CH.2
His eyes were open. Was he floating? It sure felt like it.
The roof was dark. He could only tell it was a roof by the soft azure hue that outlined the vertical walls holding it.
Why wasn't he wet? How did he even know he wasn't wet?
He was walking now. When did he get up?
The hue was the only thing guiding him. He could barely see his feet.
He tried to touch the darkness around him, he couldn't.
He wasn't afraid, strangely. It felt so natural, almost as if it was… His world?
A wooden door.
It wasn't there before.
He heard… something from behind the door.
Nobody except him should be here. He didn't know why, he just knew. This place was his and only his… somehow.
He opened it. There were no walls anymore.
Everything was a dark blue now, it reminded him of the ocean.
He quite liked the ocean.
He looked up. Where was he looking before?
He stumbled back. He fell. On the floor? Which floor…?
It didn't matter.
No more than five or six steps in front of him, a single, round reddish orb was floating in the darkness, it was slit in the middle, as if….
It blinked.
Everything lightened up in a brighter blue, an amazing crescendo of clearness worthy of the flashiest stage.
Everything had a blue tinge but its… fur was completely orange while black intervals outlined its fox-like features. It was big. Huge. Hard to comprehend.
It was right in front of him, no restrictions whatsoever. It was amused. Or angry. Or hungry…
It was hard to tell and Naruto couldn't help but to be frozen, staring at the creature.
Just its presence was suffocating. Even the seemingly endless ocean around him got tight, bending at the will of the enormous creature in front of him.
He breathed out in his direction, Naruto's black cloak flapped madly behind him.
''Are you afraid, human?''
Its feral grin didn't move an inch, but the deep ancient voice spoke clearly through the surrounding ocean.
Was he afraid? Maybe.
He didn't know if he ever felt fear before, he had been nervous, eager, anxious… But afraid? He didn't really know.
''I don't know, should I?''
He, yes, Naruto decided it was definitely a He, breathed out again. Was he not expecting his answer?
''I've killed many of your brethren in my long life, I suppose that's something you should fear.''
In a sudden moment of clarity, he realized his first interaction with the famed bloodthirsty nine-tailed demon had been way more civil than expected.
''I did kill many of my brethren too, does that make you fear me?''
Naruto had trouble staying on his feet as the enormous beast laughed loudly, his tails swinging rapidly behind him.
''You are interesting, human. I will make sure to eat you last when I finally get rid of this annoying seal.''
Meh. That didn't sound very nice.
''I don't think that is gonna happen anytime soon.''
Now Naruto was sure he looked angry.
''Listen up, you puny human... my essence is in your body now. I'll be there when your body is weak, I'll be there when your feeble mind will finally collapse, I'll be there when the Shinigami itself will be eating your soul… In that very moment, I will get free from this forsaken cage and I will stomp on the bones of your pathetic race. You heard me human!?''
Strangely enough, that didn't sound like a demon at all. Naruto was no expert, but he was fairly sure demons didn't hold grudges.
He sounded more like a prisoner, actually. The Kyuubi was…
''...more like us than I thought.''
His eyes narrowed dangerously, did he said that out loud?
''It seems our time is finished, human.''
The blue ocean around him started to ripple, as the creature's features become wavier and wavier.
Naruto didn't know how to classify their first encounter, but one thing was sure for the both of them…
'We will meet again…'
LINEBREAKER
Konohakagure No Stato, ANBU headquarters,
II Shinobi war, early years.
He woke up quietly, his blue eyes were probably already open when the conscious part of his mind started working.
He was staring at the roof once again. It was a real one this time. He couldn't quite identify the color, somewhere between yellow and cream, he supposed.
There was another person in the room. He knew the person was there and the person knew Naruto was aware of it.
''What color do you think the roof is?''
He heard the shifting of fabric, probably because of the other person's neck turning towards the roof.
''Ocher, maybe?''
He hummed in agreement. Naruto decided he liked whoever this man was. Many people in this kind of situation would have just been confused at the question. That is why he asked the question before looking at him. Looking was a different way of perceiving people.
''Are we in a hurry?''
He heard the fabric moving again. Naruto felt his eyes on him.
''Most likely. It doesn't matter much, I want to talk you in private and nobody will be questioning my report anyway.''
He turned his head slowly. On a plain looking wooden chair sat comfortably the Konoha White Fang himself, his face holding a tiny sincere smile. It was so natural that Naruto wondered whether it was stuck permanently on his face. His silver hair seemed almost white under the bright light of the room, he looked younger than he did in the forest. Naruto assumed the man was in his late twenties.
He was staring at the roof again. The older man took it as a clue to start talking.
''The Hokage, yesterday, listed you as a Tokubetsu Jonin, to be placed under my jurisdiction for the following year. All you needed to know was that our talents seem to compliment each other…''
Well, that surely smelt like bullshit.
He decided to keep quiet. He wanted to know what kind of person his… sensei was.
He started talking again, knowing that the redhead attention was sorely on him.
''…That, of course, is nothing but a sad attempt to manipulate you… You see, our war council decided it was the safest course of action to label you as a-''
''Flight risk.''
Of course they would. He didn't blame their reasoning, he was actually satisfied everybody seemed to have underestimated him. They though the most dangerous things he could manage were going on a wild rampage or running away from them. Fools.
Keeping the enemy close didn't always work, after all.
''...Exactly. What are your thoughts on that?''
''I think it is reasonable. What confuses me, however, it is why are you telling me this. Are you not going against the higher-ups or something?''
He laughed quietly. Naruto noticed in morbid fascination how the skin around his eyes bent slightly, showing how often the man's smile reached his eyes. He didn't really fit the S-rank shinobi persona the redhead had in mind. He wondered if his own skin would ever bend like that.
Probably not.
Little Kushina's would. His eyes hardened. He will make sure it would.
''Laws are important in our world. They are not a natural phenomenon, they are created by the common morality of a certain group of people. They are not right nor they are wrong, they are a compromise of sorts. They mitigate people's individuality, so that the society, as a unified concept, is able to advance at much quicker pace than a single man could...''
Naruto was listening to the man words in an awed silence. Back in Uzu, everything had a way more scientific approach to it. It all revolved around matrices, combinations, practical reasoning…
He, on the other hand, often devolved in humanistic issues, which were usually reprimanded by his superiors. Pointless philosophy, they said.
''…However, laws by themselves are nothing but lines written a long time ago. As the society changes, it should be in our best interest to modify our morality as well. Unfortunately this does not happen. People are so afraid of losing their identity that they refuse the easier path, often preferring pointless machinations such as war and discrimination. We are all guilty, myself included. I am an S-ranked shinobi, the best of the best, and yet… I'm too weak. The most I find myself able to is protecting my precious people, even if, by doing that, I hurt someone's else precious people. My point is… You and I are going to war together. I refuse to put my life in the hands of somebody that doesn't trust me. Laws don't exist on the battlefield. What I'm asking is: if I fight for your survival, will you be doing the same for me?''
The silver-haired man was looking at him straight in the eyes now. His look was firm yet ever so gentle, it was hard not to say yes to whatever he asked. Mito's words still reverberated in his mind. Should he trust this man? All of this could be a very sophisticated plan to brainwash him into loyalty… But the man did have a point. They were going to rely on each other in life-threatening situations and Naruto decided that trusting the man was a reasonable risk, as long as he kept his head on his shoulders.
''I do believe we have an agreement Hatake-san, my talents are at your disposal.''
His posture relaxed even more, his eyes closing amicably. Naruto could have guessed he was smiling even if the lower part of his face had been covered. It was… refreshing, compared to the stoney faces he was used to.
''Very well then, I'm really curious what the youngest ninja in the bingo book is capable of. I would say it's time for us to meet the rest of our team… Try to keep up with me, if you can.''
Not a second later he disappeared in a quick shunshin. Naruto only smirked, as he rushed for the older man.
It wouldn't hurt to get some allies along the road, would it?
BREAKLINER
Man, he was fast.
Naruto only managed to find the training ground the older man was heading to because of the chakra recording seal he had on the back of his neck. It was one of his first creations. Whenever somebody close to him used chakra, his sensei shunshin in this case, the seal would hold onto its signature for a few minutes, allowing him a better reception of the energy released.
It was just one of the many seals that covered his body.
The silver-haired man wasn't the only one there. He first took notice of a short brown haired boy, probably a couple years younger than him. He was sporting a wide smile, his legs were bouncing excitedly for some unknown reason. Next to him, a really pretty girl with raven black hair was standing there, looking excited as well, even if she kept a calmer demeanor. She couldn't be any younger than himself.
''It seems our fourth member has finally arrived. I suppose it took you this long because you stopped looking around the village… Konoha is really pretty when the sun is out, I'd give you that.''
He felt a thick mark forming on the pale skin of his forehead. Was he mocking him!?
He will take great pleasure in wiping that smirk off the older man's face.
''I know you!''
Everybody turned towards the pretty girl, who seemed to shy away from the sudden attention
''I-I mean I saw you on my father's bingo book..''
Naruto absentmindedly noted that her black hair seemed to blend in an almost dark bluish color under the occasional ray of sunlight passing through the thick foliage.
He met her big charcoal pupils.
He was pretty sure she was an Uchiha. He saw plenty of them during his joint missions with Konoha, but she didn't seem to hold the usual air of superiority that characterized her clan. An Uchiha that shied away from attention? That sure was unheard of.
Pushing aside the urge to keep looking into her eyes, he took notice of the younger brown-haired boy, who had come a little too close to him.
''In the bingo book? You have to be at least a B-rank ninja to be mentioned there...How old are you?''
This kid was really loud.
''15.''
.
.
''WHAAAAAAT!? YOU ARE JUST TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME, HOW DID-''
He used one of his most precious techniques. He had used it on several occasions. Little Kushina's outbursts were a common occurrence, after all. He liked to call it the 'SILENCER!'.
The younger kid stumbled back a couple of feet, while his right hand immediately went on his forehead, massaging the spot Naruto's stone like fingers hit with deadly precision.
''You are too loud.''
The pretty girl giggled in her hand, while the boy's gray eyes glared heatedly at him.
''Come on now boys, you should keep your energies for later, you both will need that. Why don't we make a proper introduction of ourselves, how's that sound?''
A few seconds later, the three of them were seated on a fallen log, in front of them Hatake was looking at them with that tiny smile of his. The pretty girl was seated beside him, stealing quick side glances in his direction. He didn't mind, he found her presence quite relaxing, somehow.
''Naruto, since you are the newest member of our village, why don't you start? Tell us something about yourself.''
He nodded mutely, he was used to give short reports about his skill set.
''Naruto Uzumaki, 15, 5'8.11. I specialize in Fuuinjutsu, both in close and long range. I don't use any ninjutsu bar the minimum and I'd rather not engage taijutsu battles. I have the standard Uzumaki Kenjutsu to make up for that. I have no qualms about teamwork but I don't like taking the leading role unless it is necessary.''
He mentally nodded, pleased with himself. Quick and efficient, as always.
His introduction was flawless. That's why he didn't know where the confused stares of his… teammates were coming from.
''That's very nice to know, Naruto, but I was thinking about more… personal information, you know? Likes, dislikes, dreams… that sort of things.''
''Oh.''
The pretty girl giggled again beside him.
Personal information? What for? These Konoha people were really confusing. He shamefully admitted to himself that gathering things to say in that regard was harder than he thought.
''Well, uhm… I would say I like writing and, uhm… drawing, I guess…''
Why was it so hard? He was even known in Uzu for his quick remarks… Why was something so trivial bothering him this much?
Maybe because no one ever asked.
He felt the pretty girl's eyes on him. He also felt her gentle smile. It encouraged him.
''…My dream is… to understand the world. Maybe then I would know what to do with my life.''
He said the last part out loud, but it was more for himself than anything. It sounded like a nice dream. He liked the strong feelings that were involved while fighting, but he was positive that a calmer, easier life would be much better.
''Very good, Naruto. You, shortie, you are next.''
The brown-haired boy grumbled quietly something about bullies.
''My name is Nawaki Senju! I love eating and training… and my big sister Tsunade! My dream is to become the greatest Hokage of all time! I don't like grumpy people and I hate who treat me differently just because of who my grandfather was!''
Naruto eyebrow rose in surprise. The little shrimp was a Senju, and if people knew about his grandfather then, in all likes, he was the nephew of the Shodaime Hokage himself.
Mito's nephew as well.
He wondered whether the woman was attached sentimentally to the young boy. She made clear with her actions that her relationship with the village was strained at most, but if she cared for her nephew… Then Naruto would work to keep the shrimp alive. He felt like he owned the woman that much.
He will need to talk to Nawaki in private.
''My name is Mikoto Uchiha…''
He whipped his head a little too quickly. He was strangely interested in what the girl had to say.
''…I like cooking and talking to people. I don't like stereotypes on female kunoichi and perverts, my dream for the future is to become the head of the Uchiha clan so that this pointless feud between us and the village can finally come to an end.''
She looked at him briefly, smiling, upon seeing his supportive and impressed face. He was aware of the tension between the Uchiha and the village following the defection of the famed Madara Uchiha. The somewhat distrustful reign of the second Hokage didn't help with the situation either.
Aiming to be clan head might have been the dream of many Uchiha, but using such power to finally end a conflict of such proportion was surely a noble pursuit.
However, it was also true that many leaders prophesied peace in order to gain power. The fact that they were on the verge of another full-scale war proved that.
He decided to give this Mikoto the benefit of the doubt, he will have plenty of time to get to know how pure her intentions really were.
Did he actually...looked forward to that?
Talking about good first impressions…
''What about you sensei?''
The silver-haired man rubbed the back of his head gently, his eyes smiling as usual.
''Well, my name is Sakumo Hatake. I like spending time with my family, especially with my little Kakashi… He will be two in a couple of months actually. I hope I will be able to be there for his birthday…''
Sadness. It was clear that Hatake didn't have much hope about that happening.
''… Anyway, I don't like power hungry people and abusers. My dream is assuring a peaceful future for my son.''
That is something he really believed in. Given the older man skills, he couldn't help but think that this Kakashi had a great shot to a conflict less life. Just the man presence made him feel like everything will be the way he wants to be.
''Now, enough with the pleasantries. It's time for me to test your abilities. You three need to come at me with everything you have or it won't be enough to even get near me. Show me what you got.''
Whit that, all three of them quickly jumped away from the man, only to regroup shortly after, deep in the forest. Nawaki, of course, was the first one of them to speak up.
''Ok listen up. You two need to distract him from the sides, meanwhile, I'll be surprising him from behind and pucker punch him straight to the Hokage's tower. How's that sounds?''
Mikoto laughed quietly at the energetic boy's antics. He almost laughed too, if his reputation hadn't been on the line. He was sure the boy was indeed able to hit very hard, it was a well know trait of the Senju clan, after all. But they weren't facing just some random ninja, they were fighting the elite of the elite. Hatake probably wouldn't even need to move to counter such a basic tactic.
''That is not gonna work, shortie.''
Said shorty growled at him menacingly. He couldn't help it.
''And what the oh so great tomato-sama say we do, then?''
.
.
''Tomato-sama? Really? That's the best thing you could come up with?''
The brown-haired boy had the decency to blush at the rather lame insult.
''Always better than shortie…'' He muttered quietly.
Naruto scoffed loudly, before turning to the only female of the group. Her eyebrows were knitted together in thought. He had already something in mind, but he wanted to test the girl's decision-making abilities.
''Let's hear what Mikoto has to say. I'm sure she already has some kind of plan in mind, am I wrong?''
She looked at him strangely. Wasn't she used to be in charge?
''Well, Sakumo-sensei is probably an all-around shinobi, so I doubt taijutsu maneuvers will be that much effective on him.''
He didn't need to turn to know how much Nawaki was silently fuming at Mikoto's simple logic wrecking his idea.
''I say Naruto-san with his fuuinjutsu has the best chance to catch him off guard. Not many people in Konoha know more than the basics, after all. Nawaki and I will keep Sakumo-sensei on his toes, while Naruto should be at least able to land a hit or something.''
She spoke with so much confidence that the two other boys were caught off guard, not expecting such leadership from the quiet and peaceful looking girl from before. She suddenly becomes aware of her two teammates staring, her gaze shifted downwards immediately.
''I-I mean, if it's okay with you guys…'' She muttered quietly. He didn't know why she was embarrassed by her own display of logical thinking.
''I think it is a splendid idea, Mikoto.''
He had, of course, a way more complicated, almost bulletproof, idea in mind, but he was taught to encourage the lower ranks initiatives when they were worthy of notice. She beamed at him, her simple features shining under the filtered sunlight.
''Yeah, right. Of course, the pretty girl's idea is splendid…''
Mikoto frowned at him, wasn't he listening to her remark about downgrading female ninja?
Naruto didn't have to waste words on the boy. His SILENCER!quieted the young Senju immediately.
Without another word, he took his black cape off in a single swift motion, his sleeveless black shirt revealing the numerous seals inked on both his arms.
His teammates stared. It didn't matter, everybody did.
Even in Uzu, getting permanent seals connected to the chakra network wasn't a common occurrence. Being born with large enough reserves was easy enough in the Uzumaki clan, but the raw control one needed to have in order to avoid side effects was what really made him special.
He got all of them before he turned ten.
Getting them after that point was a risk he didn't feel comfortable taking.
''Ok, people. I have a big surprise for Hatake over there. Just keep him busy, I only need to touch him once.''
Whit a last nod, he shunshined away, leaving his teammates by themselves.
A few seconds later the two were sprinting towards their sensei, Mikoto's hands already sorting through hand seals. Nawaki, being the faster of the two, reached the silver-haired man first, his right arm cocked back for a powerful swing. The older ninja simply sidestepped, his arms still crossed in front of his chest. The young Senju reacted quickly, as his body twisted midair, releasing the pent-up force from the sprint in a quick rotating kick. His opponent once again switched his body weight on his left leg, gracefully pivoting away from the smaller boy. Nawaki just smirked, as he jumped high in the air as soon as his foot made contact with the grass underneath him.
''Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!''
Where the boy was standing a second ago, a huge fireball covered the now empty space, seemingly leaving no room for Sakumo to dodge. The orange inferno released by Mikoto engulfed the whole area, as Nawaki landed softly by his teammate side.
''See? We didn't even need Tomato's help.'' He said quite smugly.
Mikoto highly doubted that.
Surely enough, she felt the urge to jump away, just a few inches before the older man's leg came sweeping from her left side.
Nawaki wasn't so lucky.
He barely had the time to raise his forearm in front of his face, as the kick rocketed him deep into the forest. Mikoto, now, was standing alone in front of her sensei, his arms still crossed.
Her fine hearing took notice of the subtle rustle of leaves coming from the direction her teammate had been launched to. It was time for the second round.
She closed her eyes.
When she looked again at her sensei, blazing red had substituted her previous charcoal black pupils, three tomoes swirled calmly in each one of her eyes.
She rushed at him much quicker than before, her body graciously coming to a sudden stop just below her sensei's guard. Her arm went forward towards his face, only to feint and twist her body as soon as the silver-haired man flexed his legs in order to dodge.
Now that he was unbalanced, she threw a powerful straight punch, aiming just below his ribs.
In an inhuman display of speed, her sensei grasped her moving wrist, just enough to use her own momentum and twirling her away from him.
She adjusted in mid-air, sliding with her toes on the muddy ground.
''Doton: Doryuusou!''
From below Sakumo's feet, several spears purely made of rock spurted from the ground, forcing the Jonin to a vertical jump in the air, where Nawaki was already waiting to deliver a powerful hook from above. Screaming like a madman all the while.
''It's over, sensei!''
Once again, the older man dodged the powerful offense, letting Nawaki's speeding punch fly harmlessly beside him.
Sakumo cocked back his left arm, ready to deliver a game-ending blow to his student.
Just before his fist reached the younger boy, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing a smirking Naruto instead.
Not expecting a reverse Kawarimi, he realized it was too late to stop his extending arm, which was immediately caught by Naruto's waiting grip, while several seals on the red-haired forearm lightened up in a warm yellowish light.
''Fuuinjutsu: Ugoki Houin!''
From Sakumo's arm, a web-like matrix of seals extended rapidly through his whole body.
Once losing the vertical boost from the jump, they both descended towards the ground. Naruto landed gracefully on his feet, while Sakumo's motionless body hit the dirt like a sack of potatoes.
He was just starting to comprehend the fact that he took down an S-ranked shinobi when the older man's still form disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.
Before even realizing it had been a shadow clone, he felt the cold, sharp, steely side of his sensei's short sword on the left side of his neck.
''A movement restriction seal executed in such a short span of time, I must say it was really impressive.''
He closed his eyes in defeat while sighing deeply. Of course, it had been too easy to be true.
''When did you even substituted with a clone? I had been watching you since the beginning…''
His sensei swiftly removed the blade from his neck, chuckling softly all the while. Naruto was fairly ashamed of his performance. He hadn't been outclassed like this in a long time.
''That's the point Naruto, it was a clone since the beginning.''
Both his teammates got close to them, the bitterness from the resounding defeat very clear in their eyes. Nawaki also seemed to be still a little freaked out by the reverse substitution the red-head pulled off earlier.
All three of them were side by side now, all looking up in slight amazement at their superior.
''Don't be too hard on yourself, all of you. Defeat is an essential part of life. We all need to embrace it sometimes, for without loosing we wouldn't have the motivation to keep going forward. Today you all learned a very important rule of the shinobi world…''
His face was stone-like, as he looked into the eyes of every single member of the team. Gone was the laid back man from before. In front of them, they had the White Fang of Konoha, and he sure looked like the merciless ninja he was said to be.
''… Always, and I mean Always… Look underneath the underneath. Nothing is given in this world, you need to be flexible, you need to adapt... if you wanna survive.''
Naruto looked at Mikoto, who was once again standing beside him. She did look nervous.
''In three days time, we will be leaving for Kaze no Kuni for our first mission. Pack lightly, we will be able to gear up fully once we reach our troops on the border. We will meet at the gates, 7 a.m, sharp. Welcome aboard… Team Seven.''
He looked at his teammates. Their previous apprehension was completely gone, as their sensei's firm, energetic words riled them up quite nicely.
It was this kind of leadership Naruto had always lacked.
After a quick, grumpy goodbye from Nawaki and a nervous yet beautiful smile from Mikoto, only Hatake and himself were left on the training ground.
''Getting the hots for the Uchiha heiress, uh? She seems like a nice girl, I'll give you that.''
He didn't answer. He didn't even smile at the older man's attempted small talk. There was something that had been bothering him since his teammates introduced themselves.
''The Uchiha heiress. The youngest pure blooded Senju. And myself, the only Uzumaki under Konoha's corps and jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox. It sure feels more than a coincidence to me. What is your village planning on doing, uh? They hope I will get buddy-buddy with the village's top-notch royalty? I accepted being considered a flight risk, but any further attempts at manipulating me will be not go unpunished, Hatake-san.''
He left calmly, not even sparing a side glance to the white-haired man. He didn't like when innocents people, such as Mikoto and Nawaki, were manipulated in order to get at him.
It was even worse when one of those innocent people's smile was stuck in his head.
The false vibes of peace and tranquility this village gave off were dangerous, he will need to be careful. Very careful.