Kyuutsuki No Uzumaki

By

AJ Katon

Disclaimer: I do not own Natsu-verse series or Naruto seeing as they belong to their respective owners. I do own the various OC's that may be introduced later on.

Arc 1: Maelstrom Konoha

Chapter 3: Practice makes Improvement

I was busy looking out at the moon tonight. Tonight I caught another full moon. It was strangely pretty for something completely white. Much better than those weird times when it would go Red. I never understood what it was but whenever it was full I'd get this urge to go out and look at it until I was called back. I've done this ever since I could walk on my own and if I could, I'd like to do it for the rest of my life.

But that didn't mean that I could just go out on my own and get a look. I had to stay close to the compound so that no one had to waste time trying to find me in the woods.

I feel like I wouldn't get lost though. I was smart enough to get around easily enough.

"Naruto." A light voice called from behind me.

I smiled when I heard her voice. She was one the nicest person out the clan, even if she was usually with him.

I shivered thinking about his face. It wasn't that he was a bad guy; it was that he was just so…cold. Whenever he talked, it was always so…dulled out. Like he didn't really have any life in him.

How do you get like that?

Plus he never really looked at me. Out of all the times I've walked around the home and the grounds, he was always somewhere else. It's as if he was trying to avoid me.

"It's time to go home. ****-sama wants you in bed early. We have company arriving soon and he wants you to be presentable."

She said walking towards me, her footsteps barely heard on the soft grass.

"Aww but I've only been here for a couple of minutes." I said crossing my arms and looking annoyed as I turned to face her.

She was very pretty in my opinion. Her skin was like the moon and her hair was short and for some reason seemed to be natural in the dark. Almost like I couldn't tell the difference between them.

She giggled at me and replied, "You've been here for half an hour, silly." Really? That long…nuts.

"Fine. But next time, I wanna get at least an hour." I pointed a finger to the sky for my bargain. Gotta look cool and dramatic if you want people to listen to you.

At least that's what that weird guy in hood said the last time he was here.

"That's something that you'll have to discuss with *i**-sama. He is our—"

"Clan head and as the "Big Head" we gotta listen to what he says," I cut her off, feeling annoyed. I don't see why going outside would need his say-so. It's just right outside in the back.

Only took a couple of steps to get to.

"Big Head?" She looked at me in confusion. "Where on Gaia did you learn such…oh never mind. I believe I already know." She muttered as she pinched her nose.

What? It's not like it's not true.

"Annoying clown…Naruto, you mustn't take any lessons from that man seriously." She told me while grabbing my hand. Her hand felt so much bigger than mine. It was nice and warm too.

I hope that when I get older my hands are that big and warm.

I don't want them to end up like his.

"But it sounds right doesn't it? He usually acts like he has one. Besides I don't think he really likes me anyway."

"K**i-sama can be hard to approach at times but deep inside there is a side that cares. He is just…very different from others."

She sighed and turned to look at me. For a second it looked like she was very sad.

"Despite all that, he does care about you Naruto. You are the son that he…never had."

There was something that I wasn't getting. I know that *zu**-kaasan was sad about something. Something important.

But whatever it was, I didn't know.

I have to say something.

"Well, I guess. But at least I have you right, I**mi-kaasan. If I've got both of you, then it's all good for me."

I smiled at her. I wanted her to know that whatever bad thing happened, I still think she was awesome. The smile she gave back to me was amazing.


~KYUUTSUKI~

Mn. What the…

Oh. It was just another…wait. That woman! She was the same one that…that protected me. Her name was…dammit. It's on the back of my mind but I still can't get the full name.

Stupid Amnesia.

Well since I'm up anyway, I might as well get ready for the day.

Walking to the kitchen while scratching my stomach, I thought about how I was going to go through this week. Before the team assignments that Jiji told me about, I have to get into heavy duty training and make sure I get better before I go on missions.

But first I gotta get to Jiji's place to get my ninja ID. Now what should I wear?

Knock. Knock.

Hm?

I walked to the front door and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me Naruto-kun. I brought some breakfast." Ayame's voice calls back.

"Really?" I unlocked the door and low and behold, it was my favorite ramen waitress. Well she's the only ramen waitress I knew but that pretty much made her my favorite.

She was taller than me but only for a couple of inches. That white hat of hers helped a bit but it feels like cheating. Her hair and eyes were the same color of dark brown and her face was one of the prettiest I've ever seen in my life.

She was still wearing her white waitress outfit so she and old man Teuchi had probably finished setting everything up for the lunch rush. There was a small bag in her hand and from the lack of delicious broth and noodle smell; I could tell that this was going to be a regular breakfast.

Not that I'm complaining.

"Hey Ayame. It's been awhile since I last saw you." I smiled at my older sister figure as I stepped back to let her in.

Ayame smiled back as she walked in and set the ingredients on the table. I could see some eggs, bacon, and some orange juice carton. Nice. She moved toward the kitchen and gathered the needed cooking supplies to get started. It was kinda scary how easily she managed to get everything set up so quickly as if she owned the place.

Well it technically feels that way since she has come over to cook many times over the years.

"Well I have been going back to school so my work time's not as big as it used to be." She said as she set up a cooking pan and oil on the stove. She then smirked at me.

"But if you miss me so much, you could just sneak in and see me. Being a ninja and all."

…Well I could get in with a Henge…

As the time went by, I sat back in a chair and watched Ayame cook. It was one of the many things that I was thankful to have despite the few years of dirty looks I've had here in Konoha. It felt like I was just a natural guy watching his girl—

I blushed when that particular thought came to mind.

Okay while I felt that Ayame was the big sister figure I wished I had, I couldn't get rid of the obvious problems and why that image couldn't hold up forever. Heck it couldn't even hold up anymore.

First was the obvious fact that I wasn't really related to her and Teuchi at all. While we may act like it, that obvious fact still feels like a big wall that I can't do anything about. I may not like that fact but I'm working around it.

Second was the fact that I now know what the main problem about why people treated me so bad when I was younger. I'm still gonna do what I can to keep the Kyūbi no Yōko from harming anyone and I'm still kinda annoyed at the fact that nobody thought about telling me about this until now but the fact remains. I have a monster in my gut that I don't know practically anything about. Ayame and the others could be in danger so long as I don't figure out everything I can about the seal and any problems along the way.

Finally—

"Na~ruto~."

"Geh!" Hot Breath! Hot breath right in my ear!

"It isn't nice to ignore a girl when she's talking to you, Naruto-kun. It makes them feel ignored~."

She whispered into my ear. It felt like tiny little sparks were going straight down my spine and spreading throughout my body. My heart began pounding weirdly. Like one second it wants to go faster than I ever thought it could but then it just stops.

No reason why. It just does.

I feel hands. A hand on my shoulder and the other on my chest. Wait there's only one finger there and moving around in a circle.

Oh boy.

"Ne," She breathed before nipping at my ear, "Naruto-kun~."

Kawamiri no Jutsu!

"I-I GOTTA GET CHANGED!" I yelled to her as I ran into the bathroom leaving Ayame with a training dummy. God I feel like a coward. Oh and that's the last reason I can't consider Ayame a big sister figure anymore. The teasing. The strange but sexy teasing.

I'm not sure my young vir—uh, my young heart can take it.

"Ugh…not much I can do about that anyway. Considering everything that's happened." I sighed before going to the sink to wash my face.

…Maybe a nice cold shower would help too.


~KYUUTSUKI~

After breakfast and changing—with Ayame grumping about no breakfast and a show. Jeez that girl. Anyway, Ayame left to go to the civilian school while I marched towards the Hokage tower.

Walking through the street, I couldn't help but wonder what else the old man could tell me about this Uzumaki clan or my parents. Or maybe there are some pointers on being a Jinchūriki he could let me in on.

I hope he doesn't ask me anything about what happened with Mizuki. I wouldn't even know what to say if he did ask.

Passing by the secretary, Himiko I think was her name, I gave her a wave and smile that she returned with an absent nod. Luckily she wasn't a one of them. She was mostly bored and treated everyone the same unless it was directly important to the Hokage. She'd seen me enough to know to just let me in when I came to visit.

Though she did seem to be staring at me for a bit.

I knocked on the wooden door to the Hokage's office. A second later I heard a "come in" and walked inside. The Hokage office was big. It was even wider than my whole apartment put together. To the sides, there was a full cupboard of papers and books that I don't even want to think about looking at and a small couch that was for visitors. The Kage's desk was right in the far end of the room in the middle with a large window behind it.

"What did you want to talk about Jiji?" I asked as I stood in front of his desk.

"Well Naruto I wanted to talk more about what happened last night. Please have a seat. And may I say, that is mighty fine clothing you have."

"Thanks. I got it recently." I said as I sat on the couch in his office.

"Now as it was stated you only snuck in here and stole the scroll due to Mizuki promising you that if you did and learned a technique from it, he would let you be put on the roster for up and coming Chūnin by way of a secret exam. Unfortunately since there is no secret exam, his word is false. And if this were any other time, I would've had to pull you from your graduation and fire you from the Ninja Corp."

Oh crap. Am I really fired? Was it really over and done before I even got to do anything?

"However, I have decided not to."

"Huh?"

"I said I will not fire you. While I would've liked it if you questioned the validity of such an exam, I can understand you trusting your sensei in the first place so that part is overlooked. Also I have to commend you for being able to sneak pass my guards and succeeding in making off with the scroll. All this tells me that you were more than qualified to be a Shinobi.

The fact that you learned a B-ranked Jutsu is just a bonus for yourself.

So it is with pride that I, Sarutobi Hiruzen: Sandaime Hokage, award you, Uzumaki Naruto, another headband with the rank of Genin. After all you can't represent us that well if you walk around with a scratched one."

Huh. So that's where my headband went to.

When he was done, Sandaime-jiji pulled a new Leaf headband with a black sash and passed it to me. Wow…man was that close! I really thought I was done for a second there.

I took the new, and way cooler, headband and immediately tied it to my forehead.

Nothing can get rid of the smile on my face. I was able to get rewarded for all my hard work at the Academy and get the headband to prove it.

"Naruto."

Not only that but when I almost got in trouble and fired, I managed to save my butt and not get fired. I even got a new headband out of the deal.

"Naruto."

Nothing can stop me now. First Genin level. Then, with hopefully no fake tests, Chūnin. Then Jōnin. I'm on my way to the to—

"NARUTO!"

Yipe! Oh, where you saying something?

Biting back a sigh, The Old Man decided to move on, "Now Naruto as a ninja of Konoha, I expect you to do well and make your fellow ninja proud. And since you are now one of the few that can use the Kage Bunshin so effectively, I expect you to use it right. Given its drawback."

There was a drawback? Like wh—oh wait. "You mean that whole memory thing? Like last night when my clone died and I felt it?"

"That's correct. The Kage Bunshin is a B-rank jutsu due to the act that when it is used the person making the Jutsu uses about half of their chakra reserves to create a single clone. The clones are mostly used for information gathering and infiltration but they can perform certain ninjutsu on their own by sacrificing the chakra used to make them.

For anyone under Jōnin-class it is a dangerous technique and could result in severe chakra exhaustion and even death. There's also the Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Mass Shadow Clone Technique)."

"What about it?" I asked titling my head to the side.

"So I was right in my assumption that you read that one too. Though it doesn't surprise me, given your use of it when you proceeded to test it out on Mizuki."

I smiled. Heh. Greatest moment ever.

"However that technique has a much larger due to the creation of more clones. So be sure to watch how you dispel them or you could end up a vegetable."

"Understood, Jiji."

The old man nodded as he took a moment to bring out his pipe for a smoke. As he inhaled and let the weird smoke out, he began to speak again.

"Now that that is out of the way, I believe there is one more thing we must discuss. The Uzumaki clan."

I sat up straight. This is what was important. I now have a clan. Well another clan anyway but at least this one I can learn about.

"As I said yesterday, the Uzumaki clan was one of the oldest Shinobi clans known before the time of the founding of Konoha. They were stationed in Uzushiogakure no Sato (Village Hidden by Whirling Tides) which was located in Uzu no Kuni (Land of Whirlpools), which used to be an island country that rested near a whirlpool off the coast of Hi no Kuni."

I stared at him. Really?

"Yes. A real whirlpool." He replied somehow reading my look. "A true testament to their strength being able to create and manipulate whirlpools to defend themselves. They were powerful in their own right and they owed this to two things: their High Vitality, which would explain why you are able to elude your captors even after hours and hours of chasing."

He gave me a small smirk, probably remembering the times I embarrassed the Chūnin, Genin, and even a couple of Jōnin of Konoha.

"Their other great asset was Fūinjutsu. The Uzumaki were the greatest users of the art. They were even the ones that made the seals for the Bijū. However they were eventually destroyed due to their prowess."

"What?" A whole clan dead. Another potential family dead. That seems to be happening a lot lately.

"There was never been a clear answer as to how it happened but sometime during the Second Shinobi World War, Uzushiogakure was destroyed and the survivors scattered across the world. We have some guesses primarily of Kumogakure and Kirigakure since they were the closest to do damage to the Village.

Your mother had come to Konoha before Uzu's destruction to become the next Jinchūriki and only learned about it sometime later. Even after all these years, we who remember them still hope to honor the Uzumaki. We even wear the clan symbol upon our uniforms."

"Clan symbol?"

"You've already seen it. The small red swirl seen on the Chūnin and Jōnin vests, as well as the swirl on your old tracksuit, is the symbol of the Uzumaki, very similar to a swirling whirlpool."

I suddenly want to go back home and get that swirl back. I'll be sure to get it later. "Wait? If your guys were friends with them and everything, why am I just now hearing about them? Why weren't they part of the whole learning part at the Academy?"

The old man sighed as he took off his hat. He rubbed his head and seemed so much older than he looked.

"Once again, while I am the Hokage it seems my old age has let many things slip through my fingers. The removing of the Uzumaki is a grave injustice and insult to a great clan and to my teacher. I will try to make amends to both the clan's name and to you soon Naruto.

Though I'm afraid that the Uzumaki and Kushina will make the afterlife a living hell when I meet them. Konoha too if they could make it happen."

I felt a bead of sweat on my head. Well…I had nothing to add. He was right. From how my Mom sounded, she was going to get him in the afterlife.

"And Konoha would deserve it. I can make excuses and say other things were on my mind like minding the peace of the village and outside the village but I still could've gotten someone to do something. Someone that I could trust to do their job and do it well like the past ANBU did when you first arrived.

But I pulled them away when it looked like some weren't doing their jobs correctly and since it looked like you could handle yourself. You certainly proved that the first time you were called in for assault and put your so called victims in the hospital for weeks.

…It was good to see that you took so much from your mother's personality. She always seemed so strong when I saw her. She definitely wouldn't have taken any guff from anyone. Not from me. And especially from Minato.

…She was quite devastated to learn that not only her parents but also her extended family had been taken away. Though I do believe you're father and many others here in Konoha did help to heal those wounds."

"Heh, guess mom and I really are a lot like." I said lowering my head. "We cherish family."

We stayed silent for a few moments. I didn't really have much to say but I was glad to know that I was apart of something bigger. That's one part of my history figured out but now, I gotta find out about the rest.

"Was there anything of hers that go left behind in the attack?"

"I'm afraid there's only so much recovered. I managed to find some of her notes on Fūinjutsu and some ninja tools such as kunai, shuriken, rope, and some…miscellaneous items that she used that gave her a rather infamous name. I'll be sure to deliver them to you in due time."

"Thanks. By the way, if Mom had a big name, why didn't people think I was her kid?"

"If I had to guess, they most likely ignore any possible connection. Kushina, despite being well liked by most of the populace, was still being quite the wildfire and was not afraid to voice or show her displeasure to those who annoyed her."

Jiji paused for a second. He looked thoughtful about something.

"Actually I think the better way to say it is that she was feared and respected. That's probably another reason. You were most likely bad enough being the Jinchūriki, if they found out you were her son, they'd probably cower in their homes in fear for weeks on end."

I felt some more sweat fall from my head. "She was that bad?"

"She wasn't known as the Akai Chishio no Habanero (Red Hot-Blooded Habanero) for nothing." Jiji chuckled.

Red Hot-Blooded Habanero? I shivered. For some reason, there was a powerful fear that came with that name.

The old man got up from his seat and stretched. Multiple cracks could be heard but not commented on.

"While I would like to continue talking, Naruto, I do have other duties to see to. Come. Let's get your ID out of the way and we shall continue talking another time."

I nodded to him. I should get that out of the way while I can. But even as we went down the hallway to get the photographer, I couldn't help but go back to what I learned.

A whole clan of people who are amazing at doing the thing that ended up sealing the Kyūbiin me. And being good at Fūinjutsuapparently got them killed.

Guess I better be careful when I get more into it. At least until I get the chance to make something awesome with it. Maybe a big seal that shoots a giant blast of energy. Like something in the shape of a circle.

Like a Whirlpool.

The possibilities are looking really good…


~KYUUTSUKI~

The picture wasn't really that big of a deal. I didn't really have anything special planned for it but I did want to leave an awesome mark.

A picture that would definitely make people come back and look again just to make them question if their eyes were working. It couldn't be anything goofy or crappy since this was going to be the thing that people ID me with. You know, other than the headband.

But since I didn't have anything like that or any paint on me, I decided to go with a badass pose. Not what I wanted but it should work for now.

By the time that was over, the day was still going strong so I decided to get started on my training. I had to get ready for the upcoming team evaluations and stuff. But first I needed to do one thing before I began my road to getting stronger.

I needed advice and there was only one person who had the time to give any.

~KYUUTSUKI~

"So I kinda need some advice on what to train on. Got any ideas, Iruka-sensei?" I asked.

Today had been the day Iruka-sensei had gotten out of the hospital. He had a couple of bandages on his face and under his vest but nothing too serious. He seemed to have a bit of trouble walking around, probably from having a huge shuriken lodged into his spine.

I was still kinda shocked that he took that hit for me. Awhile back, I wasn't sure that I would do the same since despite Iruka being the stern and kinda jerkish teacher that he was; I was still on the fence about who I could trust outside of the small amount of people I knew.

Now though, I'd definitely take a hit to keep him alive too.

Iruka scratched his chin in thought before he asked, "Well if you want to get stronger, you're going to need to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are then work to improve them. I'd hold off on learning any new stuff until you feel that what you have right now is at a level that you are comfortable with.

Also as something I must stress, I ask that you look over chakra control exercises."

I groaned. "Again? Seriously?"

"Seriously. Naruto you know that Chakra Control has always been your biggest problem area. You just have too much energy and until you learn how to control it you won't be able to tap into many Ninjutsu skills that may save your life one day.

So please Naruto. Try to learn some control."

Hm. Well he's got me there.

"Alright I gotcha Iruka-sensei. I'll look it up today before I get to training. By the way, do you know where I can get a list of Chakra Control exercises?"

"Try the Academy library." He shrugged but cringed. Guess it still stings. "Easiest place to get information. Something that I'm pretty sure you should know by now."

Oh. Right. I should know that.

…Why didn't I know that?

~KYUUTSUKI~

"'And I solemnly swear that while here I will not do anything that would be considered disruptive, destructive, and disrespectful to either the staff working here, the patrons who are trying to read, and the various books, scrolls, and other items available to Konoha Ninja Corps'."

I said blankly while holding up my right hand to the air.

I still think this is silly though.

I mean sure, I am a well-known, and dare I say famous, prankster and I've got many, many targets under my belt. Those targets also happened to be plagued by the unpleasant reminders of horrible stink bombs, large amounts of graffiti littered on both the inside and outside walls, and the owners waking up in certain clothing that will leave them embarrassed for a good long time.

My personal favorite was "jack&*s in drag".

So yeah I had a bad status and people would be suspicious about me. The fact that I'm in a library of all places only makes this situation worse.

And that's why I'm doing this spoken promise with Iruka-sensei being here as a witness.

"So how was that?" I asked turning to Iruka-sensei and the librarian in charge.

Her name was Ichijou Kairi. She was about the same size as Iruka-sensei with short baggy hair that was brown and green eyes. She also had on a pair of glasses that people that liked to read always wore. They were smaller than the ones that Kunoichi teacher back at the Academy wore.

She wore a light brown long sleeved coat on top of a white shirt and knee-skirt with a pair of blue sandals that looked a lot like Shinobi sandals.

She didn't really look like a Shinobi really. She looked like a regular civilian.

"I believe that it will suffice for now, Uzumaki-san. And I expect you to hold your end of this promise or you will be banned from the Shinobi Library, indefinitely." She spoke in that voice that Iruka makes whenever I bring in something for class that he thinks will make something happen.

Hey, I may be a prankster but I keep my promises. When I was asked not to prank someone, I never did it again.

I just find another way to mess with them.

"Don't worry Ichijou-san. Despite Naruto's rather…trouble-making reputation, he does honor an agreement once it's made. If you want, I can stick around and make sure that he does nothing for the next couple of days."

"While that is nice Iruka-kun, you still have those injuries to treat and I'd feel bad if they get any worse." She smiled at Iruka-sensei and he looked away with a blush.

Oh ho, could there be something I'm picking up? I am so looking into this later. Think of the material use I could get.

"Well if there's nothing else, I have other things to take care of. Naruto-san please remember to put everything you're done with back in the spot it's supposed to be in."

"Yes ma'm."

Iruka-sensei and I watched the librarian leave before turning back to the walls of books and scrolls. On one side there was a kanji mark that said the whole three columns were for Genjutsu: Theory and Practice. In the middle, and pretty much the largest part, had a lot of books on Ninjutsu. If I had to guess, there's probably a lot of fire jutsu in there since this is the leaf village. I wonder if there's any lightning jutsu. Being able to shoot a lightning bolt from my fingers would be so cool.

But I do still have those wind scrolls to look through. I'll just come back for these later.

But there was just one strange thing. "Hey sensei, where's the Taijutsu part of this place?"

"There's not really one to be honest. There are a couple of styles taught in Konoha for all regular Shinobi like the Academy style. It's mostly a base for anyone not belonging to a clan to work on so that they can make their own style. Those who are in clans have their own special kind of Taijutsu that they keep secret.

They can't have anyone outside the family knowing how they fight."

That made sense. We are ninja and if we wanna be the best, we have to be secretive. If people knew what we knew, they could use it to kick our butts. When I get my own techniques, I'm gonna have to be extra careful with them.

Maybe if I worked on using them without shouting their name?

"Ah there we are." Iruka-sensei's voice brought me back to the library. He was standing in front of a row in the far back.

"Here's some books on chakra control and some theories that may help you understand it a bit better. Though I do hope that this time, you'll pay attention and learn something."

"Hey, I did pay attention…at times. And it's not my fault you have a boring voice. Maybe if you made it a bit more epic, I would've paid attention more." I replied folding my arms.

Sensei didn't say anything for a few seconds. I got kinda worried since this kinda silence was just the beginning part before he dealt out some punishment. But there's nothing for me to be afraid of. After all I'm not an Academy student anymore.

I'm a Genin. A ninja of Konoha.

So why was it when I turned to look a t him, I felt like I felt like running away?

Oh it was because he was using that face. The Teacher's Frown.

This was one of the deadliest weapon in his arsenal of making students, whether they're little academy kids acting too disruptive as the little brats usually do or up and coming Genin who are ready to show off how awesome they are.

The first being the Giant Head Jutsu.

Oh crap, he's really pouring it on. I think I can see his eye twitching.

Wait. A frown. Folded shoulders. A teacher's stance. But he'd only take that stance if he…

"WellI'lljusttakethesebooksandgetstartedonmycontro l. ByeSensei!"

I grabbed the books and booked it. There was no way I going to be in a lecture if I could help it.

I made it to the door before a whizzing sound made me stop and something flew right next to my ear. Looking to my right, I found out that it was a kunai.

It took me a second to realize that SOMEONE JUST THREW A KUNAI AT ME!

WHAT THE HELL?!

I turned around to find out who it was that just came close to head-shooting me in the back. And it turned out to be Ichijou-san.

Who was holding another kunai. Uh oh.

"I believe that you have not signed out for those books, Uzumaki-san. And until you do so, I believe that it would be a very bad idea for you to take those books out."

From somewhere she pulled out another kunai and twirled the little hole on the end on her finger.

"Do we understand each other?"

"…Yes, ma'm." Please don't kill me.


~KYUUTSUKI~

Jinan Hospital…

"So since I'm gonna be out getting some major training in, I won't be around as much. That's not a problem is it?"

After getting a card and checking out those chakra control books, I decided to head off without Iruka-sensei. The reasons were that he still had other things to do besides going to the hospital to look into getting those bandages off. Probably about time too.

The other reason is that I didn't want anyone to know about this place.

"Meh, it's no skin off my teeth boy. You've been coming around less anyway so you not being here won't be that big of a deal." Replied Sougen-jiji.

Right now, I was sitting on an examination bed in one of the four rooms in Sougen-jiji's small hospital that was connected to Konoha's General Hospital. He was originally stationed near the restaurant and merchant district since he didn't want to walk that far when it came to getting lunch and managed to get a good place.

However when the Hospital boss came and asked him to work part time as one of the head doctors, he decided to work there. After getting the boss to move his stuff for fee, anyway.

Sneaky old man.

…But I can see where he was coming from. If I had to work for someone else, I'd better be getting paid. He was one of the few doctors on loan that worked in both surgery and medicine.

He always says that the hospital mostly paid him for a few cases that came in because of his skill despite not being a Iryō-nin (Medical Ninja).

Though I can probably guess that no one really likes him. I don't really like the old Bastard and he's the one whose been helping with my wounds for the last five years.

"Thanks for telling me how much you'd miss me. It makes me feel all warm inside."

"Probably indigestion. You've been eating too much of Teuchi's food lately. I'm surprised that all that training managed to get all that fat off when it did."

"Screw you old man."

"Boy, I believe we've had this conversation before. You're the wrong gender and even then, I'd still wouldn't. You'd piss me off anyway."

One of these days, I was going to be able to have the last word. It's gonna be so good that the old Bastard was going to go into shock for over three, no, five minutes.

That'll show him.

But that's not why I was here. "Anyway, do you have anymore scrolls on that style you taught me? I wanna get some more techniques under my belt and learning the higher stuff might set me up for it."

The old man stroked his beard. I never really understood what the whole "old guys stroke their beards" thing was about. So far I've seen a total of three people do it. One being Jiji. The second was Sougen-jiji. And the last was some smoker guy that wasn't really that old but still had a beard and stroked it.

I wonder if it just gets itchy and they had to scratch it. Like a reflex.

"Hmm. Well I suppose if you think it would help, I can lend you the scroll but I expect you to copy down the useful stuff and bring the original back here without anyone else looking at it. I only let you learn that style since you asked and I figured it be fun to toss you on your rear while you learned something. Since no one else asked, they don't need to know."

"I've gotten hits back at you for the ones you gave me." I felt the need to defend myself.

"After about three years worth of butt whooping and being thrown into my spices bush when you messed on a move or thought you could get the better of me. And that's only after we had to get you fattened up with healthy food and conditioning." He shot back with a smirk as he toyed with one of his long mustaches.

"That was a rather good year for my house keeping if I recall."

"You know the more you talk, the more I want to take a kunai and shove it—"

"Bah. Well it'll take me a minute or so to find the old thing. Tokie moved some thing around before she left and I never asked where she put the darn thing. Sit out front and I'll be back in a few."

The old man quickly left through the backdoor.

I want to feel like it was because I scared him into it but I really can't. I hate the fact that I can't even enjoy a victory against him when I really should. Either way, I guess I'm gonna be here for a bit so I went to the front room and plopped down on connected seats close to the window.

It was five minutes later before I heard the door open while I was so incredibly bored. I mean I was so bored I actually picked up one of those medical books that the Doc leaves around. It was a standard anatomy book that showed all four parts of the body.

The outer skin. The inner skin. The bone structure. Then finally the organs. Oh and there was even a section on chakra pathways,

Well I guess it was all boring. I did learn that if you hit certain points in the body, it would screw up their network and make em easier to take down. Why didn't we learn this at the academy?

Turning to the door, I saw the person move to the center of the room and I smiled. "Hey Hinata. It's been awhile."

This girl was Hinata Hyūga. She was from one the big ninja clans here in Konoha called the Hyūga. They used to be tied with the Uchiha clan for having so many members and for being rich but after that incident with Sasuke's family, the Hyūga were the biggest clan in Konoha.

Hinata looked like the rest of her family except for a few main differences. For one, instead of long dark brown or even black hair, Hinata had light blue hair.

In my opinion it was cute.

The other main difference between Hinata and the other Hyūga is that unlike them, Hinata was probably the nicest person I have ever met in this village. She never started any fights and she didn't go crazy like those girls who liked Sasuke.

Her family, on the other hand, was like many of the other rich people that live here: total jerks.

Hinata turned to face me and I was treated to the site of Cute Hinata no.2: Red Lobster Hinata. "Naruto-kun?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm just here to get something from Doc. You know, getting ready for some heavy duty training before the team thing at the Academy. What are you here for?"

"I am here to pick up some ingredients for…something I'm working on." She replied but she did stutter once or twice.

"Oh you're learning from the Doc too?" I got off the chair and moved to stand next to her.

"Just a few things. I'm not really good at much but I feel like I could understand this one thing the best." She then switched to Cute Hinata no.1: Finger Poking Hinata.

"Aw come on, you shouldn't say that." I replied placing a hand on her shoulder. She made a weird squeaking noise but I didn't pay attention to it. Hinata was kinda weird like that.

"You're one of the best fighters we had at the Academy. I mean when you actually fought anyway but when you did no one could take you on. Not Sakura. Not Ino. Heck, not even Ami and between you and me, she kinda looked stronger than either of them. And who was at the top of the hill?"

"But…but I really wasn't all that good. I mean, I messed up on a few moves and I still can't beat…" She paused and turned away. Most likely recalling something she probably didn't want to talk to me about.

I sighed in my head when she turned away. You know, despite the fact that I really started talking to her only last year—well not really all that much talking but more like said hi to each other and maybe asking a couple of questions—I really started to like the girl.

But for the life of me, I wish that she could be happier. I couldn't help but wonder what could make such a nice girl look so sad and withdrawn. Trouble at home maybe?

"Ah well…if you think you can do better," I suddenly had an idea and I want to smack myself for not coming up with it sooner. But considering how shy Hinata is, she probably wouldn't have agreed to it in the idea if I had asked it when we didn't know each other. But now that we do, she'd go for it right?

Right?

"Why don't we train together?" I asked with my biggest smile. No one can resist it.

"E-EH?!" Whoa. Was it really that surprising? "B-But I'm not really—"

"Hinata," I stopped her before she could talk bad about herself. There are already a lot of people out there that will talk bad about someone, even when something happens they can't control. The person who it's about doesn't need to be tough on themselves or believe what others say. If they do it's a win for those people.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could help. I told you: I think you are one of the best fighters at the Academy and if I do train, I'd want it to be with the best."

Hinata didn't say anything for a bit but I think she would agree. I just wish she'd say it already. I couldn't understand quiet or sign language. I wasn't Shino after all.

Though learning sign language might be another thing I should look into. I mean being able to say a whole sentence with just a couple of finger movements. Who wouldn't think that is cool?

"Oi brat. Stop hogging the girl's personal space. She'll pass out from bad ramen breath if you don't."

"My breath is minty fresh, you old bastard." I retorted to the old man as he came through the back door. But I did take a step back from Hinata and removed my hand from her shoulder. Ayame and Tokie did install those lessons into for a reason.

"Keep telling yourself that." Old Man Sougen pulled out two things from his coat sleeve. One was a scroll. The other looked like a small can.

"Well here you kids go. I found the scroll and the ingredients ya need." He turned to look at me with one eye opened and tried to make me afraid of that lone beady eye. Yeah, no dice.

"I expect to get this back and in good condition. That means no stains or smell of ramen."

"Yeah. Yeah." I replied grabbing the scroll. I was about to leave when a small sound makes me stop and turn back. What was that?

"I…" She blushed again and turned her eyes to the side. If it wasn't so cute, I'd think she was gonna faint right away. "I would like to…to…to train with you Naruto! Please let me!"

She bowed her head to her waist when she shouted that last part.

I was kinda weirded out by how loud she yelled her request but I still smiled when she finished and I realized what she meant. Hehe. Looks like I was getting through to her after all.

"Alright then Hinata. Meet me at my house tomorrow and we'll get started on training. And bring you're A-game, okay?"

Hinata smiled back at me and gave a small nod. When I'm done with her, she'll be the biggest badass Kunoichi in Konoha. With me as the badass regular Shinobi in Konoha of course.

With another wave and good bye, I left the small clinic and hopped the roofs back to my house to get things started. Right now, I had plan and the next step would be to get into it. Physical training, Ninjutsu training, and…well some other stuff but I'll get to that when it happens. Right now, nothing else matters that much than getting ready.

Since there was still some daylight left, I decided that now was the time to get my training started. After a minute or so, I make it to the usual spot.

Taking a good look around and breathing in the fresh air, I put the bag of scrolls and books down next to me.

Time to get started.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

A large puff of smoke later and I was surrounded by… "Hey how many of you guys are there?"

"If I had to guess, approximately sixty. A little less than what you usually make." One of them replied. Matter of fact, it sounded familiar.

Turning to the clone that spoke, I recognized him immediately. Yep, I don't think there were any other clones that could mimic that surly expression.

"Oh, it's you again."

"I never expected to be summoned again as well but it seems your chakra has other ideas." The clone shrugged its shoulders. "It's not so bad to be alive again. I am also glad that you gave Mizuki what he deserved. Hopefully his final moments were painful."

…Okay. Moving on.

"Alright guys, its time to get started on Operation: Improvement. For the next six days, we are going to be training as much as we can so that I can become awesome and learn some new stuff. It's going to be a long few days but its definitely going to make things better with your help.

Now let's get you all to groups and have you all focus on something.

First off, the first group will be…twenty? Does that sound good?"

"What is it you want them to focus on?" Asked the solemn clone.

"Huh?"

"You can't just have a bunch of us go off and do something. Like Iruka told you, you need to find out your strength and weaknesses and work to improve them. Like how you sucked at Bunshin and how you seriously suck at Genjutsu."

"Hey, I've gotten better at it! I even know how to do that Genjutsu Kai (Illusion Dissipation)."

"That's good for you but what if someone used a C-rank jutsu? Or a B-rank or higher? The stronger it is, the harder it will be for you to use the Genjutsu Kai and that…will lead to death."

The Clone stared at me right in the eye as if daring me to prove it wrong.

But I knew it wasn't. While I did know the Genjutsu Kai, I was that good at it. Or at Genjutsu in general. For all those times I used it, I still needed days, weeks, even before I could get my control good enough to use that technique. I needed even more time to get the Bunshin to what I have now.

Okay then. I can work this out.

"Okay Gloomy, you've got a point. So for starters, I'm gonna have you guys work on Genjutsu. I want to get the Genjutsu Kai perfect and maybe, just maybe, get one Genjutsu under my belt.

Hopefully."

'Hai Boss!" the first twenty clones yelled before they rushed off a few feet away to start working on how to do the Genjutsu technique. Gloomy—note to self, think of a new name of clone if he pops up again—shrugged and went off to join the group.

"Alright next is Ninjutsu. The next fifteen are to work on the basic 3. The Bunshin, Henge, and Kawamiri are to be made the best of the best in my arsenal."

"Gotcha, Bossman." The one clone in the front with a goofy grin replied. He also gave me a thumbs up for some reason. Okay that's the second clone to get a weird personality. Is there something wrong with this technique that Jiji didn't tell me about?

Turning to the remaining twenty clones, I wondered what else to…oh right. I almost forgot.

"Okay, let's have…ten of you guys look over those chakra control books along with the Shinobi History and other stuff."

A wide chorus of groans was my reply. Yeah…sucks to be you guys. "Sorry guys but we have to get this done. And you're the lucky ones. So get to it."

There was another collective groan before they finally left with the books. "And make sure you copy down Sougen-jiji's martial arts scroll. I wanna get to the next move set before the team thing on before the next weekend."

I'm pretty sure they heard me so I left them alone to do their jobs.

Now that left only fourteen left.

"What are we gonna be doing boss?" one asked.

I let out a small sigh before getting into a fighting stance. The clones looked confused for a second before smirks and smiles grew on their faces.

Heh. Just like me after all.

"For starters, I think I've gotten a bit lazy for the past couple of days. So today, let's get into some Taijutsu training.

All of you against me."

The clones started to spread out a few feet away from me before closing me off in a circle. One of them stepped up first getting into a stance similar to mine. No one spoke a word as the two of us just stared the other down. It felt like an intense match, like the ones I had with some of the others back at the Academy.

The clone started things off first. He ran at me with a straight punch. He was running at a good speed but for some reason it felt like he was slow. It really felt like it when I decided to move.

I brought my arm up and blocked the punch. He was surprised and stopped for a second so I decided to use that moment to my advantage. Taking the clone by the arm, I pulled him up and tried to throw him over my shoulder. When I was about to slam him into the ground to dispel him, but he seemed to realize this and kicked me in the face.

I let him go and hopped back a bit to wipe my face. Crap that hurt. When they say solid, they meant it.

When I moved my hand from my eyes, I saw that the clone was closing in for a kick to the face. Not this time.

This time I attacked at the same time, with a kick to his gut. It managed to connect thanks to the fact that he was a bit too high. The moment my kick connected however, he exploded into a puff of smoke.

Darn it, forgot that they go poof so easily.

Well that was seriously short. And the memory feedback wasn't anything goo—

Tink!

Whoa. So the Shodaime had a secret technique to make trees grow and attack people. That's crazy. I mean I can see someone pulling a tree out of the ground and bashing someo—wait, what the heck am I talking about?

"One of the clones that were reading got surprised when you popped that fighting clone and popped himself. Sorry boss." Shouted one of the reading clones.

"Okay then." I said rubbing my eyes. Nice to see that feedback is working well. "Okay now that we know that popping one of your guys may set off the others, we're gonna be more careful on this. I don't want multiple pops to go off and end up passed ou—"

POP!

POP!

POP!

POP!

POP!

POP!

"…Ugh…" and everything went dark.


~KYUUTSUKI~

When I woke up—apparently three hours later—I found that I could remember a few things before I passed out. Like the fact that clones using up all their chakra would just dispel. I should've figured that out at the beginning but hey, live and learn.

Plus I think the Kawamiri is getting better.

Getting to my feet fairly well but with wobbly legs, I shake my heads to get the cobwebs out. This was no time to just stay dizzy. I still had some time to work and I wasn't going to waste it.

But…let's try it with lesser clones. Maybe sixty was a bit much for the first time. This time there were only five clones fighting me, while there were two clones off doing the reading and copying. Well leave the Ninjutsu practice for tomorrow.

Turning to the five, I got into my stance again. This time things would go better. Not only are these guys stronger since the chakra I made them with will keep them around longer—at least I think it will—but I have a better plan to get better.

"All of you come at me…like you want to kill me."

Let's just hope that these guys can give me a good workout before they go poof. I'm gonna need all the training I can get soon.

Cause soon I'll be out of the village and making a name for myself. And doing so, I will make you proud.

Just you wait and see, Aoko-Sensei.

Chapter 3 end

Omake: Kage's Lament

It was a time for contemplation for Sarutobi Hiruzen. After a whole day of Genin photo ID'S, going over Academy reports, and judging which Genin team would go to who, normally this would be the perfect time for a break.

For a man pushing seventy-three, such a thing would be a Kami-send.

But for the Sandaime Hokage, this would not be so.

Orochimaru. Just the name of his old and unfortunately traitorous student sent many emotions through Hiruzen. The first would be regret for letting the once great prodigy fall so far into darkness. The other part of that regret would be letting the man go when he had the chance to end him. He had let his sentiment get the better of him and now Orochimaru was an S-class Missing-nin still on the run.

The other main emotion was anger. Just remembering those poor souls that had been used for the Snake Sannin's experimentations always manages to bring Hiruzen's blood to boil. All those innocent civilians and even their own Shinobi had become nothing more than pawns for one man's sick obsessions. Those children being dissected and torn open just for scientific discoveries.

It still made him sick.

Hiruzen unclenched his fists. He took a few minutes to calm down. He was too old to be getting so angry and definitely too old to be wallowing in self-loathing at his mistakes.

Not when he could do something more constructive.

Taking his customary pipe filled with some quality tobacco from Kusagakure—a gift from another student of his with an affinity for Toads—he lit the pipe to take a few calming breaths. Such a refreshing blend.

Now…it was time to plan. To show that he was not only the Kami no Shinobi but the Professor as well.

He didn't have much time however. So many things were beginning to stir in the world and he was sure that he would not be around for much longer. While he could still be in office for a few more years or even longer—Onoki proved that age shouldn't keep a Kage down but at the same time that people should step down after awhile—and he would do so if needed.

However for whatever this new threat would be Konoha would need someone younger, wiser, and ready to take it on.

While there were a few under consideration that he wished would take the mantle, time would only tell who it would be.

And yet there was one he sorely wished would take on the task to bring Konoha through the darkness.

Now…how could he help Uzumaki Naruto? While the boy would be fine with his training, there were still many things Sarutobi didn't know.

Plus with Naruto's show of abilities two days ago, whatever plan he needed to make had to be catered to not only gain more information from the blond but not do anything that could upset the boy too much that his abilities would cause him to go rogue.

Or worse become unstable and release the Kyūbi. Sarutobi would not have Naruto go the route of The Yondaime Kazekage's (Wind Shadow) son.

But to make this work he would need someone that he could trust to not only raise Naruto and his teammates but would only report to him so that outside influences couldn't shake things to make it worse.

Hatake Kakashi was definitely out if that was the case. While the man was certainly one of his most loyal Shinobi and had lobbied to train the Uzumaki, time had taken its toll on him. So many losses over the years along with his stint as ANBU Captain were not things that made an individual healthy in mind. A capable soldier maybe but not the type of person needed for what Hiruzen had in mind.

Plus the man had his plate full with training Uchiha Sasuke, the last member of the Uchiha clan, which had been slaughtered by Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's brother and a well-known prodigy rivaling strength shown only in Konoha's best. Training the young man to gain his Sharingan and become a strong and loyal member of Konoha was important.

The loss of one of Konoha's founding clan and the strength the Sharingan had was a nightmare to the village's strength at the time but they had no choice in the matter. After so many years of peace with the clan, the Uchiha had decided to begin a Coup that would result in the destruction of Konoha and most likely another Shinobi World War.

The issue that began the dilemma was the Kyūbi attack sixteen years ago.

The higher ups, such as himself, the advisers, and the Heads of the clans, had learned of the Yondaime's dying message: a Sharingan user had let the Kyūbi free. Many questioned if the whole clan had been behind the incident since there were many Uchiha missing in action that night. Hiruzen tried to calm such idea—he and others knew that Doujutsu could be taken and implanted in other users—but the damage had been done.

Certain shadow restrictions had been placed on the clan and while the Shinobi maintained a show of calm since they were still rebuilding, things had begun to escalate.

A small espionage war began between Konoha and the Uchiha once it was learned by Sarutobi and his team of advisers with no one outside of these two groups the wiser. For a couple of years, The Uchiha were tracked and watched by the ANBU while the Uchiha did the same with the Police Corps and their own ninja within both the ANBU and higher ranks. Not even Itachi, who had been working as an ANBU Captain at the age of fifteen and a loyal family member and Konoha Shinobi had been dragged into it.

Sarutobi rubbed his head in shame.

At first things seemed to quite down when he attempted to restore some of the political power the Uchiha had lost in a show of good faith and that together they could find the real answers. The Uchiha had responded in neutrality but did contribute to things. There were collaborations among the policy of the Academy and even a few things in the restaurant district. Somehow they even managed to get a full agreement to have the graduation date changed from twelve to sixteen. The main reason was the citing that "things were becoming better so why not let the kids grow a little more before it's their turn to rise to greatness".

Things had finally stabilized…at least in the beginning. Soon something happened that restarted their desire to have more power and in the end, the old Hokage's attempts at peace were not realized.

For the safety or the innocents and soldiers who worked to preserve the peace, the Uchiha had to die. And it was all done by Itachi, the current head of the clan's son that had done the deed in exchange for the life of his brother Sasuke.

No one could learn the truth. Not even the Sasuke himself. And Itachi would forever be branded a traitor and a monster for the sake of peace.

Such is the violent lives of Shinobi.

Konoha had managed to cover the Massacre up as best as they could but soon the Bingo Books were out and the truth was told. However this was not before Konoha could regain some of its strength and credibility in its stance as one of the strongest villages. It regained its strength after the decline of the Senju, the Kurama, and the death of the Fourth Hokage.

It did so again after the loss of the Uchiha.

However with the chance of regaining the Sharingan and a new Uchiha clan, the political and true need for Sasuke to be strong was a constant headache in meetings with the Council and something that would come to prey on Hiruzen's mind till his deathbed.

If only he had had more time for an understanding…

Anyway so putting more on Kakashi's plate was not needed. Besides his slot was filled with two others already so the point was moot.

The other Jōnin were not what he needed either since they had already chosen their Genin and some just didn't want the blonde on their team. His last two resources were his son Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai and they were also taken with their own choices for Genin. Asking them to take on more responsibility was out of the question.

Even if he wanted to do go by the son of his successor, he could not ignore the other Genin who would also rise to greatness in their own way.

The bottom line was that Naruto would soon leave the village for higher missions, his interference needed or not. And as much as Hiruzen would like to deny it, the boy's name would become very well known and, dare he say it, infamous among the other villages.

Onoki was a hit or miss problem. Since despite the war being over, old scars from the Third War probably haven't healed at all. Especially among those who may be missing-nin.

That boisterous Raikage A could prove to be the most problematic due to his attempts to gain power had stricken The Leaf many times. First being Kushina's kidnapping which had been thwarted and paid back with blood and death. The second being the Hyūga Heiress's kidnapping except that had ramifications on the Leaf.

Kirigakure wasn't that much of a problem since it was still recovering after their civil war. Jiraiya should be back soon with a report on their state of affairs and then Sarutobi could really plan for them.

Sunagakure was another wild card. He was not sure what the Kazekage's response to a Jinchūriki stronger than theirs was being employed by Konoha but it most likely may end in conflict.

Also there was Itachi, who had become a spy for Konoha. The lad had sent in information of a group that could very well be a part of the foreboding he had been feeling. Add the fact that this Akatsuki, as they were called, were made of S-rank Missing-nin, this made for the highest problem for both now and the future.

Orochimaru in one corner. The other Villages in another. And this Akatsuki in the last.

So little time and so much to do.

So that just begged the question…

…Who could the blonde's teacher?

Omake End

Next time:

Days go by and by

Yet Uzumaki continues to grow.

"This…Jutsu…ROCKS!"

Jutsu, Taijutsu, and so many venues.

All improved with sweat and blood.

"Naruto! Are you al—AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

OH CRAP THEY FRIGGIN HURT!

And as the days go by, the fog slowly clears.

"Looks like we got here in time…"

"Besides you are supposed to be the little trained murderer so it's about time you got you're hands bloody."

"I know it's not my best work…"

And with this knowledge, more questions appear.

"Who the hell are you, Monster?!"

"No one really,"

Kyuutsuki Chapter 4

Strike Past, Forge Present

Edits 05/17/13

AJ Katon out.