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In search of Freedom 2: Change
After coming back home from the academy, the blond was alarmed when he noticed the door of his apartment was slightly open. Silently taking out the Kunai which he found on a training ground from the hidden pocket in his pants, Naruto slowly walked to the door and before entering, a voice called to him.
"Come in, you have nothing to worry about," The voice was obviously female and rather young sounding. Deciding to trust the voice somewhat, Naruto put the knife back into the pocket, but his hand stayed near it, ready to draw the weapon.
The young boy entered his apartment and was confused by what he saw. By the small table in his living room sat a petite girl pale skin and large compound-looking eyes that do not possess pupils, only a haze of gradient, purple iris that becomes darker, the lower it goes.
She had shoulder-length hair that faded from black into dark purple, fastened at the back of her head, with a white and purple butterfly ornament with split ear-length bangs that rose a little away from her head before they fell to frame her face, with two thinner chin-length strands below them.
She wore a black, short-sleeved shirt with matching pants, which were taped around her shins and black gloves that went to her elbows. She wore a grey vest, arm-guards that protected her whole forearm, and shin-guards.
The thing that interested the blond the most was the butterfly-like porcelain mask lying in front of her on the table. Next to them were two scrolls on with Kanji for 'Wisdom', the other with Kanji for 'Power'.
"Please, sit down, Uzumaki-san~, we don't have too much time~," The girl said with a pleasant smile. Naruto smiled back, a bit hesitantly and sat on the chair opposing her.
"My name is Kocho Shinobu~. My master sends me here give you this~," Shinobu motioned at the two scrolls. "Inside them, you will find instructions on the Shinobi fundamentals~,"
"Alright, who is the master you are talking about?" Naruto asked, not sure what to expect. After all, it could be another plot by the civilians to try and kill him.
"Ara, ara, Uzumaki-san~, there is no need for you to know this. But you don't have to worry, my master only wishes to see how strong you can become~. If you finish the instructions inside those scrolls, I will bring the next ones~," Shinobu explained, her smile never vanishing from her face.
"So that means we will see each other again?"
"Sure we will, sure we will, Uzumaki-san~," Shinobu giggled and stood up. "Hmm~, it seems it's time for me to come. Remember to train hard, my master doesn't tolerate laziness. Bye, bye~," In a blink of an eye, Shinobu grabbed the porcelain mask, placed it on her face and vanished.
Naruto looked at where she stood for a moment before slowly his gaze moved at the two scrolls. The blond's first thought was to take the scroll labeled with ower, but he hesitated and slowly his hand lifted the scroll for wisdom.
Unrolling the scroll, the blond started reading. 'Power without wisdom is just as useless as wisdom without power. Only when one combines both, they shall achieve their full potential. -Senju Tobirama.'
'In the Shinobi world, information is power. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.' Under this was a list of every S-Ranked Ninja in the history of Shinobi World. At the end of the list eas something that amazed Naruto even more.
'SS-Ranked Ninjas. Namikaze Minato, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara. All three of them having ascended the realm of S-Rank and becoming legends which shall never be forgotten.'
The fact that all of them were coming from Konoha, with Madara helping create Konoha, so basically still from Konoha, was amazing. After reading the list once more, this time more thoughtfully, trying to remember every single fact about those legends, the blond continued reading.
Before he even realized, the moon was already illuminating the Village. Quickly looking at what hour it was, Naruto decided it was time for him to go to bed. After all, he had the academy to attend tomorrow.
On the next day, after eating a more healthy breakfast than usual, the blond dressed the same outfit as yesterday and headed towards the academy. Naruto decided to leave the scrolls at his apartment in case something happened.
For the blond, those scrolls were the most precious thing in his life. In his opinion, they were his best shot at becoming strong, so he treasured them like nothing else.
There was so much information about the Shinobi World, tips on how to keep his emotions in control, how to know when someone was lying. Tricks how to guide the conversation to make the other person tell him some things unconsciously.
The scrolls were a mine of gold and Naruto would take everything he could from them. There was no time for him to lose and the blond knew it. The only reason why he went to the academy was to avoid the suspicion of the Sandaime.
Since he needed the protection of the Village, for now, he would play along and become a happy pawn for Konoha to fight against their enemies. And as long as the Village would think of him as their pawn, he would become stronger, gather allies and prepare himself to leave the Village.
Where he would go and what he would do? He had no idea but of one thing he was sure, he had no plans of staying in Konoha.
Entering the Classroom, the blond walked to the place he usually sat, at the end of the room, alone. That was fine by him, after all, he had better things to do than play Ninja with some kids from the academy.
As the lesson started, uncharacteristically, Iruka was a bit late. "Good morning Class, excuse me for being late, but I had something important to do today. Before we start the lesson, let me introduce you to your new Classmate,"
When Iruka said this, the door opened and a girl Naruto met before entered. "Her name is Kocho Shinobu and she will attend your class now. Shinobu-chan, if you would introduce yourself?"
The girl smiled at the class. "My name is Kocho Shinobu and I'm eight years old~. I like Butterflies and the color purple, I dislike mean people. Nice to meet you~," The girl bowed her head and turned o Iruka.
"Ah, right, choose a free place to sit, please," the brown-haired Chunin said and went to unpack his notes.
"You can seat here!" A voice shouted across the class and Naruto scowled when he saw the grin on Inuzuka Kiba's face. The boy was so full of himself, arrogant and loud. It didn't help the boy smelled like a wet dog and didn't shine with intelligence.
But again, he was very like the Inuzuka a few days before.
"Thank you for your offer, but I will seat with him~," Shinobu answered and the blond blinked twice when the girl pointed at him. The Inuzuka, together with the rest of the Class were also shocked that the new girl would like to seat with a loser like Naruto.
"Believe me, you don't want to seat with a loser like him," The Inuzuka shouted with an arrogant smirk. "I am the alpha male here," Ignoring the accusing shouts of Sasuke's Fanclub, Kiba waited for Shinobu to come to him.
When she turned his way, his smirk widened. "No, I think I will seat with him," Shinobu said politely and took a place next to Naruto, who still was processing why the girl who gave him the scrolls yesterday was sitting in his class.
Kiba was about to start a fight about her choosing Naruto over him but before he could start, Iruka quietened the Class down. "I think that's enough, we will begin the lesson now,"
When Iruka started another lecture, this one about how the Sandaime Hokage fought against the Sandaime Tsuchikage during the second Shinobi war, Naruto turned to the new student.
"What are you doing here? Are you not part of the ANBU?" The blond whispered so just Shinobu would hear him. The thought about her being in the ANBU was from remembering the outfit the ANBU was wearing and what she wore yesterday.
"Ara ara~Uzumaki-san, you shouldn't say such things in public, someone might hear you. As for your question, I will explain it later~," Shinobi answered in a hushed tone.
Naruto frowned but kept silent, hoping that Shinobu wasn't lying and would explain to him what was going on.
The lesson went like the blond remembered. Iruka was trying to bore them to death, most of the class wasn't listening, the only exception was Sakura. The only thing that changed was his behavior.
Usually, he would shout the whole lesson how stupid and useless those things were, he would try to gain attention and start a fight with whoever was near him. And later, when he came back to his apartment, he would blame the teachers for his bad grades.
How foolish he was.
But now, he understood. He finally understood that not every fight was won with pure strength. He knew that if he wanted to become powerful, he needed knowledge, much more knowledge than he or anyone in the Village possesses.
"Uzumaki-san~? Uzumaki-san? Hey-ho~," Naruto blinked when Shinobu waved in front of his face. It seems he spaced out, something to work on in the future.
The two of them were back in Naruto's apartment, having come here after Classes. "What is it?" The blond asked.
"You wanted to know who I am right?" Shinobu asked and when the blond nodded she continued. "I am a spy,"
The two looked at each other in silence. Naruto's face was etched into shock while Shinobu for the first time since the blond saw her, wasn't smiling. Instead, her face was perfectly blank.
"Why have you told me this. Wouldn't it be logical for you to not reveal that you are a spy?"
"You are correct, would you be someone different, I would never share this piece of information with you, but it seems my master trusts you not to reveal anything,"
"And how would he know that I am not loyal to the Village and the Hokage? He has no guarantee that I won't tell this someone else,"
"The only reason why I am informing you of this is that my master knows that you are not loyal to the leaf. In fact, he is sure that you plan on deflecting from this place,"
Naruto narrowed his eyes when he heard this, finally understanding that her master was someone to be wary of. If someone knew that he planned on leaving the Village and would tell this to the Sandaime, he would be imprisoned for life or killed.
"I am assuming your master wants something from me if he hasn't told anyone about my plans yet,"
"You are correct. My master sees great potential in you and wants to see what kind of ninja you will become. When you will show adequate progress and my master decides you are ready, you will be introduced to another spy, one who will be your sensei for some time,"
"Your master is willing to reveal his spies, possibly get caught just so he can see what kind of ninja I will become? He is willing to sacrifice his subordinate lives just to satisfy his curiosity?" Naruto asked skeptical, not believing someone would be willing to lose so much just to see his progress.
"My master is... is the kind of person that will do anything to learn new things and satisfy his curiosity. Besides, for him, his subordinates are only pawns used to bring him a step closer to his goals,"
"I see," Having such a person interested in you was not something Naruto wanted, but right now, he could do nothing about it. A person who did not care about his followers was not someone who would have good intentions.
He would have to watch out for now, at least, until he would be strong enough.
As months went by, Naruo pushed himself as hard as he could. He trained day and night, pushing past his limits. He trained until he was not able to move anymore and even then, he wouldn't take breaks, he would read about anatomy, about tactics, stealth, poisons, medical treatment, about everything that could make him more knowledgeable, more powerful.
He would research powerful warriors, whether they were Ninjas, Samurai or Monks. He would read about their past, their techniques, their lifestyles. And as he read about everything he could, each and single information was saved in his mind.
The strain his body and mind were going through was starting to show. Thanks to the many sleepless nights, the blond would need to take a nap during the lessons, which resulted in his grades sinking even lower.
The blond started to walk out of his apartment less and less until he stopped completely going out, not even visiting the Ichiraku's. The unhealthy food he was eating earlier was replaced with a tasteless paste, which was full of all the necessary nutrients needed for his physical growth.
According to Shinbou, the training routine he was pushing himself through would kill anyone else and the only reason why he has survived was because of the Kyubi involuntary helping him regenerate his muscles and all the damage made to his body.
But finally, it paid off. Today, exactly after seven months of training his body, mind, and Chakra, the blond would be introduced to his new sensei. From what Shinobu told him, the main subjects of his training would be Jutsu's theory and human anatomy.
The second part has been decided when naruto showed his interest in all the different bloodlines. After all, as a lowly commoner, who was born without anything but a burden in the form of a giant fox sealed inside of him, he couldn't help but envy those born in Clans.
From the strongest Dojutsu like Sharingan to the almost unnoticeable enhanced senses of Inuzuka. It was unfair, people who had family, who had status were born with stronger just because of their bloodline.
For someone like Naruto, it was unacceptable.
He had decided, either he would find a way to get himself a bloodline or he would make sure that no one else had one.
And so started his experiments under one Yakushi Kabuto, his current Sensei. The silver-haired teenager had first educated Naruto thoughtfully about human anatomy and everything needed to conduct such an experiment.
The first time Naruto had seen a person lying on a table, their guts cut open and Kabuto playing with the inwards, the blond almost puked. With time, he became accustomed to the horrible smell and images.
As Naruto made his experiments, furthering his knowledge, he never stopped training his body and learning about new things. Jutsu theory, Chakra theory, the mysteries of Natural Chakra. The blond learned about it all.
And while he was doing it, Shinbou always was there for him. She helped him train, helping his with stealth, throwing accuracy, information gathering and other things that needed someone experienced to learn them.
As time flew, Naruto started branching out on his experiments. After Kabuto taught him the fundamentals, he started conducting experiments alone, in a secret room in his apartment.
He got new experiment subjects delivered from Kabuto and new Jutsus to learn from Shinobu.
With all the resources handled to him, the boy finally started to flourish. His body was in peak condition, his mind was able to process hundreds of scenarios in a split second and thanks to his research...
"Uzumaki-san~, it's time to go or you will be late for the graduation exam~," Shinobu chirped as she entered Naruto's living room. Thanks to the curtains, the whole room was almost pitch black.
For a second there was no answer until in the darkness a pair of glowing eyes opened. The right eyes was a cerulean blue while the right one glowed an intense crimson.
Both of the eyes had a different pupil than most. A vertical slit-like pupil was visible in both of the eyes, but the left one had a pure white, glowing circle inside the iris.
"I know," With those words, Naruto came into view, his face obscured by bandages, hiding his scar-like grin. He was wearing a fitting pair of white pants held by a golden sash with bandages around his ankles and black sandals on his feet. He wore a sleeveless, dark red, Chinese vest over a fitting black, long-sleeved shirt.
The sleeves of his shirt went to the middle of his forearms where they were bound by bandages that covered Naruto's whole hands. The vest had black trim and a middle-sized black Kanji for 'emperor' on the back. The Kanji was inside a golden circle which resembled the sun.
When Naruto stepped out of the shadows of his room, his left eye changed color into green. The glowing white circle vanished and the pupils turned back into human-like.
Looking at Shinbou, the blond smiled. In all those years, she was probably the closest thing he had to a friend. No one in the academy liked him, Naruto did not trust the Sandaime and Kabuto was too creepy for Naruto's liking.
She was wearing simple black silky pants, held by a white belt. She had a tight black jacket under which she wore a white shirt. Over this all, she had a white haori with a butterfly wing pattern, which faded into a turquoise then pink color down the sleeves, which were cuffed with a black and white dotted trim, and white sandals with purple straps.
"Let's go~!"
With a nod, the two went to the academy to take the Genin Exam
Alright, so the chapter is finally done! Sorry, it took so long, but I was lazy. The next chapter should be released this week, at least I hope so. Naruto's eye is not Sharingan, just to make clear!
How did you like it? Hopefully, it was enjoyable to read. I have decided that this story will be more concentrated on the plot, so expect many time skips.
But, that doesn't mean I won't develop the characters, you will learn soon more about Shinobu and maybe about her master?
Meh, who knows
Thanks for reading,
Ja Ne!