Plotforge
AN: Hello! Here's another Naruto Idea for you readers! Wait, this has readers? Huh. Anyway, this was something that I thought up a while back, but never posted. It is rather unique in two regards. First, Naruto fics where he has a Doton (Earth) Affinity are rare (well, except for fics where he has multiple affinities, but have of them give him an affinity for ALL elements, so I'm not counting them). Second, I cannot find a single Naruto story where someone uses Golems. So, here you go.
Sculptor of the Leaf (Naruto)
At a young age, Naruto discovers his elemental affinity on accident. In another reality, he may have grown to fly with the winds and bend storms to his will. In this one, it started quite simply. He made a toy.
It was nothing special to look at, just a humanoid doll molded from a lump of clay. However, without realizing it, Naruto had leaked chakra into it the entire time that he was shaping it. To the young boy's joy and amazement, the toy moved when he played with it. He could make it walk around, even run and jump, with some practice. However, the clay dried, and the toy broke.
He tried making another out of mud, but it too dried and crumbled away. He tried dry dirt, but it quickly fell apart. Worried that none of his toys would last, he went to ask his Jiji for help.
Sarutobi was bemused when he saw the broken dolls and heard Naruto's story. Thinking that it was nothing more than a child's imagination, but grasping at any excuse to take a break from paperwork, he humors Naruto, and has the boy show him what he did. He gives a boy a lump of clay with a weak Doton jutsu, and is surprised when he senses Naruto channeling chakra into it. That surprise turns to full blown shock when he sees the new doll moving around seemingly of its own accord.
Sarutobi is now faced with a tough decision. Naruto obviously has an extremely strong Doton affinity, and his unique way of using it would make him a very powerful shinobi. However, this gift would also make him a target, if others found out about it. Deciding that there were already enough things making him a target, (Kyuubi, his father, etc.,) Sarutobi decides to let Naruto grow in his ability, but asks Naruto to keep this power a secret. He does so by reminding the boy, who already had dreams of becoming Hokage, the deception was a shinobi's greatest weapon.
Naruto tries to find a way to explore what he can do, while keeping it a secret. Thinking of who is good at keeping secrets, he thinks of the ANBU, and decides to make himself a mask out of clay. After learning to properly channel his chakra, and gaining more experience at manipulating earth, he creates a full suit of stone armor, complete with a flowing cloak of mud.
Since he wears this armor while training, the armor makes him appear larger than he is, he is soon mistaken for an Iwa spy. However, when the armored figure vanishes into a back alley, only to reappear later at another training ground, rumors start to spread from those that had seen him training, calling him 'The Sculptor Hidden in the Leaves'.
However, as his skills improve, and he discovers that he can use his chakra to sculpt stone and even metal, he gains a new name from those that catch sight of his greater works: 'The Golemsmith'.
All the while, the graduation ceremony for Naruto's class is approaching.
What do you think? For someone that can outrun/evade Chuunin and ANBU at least for a short time, I do not think it is too much of a stretch for Naruto to evade pursuit long enough to shed his disguise.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I finally got around to refreshing the poll on my profile for this story, so that means those of you who already voted can vote again. There are also new choices to pick from, if you want to see an idea that is for different series, plus you can always request an idea for a specific series or crossover by leaving a review. Looking forward to seeing what you all want!