Authors notes::
Well, nothing much to say.
BUT A DISCLAIMER TO ADD
I don't own naruto. It belongs to Kishimoto.
CHAPTER 6
Otsutsuki Ashura was chosen as the successor of Ninshu because of his ideals of peace, however, this didn't agree with his elder brother, Otsutsuki Indra. Indra thought that since he was the eldest, it should be him to lead the world in his father's place. Angered at his younger brother and father he tried to fight his brother for the place.
After the battle between them, Indra feeling humiliated from the defeat by his brother left promising to destroy Ashura and his brethren.
Ashura took his role as successor to Ninshu very seriously, going so far as to travel the four corners of the world just like his father in hopes of teaching people about the special property that allowed one to be one with it... not just nature, and be one with everyone as well.
He even gained some followers during his travel. Just like his father he too shared his chakra with his followers. His descendants started calling themselves Senju.
On the other hand when Indra heard the exploits of his younger brother he too gained some followers who were against the ideals of 'Peace through love' and wanted to bring peace in the world through power alone. He too shared his chakra with his followers resulting in them gaining the Sharingan.
His descendants started calling themselves Uchiha, ironically who too held hate for Ashura's descendant.
Time caught up to him, just as it did for every living thing, and it took his life away. Indra, who was a genius, also had a similar fate. Despite all of his natural genius, he was also someone that time removed from the plane of existence.
Everyone had to die at some stage.
Their descendants fell very short of their ancestor's wishes. They forgot their burden and tasks they should have carried on through their blood.
Kurama.
That was the name my father had given me.
It was lost to time.
Kyuubi no Yoko, the nine-tailed demon fox, was the name humans called me for centuries.
I despised humans for calling me by that name.
I missed my father ever since he passed away I felt alone. I truly wished that Hagoromo was as immortal as myself, but sometimes the people we wanted as part of our story are only meant to be a chapter.
And so, for centuries, I observed humans from shadows, hoping they would continue the old man's teaching. Hagoromo had given them chakra so that humanity can understand each other with no words.
I watched as humanity learned to harness their chakra. Each generation carrying on and improving until the gift of chakra for maintaining peace was used for war and bloodshed. Humanity had learned to strengthen their bodies and bend the elements with peculiar ease that surprised even me. But even the best of them fell short of Hagoromo's and Ashura's abilities. They could bend chakra to their will like feeble paper.
And so I felt compelled to end it. I struck with unstoppable fury, carrying death in each step. I attacked the source of their power, destroying their village and erasing their knowledge of chakra. But I couldn't do it alone. The world was far too vast for a single being to accomplish. Even for someone like me.
And so I asked my siblings to help. Fools, all of them. They declined and hid away from the world, claiming that hurting humans was against what Hagoromo had wished. And so I kept doing his work along for centuries on end.
Centuries more passed and humanity still hadn't learned a thing. The more time passed more bloodshed was done. I grew tired of humanity for their lack of understanding. So I hide away from the world so I could rest for a few years and perhaps when I woke up once more, they had learned something.
How wrong he was.
I was woken, not by free will, but by humans themselves. Shinobi, ninja, they were calling themselves now. Armed with swords and other weapons they had the gall of charging head-on against something like me.
Foolish humans. I squashed them all like the bugs they were. How far they had fallen.
They carried some forehead protectors on their heads. I noticed the symbol but discarded it nearly immediately. Only later on I would realize that was actually the symbol of their village. At least they had learned something, those shinobi. Now if they were all together in the same village like the old man's wishes then it was all over.
Of the attacking group, only two shinobi survived. Ginkaku and Kinkaku had somehow managed to survive my powerful chakra and ended up with a watered-down version of my abilities. I spat them out and left them half alive on the ground. I left their fate to the gods and walked away to make a den.
And then came Uchiha Madara.
Just from his chakra, I could feel he has descended from that retched Indra. But my eternal surprise was his eyes. Some evolved version of the Sharingan. And with that, he managed to control me, no matter how much I resisted. He subdued me, manipulated me, the greatest of all Bijuu, like some rag doll.
I was summoned to do battle against Ashura's descendant. Now that had been a surprise. I could feel their chakra even. Ashura and Indra had been reincarnated and decided to go at it again. And this time, I was a tool in their arsenal. Also like last time the battle ended with Madara's death and found myself with my mental faculties returned.
I was relieved that Hashirama too had the same ideals of peace as his ancestors but he made a grave mistake.
I was sealed into a human vessel, it was none other than that of the Uzumaki clan
Another descendant clan from Ashura.
Hashirama had also gone as far as to capture my other siblings and distribute them to other villages like some kind of meat on sale.
And for what to promote peace, my ass.
It was the last straw for me that completely crushed my faith in humanity.
I hated Hashirama and his wife, hated Konoha.
Mito and I didn't talk, and she didn't wish to use my chakra so I was contemptuous to simply wait. I was eternal and she was mortal. Even if I was switched to another vessel there would come a time when I would be free. Human years were nothing compared to me as I had already lived centuries before any of them.
The second vessel was a girl named Uzumaki Kushina. Kami this brat was the epitome of stubbornness and hotheadedness. I felt a little sorry for her when I heard that her whole clan had been wiped out. I sneered at humanity how far they had fallen. They just wiped out a whole clan just because they were afraid of their powers.
Pathetic, truly pathetic.
Then she decided to marry a girly-looking blonde brat named Minato. When I felt his chakra, it was very much familiar to him. But the chakra was incomplete it felt different like something was hindering my senses.
The years passed the blonde became strong, created his name in the world became the Yondaime Hokage.
He also became very good at FuinJutsu. But I despised him that he used that thing to strengthen the seal binding me cutting all my connection to the outside world.
If not for these dreaded chains I would have devoured half of mankind and giving a burp of satisfaction.
Hashirama once said that the female beast container's seal weakens when they go through childbirth. The same also happened to me the seal was weakening meaning Kushina was giving birth.
I gained back all my senses and tried to force my way out, but the girly blonde was there to fix the seal temporally.
And then something unexpected happened, a person invaded the room taking their son hostage, much to my surprise he had that accursed eyes 'The Sharingan' and I found myself on the leash again.
I don't know what happened when I came back to my senses, I found myself bound by the chains restraining me like a whipped dog. my anger rose to an unimaginable level when I saw what was happening infront of me.
That damn Yondaime Hokage was trying to seal me within his child. I waited for some moment for a perfect opportunity to arrive.
And then it came as Kushina started coughing causing her to lose concentration on her chakra chains. And then I struck in intentions of killing the infant. But I was stunned for a nanosecond. The brat's parents protected him from my claws using themselves as a human shield.
I scoffed at the Hokage's when he gave him his pathetic attempt of a glare.
He did some hand seals and I felt myself being sucked in the blonde infant meaning I was being sealed, again. I was unable to resist the suction and in the end, I was sealed again.
I cursed the blonde from the bottom of my heart, humanity a true disgrace to other living things on the planet.
What I have to do is to wait again for my freedom, but this time I will take some precautionary measures, which is better than with a child with no parental support. He was sure the kid was going to be hated and there his chance led.
True to his assumptions his host was treated like dirt scorned by the villagers. What surprised me was that the child did not outright hate them back but he chose to ignore them and thought things calmly.
But I was not the one to sit idly doing nothing. I used the amount of freedom the seal granted me. And used one of my abilities to manipulate the feelings and emotions of the people around the brat.
That caused them to lose their cool and treat the brat even more badly, going as far as to beat the blonde half to death.
What surprised me was that the blonde didn't react to their beating. The Bijuu was confused about what the hell was happening. The brat was supposed to hate the villagers.
It was truly confusing him 'Baah humans and their stupid emotions.' No matter how centuries have passed no matter how much I know about humanity had fallen but their emotions are and will remain beyond my understanding.
To gain answers I watched him grow. From what I had observed the blonde too had some darkness but never fell victim to it. It was like he had an iron will that kept him following the path of darkness as many humans took.
The brat gained a very small amount of respect from mine when he decided to invest his time to gain knowledge and become strong just not to cry for childish reasons. A worthy host for the strongest Bijuu.
Six years have passed since I was sealed in the brat. His training was going at a good pace.
But today was a surprising day for me the brat managed to gain access to his mindscape and figure out the reason for his hateful treatment. Hmph, the brat yet again managed to surprise me.
I expected the child to fear him blame him for his hateful treatment. But the blonde was only nervous at my colossal size of body.
Surprised... was the only reaction I could give to the blonde.
He accepted me as a part of him, I was not sure if it was fathers image standing behind the blonde smiling at me.
So for the first time in centuries, I accepted the request of friendship from a human and a six years child no less.
The night got even more interesting when the brat managed to find a girl being captive, but what made the fox lose his cool was the three ants named humans trying to force themselves on the girl.
So he did the first thing that came to his mind. He urged Naruto to save the girl from those ants and the brat did try to save her but couldn't.
I sensed the wave of anger engulf the blonde and Naruto unconsciously started to summon my chakra. But the fact that I accepted the blonde as a friend I used my every ounce of concentration trying to stop my chakra from taking over Naruto. and I couldn't get to know what exactly happened out there.
After the incident, the time passed away and Naruto got a new teacher to train him.
Kakashi Hatake was the name of the brat's sensei.
The blonde trained for two years under that Kakashi brat and I was very proud to say that my host was becoming stronger.
But today was different he was able to figure the identity of his father and even confronted the old coot for it.
Nothing happened to entertain much to my disappointment. Naruto was pretty easy going on the old coot. i Expected the blonde to yell and bash the hokage, but sadly none of this happened.
After naruto confronted me and as I expected the brat was angry with me for hiding the truth about his parents. I let the brat let his anger out.
After naruto's outburst and an apology from the brat, we both were bonded even more.
After some time I sensed the brat's sensei arrive.
There was some emotional drama, it was settled very well between the teacher-student duo.
I was a little happy that the brat got to know about his mother.
Naruto fell asleep succumbing to mental exhaustion.
Now we both are in the mindscape doing nothing but staring in each other's eye, no words spoken for the last ten minutes just silence.
Finally, the blonde decided to break the silence, "Kurama one question Why did you hide it, why not tell me?" he asked.
Kurama sighed at the blonde "What do you expected to tell you 'You are the son of a man who is a reason for the treatment you get from the villagers'. No matter how mature you are how calm you remain but you are still a seven years old child, for now, things like this are beyond your understanding." Kurama explained.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond but no words came out, he knew Kurama was right.
"Oh okay," Naruto said softly, Kurama smiled in acceptance.
"But I want to know the reason why you hate humanity so much," asked Naruto out of the blue, with a serious look in his eye.
Kurama became serious and contemplated whether to tell him or just let him became a little more mature.
'Naah.' He was never the one to have any patience. So he just raised his right hand and formed it into a fist and outstretched towards Naruto.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the raised hand and so, he too bumped fists with Kurama. From there, they both were linked.
Naruto felt a rush of information invade his mind.
Naruto finally saw everything about Kurama's past. His origins, his life, his thoughts, and mainly his source of hatred.
Naruto now knew about the Rikudo Sennin, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. He knew about his two sons Indra Otsutsuki and Ashura Otsutsuki. The horrors of the shinobi world. The reasons behind why this shinobi world was headed into this war-torn state.
He saw everything, from the start of Kurama's hate for humanity till being sealed in him.
His breath hitched when he saw the actual reason for the attack eight years ago, a masked man attacked taking his mother hostage and reaping Kurama from her.
Kurama who was sharing some selective memories with the blonde was suddenly startled as a strong force invaded the mindscape. He stared at Naruto in shock, who remained calm.
If someone saw Naruto they would tell that nothing was wrong with him, however, various emotions were raging like an active volcano behind that calm facade.
He was seething.
Angry, furious, livid.
Words weren't enough to describe the amount of contempt he felt within the confines of his heart at the very moment.
It seemed that his mindscape responded with the raging emotions of the owner as the winds picked up, dark rain clouds gathered on top of the mindscape with lightning flashing through it, the concussive thunderclaps falling on the water of the mindscape.
Kurama was trying to controlling his host's chakra leaking into the outside world with whatever control he currently had due to the seal, and it was very taxing for him also.
On the other hand, he shielded his eyes from the hard rainfall and whipping winds.
Naruto suddenly started to shake emitting streaks of purple lightning, the currents of it swirling around his body. The freak thunderstorm didn't show any sign of slowing down, the water of the seal started getting rougher and swaying in high tides as if signaling a coming tsunami. Lightning started to flicker in his eyes replacing the sclera and pupil with plain lightning. [Imagine THOR's eyes from Thor: Ragnarok]
Naruto did not know what possessed him seeing how because of one man his whole life has been fucked up. He was so angry right now that he missed Kurama's pleas to stop.
Kurama noticed that he was losing what little control he had over Naruto's chakra. He knew if he lost all his control the chakra would just destroy the whole building Naruto was currently staying in.
He knew he had to take some drastic measures to stop it. So he just one thing, he used one of his tails and whacked Naruto HARD on the head-snapping him out of his anger.
Naruto stared shocked at Kurama. He was about to ask no demand him why he stopped him, but one glare from the former was enough to shut him up.
"Before asking anything just look around you?" commanded Kurama still maintaining his glare on the blonde.
Naruto just looked around and saw his whole mindscape was in a mess the water beneath appeared pitch black. Finally, realization dawned on him of what happened. His mindscape was affected by his loose control over his emotions.
Naruto could not look into Kurama's eyes. He was ashamed of himself. He was no different than the humans that Kurama hated.
"Do you hate me?" Naruto asked in a mumble. But Kurama clearly heard him.
Kurama clearly understood the meaning behind those words, his eyes softened at the honesty of the boy.
"I do not hate you Naruto. You are not like other humans who do not even feel remorse for their wrongs deeds. Humanity just needs a reason for hating. But you are different, you are ashamed of your momentary loss of anger." he counseled Naruto.
"Thank you Kurama," Naruto replied with his eyes moistening.
"And remember one thing Naruto." Kurama continued. "Mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before." he quoted remembering word to word from what his father told him.
Naruto cried more as he realized how much Kurama cared for him. Cleaning his tears he smiled at Kurama who returned it too.
But he suddenly remembered something and narrowed his eyes.
"Naruto what happened?" asked Kurama noticing Narutos narrowed gaze.
"When we bumped our fists I saw some of your memories and I noticed a small detail?" he said his brows furrowing in thought.
Kurama gave him a questioning look. But the next question startled him.
"You hid some information from me?" was Naruto's last question.
Kurama just closed his eyes. was he nervous.
Nope.
He was just contemplating whether to tell naruto that he killed his parents and other things of his memories.
"Not now Naruto maybe later sometime. now currently your mind cannot handle any extra burden. No matter how much you are wise you are for your age. And any further things revealed might make you go insane and start having suicidal tendencies." explained Kurama.
Naruto hesitantly nodded in acceptance and a little bit disappointed that Kurama had this 'little' belief in him. His eyes started to droop a little indicating he was exhausted.
Kurama gave him a worried gaze, "Naruto you should rest now."
Naruto smiled at the caring tone and started to walk away but his parting words got a smile from Kurama.
'You are like a brother to me Kurama.'
LATE AFTERNOON
The whole day was exhausting for the blonde from finding the identity of his parents to watching memories from Kurama. The mental backlash was too much for him so he just slept till late evening.
When Naruto came back from dreamland into the real world first thing he noticed the position of the sun. it was only a few hours to sundown. 'Man, I think I slept till late afternoon' he groaned as his head pounded in pain he didn't know why his head was hurting this much but decided to ignore it.
He thought to talk to Kurama but hearing snoring noise coming from his head made him change his mind.
Locking the door behind, he left the apartment for some training.
Naruto stood in a clearing deep within the forests of Konohagakure no Sato, on the west side of the village. It was almost dark and no one was around currently. Naruto sat under the base of a tree and started meditating.
And in an instant, he was in the mindscape but what he saw caused him to hold his laughter, Kurama was sleeping with his paws and legs high towards the direction of the sky a drool coming out his mouth.
He did not want to disturb his sleep but then he remembered how Kurama woke him in the morning. He gave an evil grin and walked towards Kurama's ears and shouted.
"WAKE THE HELL UP, KURAMA."
The sudden shout caused Kurama to shriek in fright and jump, he was taking rapid breaths as if he survived a heart attack even he was a chakra construct. He calmed himself and glared at the blonde who was trying very hard not to laugh at his current predicament.
"So what do you want brat?" he asked looking annoyed at the blonde. But behind that annoyed tone, he was trying to hide his embarrassment.
Naruto caught the change of topic but ignored it, better not annoy the fox any further.
"So what happened to me earlier? What was that purple lightning?" asked Naruto remembering the memory.
Kurama closed his eyes in thought and racked his brain for any type of explanation, "From what I observed, your lightning element is not normal like any other shinobi who possess lightning element. In fact, it is more potent and stronger than others, and considering from my knowledge you can say that your chakra is natured based." he explained.
"What do you mean my chakra is nature-based?" he asked his furry friend. He did not know what the hell nature chakra is.
"You remember why Hashirama was the only one to possess the Mokutun Kekkai Genkai?" asked Kurama receiving a negative nod from the blonde who sweatdropped at the naming for Shodai Hokage, "People with nature-based chakra are very rare in the world. The possibility of a person containing nature chakra is one in every thousand years. And Hashirama was one of the shinobi who had nature-based chakra which increased the potency and strength of his techniques, and in addition to that his mastery over Doton and Suiton elements was so much that he was able to mix them to create a new element."
At the end of the explanation, Naruto was shocked. He tried to hide his excitement behind his calm face. Being one of the rare ninjas was awesome.
"You mean I may be able to mix my elements and create a whole new element." asked the Blonde who was barely controlling his excitement.
"No you can't your other elements may have higher potency but the lightning element is the dominant one. Hashirama's elements were equally potent that's why he was able to mix them," explained Kurama.
Now Naruto understood the meaning behind Kurama's explanation, he was a little disappointed for not able to mix elements.
"So it means I might be able to control lightning at my will." he wondered.
"Yes, you may be able to do it." answered Kurama getting a hopeful look from the blonde "But Naruto it will take time for you to control it. Lightning is like an untameable bull, it takes time, focus, and patience to control it." finished the fox crushing whatever hopeful thoughts of the blonde.
Naruto was about to ask further but Kurama stopped him, "Naruto you must leave I sense someone is near us."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and left the mindscape leaving Kurama to his own work.
While Naruto was meditating\conversing with Kurama, a good distance away from him, sat a weasel masked ANBU, Uchiha Itachi. The eldest son of the Uchiha clan leader was among the most trusted ANBU of the Sandaime Hokage along with Inu AKA Hatake Kakashi, now retired. Graduating from the academy at the age of 7 and joining the ranks of elite ANBU at the age of eleven, Itachi was considered the greatest prodigy from Konohagakure after Minato Namikaze and Hatake Kakashi, his clansmen even said that he was the second coming of Uchiha Madara.
As he sat atop the branch of a tall tree, he keenly observed young Naruto, who appeared to be meditating. It had been over an hour and Itachi was immensely impressed by the boy's patience. Normally children this age tend to be impatient and hyperactive. He was certain Naruto had good control over his mind.
The weasel masked ANBU was one of the few people who knew that Naruto was the legacy of their late Yondaime Hokage and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. Having known Minato and Kushina personally and Yondaime was like a father figure to him, unlike his own biological father.
As Kakashi had left the village for some urgent mission he had asked Itachi if he could look over Naruto and he had readily agreed to keep an eye on the young boy. He knew what the boy contained and because that the kid had no friend growing up whatsoever and it reminded him a little of his own childhood.
Because those who held great power in their often find themselves standing alone even in a crowd full of people. Uchiha Itachi in no way was an arrogant person, but he knew he was a powerful and smart shinobi and he was yet to reach his prime age. He was startled when the blonde called out with his eyes closed.
Naruto left the mindscape true to Kurams's call he immediately sensed someone watching him.
"You can come out now, I know you're there," said Naruto opening his eyes he came face to face with a boy wearing a mask around eleven or twelve years of age, waving down at him.
"Hello, Naruto-Kun," said the weasel masked ANBU kindly, as he offered his hand to a slightly wary blonde.
Naruto didn't move a muscle for a few seconds as he blankly stared at the masked shinobi in front of him. Due to his lack of positive interaction with people growing up, he was always wary of them.
He smiled in return as he did not sense any negative feelings from the masked ANBU.
"Who are you and why is an ANBU spying on me?" he already knew the answer. Because when he used his sensor powers he did not sense Kakashi in the village meaning he was probably outside the village on some mission.
"Cautious, huh? It's a good thing to be." stated the weasel masked ANBU, as he lowered his hand.
"You still haven't answered my question..." said Naruto, as he was still trying to sense any emotion from the masked ANBU. Staring at the young boy for a few more seconds, Itachi removed his mask, revealing his face. Naruto was mildly surprised by the shinobi's actions. He had been told by Kakashi that ANBU were among the elite shinobi of the village, who always protected the village from the shadows. They simply preferred to hide their identities, and as such, most of Konoha's citizens aren't aware of who is and isn't an ANBU.
"I'm not here to harm you Naruto-Kun. I simply wished to talk." Itachi replied. He remained rooted in his spot, to not raise any unnecessary suspicion in the mind of the young child in front of him. Hearing everything from his Inu-senpai gave a vague idea about the blonde's personality.
From what he heard Naruto was far more mature, calm-headed, and smarter than kids his age. He could see his own reflection when he looked at the blonde.
"Why would you wish to associate yourself with me?" asked Naruto a bit skeptical, at the raven-haired ANBU. The awareness in the blonde's tone was clearly noticed by Itachi.
He wasn't surprised or startled by Naruto's actions in fact he was impressed by the blonde wariness. Tensing of the biceps was a clear indication that blonde still did not trust him. Growing up, Naruto never made any friends because the villagers feared what resided within him. The very village of Naruto's protecting tramples every day of his life. After all, it is human nature for people to fear for what they do not understand.
Closing his eyes for a few seconds, he took a deep breath and made up his mind about what he had to do. He wasn't a very impulsive person, but this was something that he really felt like doing. Itachi calmly walked closer to Naruto and poked him on the forehead lightly. As Naruto looked up, his eyes widened as he saw the small smile that was present on the shinobi's face. At that moment, Naruto felt a wave of happiness wash over his mind. Someone other than Kakashi sensei and folks of the Ramen store was willing to talk to him without giving him any disgusted looks.
"You are not what people think you are, Naruto. The villagers are misguided and blinded by the hate that shadows their minds. Do not think so low of yourself. It is true that the shinobi world we live in is a very cruel place. But we shinobi are those who endure for a reason and protect what is important to us." Itachi explained.
Naruto gave him a smile in return as he himself witnessed the horrors of shinobi life from Kurama's perspective.
"So are you going to give me your name?" asked Naruto.
If Itachi was embarrassed at the moment he did not show it on his face.
"My name is Itachi Uchiha." introduced the raven-haired teen.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto nice to meet you Itachi-san," replied Naruto giving a small bow of his head.
Itachi was shocked by the manners of the boy. Kids this age introduced themselves like they are being chosen as the next chosen Hokage.
"Would you mind if I train with you, Naruto-Kun?" Itachi asked.
Naruto gave him an odd gaze he did not know why the ANBU wanted to train with him maybe it was because sensei was not in the village or he was just interested in him.
"Why do you want to train with me?" Naruto asked.
Itachi closed his eyes and opened after some time his face devoid of all emotions and answered, "Kakashi senpai left the village for an important mission before leaving he asked me if I could look after your training for some time."
Naruto nodded satisfied by the answer even if he could sense emotions from the people he still was wary of some people.
Itachi gave him a small smile and replied, "Okay then tomorrow meet me here so we can begin our training."
Itachi was quite happy that he had finally met Naruto, he really wanted to meet the boy for a very long time now. He was quite curious about the boy as Kakashi senpai spoke very highly about him. His curiosity soon turned into warmth once he finally met him. He got a little brother feel from Naruto. Thinking about his own little brother made him release a sigh of disappointment.
Day by day Sasuke was becoming more and more like his father, arrogance, and superiority complex were increasing in him day by day.
And given the situation with his clan, as they slowly started to lose their patience with the village. Things after the Kyuubi attack were not good for the Uchiha clan as the higher-up villagers started accusing the Uchiha clan behind the attack. Making the clan isolate itself in suspicion.
Now, as he had joined the ANBU, his father wanted him to supply secret information to his clan for its own benefits. He knew his clan would go to any lengths to take back the power they wanted. He just hoped that Naruto never got involved in it.
TIMESKIP NEXT DAY
Naruto was silently walking through towards the training ground where he had met Itachi and he had agreed to train with him.
Talking about the training he was nearing the ground he was supposed to meet his new teacher.
He decided to put the thought into the back of his mind and continue walking towards the training ground and continue his training.
So engrossed he was in his thoughts that he did not notice that someone was watching him from a nearby tree but disappeared in the wind.
Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked towards the bark of the tree, suddenly feeling that someone was watching him from up there. But seeing nothing, he assumed it was only his imagination and he continued on his path.
Arriving at the training ground he saw Itachi waiting there with his ever-present blank look on his face.
"Yo Itachi-san." he waved at him.
Itachi did not react to the gesture, "You are late Naruto-Kun."
"Sorry," said Naruto chuckling awkwardly while scratching his cheek.
"Anyway today we are going to start on Kunai Jutsu and Shuriken Jutsu training," said Itachi.
Naruto nodded accepting today's schedule he knew shinobi normally used these sides of the ninja arts at the basic level only and he was far above the basics, but the knowledge did not have any limits.
Itachi started from the basics from how to throw Kunai and shuriken properly to completely mastering it, he was surprised at the skill the blonde showed him and it was clear that Naruto practiced the art early.
After evaluation, he was satisfied with the results if Naruto was already proficient in the skill now he was perfect in it. So he decided to do some advanced techniques.
Itachi took eight Kunai, holding four in each hand. Naruto looked at Itachi, curious about what he was going to do.
Itachi jumped high in the air and launched all eight Kunai at the same time, before he quickly summoned two more Kunai in his left hand, throwing both the Kunai in the direction of the other two Kunai that was going off target. Hitting both Kunai, he deflected them and changed their direction in mid-air. Because of this, it made him hit all the targets, even the two blind spot targets. Right as the last Kunai hit, he landed on the ground, barely rustling up the dirt.
Naruto, on the other hand, was awed at seeing Itachi's skills in the Kunai Jutsu. He had never seen anything like that. Still shocked, he quietly asked. "T-that was cool, how did you do that?" Kurama mentally faced palmed at the reaction of his host even if the child is mature he is still dumbass.
Itachi turned and looked at Naruto, slightly hidden amusement in his eyes as he watched Naruto's reaction. He decided to take pity on the boy and answered him. "Well, the Kunai Jutsu is one of my specialties."
"Can you teach me how to do that, Itachi-san?" asked Naruto, excitement thickly coating his voice.
"I can teach you Naruto-Kun, you just have to keep practicing and improve your aiming," Itachi said as he relaxes his stance. Standing up straight again, he gives a small smile to Naruto before his face relaxes.
Naruto nodded at him, still very excited. He always did love learning new things.
Itachi then showed him how to hold Kunai in both of his hands, telling Naruto to give it a try, which he did moments later.
Naruto tried to do what Itachi did but it came back as a failure. He tried it a few more times but couldn't hit the Kunai in mid-air to change their direction. He was starting to get a little frustrated by his failure.
Itachi, seeing this, shook his head and spoke up. "You will get it in time, Naruto-Kun, you just have to keep practicing it. Mainly your aim as that seems to be your main problem."
Naruto sighed and nodded at Itachi, he knew that Itachi was right but he was still a little disappointed that he couldn't do it after so many tries. He then started again, now determined to fully learn the move.
After some more trying, Naruto slowly started to improve bit by bit. He was now able to hit the Kunai in mid-air on some tries to change its direction but was still unable to hit the targets as he wouldn't hit them the right way.
But Naruto being stubborn to the core he tried again and again each time improving a little bit, after three hours he was able to hit six Kunai's at the target but was still frustrated that he was not able to hit all of them.
Kurama was getting bored at the slow progress so he decided to give a piece of advice, 'Hey brat.'
Naruto faltered a bit in his practice, almost hitting a meditating Itachi. He was scared for a second that Itachi was going to punish him for almost hitting him with a Kunai but relaxed as he did not notice any reaction from the raven-haired boy.
'So what's up, Kurama.' he answered back.
'Nothing I was just getting bored from your slow progress.' responded the fox.
Naruto sweatdropped at the ridiculous reason to stop his training.
'What do you want?' he asked irritatingly.
'Just saying that you may never able to develop at a faster pace as you are always remaining frustrated. Just be calm and do it again, you will love the results.' stated Kurama wisely. He still remembered how his father used to do things, always calm and focused.
Naruto thought about the advice and decided to apply it, he stood in the middle of the ground perfectly still calming his chakra. He mentally imagined the location of the target.
Naruto took a deep breath and jumped high in the air he released all eight Kunai's and quickly summoning two Kunai from his wrist seal releasing them immediately.
Hearing consecutive clangs and then thuds in the clearing, he smiled in satisfaction.
Landing gracefully on the ground, he opened his eyes seeing a smiling Itachi looking at him.
While Naruto was progressing in his Kunai training Itachi started meditating, he somehow wanted to release his frustration. Tensions between his clan and Konoha higher-ups were increasing day by day. The clan was so fed up that they decided to stage a coup d`etat to take control over the village, but they did not know the outcome.
Even a small spark could start a raging inferno.
They were just thinking about themselves, this small coup de tat would lead to an all-out civil war in the village and then the fourth shinobi war would be inevitable.
He was meditating, after some time what he heard was total silence, curious he opened his eyes and saw Naruto standing still for a few moments and then releasing all Kunai to their respective targets.
Itachi gave a small smile at the success of his student.
He knew his student was meant for great things.
"Congratulations Naruto-Kun, but we should stop our training for now," said Itachi giving Naruto an apologetic smile.
Naruto seemed confused at the early dismissal, Itachi shunshined out of the training ground leaving a confused blonde behind.
He sighed as he saw the person he considered as a new friend leave. A few seconds later, Naruto turned around and walked out of the training ground towards his home.
NAKA SHRINE
UCHIHA COMPOUND
The Naka shrine roughly translated as 'Shinto shrine of southern joy' is a sacred shrine located near the Naka River in the Uchiha compound. Since the era of the founding of the village, the Uchiha clan members have always been gathering here to discuss the most important matters that relate to their clan. The shrine also hosts a stone tablet which is said to have been written by the founder of the Uchiha clan and can only be read by someone who possesses the powerful eyes of the Uchiha, the Sharingan.
Currently, in the dimly lit place, two people stood silently. The one standing near the stone tablet was the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha. He had short, brown hair that reached to his shoulders and onyx-colored eyes with visible creases below them. He wore a simple Kimino and grey pants, which had the clan symbol on the back. On top of that, he wore a standard Jounin flak jacket. A few steps behind him stood Itachi, with an indifferent look on his face.
"You're sure there's no other way, tou-san?" Itachi asked. Still, remaining quiet for a few more seconds, he turned around to face his elder son. But when he opened his eyes, Itachi wasn't surprised to see the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Yes, it's about time that our clan takes back what is rightfully ours. With you being close to the Hokage, our chance of success is eminent. In the next four months or so, we will be going ahead with the coup d`etat. We still need to gather some time to go over the plans, but I don't think there are going to much changes made." Fugaku stated firmly. Since the time of Nidaime Hokage, the Uchiha Clan have always been cast aside and kept under surveillance in the name of village security. With each passing year, the distrust between the Uchiha's and the rest of the village only seemed to increase further. And with the Kyuubi attack eight years ago, a lot of shinobi believe it was the Uchiha Clan who controlled the Bijuu and made it attack the village.
"I understand. Hokage-sama or any of the other higher-ups have no reason to be suspicious of us. And when the time comes, I shall take care of Naruto personally." Itachi replied obediently.
"You seem to have gotten close to that kid. Remember Itachi, you are in line for the position of next clan head and thus you have a duty to your clan first, rather than the village. Since you are an ANBU Captain, you can get hold of more classified information which would be beneficial to us. Don't let your feelings for the village and that kid get in the way of your duty." Fugaku said with a hardened voice, which left no room for discussion. He was certain that Itachi is capable enough to fulfill his mission appropriately. However, in the past couple of months, he had noticed a change in Itachi. He couldn't really place it and that bothered him. He knew Itachi never really showed any emotions in front of people and that made it harder for him to interpret his older son. Nonetheless, he was certain the plan would go without a hitch.
"Hai, tou-san. I shall do as you say when the time comes." Itachi replied as his own Sharingan sprung to life. The two stared at each other for a few minutes but eventually, both their eyes returned to normal.
"So Itachi I heard you are training the Kyuubi Jinchuriki," asked Fugaku in his normal cold tone avoiding any emotion making Itachi sometimes wonder how mother fell in love with such a cold person. He had observed how he had favored him and would always compare Sasuke with him which in reality isn't fair since Sasuke was still small child.
"And what might that be about father?" asked Itachi with his blank face wondering what Fugaku has in store fr the eight years child and child of the Yondaime no less.
Fugaku stared at his oldest son before answering "We have numerous plans for the Kyuubi Jinchuriki."
Itachi got a feeling of dread "And what plans that might be?"
"The plan is simple we have to control the Bijuu with our Sharingan by putting a mind control seal on Naruto and enslaving the child thus making him the puppet of the Uchiha clan," said Fugaku his vice full of arrogance.
Itachi said nothing in response. He just nodded in response pretending to accept. But inside he was deeply worried for Naruto and on the other hand, he had to make sure that tragedy like the Kyuubi attack didn't appear.
Seeing that there was nothing more to be spoken, Itachi turned around and walked out of the shrine.
Hearing his father's words had solidified his belief in what he had to do. The Uchiha Clan had lost their way and this coup d'etat would not only put the village in unrest but also destroy the clan. He hoped things were different, but in the shinobi world, things don't always go one's way because of their wishful thinking. Standing within the forests, his eyes roamed upward, and he was sure there was no hope left for this pathetic clan.
Self-Sacrifice, a nameless shinobi who protects peace within its shadows… is a true shinobi.
Fugaku stood there reading the Uchiha tablet with his Mangekyo Sharingan active.
He felt anger bubble up in him as he remembered the silent humiliation he felt when that blonde bastard was selected as the Hokage instead of him. That position belonged to him and him only.
He was always jealous of Minato. He was jealous of how Minato was the one trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin. And created powerful techniques.
And on top of that, he was the one selected as the Hokage, a clanless orphan.
And in further addition to his insult that red-haired bimbo of an Uzumaki rejected him saying she did not like him and married that blonde bastard. That rejection was like a hit to his pride. She was a very powerful woman. And being an Uchiha it was her destiny to belong to the Uchiha clan more or less. belong to him.
Every best thing should be in the possession of the Uchiha.
And that day afterward he decided to take revenge on his fallen pride as a man, as an Uchiha even it led to the loss of some lives. He scoffed at the thought, it was never a loss of lives to him it was a mere stepping stone for his plans.
For that, he would attack the bastard's only legacy. He would kill the Yondaimes child enslave the Bijuu.
He was snapped of his thoughts when he heard the same swirling noise that he heard eight years ago.
"Now you decided to show yourself... Madara" asked Fugaku with his eyes still on the tablet.
Authors note's::
So readers back with a new chapter. Some of you didn't expect the next chapter to release this early. Kudos nor did I.
And I want to address that I got some new betas to help my work, even if one of them is not responding. But no worry, I'll be waiting for his reply.
From upcoming chapters, they will be helping me with my content. Do go support my betas Nitholites, SamoaJack98 and PawgLover.
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So until next time.
JA NE.