Calling Upon the Shadows of the Past

By: TheDeadGirlRisen

Beta'ed by: N/A

Chapter Six Teaser: Rivals and training.

Author Notes: So this is some new details, fixing up the massive time skip I had in the original. Also I started this version a year younger then the Naruto of the original. It fixed some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff I had going.

Helpful Note: Ten Ryo is equal to one dollar in the US.

Naruto age and Month: 5 years old, October 1st-9th

Original Word Count: 0

New Word Count: 3554

Date Written: 7/9/19

Date Posted: 7/11/19

Arc 1: The First Year of the Academy

Part Six

[October 1st: Tuesday]

He woke up and threw on some clothes before he eagerly went to his mail slot, it contained his money for the month. Going back inside of his apartment he went to the table where Hashirama was sitting with some see through book. Naruto paused at that, how did he have a spirit book?

To excited to properly think about that he opened the envelope and pulled out the money. "Let's see. The monthly rent is 8,000 ryo."

Madara raised an eyebrow at that from his spot of leaning on the wall. He glanced around and shook his head a bit. "That seems to be pretty expensive for this rundown place."

"Really? What do you think the price should be?"

"From the state of this place, maybe around half that."

"It's probably that there has been some inflation since we died Madara," Hashirama pointed out.

"Hn."

"After the academy I need to go shopping to restock my food," Naruto told the spirits. Hashirama gave a nod.

Naruto got the money and went to the front desk where he paid the landlady who was sitting there to receive the payments. She watched him the entire time with narrowed suspicious eyes. He didn't say a word as he handed over the money. Slowly she counted it making sure it was all there before nodding to him and he left.

The rest of the money was kept securely on him. His apartment had been broken into a couple times, and the one time he had money left in the building it had been stolen. His lesson was learned after that, and Naruto never left his money, or anything of importance to him in the apartment. Not that he really had anything he considered important.

He went to the academy and only paid enough attention in order to take notes for Shikamaru. He was getting pretty good at just being able to write what was being said without paying much actual attention.

At the end of the day he gave his notes to Shikamaru before heading off to go shopping for food. Hashirama and Madara joined him as soon as the academy ended. So they went shopping, Hashirama kept pointing out different healthy foods Naruto should get to grow up big and strong.

Yet Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to afford all of it, he would have to pay the orphan tax afterall. Still he couldn't say anything out loud since people were nearby so he figured he would just let Hashirama see the price.

The Shodai probably didn't know about the orphan tax, Naruto was pretty sure it had been set up after the Kyuubi attack when there was a large boom of orphans. He didn't understand why there was an orphan tax, he thought they should be getting discounts. It wasn't his decision to make though.

Going to checkout he saw the price and sighed, it was way more than his monthly allowance. He glanced at Hashirama to see him look shocked when the cashier mentioned the orphan tax. Another glance at Madara showed him that Madara's face could have been carved out of rock from how frozen in stoicism it was.

"Let me but some of the groceries back," Naruto told the cashier and the man sneered at him and grumbled about him wasting his time.

"Are those prices normal for you Naruto-kun?" Hashirama questioned.

Naruto gave a small nod in response.

"This won't do at all! What is with that Orphan tax? That can't be real," Hashirama spoke starting to pace back and forth as Naruto moved to put away most of the vegetables. "Are all the stores like this?"

Naruto once more nodded in confirmation. "Right! We are going to have to set you up with your own source of food then. Leave all of this, we are going to a greenhouse nursery. I know one of them existed, hopefully it's still around."

Hashirama marched off and Madara and him followed after him, Madara wearing an exasperated look and Naruto was mostly confused. Then Hashirama entered the abandoned district and Naruto shuddered, "Do we have to go there?" He asked stopping before fully entering that area.

Hashirama turned and blinked at him surprised, "Yeah, the nursery was in this area."

Naruto shivered feeling eyes on him and took a couple steps away. "That areas been abandoned… besides its haunted."

Madara raised an eyebrow, "You can see spirits, and yet you consider it haunted?"

He nodded and his eyes flickered to the side where he thought he saw some movement. With another shudder he barely managed to whisper out, "It's because I see spirits that I know that place is haunted… the spirits there are unstable."

Naruto shook and as he caught another flicker to the edge of his vision he turned and fled. Ever since that night he couldn't stand being around this part of Konoha. After a few minutes he stopped. That area terrified him.

"Right… well we still need to find a nursery, maybe ask around then?" Hashirama suggested a worried look in his eyes.

As long as he didn't have to enter that area Naruto would be fine with it, with that though Naruto started asking around, ignoring that most people glared at him and ignored him. Finally someone pointed him in a general direction and Naruto made his way there. It took an hour but he eventually found it and Hashirama directed him to buy several plants. Then Naruto had to carry all of them as Hashirama led him to another training field.

It wasn't the one he normally trained at, this one was instead more heavily forested and seemed faintly ominous. Was that a giant snake?

"Here we go! Training ground 44, I made it personally."

Madara blinked, "When did you make this?"

Hashirama gained a despondent look. "After I killed you..."

The raven haired man gained a look of understanding, "Baka, you did what you had to, now come on let's go."

Naruto blinked as Hashirama just seemed to grin at Madara and then they entered into the forest, completely missing the keep out signs. They didn't go far only a few hundred feet until Hashirama had him stop and start digging into the ground and set up the plants. After a couple hours of digging into the ground and replanting the crops he stood up and stretched. Night had fallen an hour ago.

So Naruto went back to his apartment and took a shower and then ate his last cup of noodles before going to bed.

The next day he woke up did his morning routine of running past his point of exhaustion and then taking a shower before heading to the academy and collapsing into the chair. He was getting faster though. At least according to Hashirama. He took notes and handed them to Shikamaru, who handed him back yesterday notes. The boy made a spare copy of the notes when he got home apparently. Either that or memorized them, either way Naruto got his notes back.

The end of the day came and the ghost duo were waiting for him and once more they went back to the forest of death. Madara crossed his arms and stared at him, "Today I will be showing you trap making and hunting."

"Don't you need wires and stuff for traps?" Naruto asked.

"I will be showing you how to make traps using the resources around you. Be glad that it is me teaching you, Hashirama has always been terrible at traps."

"And you are a terrible gardner."

"I can plant my seeds just fine," Madara retorted.

Hashirama's eyes narrowed, "Not that anybody ever buys your produces."

Madara just smirked, "I already have the only person I need buying my products."

Naruto blinked confused. What was going on, were the two arguing? It didn't really sound like arguing. He didn't really want to see them fight, so he decided to interrupt, "Please don't fight."

Hashirama turned to him and cooed. "Don't worry me and Madara aren't fighting. Why don't you begin your lesson Madara."

"You should pay attention as well, maybe you will pick something up. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you somehow managed to make it explode again."

Hashirama gained those depressive lines around his head again. "That was one time…" He muttered sullenly.

Madara shook his head with an amused look in his eyes, but he turned and started explaining how to make traps. How to find the traces of game in the forest and the best places to put the traps.

After a couple hours of practicing making the traps Madara declared him, "Adequate."

Hashirama went wide eyed at that though, "Woah, you must be a natural at trapping. Madara never gives such high praise. I remember when a supposed trap master had decided to undergo Madara's test. Madara had rated him as 'Pitiful'."

Madara smirked in amusement, "Hn."

Once more he was only leaving when night fell, but he was pretty happy with himself.

Hashirama had pointed out a ton of berry plants, it seemed that this forest was able to grow berries despite it being late fall. Hashirama theorized it had something to do with his chakra being what created the plants.

Naruto had managed to eat his fill of berries, and they were some of the best fruits he had ever eaten, they were so sweet and flavorful. He went home took a shower and went to bed. Tomorrow he would be bringing a bucket to the forest to collect the berries to store in his fridge.

He woke up and grabbed a small lunch container he had, he would fill it with berries. He did his normal morning training went to the academy took notes, then PE came and he practiced his kata's. Sensei didn't care if your practiced clan or your own katas or the academy katas so long as you were practicing.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was glaring at him. Naruto glared back and started to push himself harder. He would beat the boy.

Sasuke seeing this also pushed himself harder. He would not be outdone by some clanless wannabe shinobi.

In that moment a rivalry was born. Both of them wanted to improve and outdo the other. One had the help of an entire clan, and the other had the help of two legends. The day ended and Naruto returned to the forest with Hashirama and Madara, after checking and resetting the traps he practiced his kata's again.

He hadn't caught anything, but that was fine Madara said it might take awhile. He left tired and worn out as Hashirama pushed him hard. But he also had a lunch bento full of berries. And he had eaten his fill. He went home and put the container in the fridge. Then he took a shower and went to bed a large grin on his face.

He was happy that the ghosts were willing to train and teach him, he was learning so much. They never glared at him for asking questions, never insulted him. The next morning he woke up and did his morning training with an extra hop in his step.

Even as the villagers glared at him he couldn't help but grin. Hashirama and Madara were awesome and he was glad that they were willing to teach him. Still he was practicing what Tobirama had taught him, and as he grinned he noticed that some of the villagers seemed unsettled and wary. He caught whispers of them wondering if he was planning something.

They acted like he was going to snap and kill them at any moment. Naruto continued grinning, but the happiness was gone. Why did the villagers act like so?

He went to the academy and wrote the notes. For lunch he could eat the berries. At the end of the day he spent an hour with Shikamaru studying the notes. Even if studying didn't really help his grades. No matter how hard he had studied he barely was able to get a passing grade. So he decided to focus more on the physical training and only studied with Shikamaru.

Why did he need to know history or about some fantasy book written to be a ninja? He didn't but the merge academy was focused on teaching them basic civilian stuff for those who weren't able to make it as ninja.

After he was done studying with Shikamaru he went to the forest and checked the traps, a couple of them had been activated, and one of them even had a corpse in it. What the animal had been he couldn't tell, one of the forest's predators had gotten to the animal before he could. So he reset the traps, continued training and picked more berries before he left.

The next day was Saturday and as such he could spend the majority of his day training. He ate the berries for breakfast before leaving his apartment. He ran laps around the old training field before moving to the forest where he checked his traps to find that there was no sign of anything having been caught.

He trained for hours under Hashirama, stopping only when his stomach rumbled. He didn't want to eat the berries though, "I'm going to Ichiraku's for lunch, I haven't eaten there in forever."

Hashirama and Madara shrugged and followed him as he went to the ramen shop, "Ah Naruto, how is my favorite customer doing?" The old man asked with a grin.

"I'm doing fine! 3 Miso's please."

"Coming right up."

Soon he was served and Naruto quickly started to devour the food. After he was stuffed he paid the ramen stand owner and waved at Ayame, she was 12 and was starting to learn how to cook ramen.

He returned to the forest and checked on how the garden was going. Hashirama said they seemed to be growing pretty fast. Then he went back to training. That night he went to bed tired.

The next day instead of going to the forest Madara led Hashirama and him to a large lake, "Today I will be teaching you how to fish, since the forest does not seem to be giving us much game."

Hashirama groaned, "Madara… the way you fish is not the correct way."

"It is effective, that is all that matters."

Hashirama shook his head.

"Ignore Hashirama, he is simply jealous that I always catch more fish than him," Madara told Naruto smirking.

"Throwing fireballs at a lake does not count as fishing!" Hashirama protested.

"I get the fish do I not?"

"You do," Hashirama reluctantly admitted.

"Then it counts as fishing. Now my young student, I would demonstrate, but as I am just a ghost the results would not exactly be visible. I will be teaching you the great fireball, and when you have it learned you will aim it down at the lake and boil the water killing the fish within. Then we will scoop up our catch and have dinner."

Madara showed him the seals necessary and directed him. Hours passed with Naruto practicing and burning his throat and coughing smoke. By the end of the day he was able to make a small fireball, only 2 and a half feet wide and round. Madara said he would improve with practice.

With such a small fireball it took him a long time, but he managed to kill a fish. Madara then taught him how to gut and clean the fish. Naruto carried the meat home and following Madara's directions he cooked it in the oven, it was simple, but filling.

The next day was Monday and Naruto had to do the academy. He went for his normal run before showering and then heading to the academy. He took notes and gave them to Shikamaru before going to the forest.

He did his training for the day and before he left he grabbed berries as he checked his traps. He was surprised to find one of his traps had managed to catch a fairly large squirrel in it. He grabbed it and went to a river like Madara told him and then skinned and gutted the squirrel. "Let us return to your apartment, I will teach you how to cook," Madara spoke and gave an amused chuckle when Hashirama suggested that he could help.

"You burn everything. Even things that do not need heat to be cooked. The only times you got a home cooked meal was if Mito or I made you something."

"So mean…" Hashirama muttered that depressive cloud of his appearing over his head.

So when Naruto returned to his apartment and put the squirrel meat in the fridge. Since he had no supplies Madara directed him to a store for a few basic spices and supplies. It took away a good chunk of his money, but Madara said the supplies would last for a great many meals. With that he returned and started cooking the meat, following Madara's directions.

Roasted squirrel tasted amazing. It was mouth watering. Even though it had ended up slightly burned. He went to bed with a full stomach and dreamed of squirrels and ramen.

He woke up Tuesday the 8th and went to do his run, he was surprised by just how much more energy he seemed to have now that he was eating everyday. He was able to push himself harder, run even faster. He still was worn out after a couple hours, but that was because of how much he was pushing himself.

Naruto ignored the glares and instead gave a large grin and forced an extra hop in his step even if his legs hurt. The glares turned wary and slightly fearful. Naruto pretended he didn't notice. The villagers seemed to fear him for whatever reason, and Naruto wanted to annoy them for their glares.

Why couldn't they just treat him like a normal person?

Going to the academy he wrote notes and gave them to Shikamaru before going to the forest. He was training with Hashirama when the man asked, "Naruto, do you know why the villagers glare at you?"

"No… they've always glared at me."

"It's not right, you're such a bright boy!"

"Do not forget that the 'orphan tax' is bullshit that they tell Naruto only," Madara grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Language!" Hashirama scolded lightly.

Madara rolled his eyes, or at least Naruto assumed he rolled both of them, only one of them was visible. Could you roll only one eye? Naruto tried it. Hm it seemed you could roll only one eye.

Madara and Hashirama saw him do that and Naruto went red in embarrassment as he realized they had seen him. Hashirama guffawed loudly. Naruto pouted as Madara chuckled. "Did you think I rolled only one eye?" The man questioned an amused look in his eye.

Naruto just nodded, then before he could stop himself he asked, "Do you have both eyes?"

Hashirama fell onto the floor and was laughing hysterically. Naruto looked at him a bit worried. Madara glared at Hashirama. "Yes I do, my hair naturally covers my eye," He said and moved his hair out of the way so Naruto could see his other eye. He let go and the hair fell back over the eye.

"You can stop laughing, baka," Madara said with another glare at Hashirama as he crossed his arms. It took Madara giving Hashirama a small kick to his ribs in order for Hashirama to stop and then resume Naruto's training.

He went home with berries and a rabbit his traps had caught. Madara had him cook rabbit stew. Naruto had leftovers of it even, the young blonde went to sleep with a grin and a full belly.

The next day was the day before his birthday, which was enough reason for him to be happy. Tobirama-sama and his Jiji should be coming tomorrow. Still he had things to do so he went for his run, then showered and went to the academy, he took notes for Shikamaru and after giving them started to make his way to the forest to train some more. He paused as he exited out of the academy and watched Sasuke who was being picked up by an older boy.

The older boy said something and Sasuke grinned, then the older boy, his brother Naruto was pretty sure said something else and Sasuke flushed. Then the brother chuckled and ruffled his hair. Naruto wished he had an older brother.

He trained hard, but he wanted to know something, he had been thinking and to him Hashirama and Madara seemed like older brothers to him, they taught him, and helped him as much as they could.

"Hashirama… Madara…?" Naruto hesitantly called for their attention.

"Yes?" Hashirama asked with a friendly smile.

"Will… will you be my older brothers please?" Naruto quickly rushed out and looked down in embarrassment, he shouldn't have asked that, now they were going to reject him and leave him and treat him like the rest of the villagers.

"Sure! You can call me you Nii-san if you want!" Hashirama exclaimed happily. Naruto looked up to see the man right in front of him. Giving him a hug though Naruto felt nothing.

"Hn, I suppose I would not mind you calling me your older brother," Madara stated, despite his words though Naruto caught a fond look in his eyes.

They called training done for the day and Naruto checked on his garden and watered the plants before going to pick berries and check his traps which ended up empty.

He went to his apartment and ate his leftovers for dinner after taking a shower. With a feeling of family and comfort he went to sleep. Tomorrow would be his birthday and Naruto didn't think anything could ruin the day.

End Note: I can't guarantee an update tomorrow. Chapter Seven has given me a few issues, but once it's done it will be awesome!