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Singer of last chapter: Sabaton. The song itself was about, what else, the Holocaust.

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Chapter 10: The Saga Begins

"I just got the best idea," I whispered.

"What?" my companion asked.

"It's the Ultimate Prank. One to go down in history as the greatest of pranks."

"Lemme hear it," he grinned excitedly.

I smirked. "I dare you to graffiti the Hokage Monument."

His face went to shock. "Are you nuts? Nobody has ever done that!"

"That's why it's the Ultimate Prank!" I cackled. "It's something nobody's done before, and takes a lot of guts to do!"

"No way, Riku," Naruto shook his head, "that's low, even for me."

"Are you sure?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "No balls."

Naruto looked at me in shock again. "What?!"

"No balls, won't do it!"

He growled before shouting, "I'll show you! I'll be right back!" He ran off in a huff, desperate to prove me wrong.

I wonder if he remembers we have the Academy today? Bah, he'll figure it out when Iruka catches him.

Four years. It's been four years already since the day Itachi was given his mission. Four years since I revealed myself to the Hokage. And four years since I was given my mission. It took a while to figure out, but apparently my mission is to stop someone from ditching the village. The only one that I could think of that truly mattered at this point was Sasuke, meaning I had about a year after graduation to make sure that didn't happen. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it by staying completely canon, but I knew small changes would have big effects. I also knew that some events are just too set in stone to prevent, like Hizashi's death. I just hope Sasuke's 3 years as a criminal aren't that.

Mina started the Academy this year too, and she's proving to be a good student herself. But considering that she's also in Konohamaru's class, I have a bad feeling…

I stayed in contact with Itachi through a series of penpals around the Elemental Countries. While he rarely managed to write back to me, I usually sent letters five at a time to keep him updated on what was happening with me and Sasuke. He would usually keep me updated on the goings-on of the Akatsuki, which I would later report to the Hokage.

Speaking of, he apparently told Sasuke to find the truth of what happened also. We've been working on finding ways to prove Itachi innocent of wrongdoing, but so far, we have nothing. Occasionally, we'd pop back into the compound to look at all the Jutsu Scrolls we could get our hands on. So far, I've been able to learn a good chunk of Genjutsu, as well as the theory behind making my own, which I was planning on abusing one day.

I've also been doing some experimenting with my Chi. Not only can it be used for my lightning, but I also figured out a certain trick that makes me look like a sensor. Oh yeah, I figured out the seismic sense for earthbending. As far as making the earth move...not happening. It's just not doing what I want, despite me proving on multiple occasions that I have the 'stuff'. My best guess is that I only have enough 'stuff' to just learn the sense. On the Ki side of things, I started reverse engineering the DBZ attacks I wanted. So far, I can make just a basic blast, as well as the Death Beam, but everything else has been giving a lot of problems. Especially the Kamehameha, since it's a high mass, high concentration beam. It'll be a while before I'll be able to really use it in battle.

Also, not long after the massacre, I invested in a set of weights for my arms and legs. I figured it was better to be training in mundane tasks than just in combat. I knew I'd have to be fast in order to make myself successful in this world, but there was no way I'd be on Rock Lee's level by the Chunin Exams. At least this way, I'd be able to outmaneuver my opponent before they figured out what was going on.

As for right now, I was back in the Academy, trying to differentiate between my classmates chakra and their positions on my seismic sense. It wasn't easy as I could feel most of the energies clumped into a giant one, but it was definitely easy to tell who among my friends was here and where they were. Shino's was in the center right area of the room, a distinct buzzy feeling coming from it. I could almost feel something moving around in his body, if I concentrated hard enough, and I had a feeling that was the beetles. Hinata's was more toward the back center of the room, a calm pond of water compared to her future teammate, but still bright enough to give a signal. Sasuke's was right next to me, just one seat in front of me. His I memorized the moment I tried to train with this ability.

I guess I should also mention how I grew up a bit. I let my hair grow out and put it in a tight, but long braid, and without the dye covering it, the sides of my head showed red stripes here and there. I had a blue, high collared tank top with the clan symbol on the back, as well as black, baggy pants that I wrapped and tucked into my sandals at the ankles. The whisker marks had stayed, obviously, but that was a given. All in all, it did no help for mine and Sasuke's little...problem.

Suddenly, I felt two energies walking down the hall, one of them spewing anger and disappointment, the other frustration and indignance with a hint of malice. I knew it was time for the show to begin and smiled. The door opened and Naruto came flying in, tied like a prisoner and landing in a heap in front of the chalkboard.

"Looks like Iruka-sensei found Naruto," I whispered to Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. I should probably mention that we had our masks when we came back to the Academy. I told Sasuke it would be a little weird if we just came back all smiles two weeks after our clan died. So, we had what I called our "edgelord masks" that we used whenever we were out in public. I'd say we pulled it off almost too well, because while we were (for the most part) left alone by the other kids...well what the hell do you think happened?

"Fine! Because you missed it, Naruto, everyone will be reviewing the Transformation Jutsu!" At this, the students cried in outrage. "You're to transform into me. Now line up!"

One by one, he called our names. I thought about breaking my mask for a minute and pulling a prank, then decided not to, just for the sake of keeping appearances. When it came to my turn, I performed the hand signs necessary, and in a poof of smoke, I stood as tall as Iruka as if looking into a mirror. He nodded and scribbled on his clipboard.

"Next, Naruto Uzumaki." Various comments of 'This is your fault' went behind Naruto's back as he walked up. He shook them off as he made the handsigns. A poof of smoke later, a taller, female version of Naruto stood in front of Iruka...completely naked. How Naruto didn't become a pervert when making that jutsu, I'll never know.

Iruka stared in shock before being flung back by the force of his nosebleed. I just smirked inwardly while openly facepalming.

Naruto cackled as he transformed back. "That's my Sexy Jutsu!"

"CUT THE STUPID TRICKS!" Iruka had pulled out the big head...thing he does when he gets mad. The problem with it is the tissue plugging his nose was ruining any intimidation he thought he had. "THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"

The start of the series was nigh. Tomorrow night is the big graduation exam, and that's when Naruto would learn his signature jutsu. This will be fun.

"THIS SUCKS!" I yelled. "Why do I have to help clean it up?!"

"Because you're the one who put Naruto up to it. Now neither of you are going home until you've cleaned up every single drop of paint."

"So what?" Naruto snarked. "It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me!"

"Speak for yourself, dingus," I replied. "It's supposed to be my night to cook dinner, and if I'm not home in time, there'll be hell to pay."

"From who? Sasuke?"

"No, from my sister. For being the youngest, she's terrifying when she's mad."

Silence fell between us for a few minutes while we scrubbed the monument.

"Hey Naruto, Riku." We both looked up at Iruka.

"What do want now, sensei?" Naruto replied testily.

"Well, I was thinking," Iruka scratched his cheek distractedly, "when you're both done here, I could take you out for some ramen. What do you think?" He looked down at us only to nearly be blinded by our grins.

"Now that's some serious motivation! I'll have this clean in no time!"

"Send a message to my cousin and sister, cause I'm not coming home for dinner tonight!"

In a matter of three hours we managed to clean up all four faces on the monument. As promised we were now sitting at the famed ramen stand. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I came here a lot after the massacre, and their food was good. I may have become a slight addict, since I made it a point to come at least once a week. So here we were, sitting on either side of Iruka, happily eating our ramen, though mine was more...civilized compared to my partner in pranks.

"Hey, Naruto," Iruka started, getting Naruto's attention. "Why would you do that to the Hokage faces? I mean you know who the Hokage are, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Naruto immediately responded, finishing his bowl with a satisfied sigh. "Everyone knows. They were the greatest shinobi of their time. The best of the best, the undefeated champs? And the fourth Hokage, he was the best. He saved the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox. He was amazing."

"Then, why did you-"

"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them. Me, Naruto, the next Hokage, the ninja legend! Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me, and look up to me. Believe it!" He paused and looked at me. "Also Riku dared me."

Iruka's curious glare turned to me. "Why would you think that was a good idea?"

"When someone calls out 'No Balls,' rejection of a dare is out of the question. Plus, it's the ultimate prank. The only thing better than that would be using Naruto's Sexy Jutsu on a really powerful opponent to catch them off guard."

"You do not know the power of subtlety," Kurama drawled.

Shaddup, Kurama.

"Uh, by the way," Naruto piped up. "I kinda wanna ask a favor, sensei."

Iruka looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "You want another bowl?"

Naruto shook his head. "I...I wanna try on your headband. Please?"

"Hm? Oh, no way. You can only wear the Leaf headband when you finally graduate from the Academy."

"What? That is SO uncool!"

"That's why you took your goggles off, isn't it, dingus?" I chuckled.

"Aaaah, I want another bowl!"

Oh, yeah, I'm glad I'm here for this.

"Lord Hokage, I need to talk with you."

Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork curiously. "Well, Riku, what brings you here?"

"Remember when I told you I'd let you know if anything was coming?"

He immediately got the picture and signaled his ANBU to leave. When the door had closed, the walls glowed with various symbols in a soft light before fading slightly.

"Now then, what's coming up?"

"Tomorrow night, after the graduation exams, Mizuki will attempt to steal the forbidden scroll of sealing. By using Naruto as a scapegoat." His eyes widened at this. "But don't worry. This is something that has to happen. It's how Naruto learns his signature jutsu, and becomes a ninja himself."

"I see. Is that all?"

"This is where the series truly starts. What happens tomorrow is the last half of Episode One."

"Then the first half has already happened?"

"Started when Naruto finished painting the monument. Which I had to help clean up, by the way."

He chuckled good naturedly. "I guess that's what happens when you try to move events along the wrong way, now isn't it?"

I sighed. "Anyway, that's all for now. The only thing I can say, is that Iruka should know where to search when the time comes."

"And what will you be doing?"

I smirked. "Just a bit of research."

"We will now start the final exam. When your name is called, please proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on...the Clone Jutsu."

I let my head hit my desk, hard. I suffered from the same thing Naruto had...my clones were extremely pathetic. I was trying to not resort to using the Shadow Clone Jutsu, but it looked like that would be my only way of passing and becoming a Genin...crap.

Welp, I'm gonna fail pretty hard.

"Shut up, brat. You've got better control than my other half, so you should have little problem passing this part of the exam."

You say that, but you have no idea how badly you just jinxed it.

After about 45 minutes, my name was called. Taking a deep breath, I stood and calmly walked into the room. Okay, here we go. I made the hand signs necessary and made my chakra split.

"Clone Jutsu!" A large poof of smoke later, and three different versions of my body layed like puddles with their tongues hanging out. All of them were pale with varying colors out of place, and looked about ready to melt.

"Well...I made the clones."

"You failed."

I sighed and looked at the ground in disappointment. I should've see this coming.

"Why not cut him some slack, Iruka-Sensei?" Mizuki asked kindly. "He managed to produce the required amount."

Iruka shook his head. "If he were to go on a mission with something like that, he'd die. It's true that he made the amount of clones required, but he did it very poorly. If he tries to skate by on just barely passing, he will not have a long career." He looked at me seriously. "Keep practicing your clone jutsu, Riku. Then try taking the exam again next year."

I nodded silently and made my way to the door, running through it and out of the classroom before anyone could see if I passed or failed.

I ran to the swing set where Naruto would be in just a few minutes and sat in the bushes. I didn't cry, but I was very angry with myself. No excuses, I should have been able to get that jutsu down. I should have tried harder. I don't know how long I sat there, but when I looked up, people were already filing out and celebrating with their families. Naruto had joined me in the moping area as he was sitting sideways on the swing, staring dejectedly at the academy.

"So that's them huh?" I heard from a pair of women nearby.

"Yep, the only ones who failed."

"Feh, serves them right."

"Just imagine what would happen if they became ninja."

"A whole lot of amazing things," I yelled at them. "If we become ninja, some of the most amazing feats since the Sanin will go down in history as the greatest moments of the world."

"That's a good attitude to have, Riku," Mizuki-sensei commended as he dropped down from the tree he was in. Ten minutes later, we were all sitting on a balcony looking at the sunset. The various shades of orange blended perfectly into one beautiful scene.

"Iruka-sensei is tough," Mizuki lectured, "but he's not against you. Either of you."

"Then why?" Naruto replied. "Why only us?"

"He wants you to be strong with all his heart. But that will never happen if he goes easy on you." He took a quick glance at Naruto. "He's like you, you know. No parents, no family."

"But...this time I really wanted to graduate."

"You and me both, Naruto," I agreed. "The difference is I didn't even try to make myself better and I'm paying for it. At least you put the effort into it."

Mizuki smiled at us. I didn't like it. "Then I guess I'll have to tell you. It's a secret, but I'm gonna let you both in on it."

"Okay, are we good on the plan, Foxy?" I asked my partner in crime.

"We're all set, Sonic," he replied back. He and I were both wearing masks to obscure our identities, but our names were a code that I "came up with" as a way of hiding ourselves further. Though this was ruined by that fact that we still wore our everyday clothes.

At my nod, we entered the tower and quietly made our way to the archive room. The hallways felt longer than usual, despite the fact that it was dark. At least, until the lights came on, making us both freeze in place.

"What are you two doing here at this hour?" Hiruzen asked like a parent catching their child with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Foxy, evasive maneuver 69!"

"DOUBLE SEXY JUTSU!"

Two minutes after leaving the Hokage on the floor in a puddle of his own nose-blood, we found it. "This is it, Foxy. Let's go!"

We began jumping through the village, heading to one of the forested areas Mizuki pointed out to us. Within five minutes, we were sitting down with the scroll open in front of us.

"Alright," I started, "first up is the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"GAH! My worst technique and it's popping up everywhere!"

"Don't complain too much. If we get this down, we'll be able to make our pranks so much faster that while they happen, we'll be safe from most suspicion because we'll be somewhere else. I also heard a rumor that this one helps you learn stuff even faster. Problem is, according to this, it splits your chakra evenly between how many clones you make. Though, that may not be a huge problem for us…"

"Why not?" He asked curiously. I paused for a moment and thought about telling him. He may freak out...big time. But that would take most of the shock away from when Mizuki does his big reveal. Plus I wouldn't be doing it to make him mad; I'd be doing it to give him vital information.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you must promise me that you will not freak out." Naruto nodded. "You know how the village hates the both of us for reasons unknown? Well those reasons aren't as unknown as you'd think. The reason they hate us is for something that was outside of our control, and caused a lot of problems 12 years ago. They hate us because of the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"Why would they hate us for that? Do they think we made it appear just so it could wreck the village?"

"Not to mention the fact that we were barely a few hours old when it happened. But no, that's not why they hate us."

"Then why?"

"You know how the Fourth Hokage saved the village, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he killed the fox using a special jutsu."

"That's not entirely true." Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "The truth is, there's no way to truly kill a Tailed Beast. The only way they can really be stopped is by sealing them into someone. It's true that the Fourth used a special jutsu to defeat the fox, but it wasn't to kill it. It was a seal so powerful that in return for using it, the caster loses their life."

"Who did he seal it into?"

I took a deep breath. "Us. He split the fox in half, and sealed one part in both of us. Now before you say anything, this does not mean we became incarnations of the fox. The best way I can put it is that we're essentially his landlords and every so often, we need him to pay rent in Chakra."

Naruto looked down in shock. I could tell that this was a lot to take in for him. It would be for me if I were in his-oh wait, I was in his position, except I had to have the furball sealed in me to keep me alive.

"Are you sure?" he asked shakily. "Are you really sure we're not the fox?"

"I've been talking to the guy since I was three. He and I have kind of a love/hate relationship out of necessity. But I can assure you if we were the same being, the village would've been a smoldering crater years ago."

Naruto thought about it before nodding. "Alright, I believe you."

"Thanks, man. But I'll tell you what," I smirked, "I bet my secret stash of Ichiraku coupons that someone will try to say otherwise when they find us."

Naruto got a competitive gleam in his eye. "I'll take that bet. And I'll put up half of my stash of Ichiraku coupons."

"Why only half, you cheapskate?"

"Because we both know I go there a lot more than you do. So my pile is a lot bigger."

I shrugged, conceding the point. "Fair enough."

"Now let's see this Jutsu." I nodded and we set to work.

Roughly three hours later, the both of us were leaning against a tree, sweaty, dirty, and catching our breaths. We actually did it. I'm surprised I was even able to get it, period. But I knew where events were headed the moment we heard footsteps in front of us.

"It's all over," Iruka stated, chuckling like a villain. Naruto scratched the back of his head, giggling himself.

"Got us already, not bad, Sensei. You're quick. We only had time to learn one technique." Iruka then noticed how dirty we were from trying to learn the jutsu. "Listen Iruka-sensei, we're gonna show you this awesome technique, then you're gonna let us graduate, then everything'll be okay! That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes." Iruka gasped at Naruto, giving me an excuse to put on a frown.

"That is how it goes, right, sensei?" I asked, feigning caution.

"No," Iruka denied, "Where did you get that idea?"

"Mizuki-sensei told us about it. And about this place…" Naruto trailed off at Iruka's surprised look of realization. Iruka then pushed the both of us down, getting nailed with a shower of Kunai and shuriken.

"I see you found our little hideaway," Mizuki observed from his branch.

"So that's the way it is," Iruka grit out. "I should've known."

I stood in front of Naruto protectively. "Something tells me we're into something bigger than we realized, Foxy. New mission: Keep that thing safe from everyone until we know who to trust."

"Wait a minute," Naruto finally spoke. "What's going on here?"

Iruka yanked a kunai out of his leg, replying. "Don't let Mizuki get the scroll, you two. It contains jutsu that could put the village in great danger! Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself, for his own power!"

The two of them went back and forth trying to convince Naruto of their side while I stood in front, keeping my stance on guard. "Remember Naruto," I whispered. "We don't have enough information about the situation to trust anyone yet."

"Oh I'll tell who's been lying, Naruto," Mizuki's voice brought us back. "They've been lying to you your whole life, since that decree 12 years ago."

"What decree?" Naruto hesitantly asked.

"Everybody knows except for you. Iruka's trying to hide it now. He would do anything to shut me up."

"What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?"

"Don't tell him, it's forbidden!" Iruka shouted.

"The decree is no one can tell you that the Nine-Tailed Fox is inside you." Naruto's eyes widened. "The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"

"STOP IT!"

"They've all been sneaking around hiding things from you your whole life! Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt! Like they hated you for just being alive!"

Silence reigned for a good thirty seconds before I broke it.

"Hey Naruto," I nudged him. He just looked back at me in shock. "Better pick up the phone, cause I FREAKING CALLED IT!"

"DAMMIT RIKU!" He yelled, pulling at his hair. "I WAS REALLY SAVING THOSE UP TOO!"

The two teachers looked at us in confusion. Why weren't we more surprised at this? I looked back at Mizuki.

"You know," I began, "it's people like you, Mizuki, that really make me hate this village. These dingbats wouldn't know the difference between a weapon or the scroll it's sealed in, which is sad because a good chunk of these same idiots are in our ninja forces. This is why I don't buy into that 'protect the village' crap. Nobody likes protection from something that can easily turn against them. It's like a parasitical relationship, they take, and you get nothing in return other than hushed words and small glares for only being there. But there's a few things that make it worth it to stay here." I glared at him and activated my sharingan. "They are my friends and family, people I swore I'd protect no matter what."

Mizuki just growled in annoyance. "All this sentimental crap is making me sick. I'm ending this now!"

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing. Naruto, let's show Iruka-sensei our results!" Naruto grinned then nodded eagerly.

"If you're that eager to die, then so be it!" Mizuki took the two giant shuriken of his back and spun them, getting ready to throw them.

"Anything you dish out, we'll give back times 1000!" Naruto boldly countered as we crossed our hands into the familiar seal every fan knew.

"MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" The forest became a sea of orange and blue, surrounding the area around the teachers as both looked in shock and awe at what we accomplished.

"What's the matter?" all the Naruto's taunted. "Weren't you gonna kill us?"

"Because if not," the me's replied cockily, "We're coming to you with no mercy in sight!"

Mizuki's screams were heard all the way to the Land of Waves that night.

"And that's what happened from my perspective," I concluded.

"You ended things quickly," Hiruzen noted, "yet you didn't kill him. That's a rarity in shinobi."

"For good reason, but it's still not that good. After that, Iruka had given Naruto his headband and said the both of us pass. Naruto was so happy, he tackled Iruka while he was still injured. Meanwhile, I'll be going into the Academy tomorrow to pick up my own headband. I'm actually curious to see where this will go for team selections."

"Is that all for now?"

"Yeah, I'll let you know when an episode picks up again. Until then, Lord Hokage."

"Good night, Riku."

As I walked out of the Hokage's office, I sighed in relief. It was weird having to tell the Hokage about what happened and what I changed in the episode. But Iruka told the both of us we were excellent students and that we both deserved to graduate, something that took a while to do considering our relationship with the fox. But I'm glad I was able to form a friendly relationship with Iruka before I left the academy.

"You also have a very useful technique to add to your arsenal. Learning new techniques will be a simple matter now."

Yeah but it's not something I want to openly abuse. Though it will be an amazing help for trying to master the other ki attacks i want to do.

"Speaking of, why didn't you just use your Death Beam attack and kill the traitor outright?"

Because while I am in fact trying to change things, I'm trying to stay as close to canon as possible. This will make it so my future knowledge doesn't become completely irrelevant until my mission is complete.

"And what happens when you complete your mission? What then?" I had no answer. I hadn't thought that far ahead at all.

I'll let you know when i get there.

The walk home wasn't that long, maybe about ten minutes. When I walked through the door, Sasuke was the first one to meet me.

"You're late," he said, not looking up from the scroll he was reading.

"Sorry, had to talk with the old man. On the plus side, Iruka-sensei passed me on learning a new, high rank jutsu."

Sasuke looked at me, wide-eyed. "What jutsu did you learn that made him revoke your failing grade?"

I just smirked. "Something that I'm going to be using to master my original techniques, as well as anything else I manage to learn."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, muttering something under his breath. "You know it's your night to cook dinner, right?"

"Yeah, and I know just what to make."

"Is it that hamburger gravy recipe you made?" Mina asked, coming down the stairs. She'd let her hair grow out, and had it in a braid similar to mine. Before the massacre, she only came up to my waist. But nowadays, even though we were both still growing, she was at my shoulder now.

I smiled and patted her head. "Nope, it's something better. I'm gonna need some corn, some chili seasoning, and about two pounds of beef. Ooh, and a bell pepper."

Sasuke got up and got the ingredients I requested. "What are you calling this one?"

"TACO RICE!"

A/N: And we're done! This was a chapter that didn't want to get written because personal stuff got in the way all the time. Now unfortunately, I may not get the next chapter out until after September is completely done. Why? I'm going to JAPAN! Yep, I'm going on a month long trip to Japan, where I'll be studying the Language and the culture at Akamonkai Language school. I'm excited for it. Now, I'll definitely have the chapter started, but in terms of writing, I may not get it out for at least three months…

Anyways, be sure to review, follow, favorite, and guess who sang this chapter's name. Until next time.