Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Author's Note: I appreciate the great reviews from some of my readers and it's makes me happy to see that someone is actually reading this story. I have more questions from Kurodarkness which I will be happy to answer. First, when the hokage asked if Naruto was alright, he didn't know what happened. He was told by Naruto that he bumped into someone and they didn't know who it was. Besides, I don't think Sasuke needs anymore special treatment, after all that's what the Sasuke Fan Club is for. The hokage is thankful that he saved Naruto but he doesn't think of Sasuke as some all mighty god. We don't want the young Uchiha to get big headed now, do we? The hokage sees Sasuke for what he is, a child that will become strong shinobi like everyone else. Second, I am not revealing anything about Naruto's training or what he does on his travels. I'm keeping everything a secret, so your going to have to wait to find out! (I am very evil so get used to it!) I will say that the sand siblings will definitely be in this story, Gaara is one of my favorite characters. If I do add any couples, they won't show until later in the story. That should answer everything (I think). Enjoy the story and please review. I would really, really, really appreciate it. Reviews tell me that people are reading my story, and if there are no reviews, then there are no readers, and no more readers means no more story.
Enjoy the chapter
Naruto was currently browsing through clothing racks in a local store, but he could not shake the uneasy feeling in his gut. From the moment he walked into the store, the store keeper watched the poor boy with a look of disgust. It was always the same thing every time he walked into a store. Store owners would either watch him carefully, refuse to let him buy anything, or kick him out of the store immediately. Luckily, this store keeper chose the first option. The only store that never gave Naruto this type of problem was Ichiraku ramen stand and it was because Naruto was their best costumer. Naruto tried not to let the store keeper's gaze of hatred towards him stop him from buying some new clothes. He would rarely shop for clothes so he could avoid these situations, but he had no other choice because the only clothes he had left were the ones he wore on his back. Well at least he could get some better clothes than he usually wore. His clothes were usually ragged pieces of cloth which consisted of holes and rips. He did not have the money to buy new clothes and every time he received money from the hokage, he used it to buy food instead. Naruto was never really concerned about what he wore, he was too busy trying to survive. Now, Naruto was given this chance to get some new clothes and he decided not to let this opportunity pass him by. He looked over the clothes that were nicely hung on the racks, there were so many different colors and sizes that he didn't know what to pick. He suddenly stopped to look over something that caught his attention. It was a simple black jacket but the thing that caught his eye was the design on the back of the jacket. It wasn't anything flashy or special, but Naruto seemed attracted to the design. The design was a large red spiral on the back of the jacket and the jacket itself had a red streak going down each sleeve. It was perfect and just his size, Naruto smiled at his new discovery. But that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. For some reason, there were other items in the store with the same symbol including a variety of accessories. Naruto studied each item carefully but suddenly froze in fear. He felt a large amount of killing intent focused at the back of his head and could hear the heavy breathing of the figure behind him. Naruto slowly turned his head to see the store keeper was no longer behind the counter but right behind him instead. The man watched the boy shop and could not help but notice that he was eyeing some of the more expensive clothes in the store.
"You better have a lot of money if your planning on buying any of that." The man spoke with a harsh tone towards the blonde haired boy.
"N-No, I was just looking." Naruto said nervously trying to avoid eye contact with the man.
"Hurry up and get out, you brat! You are scaring away my customers and don't you dare try anything shifty because I'm watching you! I swear, the hokage should of just-"
"Just what?" The hokage interrupted the store keeper before he could finish his sentence. The man was now feeling uneasy as the hokage seemed to appear out of nowhere and was now walking towards him.
" H-Hokage-sama! I-I was…just helping this bra- I-I mean boy with his shopping!" he was now sweating nervously.
" Good, because it looks like Naruto is ready to purchase something." The man narrowed his eyes towards the boy before walking back to the counter. The hokage looked back at Naruto. " Pick whatever you like, it's all on me." Naruto turned back towards the clothing rack and a small smile formed on his face.
Naruto walked out of the store with several bags in his hands and was now wearing his newly purchased wardrobe. He had purchased several things including the items with the spiral design. He was wearing the black jacket with a red t-shirt underneath and a pair of black sweatpants to match. The pants also had red stripes on each side and he was also sporting a pair of black ninja sandals on his feet. The jacket was zipped open so the cool afternoon breeze could brush Naruto's chest. The Hokage was following behind him after he paid the scowling store clerk for the clothes. The hokage had informed Naruto that Iruka was waiting for them at the tower and that he needed to discuss some more details with him before taking him to the Uchiha residence. They made their way to the hokage's office to find Iruka waiting patiently for them by the window.
"Good Evening, Iruka" The hokage said in a calm manner. The hokage walked into the room and around his desk.
"Good Evening to you too, Hokage-sama" Iruka took a seat on a chair as the hokage sat at his desk.
"Hi Iruka-sensei!" Naruto decided to make his presence known as well. Iruka looked at Naruto who was still standing by the door.
"Hello Naruto, I see you changed your look!" Iruka said as he noticed Naruto's change in wardrobe and the bags in his hands.
"Yea, the old man bought me some new clothes." Iruka sighed at Naruto's name for the third hokage.
"Naruto, what did I tell you about calling the hokage 'old man'. You need to be more respectful" Naruto was now rubbing his head with a sheepish grin on his face.
"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei! I guess I just forgot" Iruka sighed in frustration. How could he forget, he reminds him almost everyday.
"It's quite all right, Iruka. I do not mind at all, but I would like to get down to business now. Mizuki is now paying for his crimes against a konoha civilian and breaking a law that was created eight years ago." Iruka eyes widened in shock. Is the hokage talking about that law?
"Hokage-sama, you don't mean…"
"Yes Iruka. The law created after the kyuubi incident." Iruka looked at Naruto, his head was down and his eyes were hidden beneath his hair. Naruto knows the truth! How is he suppose to deal with it now? The poor boy has been through a lot and it seems to just get worst. Iruka kneeled next to the boy to try and comfort him.
"Naruto, knowing the truth might be overwhelming but I will always be here to help you" Naruto clenched his fists and looked up to Iruka. His eyes were now serious as he looked deep into Iruka's eyes. Iruka stepped back, never in his life has he seen Naruto look like this.
"The truth is not going to stop me from being the greatest, Iruka-sensei! I will become stronger and neither the kyuubi nor the villagers are going to stand in my way." Iruka was amazed by Naruto's words. He couldn't help but smile and pat the boy on the head. Naruto looked surprised at his academy teacher.
" I know you will, Naruto!" Naruto just smiled back at his sensei's comment. The hokage decided to interrupt so he could continue.
"Even though Naruto knows that he harbors the kyuubi, that won't protect him from any more attacks on his life. I want you to watch over him for the next two weeks but there has been a change in plans."
" And what is that?"
"Well, Naruto's home was destroyed due to the heavy rain pour these last couple of days."
"You want him to stay at my house, is that right?"
" Actually no, I have found a different place for him to stay for awhile. He will be staying at the home of Uchiha Sasuke."
"What!? Do you think that is wise, Hokage-sama? I mean, Sasuke is still dealing with the loss of his family and Naruto has just learned about the kyuubi. I think they just want to be left alone."
"That is exactly the reason why I've decided to place them together under the same roof. Sasuke's family was killed and Naruto grew up with no parents. They have been alone for long enough. It is time they learned how to make a new friend and it is because of the pain they share, I believe they can understand one another. And because Naruto will be staying with the Uchiha, I have decided that you will live closer to them to keep a better eye on him, temporarily of course."
"What do you have in mind?"
"You will be living with him at Sasuke's home. There is plenty of room for another person."
" I don't think Sasuke would agree to this."
"That's why I suggest you train them both during your stay. Sasuke will not decline the offer of being trained. His mind is bent on getting revenge on his brother so he wants to become stronger. Even though I disagree with Sasuke's decision, it guarantees that he won't refuse my offer. Naruto also needs to learn basic chakra control, taijutsu and ninjutsu from the academy. He needs to have some knowledge when his sensei arrives to train him."
"That reminds me, who is Naruto's sensei?"
"I'm sorry Iruka, but I must keep his identity confidential. I can only share that information with Naruto." Naruto, who was listening intently to the conversation, was now curious over this information.
"Why have you chosen someone who is a complete enigma to train a konoha shinobi? By the way it sounds, I don't think we can trust him."
"I have chosen this person because of his knowledge and power. He is probably the only person who could train someone who is…special like Naruto. And it is because of his knowledge and power that he keeps his identity a secret. He cannot afford to let the wrong person discover his existence, he will be hunted like an animal." Iruka was confused by the third's last statement.
"What do you mean by hunted?"
"There are many people who have been corrupted by power and would do anything for it. There has been some, for example, that have come from this very village." Iruka knew who the hokage was taking about. About six months ago, Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, assassinated his own clan and unlocked a stronger version of his kekei genki, the Sharingan. A better example, however, was the third's very own student, Orochimaru. He was apart of Sarutobi's genin team and was one of the legendary three Sanin, the elite ninja of Konoha. He betrayed the village in order to gain more knowledge and ninjutsus. He was feared for his vast knowledge of kinjutsus and his inhumane experiments to gain immortality. Iruka knew that if there was a way to gain power than people like Orochimaru would be after it. That explains what the hokage means by hunted. This person doesn't want someone who is power-hungry to locate him. But why would someone like this be willing to train Naruto? He would be putting himself in danger of being discovered. Before Iruka could ask, the hokage spoke again as if he knew what Iruka was thinking.
"This person has a connection to the kyuubi, but I am not sure what it is. I do know that he will be more than willing to train Naruto."
"Why is that?"
"I can't really explain it, it's just a feeling" Iruka was completely shocked.
"So, you are just following your instincts! Do you even know if this person will come?!" Sarutobi stood up from his desk.
"Do not doubt my judgment, Iruka!"
"I'm sorry, hokage-sama. I didn't mean to. It's just…"
"Have faith in your hokage, Iruka. I know what I am doing." Sarutobi walked around the desk and towards the door. " I will bring Naruto over to Sasuke's home shortly. Can you take his belongings over there now and explain the situation to Sasuke?"
"Hai Hokage-sama" Iruka took the bags from Naruto's hands.
"Come Naruto, there is still one more thing we need to do." Naruto followed the hokage out of the room and Iruka disappeared in a puff of smoke. The hokage led Naruto down a hallway that he had never been down before, but Naruto didn't seem to notice. The conversation between the hokage and Iruka was going through his mind, some parts kept on repeating themselves over and over. Especially the part about his unknown sensei and what the hokage said about the pain he shares with Sasuke. He never realized how similar he was to Sasuke now that his family was killed. Naruto was too busy in his thoughts that he didn't realize that the hokage was leading him into an unfamiliar part of the tower. After ten minutes of walking, they stood in front of a large metal door deep inside the tower.
"Naruto, we are below the tower. This part of the building is unknown to many so I need you to keep this a secret." Naruto nodded in agreement. He looked back at the metal door and noticed that it didn't have a door handle. Instead, a strange symbol was painted on the door in red ink.
"That is a seal, Naruto. This room is forbidden for anyone to enter except the hokage. I made the seal myself so I am the only one that can remove it." Sarutobi went through a dozen hand seals before stopping. He placed his hands on the center of the seal.
"Kai" Naruto watched in amazement as the red ink began to glow. The red symbols began to spin in a circle slowly until they faded away. The door suddenly swung open revealing a large room filled with different artifacts. Bookshelves filled with over a thousand books and scrolls lined the walls. Weapons and tools were displayed in the middle of the room.
"These items were passed down by the previous hokages and are very sacred. Some of these items date back to the First hokage's time, when he first founded this hidden village." The hokage made his way across the room to a door on the other side. Naruto trailed slowly behind him as he looked over each artifact. He was amazed by the numerous weapons that were used by the previous hokages. Some weapons had the description labeled underneath like the Nindaime's raijin sword while others were labeled by which hokage it belonged to like a strange kunai with a symbol on the handle used by the Yondaime hokage. ( AN: I know the Nindaime's raijin sword is stolen by Idate and is given to Aoi in the Tea Country Arc, but that is not going to happen in this story because there really is no point. If you don't know what kunai I am talking about than you need to read Kakashi's Gaiden.)
The hokage and Naruto entered the other door only to reveal a smaller room. The room was bare except a smaller book shelf with a few scrolls and a desk. The hokage looked over the dust covered scrolls before pulling one out. The scroll was smaller compared to the others but had a silver lining on each side. Another red seal was placed on the scroll but the symbols were a little different. The hokage began to perform several hand seals and suddenly bit his thumb. Sarutobi pressed his bloody finger against the seal and it once again began to glow before fading away. Sarutobi walked over to the desk and rolled the scroll open. The scroll contained an even more complex seal inside. Naruto watched silently as the hokage took his bloody thumb and drew some more symbols onto the scroll. When he finished he looked over to Naruto.
"Naruto, bite your thumb and press the blood against each finger." Naruto did what he said until each of his fingers on his right hand was marked with blood. " Now press your fingers onto the center of the seal." (AN: This is what Naruto did when signing the toad summoning contract in the anime, but did not sign his name.) As soon as Naruto's blood was pressed onto the scroll, the seal began to glow, but this time, the symbols came off the paper. The symbols spun violently above their heads until it came to a sudden stop. The seal than gave off a large shock wave and disappeared without a trace. Naruto, who fell over from the shock wave, was now completely speechless. The hokage helped him back to his feet, he spoke when he was able to find his voice again.
"W-What was that?!"
"That was a summoning scroll, but not like a regular summoning scroll. It is different from the contracts made with certain animals to summon them during combat. It was given to me by the person who will become your sensei."
"And who is my sensei?"
"He is a powerful person who saved my life a long time ago. When I was young I was the student of the Shodaime and Nindaime hokage, it occurred when they were still alive. They sent me by myself on a simple mission to investigate. During that time, there were rumors that Iwagakure, the hidden stone village, was building their military forces. I was to gather information to see if they were a threat, which they became later on during the great ninja war. The mission was supposed to be easy but I didn't expect to be ambushed by several elite shinobi from the Iwa. I was losing a lot of blood and was near death, but luckily, someone saved me. He was standing over me, performing medical ninjutsu on my body. I don't know what he looks like because his face was hidden under his cloak, but when he told me his name, I knew exactly who he was. I promised him that I wouldn't reveal his existence and he gave me that scroll and told me if I ever needed his assistance, I could use it to summon him. I kept the scroll ever since and no one knows about it except you. I would of summoned him long ago during the war with Iwa but I didn't want to break my promise by revealing him to the world. But now that he has been summoned, he should arrive in a couple of weeks or sooner."
"Who is this guy?"
"He is a ninja legend. When I was a child, I was told a story by the Second hokage of a powerful man. This man was around before Konoha and most of the other hidden villages were found. The man is known as a legend to every ninja who has heard the tale, but I know it is real. In the legend, it is said that he created over a million jutsus and his knowledge was like non other. He was also the creator of the animal summoning contracts and has the first and strongest kekei genki. It is the legend of The Garyuu, the one who summoned a dragon and lit the morning sky. I do not know what the saying means, but the day I met him, I could feel his power radiate off his body. It was truly something incredible." Naruto was completely speechless. He heard the stories of how powerful the previous hokages were but it was nothing compared to this man. The thought of being trained by this man was exciting, but Naruto couldn't help but think that there was more to this man than everyone thinks. Not everything is what it seems, he of all people knew that; after all, he was an eight year old boy and the container of the strongest demon in the world.
"It is time to go Naruto. We should be heading towards Sasuke's house." The hokage rolled up the scroll on the table and placed it back on the shelf. " Naruto, you need to promise me that you will not tell anyone of this."
"I promise"
"Good, lets go." The hokage and Naruto left the room and the red seal appeared back on the metal door. They made their way out of the tower and back through the streets of Konoha. Naruto looked up at the sky and saw the sun was now setting. I wonder what that saying means? The one who summoned a dragon and lit the morning sky. Naruto yawned as he watched the sun set. Today has been very interesting and so is this Garyuu. I can't wait for the day that I can meet this legend.
End of Chapter 7
Garyuu- great man / exceptional person hidden among the masses / reclining dragon
I hope you liked this chapter!
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