Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles
AN/ Hey yo, RinneTaicho back again. So here's the first chapter of the revised Mokuton Chronicles, now titled Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles.
So this first chapter is really just the first chapter of Mokuton Chronicles shortened and cleaned up.
As before, there are a few things to know before reading.
You will NOT see:
· A civilian council, the only council in Naruto, is the Konoha council, which comprises of exactly two people, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, who are there in a strictly advisory capacity, with the Hokage having the final say. This is actually given on the Naruto Wiki.
· Naruto being attacked by mobs. The only attacks I've found any evidence of, were by kids. The worst thing that ever happened to him, was being ignored by everyone, or getting beat up by bullies.
· Over the top bashing. I will, admittedly, sometimes be a bit harsh to some characters, but well within normal bounds.
· Fem-Kyūbi, I am not too fond of this pairing, as it usually involves Naruto somehow becoming immortal.
One last thing, I've decided to switch to using English jutsu names(EX, Wind Style: Great Breakthrough). It's a pain in the ass coming up with Japanese names for jutsu that the wiki doesn't have Japanese names for, and It's hard to come up with them for original techniques without feeling like I'm butchering the language.
I think that pretty much covers it, so now, onto the summary, then to the disclaimer and such.
Normal speech: "what"
Extremely loud group/single person shouting: "WHAT!"
Thoughts/Speech taken out of context: 'what'
Letter/Book/Written text: 'What'
Demon/Summon speech: "what"
Demon/Summon thoughts: 'what'
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter One: Intervention, The Flow of History Is Disrupted!
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, one of the few whose leader was granted the title of 'kage'.
It was a pleasant day in the village, lightly sunny, with the occasional cloud, and a pleasant breeze keeping it cool out.
Konoha was a village of great beauty, surrounded on all sides by vast forests and crystal clear waters. Even within the confines of its enormous walls, there were training grounds with lush green forests, and blue lakes and streams, perfect for using water jutsu.
The village was arrayed in a semi-web pattern, spreading out from the Hokage Tower. Behind the Hokage Tower stood a large mountain, with four faces carved into its stone.
They were monuments to the four great men who had achieved the title of 'Hokage'. Each had special qualities that made them powerful shinobi. It is in the office of the Hokage where our story starts, with the Third Hokage, now much older than when his face was first etched into the mountainside.
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat hunched over his desk, gazing into a small crystal ball. The man seemed to be staring intently at whatever he saw in the orb.
The Third was a very old man by any standards, ninja, or civilian. He had survived all three Shinobi World Wars, and earned the names of 'The Professor', and 'God of Shinobi'.
His face was wrinkled, with liver marks on his left cheek, and three deep lines radiating from the corner of his eyes. He had a white goatee, and matching hair under his strange four-pointed hat.
The Hokage let out a sad sigh as he watched the object his jutsu was focused on. This object was a small boy, who appeared to be about six years old.
The boys shaggy, light blond hair shadowed the fair skin of his face. But it didn't hide the tears rolling down his cheeks and over the three strange red marks on his cheeks. He had his knees tucked to his chest as his scrawny frame was wracked with sobs, the tears cascading onto his black shirt.
The sight made the old man's heart ache in sympathy and guilt. There was no sound to the orb, but Hiruzen could read his lips, as the boy spoke to himself.
"Why won't anyone adopt me? Why do they all give me those cold looks? Why do I feel only sadness and hat when they look at me? I just want a family!" The boy cried to himself.
"Why indeed Naruto . . .why can they not look past the shadow of the beast you contain, and see the small boy yearning for attention? Even the teachers at the the academy shun you, and help you less than the bare minimum. " Hiruzen muttered to himself.
Naruto Uzumaki, the third Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, and secret son of the Fourth Hokage, and the the second Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, had just been passed over for adoption once more.
From the shadows, a masked man dressed in black clothes and a grey flak jacket shifted forward to look over the Hokage's shoulder at the orb.
The most distinctive feature of the individual was their gravity defying silver hair, and the wolf-shaped porcelain mask, with its blank black eye-holes staring at the orb. The mask marked him as a member of Konoha's Black Ops division, the Anbu.
"Tell me Kakashi, have I failed Minato, by allowing his son to live so sad and shunned?" Hiruzen asked the Anbu member.
Kakashi seemed to think over the question before he answered.
"It's not you that shuns him Lord Hokage. If anyone has failed Minato-sensei, it's the villagers. Still . . . ." Kakashi trailed off, as if not sure if he could continue.
Sarutobi turned his head slightly, looking at the masked man out of the corners of his eyes, letting loose a sigh.
"You can say it Kakashi. It's the reason I asked you to come and watch with me. I could still do more for Naruto. I simply wished for confirmation that this was the correct path." said Sarutobi.
The Anbu nodded in agreement, choosing to remain silent.
"I think, I shall try to introduce him to at least a few people who will accept him. To begin, I think I will take young Naruto to his mothers favorite restaurant for lunch. Good day Kakashi, I'll expect that report on your last mission by tomorrow." Hiruzen said, as he stood from his seat, and made for the door to the office.
"Of course, Lord Hokage." Kakashi called with a bow of his head, before vanishing in a plume of billowing white smoke.
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
As he walked down the streets of his Village, idly greeting and responding to the greetings of the villagers, Hiruzen couldn't help but wonder at how such seemingly kind people could be so cold to a young boy. Seeing the happy families going about their business, he knew Naruto deserved that, even if he would most likely never get it.
Idly, he noticed something strange. All the trees and other plant life he walked past seemed less vibrant and green than usual. It was strange, because just earlier the plants had looked as green as ever. Now, they looked like the leaves were drooping from a severe drought.
'Strange, there was some rather heavy rain recently, I'd expect they'd have plenty of water. The only time I've seen such a change happen without a lack of water was . . . whenever . . .whenever Hashirama-sensei was unhappy. His eyes widened in surprise. But how? Neko doesn't have the Mokuton strong enough to cause this, so how is it possible?'
The old man spent the entire trip to the orphanage unsuccessfully wracking his brain for an answer to this conundrum.
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
Walking into the yard in front of the orphanage, Sarutobi looked upon the yard in front of the building in sadness. There were far too many children here for his tastes. It was a reminder of the effect of the Kyūbi Attack.
He also noticed that the plants in the area looked . . . wilted, and less healthy than they should this time of year, just like the rest of Konoha, only slightly worse, as they were actually wilting, almost dead on their branches.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he walked the short distance into the building. The sounds of children playing all around greeted him as he walked through the door, and for a moment he almost forgot how much sadness there was in this place.
He shook his head, and made his way to the matrons office. Hiruzen knocked sharply on the sliding wood door.
"Come in." A woman's voice called from within, cracked with age.
He slid it open and smiled at the woman sitting behind a simple wooden desk. She was around the same age as him, with her grey hair pulled up into a bun, and wearing a simple black kimono.
"Oh, Hiruzen, how good to see you. What brings you to the orphanage?" She asked kindly and with a sense of familiarity.
Unlike others she had no problem addressing him informally. She had run the orphanage since almost the same time as he became Hokage, and they had known each other for nearly as long
"It's good to see you too Mahana. I'm here to see Naruto, I think I'll take him out to lunch. It's high time someone took an interest in the boy." Hiruzen replied.
The elderly matron smiled warmly at him.
"Yes, it certainly is. He's a smart one that boy, and kind too. He's remarkably like his father was at that age." She said.
Hiruzen's heart stopped for a moment, as he took a sharp intake of breath. A mischievous gleam entered Mahana's eyes at this reaction.
"Oh come now, I raised that boy since he was less than a month old, did you really think I wouldn't recognize his son when they look so similar? Even if Naruto is much sadder than Minato was, they are far too similar for it to be coincidence." Mahana told him.
Hiruzen let out a sheepish chuckle at the response. He really should have expected her to notice that Naruto was Minato's son.
"Well, I'd best go get Naruto." He said, eager to avoid further discussion on the subject. It wasn't wise to talk about things like this without privacy seals up.
He received an amused wave as he walked out the door, and shook his head at her antics. The Hokage was certain she had been waiting to reveal that for some time now.
Hiruzen passed through the halls, and eventually reached Naruto's room. Without pause, he moved to knock on the door. Before he could, however, a voice called out from inside the room, the words broken up by sobs.
"G-go away please I want to be alo-ne right now."
'How did he know I was there?'
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
Naruto lifted his head up off his arms, staring at the door as he sensed a presence on the other side of the door. He could always feel when somebody was close, and sort of tell what they were feeling. It was how he knew that there was always someone following him out of sight.
"G-go away please I want to be alo-ne right now." Naruto called, voice wavering slightly from his sobs. He was surprised when the voice that answered wasn't the matron, as he expected, but a cheerful male voice that he recognized almost immediately.
"But if I were to do that, I wouldn't be able to take you to lunch Naruto!" The man said. In an instant Naruto had leapt from his bed, skidding across the floor and yanking the door open.
Standing there was one of the two people that ever showed any interest or kindness to him, the old Hokage, or 'Gramps' as he knew him.
"Gramps, what're you doing here?" He asked in excitement, with a large smile. It was rare for him to get to see the Hokage.
"As I said, I want to take you out for lunch. I'd also like to speak to you about a few things." Hiruzen answered.
Without hesitation Naruto nodded enthusiastically, walking out and closing his door.
"Alright, let's go!" Naruto cheered, taking the hand Sarutobi was holding out to him.
Once more Naruto heard his 'gramps' chuckle as the left the building. For some reason, the old man paused as they exited, his eyes darting to the bushes nearby and staring at them in an almost disturbed manner.
Naruto was confused. What was so interesting about a bush? Gramps was acting weird, no doubt about it.
"Uh, Gramps, is something wrong?" He asked. It seemed to snap him out of his momentary trance.
"Oh no, nothing at all Naruto, I was simply thinking of where we should eat. Tell me, have you ever had ramen?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto wasn't completely convinced by his reply, he could tell that he was still thinking about whatever had caught his attention.
Still, the small boy shrugged it on and walked happily beside the elderly village leader.
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
Sarutobi found it hard to pay attention to what was going on around him. He was still shocked from his recent discovery. As soon he had exited the orphanage and seen the plants had become lush and green once more, he had known what it meant. Someone indeed possessed the Wood Style kekkei genkai. And not just any someone, but Naruto. Somehow the lively blond possessed the bloodline limit of the First Hokage.
It was enough of a shock to nearly make him forget where he was—nearly, that is, if it wasn't for the obvious and refreshing happiness that Naruto was showing.
"So Naruto, how do you like ramen?" asked Hiruzen.
The two were sitting in a rather simple looking ramen stand, owned by an friendly father and daughter, who hadn't batted an eye at serving Naruto, much to both customers joy.
Currently, Naruto was slurping happily on a miso pork ramen, while Sarutobi ate his tonkotsu chicken ramen at a more sedate pace.
With an almighty slurp, Naruto finished the bowl in front of him, before answering the question.
"It's awesome, thanks for bringing me Gramps! I can't believe I haven't been here before, it's right on the way to the orphanage from the academy." Naruto replied.
Sarutobi's expression sobered at that. In light of his new discovery, Naruto's experience at the academy was troubling. 'I had better speak to him about it. If his teachers haven't changed in how they teach him, then I might need to take drastic measures.'
"Ah, the academy, how are you doing? Last I had heard, your were having trouble." He asked.
Naruto's happy smile seemed to melt away into a sad frown. It was almost like all the joy he had gained in the previous hour had been leeched out of him, and it filled the Hokage's heart with guilt and sadness. He didn't even have to hear Naruto's response to know that things were not going well.
The small boy's head dropped in depression.
"Things aren't going well. It's not that I don't try, I try really really hard." Naruto looked at Sarutobi imploringly, as if trying to convey exactly how hard he worked. "But no matter how hard I try, the teachers don't teach me anything. They won't answer my questions!" Naruto frowned.
Sarutobi frowned. Truth be told, he was tempted to fire some of the academy staff for their neglect of Naruto's education. He would seriously have to consider finding some newer teachers to take over.
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure that things will get easier." Naruto tried to smile, but it was weak, and slightly forced.
"I guess . . ." Naruto mumbled.
"However—" The Hokage looked to make sure Naruto was paying attention to him. "—perhaps I can arrange something. Tell me, do you truly wish to learn? If you were to have a teacher that would teach you, would you try as hard as you possibly could to learn what they were teaching?" He asked.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Of course I would! If I had a somebody to teach me, I'd study real hard!" Naruto said earnestly.
The elderly Hokage folded his hands in front of his face, hiding his small smile at the blonds eagerness.
"Well, if you're sure, then I'll look into getting you a private tutor." He smiled as Naruto mouth fell open in shock. "But—" Hiruzen looked at the blond jinchūriki sternly. "—you will have to study and train hard. If you're instructor ever feels like you are not giving your very best, then I will revoke this privilege."
He wanted to impress upon Naruto the importance of working hard, and to make sure he would take his training seriously.
"I will, I promise. Don't worry, I'll work my butt off and become so strong, I'll be Hokage in no time!" Naruto said excitedly.
"Good, then I'll begin looking for one as soon as I get back to my office."
While he was still a little weary of extending such a privilege, he knew it would be good for Naruto. The beaming smile he got from Naruto was all the assurance he needed to know that he had made a the right choice.
"Thanks Gramps. I promise you won't regret it!"
And with that, the two returned to their lunch and their enjoyable afternoon. It was a moment that, looking back years later, Naruto would realize chanced his entire life.
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
That evening found the Hokage back in his office. The last dying rays of sunlight bathed the room in a magnificent orange light, shadows slowly encroaching where the light retreated.
He had gotten back a few hours ago, having stopped to drop Naruto off at the orphanage once more after spending the entire afternoon—and most of the evening—with the blond. Within the seclusion of his office, he was considering the options for Naruto's tutor.
Strewn across the top of his desk were dossier's on all the people he considered candidates, and he was studying them all to find the best fit. It was hard to decide, as all of the candidates had qualities that could help Naruto, but he felt like he was closing in on a decision.
All was silent save for the occasional rustle of paper as he turned the page in one of the files.
Knock knock
"Hmm." Sarutobi looked up at the sound, his attention drawn away from the file he had been reading.
"Come in." He called with authority, The door slid open, and in stepped Kakashi, this time wearing a casual jōnin attire without the flak jacket. In the absence of his animal mask, Kakashi had his head-band pulled down over his right eye, and a face-mask covered the lower half of his face.
"Ah, Kakashi. Take a seat please." Kakashi shrugged lazily, and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the Hokage's desks. His eyes trailed over the folders.
Sarutobi regarded Kakashi with a blank stare, reaching into his robes to retrieve his pipe from an inner pocket and lighting it with a minor use of fire chakra. He took a slow drag from the pipe, breathing in deeply, and exhaling a cloud of acrid smoke.
"I assume you're wondering why I called you here?" Kakashi nodded. "Well, earlier we spoke of me finding a way to make Naruto's life a little happier."
Kakashi looked at him curiously.
"I've decided to take it a step further. I'm assigning him a private tutor."
The scare-crow looking man's one eye widened in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting the Hokage to go that far.
"Um, are you sure about that, Lord Hokage? Not that I object or anything, it just seems rather odd. You've always said in the past that you would prefer him to learn at the same pace as his own age group. What brought this on?" Kakashi asked inquiringly.
"Yes, I am sure." He said seriously. "As for what brought this on; something's come up, something that requires Naruto begins to get real training as soon as possible."
Kakashi looked at him calculatingly, evaluating him. "Seems like it must be something pretty serious, for you to have changed your view so drastically. What is it?"
The Hokage nodded, silently acknowledging that Kakashi had guessed right. Now it was his turn to look at Kakashi in a calculating manner. He then began to tell Kakashi of everything he had noticed that day, and his conclusions regarding Naruto. It left Kakashi stunned. If the situation wasn't so serious, seeing the normally laidback jōnin shocked would have been rather amusing.
"Th-the Wood Style? Are you sure?" He stuttered in shock.
"Yes, I am." Hiruzen answered. Kakashi took a moment to collect himself, though he still seemed a little subdued to Hiruzen's eyes.
"How? Do you—do you think, someone, might have done some sort of experiment on him?" Kakashi asked.
The elderly man sighed wearily and shook his head. He had been wondering that himself, but knew it wasn't possible. They both knew who Kakashi meant, but he was certain that his wayward student hadn't managed to get his claws on Naruto.
"No, that's not possible. He would have had to of taken Naruto for too long of a period for it to go unnoticed." He assured Kakashi. "No. This is something different, something I've only seen once before. I'm not sure how, but Naruto possesses the Wood Style naturally."
Hiruzen could see that Kakashi was beginning to grasp the situation. Comprehension dawned in the copy-ninja's one black eye. "That means he has to be a Senju . . . and a male no less." Kakashi muttered. Sarutobi nodded grimly, and the two men shared a significant look.
Both men knew what that meant; they had seen what ninja villages would do to gain bloodlines, the Hyūga Incident of just three years prior was a stark reminder of what people would do for the coveted abilities. And the Wood Style was revered and coveted above nearly any other bloodline.
"You're right, he does need to be trained. Is that why you called me here? Do you wish for me to train him? I can start immediately if you w—" Hiruzen held up a hand to stop Kakashi with a slight frown. He knew how eager Kakashi was to be able to train his sensei's son, and it was hard for him to dash his hopes, but it needed to be done; at least for now.
"No, I'm afraid you misunderstand. You won't be training Naruto." Kakashi's one eye narrowed in confusion and anger.
"What do you mean I won't be training him? Why bring me here if not to tell me I'll be training him? You promised me that once—"
Hiruzen cut Kakashi off with a sharp glare
"—Once he became a genin, yes. And you will, when he becomes a genin." He said. Kakashi calmed down, though he still looked confused. Seeing that the one-eyed man wasn't about to have another outburst, Hiruzen decided to get to the point.
"Now, I brought you here, because I wanted your opinion on my choice of tutor until he graduates." He said, picking up the folder he had been reading when Kakashi entered, and handing it to the Anbu. Kakashi took it with a raised eyebrow. "I believe you are acquainted with her."
Kakashi nodded vacantly, his gaze fixed on the file. "Yes, I am. I have to admit it's a bit surprising you'd pick her." He answered. He seemed to be deep in thought. Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
"She's a bit young, don't you think? Don't get me wrong, she's skilled; but still a bit young. Not to mention she has her own . . . baggage. Do you really think she can handle the strain of having a student?" Kakashi asked in concern.
"I considered that as well. I've decided that if she accepts the assignment, she won't have to worry about other duties for Anbu, and return to the regular forces. Perhaps being forced to interact with people will be good with her." Hiruzen reasoned. "Besides, you have to admit, she's the best suited for teaching him the Wood Style."
Kakashi hummed in agreement, still processing the idea. Finally he closed the folder and looked directly at the Hokage.
"When you put it like that, I suppose you're right. As you said, they might be able to help each other." said Kakashi.
Hiruzen smiled at the Anbu captain, glad to have his support.
"Good then. I'll summon her in the morning to tell her about the new assignment. You're dismissed" Said Hiruzen. Kakashi gave the Hokage a wave, and left the room, leaving the old man to ponder his thoughts on the days occurrences.
He certainly hadn't expected them to take the turn they had when the day began, and he had resolved to do more to help Naruto. The elderly man glanced at the four photo's on the wall, paying especially close attention to the ones on either end. The first showed a man with tan skin, and long black hair. His kind eyes curved upwards at the corners as he smiled to the camera. The second was a very young man, with fair skin and spiky blond hair with striking blue eyes.
'I wonder . . . could it be possible? We never did a blood test to make sure that the baby was hers . . . I should check to be certain' Hiruzen sighed. If his theory was correct, then a simple blood test would confirm it. His thoughts then turned to the son of the blond haired man.
'I hope you train hard Naruto. I have a feeling you will face a great deal of challenges in the years to come. Still, I've no doubt you will become a powerful shinobi, just as your father and forefathers did.'
— ₪ NDFC ₪ —
Chapter End
AN/ Ok, so here's the first chapter of my revised fic, Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles, the story formerly known as Naruto: Mokuton Chronicles. Sorry it's a couple days late, I was trying to get the second chapter done at the same time, but we're approaching exams so to things have been kind of hectic. Expect that in about a week or so.
So, be sure to review and comment. I'd especially like opinions on the pairings. I'm thinking that I'll probably make this a single pairing between Naruto and Fem-Yamato, but the harem idea is not off the table completely. It might be dangerously teetering on the edge, but it hasn't fallen off completely, so definitely review with your opinions on that matter.
Now, just so you know, I've decided that I'm not going to have Ranmaru's dōjutsu in this story, just a really strong sensing ability.
Now, in the next chapter, we'll be moving into cannon. Unlike last time, I'm not gonna show any of the training progress. I'm going to try out a new writing technique and slowly reveal the intricacies of this version of the Naruto world over the course of the story.
After that chapter is done, I'm gonna move to the next chapter of Naruto: Uchiha Chronicles.
Well, I think that's all for not folks.
RinneTaicho, signing off!