Hello again everyone, and welcome to Chapter 4 of Naruto: Eternal Triumph. So far, the options for Naruto's love interest that have been named are Temari, Tenten, Ino, and Hana. If there's any other suggestions you guys have, make sure to leave a review. With updates out of the way, let's begin Chapter 4.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Summary: There are many "what if's" in the world of Naruto, and I hope this is a breath of fresh air for all who choose to read. What if Naruto hadn't been forced to fend for himself? What if two shinobi took a liking to the boy, and chose to not only train him before he begins the academy, but provide him a stable life, free from the attacks from mobs and overpriced goods from shops? All this and much more in Naruto: Eternal Triumph
Legend
"Human talking"
'Human thinking'
"Tailed Beast/Summon talking"
'Tailed Beast/Summon thinking'
Jutsu
Chapter 4: Concerning Sanity
Konoha Academy, Room 170
After Naruto and Shikamaru's sleepover the night before, they had decided next time to go to Chōji's. Currently, we find the two boys in class, fast asleep. "Naruto, Shikamaru, quit sleeping and start paying attention!" shouted Iruka, using his Big Head Jutsu. Both boys lazily woke up from their nap, and began paying attention. Not long after, Iruka instructed the class to follow him and Mizuki outside.
Outside the Academy
"Okay class, today we're going to test your taijutsu skills. Each of you will spar with me, while Mizuki will time you. Your goal is to either last a full 5 minutes, or knock me out of the ring" said Iruka. "This will only be an evaluation of your skills, so we can figure out how much guidance each student needs" added Mizuki. First up was Shino Aburame. Shino, while one of the smarter kids in class, was like many Aburame in the fact that taijutsu was not something they excelled at. Shino managed to last two and a half minutes before being knocked out of the ring. Next up was Chōji, who lasted just under three minutes. As several civilian children stepped up, one by one each would be defeated in less than thirty seconds. Sakura has proven to be the worst, as she only lasted ten seconds, causing everyone that saw her performance to sweat drop. Hinata would last the full five minutes, while Ino managed to last a minute and a half. After some more civilians tried and failed, up next was Sasuke.
Sasuke, using a combination of kicks and punches to the legs and body, kept Iruka on the ropes, and eventually swept his legs out, knocking him out of the ring with only 3 seconds left. Every one of Sasuke's fan girls squealed in joy at Sasuke being the only boy to knock Iruka out of the ring. Up next was Naruto. Everyone was surprised that Naruto had managed to not only defeat Iruka, but doing so in just over three minutes. "Excellent job Naruto" said Iruka, as Mizuki looked on in disgust, while Sasuke and his fan girls just glared at the boy.
"Dobe, I demand you teach me how that style" demanded Sasuke. Sasuke had begun to see himself as a prodigy, all thanks to the now defunct civilian council pampering him. "No" said Naruto, shocking Sasuke and his fan girls. "I trained hard constantly to be this strong, and I won't stop. I won't teach you my taijutsu style, but if you want to be as strong as me, you should train harder and more often" said Naruto, as everyone's jaws dropped. Soon, the class was broken up in two groups. One group working with Iruka, and the other group working with Mizuki. Naruto had been put in Iruka's group, and learned that despite his taijutsu being good, there were still some openings that could be exploited. For the rest of the day, the students were taught the basic Academy taijutsu, while Naruto worked on closing some of the holes in his taijutsu.
After school
As Naruto walked out of school, he was stopped by Sakura. "What do you want, Sakura?" asked Naruto, slightly annoyed. "Why won't you teach Sasuke? He deserves that power more than you!" shouted Sakura. Naruto was starting to get angry. He had always disliked people who sought power the easy way. "It's not like you have a clan of your own. The Hokage felt sorry for you, and decided to adopt you. You're not a real Sarutobi, just a wannabe who's really a clanless loser" said Sakura. Naruto's calm demeanor was snapped, as he began to unleash Killing Intent towards the girl "You know nothing about me! You don't know what I've had to live through! I've had to suffer for years, never knowing my family! At least you had yours from the beginning. I might've been adopted, but it wasn't the Hokage who adopted me, it was his son. Lord Third only helped file the paperwork. Remember this Sakura, if you ever try and compare me to Sasuke again, I will make sure you never become a shinobi!" said Naruto, flowing in and out of uncontrollable rage. Sakura soon ran away, wanting to hide from Naruto. 'Mom was right, he is a demon' thought Sakura as she kept running. Naruto stood motionless for a moment, before running towards the Sarutobi Compound.
Sarutobi Compound
As Naruto walked through the front door, Asuma could see something was bothering the boy. "Naruto, how was school?" asked Asuma, hoping Naruto would tell him what happened. "Aside from an arrogant Uchiha, school was fine". Asuma knew about Sasuke and his egotistical ways, but still believed there was something else that had Naruto this tense. "I think I'll skip dinner tonight. I'm not that hungry" said Naruto stoically. Asuma was now on high alert. 'Something happened to Naruto, but he won't say anything. I need to find out' thought Asuma before he left to see his father.
Hokage Office
Asuma walked into his father's office and sat down in one of the chairs. "Something happened to Naruto. At first, it sounded like that Sasuke boy had something to do with it, but now I'm not so sure. Naruto said he was going to skip dinner. Dad, I'm worried about him" said Asuma. Hiruzen had put his pen down and soon left with Asuma in tow, cancelling the rest of his meetings.
Sarutobi Compound
Hiruzen and Asuma had walked through the door and were greeted by Kurenai, eyes red from crying. "What happened to my son?" asked Kurenai. "I'm not sure. Let me try talking to him" said Hiruzen. As he walked to Naruto's room and opened the door, he almost had a heart attack at the sight before him. Asuma and Kurenai raced to where he was, and almost had heart attacks of their own. Naruto was nowhere to be found, his clothes and ninja tools packed. A note was left on his bed, it looked to be written in blood. "I'm sorry for being a burden" spoke Hiruzen as he read the note. Kurenai sank to her knees. Why would Naruto see himself as a burden? "Asuma, I need you to go find Guy, tell him what happened, and get him to help find Naruto. Who knows what danger he's in. Kurenai, get to the Inuzuka Compound and bring Tsume and Kuromaru. I'll call for Kakashi to help. We meet at the South Gate" said the Hokage as they all raced off in different directions. 'Naruto, please be safe' they all thought.
South Gate
Asuma, Kurenai, Hiruzen, Kakashi, Guy, Tsume, and Kuromaru all met at the South Gate. "Now that we're all here, we're gonna split up into groups. Tsume and Guy, Asuma and Kurenai, and Me and Kakashi. Let's move out!" shouted the Hokage as each group moved towards a different training ground. As the groups searched different parts of the training grounds. Guy spotted what looked like a piece of cloth, but upon further inspection, saw part of the Uzumaki clan spiral. "Tsume, I think I found something, it could be a piece of Naruto's clothes" said Guy. Tsume examines it, and soon gave it to Kuromaru to try and pick up the scent. " He's nearby" said Kuromaru, running off from the two Jōnin.
Training Ground 44
As Kuromaru stopped running, Guy noticed where they were; The Forest of Death. The same one where he had first saved Naruto. As the group of three walked into the Forest, they could hear a faint sound, almost like someone crying. Tsume slowly led the group in the direction of the sound, and came across Naruto, part of his jacket sleeve missing, with blood running down his arm. "Sakura was right. I am a burden" whispered Naruto. Tsume told Kuromaru to keep watch, and slowly approached the boy with a heavy heart, having heard what Naruto said. She soon reached Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was hugged by Tsume, the feeling reminding him of when Kurenai would hug him. "Shhh, it's all gonna be ok pup. You're not a burden. In fact, your parents got me and Guy to help look for you, while the Hokage got one of the strongest shinobi in the village" said Tsume. Naruto looked and saw Guy standing next to Kuromaru, smiling. Guy soon ran after the others, and escorted them to where Naruto was, finding the boy asleep in Tsume's arms. "The cut isn't too bad, but will need to be treated. With your permission, Lord Third, Asuma, Kurenai, I'd like to take the boy home with me and treat his wound. I'd suggest he not train for the next few days, and definitely not go to the Academy tomorrow" said Tsume. The three nodded, but then Asuma spoke up. "Tsume, did Naruto say anything at all?" "Yeah, apparently some Sakura girl called him a burden. Sounds like she mentioned you guys too" said Tsume. Kurenai's eyes widened. "Tsume, Sakura's last name is Haruno, the same as…" "Mebuki. She must've blamed her mother's death on Naruto" said Tsume. "No matter, Tsume, take him back to your compound and heal his wound. Kurenai, I'd like you to go with her. Seeing a familiar face should put Naruto at ease when he wakes up" said Asuma. Kurenai nodded and left with Tsume, Naruto, and Kuromaru, leaving the two Sarutobi's, Kakashi, and Guy alone in the Forest. "I'll speak with Inoichi tomorrow. Hopefully he can help us find out what really happened" said Asuma. The others nodded, as Inoichi's clan jutsu would allow him to travel through Naruto's mind. "Lord Third, when Naruto graduates, I'd like to become his sensei" said Kakashi. Hiruzen knew there was more to this. Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's Copy Ninja, had been a student under the Fourth Hokage, and Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze. Kakashi had promised to keep Naruto safe, but felt as though he had failed. Hiruzen would think about the request, but told Kakashi he would have to retire from ANBU if he allowed it. Kakashi agreed to this, and soon, all parties left to head home.
Inuzuka Compound
The group of three, plus one sleeping child, made their way to the clinic. Tsume was careful not to wake the boy, as she slowly cleaned his wound and stitched it up. Once she was done, she wrapped the wound, and carried Naruto to one of the guest bedrooms. Kurenai insisted on sleeping in the same room as Naruto, but as Tsume went to get a second bed, Kurenai stopped her and said she was ok sharing a bed with her son. Tsume nodded and instructed Kuromaru to watch over them. Kuromaru nodded and laid at the foot of the bed, with Tsume leaving the mother and son to rest.
The next morning
Naruto awoke to pain emitting from his arm, noticing the self inflicted wound had been treated. He also noticed what looked like a wolf in front of him. "Um…n-nice wolfy" said Naruto, hoping the beast was friendly. "I'm not a wolf, kid. I'm a dog. There's no reason to be scared, your mother is right next to you" spoke Kuromaru. "Did you just talk?" asked Naruto. "No, you have the ability to understand dogs. Of course I can talk. My name is Kuromaru, and you're in the Inuzuka Compound. My partner, Tsume, brought you here to heal you" spoke Kuromaru. Before Naruto could say anything, the door opened, and in walked Tsume and her son, Kiba. "Naruto, are you ok?" asked Kiba as he rushed over to Naruto. Though the two boys hadn't hung out much, they were always on good terms with each other. "I'm okay, Kiba. You must be Tsume" said Naruto as he looked towards the older woman. "I am, pup. I came by to check on you, and Kiba wanted to come along" Naruto nodded, and soon, Kurenai woke up. "Good morning mom" said Naruto. "Good morning Naruto, how are you feeling?" "I'm feeling okay". Tsume told Kiba to head to school, while she took Naruto and Kurenai to the clinic to see how the wound was healing.
Inuzuka Clinic
As Naruto sat down on the exam table, Tsume began unwrapping the bandages on his arm, and was surprised when she saw that the wound had already healed completely. "Well Naruto, even though you're fully healed, I still want you to take the day off from school, along with training" said Tsume, Naruto nodded his head, and the mother and son made their way back to the Sarutobi Compound.
Sarutobi Compound
As Kurenai and Naruto entered their home, they were greeted by the Hokage and Inoichi Yamanaka. "Naruto, we know what happened last night. We saw the note you left. Obviously something has been bothering you. Inoichi here is going to try and help you by finding that memory" spoke the Hokage. Naruto was hesitant to let someone enter his mind, but agreed nonetheless. As Naruto sat on the floor, Inoichi sat across from him. "Psycho Mind Transmission" shouted Inoichi as he placed a hand on Naruto's head. The memories soon flooded Inoichi's mind, shocking him at how much this child has had to suffer. After only a short moment, Inoichi released the jutsu. "Lord Third, I'd like to speak with you in private about what I found" said Inoichi as both men soon left to head to the Hokage's office. "Naruto, thank you for allowing this. Me and the Hokage will talk about how we progress from here" spoke Inoichi. Naruto nodded, and was left alone with Kurenai.
Hokage's Office
"What did you find, Inoichi?" asked Hiruzen. "Lord Hokage, I found the most recent negative memory involving Sakura Haruno calling your grandson a wannabe Sarutobi and a clanless loser, while adding that he should give Sasuke Uchiha his power" said Inoichi in disgust. "Furthermore, I found several other memories of Naruto being ostracized by children his age, along with adults. Multiple beatings from mobs, along with being forced to fend for himself due to being overcharged by the fucking shopkeepers, leads me to believe that Naruto is beginning to lose his sanity. I fear as though he will potentially go rogue in the future, should this type of behavior continue". The Hokage was furious. Shop owners had been overcharging his grandson since before he was adopted, civilians and shinobi alike terrorized him, and now Naruto was causing harm to himself. "Inoichi, bring me Sakura Haruno immediately. I think it's time to put an end to this game she's playing" ordered Hiruzen. Inoichi bowed and Shunshin'd to the school. "BEAR!" shouted the Hokage, as a bear masked ANBU appeared, bowing in respect to his leader. "Bear, bring me Fugaku Uchiha at once. It's time he learns of how Sasuke truly is" ordered the Hokage once more. Bear bowed and Shunshin'd to the Uchiha Compound to inform Fugaku.
Moments Later
Fugaku, Sasuke, and Sakura stood before the Hokage, his face emotionless. "Fugaku Uchiha, I have called you here today to inform you of your son's behavior, since I believe some in the Academy are playing favorites towards him. Sasuke has been demanding another student to teach him, deeming himself an elite more worthy than the student of having power" said the Hokage coldly. Fugaku turned to face his son, Sharingan blazing. "This is all Naruto's fault. He should have just given Sasuke-" "Do not interrupt the Hokage, little girl!" shouted Fugaku at Sakura. "Lord Hokage, I would like to apologize to the Sarutobi clan, and to Naruto Uzumaki for my son's reckless behavior" spoke Fugaku, ashamed at his son. "I'm sure my clan will forgive you, Fugaku, but I'm not sure about Naruto" said the Hokage. "As for you two…"
And…CUT! I know, I shouldn't have ended on a cliffhanger, but honestly, not only does this add more suspense to the next chapter, it also gives me a chance to come up with what will happen next. As always, lemme know what you think, feel free to give me any suggestions, and stay tuned for Chapter 5. Until next time, buh-bye!
