Important Author's Note at the end.
I do not own Naruto that is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.
"I am big" God, biju, summon talking
"I am normal" Human talking
"You can't hear me inside my mind" Inner thoughts of a person
Chapter 8: First Day
The sun is peaking out over the horizon, shining its life giving rays over the village of Konoha. These rays of light shone brightly seeking a target before finding a young redhead sleeping peacefully in his bed. Spilling through the window the light hit the redhead's face and a mighty struggle began as the boy tossed and turned before burying his head under the covers. Sadly the day was not to be won. For the sun's rays had a compatriot. Inside of the boy an older redhead took note of the heat.
"Wake up Sochi-kun" A voice spoke softly from inside of the boy, breaking the eight year old boy's feeble hold on sweet unconsciousness.
With a tired sigh Naruto rose from his bed before stretching his arms. He had once more lost the struggle for sleep.
"I'm up." The boy thought to his mother.
Sliding off of his bed Naruto walked over to the bathroom and turned on the sink before splashing water into his eyes. Now awake Naruto finished his business in the bathroom before grabbing a training robe and heading into the mediation room.
Looking towards where the Shinigami's shrine was hidden Naruto gave a quick bow before slipping into the katas of his taijutsu with an ease that came from years of practice.
As he moved from one motion to another he could feel the turmoil in his mind calming. Today would be Naruto's first day at Konoha Academy and unlike most children his age, he was not excited. No, Naruto was worried.
Konoha Academy would force the young heir of the Uzumaki clan into the open and expose him to other clan heirs and shinobi. It would also be the start of his path to adulthood. His mind was filled with plans, alliances, and secrets.
How he behaves at the academy would determine how people would respond. The village would not allow a dark jinchuriki and definitely not a disloyal one. He had to be careful, as a clan heir and jinchuriki people will be watching him.
As his body slipped into shadow sparring with a fictitious opponent the boy mentally shook his head. He would not allow his worries to pile up; calm that would be how he got through the day.
His body glides as he forces his imaginary partner to overextend their reach before the he snaps a low kick into his nonexistent partner's knee. With his opponent staggered and by his side Naruto slammed his elbow into the back of his opponent's head. A kill shot when used with enough force.
Straightening up the boy wiped some sweat from his brow before turning to the Shinigami's altar and bowing. "Shinigami-sama please give me the strength to get through this day." The boy quickly prayed before heading to the bathroom. He would need to bathe before the academy.
"You'll be fine Naruto-kun." Kushina reassured her son.
After bathing Naruto put on the standard robes of his clan and ate a quick breakfast before he headed towards the academy. Opening his door Naruto activated his sensor and quickly taking note of his ANBU guards for the day as well as the feelings of the surrounding populace. Despite the lack of the warm feelings he felt directed at him he sensed little danger. Straightening himself the Uzumaki heir walked confidently out of his house before turning and activating the security seals his mother had put in while she was still alive.
"I can't wait till I can use my sensor unconsciously." Naruto thought as he walked towards the academy. While Naruto could now easily activate his sensor technique and maintain it, the technique still required his attention. He had however begun to learn emotions, more specifically the negative ones such as anger and hate. His range had even increased, now he could extend his sensor in a one hundred yard radius. It wasn't the miles that a master could cover but it was still impressive for his age. Even then after spending so long practicing the technique Naruto would not settle for impressive he wanted to be a master.
Walking down the streets of Konoha is an interesting experience for the young heir. There were the people who sought to use him and his name. The businessmen who wanted access to his clan's assets, the people both civilian and shinobi who wished to control his clan's seat on the council, and even the ninja who wished to gain the secrets of his family's techniques. Alternatively he could see the people that hated him, seeing him as a reminder of the Kyubi's attack. While others just didn't like jinchuriki or feared them.
It was for this reason that Naruto liked the Uchiha Clan and the Ichiraku family; he received warm feelings from them. Even if Naruto wasn't exactly getting along with Sasuke he still enjoyed his time visiting the Uchiha clan, from Mikoto to Setsuna's nearly three year old child, the Ichirakus had always been kind to him.
"Especially Ayame." Naruto thought with a blush before trying to hide it. He had no desire for his mom to tease him on his 'crush' on the ramen girl.
From inside of the seal Naruto could hear a laugh, his mother had felt/seen, Naruto wasn't sure which but Kushina had noticed his blush. The young redhead was just thankful she didn't mention it.
It didn't take long for Naruto to reach the academy and see the people gathered outside. Families there to drop off their children, to watch in pride as their child took their first step on the path of the shinobi. It was even more crowded as the amount of clan heirs had made this day a spectacle; everyone watching, checking them, judging them, seeing who would be the next legend to grace Konoha.
"Alright you can do this. Be calm, confident, and have a trace of a smile. Win their trust. Don't look weak but don't be arrogant. I can do this." Naruto thought to himself as he walked into the crowd.
It was all about appearances. The robes he wore, he knew they would not be his ninja gear for outside of the village they stuck out too much. The robes did draw attention and they showed a well kept and confident individual, while also showing clan pride. The trace of a smile shows friendliness but not full blown naivety, no it was a measured expression, one of maturity. Every action, every step was designed to present an image.
Soon Naruto would be considered an adult in the eyes of the law. In a few short years he would assume his seat on the council and he would be eligible for clan politics. The academy was just the declaration that it would soon be open season on the Uzumaki clan and its power. The power a council seat had was great and while the Hokage made the final decision, the council could affect many things. That's without taking into account his clan's techniques, more specifically the hiraishin his father used. If he wasn't careful and didn't portray a strong front then he would be prey to the vultures.
Luckily Naruto did not have to exchange greetings for long as the doors to the academy opened and the parents left. The first step into the academy was a tradition, it symbolized the first step into adulthood and it must be taken without one's parents. They could only watch from afar as their children walked through the doors.
The students entered the academy only to find a wall with a list of names on it. On closer inspection it revealed that it was a list of the new students and by their name you would see a room number. It was this revelation that caused the young students to crowd around the wall, excitedly looking for their name.
Watching as the other children mobbed the board Naruto waited. He had no desire to get mixed up in the chaos. Around him he could see other students had done the same. He could even see Sasuke in a corner as he waited for the crowd to thin.
Off to the side he saw a group of three, a blonde, a slightly round brunette, and a lazy looking boy with black hair. By appearance he could tell they were of the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara clans. Behind them he could see someone in a trench coat nod before walking off, an action mirrored by the girl behind him, the Hyuga from his encounter with the bullies. It appeared that they had found their room numbers.
Turning once more to the list Naruto felt annoyed to see the mob still gathered around. "Do they even realize it is in alphabetical order?" Naruto wondered after glancing at the top of the list.
Finally after the crowd thinned Naruto walked forward and found his name. "Room 119" Naruto observed before leaving. His room would be room nineteen on the first floor.
Once he entered the room Naruto took a seat at one of the desks in the middle row, making sure to keep his sensor active. It is through this sensor that he felt Sasuke before he saw him. The young Uchiha may have been filled with dark emotions but they weren't directed towards him.
"Naruto-san." Sasuke greeted as he sat down next to the redhead.
"Sasuke-san." Naruto greeted back.
Their friendship was still rocky since their argument from when they were younger and their differing opinions on what made a ninja great, but they were still civil with one another.
"Kaa-san told me to ask you to stop by for dinner today to celebrate our first day in the academy. Are you coming?" Sasuke said with a bored tone. Sasuke loved his family, it was what drove him to train, that and his revenge. He just didn't understand celebrating when he could be training to become stronger so that Itachi couldn't finish what he started.
Naruto smiled a genuine smile at the Uchiha. "Tell Mikoto-basan I will attend and that I thank her for the invitation."
Sasuke nodded before asking Naruto another question. "Do you want to spar during lunch?"
"Sorry Sasuke-san but I promised Ayame-chan that I would visit her during lunch and tell her about the academy." Naruto replied. He actually enjoyed sparring with Sasuke. Sparring against himself was fine but Sasuke thought and fought differently from him, something a clone couldn't do.
"Hnn" Naruto took the grunt to mean that Sasuke was disappointed and that the conversation was over.
Looking around the room Naruto noticed that it was finally full and that two shinobi were walking in. Both were dressed in the standard uniform of a Konoha chunin, blue pants, blue long sleeved shirt, Konoha flak jacket, and sandals. However one had a scar across his nose and his brown hair kept in a ponytail, while the other had silver hair and wore his Hitai-ate as a bandanna.
"Welcome to Konoha Academy. Today you have all taken your first steps to becoming a shinobi. You stand in the greatest shinobi academy in the Land of Fire. You have made it here through a variety of ways, money, sponsorship, clans. But after today that no longer matters; what you are outside of this school does not matter, you will prove yourself or you will be cut from the program." The brunette spoke.
The brunette was right; of all of the ninja training schools in the Land of Fire Konoha Academy is the most famous. It produces the elite shinobi and those most likely to become jonin. The shinobi that are taught here become the face of the Land of Fire's shinobi force.
"You will have two years to decide on your choice of being a shinobi; you may drop out with little trouble during the first year and only have to pay a fine during the second year. However know that dropping out after the second year will be accompanied with strict consequences. Now with that out of the way, I am Iruka Unimo and beside me is Mizuki-san, we will be your main senseis until you graduate." The scar faced ninja said as he finished giving the introduction all new students at Konoha Academy receive.
"Before we begin our lesson, let's introduce ourselves. We will start from the top row and from the right." Iruka spoke.
"Ami" A purpleheaded girl spoke as she stood up.
"Hibachi" A kid with brown hair and wearing a cap said after her.
After that the names began to bleed together as civilian family children introduced themselves before it reached a boy in a trench coat. "Aburame Shino, heir to the Aburame clan."
The boy introduced himself making sure to include his position as society dictated. It was not arrogant it was politics. While Konoha Academy said that things like clans and money did not matter the truth was that they did. The academy was used by higher ranked shinobi under the academy's command to keep tabs on the village. A child is likely to slip up and reveal a clan's allegiances, which clans are in alliance, what policies the clan supports. While those from rich families might tell who is doing business with whom. The final thing is what parents might say behind others back will be reflected by their children, if say a rich merchant didn't respect the Hokage in their house cursing him behind closed doors, a child might accidently say something. The academy was as much a place of learning as an examination of loyalties and future alliances.
"Akimichi Choji, heir to the Akimichi clan." Spoke the roundish boy that Naruto had noticed earlier.
"Nara Shikamaru, heir to the Nara clan." A lazy looking boy with black hair said.
"Yamanaka Ino, heir to the Yamanaka clan." A blonde girl with long hair introduced herself.
Again the names went before the girl Naruto helped out spoke up. "Hyuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuga clan." The blue haired girl spoke shyly, her introduction causing whispers to start as the Hyuga clan was currently the most powerful of the clans. Being the heiress to the clan was a big deal.
"The heiress, I helped the heiress of the Hyuga clan." Naruto thought as he watched Hinata take her seat. The analytical part of his mind going through the possibilities that such a friendship could hold.
Since Hinata was the last of her row it was time for Naruto to introduce himself. "Uzumaki Naruto clan head of the Uzumaki clan and son of the Yondaime Hokage." Naruto introduced while ignoring the whispers that broke out, only paying attention to his sensor.
Naruto could feel the wariness in several children be replaced with awe and later confusion, probably curious on why their parents had told them to avoid him; their minds warring against the words of their parents and the fact that he was the son of the Yondaime, the son of the hero of Konoha. The fact he was a clan head only made him more interesting.
But awe wasn't the only feelings he could feel amongst the other children, some were just attentive, others were feeling jealous? Naruto was not sure, but some of the children felt something dark when he said his titles. Finally, Naruto could feel the teachers and he didn't like their feelings, they were dark, outright hatred in the silver haired one. Iruka wasn't as dark but the feelings were there. Naruto decided there to be careful around them and not fully trust their teachings. He would stay near Sasuke, they wouldn't dare give poor lessons near another clan heir.
Beside the now sitting form of the thinking Naruto, Sasuke stood. "Uchiha Sasuke, clan heir to the Uchiha clan."
Again whispers broke out. This time over the tragedy that took place three years ago. While the Uchiha heir didn't attract as much attention as he would have if he had been the only survivor, he still received more than he would have liked. A scowl appearing on his face as he took his seat as the poorly whispered reminders of that day filled his ears.
Once more the process of introducing themselves continued before a boy with tattooed fangs on his face stood and boisterously introduced himself. "Inuzuka Kiba."
Perhaps it was because of the loud boy that the next name was noticed and didn't mix into the background with the others. "Haruno Sakura." A girl with pink hair spoke.
Eventually the names came to an end and Iruka began to teach. "Chakra, the mixture of physical and spiritual energies, it is through chakra that shinobi perform their many techniques; whether it be the ferocity of ninjutsu, the confusion of genjutsu, the superhuman feats of taijutsu, or even the complexity of fuinjutsu. Today we will unlock this energy and for the next month we will be working on learning to access this energy. To those of shinobi backgrounds this may be a review so I suggest you learn to access it faster."
"For the first year of your training we will be teaching you the core subjects of math, science, history, and language. For your shinobi lessons chakra is your new best friend, we will work on accessing it and controlling it. The next stage will be hand signs. Then we will work on how to mold jutsu before starting you on the basic three. There will be other lessons teamwork, leadership, survival. After two years and your bodies have developed more these lessons will become more intense."
"Now come up and take a seat on the floor. Mizuki-san will you join them." Iruka instructed.
"Hai Iruka-san." Mizuki spoke as he sat down and took up a meditation position.
"Now students observe how Mizuki is sitting, this is a proper meditation pose. Take up the position and…" Iruka began to explain to the shinobi hopefuls.
Naruto immediately took the position and focused purely on his sensor working on identifying the feelings he received from his classmates and teachers. "Today is going to be a long day." Naruto thought, a sentiment unknowingly echoed by the other clan children in attendance.
When lunch break came Naruto did not hesitate to leave Konoha Academy and head to Ichiraku Ramen, the young redhead moving at a brisk but still socially acceptable pace to the small ramen bar.
"Excited to see your girlfriend?" The voice of his mother teased from inside of the seal.
"She's just a friend kaa-san." Naruto denied.
From inside of the seal Kushina sighed. Her son still hadn't realized he had developed a crush on the recently thirteen year old girl when he first met her. If anything Kushina liked the girl, her kindness was good for her son. The girl may not have been a kunoichi or a samurai but the mother didn't care, she approved of the girl that could break her son out of his shell.
When the ramen stand was in sight Naruto slowed down and composed himself before reaching for the curtains. A composure that was quickly broken as an arm grabbed him from inside of the stand and pulled him inside, shoving him into a hug.
"Naruto-kun! How's the academy?" The now older Ayame questioned as she crushed the boy into her hug.
The now older Ayame had changed becoming taller and no longer needed her stool to manage inside of the ramen stand. She still wears her white robe and her brown hair now went to the small of her back. Belatedly Naruto realized that his friend had developed a pair of small lumps on her chest; features that Naruto had come to associate with the female gender.
Returning the hug Naruto was finally released from the civilian girl's hold. "It was kind of boring. We didn't do much today, mostly introduced ourselves and chakra." Naruto answered as Ayame moved behind the counter and grabbed her apron.
"Well that's disappointing I thought ninja learned to breathe fire and throw lightning from their hands." Ayame said as she grabbed her bandanna and tied it around her hair.
Inwardly Naruto sighed, he didn't know why, but he liked Ayame's long hair. He didn't like it when she wore her bandanna. "That's a common mistake; ninjas have to start somewhere before we can do that."
"Are you calling me common Naruto-kun!" Ayame spoke with a mock glare. She enjoyed teasing her young friend.
Entering a small panic at her glare and not paying attention to his sensor's ability to sense emotions the young boy responded quickly. "Never. Ayame-chan is the greatest chef in the entire Elemental Nations. You could never be common." The redhead said while waving his arms.
"Good." Ayame spoke all smiles once more.
"What just happened? She went from angry to happy in a second. I still don't get girls." Naruto thought while pointedly ignoring the laughter of his mother; a sound that he had grown used to when talking to his friend.
"Speaking of great chefs, how is culinary school going?" Naruto asked.
"It's going great. I'm learning new recipes, experimenting with different ingredients, it's really fun." Ayame beamed as she talked about her schooling. Since Ayame is a citizen of the Land of Fire she became eligible for trade schools at thirteen years old.
"I'm glad to hear it. It sounds like you're having fun." Naruto spoke as he watched the girl move into the kitchen area and begin making ramen. Naruto never ordered at the stand as Ayame would always make him her special ramen, with her choice of flavors. So far she had not failed in her efforts.
"Yep and when I graduate you will always have a table at my future restaurant. It's the least I can do." Ayame chirped from the kitchen as she stirred the contents of her pot.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Naruto said defensively.
"Naruto-kun don't think that I don't know what you did. I know that my family could never afford culinary school. The money had to come from somewhere." The girl spoke as she ladled the ramen into two separate bowls.
"Your dad told you didn't he?" Naruto spoke.
"If it makes you feel better he tried very hard to keep it a secret." Ayame said as she set the two bowls down, placing one in front of Naruto and the other in front of herself. This wasn't just Naruto's lunch break from school, it was hers as well.
"Well Ayame-chan the best chef needs the best school." Naruto answered.
"Oh you flatterer. Now eat." Ayame said as she used her chopsticks to grab a bite of the ramen and playfully shove it into Naruto's mouth.
Swallowing his food Naruto was quick to sing his praise. "It's delicious as always Ayame-chan."
As the two talked Teuchi watched them as he took orders from his customers. Naruto was a source of confusion for him. He never disliked the boy nor did he seek to use him for his status but he had been cautious about his interactions with his daughter. Then the boy had helped get his daughter into culinary school, something he would have had to wait years to do for her, if he ever could. Watching them interact he could see a pleasant future between the two. They got along famously and he could provide her with things he never could. Still the father in him was glad that Naruto was too young to recognize his crush or act on it, he wasn't ready to let her go, not for several more years, not if he had anything to say about it.
It was as Naruto laughed alongside Ayame that he froze. Behind him he could feel a large chakra signature coming his way, the source's feelings a steady grey neither cold nor warm. Stretching the sensor out he felt his ANBU guard still hovering around, a task that they would continue at least until he graduated the academy.
"Hokage-sama it's always a pleasure to have you at my stand. May I take your order?" Teuchi said, his voice identifying the source of the large chakra.
"Greetings Ichiraku-san. Just an order of beef ramen and some tea please." The Sandaime Hokage said as he sat next to Naruto.
"Hokage-sama." Naruto and Ayame greeted the leader of the village.
"Ahh Naruto-kun it's a surprise to see you. How is your first day at the academy going?" Sarutobi asked.
"It is going well Hokage-sama." Naruto answered.
"Good. I am glad to hear that. And Naruto-kun I have told you before, you may call me Sarutobi-sama or Hiruzen-sama. Your parents were dear friends of mine; a title just seems too impersonal." Sarutobi said in a friendly tone.
"You ordered my kaa-san's death." Naruto thought angrily. Perhaps if his mother's soul wasn't in his mindscape he would have considered the Hokage a friend, as it was he hated the man.
"Calm down Naruto-kun. The Hokage will notice. He probably noticed your hesitation now." Kushina advised from in the seal.
Collecting himself Naruto relaxed his body before addressing the Hokage. "I apologize I recently developed a sensor ability and had never felt such a powerful chakra before." Naruto said allowing some shakiness into his voice, giving the idea that the Hokage's chakra had overwhelmed him.
His age and inexperience causing the Hokage to believe his lie as he had seen sensors become shell-shocked in the past when they first encountered a kage's chakra. The idea that an eight year old child would be overwhelmed the first time he sensed his chakra was a perfectly reasonable belief. "It is quite alright my boy. I remember my old teammate Koharu-dono was nearly catatonic when she first sensed Tobirama-sensei's chakra." Sarutobi said with a good natured laugh.
"Thank you Hokage-sama." Naruto responded. Truthfully he didn't like giving away that he was a sensor but it was better than telling the Hokage that he could hear voices in his head. If Konoha thought he was talking to the Kyubi there would be severe consequences and it wasn't like his mother was a better option since Konoha had killed her. No giving away that he was a sensor was much better than revealing the voice in his head.
During this lull in the conversation Teuchi Ichiraku set some tea down for the Hokage before backing into the kitchen. Hiruzen reached out and grabbed the tea before taking a sip, confident that a civilian would never attempt to poison a Hokage. With a sigh of content the Hokage addressed Ayame and Naruto. "So how are your dreams coming? Ayame-chan still desiring to be the greatest chef? And Naruto-kun I don't believe I have ever heard your dreams for becoming a shinobi."
"Hai Hokage-sama. One day I will be the best chef in the Elemental Nations and have my own restaurant. I'm even attending culinary school thanks to Naruto-kun here." Ayame while reaching an arm across the table and drawing Naruto into a hug, her naturally affectionate nature thanking the young redhead once more for his support of her dream.
"That's great Ayame-chan, I wish you luck in your endeavors." Sarutobi said before turning himself in his chair so that he could look into Naruto's eyes. "What about you Naruto? Why don't you share your dreams? Why do you want to be a shinobi?" The man asked observing the jinchuriki calculatedly.
"I wanted to become a shinobi to surpass my parents. Kaa-san was one of the most powerful kunoichi in the Elemental Nations and tou-san was the Yondaime, I want to surpass them both. To protect what I have left." Naruto said with conviction as he glanced at Ayame.
The answer was the truth. Naruto did want to surpass his mother and his father in being a shinobi. Even if it wasn't through martial power he would still be the greatest shinobi through his cunning. The protection bit was also true, he wanted to find the rest of his family, he wanted them safe, but he also wanted his friends to be safe. So while he didn't express loyalty to Konoha, he didn't lie.
As for the Hokage he examined the answer. The desire to be a great shinobi was common, nothing special. But his desire to protect what he had left and his glance to Ayame was telling. It meant he had at least one anchor in Konoha. There was no malice in his answer, no dark desire shown, no clenching of the fist. It was almost a standard response of a future Konoha shinobi only they would typically say surpasses the Hokage, but Naruto's parents were a Hokage and a Hokage candidate.
What the Hokage didn't know is that this is one of the questions Kushina asked Naruto in his lessons in politics. She wanted Naruto to learn how to answer questions without giving anything away. This just happened to have been one of the questions she used as an example and one whose answers could have consequences when answered wrongly. Only the glance in Ayame's direction had been unpracticed.
"If you plan to surpass your parents does this mean I am talking to the future Godaime Hokage of Konoha?" Sarutobi said with a seemingly good natured laugh.
"Honestly I have little interest in the position I just want to be a shinobi that my parents could be proud of and rebuild my clan. Kaa-san would have liked that." Naruto said truthfully putting a solemn note on the end.
Once more the Hokage nodded. To Sarutobi's knowledge Naruto's parents were both loyal Konoha shinobi so to make them proud he would be loyal to Konoha. As for the clan, it made sense. If that had been one of Kushina's last wishes then the boy would definitely try his best to honor it.
Satisfied with the answers he received the Hokage turned from the two children and addressed Teuchi who was coming out with the bowl of ramen. "Ichiraku-san I apologize but could you make that ramen to go. I have a meeting I need to get ready for."
After Teuchi had put the Hokage's ramen into a takeout container, Sarutobi accepted the ramen and began to walk off. The Hokage was content, his questioning of Naruto had shown a boy who was loyal to the village. It had also shown why Naruto appeared so formal all the time, an attitude that had worried him. The boy was just trying to make his clan great again. Besides he could now confirm through his own observations of the young jinchuriki's interactions with Ayame that Naruto could be quite open with people.
The rest of the day at the academy was simply an introduction. The students met their various teachers, learned of the classes they will take. Survival, health, math, history, science, teamwork, leadership, strategy, blending in, ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, theory, geography, live action exercises, etc. All of these courses would be covered throughout their stay in the academy. All in all it was a standard first day at school just the ninja version.
For Naruto the day had been spent observing the emotions of his teachers and fellow academy students through his sensor. Taking careful note of who felt what towards him. The academy would be his first real test in the world of politics.
Still when the day was over he found himself following Sasuke back to the Uchiha compound. He would eat dinner with his extended family and relax. Enjoy his last moments of peace before he is thrown into the piteous world of clan politics.
When he got home he would have work to do. First he would establish his underworld cover identity, Sagi Nise, as an employee of the Uzumaki clan's businesses. Of course the records of this would be lost in bureaucracy but there would be a record if he ever needed a fall guy. That way if anyone ever found a way to follow the money he could come forward and have someone to blame. He would be clean in the eyes of the law. Let the world think they were hunting an actual person while he stayed safe and laughed at their efforts.
From there he needed to create one more identity, one to purchase legitimate business holdings. Once this was done he would expand. There was more to power than strength. There was political, information, and monetary, and Naruto planned to wield them effectively to find his family and keep them safe from all who would hurt them. Whether they be from the Lands of Earth, Lightning, or Water. Even the Land of Fire would not harm his loved ones.
On a lighter note he would also be spending his weekend under his mother's guidance finishing the security seals around the Uzumaki Mask Temple before he began work on the garden. With any luck he would be able to move into the temple within a year or two.
Alright first real Author's Note, first I would like to address some worries over the pairing and the idea of multiple partners. If I go this path Naruto will be marrying these women because of politics before growing to love each other. They will not being getting together just so Naruto can have a harem of beautiful women. On that note all women that could potentially be with Naruto serve a purpose (that will be revealed as the story continues so no spoilers).
Second I wanted to touch on Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is in fact a complicated character when it comes to Naruto. On one side you have the Hokage, the strong military leader who wants a powerful jinchuriki that is loyal to the village. On the other you have Sarutobi who feels he owes it to Minato and Kushina (who he does not know was a traitor and feels guilty about) to keep their son safe and happy. It's actually both of these sides that cause him to eat at Ichiraku Ramen because while his plan to let Ayame develop into an anchor is cliché it is important for the village (Ayame is not an agent of the Hokage).
The Hokage is also a mortal man that feels fear. In ch.1 I mention how he fought against Kumo's jinchurikis (in my Naruto world jinchurikis are this world's WMDs). Now you have the Uzumaki clan, a clan of seal users not part of Konoha, the same seals that create or control jinchurikis, and a connection to the Shinigami (why the Shinigami is thought of as a dark god will be explained soon). He responded to his fear and plotted the Uzumaki's destruction.
Now I'm not justifying this version of Sarutobi but I want to point out that he is not purely dark. I like to think that having a character like him as an antagonist for Naruto would be interesting.
Also Hinata's inclusion at the end of the chapter was for more than possible pairing choices. It was to illustrate that despite his actions and dislike for Konoha he is still kind. He helped her even after he quite cold-bloodedly orchestrated the deaths of multiple people and started a small gang war when he seized control of Konoha's underbelly. I hoped to use it to keep my Naruto grey. I still admit it could have been done better. That scene will also help him in future clan politics as the Hyuga is currently a very powerful clan.
Finally the Nix won the poll. They will be the official summons of this world's Naruto.
Quick edit to note: I call the jinchuriki WMDs as a comparison since they can be used as biju bombs and can take a biju's form. Please remember this Naruto will not be OP or godlike.
Author's Note concluded.
Alright and I am back. I apologize that this took about two weeks but the next chapters will be faster. I had to help my sister move and well this chapter wasn't originally planned. I also had to plan out the academy years, what they'd learn, what relationships would be formed, all that jazz.
Speaking of which how much do you want to hear about the academy? I currently have a couple of chapters set, including a time skip and graduation. But if I receive enough interest I could show you some interesting academy chapters. If not I could incorporate flashbacks in later chapters. I also hope my academy will be at least partially unique.
Also Sasuke is a different character in this. He has his family and Itachi never tsukuyomied his mind. He still is obsessed with revenge but he's mostly obsessed with protecting his remaining family. Finally since he is not the last survivor of his clan he's not as majestic Last Uchiha of Konoha, still a prodigy, but the girls won't be fawning over him as much.
Finally pairings. Unless I officially confirm anything this is in the air. As it is I will admit Ayame is close but she is also the only girl besides Kushina that he really knows and Kushina would be a later development if it becomes romantic.
So I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of this story. We have broken the one hundred review milestone so I will take that as you have. Remember share your thoughts on the story. I love to hear them.
And a shout out to Inoobe for guessing one of the Kushina routes.