Disclaimer: This author still does not own the rights to anything in this story related to Naruto.
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Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes
Clapping
That was the sound that pervaded the silent bridge, the sound of hands being brought together over and over. Naruto didn't bother in turning his head to take in the view the rest of the shinobi on the bridge had. Naruto's empty, blue eyes could see the surprise in the eyes of the Kiri team and the confusion in the Leaf's. Naruto could feel a large group of people coming closer to his back but then they stopped a few feet short of his position. The raven haired shinobi knew that whatever was behind him was something that was an unexpected variable to this situation.
The two teams of shinobi regrouped with their comrades, all of them aside from Naruto who was still relaxed in his spot. Zabuza looked downright furious as the killer intent rolled off of his muscular frame in spades. The potency of which unnerved both Haku and Chojuro as Kushimaru was looking on while twirling his Sewing Needle. "Gato what is the meaning of this!?" Zabuza demanded staring murderously at a short man dressed in a pinstripe suit with a really shabby cane in hand. This man was the shipping magnate, Gato who had been creating a number of monopolies in maritime trading. The suited midget was surrounded by hundreds of thugs each wearing a smug grin on their faces.
"Well… I realized that I am paying you Kiri shinobi way too much for the results you are giving me, especially when the Demon of the Hidden Mist comes back licking his wounds after a small skirmish. So I hired these fine gentlemen to finish you off after your battle saving me quite the lump sum of cash." Gato's said smugly his nasally voice grinded against the ears of the shinobi reminding them of nails on a chalkboard. The horde of thugs chuckled at the look of rage on Zabuza's face believing their superior numbers would win them this battle. Before Zabuza could retort a random thug spoke up from the front of the group.
"Hey guys let's hurry up and kill these idiots and take those women and have some fun!" The thug exclaimed eyeing Kushina, Narumi, Naomi and Haku lustfully. This exclamation got a round of agreeing opinions from the other men. Kushina snarled at the men as Haku, Narumi and Naomi squirmed uncomfortably. No one took note of how Naruto's eyebrow twitched hearing the scum's words. Naruto may not have liked his family one bit however there were a few things that he hated even more and that was rapists along with bigots. They spread unnecessary hate in the world corrupting it with their animalistic behavior.
Gato took one of his hands off of his cane and held his hand up in the air silencing the chatter coming from his hired goons. No one could see where his beady eyes were looking behind his sunglasses. Tapping his cane on the bridge Gato gazed at Naruto's back with a frown obviously not pleased that the boy had not even acknowledged him. "First I want you to kill the brat." Gato ordered his labor force pointing his cane at Naruto who just stood up. Team Seven, minus Sasuke and Sakura were ready to jump in and Zabuza and Haku looked ready to kill the slime ball themselves.
"You are nothing but a group of the blind being lead by the blind. For your ignorance I shall remove you from existence." Naruto's ominous statement froze everyone on the bridge dead in their tracks. Naruto looked over at the shinobi who were watching him carefully as he hoisted Twilight up into the air, the metal glowing gray. Naruto quickly spun on his heels and slashed out diagonally throwing a diagonal wave of grey colored chakra with shimmers of a crimson energy imbedded in the traveling slash. Each shinobi on the bridge were left wide eyed seeing the energy slash rushing at Gato and his entourage, not believing Naruto could perform such a feat.
"Kami no ken'nomai: Severance from the Material World."
The wave of grey and flickering crimson energy traveled through the mass of people and the sight was not pretty on the eyes. Due to the angle of the attack the cuts were not clean through at the waist. Some of them men were missing arms some were cut diagonally creating two triangular shapes that when put together would make a whole piece. The one happening that really stuck out was the explosion of blood that shot into the atmosphere. The blood fell like rain over that section of the bridge, a truly awe inspiring yet gruesome sight. The other Genin all felt the need to empty their stomachs while Kushina and Kakashi looked indifferent to the scene of mass slaughter. Zabuza and Kushimaru who had his mask on were smiling because it reminded them of the Bloody Mist period in their village.
Naruto put Twilight back on the small of his back the charm floating from its chain as Naruto walked through the piles of random body pieces that were severed from his attack. 'So I was not seeing things when that crimson energy mixed with my chakra during my spar back in Konoha. I suppose I am subconsciously channeling miniscule amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra into my techniques.' Naruto mused walking through the field of gore stopping at the severed skull of the shipping magnate. With his glasses shattered Naruto could see the look of shock plastered on Gato's face just before he died. Shaking his head Naruto kicked the man's head off the bridge and into the roaring waves below.
Naruto walked towards the other end of the bridge where his team was looking at him with awe or at least the Genin were. Naruto walked past the Kiri team to get to them and saw the kunoichi looking at him like he was a riddle yet to be solved. As Naruto got even closer Haku blushed faintly when she got a clear look at Naruto's face which she thought to be handsome. Naruto saw the blush since Haku had taken off her mask but made no comment. As Naruto past her he whispered something that changed Haku's entire opinion on the young man. "Evil like that has no place in this world." Haku found herself nodding without even knowing she was doing it.
Naruto simply stood next to Tazuna with his eyes closed and without saying a word to his temporary team. Tazuna meanwhile was staring at Naruto with a tremendous amount of respect because with one swing he had freed Nami no Kuni from its tyranny. Tazuna came to a conclusion that The Great Naruto Bridge would be a wonderful name for the bridge. Kakashi stepped forward to meet Zabuza in the middle ground between the two teams. The two A ranked shinobi stared at each other wearily before Kakashi gave an eye smile and Zabuza a smirk. Zabuza stuck his hand out for a handshake.
"It was… fun battling with you Kakashi Hatake however since our employer went back on the contract on and is dead we have no reason to continue fighting each other." Zabuza said shaking the scarecrow shinobi's hand. It was a thrill for Zabuza to cross paths with someone so skilled. Zabuza knew he was a battle thirsty man and had no problems admitting it to himself or anyone for that matter. Kakashi who shook the man's hand was glad that the fight was over since he wouldn't call the battle fun. He just wanted to go home and rest from this C turned A rank mission.
"Kakashi we aren't letting them go are we? They are our enemies; we need to finish what we started!" Sasuke voiced his opinion on the matter still seething over his defeat at the hands of the Ice Release kunoichi. Sakura who usually sided with the power hungry Uchiha did not agree with his sentiment this time. She was glad that all the fighting was over and had no desire to rekindle the conflict. The Namikaze-Uzumaki girls were just wondering how this was going to play out. Naruto opted to stand silently next to the bridge builder letting Sasuke's ignorance speak for itself.
"No Sasuke they are not our enemies, not any more. They simply accepted a mission just like we accepted the mission to protect Tazuna-san. Now that their mission has been voided we no longer have any problems with Kiri." It was Kushina who explained the situation to Sasuke who looked none too pleased with the explanation given. 'Though that does not mean we are on friendly terms with the Hidden Mist. It seems that report that the rebel forces had acquired the Seven Swordsmen's' help in the civil war were true. If they are accepting missions then that must mean the war is over and that means there will be a lot of animosity between the Leaf and Mist because we did not aid them. We were lucky we ran into Zabuza and not someone more interested in politics.'
Kakashi nodded his head agreeing with Kushina's assessment of the situation the two teams of shinobi found themselves in. After returning the handshake Team Seven, Naruto and Tazuna walked back towards Tazuna's home leaving the Kiri shinobi to walk in the opposite direction. It took the following week for repairs to be made to the preexisting infrastructure of the bridge as well as the completion of the bridge. During that week Naruto made sure to keep himself as scarce as possible as to avoid the conversations his so called family would no doubt wish for however it was not something he wished to have, it would be useless.
Team Seven and Naruto stood at the end of the now completed bridge facing down the citizens of Nami no Kuni. The mood was festive and with good reason because years of tyranny under the oppressive rule of Gato had finally come to an end. Naruto who standing on the main land watched on as his team conversed with Tazuna and his family. Seeing the talks were coming to an end Naruto turned around and began the walk towards Konoha without saying a word. Naruto did not feel the need to say anything he was not their hero and he had no desire to be either but he couldn't shake the weird feeling that it was too late for that. Team Seven realizing that Naruto had already gone on ahead hurried on to close the distance.
"Father what are we going to name the bridge?" Tsunami asked her father after watching Team Seven and Naruto fade from her vision. The rest of the citizens leaned in also wanting to know what the name of the bridge that would return their home to prosperity would be.
"We are going to name it after the kid who saved this country with a single slash of his of his sword. We will call it The Great Naruto Bridge."
Naruto was sitting on the railing right outside of his small apartment inside of the Red Light District enjoying the peace of the village when it was quiet. The sun was setting and the people were getting ready to retire and have dinner with their families. From this perspective Naruto was truly reminded what the village was. The Village Hidden in the Leaves was a beautiful place that just so happened to have terrible people living in it. However that was a necessary evil for the village to maintain itself. Naruto reached behind him and angled Twilight in a way so it would reflect the orange rays of light from the setting sun. 'This world is equal parts shadows and light and this village is no different.'
Naruto found that his apartment was one of the nicest places in the village and it was located in the heart of the Red Light District. They apartment was abandoned for reasons Naruto cared not to know and it was in complete disarray but a few sealing arrays solved that. Apparently no one wanted the apartment complex and that was fine. It was thanks to that, that Naruto could find peace here. Naruto would have taken to watching the village from atop the Hokage Monument but he found it to be too close to the Namikaze compound so that was immediately off his list.
Naruto sighed softly closing his eyes allowing the orange glow of the falling sun to bathe his seated form. Taking Twilight and placing on his back Naruto looked behind him and was looking at the porcelain ANBU mask of agent Sparrow. He had sensed the man the second he entered the small block and was waiting for whatever it was he had to say. The man must have picked up on this because as soon as he had Naruto's eye he was ready to speak. "Hokage-sama requests that you visit him at the Namikaze Compound." Even though he said request Naruto knew that it wasn't a request this was an order from his Kage.
'All I need to do his think of his home and the man requires my presence. I swear Kami you must take some sick pleasure in seeing me in misery.' Naruto mentally addressed the Deity of Creation with a narrowed glance at the sky. Naruto stood on the railing and glanced over his shoulder to see that the ANBU operative had already taken his leave. Naruto closed his eyes and his body soon broke into a number of crows that flew towards the Hokage Monument. It only took a few moments for the crows to converge on the head of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Naruto to form. Naruto took his time walking through the woods that provided the natural cover for what he once called home.
Naruto walked through the forest with his hands inside of the pockets of his grey zipped up vest and hood over his head creating a shadow over his face. Naruto saw the gate to the compound was already open no doubt for his arrival. Naruto walked down the path and could see that the front door was open and there was some talking he heard from inside. Naruto was only a few steps from having to face the unfortunate music when he heard a loud snort coming from his mind. Naruto just realized that the Kyuubi had been silent during the whole time in Wave after their connection was made. 'Hello Kyuubi.'
The Kyuubi's eyes slowly opened up hearing the voice of his pseudo-container's voice for the first time. This told him that the connection they had created was successful and fully operational. The Kyuubi could feel the contempt rolling off of Naruto in waves and was curious as to why. It only took the Kyuubi a few moments to realize why since he picked up the signature of that despicable man who sealed him away again. "What is going on? Why are we here, Ningen?" The Kyuubi just waking up was in no mood for the foolish human pleasantries and wanted to know what was happening.
Naruto let out the quietest of sighs as he walked up the steps to his one time home listening as the voices got louder and clearer. 'That man has requested my presence here as the Hokage so I have no choice. It seems like they are trying to bring me back into the family… the fools. It looks like you will get a free show Kyuubi, enjoy.'Naruto went silent and walked into the house taking a few steps in Naruto was greeted by Minato and Kushina sitting on one couch with Kakashi standing behind their couch. Naomi and Narumi were also sitting on a couch looking at him hopefully. Naruto almost frowned when he realized that Jiraiya and Tsunade had positioned themselves behind him.
Jiraiya of the Sannin was the fabled Toad Sage of Mount Myobokuzan, a man whose name alone was to strike fear into the enemies of Konoha and respect in the hears of Konoha shinobi. He was one of the reasons Konoha was always one step ahead of the other Hidden Villages, him and his extensive spy network. He was also a renowned as a teacher since his student had become the most powerful shinobi in this era. The other figure behind him was Tsunade also a member of the Sannin. She was a legendary medic as well as a kunoichi who had saved many lives during the wars and the current head of the hospital in Konoha. Both of these people were supposed to act as his godparents but shirked on their responsibilities.
"Hello Naruto…" It was Minato that spoke first trying to break the tension that had flooded the room from Naruto's arrival. Any conversation that was being had was immediately quelled when Naruto entered the compound and replace by a silent intensity. Naruto's body language gave nothing away as he stared at Minato since he had spoken. He was ignoring the sad expressions on the faces of his so called family. He was asked here by Minato so he would let him do the speaking. Minato's sad smile grew a bit more seeing how his son was looking at him like nothing more than a stranger.
Kushina being the more blunt and exuberant of the two could not take the silence anymore and blurted out the reason for Naruto's presence. "Naru-kun please come live with us so that we can become a family again!" Naruto turned his head to look at the red haired Uzumaki who had just uttered a desperate plea. Naruto saw how the expressions of his family lifted probably from the thought of returning to a family. Naruto remained stoic and brought his arms over his chest one blue eye hidden by his black hair and the other boring into Kushina with a cold intensity.
Naruto did not even need to think about how he was going to respond to his mother's question because the answer was clear as can be to him. "No."
Everyone in the room stared at Naruto with different expressions on their face but they didn't expect a one word answer. Any hope that the family was feeling was instantly squashed under Naruto's blank, emotionless tone. Naruto could feel the two Sannin behind him frowning deeply at his words but did not care. To Naruto no one in the building at the moment had any significant value to him. Naruto felt a sudden wave of killer intent coming from behind him and saw Jiraiya move to stand by Kakashi looking quite pale. It didn't take a genius to figure out where it was coming from.
Behind Naruto stood a very angry female Senju who was trying her best to restrain herself from making Naruto a stain at the end of her fist. The brat in front of her had a family practically begging him to come back home and he said no. Tsunade thought about how lucky Naruto had it, after losing her brother and lover in war she was denied that chance by death but he had a chance and said no. "Listen here brat you are going to come back and live with Minato and Kushina-chan and then you are going to give your mother a hug. Stop acting like a spoiled brat and do the right thing and live with your family."
Naruto closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths lest he let his Sharingan activate from the sheer intensity of the anger he was feeling. The Kyuubi could feel the amount of contempt that Naruto had whenever he was said to related to what was considered the perfect family. Calming himself Naruto opened his eyes and looked straight ahead seemingly at nowhere. "Family… family is a group of people who love you no matter what you have done. They love you no matter what faults you may have and will always be there to protect you. That is something theses people in front of me did not do. They did the opposite and threw me to the scorned wolves of Konoha who sought revenge for the lives the Kyuubi took. Night after night I was abused and spat on. Day after day I was ignored and punished by those two for seeking the attention they lavished their princesses with!" Naruto almost spat out his entire speech not bothering to glance back at Tsunade.
"You are telling me to do the right thing Tsunade? Which of you were doing the right thing when the Fox Hunts were tearing through the streets of Konoha? My own blood ignored my pleas for help; my godparents were too busy keeping the village who were trying to kill me on a daily basis alive and well. That is the reason I curse this blood flowing through my veins because every single day I am reminded that I am related to such trash! The only reason I am not insane is thanks to the few people who listened a young boy screaming for help and lent a hand instead of plugging their ears and walking away like you all did." Only a few times had Naruto let his emotions slip during the truthful rant he rattled off. Kushina, Naomi and Narumi were openly weeping at what Naruto was saying. Minato, Jiraiya, and Kakashi were frowning somberly since they knew Naruto was not lying. Tsunade was still livid with the disrespectful brat who she thought was just using that as an excuse.
"Now, now Naruto surely you could forgive Minato-sama and Kushina-sama for overlooking you like they did. They had a lot of things they had to deal with and were doing the best they could. You still had a home and food to come to…they still cared." Kakashi tried to help Naruto see reason and hopefully bring Naruto back since he too wanted to train who was supposed to be like a little brother to him. Kakashi was not even reading his Icha Icha book showing just how serious the situation was. Naruto's cold blue eyes stared holes through Kakashi with a silent intensity.
"Yes there was something more important than their son. I always thought a Father was supposed to protect their son while Mothers were supposed to shower them with love. I received none of that, not from them. It is funny this is coming from you of all people Scarecrow. Was it not your saying that 'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' Well you all abandoned me." Naruto turned to look at Narumi who was looking at him with a forced smile and watery eyes.
"On the day I chose to make my life better was the day of our birth yet I had no importance on that day. I left and no one noticed until they found the letter I left in my excuse of a room. There was one person who made an effort even if it was late…" Naruto reached behind him and pulled out Twilight and held it so that the ornament that consisted of two kunais that crossed over each other at their tips was lying on his palm for all to see. The one kunai on the left was a pure white while the kunai on the right was a jet black. Under the kunai was a red Uzumaki swirl that was connected to the loops on the kunai handles. The initials U.N. were etched into the Uzumaki swirl in black and white to match the kunais above.
"…this is the reason I will talk with Narumi in public or on missions however she is the only one. The only one who had proven to be truly remorseful before my disappearance. This doesn't mean we are family but this means we are something." Naruto himself wasn't sure what they could be or if they would be anything. He needed to get out of this place now and needed time to think. Turning around after fastening Twilight back in place Naruto took a step towards Tsunade who was still in front of the door when he felt someone gripping his shoulder.
"Naruto this is my fault. It was thanks to me that your parents neglected you all so we could help nurture the Savior of the World. The toads have told me of a prophecy long ago and I thought it was one of your sisters who were to be the savior yet the prophecy has changed. The toads have told me of a prophecy of a man-" Jiraiya was cut off as Naruto brushed his hand off of the shoulder and turned around with his eyes closed.
"I can see just fine with these eyes of mine Toad and it shows me the brutal truth that we as humans hide behind." Naruto said ominously with his eyes shut very telling of what he was thinking of the shinobi world. 'Kyuubi can you channel your chakra to my eyes just enough to alter them?' Naruto requested calmly of his tenant. The Kyuubi did as he asked and Naruto opened his eyes showing the blue eyes red and slit much like the Kyuubi's own. Jiraiya winced at the sight and released Naruto's shoulder. Naruto turned to see the stubborn female Senju still in his way.
Minato who saw the anger in the bestial eyes of his son frowned at his own failure to be a father. Vowing to himself to try and make amends with Naruto at any opportunity if only so he could maybe call Naruto a friend at least, that was his hope. Minato saw Tsunade still in Naruto's path and hardened his blue eyes to match what Naruto would normally look like. "Tsunade stand down!" Minato ordered the Senju who looked at him defiantly clearly not happy with the order her eyes glancing over to Kushina who was giving her the same look as Minato.
"I said stand down now!" Minato repeated himself flaring his chakra to put an immense pressure directly on Tsunade who began to sweat lightly. It was just a reminder why Minato Namikaze was even more feared than the Sannin. Relenting Tsunade moved aside and Naruto walked out of the house without saying a word to anyone. Everyone in the room had their own thoughts about what had just happened. The Namikaze-Uzumaki family and Kakashi all saw that there was a flicker of hope for a united family. Jiraiya was pondering how Naruto referenced his eyes during their brief interaction and that reaffirmed his belief that the prophecy spoke of Naruto. Tsunade was slowly calming down but had a clear distaste for the eldest son of the family.
Meanwhile the Kyuubi was thinking about what just happened between his container and his family. 'Why did I give him my chakra so freely back there? Even if it wasn't for power's sake I still gave it away… why? Hmph, I did it to see the fear in those Ningens' faces at the sight of my eyes! That's why!' Even unknown to the powerful chakra beast he had something akin to respect for the scorned child of the Hokage. It was something the Kyuubi had never felt before since the Sage of Six Paths and had forgotten what it was but it was there.
It had been a handful of months since Naruto had returned to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and Naruto made himself as busy as possible. Naruto had accomplished an impressive number of D-Rank missions during that time. The easiest was when he was assigned to capture The Demon Cat Tora who had just jumped into Naruto's arms and got comfortable when he had approached. He had done this mission a number of times and apparently the cat had taken a liking to Naruto not that he minded all that much. Naruto had realized that animals just naturally drifted to him when he was called to the Inuzuka compound to assist Hana with taking care of the sick or injured ninja hounds. All the pups seemed to react to Naruto's presence; it was like the animals could see right through Naruto's outer cold façade to the warmth underneath.
Naruto since he did not have a team usually had to take the C-Rank missions with the other Genin teams which were unique experiences to say the least. Naruto was assigned to Team Eight to travel to the Land of Tea to deliver a message. The delivery was not a problem but once they got to their destination they found out some unexpected news. Apparently a group of bandits had been terrorizing the country side and requested their help. Team Eight agreed to help people in need and Naruto just didn't care one way or the other. He was no hero… just a shinobi.
Naruto was able to gather some information on each Genin member of the team led by Kurenai just by being on their team. Kiba was the second in line to become heir to the Inuzuka, second to Hana. The boy was brash, headstrong and had a tendency to overestimate his own ability while underestimating his opponent's ability. His entire fighting style revolved around partnering with his ninja hound Akamaru with no skill shown towards elemental Ninjutsu. Hinata was the Hyuga heiress who was the opposite of Kiba she was meek and very, very reserved. Though Naruto was able to deduce that she had a crush on Naomi which made Naruto's lips curl into a smile thinking of Naomi and a fan girl. Hinata too relied on her clan jutsu. Shino was the Aburame clan heir who too showed no talent for elemental Ninjutsu like his teammates however Shino did think much like a shinobi should, he was calm and tactical.
Naruto worked with Team Ten on a simple herb and medical supply gathering mission on the request of Tsunade. The mission went on without a hitch but that proved to be curse in disguise for Naruto. With all of the time they had while searching Ino took it upon herself to get to know Naruto better. This of course consisted of flirting with Naruto who Ino found handsome which Naruto found annoying to say the least. When Shikamaru mentioned Sasuke Ino would snap at the lazy Nara saying how she would always love her Sasuke-kun. Naruto knew that if he was ever to get a girlfriend it would not be a fan girl, never.
Shikamaru was one of the few people from his childhood around his age that took the time to get to know Naruto so they were friendly enough. Shikamaru like every Nara who seemed to ever live was lazy but a genius. Naruto knew that when the situation called for it Shikamaru became deadly efficient and could be counted on. Where Shikamaru was lazy his friend and teammate, Choji was equal parts kind and hungry. Naruto also made note that out of all of the teams he had the opportunity to work with Team Ten had the best teamwork. Choji was the close quarter's fighter with Shikamaru switching between long-range and close range with Ino providing support.
He had not worked with Team Nine however he was aware that their sensei was the Leaf's Noble Green Beast Maito Gai. By far his least favorite team to work with was Team Seven because of the terrible dynamic the team had together. Kushina and Naomi were always trying to pull him back into their family while Sasuke was trying to fight him. Then there was the worst aspect of the team was Sakura who had the nasty habit of screeching like a banshee. It was so bad that even the Kyuubi thought it was cruel and unusual punishment to have to listen to.
Naruto was walking by the main gate of Konoha when he caught a sight that intrigued the young man. A team of shinobi and their sensei were talking to the eternal gate guards and showing them their shinobi licenses. The team was all wearing Iwa headbands which made Naruto wonder what was going on. 'Why is Iwa here? They wouldn't be caught dead here in Konoha unless there was a chance to tarnish the village. Oh…right Mihawk-sensei did tell me about the Chunin Exams. Looks like I need to have another talk with the Hokage about this since I can't miss this chance to reveal myself on the grand stage.'
The kunoichi who was walking at the front of the group was wearing a bright brown Iwa flak jacket with the right sleeve missing from the jacket. There was a cloth hanging over her leg which she covered with fishnet tights. The Iwa kunoichi had short black hair and pink eyes that were lacking a pupil. Trailing slightly behind the kunoichi and to the left was a rather large shinobi who was smiling dopily. His headband was over his head like a bandana where Naruto spotted black hair spiking out of. He too was dressed with an Iwa flak jacket but had a yellow scarf around his neck. To his right was another kunoichi which Naruto was the most curious about. The kunoichi was wearing a diver's helmet with a steel cage over the opening the helmet. Naruto could see her grey eyes looking around the village walking silently behind her teammates. Naruto noticed how there were tubes going to each end of the helmet and Naruto could see a green substance going into the helmet which made him even more interested in the kunoichi. Naruto could see that she was attractive with her face and as her flak did little to hide her D cup bust; Naruto's eyes met hers and she smiled and winked at Naruto which only confused him.
Seeing the Iwa team gone in the distance Naruto let out a dreary sigh and looked up into the sky almost pleadingly. 'I hope you are ready to see me suffer once more Kami.' Naruto stated to the sky mentally and just then a wind blew by blowing Naruto's bang with the direction of the wind. Naruto just silently cursed the forces of nature for laughing at his plight before disappearing in a Crow Shunshin.
Minato was sitting behind his desk reading over the details for each stage of the upcoming Chunin Exams and making changes where he thought there should be changes. Finishing with the first stage Minato suddenly felt a signature entering his office followed by swarm of crows. Minato closed up the file he was about to go over and calmly waited for his son to finish his entrance, one he experienced a number of times since his return. Minato had a feeling he knew what this was about but he would let Naruto say what it was he wanted to say.
Naruto brought his arms up over his chest and stared at Minato intently his deep oceanic eyes boring into Minato's lighter blue eyes. A number of ANBU were squirming in the shadows from the intensity alone between the father and son. "I will be short with this. I want you to enter me into the Chunin Exams." Naruto stated calmly looking at the Hokage stoically with a few feathers from his crows twirling around him from the breeze coming through an open window behind Minato. Minato nodded inwardly since this was just what he expected Naruto to ask him to do.
"I can't do that Naruto. You are just one shinobi and you need a team to compete in these exams." Minato informed his son in the tone the Hokage would use when he was talking to a subordinate. What Naruto's file showed was a shinobi with excellent fundamentals and exceptional swordsmanship but nothing else however Minato was not fooled he was sure if Naruto was to compete in the exams he would learn much more about Naruto. He just didn't know how right he was and how much he would learn. Naruto simply stared at Minato with one black eyebrow arched in idle curiosity.
"I am a team just like Team Seven is a team. I do not recall that there were a specific number of people required to participate and even if there was you are the Kage of the hosting village you have certain liberties." Naruto stated calmly his posture not once shifting from the calm and slightly imposing stature he took. Now it was not imposing for Minato but his son did seem to have the air of a trained warrior. Minato let a smile cross his face since what Naruto was saying was indeed true, there were no number requirements. He knew Naruto would make a fantastic politician.
Naruto's eyes shot to the left where the door was behind him before he turned back to look at the Hokage. "It seems we will be cut short. I have given you my request and it would be in the best interest of Konoha to grant me my request." With his piece said Naruto performed a normal body flicker and exited the Hokage's office just before the door opened up and five shinobi walked in. Those shinobi were the senseis of the rookie ninja of Konoha: Kushina, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. There was also the sensei of Team Nine Maito Guy.
"You all know why I have called you here today. The Chunin exams will be coming up in a few weeks but these are no ordinary exams this will be the 30th International Chunin Exams. I know you may think that some of your teams aren't ready but we need them in the exams but I still need your formal approval." Minato stated his jaw hidden behind his interlaced fingers getting understanding nods from the Jounin in front of him. It was important that Konoha put on a good showing especially with each of the Five Great Hidden Villages attending these exams.
"On the name of Kushina Namikaze-Uzumaki, I nominate Team Seven for the 30th International Chunin Exams."
Kakashi looked up from his little, orange book feeling the eyes in the room on him and eye smiled at his former Sensei. "What she said." Kakashi stated before going back to his Icha Icha getting sweat drops from his fellow Jounin as well as Minato and a rant from Gai about his hip attitude.
"I Kurenai Yuhi nominate Team Eight for the 30th International Chunin Exams."
"Yosh! I Maito Guy nominate my most youthful Team Nine for this year's opportunity to prove one's springtime of youth!"
Asuma stepped out and blew out some smoke. "I Asuma Sarutobi nominate Team Eight for the 30th international Chunin Exams."
Minato nodded his head and leaned into his chair smiling at his wife and Jounin obviously glad there were no arguments. "Alright you all need to go and tell your teams and convince them if they are hesitant." With a collective 'Hai Hokage-sama' the Jounin all funneled out of the office door. Minato turned to the window where he found his Sensei sitting on the window ledge looking out into the village. "What do you think Jiraiya-sensei should I let him take the exam alone." Minato asked his teacher hoping for a bit of advice on the matter all though he was already leaning in one direction.
"I think you should let him take the exam. He sounded very confident in himself and this is finally the chance you have been looking for to learn the extent of his abilities. Plus it wouldn't look good if your son was to not compete in a tournament of this caliber." Jiraiya said seriously as he jumped into the office and took a seat across from his former student and current Kage. Minato smiled at his sensei and nodded his head since he too was of the same mind with what could be accomplished by allowing Naruto in the exams.
"That is what I was thinking as well. Neko I want you to go and inform Naruto that he will be taking the Exams and inform him where he must be and by when." Minato could see Neko leaving his office and looked back at his Sensei. "Jiraiya-sensei I need you to stay in the village because during the final stage of the exams the Kages will be attending and I want to make sure Konoha will remain in peace." Minato said it as more of an order than a request but none the less Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement. The two then went into a discussion about how best to defend the village.
Naruto was walking down the streets of Konoha to get to a training ground so that he could run through a few sword stances as well as train with his clones. It had been a week since he was informed of his acceptance into the Chunin Exams and there was still another ten days until the Exams were to start. Naruto knew that his foolish Father would not pass up a chance to see what he was capable of. This also gave Naruto his chance to test himself against a number of different opponents who would provide different problems. Naruto did not really care about impressing anyone but he knew a good performance would help Konoha but he planned to win the Exams regardless.
While walking down the street Naruto heard some loud commotion coming from the end of the street next to him. Naruto turned his vision to see what was going on that was causing such a ruckus in the public area. One of the causes of the noise was dark skinned, flat chested kunoichi with long red hair and a sword on her back. She had a long sleeve dress on underneath a Kumo flak jacket. The other person joining her in creating all of the noise was a shinobi from Suna who was wearing a body suit that had cat ears. Despite being a boy Naruto saw he was wearing makeup and had something on his back. Naruto recognized the boy they were yelling at as Konohamaru Sarutobi.
There was a girl standing behind the boy wearing makeup she had a large iron fan strapped to her back. She had a purple clothing garment that went down halfway to her thighs and her blonde hair was fashioned into four ponytails. Behind the Kumo kunoichi stood three people, Naruto guessed it was her team. The first was a dark skinned shinobi about Naruto's height with short, spiky white hair. He too was dressed in the Kumo flak with a sword on his back but was looking at Konohamaru with an apologetic look while sucking on a lollipop. Next to him was a fair skinned kunoichi with short, straight blonde hair. She was wearing her Kumo flak around her stomach and had her outfit cut to display her sizeable bust probably to distract enemies who would fall prey to such a thing.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in on the final member of the Kumo shinobi team; there was something that seemed familiar about her. She had long, straight blonde hair that was bound using rubber bands. She was wearing a black and purple blouse with short sleeves and cloud design on the left side. She had fingerless gloves with a chain of blue beads around her left hand and arm. The black shinobi pants the kunoichi was wearing also had the cloud design going down the left leg, though Naruto really took notice of her blue, slitted eyes that were currently filled with annoyance.
'What is it about that kunoichi that makes her seem so familiar to me…like I have known her forever?' Naruto questioned himself unaware that the Kyuubi was up and listening to his container. "Ningen that human carries my sister the Two Tails. That is why she seems so familiar to your senses." Naruto nodded his head and looked back at Konohamaru who looked very frightened along with two other small kids who were behind him. Naruto channeled his chakra into his ears to allow him to pick up on what they were saying without walking into their field of awareness this way he could get their intentions without any external pressure.
"Listen here Kumo, the brat ran into me first so I am the one who is going to get to teach the Konoha brat here some manners!" The boy wearing the cat body suit told the red head rather heatedly. Naruto could see a few veins bulging on the boy's forehead showing just how angry he was.
"Kankuro just let it go. We don't need to go causing any trouble here in a foreign village." The boy's sister Temari tried to get the Suna puppeteer to see reason and avoid an international incident. One Suna could not have especially not with their only ally.
"Why would a boy even be wearing makeup, don't you have any kind of masculinity inside of you, Kuro-hime?" The red headed kunoichi from Kumo taunted the Suna shinobi while her hand went to reach for her sword eyeing Konohamaru. Ignoring the shout of 'It's war paint' from Kankuro, Karui's amber eyes flickered dangerously. "Now then why don't we shave off a few inches off eh brat?"
The white haired shinobi, Omoi started to wave his hands around frantically trying to get Karui's attention before she attacked the boy. "Karui what if you hurt the boy then the Third Hokage goes to Kumo and shows why he is the God of Shinobi and kills A-sama. The Bee-sensei attacks and kills the Third Hokage and we go to war with Konoha and the Yellow Flash?" Omoi finished taking a deep breath using his tongue to keep his loli from falling out of his mouth. This got sighs from his team and sweat drops from the Suna shinobi. Konohamaru was just scared by the sword being pointed at him.
'Well I guess it is time to go strike some fear into the competition and show them why they need to behave in my village. Kyuubi will they identify me or those other two as the Jinchuuriki?' Naruto waited for the Kyuubi to respond as he heard what he guessed was random noises the Kyuubi was making while contemplating his question. "I would say that they would see the container as you since they can only sense the chakra in the person who holds the consciousness." Naruto did his single hand sign and performed a nature less Body Flicker in front of Konohamaru.
"You know he is right. Since you two shinobi were just planning on assaulting the Third's grandson and here in Konoha none the less. Not to mention he is only an academy student." Naruto said suddenly appearing between Kankuro, Karui and Konohamaru with his katana, Twilight drawn. Naruto's sudden arrival put all of the foreign nin on high alert since Naruto had only just appeared and with a weapon drawn. "I wouldn't do that if I were you… it would prove fatal." Naruto added on seeing that each of six shinobi were ready to try and get into a fighting stance. This confused the teams from Suna and Kumo that was until they looked.
Behind each of them with a katana aimed at a vital area was an equally serious shadow clone of Naruto. There was even a shadow clone looking up into a tree while leaning against the trunk surprising the shinobi in the tree. While they were busy with the shock of being surrounded Naruto turned back to look at Konohamaru with a small grin on his face. "Kono, why don't you and your friends get out of here while I deal with these idiots?" Konohamaru's face lit up and he nodded since only one person had ever called him that and that was Naruto who he didn't recognize till just now. Konohamaru and his friends took off the opposite direction and Naruto turned back around to see another Suna shinobi was standing with the group. He had red hair and the kanji for love over his eye.
"My name is Gaara Sabaku. Who are you?" The red head carrying a gourd on his back asked wondering just who this strong shinobi in front of him was. This was a sentiment shared by the other Suna Genin and the Kumo Nin. Naruto stared indifferently at Gaara which made the boy's eyes narrow at Naruto since it reminded him of his childhood. "Blood, I want his blood!" Gaara chose to ignore his Mother this time…for now at least.
'Nibi just who is this guy?' Yugito asked her own Tailed Beast curiously since it seemed like he was familiar to her. "Hmm I don't know Kitten but I do know he holds the Kyuubi's chakra inside of him. I believe he is suppressing it but that is only because it is so faint." 'The Kyuubi!? Great and Karui just had to go and annoy the guy.' Yugito thought as she looked at Naruto much more wearily than just moments before. Naruto looked at Gaara as his shadow clones disappeared in small clouds of smoke letting the other shinobi minus Gaara breathe a sigh of relief.
"My name is Naruto and let me give you all a saying that applies during your entire stay here in Konoha." Naruto said with a fake smile on his face as he released some of his own power that weighed down on the shoulders of each of the Genin. There was no malicious intent behind the pressure it was just pressure. Each of the Genin had a bead of sweat trickle down their foreheads. "I know that two of you are Jinchuurikis so I will only say this once. A Tanuki cannot play dead to avoid a Kitsune and the Cat cannot scratch the Fox in its den." With that Naruto vanished in another Shunshin leaving the groups minus the Jinchuuriki wide eyed.
"Kitten did you feel that?! That was just his power forcing you down there was no sign of the Kyuubi's chakra! He is quite powerful! You should take him to your hotel room and ride-" The Nibi's lustful purring was cut off by a blushing Yugito who was trying to hide the red in her cheeks. 'Nibi I won't just take him and have sex with him! I do not even know his name or anything about him!' Yugito mentally yelled at her perverted Tailed Beast finally managing to push back that annoying blush on her cheeks from the mental images of Naruto and her doing unspeakable things coming from Nibi.
"Temari, Kankuro we are going to meet Baki." Gaara ordered his two elder siblings who complied without hesitation. The Kumo shinobi all shared a glance and agreed it was best for them to avoid Naruto during the Exams if they could help it. Then they too left to go and meet their eccentric sensei and inform him of the situation they found themselves in.
Naruto was sitting on his bed in a meditative position in just his shinobi pants eyes closed as the room slowly grew dim from the lighting seals placed on the walls. Naruto was currently sitting in his mindscape having a conversation with his resident tailed beast. "Tell me Kyuubi who should I look out for out there?" Naruto asked seeking the large Kitsune's advice on the matter since it would be foolish not to use a thousand plus year old resource. The Kyuubi who was resting on his front two paws looked at Naruto as if he was an insect but in the end relented.
"Nibi probably advised her container to avoid challenging me since she was always a smart one unlike that fool the Four Tails. Anyways if I had to guess you would probably need to beat down that sand brat since Shukaku was always a blood thirsty fool with an inferiority complex. The only place he could prove to be a true threat would be in the desert where he has tons of sand at his command." The Kyuubi told Naruto who was listening intently to the Kyuubi's informative closed his eyes and opened them up showing his three tomoe Sharingan. It turns out that in the Mindscape they would activate on their own much to the Kyuubi's ire but he eventually accepted that since Naruto proved to have no desire to control him.
"Alright so then Gaara will most likely be using sand based techniques. He will probably have the sand in that gourd he was carrying on his back. That means he has a fixed amount of sand at his command." Naruto said to himself just for the sake of having the information in his head in case of a conflict between he and his fellow Human Sacrifice. "Can you tell me anything about the Nibi? I mean we wouldn't want to be bested by any the inferior beasts would we?" Naruto asked playing on the Kyuubi's great pride something he shared with the Kyuubi since he did not like to appear weak either.
The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed at Naruto before his large mouth opened up with a very vulpine like grin showing his large, gleaming teeth. The one tail the Kyuubi had gotten back was flickering back and forth with amusement. "Of course neither of those two is as strong as I am Ningen! I am the Kyuubi; I am the Incantation of Destruction! I have not done combat with the Nibi in ages since she has priorities in other things but I do remember her affinity to fire was second only to mine." Naruto nodded his head but it seemed like the Kyuubi had one last nugget of information to add on to this discussion.
"I also remember hearing when I was sealed inside of that woman that the Eight Tails had become partners with a human from Kumo. It would make sense that he would have taught the girl to partner with Nibi. Shukaku wouldn't have paired with the Suna brat so you won't have to worry about that." The Kyuubi chose not to call Kushina, Naruto's mother remembering how volatile Naruto would get. That and he had no wish to test Naruto's ocular prowess in his state of frowned hearing that the blonde from Kumo could possibly use her biju's chakra to aid her but then again Naruto had his eyes so it might not be such a problem. Only an actual conflict would tell who would win out.
Naruto slowly let his eyes open again and instead of a sewer Naruto found himself looking into his bedroom in the house in the Red Light District. Naruto ran his hand through his jet black hair with a sigh. Standing up Naruto walked to the bathroom where he started his shower and looked into the mirror over the sink. Letting his Sharingan roar to life Naruto stared intently at his own reflection. "Soon very soon the whole world will know just how great of an impact I can make on this world." Taking a deep breath Naruto let his red eyes fade back to the blue eyes he was born with. Naruto took a step into the shower and let the warm water wash over his body and relax his sore muscles.
"Konoha always loved the 'look underneath the underneath' saying so I hazard to guess that will be the first or second stage of these exams. Then after that probably a survival stage to thin the numbers down a bit before a final tournament. The tournament will allow the villages to showcase their shinobi and by extension their strength." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment to relax before finishing his shower and heading off to bed. "Ten more days and then I will have a whole new set of problems to deal with but it is a necessary evil." Naruto closed his eyes and in a few minutes Naruto drifted off to sleep.
Naruto was standing in front of the Hidden Leaf academy looking at the building impassively from under his hood. Now Naruto had not attended the academy since Mihawk had come to take Naruto from Konoha the year he was to join the academy. For some reason Naruto just thought they probably taught something stupid like Konoha during times of peace which is why none of the shinobi in the exams outside of Team Seven knew any elemental Ninjutsu. Naruto shook his head since it was amazing that Konoha could remain where it was with such a weak generation of shinobi. They truly needed to pick up their training if they wanted to surpass the last generation. However that was not Naruto's problem his only problem if it could be called that were these exams.
These exams brought shinobi of all kinds from different corners of the world here to Konoha to show everyone watching what they could do. Naruto could only smile with anticipation at the number of strong opponents he may be able to fight. Naruto found the talent in Konoha sorely lacking and hoped the other villages could provide Genin who would pique his interest. That did not matter at the moment however since to get there Naruto had a few other stages to run through before then.
"Showtime…"
Review Response: Naruto does not care for the people of the village but can't see the village he was born in subjugated under another's whim. He is like Madara in that sense since Madara did not like what Hashirama did but still wanted Konoha to prosper just under his vision…well before he changed it to the Eye of the Moon but I digress. How Naruto unlocks the Mangekyō is a secret. Chojuro is no missing nin because neither was Zabuza since the Rebel side won their war.
Naruto is by no means a Jounin level shinobi yet so no he is not on Kakashi's level. The reason he defeated Aoba was because they were in a duel something Naruto excels at thanks to his teacher.
The reason I had Naruto go alone because a whole team would have put seven ninja on the Wave Mission and that would be overkill. Even sending a Jounin would be just a bit too much in my opinion. Why would Minato mind wipe someone who has shown no threat to the village? In the way you are suggesting that would be something not fitting of his character. Also what capable shinobi has to worry about villagers assaulting them?
AN: Here is the next chapter and the start of the Chunin Exams. I hope you enjoy the chapter and continue to leave reviews. If any of you are authors yourself you know just how helpful the reviews are to the motivation. Anyway have a nice day. Ja Ne-Matt