(A/N: Okay, second chapter of The Demon Brothers of Konoha. Don't worry, eventually the name will be explained.
I DO NOT OWN NARUTO)
12/1/09
Chapter 2: The Academy
Two years later (twelve years since the Kyuubi incident)…
Time had passed. Our two favorite ninjas-to-be had changed greatly over the years. Although they have had no way to get formal ninja training, they had been studying basic taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and fuinjutsu from scrolls in the academy's library.
They had found that neither of them had skill for genjutsu whatsoever. Their taijutsu was strong for both of them, with Naruto preferring a style that seemingly left the defense open, but allowed the user to block and counter easily. Kage preferred evasions rather than blocks, allowing him to more quickly take advantage of an opponent's missed strike. Without any real teacher, they basically learned all moves from scrolls and practiced them by sparring with each other. Neither knew it, but both Naruto and Kage were far faster and stronger than average genin, due to years of both pranking and then running from said prank victims. It actually required a lot of strength and coordination to hang from one hand and deface the Hokage Stone Monument with the other. And running 10+ kilometers as angry mobs chased them was no small feat either, particularly considering more than half of said mobs were ninjas themselves.
Also, due to their limited budget, they ate a diet of rice and noodles and lean meats and fishes, along with any vegetables or fruits they could steal. To be fair, they always tried to purchase their food first. They only stole from the people who refused them service or charged obviously inflated prices. It just so happened that that category happened to include just about every grocer and market owner. Naruto and Kage couldn't figure out why so many people seemed to hate them, or more accurately, why so much animosity was directed at Naruto in particular.
However, there were a few places that treated the two brothers like any other customers. There was a ramen stand called Ichiraku's, owned by a friendly old man named Teuchi, and his daughter, a brunette named Ayame. Naruto loved ramen, there were just so many ways you could cook and eat it! It could actually be made quite healthily, with vegetables and low spice levels. Kage actually also liked ramen quite a bit, although not as much as Naruto. Kage had found a sushi house called Sendai's Sushi. Kage loved the mixtures of rice, raw fish, and seaweed, but unfortunately, sushi was far more expensive than ramen.
Fuinjutsu, the art of sealing, almost immediately capture Kage's attention. He found the myriad uses of seals fascinating: storage, chakra sealing, etc. Naruto saw seals as ridiculously complicated jumbles of pictures, and preferred to ignore them, although Kage made sure they could both recognize the seals other ninjas could use, such as storage sealing or bomb tags.
Ninjutsu was a whole different story for them. Both Kage and Naruto had massive chakra reserves, but Kage had better external chakra control while Naruto had better internal chakra control. For example, on his first try, Kage could execute a Kawarimi no Jutsu on his first try just from reading a scroll, whereas Naruto couldn't even manifest a relatively human shape for the Bushin no Jutsu. But Naruto could pull off multiple henge (transformation) consecutively, smoothly changing appearances without having to revert to his original form.
But each brother had a hidden talent as well.
Flashback
Somehow, the villagers had found out where the two lived. One night, a group of villagers cornered Naruto, alone, and beaten him to a bloody pulp. Kage had come home from the library, where he was studying fuinjutsu (sealing techniques), and found Naruto, beaten and bloody, on his doorstep. He had no pulse. A kunai was lodged in his thigh, and a note on a string was tied to it. Kage pulled the kunai out.
| Death to the demon |
Kage trembled with rage.
Most people think death is an ending point, the end of a line. It's not. Death is a circle, each death requiring vengeance thus causing other deaths, those deaths causing even more lives to be lost.
"Do you like it?" asked a voice behind him. Kage turned around slowly.
He saw a group of six men. They looked to be ordinary civilians, except for one, the one who had spoken. He looked different. More dangerous. That fact that he was twirling a kunai around his forefinger hinted at his profession.
"What?" Kage asked in a monotone.
"We fucked him up good, yeah?"
"Good… yeah." Kage mimicked. The group smiled. For a second they thought he was the demon's associate. "Now I won't have to spend time tracking you down." Kage added.
The leader laughed. Guess he was with the demon, after all. "Boy, there's six of us, one of you. Five of us, since I'm leaving. Fuck 'im up, boys." He turned around and took less that ten paces when he heard a soft voice, unmistakably laced with KI (killer intent).
"Turn around…"
He did so, and found his six friends dead. "How…" He paled.
Flashback – less than fifteen seconds ago
"…of us, since I'm leaving."
Kage looked at the kunai in his hand. Could he do it? Kill seven men, with absolutely no true combat experience of his own?
Doesn't matter if I can. I have to.
On impulse, he shifted the kunai into a reversed grip, better for slashing than stabbing. He cut the inside of his forearm and wiped both sides of the kunai in his blood.
He looked up at the men, and they gasped at what they saw. Taking advantage of their surprise, he scythed through the men.
Kage slashed two throats before any could react. As he was about to initiate a swing at a third, his target raised his arms to protect his face and throat. Kage took a low slash instead, disemboweling the man. The fourth was even more prepared, taking a ready stance with one hand high and one hand low. Kage feinted with the kunai and slammed a kick into his opponent's crotch. As the man doubled over, Kage impaled the man's heart. The fifth was stunned. He gave no resistance as Kage casually reached over and slit his throat.
Kage stared at the last man.
"Turn around…" he said softly.
They say the eyes are a window into the soul. 'Course, they also say quicksilver can give you immortality.
Where before, Kage had regular eyes with dark brown irises, he had a completely black eye. It was as if his pupil had suddenly decided to swallow his iris.
"Kekkei Genkai? But, what, but the only doujutsus in Konoha are the Byakugan and the Sharingan!" The shinobi gasped.
"…"
Kage dashed at the man and slashed at his chest. He recovered in time to dodge Kage's first slash, pulling a kunai from the pouch on his thigh.
To Kage, it seemed like everything moved in slow motion. He felt his heart beat. He made another slash at the man's face, waiting for eternity as his army slowly arced towards his target. He saw the stranger raising his own kunai to intercept the slash.
As the two kunai connected, something odd happened. The stranger's kunai shattered, the fragments blasting into the side of his face. Unhindered, Kage's knife continued, but by sheer coincidence, the pain of having multiple pieces of metal in his face made the strange flinch back a few inches. The kunai slashed an inch into his face at eye level, destroying one eye, cutting through the top of his nose, and ruining the other eye.
Kage's heart finished its second beat.
The man stumbled back and slumped to the ground screaming in agony. Kage stomped on the man's stomach, making him curl into a ball. His screams gradually tapered down to sobs.
"Please… end it… kill me."
Dispassionately, Kage looked at the knife in his hand. His hand, no, his entire arm was covered in gore.
Naruto's bloody corpse, lying on the floor.
"No… for you now, death is no punishment. Everyday you live will be a constant reminder of today. Everyday you will remember and regret your actions."
He crouched down to his fallen opponent's body. He cut the tendons in each hand, and then cut all the tendons in both of his shoulders. He ignored the man's screams of pain, for mercy, for intervention. He sawed into flesh, giving pain for pain inflicted, drawing blood for blood drawn.
"You will not escape your punishment. Blind and unable to use your hands or your arms, you will forever depend on the mercy of others. Every time you go to sleep at night, it will be a small death. Every time you wake up, you live again to die anew. Without your hands, you will not be able to commit suicide to escape. May others show you mercy, though you have showed none."
Kage closed his eyes. He realized that he had been channeling chakra to his eyes subconsciously. He stopped the chakra flow, but not before he realized one thing.
"You: in the tree. You can come out now."
An ANBU with a dog mask jumped out of the tree.
Ah, fuck! The Sandaime (The Third, meaning the Third Hokage) will kill me if I let sensei's son die!
The ANBU blurred towards Naruto's house. The Sandaime knew almost everything that went on in Konoha [1]. After word of a disturbance, he had sent his ANBU Captain, codenamed Inu (Dog) for his mask, to ascertain the cause, and if necessary, defend Naruto.
The man shunshin'd (Body Flicker) into a tree. He saw a bloody meatbag on the ground, six men, and a boy who looked to be defending the bloody meatbag. He watched in surprise as the boy scythed through the men. The boy was fast for his age.
"…kei Genkai? …but the only doujutsus in…the Byakugan and the Sharingan!" the ANBU heard.
Hm, what's this? Kid's got a visual Kekkei Genkai, huh?
He opened the mask's slot over his left eye so he could watch with his Sharingan. He stared in amazement as the boy's kunai shattered the other kunai. He heard his pronouncement, and watched spellbound as he let him live.
Shit, I completely forgot about Naruto! Is he the one on the doorstep?
"You: in the tree. You can come out now."
He complied.
"Is Na… your friend okay?" Kakashi mentally curse. He'd slipped up.
He knows. Kage thought. He knows who we are, or at least who Naruto is.
He walked over to Naruto's body… Naruto's corpse. But it wasn't a corpse, not anymore. Somehow, he was breathing, his heart was beating. How?
"Yeah, he's fine. Most of that blood isn't his." He lied.
Behind the mask, the ANBU quirked an eyebrow. They both knew it was a lie. But he could see in the boy's eyes that he would not accept medical help. But why?
"Whatever. I'll take this guy…" the ANBU gestured to the unconscious shinobi. "And leave."
"Fine… but my pronouncement stands. I know you heard it. I will remember you, Inu-san." (referring the dog mask)
"Duly noted. The rest will be cleaned up later." He jumped off with the shinobi on his back, fireman style. He doubted the kid would be able to remember him. The ANBU were notorious for their anonymity. He had only killed the other five due to surprise.
As the ANBU left, Kage sighed. He looked to his brother.
What the hell, man? What the freaking hell…
He unlocked the door and dragged his brother inside. When he got him into the room he let go of the body and closed the door.
Kage flinched and whipped around. He felt a strong presence. Strong was far too weak a word to describe this feeling.
Surrounding Naruto's body was a red aura of chakra. He tried to get closer, but the chakra was so dense it forced his body back.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Kage shouted.
He could see Naruto's body healing. His bloody skin starting to repair itself, pink fresh skin forming over where wounds were. Loud snaps could be heard as his bones forced themselves back into the correct position.
Naruto's Mindscape
"Urrgh. What the hell?" Naruto woke up.
Naruto found he was in a hallway, kind of. It was more of a long, narrow sewer. The water went up to his calves.
"Guess I might as well start walking. Nothing else to do."
Naruto couldn't tell how long he walked; all sense of time was irrelevant. Gradually, he came to a set of ridiculously huge bars. Jail bars. Suddenly orange, glowing eyes opened.
"Way to go, brat. You've managed to get killed before you've even finished going through puberty. I'm not sure if you're amazingly lucky or amazingly unfortunate for that."
"I'm dead?"
Memories flashed into Naruto's head. Suddenly the surroundings changed, as if it were a genjutsu.
Naruto saw/remembered the confrontation between him and the men. He saw the punches forcing his body into the ground, the kicks once he was there. As his own image passed out, the entire scene faded into darkness.
"What was that?"
"This is your mindscape, kit. You can view your memories here. And by the way, you're not dead. Well not anymore. Your heart stopped beating for a short period of time before I was able to start it up again."
The thing yawned, and suddenly the cage lit up. Inside was a gigantic orange fox, but the oddest thing was that it had nine tails.
Wait, nine-tails?
"Y-y-you're the…'
"Kyuubi no kitsune, yeah yeah, lord of the tailed demons, yada yada yada, and all that crap. Don't gimme that stuff, whenever I see a human and try to have a civilized conversation that's all they can say. Besides, I'm, um, er… kinda stuck with you, whether you like it or not." Sounding somewhat embarrassed, the giant fox pointed to a set of seals around the edge of the cage. "Someone sealed me into you. Your Yondaime Hokage, if I'm not mistaken."
"Wait, why did you attack Konoha eleven years ago?"
"Um, yeah, about that… I was kinda asleep at the time. Sleepwalking, if you will. It's been a bad habit for me for the last few centuries. It's not my fault if I happened to stumble into a village or two in my sleep, and I accidentally destroy stuff. Erm, whatever. Your body has healed sufficiently for you to regain consciousness. Bye."
Naruto sweat-dropped.
So that's why the villagers hate me, huh? A giant misunderstanding involving a semi-insomniatic giant demon fox, a large ninja village, and one of the best ninja's Konoha ever produced. Wow, Kami must really hate me or something. But… Kyuubi's hiding something. I can feel it. Oh well…
The room began to glow white, getting brighter and brighter until only white could be seen.
Kage looked in the bathroom mirror. His eyes looked exactly the same. He focused for a moment and began to channel chakra into his eyes. Kage saw his pupils expand until they covered his iris. The whites of his eyes were still present, though.
"Whoa…"
His field of vision had expanded dramatically. Kage thought he could see almost everything around him… well not quite. There was probably around a 45 degree hole in the very back. His hand twitched, knocking over his toothbrush, straight in the direction of the toilet.
In slow motion, Kage saw the toothbrush slowly revolving, each bristle of the toothbrush distinct in his vision. His hand reached out and snatched the toothbrush out of the air, moments before it fell in piss. Oddly, his hand seemed to move in regular time, when everything else was moving slowly. Does that mean I'm moving or perceiving everything faster than usual, or that everything else has slowed down and I'm at regular speed?
"Hmmm… whatever." He put his toothbrush back, flushed the toilet. As he was washing his hands, he realized the cut on his left forearm was gone, leaving a long scar on his forearm.
He was past being surprised for one day, so he shrugged and walked back into the living room.
Kage saw that Naruto was now conscious, and fully healed.
"I see you've finally woken up. Took you long enough, lazy-ass."
"Nii-san… shut the hell up."
"How originally scathing… how much do you remember?"
"…everything…I could have died…and OH SHIT where are those guys?"
"Oh, don't worry about it. You did. And so did they." Kage added, completely nonchalant.
"Oh, and by the way…" Kage slapped Naruto on the back of his head. "We've sparred before. You could have taken those guys. What happened?"
"I…hesitated…I didn't really think they would do anything."
"Humph. That'll get you in some hot water.
"That's rich, coming from a guy who has fevers of 50 C (122 Fahrenheit). And what's up with those eyes?" Naruto retorted.
Kage got a guilty/embarrassed look. "Um, hehe, oops. Forgot to cancel it." He did so, stopping the chakra flow to his eyes. "I guess it's a kekkei genkai. Never heard of it before."
Typically, one of the first things they did in the library was look up genealogy of the ninja families in Konoha. As kekkei genkai were genetic, one had to be a member of a certain family to use it, so as orphans it was their best bet to see if they had any relatives. It had been a fruitless search. Neither of them had been able to use Shadow Possession, Partial Expansion, Mind Jutsus, the Byakugan, or the Sharingan. Those were pretty much the main kekkei genkai.
"Damn, nii-san. Is this puberty or something? You get a cool kekkei genkai and kill five guys and what do I get?"
"Um, I dunno, maybe the ability to die and come back to life? Duh…"
"Oh, yeah. That is kinda kickass if you think about it." Naruto made his thumbs up pose.
Kage sweat-dropped.
"Kay, this is some freaky shit. You die and come back to life, and I get an original kekkei genkai. I'm gonna hit the sack and hope it's a dream."
When they both woke up the next morning, they found it wasn't a dream. That would be too fortunate.
End Flashback
"Okay class, I'd like you to meet our two newest members." A man with a scar running across the bridge of his nose spoke.
"What the hell, Iruka-sensei?" A boy with a painted red fang on each cheek yelled. His dog barked in agreement. "Everyone in here has been here for the last two years, and two dobes think they can just walk in and graduate by the end of this year?" (It takes three years of academy to graduate)
There were murmurs around the classroom agreeing with him. A boy with black hair set in a chicken butt style was one of those who stayed silent.
Anyone who the academy would let do that would have to be strong.
He needed strength.
"Kiba, watch your language. And while I would normally agree with you, I don't this time, given the circumstances. These two have had… special endorsement…from the ANBU captain."
Strong indeed… the emo boy thought.
"Anyways, meet your two newest classmates," Iruka continued, "Uzumaki Naruto and… Kage."
Kage was the first to walk in. He didn't really care what others thought of him, but decided it was best not to make a negative impression, especially since most people judged on appearance rather than personality. He wore plain black pants, slacks actually, the dark fabric blending in well with his kunai/shuriken pouch. For his shirt he wore simply a red t-shirt. Completing his outfit he wore a red headband tied around his forehead. He had short black hair, his bangs short enough that they never got in his eyes.
The oddest thing about him, though, was he wore a blade on his left hip. It had the shape of a kunai, but it was the size of a katana, almost a meter long. On one face of the blade, an image of a nine-tailed fox was etched into the metal. On the other side of the blade, an image of a fire-breathing dragon adorned the face. The tint of the metal was black, far blacker than standard weapons and held a slight tint of red along the etches.
He looked around the room, coolly appraising its occupants. He saw members of all the major ninja families of Konoha. Kage snorted. "Where do I sit?"
Iruka pointed to a seat, ironically next to a pink haired girl. Kage walked over and sat down. He tilted the chair back so it was balanced on two legs. "Name's Kage. Yours?"
"Baka, do you think you're cool like Sasuke-kun!" The pink haired girl screamed. She punched him in the head, but right before her fist impacted his image shimmered, revealing another black-haired boy. Unable to stop her fist, the girl punched her idol in the face.
"Gah, what the hell Sakura-ama (bitch)?" Sasuke made his anime-angry face while Sakura sweat-dropped.
"That certainly wasn't very nice." Kage said from across the room, where Sasuke was sitting before. "Just trying to get a name… maybe an address. Wasn't like I was trying to cop a feel." He smirked. "Yet."
"Pervert!" Now he had an angry blonde fangirl at his side, trying to punch him too. Kage did another Kawarimi No Jutsu (Body Replacement Jutsu), replacing himself again with Sasuke, making the emo receive another punch in the face. As Sakura tried to punch Kage again from his new position, she found herself punching Kiba.
Now Kage was calmly sitting next to a girl with short black hair, with just a tint of blue.
"That… was absolutely pathetic. Kawarimi is a genin skill. If any of you three are representative of your class's skill… I might just commit seppuku (suicide by disembowelment)." The girl next to him giggled softly. Kage smiled gently at her. "I would ask your name, but I wouldn't like to cause another scene…"
"Hinata. Hyuga Hinata."
"Kage. Nice to meet you."
He pulled his red headband over his eyes and leaned back in his chair, two legs off the ground.
"Sensei, I refuse to sit in my previous seat because of the hostility." He stated calmly.
Body Replacement may be a genin level skill, but that's only if it's used on inanimate objects. Using it on another living being, particularly a human, requires at least high chunin or low jonin level chakra control. A boy with dark shades and a heavy coat thought. I wonder if he can use Shushin no Jutsu…
"Fine. And our other student. Uzumaki Naruto—"
Iruka walked in threw the doors. "Sorry I'm late, guys, I… HEY, WHO ARE YOU?" He pointed at the Iruka standing in front of the classroom.
"I'M UMINO IRUKA! WHY ARE YOU IMPERSONATING ME?"
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! I'M THE REAL UMINO IRUKA!" The Iruka who just walked in shouted back.
"SHUT UP!" The Iruka already in the class screamed. "YOU'RE JUST AN IMPOSTOR!"
"BAKA!"
"TEME!"
"DOBE!"
"LIAR!"
By this point, they were both in each other's faces screaming. The door-Iruka sighed.
"Okay, screaming isn't going to get us anywhere. I will let my class decide who the real Iruka is. Since you think you're the real Iruka, there should be any problem, right? We will each stand on opposite sides of the classroom, and each student will go to the side that they think has the real me."
Damn… he played me. No way to back out now. He thought.
He turned to face the class. "Okay, you heard me. Choose." When no one moved he yelled. "NOW!"
Each student slowly chose a side.
Sakura thought about how the late Iruka was the first to calm down, and also how he took charge in deciding how they would resolve this. She decided that he had to be the real Iruka, so she went to his side of the room. Ino, the long haired blonde, came to the same conclusion.
This is so troublesome… A boy with his hair set like a pineapple thought. On one hand, it seems like the new Iruka is the real one, but if he were truly an imposter then his outrage would be an act, and he could calm down easily. On the other hand, the Iruka who was here first could have stayed angry longer because he really an imposter. Man, this is so troublesome. He raised his hand. "Iruka sensei, I decline to choose-."
Both Irukas frowned. "On what grounds?" One asked. "Why?" Asked the other.
"On the grounds that it's too troublesome."
Everyone in the class sweat-dropped.
Choji decided he didn't like the way the new Iruka's appraising eyes shifted around from student to student. He went to the side of the first Iruka.
"Hnn." Damn, I wish I had my Sharingan. Sasuke thought. Just to stay away from his two biggest fangirls, he went to the first Iruka's side.
Various other members of the class slowly began to choose sides. (Remember, there are more ninja here than just the rookie nine, they just aren't able to become genin in the Academy final test.) The majority of students chose the second Iruka.
Finally, there were only four students left, Kage, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.
Kiba was murmuring to Akamaru, his dog, although puppy would be a more accurate term. "Smells like a what? That doesn't even make any sense!" The tiny puppy yipped. "Fine." He walked over to the first Iruka. Silently, Shino followed him.
And then there were two. Kage raised his hand. "I decline to choose on the basis that I am sleeping."
Everyone thought Holy crap, that's a worse excuse than Shikimaru's.
"Byakugan." Hinata murmured. With her increased field of vision, she saw Kage start, his chair slamming onto all fours, and she vaguely wondered why he was surprised by her kekkei genkai. She ignored him, focusing on the two Iruka's chakra coils. The first Iruka's coils looked normal, a little diminished, but normal. She shifted her focus to the second Iruka's coils. They were small, the size of a adolescent's. Hinata looked deeper to see how much chakra the imposter had. The shy heiress winced. It was like looking into the sun! She deactivated her Byakugan and walked over to the first Iruka.
The second Iruka smiled and looked around at the students around him. "That's everyone, huh? Well congratulations! You all… FAIL EPICALLY! IF I WAS AN ENEMY NINJA YOU WOULD ALL BE DEAD!"
The real Irula smiled. "Well, we've finally gotten that sorted out. I must admit that was a very good henge. Uzumaki Naruto, I presume?"
The false Iruka smiled, and poofed, a grayish cloud surrounded him. When the mist settle, a beautiful blonde woman was in his place. A beautiful, naked blonde woman. "Who's Naruto? How bout just you and me?" she murmured seductively. "We can have far more fun if we're alone."
This caused Iruka to fly backwards due to the force of the nosebleed he just got. Many other males in the class, and oddly some females also spouted blood from their noses.
"Nii-san, knock it off." Kage was back in his position, leaning back in his chair with his headband still over his eyes.
The woman pouted. "Fine." She poofed again. Now in her pace was a blonde boy, his spiky hair sticking up randomly. Bright, vibrant blue eyes scanned the classroom around him, flickering over the students, the teachers, the walls, the ceilings. He had a broad smile on his face, but if one looked closely, the smile didn't reach his eyes. Of all things, he wore a bright orange jumpsuit, complete with bright orange pants. They practically screamed, "KILL ME." No one other than Kage knew that the jacket and pants could both be turned inside-out to reveal a blackened camouflage pattern. Naruto, along with Kage, had been chased by ANBU numerous times for various reasons, and had picked up a great deal of stealth skills along the way.
Naruto wore his shuriken and kunai holster on his right thigh for easy access. He also kept a number of kunai concealed about his person in case he ever lost his holster or needed to surprise an opponent.
Iruka sweat-dropped. He was going to have one hell of a year with these two additions. It was hard enough dealing with the stupidity from Sasuke's fangirls, and now it looked like this Kage was growing his own group of fangirls. Add a prankster into the mix and what do you get?
Therapy. I'm gonna need so much therapy. Hmm, I wonder if Inochi-san will give me a discount since I taught his daughter?
"Okay everyone back to your seats." There was a collective mumbling, and several glares at Naruto for making them look like fools.
Everyone returned to their original seats, and Naruto chose to sit at Kage's table, next to Hinata.
"Ohayo nii-san. Funny seeing you here." Naruto smirked at Kage.
"Baka. You shifted your eyes around too much. Other than that, it was perfect, given you bullshitted that on the spot." Kage said. Naruto smiled back, a true smile this time.
"I know. So what's your name?"
"H-Hinata Huh-Hy-Hyuga."
"Uzumaki Naruto. And don't worry, you won't forget it."
I don't think I will either. Hinata thought.
(A/N: Sorry if the characters seemed a little too mature for their age, but what do you expect if you've been living on your own from an early age?)