XIII Ninja
By James The Fox
"I'm back!"
Naruto: "You worried me with that preview last chapter. You better not make this chapter end badly, or I'm going to kill you. Believe it!"
Hinata: "Y-yeah, and I'm… I'm going to help!"
Mizuki: "Don't worry, James. I'll protect you!" (Hugs a struggling author)
Orochimaru: "Yes, we'll protect you so you could make this story end well for us…"
"NOOOO!!!! I may be all-powerful here, but I do not want you two dorks everywhere I go! Get off!" (Sends the two villains flying.) "Dorks… I saw the Final Mix + Secret Ending. I'm scared for the worlds. On to the story!"
Naruto grinned as he opened the scroll. It had been ridiculously easy to sneak into the Hokage's Library and leave with the Forbidden Scroll. Then again…
"You know, I think it might have been TOO easy. Something's fishy about this whole thing," Lexaeus said, speaking precisely what Naruto was thinking.
"Yeah, but I might as well try… AWWW MAANN!" Naruto sighed as he looked at the first Justu on the Scroll. "Multi Shadow Clone Justu… and I just barely got good at normal clones… Grrr… Well, better get started…"
Hinata sped through the trees, using her Byakugan to search for any trace of Naruto. It had been about one hour and thirty minutes since she had entered, but Naruto was very good at covering his tracks. It was almost like he was simply disappearing from one place and turning up in another! She suddenly saw what she was looking for by a small cabin. Naruto was there, training. She landed in a nearby tree, and glared at the ninja apprentice. Why did he have to be so hard to find when you didn't know where to look? She was definitely going to give her friend a piece of her mind and-
"Don't… move." Hinata stared at the Jounin behind her with her Byakugan. He had silver hair down past his shoulders and bandages wrapped all about his face and neck, leaving a few loose bandages dangling down his chest. He wore a black stealth outfit with his forehead protector serving as a belt. He had a standard Jounin vest on, but it was black instead of green and had no symbols to show what nation he was from. Hinata instantly turned around, ready to defend herself from the newcomer, if need be. However, the ninja simply gave a grin (even though you could only barely see it under the bandages). "Hey, hey, hey! I have no reason to fight you. However, if you try to disturb these events, I may be forced to render you unconscious."
"Who are you?" Hinata felt she could trust this guy, but was still unsure.
"I'm… a judge of skill. Depending on how Naruto over there handles himself here, one of four things will happen." He put up four fingers to emphasize the things. "One, he'll end up graduating and becoming a ninja. Two, he'll not graduate. Three, well… three is number two, except that I will train him myself so that he passes the next exam no sweat. Four is the best situation, where he graduates AND I train him, molding him into a truly powerful warrior." As he counted each option, he ticked off each of his fingers, smiling. "The test should begin… 5… 4… 3…"
"Naruto, what do you think you're doing?" Iruka roared as he appeared on the scene just as the 'Judge' got to "2".
"Hmm. Guess I was a bit off… Ah well. Now, miss, do you think you can stay put no matter what happens?" Hinata nodded. "Good, because things are about to get messy." The Jounin turned towards the scene, where Naruto and Iruka had just figured out Mizuki's scheme.
"Naruto, look out!" Naruto turned around as a large shuriken flew at Naruto from the trees. Naruto dodged and landed in front of Iruka.
"Well, speak of the silver-haired devil. And I'm not talking about Riku." Xigbar grinned at his joke, although everyone else groaned.
"Well, Naruto, look at what it's come to. I have no choice but to kill you if you don't give me the scroll now." At Mizuki's threat, Naruto simply smiled, putting the scroll on the ground.
"You don't want to threaten me…" Naruto grinned as he mentally turned to Marluxia. "You want to help out?"
"Sure, but you haven't actually mastered my powers. Hell, the only one you've called upon before is Roxas. You certain?"
"Yeah." With that, Marluxia glowed slightly, absorbing some of the excess Chakra the Kyuubi was giving off. Suddenly, he was enclosed in an orb of energy and a single beam of light shot towards the sky, linking Marluxia with Naruto. Back in the real world, Naruto's hair changed slightly, becoming the length of Marluxia's hair. The hair color changed slightly, gaining pink strands in places. Naruto's eyes suddenly gained a look about them, and killing intent raged through the battlefield. Strangely enough, pink cherry blossom petals fell from the sky gracefully. In a voice that seemed to be two, Naruto called out. "If you don't want to die, I suggest you surrender now."
"What are you going to do? Bury me in petals?" Mizuki taunted as a single cherry blossom petal fell into Naruto's outstretched and open hand. Mizuki's happiness turned into shock as a scythe with a pink blade came in to existence in Naruto's grasp. Without warning, Naruto lunged at Mizuki, swinging his scythe at the traitor. Mizuki jumped back into the trees, grinning as Naruto missed. However, the ninja welt a burning pain in his side as some of the petals merged into a flower bud, which had fired a shot of energy at Mizuki from behind. Mizuki growled as he lunged at the bud, swinging a kunai at it and destroying the bud. He continued to dodge attack after attack from Naruto. He laughed as he blocked a downward slash and countered, knocking Naruto to the ground.
'Knew you should have chosen someone you're more familiar with…' Marluxia growled in Naruto's head.
'Aw, shut it.' Naruto retorted as Mizuki idly spun his large shuriken.
"Poor, poor Naruto. Always being ignored, always hated and pushed away… and he doesn't even know why."
"Mizuki! Don't you dare…!" Iruka growled from right next to the Forbidden Scroll, which was only a few feet to the left of Naruto. "It's forbidden!"
"W-what's forbidden?" Naruto asked as he got up, using his Scythe as support.
"'What's forbidden?'" Mizuki said in a singsong tone. "Why… it's the reason you're hated by everyone. A secret known by everyone… and it is forbidden to tell anyone else… especially you… Wanna know?" Mizuki offered with a strange, sickening smile on his face.
"MIZUKI! DON'T!"
"I'll tell you… I'm certain you know of the Kyuubi from 13 years ago?" Naruto nodded. He knew that the Demon Fox was sealed within him. Organization XIII had introduced him to the fox during the beginning of his training, and Naruto never forgot the horror he felt just looking at it roar at him. "Well, it just so happens that the 4th Hokage didn't kill the monster. Instead, he sealed it…"
"MIZUKI! Stop now, before it's too-" Iruka was cut off by several kunai piercing him and knocking him to the ground.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called out, but was rooted to the ground by something he couldn't understand.
"Now, now, Iruka, The boy needs to know. He has a right to know." Mizuki's words reminded Roxas of something he said a long time ago…
"I need to know. I have a right to know."
"Nobodies don't have a right to know. They don't even have a right to be."
"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah… The 4th Hokage sealed the Kyuubi into the form of a boy. A newborn baby boy, to be exact. So the fox has existed, forced to live its life as a mere human. Tell me, Naruto, who do you think the monster is?"
Naruto stared at the Ninja, completely silent. He had known about the Nine-Tailed Fox being sealed inside him, but to think that he actually…
"Completely silent? Okay, I'll tell you. You, Naruto. YOU are the Kyuubi no Kitsune." In that instant, the area around Naruto shattered, returning Naruto to normal form. He fell to his knees, barely registering everything around him except for Mizuki's words, which echoed around in his head, threatening to break his spirit like a simple glass mirror. His will to fight was broken.
Hinata gasped as she saw her friend collapse to the ground. 'It isn't true. It couldn't be… Naruto isn't… He would never…" Hinata was about to lunge forward and comfort her friend, but she remembered the threat of the ninja standing only inches from her.
"If you try to disturb these events…"
"I may be forced to render you unconscious."
So Hinata watched as Mizuki spun his Shuriken, about to finish the boy off.
"Now die, Demon Fox!" Mizuki threw his Shuriken at Naruto, who made no effort to dodge. He watched it come at him as the world seemed to slow down around him.
'It's over…'
'I deserve this…'
'I'm… a monster…'
'That's probably why Iruka isn't letting me graduate… he thinks it's dangerous to have me as a shinobi… he's just like the others…'
'They all hate me… and with good reason, too…'
"Naruto! Get a hold of yourself! You are no demon! Do you think we'd have let you live this long you were?"
'Larxene?'
"She's right. Besides, the fact that you are so torn up about this proves that you aren't a Demon. Do you think a Demon would regret like you are right now?"
'Xaldin…'
"Plus, you're much less ugly than that Kyuubi, dude."
'Xigbar…'
"Fight, Naruto! FIGHT!"
In a flash of dark energy, Naruto caught the shuriken. However, instead of bare hands grasping the blade, Naruto's hands had been covered with bandages and long claws reached out from his fingers where the bandages ended. A mix of purplish-black dark energy and red Demon Chakra seemed to be emanating from the claws, making it seem like his hands were on fire. Naruto grinned as he tossed the Shuriken aside like a toy he was no longer interested in.
'Thank you, guys…'
"Okay… I don't care anymore. Even if I am a demon… This village is my home, and I will protect it with my life. I have people who I care about, people that I won't stop protecting just because everyone else hates me."
'Iruka…'
'Old man Hokage…'
'Hinata…'
"And if you try to harm them… I'll kill you." In a flash of dark energy, Naruto was in the trees again, standing only a few feet from Mizuki.
"Big talk for a little kid! I'm gonna finish you with one move!"
"Try me." Naruto grinned as he put his hands in a hand seal, his face partially hidden behind dark flames. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Justu!" Suddenly, an army of clones appeared, swarming Mizuki and giving the forest an appearance of a shadowy inferno.
"No… It couldn't be…" Mizuki stepped back as the army closed in upon him at high speed. The mob covered him, and screaming could be heard through the forest.
When at last Naruto had finished beating and clawing Mizuki, leaving him as a bloody, barely recognizable pulp, he turned to Iruka, who was smiling. Naruto picked up the scroll and brought it to him.
"Pretty good, Naruto. You surprised me, when you created that army. There were real Shadow Clones, not illusions."
"You think? Heh. I guess that I'll just have to use that Justu next time the test comes around. I'll get the best score, believe it!" Iruka paused for a second and grabbed Naruto's shoulder.
"Naruto… I have something for you. Close your eyes." Naruto obliged, and felt his teacher put something on his head. "Open." Naruto opened his eyes again, and felt cold metal on his forehead. "What-"
"Congratulations, you graduate."
"But-"
"Mizuki did say that you would pass if you were able to learn a Justu from that scroll, and I think that all that hard work you put into it shouldn't be wasted. I'll work out the details." Iruka's face split into a mischievous grin, one very much like a seasoned prankster's.
"… Thanks, Iruka-sensei!"
As the two of them celebrated, Hinata let out a sigh. Naruto had made it through okay, and he wasn't getting punished. In fact, he was going to graduate!
"That kid… It looks like the Hokage was right." The Jounin frowned. "Man, I guess this means I won't be making ANBU anytime soon. Damn kid…"
The Hokage smiled as RiD finished relaying the story to him. "Now… I'd like to make a few recommendations to my team other than Naruto."
"Hmm?"
"First off… Naruto doesn't seem to have many friends, and since I for one believe that it's easier to work with friends, I'd like one of his friends to join the team. A girl named… Ah… Hinata Hyuuga, I believe."
"The other?"
"One Llednar Twem. I'm familiar with his family and his skills may be useful for what I have in mind…"
"Naruto, now that you're a ninja, I think it would be a smart idea for a few changes…"
"Like what?"
"Your catch phrase, for one."
"My… Oh, no. I'm not giving up my catch phrase, believe it! And besides, you have a catch phrase, too!"
"Yeah, but mine's better. Yours is lame? Got it memorized?"
"Naruto may have a lame catch phrase, but I've heard worse."
"Like what, Roxas?"
"It's really annoying, ya know? Kinda stupid, too, ya know! It belongs to that Rai person, ya kn-"
"I get it! Still, I'd really like to get rid of that stupid catch phrase."
Nest time on XIII Ninja: My name is Konohamaru: Quest for a Catch Phrase!
"
"I hate Naruto's catch phrase."
Roxas: "Uh oh."
"What?"
Roxas: "I see a mob from SCPUU."
"Eh?"
Roxas: "Stupid Catch Phrase Users United. They want your head."
"Crap, already? Anyway… If you happen to have a suggestion for any new catch phrase for Naruto, please send it with your review."
Naruto: "I'm gonna kill you, believe it!"
Ron: "Bloody Hell, I'm gonna enjoy this."
Talim: "You will fall, because I am one with the wind!"
"Oh, boy. I'm cutting transmission!"