Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.
Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story
Chapter 4
Inheritance and Traitors
Naruto casually walked the streets of Konoha, discretely observing the populace while making his way towards the Hokage Tower. He expected the Hokage to summon him considering how they showed the hidden ANBU some of their abilities and the unrivaled teamwork he had with Sakura and Sasuke. He didn't expect to be summoned the next day though which was too soon in his opinion.
Kurama mentioned that it was quite possible that whoever was watching picked up the trace of his chakra being channeled into the clones. Naruto couldn't help but agree with his tenant since ANBU were trained to sense chakra thanks to his lessons with the Toad Sage in the shinobi ranks.
Naruto noticed the glares from the villagers directed his way, some quite obvious in their hate of him while others were being secretive about it though the latter was quite useless to someone trained in the shinobi arts. Naruto remembered how the villagers cheered his name after defeating Pein in the previous timeline. He wondered if such an obvious display of heroics would trigger the same result.
He nodded to the two Chuunin guards stationed at the entrance of the tower, a nod which was returned without hate in their eyes. Naruto was thankful that the shinobi population was either respectful to him for containing the Kyuubi no Yoko or ignoring him because of it. It was at this point in time that Naruto wished that Kurama was out of his cage since the bijuu's ability to sense negative emotions would have been so handy, as well as some other abilities when the two of them synched up to a perfect jinchuuriki form.
Naruto ignored the secretary glaring at him before knocking on his surrogate grandfather's door. In the previous timeline, he would have just barged in and declared his aim to take the Kage position from the man but he was different this time. If he wanted people to take him seriously then he would treat them in kind. That means that the prankster and knucklehead Naruto would have to take a backseat this time around but would let it out from time to time.
"Good morning, jiji." Naruto greeted the aged leader with a smile on his face.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun. Please take a seat. We have much to discuss." said the Sandaime who was giving the blonde a speculative look while puffing on his pipe.
"Sure," Naruto shrugged before taking the offered seat. "What do you want to talk about, old man?"
"Before we get into that, how are your studies for the graduation exam tomorrow?" Sarutobi asked mildly, starting with the mundane questions before really grilling the boy in front of him for information.
Naruto looked at the aged leader with a questioning look before a sly grin made its way to his face.
"You didn't really bring me here to ask me that question, jiji." said Naruto before chuckling at the sheepish expression on his surrogate grandfather's face. "I'll answer that though. I'm prepared for the graduation exam and I'm sure that I'm going to pass and become a Genin. So what do you really want to talk about, jiji? Does this have something to do with the ANBU observing my training in your hidden training ground?"
Sarutobi was surprised at the boy in front of him. It would seem that Naruto changed and for the better. He knew that the prankster Naruto was still inside the boy but it his studies and training made him a serious individual. He couldn't help but be proud of the boy's growth.
"I guess there's no point beating around the bush." the Sandaime said dryly before leveling Naruto a serious look. "Tell me, Naruto-kun, why the sudden change and why did you hide your skills and abilities? For that matter, when are you going to tell me that you know of the Kyuubi?"
Naruto and Kurama spent quite a lot of hours discussing how to twist the truth around the Hokage, both pointing out flaws in the plan until they came up with one that was not only foolproof, but would help them in the long run. Naruto didn't want to lie to his surrogate grandfather but if he wanted to succeed in defeating Madara and Obito, this was the only way he could think of at the moment.
"Let's go with the last question first. Why didn't you tell me that I was Kyuubi's container?" asked Naruto with a frown on his face. He could see the Sandaime looking guilty. "Anyway, I have no problems with it old man. I think I know why you kept it a secret from me. After all, it wouldn't do for the 'demon brat' to hate the village now, would he?"
"Naruto, I…" started the aged leader but Naruto interrupted him.
"Don't worry about it, jiji." said Naruto with a smile. "I don't hate the villagers. Annoyed? Yes! Hate them? No. I'm just thankful that their hate towards the Kyuubi didn't escalate to the point of physical abuse. The glares and outright hatred didn't really affect me much since I have people who like me despite my…tenant. Anyway, that is the reason why I kept my abilities and skills a secret. I know how the Civilian Council had you wrapped around their thumb, which confused me a bit since you're the Hokage and Konoha is a shinobi village so you have absolute power and control over the citizens, not the council. I think they would put up quite a stink if they realized that the 'demon brat' is getting stronger." He ignored the surprised look on the old man's face before it turned into a sly smile. "Phase one …success!"
"Time to move to phase two, kit."
"I see." Sarutobi said with a nod before his face turned serious. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I think I know how to fix this."
Naruto waved his hand dismissively, as if he never expected it to change but he knew better. It would seem that he gave the man an idea on how to deal with the village's treatment of him.
"No worries, old man. Besides, I don't need to worry about it for any longer. Once I become a Genin, any jurisdiction the civilian council has over me would be moot since I will be a shinobi under your command. One more day to go and I won't need to hide my skills any longer." Naruto said cheerfully making the Sandaime to laugh.
"You are right, Naruto-kun. You are definitely right on that one." Sandaime said with a chuckle before leveling the blonde a serious look. "Now, tell me how you know of the Kyuubi."
"Well, that comes with a weird story actually." Naruto started, chuckling as if remembering something funny. "You see, I was practicing chakra control in the training ground when my control slipped. I hit my head and passed out. I found myself inside a sewer with a large cage on it. Of course, I was afraid when I met the Kyuubi but it would seem that his reputation was blown out of proportions. Did you know that he was controlled when he attacked Konoha?"
Sarutobi was startled. Out of all the things he expected, he didn't expect this one. He gave Naruto a wary, yet serious look.
"Don't be fooled by the Kyuubi, Naruto-kun. He may be softening you up into trusting him so you would let him out of his cage." the Hokage warned his surrogate grandson.
Naruto shook his head in negative.
"Nah, not even once did the fox asked me to let him out." Naruto revealed, surprise showing on the aged leader's face. "In fact, he said and I quote: I rather stay in this prison than be back outside for that damn Uchiha to control me like a pet again."
Naruto rolled his eyes when he heard Kurama snort from his mindscape.
"I…see. Are you sure Kyuubi's telling the truth?" Sarutobi urged, wanting to get as many clarifications as possible since he couldn't detect a smidgen of deception from the boy in front of him.
"He did bring up a few interesting points, jiji." Naruto admitted. "Let's go down into history shall we? With the presence of the bijuus in the Elemental Nation, when was the time that Kyuubi attacked anything?"
Sarutobi thought for it a bit, recalling the various stories he heard of the bijuus.
"Well, the only time that Kyuubi was recorded to attack Konoha was during the Shodaime's battle with Uchiha Madara and the attack on Konoha during your birthday 14 years ago."
"Correct. Kyuubi said that he had no problems with humans in general except for those who tried to capture him, Kumo being an example of this, so he left us relatively alone. However, he was controlled by Uchiha Madara using his evolved Sharingan to do battle with Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Kyuubi mentioned that the Shodai used a sealing technique to destroy the contract that bound him to the man. But before he could get away, Uzumaki Mito used her prowess in seals to absorb Kyuubi and became his first jinchuuriki."
Sarutobi was staring at a calm Naruto with a flabbergasted look on his face. He couldn't deny the fact that Naruto brought up certain parts of history that he couldn't deny. For starters, Kyuubi wasn't lying in the least. There were only three cases where the Demon Fox attacked humans. The first was Kumo when they tried to capture him to add to their military might with the two other jinchuuriki in their arsenal. The second was during his sensei's time in a place now called the Valley of the End. The third was during Naruto's birth. It all made sense.
"So let me get this straight. Kyuubi doesn't want to escape from the seal because that would just give Madara the chance to control him again?" then a thought occurred to him. "Speaking of which, how in Kami is Uchiha Madara still alive?"
Naruto saw his surrogate grandfather starting to get hysterical so he decided to nip this in the bud before the old man suffers a heart attack. Besides, the Sandaime's question opened up phase two quite nicely.
"Well, according to the Kyuubi, Uchiha Madara is still alive. He just didn't know how. He should be dead since no one can live THAT long outside the Uzumaki clan who is well-known for their longevity. My father and mother confirmed that as well." Naruto answered calmly, already expecting the next question.
"You…know who your parents are?" a stunned Sarutobi asked, his voice coming out tight and forced.
" My father is the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and my mother is Konoha's Red Hot Habanero, Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto said eagerly. He didn't pretend since he was always excited when it came to his parents. "Dad and mom appeared in the seal while I was talking to Kyuubi. They told me that during the sealing, they included a part of their chakra and soul into the fuuinjutsu dad used so they would be there to watch over me until their energy ran out. Mom said that they aren't alive, but simply an echo of themselves tied to the seal. Anyway, they confirmed that it was definitely an Uchiha who yanked Kyuubi out of mom's seal that night. Kyuubi confirmed the story that he saw a man wearing an orange mask with a single Sharingan eye who immediately controlled him. I think we all know what happened after that."
"I…think I understand." Sarutobi said with a small nod. He couldn't deny the fact that the boy was telling the truth. He was one of the few people who knew what happened that night. It was unbelievable though that Minato and Kushina sealed a part of themselves into their son. Trust the Yondaime to think of such things. The man was definitely a prodigy in the Sealing Arts. "So you're parents are currently inside you?"
Naruto's face turned sad. He didn't need to fake this too since he missed his parents very much. He knew that they were still inside the seal but it would take for him to actually remove the seal tag on Kurama's cage for the failsafe to activate.
"No, the chakra keeping their souls inside me ran out. They told me everything about the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan with Kyuubi supplying some helpful facts about my mother's family since he knows quite a bit about the famous Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure no Sato." Naruto lied with a sad smile on his face. It was Jiraiya who supplied him with his clan's information. Not much since the others were clan sensitive and only his parents knew of them.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto-kun." said Sarutobi with similar sadness. "You're parents were great people and powerful shinobi. I know they loved you very much. You should have seen your father's face when you came out. He was shouting his happiness for having a son. Kushina was in the same boat too."
"Could…could you tell me a bit about them sometime, jiji?" Naruto said with a bit of desperation in his voice. He really didn't know much about his mother and father with the short time they had in the seal in the previous timeline. This time, however, he would learn everything he could of his family from the man he considered a grandfather in all but blood.
"I'd be happy to do that, Naruto-kun. There's plenty of time for that when we're not busy with our schedule. Maybe we can talk about it over some ramen in the future?" promised the Sandaime before a sly smile appeared on his face. "I take it that your sudden aptitude in the shinobi arts was because of your parents living inside you?"
"Yep! They gave me some tips and pointers on how to get started on my training! They were inside me for a year and they made use of that time to train me as best as they could. Dad would teach me taijutsu and ninjutsu, while mom gave me some advice on my chakra control, physical training tips, and using Kyuubi's chakra. And look, I mastered dad's technique in just a month!" Naruto said with excitement as he held out his hand before forming a text-book perfect Rasengan almost giving the aged Hokage a heart attack in the process.
"You know the Rasengan?" Sarutobi asked in a shocked, yet awed voice. If he didn't believe the boy before, he definitely believe him now since there were only three people who knew of Minato's jutsu – Jiraiya, Kakashi, and himself. Of course, he knew how it was done since Minato explained it to him but he didn't have the chakra control and mentality to pull it off. Only Jiraiya learned it since Kakashi couldn't master the third aspect of its creation, allowing him to jumpstart the creation of his two original techniques – the Chidori, and its stronger counterpart, the Raikiri. "Don't tell me he taught you the Hiraishin too?"
Naruto shook his head in negative making the Hokage sigh in relief.
"I know the schematics of Hiraishin no Jutsu but dad told me that I need to have a master's knowledge of fuuinjutsu, make sure my body could handle high-speed movement, and near-perfect chakra control to pull it off. I guess I might be able to do Hiraishin in the future if I push through with my studies on seals and keep training my speed which I'm doing right now, by the way." Naruto said sadly. He knew how the Hiraishin worked thanks to Jiraiya explaining the concept to him in the previous timeline but recreating his father's famed space-time jutsu was out of his reach at the moment since he didn't have a solid foundation on the Sealing Arts. He did promise himself to continue studying though but the lack of books about the subject was a hindrance. An idea occurred to him. "Hey jiji, can you give me some books on seals? I already checked the library and there's nothing there other than the basics."
Sarutobi chuckled. The boy was definitely turning out to be surprising shinobi. Naruto was definitely strong considering who trained him, two Kage-level shinobi who made Iwa and Kumo quake in their proverbial boots. He was astounded at Naruto's growth since with only a year of his parents training him, he turned out to be someone to be reckoned with. He knew that the boy was going to go far.
"Of course. Before Kyuubi attacked, your father brought all of his books and scrolls to me for safekeeping. I was going to give them to you when you made Chuunin so you can study them. Your mother also had a few scrolls around that she got from Mito-sama so that is part of your inheritance as well. Since you already know of your parents, I can give them to you. Your parents also have a decent size property in one of the secluded parts of the village so you can stay there instead of your apartment. I'll give you your inheritance later, alright?"
"Sure thing, jiji. That would be so cool!" Naruto crowed as he couldn't keep his excitement under control. No wonder Jiraiya told him that all of his mother and father's possession was lost since he didn't know that his dad gave it to the Sandaime for safekeeping. He was so going to kick Madara and Obito's ass in the future. He could practically feel Kurama's excitement from behind the seal.
"Kit, you might want to come up with something regarding the Toad Contract. You can mention that your father told you about it and to relay it to the pervert or the geezer."Kurama quipped, seeing the chance to give Naruto an edge in battle.
"Good point. Let me do that now." thought Naruto. "Jiji, dad told me to tell you or…um…Jiraiya about the Toad Contract. He and Kyuubi discussed it at some length that I would need a 'key' of sorts to complete sync with Kyuubi."
"Hm, I'm not sure what Minato meant but I'm sure Jiraiya knows something about it. Tell you what, I'll send word after our talk to have Jiraiya meet with you next time he's in the village." Sarutobi offered, not really surprised that Minato gave explicit instructions to his son to make him stronger.
"Thanks, old man." Naruto cheered, happy that one of his plans was being accelerated. If things work out, he would be able to completely sync with Kurama before the Chuunin Exams. He definitely needed the extra ace since he and his team would be facing Orochimaru. His goal was to reach the tower before the attack or take the snake idiot down.
"You're welcome, Naruto-kun. Now, tell me how far you are in your training? Don't leave anything out." Sarutobi asked the boy who now had a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't know that the blonde was busy talking to his tenant.
"So, you think I should tell him?"
"I think you should. You know my ability to sense negative emotions. I didn't get any from the old man so he is trustworthy. Besides, if he knows how strong you are then he would be more forthcoming. This would also open up a way for you to inform him of Orochimaru's planned invasion during the Chuunin Exam. I think we both agree that he shouldn't die this time around."
"I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. Well, here goes." Naruto said before ending his mental conversation with his tenant and addressing his surrogate grandfather. "Well, I started with chakra control after researching it in the library since I can't make the Academy Bunshin. Mom said that was normal since Kyuubi ensured that I have too much chakra to completely control. She taught me the Kage Bunshin though so that's good."
"So Kushina taught you the Kage Bunshin eh?" Sarutobi mused. "You should know that Kushina was the one who gave that technique to Konoha when she relocated here from Uzu. The Uzumaki clan is well-known for their potent chakra. Add Kyuubi to the mix then you have more chakra than anyone. Continue please, Naruto-kun."
"Thanks for the information, old man. Anyway, I already mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking but I still can't control my chakra enough for an illusionary clone. That was when mom taught methe Kage Bunshin and its ability to relay information. Let me tell you, that technique is a godsend. Thanks to mom's tip about that, my training improved since I can assign clones to do one form of training while I do others without wasting time."
Sarutobi nodded in approval, grinning at how Naruto was able to make use of a chakra-taxing technique to his advantage.
"Good call on that one. I think only someone of your caliber can safely use that technique to increase the benefits of shinobi training. How many can you bring out?"
"I'm not sure. The last time I tried using most of my chakra produced three hundred stable clones." Naruto said with a shrug. He could make more using Kurama's chakra but the Sandaime didn't need to know that.
"Three…hundred? Uh…proceed." Sarutobi was dizzy. He knew that Naruto had tons of chakra to spare but he didn't know the boy had that much. The boy was a ninjutsu powerhouse! He wondered if he still have any of that Sake left. No wonder Tsunade always drink. It definitely helps keeping his sanity intact.
Naruto snickered at the glazed look on the old leader's face.
"Let me see, dad taught me the Toad Style taijutsu he learned from his sensei then his Rasengan. Mom tried to teach me her chakra chains but it would seem that the technique was only unique to her. Dad trained me in my wind affinity since he is wind natured as well. I can also do basic to intermediate seals but I need to practice my calligraphy to improve my speed in making them. Oh yeah, dad also had me train using weights to improve my speed since it is necessary if I decide to do Hiraishin, something about the pressure of an almost-teleportation destroying the body if it is not accustomed to it. I think that's it."
"I see. So I take it that you helped Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura in their training?" Sarutobi asked mildly. Learning it from Kakashi was one thing, getting the details from Naruto was definitely worst.
Naruto nodded in affirmative.
"I made friends with the two and they wanted to join me in my training. I used what I learned in the library and during classes to help them along. They already mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking but they were the ones to branch out with their training. Sasuke is more of a ninjutsu-genjutsu fighter while Sakura is a support medic and taijutsu specialist with her strength. Let me tell you, that girl can definitely control her chakra. She is a monster!" Naruto said with a shudder which was unconsciously mimicked by the Sandaime since he knew the feeling courtesy of Tsunade. "Oh yeah, before you ask, they know of the Kyuubi and they had no problems with it."
"I know. My ANBU told me you used Kyuubi's chakra and how you talked to them about it. Speaking of which, what can you do with Kyuubi's chakra and why is he helping you out?"
"Kyuubi is helping me because he doesn't want a weak container." Naruto said with a shrug.
"Damn right, I don't." Kurama quipped.
"That's reasonable…I guess." Sarutobi said dubiously. Who knew that the Kyuubi was a vain bijuu? He wondered if the demon fox was right in the head.
"Why do I suddenly have an urge to kill disbelieving old men?" Kurama muttered darkly all of a sudden.
"I think you need sleep, Kurama. You haven't had any for two days now since you were planning for the future."
"I think you're right. I'll take a nap. Wake me up if something interesting happens. Good night."
"It's still morning."
"You know what I mean."growled the fox before Naruto felt his mental link with his partner end.
"Anything else, old man?" Naruto asked as he made himself comfortable on the couch. "I still have training with Sasuke and Sakura in an hour."
"What can you do with Kyuubi's chakra?"
"Hm, I can use a bit of it to strengthen my clones. Actually, that was Kyuubi's idea and it works too. I can use up to five tails of his chakra safely without repercussion since he is helping me get used to his energy. He said to take it slow since my body needed to mature to handle more of his power. Being Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, he gave me an ability to form my chakra info a shroud that I can use for defense and offense. I trained with it for a while now and it's so cool!"
"I know. My ANBU told me about it as well." said Sarutobi with a nod, happy with the answer. He was a bit worried about Kyuubi letting Naruto use his power but he would give the bijuu the benefit of a doubt for now. He needed to get Jiraiya and Tsunade back into the village and it had better be soon. He stood up from his chair and went over to the portrait of the Yondaime. He took it off the wall to reveal a safe. He bit his thumb to draw blood and swiped it across the seal on its face to disable the protection. He opened the safe and took out three scrolls before going back to the table. "Here is your inheritance, Naruto-kun. The reason I didn't give this to you before was because you weren't mature enough to handle it though it's safe to say that you're definitely mature enough for them now."
Naruto took the scrolls and saw that it was labeled accordingly. The blue scroll had 'Namikaze' written on its face while the red one had 'Uzumaki', The third one had 'Money'. He looked at the Hokage who was writing something on a piece of paper and looked at him when he was done.
"Those are modified storage scrolls your father made before he passed away. They hold more items than your usual storage seals so all of their books and scrolls are in there. The third scroll is the money they accumulated throughout their lifetime. Let's say that you're one of the richest members of this village and leave it at that." the aged leader handed the paper to Naruto. "This is the address of your parent's estate. They had protective seals around the compound, sealing it off to everyone except those with their blood. To open the estate, all you need to do is to place a bit of blood on the Uzumaki swirl beside the gate. The seals will do the rest."
"Thanks, jiji." Naruto said with a large smile on his face.
"You're welcome, Naruto-kun. My office is open anytime if you wish for us to talk about your parents. Good luck in your exam though I daresay you don't need it." Sarutobi said with a smile on his face.
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Naruto immediately looked for Sakura and Sasuke, and found both of them training in their usual spot. The two forgave him for skipping out on training for the day when the blonde informed them of what transpired in the Hokage's office. They agreed to meet tomorrow in the Academy for their exam.
He easily located his parents' house thanks to the direction the Hokage gave him. The Namikaze and Uzumaki clan house was found deep in a forest just beside Training Ground 44, or lovingly called the Forest of Death by the locals. He couldn't imagine why his parents placed their clan home in such a dangerous area but it was irrelevant since there was a rather large wall that separated his soon-to-be home from his dangerous and rabid neighbors.
Accessing the compound was easy since the seal powering the protection recognized his blood. The gate opened to reveal a large two-storey home. The grounds were spacious but needs to be worked on since the garden was overgrown and all over the place. It was nothing a few hundred clones couldn't fix.
He toured the outside first, noting the sizable training ground complete with equipments behind the house. There was a fenced vegetable garden that needs to be tended as well since it was similar to the garden out front. A small shed that Naruto knew contained gardening supplies judging from the tools littering one side of it. He noticed that the wall separating the compound from the Forest of Death was littered with slightly glowing seals he wasn't familiar with. He made a point to look at his parents' journal if available to see what they did and maybe learn them himself. It could be useful in the long run.
Naruto definitely liked his new home and his parents definitely knew how to live in style. The living room sported modern amenities and the couch was definitely comfortable enough to sleep on. The kitchen was grand and Naruto had a sneaky suspicion that he inherited his cooking skills from either his dad or mom, possibly both. Everything he needed was there and couldn't help get started. He checked the cupboard and noticed that the food there were still fresh thanks to the preservation seals lining the insides. He couldn't say the same thing about the fridge though judging from the smell coming from it.
He continued exploring the first floor. He found a guest room and a mini library that had basic books and scrolls about the shinobi arts. Nothing interesting that merited his attention. However, what made him curious was a door lined with seals that wouldn't budget no matter how much he tried to force it open. Heck, even a Rasengan didn't dent the damn thing.
Following his instinct, he bit his finger and placed the bleeding digit on the Uzumaki swirl on the face. It glowed for a bit before hearing an audible click that gave evidence to the door unlocking, granting him entry. He went inside and couldn't help but marvel at the real library of the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clan.
Quite a lot of books and scrolls on various shinobi arts lined the shelves. He excitedly checked them out to discover that his parents were a neat freak. Each shelf was labeled – fuuinjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and general books. Heck, there was a small shelf dedicated to summoning contracts and Naruto saw three large scrolls there with the Kanji of Cat, Bear, and Wolf. Naruto drooled at the things he could learn with the help of his parents' library.
He regretfully stopped checking out the library to move to the second floor. He saw his parents' rather large bedroom and decided that it would be his room from now on. There was another room of the same size beside it and it was sparsely decorated. The third room brought tears to his eyes. It was a baby's room, his room. It had a banner stating 'Welcome to the world, Naruto!' and stuffed toys by the dozens. His love for his parents in his heart bloomed since this was visual evidence that they cared for him even before he came out of his mother's womb.
Grinning like a loon, Naruto closed the nursery before exiting the house to get started in fixing his new home. He created a hundred clones and assigned them into groups to empty his apartment to be brought to his new home, clean the garden and vegetable patch, clean the kitchen and the fridge, and buy food and other necessities. He also told some of the clones to check the training ground and to update the place on the latest training equipments. His friends would definitely get a kick out of this.
He made a mental note to check his parent's journal to see if they had notes on the security seals on the property.
Seeing that everything was well on its way to fixing his new home, he retired to his parents' bedroom to get started on the scrolls his parents left him.
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Naruto now knew why his parents didn't leave the scrolls in their secured library. The scrolls contained clan-related information related to the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan. The money was also quite welcome and Naruto was dumbfounded when his clones finished counting the stash that practically took up half the room. He was a millionaire and made a mental note to drop a few million of it in the bank and leaving the rest inside the scroll for safekeeping.
The blue scroll contained information on the Namikaze Clan, his father's notes on Rasengan and Hiraishin, research on some fuuinjutsu designs he had in the works, as well as some wind jutsus his father had been working on. He was giddy in actually having the original blueprint of the Hiraishin no Jutsu since that would definitely speed up the learning of his father's famed technique that earned him the moniker of Yellow Flash. He still planned to learn fuuinjutsu though since it was a very useful art.
According to a scroll on Namikaze Clan history, the family itself came from Kumo but relocated to Konoha after almost being wiped out by a rival clan who was quite jealous of their control over wind. That and the fact that the clan held the counter to the country's lightning affinity didn't help them in the least. Naruto now knew why he had a powerful affinity to wind. It was a bloodline he acquired from his father – allowing them to manipulate wind for both offense and defense without resorting to hand signs. Hiraishin was actually an adaptation to the speed technique of the clan's wind affinity though Hiraishin just took it to the extreme.
The Uzumaki clan history wasn't really new to Naruto, only shedding a few lights to Kurama's knowledge of his mother's family being a descendant of the Rikkudo Sennin. However, the scroll also contained his mother's personal training journal, Uzumaki water jutsus, and his mother's sword, Benihime, were a welcome revelation. He made a mental note to learn his mother's kenjutsu since it was part of his legacy.
It was already three hours past midnight that Naruto finally finished looking through the inheritance his parents left him. He decided to call it a night since he needed to rest up for the graduation exam in the morning. He knew that he could easily ace the thing on his worst day but he didn't want to leave things to chance.
Besides, he knew that Mizuki would be making a break for the Forbidden Scroll so he needed to be in top form tomorrow to bring the man down. An evil grin made its way to his face as he fell into a deep sleep.
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Naruto was grinning like a loon seeing the frustrated face of Mizuki when he aced the written test and the weapons proficiency test. He, Sakura, and Sasuke were practically plowing their way through the exam, doing everything in a perfect way that left their classmates in the dust. It didn't help that the trio were joking around without a care in the world as if the exams were a joke.
The blonde couldn't help but notice Sasuke's fan club giving Sakura a glare as his pink-haired surrogate sister happily chatted with the last loyal Uchiha of Konoha, him enjoying the conversation much to their ire. Naruto wasn't worried since Sakura could easily handle a bunch of fan girls with her super strength. They'll definitely regret crossing her at this point in time.
Naruto couldn't help but snicker when the alphabetical order of the examinees caused Mizuki to fight his two friends who knew that he resented their blonde surrogate brother because of what he carried within him. Sakura practically brought him down in one blow after using her speed to get under his guard while Sasuke toyed with him at first before getting bored of the whole thing and gave the man a cracked rib and bruises with a furious punch-kick combo while holding back a majority of his strength.
Naruto was surprised, however, when Yamanaka Ino was called before him making her Iruka's partner. It would seem that Mizuki wanted to have a crack at him. Naruto grinned evilly causing the people who saw it to take a step back. Who was he to disappoint?
When he was called to the ring, Mizuki was already there waiting for him, grinning as if he won the jackpot. When Iruka called the fight to start, the white-haired Chuunin shot forward at max speed. The examinees gasped when they saw him disappear from his spot. To Naruto and his friends, it was like he was moving in slow motion. Their daily high-speed spars definitely honed their sight to the point that they could follow at pin-point accuracy even when a person was moving at top speed. They knew they still had a long way to go but they were working on it.
So far, only Sasuke could see up to Jounin level speeds thanks to his Sharingan, though that didn't stop Naruto and Sakura honing their instincts to keep up.
Naruto dodged a frontal punch that would have caved his face. He continued to evade Mizuki's overpowered blows with a smile which turned into a huge grin when he saw the frustration on the man's face.
It was already two minutes into the fight that Naruto decided to go into the offensive since he only has a minute left till the time limit. He ducked to avoid a high-kick from the side before kicking the man's exposed leg from under him, causing Mizuki to fall on his back. He didn't give the downed Chuunin a chance to recuperate. He ended the fight with a chakra enhanced elbow drop to the man's stomach. Mizuki screamed in pain before blacking out.
The entire class was silent at the brutal way Uzumaki Naruto felled their Chuunin instructor.
Iruka, however, gave Naruto a smile before looking disappointedly at his downed co-instructor. He looked at the class and raised his hand signaling the end of the fight.
"Winner. Uzumaki Naruto."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Naruto was shadowing Iruka since the theft of the scroll was discretely announced. He was perched just outside the Hokage's window listening to the report before the aged leader dispatched everyone to search for the culprit. The blonde knew that Iruka would find the traitor first since the scar-faced instructor was a sensor and Naruto knew that his sensei sensed the chakra signature of the person who went into the Hokage's office to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.
It was half an hour later that Naruto saw Iruka confront Mizuki while the man was about to leave the village walls. A small fight ensued between the two instructors with Naruto deciding to play the wait-and-see game since he wasn't around this time to distract Iruka from the fight.
However, it proved that fate didn't do him any favors when Mizuki resorted to his trump card that Naruto didn't know he had. Mizuki pulled out a vial containing a purple liquid of sorts and downed it one go. The blonde thought it was poison at first but he was disabused of that assumption when Mizuki's chakra burst forth from his body as he transformed into something similar to a tiger.
Knowing that Iruka was in trouble now since Naruto could sense with his limited sensor abilities that Mizuki's energy levels went from Chuunin level to Jounin, he decided to butt in and right on time too since the traitor dashed at Iruka at Jounin level speeds, intent to take the man's head off with a swipe of his now-clawed hands if not for Naruto intercepting it.
Naruto dropped his weights and used his speed to appear in front of his favorite sensei, grabbed Mizuki's outstretched arm by the wrist and turned, using the momentum to throw the transformed man to the side with all of his strength to smack back first into a tree with a loud crack. Unfortunately for Naruto, it would seem that Mizuki's body was stronger now since it was the tree that gave way.
"Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked Iruka, not taking his eyes off the transformed Chuunin. Naruto had a sneaky feeling that whatever Mizuki drank was similar to the effect of the cursed seal due to the black tattoos covering the man's face. It would seem that Orochimaru was behind the man's defection and the theft of Konoha's prized relic.
"N-Naruto! What are you doing here? Get away now! Mizuki is dangerous!" Iruka all but screamed but was surprised when Naruto simply gave him a smile.
"Let me take care of this, Iruka-sensei. Besides," Naruto then looked up when he sensed two familiar chakra signatures. "Cavalry has arrived."
"What?" asked Iruka before looking up to see Haruno Sakura adjusting the gloves on her hand and Uchiha Sasuke glaring at Mizuki with his complete Sharingan and one hand on the handle of his chokuto. "Sasuke? Sakura?"
"What are you two doing here?" Naruto asked the two who both leveled him a smirk.
"You think that we're going to let you have all the fun?" Sasuke asked rhetorically but Sakura conked him on the head. "Ow! What was that for woman?"
"Ignore the bloodthirsty idiot." she deadpanned, giving Sasuke a condescending look. "We were on our way to your apartment when he heard the news of the Forbidden Scroll being stolen. We immediately went to your apartment but we didn't find you there. However, I was able to find you using your chakra signature so here we are."
"I'm not surprised you found me but now is not a good time to jump in." Naruto said grimly as he nudged his head toward the tiger-like Mizuki pushing himself off the ground. He saw the man's eyes and realized that the man known as Mizuki wasn't there anymore. There was a feral quality there that meant that whatever he drank destroyed whatever sanity he had to begin with. "That…thing is no longer Mizuki-teme."
To answer their questioning look, Mizuki roared as powerful purple chakra manifested from his body, shooting towards the sky. Iruka shivered at the amount of malicious energy the man was releasing but was shocked to see the tree newly-minted Genins not even afraid as they shifted their focus on the man beast in front of them.
"Let's get out of here, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke." urged Iruka, prepared to grab Naruto and make a run for it. He knew that the chakra spike would draw the ANBU to their location. "Only ANBU can take care of him now."
Naruto shrugged before looking at his surrogate brother and sister who both nodded at him, their faces grim.
"We'll take care of it, Iruka-sensei. Just relax and watch the show." Naruto said with a smile on his face before disappearing and reappearing in front of Mizuki and gave him an uppercut to the chin. He winced since Mizuki's skin was like metal. It hurt but he knew that his healing factor was already working its magic.
Iruka was awed when Naruto used pure speed that outmatched his own to appear under Mizuki's guard and gave him an uppercut that threw the man into the air. He was shocked when Sasuke used the same speed to continue the uppercut that pushed Mizuki higher. His jaw dropped when Sakura appeared on top of man and punched him on the face towards the ground with a fist laced with concentrated chakra. Mizuki hit the ground with a crash and the force of Sakura's chakra enhanced strength formed a deep crater on the impact site.
The trio appeared at the edge of the Mizuki-made crater.
"A bit excessive on the strength there, Sakura." Sasuke commented as he eyed how deep the crater was, roughly 15 feet if he was not mistaken. He winced when he felt a slight pain on his hand "Man, did Mizuki eat metal for breakfast? Hitting his face was like hitting one."
"Must be something he ate." Sakura noted as she healed her friend's hand.
"Drank actually. It's not over, guys." Naruto warned when another chakra spike came out of the crater. "Mizuki's not down for the count yet."
"No shit." Sasuke exclaimed as he pulled out his chokuto in a reverse grip while channeling lighting chakra into the blade, covering it with highly concentrated lightning. He gave the two a look. "All out?"
"Might as well." Naruto said with a shrug. "He's not going down that easily if we don't take him seriously. Just don't kill him. I'm sure jiji wants to have a crack at him during interrogation."
"Fine with me." said Sasuke before the three of them jumped away when Mizuki suddenly appeared where they once stood and destroyed the ground with a chakra enhanced punch.
Iruka marveled at the teamwork his three former students displayed as they danced around Mizuki and getting under his guard, giving out attacks that would put Chuunins to shame while dodging effectively without pause. Sasuke used his chokuto with amazing accuracy, piercing through Mizuki's enhanced defense, cutting muscles and tendons that would incapacitate any regular shinobi. Sakura was practically punching and kicking Mizuki with enough force that threw the man-tiger around the clearing, destroying trees and ground with equal ferocity.
The Academy instructor was surprised when Naruto used what looked like wind blades on his hands to riddle Mizuki's body with cuts and gashes, weakening the man with pain and blood loss.
It seemed that everything was going to end since Sakura jumped high into the air, one of her legs raised high in a perfect vertical split. Iruka noticed her boot covered with concentrated chakra.
"Take this!" she screamed as she brought her boot down on Mizuki's head, making it to snap down and bringing the rest of the body with him. The traitor's body impacted the ground with so much force that another crater was formed, this time bigger than the last one. Naruto appeared on top of a downed Mizuki with a glowing orb of chakra on his palm before shoving it onto the center of the man's back, drilling away the enhanced skin to reveal bloody muscles and bone underneath.
Sasuke made the final blow by appearing beside the man with a lightning coated palm strike on the spot where Naruto's attack hit. Iruka winced when Mizuki released a scream as the pain of the three attacks was magnified by the surge of lightning chakra coursing through his body. Mizuki stopped screaming when he passed out from the trio's unrelenting barrage.
Iruka looked at the faces of the trio who was looking down at Mizuki with satisfied smiles on their faces. These three were definitely not normal Genins.
End of Chapter 4
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