R(~)
10.
They were completely speechless with mouths agape.
The dead last of the class just beaten the second best of the class in taijutsu and made it look easy. Iruka was the first to regain the power of speech but his words were still barely coherent.
"K-K-K-Ki-Ki-Kiba l-lo-lost to N-N-N-Na-Naruto…"
Naruto walked up to Shikamaru and retrieved his tantō from the unmoving boy and strapped it back in its rightful place.
"Thanks Shikamaru," Naruto stated.
Shikamaru blinked. "Ugh. This is… beyond troublesome. Damn Naruto, where did that come from?"
"Is it really that surprising? I mean, all I did was spar with him. He was going to kick me in my fucking groin so I fucking countered it! That's all." Naruto defended, getting increasingly incensed. "You know how painful kicks down there are?! Have you ever gotten KICKED there?!"
"That was unexpected…" Shikamaru began.
"So what?! Am I supposed to just grovel in front in front of people who are 'better' than me?! He's supposed to beat me in a match because I'm a dead last?" he retorted angrily. 'I have at least twice as much potential as everyone else.' He added in his mind.
"So true. That was a hard hit though. We still actually need the brat to take the exams tomorrow."
Shikamaru silently stared at the boy in front of him. The boy's eyes seemed to slightly glaze over whenever he thought to himself as it were the case now. It was almost as if he were talking to someone. 'Naruto is such an enigma…'
Naruto sighed as he re-grounded himself in reality. "Sorry for my outburst Shikamaru. I just…"
"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way though. It's just that… you normally… suck. And now… you don't. How do I put this…?" Shikamaru stumbled.
"I get it." With that said, Naruto turned on his heel walked off back to class. Not sure what to do anymore, the Nara followed shortly afterwards. It was only after the two boys left that everything erupted into chaos.
"What the hell just happened?"
"The dead last beat him!"
"Kiba lost!"
"Roana, you bet me fifteen ryo that Kiba would win! Pay up!"
Mizuki slipped away, no doubt to do some serious thinking about what he just saw. That left Iruka to clean up the aftermath.
'Heh. The dobe did it. That's more evidence that points to him knowing and being capable of more than he lets on. Perhaps I'll find out something more under those goggles. After all, even with his new outfit, he kept his goggles on. There has to be a legitimate reason.' Sasuke thought, walking off to sit under a tree to watch the development. Perhaps someone may even unconsciously yell a viable theory as to how and why Naruto won.
'Surprising. It's almost as if it's a brand new Naruto. He gives off a more confident and serious vibe and he sounds… refined. My insects insist that it is indeed him, identifying him by his chakra signature. This requires more information. Was he holding back or acting irrationally on purpose? He couldn't have amassed the skills to beat a taijutsu brawler like Kiba in just a day, or even a month when Kiba has practiced everyday even before attending the academy. He had to have been receiving special tutoring for some time. But why would he hide his skills? To what end?' The stoic bug user remained unreadable to the outside world. But it was obvious that he was thinking of the match-...who wouldn't be?
'…Naruto-kun won…' Hinata breathed a little easier. She had worried that Naruto would have gotten hurt and lost badly to Kiba. It seemed that her concerns had been for nothing. But she couldn't help but wonder if his new behavior was due to what had happened the day before. She blushed when she remembered that she had broken down his door, and how he reacted when he found out what she did.
Ino picked up a stick and poked the still unconscious Kiba in the side, but found him unresponsive. "Is he dead?"
"He's not dead Ino-pig. He's only unconscious. Quit acting like such a blonde!" Sakura yelled.
"Oh yeah? Bill-board brow!"
"Ino-pig!" They immediately started butting heads like cattle, fighting for dominance.
Iruka gave a long exhale...it really was Naruto's gift to make a class go chaotic in no time flat. "Everyone, get to class."
Back in the class, Naruto sighed and placed his head on the desk. As he blinked he found himself in the mindscape in front of the seal. He peered through the bars and found the great fox sitting on his haunches, waiting for him. "What do you want?"
"I need advice."
"That will be one extra, you know. And I'm already on 'ninety-seven'. As soon I finish up to a hundred, you can finally fix this damn seal into something more scenic."
"Ninety-seven? That many? Hmm. Ugh, memory doesn't lie. But I never knew you counted advice."
"Advice counts as help. Take it or leave it. Besides, it's been more than six fucking years that I've been waiting."
Naruto sighed. "I'll take it. 'Ninety-eight'."
The Kyuubi nodded. "What is it?"
"Am I moving too fast? I mean, I knew I was pushing it by wearing the outfit and all, but I'm revealing some skills I think I should be keeping hidden longer still. And I don't want Ito catching on to the fact that I'm not a dunce anymore. The guy still wants my bloodline."
"Frankly, those 'skills' you showed weren't over complicated. All you did was counter Kiba's attacks. Besides, those were his weaknesses. He didn't realize that he was the only one attacking not to mention the fact that his attacks were just attacks with muscle. They lacked any real direction or preceding thought. I don't think you have to worry over anyone suspecting what we do or did, and Ito's probably far away from here. So, is that it?"
"Umm, yeah. I just don't want to be suspected or put under surveillance. I don't want my name slandered or my privacy invaded."
"Like what the Hyūga did yesterday?" The nine tailed fox gave a toothy smirk.
"That's different. She did that out of concern." The boy defended. Feeling something foreign happening on the outside of his body, Naruto left the mindscape.
…
…
"Look! The guy's asleep!" a civilian student exclaimed.
"I'm not surprised. They agreed for fifteen minutes, but they were fighting it out for half an hour." His friend replied.
"Heh. I'm grateful. That's a half hour I don't have to listen to Iruka-sensei's lecture."
"I don't look at it that way. I look at it as a half hour of sleep lost."
The boys laughed but were rudely pushed out of the way by a certain Uchiha. "Out of my way."
"Hey! Watch it! Geez. What a prick." The raven haired youth ignored the boys whom he had affronted. He looked to the Uzumaki who seemed asleep.
'Perfect.'
This was likely an opportune time to remove those damned goggles. His curiosity had reached its peak when he replayed the fight in his mind and realized that whenever Naruto would be harmed in the face he took more precautions to protect it than even his weakest vital areas. What aspiring ninja would do that? Shouldn't your vitals be the most guarded?
He reached up to the 'sleeping' boy and lifted his head with one hand. 'Hn. Unresponsive. Must be a heavy sleeper. How pathetic.'
"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?" Ino asked.
The Uchiha did not answer as he grasped the boy's goggles with his free hand and started to pull it off.
Naruto's eyes opened all of a sudden and grabbed Sasuke's offending hand. "What do you think you're doing, Uchiha?" He bit out, already more than just a bit upset.
"I'm taking your goggles off. What does it look like I'm doing?" the boy replied arrogantly.
"They're mine, so shove off." Naruto stood up and gave him a slight push away from himself. "Try that again and I'll break your arm."
'Hmm. He could still be an idiot. I could just ask him.' Sasuke thought.
"Can I look them over?" he asked.
"No. Sentimental value."
The Uchiha said something he never thought he'd say. "Please?" he strained.
"Sorry, no." Naruto was shocked to hear the Uchiha showing courtesy. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.
"Naruto-baka, just give Sasuke-kun the stupid goggles!" Sakura yelled at the blond haired boy and attempted to punch him in the head. He perceived the attack and in the time it took to connect, he debated on whether or not to let her him. After hesitating, he allowed her to, and it struck in the same spot where she always battered him in the past.
Regardless, he didn't flinch, and his head didn't budge. She was surprised at the circumstance that he didn't cry out or keel like he usually did, and only stared at her with a countenance of mixed emotions, that being disappointment, anger and —strangely— relief.
"It hurts, you know," he said quietly. "But you don't know anything about me other than my name, and but you're always hitting me. I liked you, Sakura. Liked," he repeated adding emphasis to his usage of past tense, "and even if you're not sorry, I am. We were shallow, and both fools." His strange expression soon twisted into a glare, and Sakura who was still trying to process his message winced and backed away when she saw it. "I'm not anymore, and I hope you change too. Until then… never touch me again." Still not fully able to sort out what he meant, she still managed to understand the threat and retreated from him quickly.
Things were quiet for the rest of the day. Quiet and inexplicable.
=X=X=
"What should we work on, Kyuubi? The exam's tomorrow."
"The best thing would be to study."
"I have that in the bag. All I have to do is to answer a few questions. I even read over everything from Hinata's notes. She's really nice. She stutters a lot around me though, but not as much around everyone else. I wonder why that is."
The Nine-Tailed Fox took a deep breath as he tried to get over the fact that his container was still far to oblivious to some things for his own good. 'It's just the first day. But if everyday is gonna be like this, I'm going to regret not telling him today.' "I don't have a clue," he answered. "So studying is out? Hmm. Taijutsu is doing alright. That leaves Bukijutsu and Ninjutsu."
'My Bukijutsu needs work. I'll work on that. I'm not sure if I can throw a kunai properly, even though I remember-'
"'Ninety-nine.'"
'What? No it's not.'
"You asked me for what I thought. Which is my opinion...which is guidance...which is advice...which is help. Therefore, it's now at '99'."
Naruto growled in frustration. 'Fine. I didn't know I was that helpless.' He grabbed up his shuriken and kunai holsters before looking over the abandoned training ground he was in. Spying a training post, he approached it and set it upright and checked it.
"Seems to be in good condition," he muttered to himself. He backpedaled away what he guessed was thirty yards away from it and toed a line in the dirt.
"I've never made it accurately from this distance. I usually miss by a couple of inches at least, and that was before you put the seal on me," he remarked out loud to the Kyuubi as much as did to himself.
"Just try it. Every time you miss, you have to cut yourself."
"What?"
"Cut… yourself." The Kyuubi said slowly, almost as if it were a threat.
"Hmm. I would try my utmost best so as to avoid maiming myself. Interesting," Naruto said in mock appreciation. "NO."
"Do it or I'll give you horrible nightmares."
Naruto scoffed. "Like what?"
"Make you dream of kissing the Sandaime Hokage, for starters. Or make you relive the Anbu feeding you vegetables."
"What… the… fuck. You're SICK!"
"Get to it." It was extremely difficult, if not nigh impossible to affect his dreams. But his container didn't need to know that...'motivation' was needed .Naruto hurriedly got out his weapons, three kunai and seven shuriken.
The boy stared at the bull's-eye intently, 'Alright. Just don't miss.' He threw the first kunai. He watched it sail through the air to the target.
And hit dead center.
"That's pretty damn good. Do that another ten times, then I may be impressed. You'll also get to keep your flesh in one piece, too."
Naruto gulped. His physical health (or mental one) was on the line. He readied his second kunai and threw again. It struck in the center as well, and it shocked him. To even throw two in a row accurately at thirty yards was rare for him. Suddenly he started thinking. 'I wonder if this has something to do with 'Focus'.
The Kyuubi had caught the thought and momentarily thought the same thing. 'Perhaps.'
"Boy, focus on the bull's-eye and throw three shuriken from each hand at the same time. I won't punish you if you miss. That should be a Chunin-level type of thing, right?"
"What?! I can't do that! My aim is atrocious already!"
"Do it, or I'll change my mind about the punishment."
The lad readied his shuriken. He focused on the bull's-eye only just like before, exhaled and then threw the shuriken, with his hand following through with the throw.
All the shuriken made it in the bull's-eye at relatively the same time, seemingly competing for a chance to stick. Some had knocked the others off when reaching the small dot but the proof was there. All the shuriken had made it to the tiny bull's-eye.
"Mm-hmm. Do it again at fifty yards."
The boy retrieved all of his weapons at the bull's-eye and repeated his success at fifty yards. Then one-hundred. The yard number continued to grow until his aim missed (dropping below the bull's-eye) due to lack of arm strength. There was no mistake. With 'focus', his mental acuity as well as his aim had improved a thousand fold overnight. He couldn't miss, unless he lacked the strength to throw.
'Focus'? Mediocre? Yeah right. He couldn't believe that he'd been disappointed before when he'd first gotten this aspect to his kekkai genkai. "YATTA! I'm gonna rip shit up tomorrow! Watch out shinobi world, badass ninja number one is COMING!" The boy jumped up and down with a shit eating grin on his face. "Now for Ninjutsu. Let's see. Henge, kawarimi and bunshin…Bunshin… Shit." The boy's happy demeanor dropped. Oh no."
"What is it?" The Kyuubi was starting to wonder if the boy was bipolar, given how quickly he changed his mood.
"…Bunshin…"
"What about it? Speak boy!"
"I don't have the chakra control for it."
The Kyuubi now understood. "Chakra control for the clone is impossible for you. You will never have the control to even make ten, let alone three. I suppose that I'm to blame for that."
The boy's control wasn't horrible per say. His control at the moment was excellent for an aspiring genin. He had seen Chunin at their barracks walking up trees and walking on water with just chakra and had practiced it for eighteen months now. But in order to even have enough control over his bijū enhanced reserves he would need at least four times the control he had now. He didn't know any more chakra control exercises at the moment and neither did the Nine-Tails. In other words, unless he could get a next-to-impossible amount of control within the next eighteen hours, he was screwed.
"The bunshin is practically an image! Almost like a genjutsu. That's impossible for me."
The Kyuubi nodded from inside the seal. "For you to even make ten bunshin is like pouring water from a five gallon bucket through a straw. It's just not going to work unless you can convince them to let you create at least forty bunshins instead of three. Or perhaps plead your case to the Sandaime."
"What if I used youki bunshins instead?" Naruto asked.
"No use. It wouldn't look like you anyway. Just a feral 'man' version of me. Even if a henge was used on the bunshin, they would detect it and fail you. Even the process of making a clone with youki would alert the whole village that my power was being released and used. The village's Anbu would have you under chains and locks in less than a minute. No chance."
"Fuck!" Naruto swore loudly. "Everything is stacked against me. Do you know any other cloning techniques?"
"Do I look like I would busy myself learning bunshin techniques of you ningen?" Kyuubi spat.
"Guess that's a no. I'll have to talk to jiji then."
The boy got his throwing weapons together and replaced them back into the holster and made his leave. As he ran to the Hokage tower to see his surrogate grandfather, he wondered if he would be able to help him with his unfortunate situation.
=X=X=
The Sandaime Hokage stamped another document with his seal of approval. 'Damn it all. I'm getting too old for this shit. One of these days, I'm gonna burn it down for all the good this paperwork is.' Introducing a break in his thoughts, the door opened a bit and his secretary poked her head inside.
"Hello Hokage-sama. I have brought more documents that was sent here seeking approval."
'Great. It seems that's all my secretary is good for. To bring more paperwork. Just when I thought I was almost done.' His secretary finished pushing the door open with her rear and turned around, revealing a double armful of folders of paperwork. She placed them on his desk and made her remark.
"Also, Hokage-sama, Uzumaki is also here to see you."
'Uzumaki?' "You can send him in."
"Right away, Hokage-sama."
She made her way outside and told the boy outside to go in. Soon enough he did.
"Hi-yah Jiji!" the boy said boisterously, "I need a favor." The Hokage stared at the individual in front of him, trying to figure out if he was getting cataracts or if he was really seeing the Uzumaki.
"Uh, Jiji?"
Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Yes, hello Naruto-kun. I must say, your new look is a vast improvement. Congratulations. What inspired the change?"
The boy faltered a little before composing himself. "I just decided that I… was unprepared for the ninja world before."
"And you are now?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
He tried to think of a safe response. "Well… I guess I'm less unprepared."
"So what is it that you need, Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked, puffing on his pipe. Normally, Naruto would come to get his allowance from him, or hide from Anbu he pranked. The latter wouldn't work anyway. But he had to concede the truth — if Naruto used his allowance to buy his new gear, it was money well spent.
"It's about the exams tomorrow."
"What about them?"
"I can't do the bunshin no jutsu, Jiji."
"How so? Are they not battle viable, or that you can't make number necessary?" He knew the actual problem. He was actually testing Naruto's knowledge of his handicap.
"I don't have the necessary chakra control to make only a few. I have to make dozens. If I don't, the jutsu will be far from sufficiently successful," Naruto explained. "Basically, those Academy teachers want something that I can't give."
Sarutobi studied the whiskered boy in front of him. 'His vocabulary has improved, as well as his knowledge of his drawbacks. He's also more settled and refined, somewhat. He's matured, but when? Is it due to his childhood abuse that sped it up? But I saw him last week and he was still behaving like a cheeky brat. Something happened between now and then. Perhaps the stress of the genin exams had caused it. But he's normally too headstrong to ask for help. I wonder…'
"I'm sorry Naruto. There are no known control exercises that could help, at least, none that can work overnight, not to mention that there's a reason why jounin don't perform that particular jutsu. I acknowledge that it's very difficult on their high chakra reserves, as well as being next to useless in battle, being only illusions that cast no shadow of their own."
"Then why are we learning it?" Naruto asked, frustrated.
"It's because it's a genin level technique. They are considered that because if you cannot perform them at that level then you are not considered worthy of being a ninja. However, after enough progress, genin will pick up higher level clones from their jounin instructors like elemental bunshins. By the time you reach jounin, you pick up the shadow clone jutsu; those have a lot of potential. But it is a forbidden jutsu, severely taxing on chakra reserves. The jutsu splits up your chakra evenly among the clones, so the more you create the more dangerous it is, as if you create ten or a dozen, your reserves will be reduced to a tenth or a twelfth of it's original capacity. A true double-edged sword." 'Not to mention the mental issues from received memories when they disperse.' Are you still following?"
"Yeah. I'm still following. Were you expecting me to fall asleep or something?"
"Yes. I did."
"Hmm. If what you're saying is true, then why not teach me a higher bunshin technique?" Naruto pleaded. "Since I have more chakra, I should learn a more advanced clone jutsu-… that's common sense."
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. If I help you directly with your training, it would be frowned upon because of my position giving you something of an advantage," Sarutobi explained.
"How about 'indirectly' then?" Naruto whispered in a scandalous sounding tone.
"No, Naruto. My position was built on trust. I cannot disgrace it by dealings done under the table." Naruto was disappointed.
"Aw, what? Isn't that what being a ninja is all about? Gotta pull a little sneaky-sneaky from time to time, am I right?" Seeing the man's frown made the boy deflate. "Huh. What if you find some way to for me to make more than the ruled three? Can't that work?"
"I don't predict much good coming from that Naruto. It would show me making a special case for you, another example of favoritism. I cannot do anything within my power to help. Perhaps you could ask them tomorrow. The only other solution points to that of you requesting a jounin or chunin's help to teach you a new bunshin technique. I recommend curry-favoring one right now."
Now it was Naruto's face to show how upset he was, despite trying his best to hide it. He knew that the Hokage wanted what was best for him, even though this was probably one of the worst things he'd ever done to him, that is, not helping him in the way he should've. "I guess so. Thanks Jiji."
"You're welcome, Naruto-kun."
Naruto made his exit and shut the door behind him.
Sarutobi released a huge sigh. The aged Sandaime returned to his paperwork, yet unable to think of anything else than seeing the boy's disappointed and accusing expression. Accusing him of sabotage and neglect.
Most likely guilty. He was especially guilty of not trying more.
=X=X=
"Well, at least you tried."
"I know. But none of the higher ups wanted to train me. Probably because of my status. Didn't know I was discriminated by them too. So many excuses. 'Busy', 'Late', 'Don't feel like it', 'Sick relatives'…" Naruto was growing angrier with each excuse he repeated. "Fuck! We'll show them, Kyuubi. Why are we even trying to get on a team, anyway? Just to have one of these jounin pricks order us around?!" He exclaimed the last question, exasperated almost to the point of tears. "My teammates probably won't even work with me! Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Each expletive growing louder than the last. He kicked down his dilapidated dining room table and it fell over, collapsing in pieces. He finally huddled in the corner of the room, crying.
"Why?" He sobbed. "I don't even want that damn hat anymore. To be leader of a village like this? They all fucking hate me!"
"Look, Naruto…" The Kyuubi slipped and called Naruto by name, a rarity in itself.
The distraught boy barely noticed in his emotional state. "Yeah?"
"You know what you want. You want to kill a scum-sucking bastard who wants to eat your goddamn brains just to get your kekkai genkai, and if he isn't wiped out, a lot of people are gonna die. You want to become someone that people can look up to, not necessarily the Hokage. You want to get powerful to do everything you want. And if you are going to allow a simple bunshin to stand in your way of that ambition...you're not Naruto. You're just a washed up wuss who gave up. Now get the FUCK up and grow a FUCKING BACKBONE!"
Naruto, who had been listening half heartedly, restrained himself from laughing at the adverse temperaments in the attempted motivational speech but had had his usual confidence and determination return...that was clear by merely looking at his eyes.
That's right. He knew why he lived; if for nothing else, he wanted to avenge the death of his parents. That was his drive and he wasn't going to have some ignorant civilians and biased ninja stand in his way of that. If anything, they were the ones that pumped him full of the hate that made him want to take it out on his parents' killers.
"Thanks Kyuubi. I needed that."
"Kurama."
"Excuse me?"
"That's my name, boy. My name is Kurama. I'm getting so damn sick of you calling my title as a name."
"Heh. Goodnight Kurama."
"Goodnight Naruto."
=X=X=
"Next, Uchiha Sasuke." The instructor announced.
Said boy frowned and stood. Finally, it was his turn. Ninjutsu was his fortè, his field of expertise in the class. He would do nothing short of perfect. He made his way to the designated room and shut the door behind him.
"Troublesome. Couldn't they have let me just go on home?" A certain Nara grumbled to his whiskered companion. "I already passed. There was no need to keep me here."
"Quit your complaining. At least you passed." Naruto retorted, eyeing Shikamaru's hitai-ate with rising envy. He had tied it around his upper arm on his biceps. "It's a forehead protector, why don't you wear there?"
"I'm not complaining. I'm merely… saying how displeased I am. And it doesn't matter where you wear it, as long as you have it in noticeable view, it's not against the rules. And what do you mean 'at least I passed'?" Practically everyone passed. Only you and Ino are left. Troublesome."
"I'm saying that because… there is a high chance I won't."
"Eh? You seemed confident doing the written exam, which is unusual for you I might add, aced taijutsu with Sasuke and Kiba. All that's left is Ninjutsu, and that's a breeze. Even I didn't complain doing that."
"…Fortune smiles on the lazy…" Naruto bemoaned.
The door opened again to reveal a raven haired youth sporting his hitai-ate on his forehead. He smirked and reclaimed his seat. Almost as soon as he did, fan girls surrounded him; it only served to make him drop the smirk for a look of slight exasperation.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto heaved himself up and steeled himself, he went inside to see both Mizuki and Iruka sitting behind a desk, with a box with a few headbands in it.
'So close…'
"Okay, Naruto. Please begin. Perform a henge."
"Anyone special?" Naruto asked Iruka.
"Do anyone."
Naruto placed his hand in a ram hand-seal. "Henge!" he was surrounded by a thin layer of smoke.
The smoke soon cleared to reveal a perfect version of Iruka. "Naruto! Pay attention!" Naruto shouted in his impersonation.
"Excellent. The yell was comical and unnecessary though." Iruka was displeased. "Now to perform a Kawarimi. Are you ready?"
"Hai sensei."
Iruka threw a senbon needle at Naruto's foot and he instantly substituted for a chair.
"Very good."
Naruto returned back to his place and waited for the words he didn't want to hear.
"Now, perform the bunshin no jutsu, three of them please."
'And yet so far…'
"Um, Iruka-sensei, can I do more than three?"
Mizuki spoke up for the first time. "No you can't, Naruto. Three's the number set by the academy's board."
"I see. So it's non-negotiable?"
"No Naruto, they're not. Those are the rules."
Prepared to fail, Naruto set his face in a grim expression. To Iruka, it was as if it were chiseled out of granite.
Outside, fifteen minutes later
Naruto watched the students jostle around with their parents. All were happy except for him. He could hear small exclamations of parents who claimed to be proud of their children who had passed their genin exam.
'Yeah. Let them celebrate. They're gonna die out there in the real world. A ninja is just a guy who kills for money. That's what it boils down to. I don't think I would have been happy either way if I had passed. It's just a means to an end. But in order to be able to carry out my purposes, I need to become a ninja. I won't get to learn anymore, and I can't get stronger!'
"True."
"Hey! The dobe didn't pass! What an idiot!" Kiba shouted.
"He still kicked your ass yesterday Kiba. I'm out fifteen ryo because you lost."
"Shut up Roana! I underestimated him!"
Naruto ignored him. If Kiba was trying to get a rise out of him, he was going to be disappointed. He wasn't going to start up any shenanigans, but if Kiba wanted to… he was going to put a stop to it. "Hey dead last! Can't make a simple bunshin? You're such an idiot!" Kiba taunted.
No answer.
"Don't you hear me talking to you, dumbass?"
Still no answer.
Kiba stomped up to Naruto and grabbed Naruto's shoulder. The Uzumaki took a deliberate deep breath in an effort to calm himself and failed-… he'd had a very trying day. "Take your hand off of my shoulder, Kiba." Naruto growled. He knew that it wasn't really Kiba's fault why he was acting like this. He was probably only feeling hyped up because he passed the exam and Naruto didn't, and he took it as a sign that he was actually better than Naruto at taijutsu and was aching for a rematch without any consideration for the means.
"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, dead last?"
Naruto grabbed the handle in his short holster. He was about to pull out the yet-to-be discovered weapon out of it when he heard Mizuki's voice.
"Oi, Naruto! I want to have a word with you!" He yelled, walking up to said boy. "Inuzuka, go on home. I can still renounce your ninja status you know. It's still early."
"Huh?" The boy asked to clarify.
"He means it's not too late to take back your headband from you, mongrel," Naruto scoffed.
"What was that?!" Kiba yelled.
"Enough." Mizuki ordered. "Kiba, leave."
Kiba grudgingly let Naruto's shoulder go and left with his friends. He glanced back at Naruto with hate in his eyes as if to say, "This isn't over."
Naruto had a bored look in his eyes that spoke volumes of indifference.
He turned his attention back to his teacher. "What is it, Mizuki-sensei?"
Mizuki grinned. "There is a way to still become a genin. A secondary exam, if you want to call it that…"
=X=X=
Naruto landed on the branch neatly and leapt off to another in a ninja dash through the trees. He was doing rather well, he supposed. The better his time, the more time he had to read over the scroll.
The Kyuubi caught the thought. "You, of course, know that this is a trap."
"I know. But I'm sure you know why I went through with this."
"Hai. If you get caught, just blame it on the teacher and childish ignorance."
'Kurama, with my abilities, I can just read over the scroll and 'understand' everything. With my 'memory', I'll remember everything, training myself for a long time. Nothing will go wrong."
The Kyuubi did not answer.
…
…
Nothing was going right.
"You just had to laugh at him, didn't you?"
'It was funny! 'You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!' he yells at me. I mean, I know about you for what, four-five years now? What did he expect me to do, keel over in shock and cry? And he accused me of being YOU!' Naruto had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
"Probably. But he is about to kill Iruka. You should do something though. Which technique have you learnt already?"
'I learnt the Shadow Clone jutsu, elemental clones and exploding clones. Wait a minute.' Naruto grew a huge grin that threatened to split his face in two. 'Bunshin Daibakuha.'
"I worry if you are still sane."
"Shut up Mizuki-teme! He's not like that!" Umino yelled, panting for breath.
"I'm gonna put you out of your misery, Iruka. You're only leading a pathetic existence, being a teacher to brats. Lord Orochimaru was right. This village is waste of land space. It oughta be destroyed, with the way paved for something more glorious!"
Naruto peeked from around the tree. Mizuki stood with a Fūma shuriken over Iruka who was struggling to even get to his knees. It did not look like an ideal situation for Iruka.
'That's it. I'm intervening.' Naruto grabbed the handle of his tantō.
'Don't kill Mizuki. It seems that he might have information on Orochimaru.' The nine tails warned.
'This is going to be a whole lot harder if I'm not going for a killing blow. How am I supposed to beat a Chunin?' Naruto grabbed his mystery holster.
"Just do it. If I think you're going to lose, I'll help you by using the feral state."
Naruto created a Kage bunshin next to him and told it to henge into the Hokage. "Go flank around." He whispered. The clone left to do as it were told as Naruto jumped out of the tree to land before the Chunin. "Oi! Mizuki! So you think I'm the Kyuubi, huh?" he yelled at the betrayer.
"What?! You should have just run away, brat!" He yelled back, momentarily stopped in his process of disposing of Iruka.
"If you really think I'm the nine tailed fox demon, shouldn't you be running away?" 'Oi! Kurama! I need some help with killing intent!" The Bijū complied and channeled his concentrated killing intent at the ninja criminal to the point that of making him fall to his knees, but he fought it, soon regaining control of his legs.
"I'm used to Lord Orochimaru's killing intent. Yours doesn't even come close." Mizuki strained through gritted teeth.
Naruto frowned. 'Damn. Maybe it's because Kurama has to channel it through me the reason's its not as strong as it should be.'
"Mizuki! What is the meaning of this! What are you doing with Iruka-san?"
The silver haired Chunin paled when he heard the Hokage's voice. He turned around slowly to see 'Hiruzen', frowning like a thundercloud. After looking closer, Mizuki did a bit of a double take and grinned. "Nice try, Naruto. I see that it's just a henge." 'But even so, how did he do that? He can't do a bunshin and bunshin can't talk or be hidden under henge. He must have learnt a bunshin technique from the scroll. But which one's a clone?' He took two kunai and threw them at blurring speeds at both Narutos. Both exploded into smoke.
One into nothing, one into a log.
"Hn. Kage bunshin. Impressive. But I'm a Chunin! You're not even a genin!" he yelled, looking up into the trees. He got no answer to his taunt. "If you don't come back, I'll kill Iruka!" He still heard nothing except for a stray owl, hooting its cry.
Deciding to make good on his threat, he looked down again while taking out a kunai. He gawked.
Iruka wasn't there.
"What's the matter?" The ethereal sounding voice seemed to come from everywhere.
"Where are you?! I'm going to gut you like a fish!" The Chunin yelled.
"Alright. I'm coming." Naruto said, as if in multiple voices. "We're all coming."
Before Mizuki could react to the fact that Naruto referred to himself in plural third person, fifty clones came into the clearing. As if on cue, they all grasped the secondary weapons on their waists.
They all withdrew the handles at the same time and swiped it down rapidly, the weapon extending itself into a telescoping baton. They all assumed Naruto's taijutsu stance as they readied themselves. Mizuki was feeling overwhelmed but he didn't let it show.
"Get him!"
The clones charged the traitor, bomb rushing him. Mizuki took out a kunai in each hand and prepared to defend himself. He swiped at the closest clone and he puffed away into smoke. Seeing a clone about to strike him in the face, he dropped to his knees, letting the clone strike another of his brethren. He threw one of his kunai at a very suspicious looking clone that seem inactive, smirking in satisfaction when he saw it bleed.
All the clones dispelled.
"I knew you were the one. You didn't try to fight like everyone else." Mizuki walked up to the collapsed boy who was holding his chest. Mizuki readied his last kunai and chucked it at Naruto's throat, grinning in satisfaction when he saw the boy begin to bleed out. There was momentary pause before Naruto seemed to lose color in every fiber of his being before he fell apart into water.
"Water bunshin?!"
Immediately following, an Iwa clone dropped out of the trees onto the baffled Chunin with only his knees onto Mizuki's shoulders and then dispersing into rocks, further injuring the man. With the silver haired man crying out in pain, yet another voice sounded from behind him.
"Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind release: Great breakthrough) A massive and powerful wind from a clone blew the man away towards the real boy. He couldn't stop his motion when he saw the Uzumaki take out his baton and tightened his grip on it.
"No!" Mizuki realized what was about to happen.
Naruto sidestepped and clocked the silver haired man with the baton with a devastating clothesline move, shattering his jaw. Mizuki's legs flew forward in front of him and the man landed on his back, out cold.
Naruto sighed. It was finally finished.
He created some kage bunshin that each carried the man by a limb. He was joined by two more kage bunshin that had Iruka leaning on his shoulder and another who had the forbidden scroll of seals.
They walked back to the village, not one word passing between them.
=X=X=
Hiruzen sighed and put away the ball. He had seen enough. They were almost here anyway. He had felt disappointed when he had learnt that Naruto didn't pass his exam, but he wasn't surprised. The genin exams were practically rigged against him and creating weak genin in the process. He didn't — no, couldn't — help him. But somewhere along the line, he felt that he should have done more to help Naruto. But how did Naruto learn those fighting skills, the jutsu? Someone was helping him but he did not know who. Or rather, he did not know of anyone willing to teach the pariah of the village a jutsu of any kind.
A few knocks came at the door.
Hiruzen sighed. "Come in Iruka-san, Naruto-kun."
The door opened to reveal said people who one of which dispelled his clones carrying Mizuki. The action dropped the traitor unceremoniously to the floor. Sarutobi sensed his Anbu about to attack so he diverted them by ordering them to carry the unconscious man to Morino Ibiki at Torture and Interrogations. They disappeared with the captured man, akin to nothing more than spirits.
"Hokage-sama, it's been a long night for me, I would like to return home, or go to a hospital, and I may have injured something." The Chunin requested.
"Very well, Iruka. You may go."
The Chunin was about to go when he hesitated. "Naruto?"
The boy turned around to look at him. "Hai?"
Umino took off his headband and walked up to Naruto and dropped it into his hands. "Arigatou, Naruto, for saving me. I'll see you come Monday."
Naruto understood but feigned ignorance. "Monday?" he asked.
"Hai. Congratulations Naruto. You're now a ninja." Iruka said with a smile.
Naruto didn't mirror the countenance .
"Come on Naruto smile a little. Why don't you put it on? Put it on your forehead, let's see how it looks." Sarutobi asked.
"I would rather not. I have… an embarrassing scar there." Naruto said.
Iruka thought back to the day before concerning the goggles fiasco. "I see. Okay," he affirmed to him, not wanting to affront or offend the Uzumaki. "When you're at home, then." Sarutobi, on the other hand, wasn't convinced. For as long as he knew Naruto, he didn't scar easily, especially with his…'condition', that of being a jinchūriki. Nothing short of a branding would scar him.
"Naruto, you're among friends. Please try it on. Aren't you excited? You're a step closer to being Hokage."
"I would rather not, Hokage-sama." Naruto glared.
Hiruzen was surprised. He had expected Naruto to be bouncing off the walls. But he was practically behaving like a branch Hyūga, firm, glaring, hiding his forehead and all that. However, he didn't press the issue. "That's fine Naruto. I will respect your privacy."
Naruto nodded. "May I leave as well? It's been ups and downs all day today, and I'm exhausted."
Sarutobi frowned. There's that attitude again. "That would serve everyone well, Naruto. You may come in tomorrow at ten am to report what happened."
Naruto gave a slow nod. "Alright, Hokage-sama. Tomorrow."
Naruto left and shut the door behind him. As he left, Kurama shrugged inside the seal. "So you're a ninja now huh? I thought you would be doing cartwheels right now."
'Not now, Kurama. I just want to sleep.'
And so he did, without even realizing he was being watched. Like a shadow, Ito followed him for a bit longer, before disappearing like the non-existent ghost he tended to be.
In Jamaica where I live, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting a natural blond. So no offense to any blond readers. Just so you know, Hollywood is not doing the blond community any favors. Sorry if you take what I made Sakura said as an insult.
Must be 30k by now. I have never even written as much as two thousand words at any one time in my life. A bit too much like canon right now, but if canon is what you wanted, then you're probably better off leavin'. Original arcs and new takes and… uh huh. You get the idea.
Anyway, this revamp bracket's done.
Valete omnes,
MRAY 4TW.
(End of revamp bracket)