Chapter 3 - A Secret Unveiled
Gai-sensei turned out to be very skilled in taijutsu and he was very enthusiastic about teaching. He made Naruto and Lee wear 30 lbs. of weights on each limb all the time. They were not allowed to take them off, except for showering. He would increase the weights to 50lbs. after a month. Naruto and Lee would train together in the morning and meet with Gai-sensei in the afternoon to work on taijutsu and weapons. Naruto would return home to practice his ninjutsu and genjutsu. He was slowly improving in genjutsu and his growth in ninjutsu was rapid. He mastered Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in just one day and is working on others. Lee took to wearing green spandex like his hero Gai-sensei and started ranting about the fires of youth. He was basically a miniature Gai. Naruto was on his way home when he saw the gay brat again. He smirked and the emo glared at him.
"I challenge you to a fight!"
"You want to die for real this time, huh Sasuge?"
"It's Sasuke!!"
"Who gives a damn?"
"That's it!"
Sasuke charged at Naruto, preparing to land a punch on him when Naruto disappeared into thin air and reappeared in a tree. He threw a rock at Sasuke. It hit him, but in a poof, Sasuke disappeared and a log was in his place.
'He's learned a trick or two, huh?'
"Katon: Goukyakuu no Jutsu!"
Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a huge fireball come his way.
"Suiton: Suijinheki!'
Naruto produced a water barrier just barely strong enough to extinguish the fireball. Water-style jutsus were not his forte.
"How could someone like you stop my attack?! I'm an Uchiha! I'm superior."
"Not that crap again"
Naruto decided to play with him a bit. He noticed a lake nearby.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"
A large dragon made of water erupted from the lake. Due to Naruto's incompetence with water jutsus, it wasn't strong, but it scared the little Uchiha silly. Naruto made the dragon soar above Sasuke and drop on him, soaking him through. Then he jumped from the tree and drop kicked Sasuke, knocking him out instantly. He strutted on his way to home, but thought better of it and went to Ichiraku. He walked up to the counter.
"Hey! Old man! One large miso ramen with pork!"
"Coming right up, Naruto" replied Teuchi. After ten minutes, Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, brought the ramen to Naruto.
"Itadakimasu!"
Naruto tore apart the chopsticks and ate with gusto.
"Seconds!!"
After fifteen bowls of ramen, Naruto ran home to practice his ninjutsu and genjutsu and to take a shower. He fell asleep, but awoke to someone knocking urgently at his door. He grumbled incoherently and trudged over to his door and opened it. It was Lee and he looked very scared.
"Naruto-san, the villagers are talking about attacking you because the Uchiha said you attacked him."
Naruto looked past Lee and saw a mob of villagers walking towards his house. He didn't want to fight so he and Lee escaped to the Hokage's tower.
"Old man!" exclaimed Naruto, "The villagers are going to attack me because I knocked out Sasuke, but he attacked me first so it was self-defense!"
"Calm down, Naruto. I will get this settled straightaway"
The Hokage got up and went outside to intervene with the villagers. Naruto and Lee followed.
"He must be killed! The demon brat attacked the last of a noble clan. Surely it is the influence of the demon!" yelled a villager.
'Demon,' thought Naruto, 'what demon?'
Then he noticed the villagers glaring at him every time they mentioned the demon.
"I'M NOT A DEMON!!"
Everyone turned to look at Naruto.
"Of course you are! The Kyuubi was sealed into you when he attacked the village! He didn't die! The fourth sealed him into you! YOU ARE THE KYUU-" the villager collapsed on the ground with a kunai in his chest. The third was glaring at the villager.
"That was a crime punishable by death. Any other to speak of it will get the same reward."
Hokage looked at Naruto and Lee.
"Come on" he said. They went back to the Hokage tower.
"What do they mean demon?"
The Hokage sighed. He might as well tell him now.
"You are aware that the Kyuubi no Kitsune-or nine-tails-attacked this village eleven years ago, correct?"
Naruto nodded.
"And that he was defeated by the Fourth Hokage?"
"Yes"
"Well," started the Hokage, "He wasn't killed. He was sealed into a newborn baby. And that baby was you, Naruto. You are not the demon, but rather the jailer, though the villagers only see you as the demon."
Naruto couldn't believe it.
"I hold the demon?"
"Yes. You should be seen as a hero, for keeping it inside, but they see you as a reminder of that day. Of all the pain and suffering. The fourth wanted you to be seen as a hero, but no one heeds his wish. Haven't you ever noticed anything strange about yourself?"
Naruto nodded.
"I heal extremely quickly. Just yesterday I accidentally dropped a kunai on my foot, and it's healed. I also have this different chakra. It's really powerful, but evil. It feels red, unlike my normal blue."
"Those are the effects of the demon. You must not rely on the demon's power though. If you abuse that power, it may consume you, unleashing the Kyuubi."
Naruto nodded.
"Now go home and sleep. You have much to think about."
Lee walked Naruto home.
"You don't hate me, Lee?" asked Naruto.
"Of course not! You are still Uzumaki Naruto and nothing will change that. You are my one and only friend."
"Thanks, Lee."
Naruto walked into his home and lay in bed, pondering the day's events. He lay thinking, 'There's a demon inside of me.' Naruto fell asleep thinking about the demon.
Naruto was in some sort of sewer. He felt the red chakra a distance away. He walked towards it and arrived at a huge cage with a paper that said 'Seal' on it.
'This must be the fox's cage inside of me.'
As if on cue, the fox appeared inside of the cage, grinning at Naruto.
Hello Kit.
Review if you want more...
