Author Notes:
I wanted to transfer my stories to new writers so I can focus on Spirit Fusion, the original fiction project underway, but several legal consultants advised to keep ownership of all stories, and to continue updating if possible. This (and any work) on this site counts towards my writing experience. As advised, I will continue all stories on . However, my update rates will remain sporadic at best. (As I do not want to upset the publisher with delays ...)
The consultants also say it is free advertising for my writing style, but that is a debate for another time.
In terms of The Legend Within: Rise of a Champion, I edited and revised all previous chapters. Most of it corrected various spelling, grammar, and continuity errors in the dialogue. I also cleared the first poll requests in previous author notes, as it finished ages ago.
Also, since I opted to continue the story, I am considering a second poll – stay tuned.
While shorter than previous ones, I present the next chapter. Enjoy!
x X x
Chapter 11: The Dream Begins
Kushina walked through the warm streets of Konoha with her son, while various entrepreneurs opened their businesses for the morning rush. The light from the rising son annoyed her somewhat, as she hasn't been up this early since her last A-Rank assignment two years ago. Nevertheless, as she sipped a cup of tea that she bought from one of the few open shops, she would do just that for her son, as this is one of the biggest days of his life.
An hour from now, he would begin his first day in the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Decades ago, Tobirama Senju, the Nidaime Hokage, opened an academy for citizens that wished to become shinobi and wanted the proper training. While some motivation stemmed from gaining ninja from Konoha, the program flourished so greatly, spies from three of the remaining four great nations recommended their leaders copy these tactics.
Years later, with the apparent and enormous success rate of graduates, some of the shinobi clans, including the Uchiha, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame, petitioned that their children also join the academy. Despite a convincing argument, Tobirama Senju wanted children from the shinobi clans – including his own – to gain mastery in their family skills. However, while he did not allow clan children inside the classrooms, he did not prohibit their access to the academy. This became an ongoing debate until the end of his reign.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi, a product of the Konoha Ninja Academy, became the Sandaime Hokage, one of the first decrees he made was to allow all willing children to join the academy. His belief was that they stood to benefit from additional knowledge from the classroom. This would be the standard to this day.
Now Naruto Uzumaki, the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, holder of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and village outcast, will be one of the many latest students attending the Konoha Ninja Academy.
However, before they walked to the academy, Kushina took a detour and walked Naruto to the area of the village to visit the Hokage monument. Of course, that didn't stop Naruto from asking questions.
"Mom, why are we here?" Naruto asked, dressed in a black T-shirt and blue pants. "Don't we have to be at the academy soon?"
"We'll get there in time," Kushina said, crossing her arms as her son's face twisted into a frown. The academy was only a fifteen minute walk from where they stood. "There is no need to be anxious. We've never been late for anything, right?"
"No," Naruto responded. There have been a few close calls in the past, but whenever he and his mom needed to show up for anything, they were on time.
"Do you know why you want to become a shinobi?" Kushina asked, remembering the words from her son as if he said them yesterday.
"I have two reasons," Naruto said with a smile as Kushina took another sip of tea. "I want to protect my friends and family, like the Yondaime Hokage did for this village." He cringed as he thought about the day the female Kumo shinobi kidnapped Hinata and himself, and his failure to protect his friend. He vowed never to let that happen again if he can prevent it.
His best friend. His mother. He wanted to protect them.
Kushina also knew he revered the Yondaime Hokage for slaying the Kyuubi in order to protect Konoha from destruction, and wanted to be like him for that reason. On his own, he would hear about his exploits during the war, including the defeat or capture of over a thousand foreign shinobi.
The irony was not lost as Kushina glanced at the fourth face of the enormous monument, taking another sip from her tea.
"I also want to become Hokage someday," Naruto said as he glanced at the monument with his mom. "Like Namikaze-sama and Sarutobi-sama."
Kushina nodded in understanding. Naruto saw the respect and admiration that Sarutobi received, the opposite of the scorn and cringes he received from many villagers. Her son wanted that for himself. Nevertheless, she had to ask the follow-up question.
"Are you willing to obtain those goals?" she asked as she turned toward him. "In a village where thousands of shinobi live, only four have become Hokage." She did not mention that two have passed away to protect the village. Both Minato and Hashirama Senju, the Shodai Hokage, sacrificed themselves to keep the villagers safe.
"Of course Mom!" Naruto said with a smile. "I will be Hokage some day!"
"The path to the dream begins today," Kushina said as she dropped to one knee to meet her son at eye level. "I want you to do your best at the academy." She put much emphasis on that sentence, as she heard the rumors about individuals plotting to find ways to fail him.
If a rogue councilman would go as far as to hire an assassin for her and Naruto, she gave credence to the rumors.
Naruto gave his mother a confident nod. Of course, he did not know about such rumors.
Both mother and son took one last glance at the fourth face on the wall, albeit for different reasons.
x X x
"Hinata, keep your arms limber!" Hiashi said to his daughter as she practiced the movements of the Jyuuken against Neji, while many of the elders observed the latest sparring session.
Following her father's advice, she loosened her arms to evade Neji and his blows while she waited for an opening to counter. However, to the dismay of both herself and her father, she would not land a decisive strike that would effectively disable her cousin, although neither of the participants used chakra.
When Hiashi awoke Hinata before sunrise to begin a training session, she knew it would be a disaster. For the most part, she was fatigued due to the fact she stayed awake most of the night. While both her parents told her to get rest early, she could not help that she was excited to join the Konoha Ninja Academy, and stayed awake most of the night.
While attending the school with her best friend was great motivation, Hinata saw it as an opportunity to prove her worthiness to the Hyuuga elders. While her mother and father kept silent, she heard the whispers of disappointment about her development and potential as a future leader, words that she became familiar with since she was kidnapped almost five years ago.
As Neji reached inside her guard and knocked her to the ground, she realized that she had no chance of beating him, at least during this spar. Although there was a year age difference between the cousins, he was light years ahead of her in terms of proficiency, and the gap increased as he entered the academy.
Said attendance in the academy gave him the distinction of a prodigy, the first time anyone in the main or branch family held such prestige since Hisako Hyuuga attended the academy decades ago. Not even Manaka Hyuuga, who became an elite ANBU member before opting to assist the full time training of both families, was considered as much.
"Enough!" Hiashi yelled as Hinata lifted herself off the ground, ending the one-sided sparring match. Several elders grumbled at the results.
She listened as Hiashi pointed out various mistakes in both their techniques, but held a significant amount of critique for Hinata's mediocre effort. The analysis was not to demean his eldest daughter, but he knew she needed to improve. When she became heir of the clan, she had to be one of the best shinobi in the clan.
Hiashi learned that lesson quickly from the elders after the death of Hikari Hyuuga, while he and Hizashi were only students in the academy.
Likewise, Hinata would have to prove her strength and merit. Not only did she have to prove herself as worthy kunoichi to her village, she had to someday, become the best Hyuuga among them.
As she and Neji left the training dojo, she returned to her room and gathered the clothes she wanted to wear for her first day at the academy. As she went to bathe, her disappointment about the early sparring session lingered in her mind.
Yet, the thoughts of attending the ninja academy and seeing her best friend overruled such doubts.
She decided, that she would be among the best in her class, and stop the whispers of the elders.
x X x
Izuna Haruno and her daughter walked through the streets on the way to the Konoha Ninja Academy. She also recalled the days before she walked through those roads for the first time in her life.
On one fateful day, she learned that Hisoka Akiya, her former teammate and the son of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, died in a cruel homicide. Before she had time to grieve the loss of her friend and teammate, she learned that the prime suspect of the crime was none other than a member of the Haruno clan.
Before the Tsuchikage could conduct an investigation, the citizens and shinobi of Iwa judged and convicted the Haruno in public opinion. They were also more than willing to punish them for the nefarious and brazen act against the village. Even her best friend, the grieving wife of the victim, condemned her and the clan.
Soon, the annihilation and exile of the Haruno clan from Iwa began.
With the other option of impending death confronting her at the doorstep, she escaped and fled Iwa with Sakura in her arms under the night stars, with nothing else but weapons, her meager ryo savings, and food for her daughter. Worse, during the escape, she sustained a fracture in her left hand in the process, eliminating her use of hand seals and weapons for several weeks while it healed.
In the span of one day, Izuna went from a prominent shinobi from an upper echelon clan, to a criminal fugitive that could not protect herself or her daughter.
With the sparse funds she held, Izuna requested an A-Rank mission from Konoha. In the meantime, she evaded bounty hunters and hunter-nin, while she scrounged for food for her daughter and herself in the forests.
Eventually, she linked up with the Konoha shinobi sent to aid her. At first, she was concerned that the youth and nonchalant attitude of the shinobi would bring their demise. Yet, for two weeks, until they reached the gates of Konoha, they evaded Iwa shinobi and bounty hunters with expert precision, mostly due to his skill and her tactics.
Izuna never wanted to experience that again, so she retired from the shinobi life and became a Konoha citizen. She would live peacefully, and her daughter would grow up with a normal life.
That assurance ceased a year ago, when her daughter announced that she wanted to be a shinobi.
When she asked Sakura why, she revealed a variety of reasons. Sakura was only three years old at the time of escape, but she remembered running away from Iwa with her mother and the dying bodies of her relatives. She remembered the hand injury that her mother sustained to protect her from a shuriken meant for her head. She also remembered the young shinobi from Konoha that aided in their rescue.
Sakura wanted to be like them. She wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps.
While Izuna protested, she could not deny Sakura the right to become a shinobi, as she was uncertain if any other Haruno survived the Iwa exile. She knew someone must pass down the family techniques to the next generation. Her daughter was determined to become a kunoichi of Konoha, and she supported her in that endeavor.
From that day, Izuna taught Sakura the basic techniques of a shinobi in order to excel at the academy, and gave her several books to read to increase her knowledge – which she noted her daughter absorbed like a sponge. However, before she would teach her daughter the family techniques, she wanted to see Sakura prove her ability by becoming a genin.
After all, the Haruno did not own overpowering techniques like many elite clans around the continent. What made them infamous – aside from the females with pink hair – was their precision and accuracy in using various complex ninjutsu and genjutsu.
They noticed the stares of shinobi as they traveled to the academy, due to their obvious former affiliation with an opposing village. Neither mother nor daughter cared.
They faced much worse than a few stares of disapproval.
x X x
Sasuke Uchiha walked to the academy with his mother Mikoto. Itachi, his elder brother, was to take him to school, as Fugaku was often busy with major police department investigations. However, since Itachi had a jounin mission, his mother accompanied him to the school in his stead.
Along the way to the school, he saw the prideful looks that the villagers gave him and his mother. Unfortunately, he also heard the constant comparisons to his elder brother.
While he revered Itachi, Sasuke also wanted to be at his level of skill. Itachi became a chuunin at the age of eight, through the joint examination held in the major villages. Two months ago, he received an official promotion to jounin. He is also under current consideration as an ANBU leader.
Three years ago, civilian council members cited the psychological problems of adults that participated in the war as children, and suggested various steps to rectify the problem. By a slim vote, new Konoha legislation forbade individuals under the age of twelve to become genin, and those under the age of eight to attend the academy.
That law prevented Sasuke from reaching the same accomplishments as his brother.
Despite that setback, Sasuke remained optimistic about proving to himself that he can be as good as his brother. Becoming the best at the shinobi academy – like Itachi did – was the first step toward that goal.
When he saw the academy entrance, he smiled as he sprinted forward. His mother looked on and smiled as well, seeing her son being enthusiastic about joining the academy.
x X x
While many of the students went inside the building to their classrooms, the first year students of the academy formed several lines. Naruto, behind a boy with a high ponytail that resembled the leaves of a pineapple, noticed the young female Hyuuga from a distance.
"Hey Hinata!" he yelled from his position. While the heiress turned and waved hello with enthusiasm, several youngsters and adults turned toward the loud blond in annoyance.
"Keep quiet," a boy with red hair next to Naruto said as Sarutobi approached the front of the students. "Hokage-sama is about to speak!" Naruto wanted to respond, but nevertheless remained silent as Sarutobi began his speech.
Naruto remembered that he heard the speech before as he and his mother passed by the academy while Sarutobi addressed the incoming class from the previous year. Instead of listening intently, he glanced around the crowd of students.
Nearby Hinata, he noticed a girl with bluish hair clipped in the back. He recognized the girl, as he often saw her while his mother went to council meetings. He knew her mother was a councilwoman on the civilian side, but he could not recall her name.
He also noticed the only other blonde in the crowd – another girl. He believed that the girl came from the Yamanaka clan, as they also had the blonde gene, or she was the child of civilians. For a moment, he noticed her blue eyes. He wondered if she was related to the Yondaime Hokage.
Of course, he never considered the same thoughts about himself.
Another girl in particular that stood out had pink hair. It stood out among the crowd. He also noted that the girl received as many scowls as he did. He surmised that the stares came from her unusual hair color. Then again, he saw a boy in the crowd with white hair that had a greenish tint, but no one looked at the child with disdain.
He noted that the majority of those around him were boys. In addition to pineapple-hair in front of him that clearly came from the Nara clan, and the boy with the pale greenish hair color, he noticed a chubby kid, whom he realized was an Akimichi with the signature auburn hair. Kushina told him that while they appear out of shape, they could also beat an opponent to death with relative ease with a few blows.
Next to a somewhat taller boy with sunglasses, he saw another boy with wild black hair. The boy turned toward him and noticed the mark on his face. Said boy released a feral grin. Naruto naturally did the same, recognizing the boy from the Inuzuka clan.
Finally, Naruto saw another boy with a shirt that held a fan, similar to the ones he saw above the Konoha police station. As the students dispersed into a crowd, he concluded that he was a part of the Uchiha clan, as he remembered his mom speaking about the Uchiha fan, which was similar to the whirlpool symbol of the Uzumaki family.
She also told him that the Uchiha clan is the powerful clan in the village.
"Hey you," the red-haired child said as he poked Naruto. As the crowd of students entered the building, he continued. "The speech is over. We need to go to class."
"Right," Naruto said with a sheepish expression as he noticed Hinata walking toward his direction. With a smile, he added as Hinata stood next to him, "I lost focus for a moment."
"I'm Isamu Hawatari," the boy with red hair said after shook his head in exasperation. If this clown could zone out in a speech with the Hokage, he doubted he stood much of a chance in the shinobi world. "What are your names?"
"Hinata Hyuuga," the girl said as she bowed slightly while the autumn breeze caused her short hair to sway backward. To his credit, Isamu gave the girl a deeper bow. Without anything covering her forehead, he recognized that she was the Hyuuga heiress that his father spoke about a few days ago.
"Naruto Uzumaki," the blond said as he smiled. "Commit it to memory, as I will be Hokage someday!"
"Whatever you say, Uzumaki-sama," Isamu said with a smile and a bow, albeit not as deep as the one he gave to Hinata. As the three entered the building to meet their teachers, he recalled how his father also spoke about Naruto, putting emphasis on the fact he is worthy of respect, instead of the scorn most villagers give. Much to the child's chagrin, his father promptly changed the subject when he asked why that was the case.
However, after meeting the blond in person, Isamu thought of him as nothing but an obnoxious braggart that could be cut down easily by his practice blades. Then again, his father was often correct about many things, and the blond could be holding back his true ability.
He also knew that the audience had representation from prominent clans that his father spoke about a few days ago. In addition to the Hyuuga heiress, he noticed children from the Uchiha, Inuzuka, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Aburame clans.
Isamu, like Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke, had ambitions of being the best of the class. While impressed with the clan representation, he would not be intimidated from reaching such a goal. After all, his family passed down various blade techniques for centuries while the fire daimyo used them as guards – until he opted to use Konoha shinobi exclusively in his personal guard several years ago.
However, he did not know the two students that walked with him would not be deterred from their goal either.
x X x
That marks the end of the eleventh chapter of this story. Naruto and Hinata begin their first day in the shinobi academy, each with their own aspirations of being the best. Of course, other individuals share similar dreams with different motivations, while some merely have the dream of becoming a ninja.
In Chapter 12: Enlightenment, Naruto and Hinata will meet their three (yes, three – not two) teachers in the classroom, as well as the rest of their classmates. The establishment of camaraderie, rivalry, and history begin their roots.
I ask that you reveal your thoughts, questions, and critique about the chapter (or story overall at this point) in a review, as I take the time to answer and make considerations.
Until then, have a good day ... or night.