To my readers: On my honor, I will NEVER ABANDON any of my works. I might take a month or two to update but I will NEVER ABANDON the stories I'm writing. Only when I die I won't be able to update. If I don't update in three months, then that means I'm dead.
Just a confirmation regarding a review. Naruto is now seven turning eight years old. Although seven-eight, he has a more mature mind. I stand by my beliefs that there's nothing wrong with kissing people in cheeks. It's Naruto's way of showing how thankful he is. It's not being romantic or in any sexual way.
Chapter Six: The Third Clan Massacre
Konohagakure
Evening Time – Alleyways
"I'm sorry! Please let me g-waarck!"
Splat.
Naruto felt awakened as the smell of blood invaded his nostrils.
He just killed a group of thugs. At first, they were only trying to mug him but decided to kill him when they recognized him as the 'demon brat'. There were five of them.
Using his chains, he held them as he killed them off one by one. Releasing the first, he used his shadow manipulation and snapped his neck. Naruto killed the second by possessing his shadow and bending his body in fatal angles. The third was killed after getting impaled by multiple shadow spikes. The fourth died by having his limbs pulled simultaneously by Naruto's chains.
Ignoring the last thug's pleas, Naruto forced a chain inside his victim's mouth and divided it into smaller chains, distributing to the whole body. Applying untamed wind chakra, the cells were cut by tiny wind blades until the body exploded.
"You're getting good with your chakra chain elemental manipulation." Commented Kasumi as she appeared beside Naruto.
"It's only raw chakra." Naruto replied a bit sadly.
"I know. But what you did was like the rasengan. Your attack used only pure raw chakra. Soon you'll be able to add nature manipulation to your chakra chains properly, just like what you're doing with the rasengan to add your wind element."
"You're right. Thanks Kasumi-chan. Let's go home."
"Which one?"
"My parents' house, of course."
One Week Later
"Good morning Naruto-kun! Are you ready?" Asked the Hokage as he appeared on Naruto's apartment doorway.
"You're only enrolling me to the academy. There's nothing to prepare about it. Unless I'm going to take an entrance exam?" Naruto deadpanned.
"Normally you'd have to take it, yes. But since we already know you wish to be with those of your age, you don't have to take an exam to know which level you'll be placed at. And besides, you've had home study."
"That's right. I have no intention being with kids not around my age, especially those who are older than me. They'll surely know about the 'demon brat'."
Hiruzen winced at how Naruto said the term. He could not help but look guiltily at the boy.
Naruto of course noticed this and scoffed.
"Let's just get this over with." Said the blonde.
The Sandaime nodded and led the seven-year-old to the academy to enroll him. As they walked past the streets, some people openly glared at the boy while others looked away in fear of getting abducted by him.
The moment Naruto saw the first villager glare at him, he emanated a dark aura. Unlike the normal KI, his was cold and radiated scenes of death. Those with the weakest resolve, especially civilians, froze in fear as they saw themselves die in various, horrifying ways. Even the Hokage, the strongest in the village, felt cold and had goosebumps as he looked at the boy with worry.
"Just ignore them, Naruto-kun. They can only glare at you."
"Like hell I will. I'm not the weak boy you used to know, Hokage-sama. If they glare at me, I'll return it ten times worse with killing intent. Should they harm me physically, I'll defend myself. I'm telling you this now, Hokage-sama, I will not hesitate to kill those who will attack me. I've been reading laws and I know that people are allowed to kill in self-defense."
The Hokage stopped walking. Shocked at the boy's response.
"Would he really kill someone at his young age?"
Naruto noticed this but kept walking. They were near the academy now.
"What happened to him after that night? Has Mai been seeing him in secret? Is she teaching him?" Thought Sarutobi as he stared at the boy. He continued walking and went after the blonde. "It's not impossible… He's only seven yet he already knows how to properly leak KI. I would know if he's in contact with the Kyuubi… His KI would have leaked a malicious intent instead of cold death."
"We're here, Hokage-sama." Naruto interrupted him from his thoughts.
"Ah. Right. Follow me to the office, Naruto-kun."
As he followed the Sandaime to the main office, Naruto noticed the proctors were looking at him neutrally except one. The man's silvery white hair was enough for the boy to remember him. That proctor was the only one with the kind of hair color, as Naruto noticed. He will have to deal with that chuunin before he started the academy.
They stopped walking and stopped at what Naruto assumed was the main office. After filling up some forms, the Hokage led the boy to another room.
"Hello, Iruka-kun." Greeted the Sandaime as they entered.
Iruka was startled and hastily stood up, bowing. "Good morning, Hokage-sama. How may I help you?"
"Oh. I'm just introducing you to a new student who'll be with the last year's batch." Replied Hiruzen as he motioned to Naruto.
Iruka frowned a bit as he recognized the boy. This of course didn't go unnoticed by his guests.
Naruto stared at Iruka and returned the glare, adding some of his dark aura, making the instructor feel uncomfortable.
"Ehem. This is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is Iruka Umino. He will be your class adviser." Interrupted Hiruzen.
The boy stopped glaring and muttered, "Nice to meet you, Iruka-sensei."
"Err, nice to meet you too, Naruto. I hope I'll be a good teacher for you." The chuunin replied awkwardly.
The Hokage noticed this and dismissed Naruto. The boy shrugged and stared at a corner in the room before leaving. Hiruzen and Iruka wondered what the boy was staring at. Sensing the boy was away from the room, the Hokage began his talk with Iruka.
Namikaze Home
"So… what did they talk about?" Naruto asked aloud. Moments later, there was a shimmer as the ghost of Kasumi appeared.
"The Hokage just explained to Iruka that you're not the Kyuubi but just its container. He also told him that you're an orphan like him. After some convincing, the chuunin finally agreed that you're innocent."
Naruto laughed aloud while Kurama, who was also listening, snorted.
"Innocent… Hah. Innocent my ass. I'm a seven-year-old and I've killed and abducted people. Yes, I'm innocent…" Naruto sighed. "Anyway, I would like you to go to the academy and tail that white haired proctor to wherever the hell he lives."
The ghost nodded and left to do Naruto's bidding.
Three Months Later
Hokage's Office
"Is it true?" Asked the Sandaime. A raven masked ANBU was kneeling in front of him.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. My clan is feeling more and more secluded from the village due to the treatment the villagers are giving them. Some members of the Police Force have already considered resigning as they no longer wish to protect the village that blames them for the Kyuubi attack."
"I see. Inform Fugaku that I'll be meeting with him. I'll be visiting the compound after my work. We'll work things out and I'll try my best to stop things before it escalates."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Naruto's Apartment
"Ah. Today's the day." Muttered Naruto as he got out of bed.
"You sound excited." Remarked Kurama.
"I am. I'll be looking for someone I can manipulate from my class."
"I see. You better get going then."
Naruto nodded and prepared for school. Today will be his first day at the academy. He was looking forward to meet his classmates. Not that he really cared about them, but he was looking for a possible ally or asset that he could use in case he decided to leave or destroy the village. Or both.
Naruto had to be careful now. Kasumi informed him that the Hokage's finally suspected him, after the numerous and obvious proof that he was connected somehow with the mysterious kidnappings.
Word about the 'demon brat' enrolling to the academy immediately spread that day. With that news, the assassination attempts on him stopped. The people who hated Naruto shifted on planning to sabotage his learning.
While the Hokage was correct on having suspicions on him, Naruto knew Hiruzen was too guilty of the way he lived – hated by the whole village. And so, the old man could not just bring himself to confront the boy about the kidnappings. Like many ghosts have told him, the Sandaime was too soft and no longer had the backbone for such confrontations. Back during the war, he was someone people could depend on. Now, he was letting himself get stepped on and bullied by his fellow teammates as well as other council members.
Some time later –
Konoha Academy – Iruka's Class
"Alright, class. Before we begin, I would like to introduce to you your new classmate."
The students who were chatting with each other went silent as they watched the newcomer enter the room.
"This is Naruto." Iruka said as he presented the boy to the class. The students stared at the blonde.
"Ah sensei… Is he a transferee?" Asked by someone.
"Uh, no. He was born and grew up here."
"Then why didn't attend first year?" Demanded a boy who had a puppy on his head.
"Naruto has… erm… a special condition… and so he couldn't join you on the first year. He was homeschooled." Iruka replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"Was he sick?" Asked another one.
Iruka was about to respond when Naruto interrupted him and answered the question.
"No, I wasn't sick. To answer your question, I had to hide for almost two years from assassins. There were people who wanted me dead. It was only three months ago the assassinations finally stopped."
Everyone stared at him in shock. Even Iruka was speechless. He didn't know about the assassinations.
"Hmm, Hokage-sama didn't tell me of this. I guess he wanted Naruto to be the one to tell us. I didn't expect he allowed Naruto to inform the whole class as well. Oh well, if that's what the Sandaime wanted, then I shall not question him."
Iruka cleared his throat to call the attention of everyone. "Er, right. Anyway, Naruto, before you find yourself a seat, will you tell us your whole name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future?"
Naruto stared at the chuunin blankly for a while, making him feel more uncomfortable. Seeing his teacher sweat bullets, he stared at the class and finally spoke.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. You'll know what I like when you get to know me… I dislike… a lot of things… My hobbies, you'll also find out eventually… And as for my dream, it is to restore my clan. If you're that interested about me, do some research about the Uzumaki clan. In that way, you'll have an idea why assassins were after me… And just so you know, my mother's an Uzumaki while my father wasn't. I can't use his surname as it will double the potential of me dying from assassins. My father was the last of his clan before he died."
Naruto decided that he'll tell his classmates this information, as he was sure Iruka will assume that the Hokage have already told him about his family. The Sandaime will only then find out that Naruto already knew about his heritage when it was too late... When the boy's classmates figure it out and eventually spread it to the village.
Deciding he had said enough, he picked the seat that was at the back, allowing him to observe his classmates.
One Month Later
As it turned out, nobody was curious enough to do some research about the Uzumaki clan. Naruto assumed that maybe because he was still a nobody to the class. He didn't mind though, things are going to change after the first semester.
After observing his classmates for a month, only two from his class piqued Naruto's interest.
The first one was the class genius. Neji Hyuuga. A member of the Hyuuga Branch Family that rivalled the heiress when it came to talent. It wasn't the boy being a genius that caught Naruto's attention however. It was the hatred and coldness radiating from him.
The second one that caught his interest was the class clown. Sasuke Uchiha. Unlike the rest of his clan, Sasuke was loud enough to always draw attention to himself. He always shouted that he will be the first Uchiha and the best Hokage Konoha ever had. He also had the habit of pranking the villagers and getting into trouble. While Sasuke was a troublemaker, he was tied with Neji for the top student in ranking.
Five Months Later
It was now the second term. Some of his classmates were beginning to become interested about him. Naruto was now the top of the class while Neji and Sasuke tied for second.
After keeping a close eye to his two classmates, Naruto learned more about them.
Now he knew the reason why Neji was hateful and cold towards everyone and especially to his cousin Hinata. Naruto personally talked with the ghost of Hizashi after seeing him occasionally inside the classroom, hovering or standing near his son. Neji simply blamed Hinata for his father's death. Aside that, he hated the Main House for using the Caged Bird Seal to enslave the Branch Members.
As for Sasuke being different from the rest of his clan, the boy simply wanted the villagers' acknowledgement. Sasuke noticed how the villagers were cold towards his clan, but didn't know why. He was only aware that most of his kin acted arrogant and mighty. Sasuke wanted the villagers' view to their clan change. And so if he became Hokage, he thought the village will learn to accept his clan.
"Poor Sasuke. So naïve and innocent." Naruto thought as he stared at the boy. Naruto was aware of the village's treatment towards boy's clan. He was also aware of the incoming revolt. He's heard from some of the ghosts whispering about the Uchiha planning a coup and the Hokage trying to diffuse the situation.
Five Months Later
Hokage Office
"It will happen tomorrow night. They've finally decided." Said the Raven ANBU.
"I see. Peace talks is out of the option then. Are you sure you want to carry out Plan B yourself?" Asked Hiruzen.
"I've made my decision Hokage-sama. My loyalty is with the village, not to my clan. If I sided with them, Konoha will be in a civil war, eventually becoming weak and giving the opposing villages an opportunity to completely destroy the Leaf. I cannot allow that to happen. I wish for peace, even if that peace requires me to annihilate my clan."
"You know what happens next."
"I do, Hokage-sama. My only request once I'm declared missing-nin is for you to take care of my brother Sasuke. I love him too much. I cannot bring myself to kill him. That is all Hokage-sama, I want him spared."
"Very well. Here is your mission scroll to make it official. You'll do it tonight. Rest assured Sasuke will be taken care of."
Itachi nodded as he took the scroll then left the office to prepare for his last mission as a Konoha shinobi.
Namikaze Home
(Afternoon time)
Naruto was currently relaxing after training. He unlocked his dojutsu's third level only a week ago. Now he can command souls to do tasks that require physical contact. He was just thinking of ordering ghosts to possess people when the ghost of Kasumi appeared before him.
"I bring news from the Hokage's office. Itachi Uchiha has been ordered to annihilate his clan tonight. The only survivor will be his little brother, Sasuke."
After she said it, a new ghost appeared. The ghost was wearing a traditional yukata with the Senju symbol on the back.
"It will happen tonight! The third clan massacre is going to happen tonight! Konoha's finally decided its third victim will be the Uchiha Clan! And the massacre's going to be done by another Uchiha no less!" Shouted the ghost.
Naturally, this got Naruto, Kasumi, and Kurama intrigued.
"Explain." Ordered Naruto.
"The first clan massacre happened after the second war, when Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri attacked Uzushiogakure and killed everyone. Konoha was to blame for this happening, as you already know that they didn't send help."
"The second clan massacre happened months after the Uzumaki Clan's demise. The Senju Clan became angry with the current leaders for allowing it to happen. After all, the Senju had very close ties with the Uzumaki since Hashirama was married to Mito. Eventually, the higher ups ordered the Senju Clan to be massacred."
"The third, as you're already aware, is going to happen tonight. The Uchiha Clan will be the third to fall victim to Konoha."
Naruto was silent as he took in the information. He could not believe it. Konoha's higher ups ordered for the annihilation of the three clans.
"If you want more detailed information, there are the scrolls regarding this hidden inside the Hokage's vault."
"Very well. The official report will be written tomorrow or the next day. In three days, I want you to possess the Hokage's secretary. Bring these scrolls to me. Leave the copies. I want the original scrolls."
"As you wish, Naruto-sama." Replied the ghost.
"Before you go, tell me, who is the person tasked to do this?"
"Itachi Uchiha, one of Konoha's elite ANBU. He wears the Raven mask. However, he won't be wearing his ANBU mask on this mission."
Naruto nodded as the Senju left.
"If Itachi's going to massacre his clan tonight, I've got to do something. Besides, it was an Uchiha that caused my parents' deaths."
"What do you plan to do?" Asked Kasumi.
Naruto simply gave her an evil smirk. "You'll see. I want you beside me when the massacre happens."
The boy walked to the training area and closed his eyes before calling aloud. "Heed my call, souls of the departed, for I require your services."
A few moments later there were shimmers around Naruto as a hundred ghosts appeared.
One of them who was wearing an ANBU uniform bowed and asked, "What would you like us do, Naruto-sama?"
"The Uchiha Clan will be massacred tonight. I want you all to scatter around their compound. You will be relaying messages and act as sentries. Warn me if other people aside the Uchiha are at the area."
"We will do as you command, Naruto-sama." Replied the ghost before they shimmered out of sight.
Naruto sat down and meditated.
"Mother, I'd like you to contact the original. I'll be needing Kagutsuchi's help. Inform them of what's going to happen tonight."
Later – Night Time
Uchiha Compound
Literally blending in with the shadows, Naruto hid at the centermost part of the compound, which also happened to where the tallest building was. This allowed him to easily see what's going to happen. He still had no idea how this Itachi Uchiha looked like.
He was wielding Kagutsuchi using both hands, as she was on her Death Scythe form. Naruto will be following Itachi's trail and collect the souls of his victims. This was to prevent the Uchihas from coming back to life in case someone uses a jutsu that can revive the dead. Only him – the son of the Shinigami, and the Shinigami herself were the only ones who can summon souls that won't receive divine punishment, as there were laws.
As the hour struck exactly nine, two figures appeared. One was wearing the traditional Uchiha robes while the other was wearing complete ANBU uniform. Naruto assumed the latter was Itachi. The two began to talk.
"Naruto!" Growled Kurama. "That's him!"
"Who?"
"That bastard's the reason why you have no parents!"
Naruto squinted as he stared at the man. "Damn it." He cursed as he recognized Obito. "I'm not yet strong enough to kill him even with you and Kagutsuchi's help. What do I do?"
"Naruto-sama. I have a suggestion…"Said Kagutsuchi.
"What is it?"
"Since you cannot engage him yet, you can at least place a ghost tracking seal on him for now. When you're strong enough to easily crush him, you'll be able to find him fast."
"A great idea. Thanks, Kagutsuchi." Replied Naruto as a plan immediately formed on his head.
"Kasumi." Whispered Naruto. "I want you to follow that man wearing robes. Possess one of his victims and place a tracking seal on him discreetly."
Just as Naruto gave his orders, the two Uchiha jumped off opposite directions. Kasumi followed Obito while Naruto followed Itachi.
Jumping into action, Naruto silently prayed to his mother to keep the Uchihas from dying and put them into a state of comatose instead. In that way he will be able to collect their souls later, as there were now two Uchiha assassins instead of one. He would be only able to collect the souls of Itachi's victims then. But with the Shinigami keeping the victims from dying, it will allow Naruto to collect their souls later.
Disappearing and reappearing within the shadows, Naruto reaped Itachi's victims with Kagutsuchi, effectively binding their souls to his weapon. The silent slaughter continued for almost thirty minutes before a ghost appeared before him. It was the ghost of an Uchiha.
"Excuse me, Naruto-sama. I am Shisui. I came here to inform you that Danzo and thirty ROOT ANBU are headed towards the compound. Danzo intends to harvest all sharingan eyes and use it for himself."
Naruto nodded and noticed the ghosts' eyes. They were closed and bleeding. "What happened to your eyes?"
"Danzo took them."
"I see. What would you like me do?"
"You may keep them or destroy them."
"Very well. As much as I hate the Uchiha, stealing bloodlines is just unethical. I cannot allow that bastard take what isn't his. I'll be destroying the Uchiha eyes and recover yours."
"Thank you, Naruto-sama. It will take a whole day for a non-Uchiha's body to adapt with a transplanted sharingan. Since he took both mine and were not ordinary sharingan, it will take Danzo a full week before he could properly use the Mangekyou." Shisui said as he disappeared.
"Hear me and obey." Naruto murmured in a different language. It was the language of Yomi. "Beowolf!"
Thirty-one creatures rose from the shadows. They looked like werewolves but were more muscular and had white spikes poking out from their bodies. The creatures were as dark as night and were only visible due to their glowing eyes. They all looked at Naruto with rapt attention.
"Find the ROOT ANBU. They wear blank masks. Destroy them. Devour them. I want no evidence of their existence."
The biggest one, the Alpha Beowolf, howled in a way only its kind could hear it. The other thirty howled in response and followed after their leader as it melded with the shadows to hunt for their prey.
"Beringel! Ursa Major! Nevermore!"
A gorilla-like creature rose and with him were two bear-like creatures. Like the beowolves, they were pitchblack. Their armors were white and had red markings on it. Their eyes were also hollow and glowed red. Lastly, a huge demonic crow screeched as it appeared on a roof. The four creatures stared at Naruto as they awaited orders.
"You four will attack the man named Danzo. He has bandages on his whole upper body. Beat the man to death but keep him alive. Nevermore, make sure you pluck out his eyes and return them to me undamaged."
The four creatures went off to do their task while Naruto went back to delivering the final blows to the fallen Uchiha and harvesting their souls with Kagutsuchi.
Uchiha Compound Backside
"Perfect. The slaughter has begun. ROOT! Take the eyes from the corpses and bring them to me. All of them!"
The ROOT nodded in response as they went inside the compound, oblivious of the creatures waiting for them.
Danzo greedily smiled as he approached the nearest house. He was about to crouch down and pluck out the fallen Uchihas' eyes when a large black creature appeared beside him and sent him flying towards an alley wall.
The old warhawk narrowed his eyes as he looked at the gorilla-like creature. He activated his stolen sharingan and was surprised when he found no chakra pathways or any chakra at all from his attacker. He blew out a wind jutsu as the creature charged at him. He was surprised when his attack had no effect and had to jump away to avoid getting rammed.
"What is this?! A guardian of the Uchiha clan?" Danzo thought as he noticed the creature's eyes. They were glowing red but didn't have the three tomoes of the sharingan. "Is that a summoning creature with a Mangekyou? But why doesn't it have chakra?"
He was interrupted from his musings when he felt something approach from behind. He jumped away and found another black creature that looked like a bear. He had to jump again to avoid being clawed as another bear appeared.
Airborne, he was caught off-guard as he was pelted by projectiles that looked like hardened quills. Before he could land, two sets of claws caught him and pierced his 'injured' arm. He was able to look up and recognized his new attacker as a giant crow before it dived down and released him, causing him to crash to a roof and down the house.
"I see. So you creatures are indeed protectors of the Uchiha." Danzo said aloud as he removed the bandages on his right arm and performed hand seals for a strong wind jutsu. He was now convinced the creatures that were attacking him were keeping him from stealing the Sharingan. "The Sharingan are mine!" He screamed as he unleashed a wind vortex.
An hour later
It was over. From a distance, Naruto was watching Itachi who was watching his little brother, who have just entered the compound. Obito have already fled the place and had no idea about the ghost tracking seal placed on him. Naruto had Shisui's eyes sealed on a special storage scroll. The ROOT ANBU were devoured by the pack of beowolves.
Danzo was unable to escape after sustaining heavy injuries. He was able to defeat the Beringel and two Ursa Majors creatures using Mokuton, but at the cost of his arms. The right arm that contained Hashirama's cells perished as he was unable to control its powers. His other arm on the other hand, had been torn off by the demon bear. The eyes he stole had been taken by Nevermore. Armless and blind, he had no choice but to flee. But was unable to when the Alpha Beowulf found him. He was beaten close to death's doors.
"Kasumi. Follow Itachi and see what he'll do to his brother. I'll see you later at my parents' house." Naruto ordered the ghost as he shadow travelled to the Namikaze house.
Later
Namikaze Home
Naruto sat comfortably as he stared at the eyes at the jar. Kasumi have returned awhile ago and informed Naruto about the torture Itachi gave to Sasuke. Shisui just finished explaining what the Mangekyou was all about and his eyes' own unique ability – the Kotoamatsukami.
"The Uchiha Clan are now at my disposal." Said Naruto as he held the Kagutsuchi Scythe fondly. "The one that killed my parents will be dealt when the time comes. The last one in Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke… he will be my loyal puppet."
Chapter Six End
AN:
1. Just in case you've forgotten this is still a dark Naruto story :D
2. Thanks to devanta1 for the idea about the GRIMM. There are other ideas from him that I've considered that will be mentioned in the later chapters.