for she had Uchiha Itachi frozen, only able to stare at her. The hardest task he had yet come across in his life was taking his eyes of the female form of power that was smiling down at the little blonde bundle of hyper-ness.
Maybe that was why he didn't see the other man that had accompanied the female to the gate. The man that was now blocking his view from the beauty that was in front of him. He tried to look around the man, only for that man to move with him.
Itachi looked up to see a man with a beard and a cigarette protruding from his mouth. He was also glaring at him; did he forget to mention that?
"Sarutobi Asuma. Jounin, 18," the man said narrowing his eyes to intensify his glare, until he received a punch to the arm. He grabbed his arm in pain and moved to the side to make room for Kurenai who was glaring at the man.
"This is why I didn't want to bring you. Every time I have a male team mate you scare them away."
This made Itachi narrow his eyes. Him, Uchiha Itachi, get scared away?
PLEASE.
He was considered to be the strongest Jounin in the village except for the Fourth himself. He shook his head. No time to get a swollen head before a mission. And besides… she was looking at him.
"Yuuhi Kurenai, Chuunin, 15 and about to go on her Jounin mission." She didn't even smile at him as she waited expectantly at him. "Well?"
"What?" Itachi asked, as Naruto began to run back and forth to each of his arms and tugging on them.
"Who are you?" Asuma was the one that asked glaring.
"Uchiha Itachi, Anbu, 15 but going on to my transaction back to Jounin." Well, Itachi thought, that shut them up. Itachi turned to Naruto as he began to run around him again. He caught him around the waist and made him sit on his shoulder causing the boy to giggle excitedly. Itachi turned to Kurenai "It's time to go."
She nodded before turning and kissing Asuma on the cheek and following Itachi out of the gate. It was going to be a long journey.
Unknown to the four occupants of the gate two men stood to the side behind a building watching the scene unfold.
The older man turned to the Fourth as he took out his pipe that was protruding from his mouth.
"So my son's secret girlfriend was the one you sent with them?" the old man asked.
"Oji," the Yondaime said turning from the gate to look at the old man. "When she was thirteen she had a crush on me, and when she found out Naruto was my son she was devastated, but not deterred. She decided spending time with Naruto could get her closer to me. It wasn't until she found out that I was in my thirties that she gave up on me." The Yondaime chuckled.
"So why her for this mission?"
"Well," Arashi smiled as he scratched the back of his head, "it was too late for her to back out. Naruto had taken my place in her heart. Oh and the fact that her older sister is Naruto's mother."
The pipe in the old man's mouth fell to the ground as he watched Arashi begin to head towards the Hokage's tower. "You mean…"
"Sorry to cut our conversation short Oji-San but Ero-Hentai wants to speak to me about Akatsuki."
-
It had been three hours since the trio had left the village they called home. Naruto was still seated on Itachi's shoulder, making his feet pounce off the latter's chest. Itachi was not concerned with this matter. He was too busy searching every which way. He was not used to going on a mission with others. He was usually left to go on missions by himself making him very sensitive to all noise that he did not create.
So whenever the little boy on his shoulder asked him a question he would flinch.
"Where are we going Ichii-nee? Will it take us long to get there? Will it be a fun place? Will people hate me there too?"
"I don't know yet, and don't call me that. Still don't know. We will make it fun."
That last one had hit him hard. Leaving him speechless and not knowing what to say. The other's were easy to answer. They weren't really heading to anywhere particular so he didn't know where they were going or how long it will take or if it would be fun. However, hearing the young boy ask if the people there would hate him there as well had made him hate his own village for the first time.
He didn't know how to answer it, and it left him speechless. He wanted to just ignore the question and put it off, but the boy who had grabbed his cheeks and was now starring intently into his red eyes with his blue ones made him uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that he had stopped in his movements to stare into the blonde's eyes.
Good thing Kurenai was there to save the day.
She had answered the question the best way should could. Telling him if he behaved the villagers of the villages they went to should have no reason to hate him. The boy didn't look too satisfied with that answer, like he wanted to argue that fact, but he dropped the question nonetheless.
Making the trip that much more awkward.
Which gave Itachi time to think. He watched the boy who now was walking beside Kurenai wondering how the little boy in front of him could draw so much attention to himself. Yeah, sure there weren't that many bright blonde haired people with striking blue eyes. But he knew for a fact that they had tried to keep it a secret, that Naruto was the Jinchuuriki for the Kyubi. So what was it that gave it away that Naruto was the person that received the burden as Jailor? It wasn't until the boy turned back to look at him that he noticed the reason, causing him to stop and start ruffling through his bag. Which in turn made his teammates stop and stare at him.
"What are you doing?" Kurenai asked letting an elegant eyebrow raise in question.
"When, you're in Anbu you are issued two masks. The full face mask that you all see and the half-mask that covers the bottom half of our face." He stopped rummaging through his bag pulling out a black cloth. He turned to Naruto, tilting his head to the side to take a good look at him, "We'll have to stop in wave country to find some better clothes for you also but for now you can wear my mask." With that Itachi put the cloth over the boys face covering up the whiskers.
Kurenai frowned at the action then glared at the man in the group. "He shouldn't be ashamed of what he is or what he has in him."
"It's not a matter of being ashamed." Itachi said turning back to his bag and zipping it back up. "It's a matter of having identifying qualities." He stood slinging the bag on his shoulder. "Come on. How many guys do you know with whiskers on their face?" with that said Itachi began to walk again leaving Kurenai just standing there as Naruto ran to follow Itachi repeatedly thanking him.
"You have a point." She had said when she had finally caught up with the two.
"Don't worry about it." He looked at her with his stoic features. "We should be in wave country in two days at the least." He bent down picking up Naruto. "We can stop there for a couple of weeks and begin his training. For now let's get there as fast as we can. Agreed?"
She looked at him before looking forward. "Agreed."
With that the two took off into a sprint.
----
Naruto tugged irritably at the black shirt that he now wore. It had been a week since they had arrived in wave country. And he had to admit, this journey wasn't what his five year old mind thought it would be like. When they had arrived Itachi and Kurenai had told him that he would be going through training to become a ninja. So like any five year old with an imagination, he imagined sleepless nights of vigorous fighting techniques taught to him. Being able to run as fast as he saw his father do.
But no.
He picked up the scroll that was sitting on the bed next to him. All he had been learning was about this shit called chakra, which apparently everyone had. So what the hell made it special? Yeah, it was cool how it looked when it surrounded Itachi's body like blue flames. But if everyone could do it… well he didn't see why it was being rammed in his head so much. Alright he just thought it was damn right boring.
The only good thing that came from learning this was the feeling he got when he called upon his chakra. It was like a hug that surrounded his whole body. So warm that he felt like nothing could harm him as long as he had this in him. He smiled at the thought of maybe this was what it felt like to have a mother hold him in her loving arms. He sighed knowing if he kept on this track it would only leave him to feeling it again. What did Kurenai-nee call it again?
Oh yeah depression.
He was interrupted from his thoughts as the door to his room was opened and Itachi stepped in with Kurenai following close behind not looking pleased. They must have got in another argument where Itachi was right… again. Every time those two seemed to get in an argument Itachi always seemed to be right. With his five year old mind he came to the conclusion that boys were just smarter than girls. But when he asked Itachi if this was true, Itachi just snorted before saying that girls were smarter than guys and you just had to learn to pick your battles. He made it sound like boys and girls were at war all the time.
This terrified him.
"Naruto," shaking from his thoughts he turned to Itachi who was now speaking to him in his emotionless voice that just creeped him out.
"Y-yes Itchii-nee?"
Eyebrow twitching from the nick name he required from the young one, he was trying to break the boy from calling him, which wasn't working so well. "I have to ask you a question."
"Okay."
"Before we begin the real training for you to become a shinobi I want to know if you are truly dedicated to being a shinobi?" when Naruto opened his mouth to talk Itachi raised his hand to stop the child from yelling out his response like he always did. "For a shinobi, in every defeat there is victory, for we learn something from our mistakes. The more we kill, the more we lose what makes us human as we lose the concept of exactly how precious a human life is… in every victory there is defeat as more blood stains our hands."
The boy didn't know what to say turning to Kurenai for some help. Which in turn, she gave a smile of encouragement. With that image in mind Naruto turned back to Itachi with determined eyes something that would never leave its new resting place. "I will do my best, to be the best."
With that said Naruto received his first smile from Uchiha Itachi, something he put in the back of mind were he kept an image of all his precious people.
"Well then, Kurenai will start with chakra control exercises." He headed towards the door. "So let's head out into the woods."
Naruto jumped to his feet following Itachi outside the hotel.
-
"Before she gets started with your training Naruto I want you to do something." Itachi said pulling out a square piece of paper and handing it to Naruto who took it with his small pudgy hands. "I want you to gather chakra okay."
"Hai."
With that a blue dome of chakra covered the boy as he watched in fascination as the piece of paper was cut in half. Naruto stopped gathering chakra and looked from the paper to Itachi apologetically.
"Don't worry that's what it's supposed to do. What that means is that you have a strong wind in you Naruto. A wind of determination, and I'm going to help you tame it into a weapon."
"Yatta!" Naruto yelled happily as Itachi nodded at Kurenai before jumping off.
"Okay Naru-kun, this first exercise will teach you to control your chakra in one area of your body. You have learned over the last week to call upon your chakra now I'm going to teach you how to control it. In this exercise you will need to call your chakra to your feet." Kurenai walked over to the tree walking up it like it was second nature. "To much you could break the tree." Where her left foot was the bark exploded in to hundred of splinters. "To little and you could be thrown off." All of a sudden she was rocketing away from the tree in high speeds. "You don't have as much chakra as me and Itachi so you'll probably have to use a little more force to pull enough out then I do. Go ahead with a running start."
Naruto nodded gathering as much chakra as he has into his feet before sprinting towards the tree. On his second step his right foot shot straight through the tree cutting it clean in two. Naruto quick back flipped away avoiding the falling tree. He landed right next Kurenai as they watch the tree fall then shatter like glass as it hit the ground.
Naruto scratched the back of his head as eyed what should have been a tree. "I think I put too much chakra in it, hehehe."
Kurenai was speechless. To have that effect on a tree you had to have perfect chakra control or as much chakra as a Kage level ninja. She eyed the boy before looking up in the tree at an amused looking Itachi.
"We need to talk Kurenai." Was all he said as he turned to jump off to the next tree.
Kurenai turned to Naruto kneeling down in front of him. "Keep trying, and use a lot less this time." She looked at the remains of the tree before looking back at Naruto. "A lot less."
She stood to her feet before turning and following Itachi into the woods. She found him leaning against a tree, arms crossed, with a blank face. Oh she hated that face. So calm and collected. She had heard rumors in Konoha that she had been named the Ice Queen taking her sister's title, and that this man before her had taken Ice King from the Yondaime. What was funny though, was that the Yondaime was loud and obnoxious just not letting anyone close to him. While this guy kept to himself in a whole different level. It was like he didn't want anyone to see what he felt at all even in the protection of his own village.
"How much do you know about the Kyubi incident?" he asked pushing of the tree and waling a little closer to her.
"That it was killed by the Yondaime almost six years ago."
A sigh was his response.
"Why?"
"I think you need to sit down for what I'm about to tell you." He waved his hand towards a fallen tree that lay on the ground she sat, with him sitting next to her. "About six years ago the Yondaime fought the Kyubi in an attempt to save his village-."
"I know this already-."
"What you don't know is that the Kyubi is immortal in a sense." That quieted her down. "The Yondaime, knowing this, found away to at least keep the Kyubi from attacking the village. Putting it in a jail if you will. He sealed it into his new born child keeping it at bay."
"Naruto…"
"Kurenai, Naruto is what people call a Jinchuuriki." Itachi scratched his chin as he looked in the woods in the direction where he knew Naruto was. "The day we left the Yondaime explained it to me. The seal that he placed on his son was made that the boy's chakra would someday devour Kyubi in a sense. Meaning that, Naruto is absorbing a being made of pure chakra into his body. He has more chakra then anyone in the damn village, maybe having the same amount as the Yondaime. That's only after almost six years of having him sealed into Naruto; therefore, he should have twice as much by the time we return to Konoha."
She began to clench her fists. She always wondered why her nephew was always looked down upon as if he were the scum of the world. The first time in her life Yuuhi Kurenai hated her village.
----------
He sat on the roof of the hotel overlooking the wave country. It was beautiful he had to admit. And the people hadn't treated him like shit, which was an upside to the situation. He sighed hating what day it was. The 10th of October. A day he loathed with all his heart. He remembered last year where he received a present on his bed when he woke up. It was from his father, which caused him to open the present as fast as he could. He had received a pair of goggles with a note.
The man who owned these before was a hero in his own right, strive to be great Naruto.
He had looked for his dad that whole day only to find him locked in his office at the Hokage tower where he was forbidden to go or be seen near.
His father was avoiding him.
And he had done so until the next morning to find his son with bruises that were fading quickly all over his body. He had been jumped again.
He hated his birthday, as it was cause for many painful memories in the village. A village, that, his father had sworn to protect. A village he had now sworn to protect.
The rain was relentlessly pouring down. He could see all the lights in the village, from the market streets to training grounds. The blonde shinobi looked on, admiring the sight, not caring about his drenched state. He was living a life that no child should have to live yet his experiences were teaching him to be wise which few people could claim to be.
Naruto opened his eyes as a single tear trickled down his cheek quickly mixing with the droplets of rain. He quickly wiped it away not wanting to be seen by anyone, he hated crying. It showed that he was weak, and he didn't want to be weak any more. He wasn't weak any more. He had mastered tree walking, water walking, and waterfall walking. And he had been starting to learn a couple of jutsu too.
Futon: Daitoppa - Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
Katon: Gokakyu No Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Suiton: Teppodama - Water Release: Gunshot
Doton: Deido Suberioriru - Earth Release: Mud Slide
Futon: Kaze Arekuruu - Wind Release: Raving Wind
He tried to learn the Bunshin no Jutsu but for some reason he just couldn't get it to look normal. Kawarimi was a little harder to learn but he got it down. Those were just the stronger techniques he knew. He knew twenty-five more at least. So he wasn't weak anymore! He wasn't.
He sighed only to feel a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see a drenched Itachi looking out over the village. "Come in Naruto. It's time for dinner."
Naruto nodded before standing on his feet and following Itachi indoors. He smiled when he smelt the smell of ramen letting a big grin spread across his face. He followed Itachi into the kitchen to see Kurenai standing by the table with a big bowl of it in the center.
"Happy Birthday Naruto." She said smiling at the young boy.
Naruto grinned before turning his head up to look at Itachi who was smiling too.
"Happy birthday Naruto."
Naruto grinned before sitting at the table grabbing his chop sticks and ready to dig in.
"Hold on tiger," Kurenai grabbed his hand before the chop sticks hit the ramen. Naruto squinted at her in his fox like manner. "We're gonna open up gifts first."
Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Yatta!" he began to bounce up and down in his seat as three gifts were placed in front of him. He grabbed the first box, from Uchiha Itachi, and opened it quickly. He grinned even wider, if possible, as he pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back. "Thank you Itchii-nee!"
Itachi frowned. "Don't call me that."
Naruto ignored the comment and grabbed the next box, from Yuuhi Kurenai, and opened it just as quickly as the last. His grin stayed the same as he pulled out, or at least he tried to pull out, weights. "Meh, Renai-nii I can't pull them out." Naruto whined as he tugged with all his might. Itachi walked over pulling the weights out with ease. He bent down taking some chakra out of the weights before slipping them on the young child.
"There chakra weights," Kurenai explained. "Just put chakra in them and they get heavy."
"Meh, but I already have weights on."
This line of information made both teens let an eyebrow rise.
"What?" Kurenai asked.
"Well there not really weights, dad said they were called gravity seals."
Kurenai's eyes widen and Itachi froze in fastening on the last weight.
Itachi shook his head before finishing and standing. "Well these won't hurt to wear."
"Okay," Naruto said trying to swing his legs back and forth. But he grinned when he grabbed the last gift and opened it with a grin, "from Kazama Arashi," he froze in place as he eyed what was in the box.
There laying in an elegant case was a Katana. Its blue blade, the color of Naruto's eyes, glared off the light from the ceiling. In length it was about three and a half feet long, and its handle was wrapped in elegant white with silver diamonds.
"The katana's name is Fuijin. A legendary blade that has been passed down in your family, that your father wanted me to teach you to wield. When we get back, if you're strong enough with Fuijin, the Sandaime would also like to give you a gift."
Naruto just stared at the blade with shock. He had watched his father countless times practice with this blade. It was like a majestic item that he was never allowed to touch. But, now it was his. He was confused. Why would his father give him, a mere six year old such a gift?
"Naruto, what is your goal in life?"
Naruto looked from the blade to Itachi was staring at him intently.
Naruto's eyes brighten more than ever as he stared hard at Itachi. "To be the strongest Hokage ever, even surpassing my father."
This shocked the two occupants as the stared at the serious look on this mere six year olds face.
Itachi smiled. "As a Hokage, you shoulder a heavy burden with the task of protecting your village. Are you ready for that?"
Naruto's face did not waver. "I was born ready."
Silence.
Itachi finally spoke with coolness etched in his voice, "You give your life to protect everything that is important to you. You understand the risk, and you fight with everything you have until the very end. You never give up. That, Naruto, is what a Hokage is, and that my friend is right here locked up." Itachi pointed his finger at Naruto's chest, who frowned at the part where he said it was locked up. "But that is why we are going to strive to unlock it."
Naruto grinned; his face etched with determination. "Hai!"
Kurenai looked from one determined face to the other a smile creeping on her face. This was going to be one hell of a journey.