Chapter one: Pilot.
In the apartment of one Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki was shivering from the bitter cold due to the fact that air conditioning wasn't working properly… again. He could almost swear that his landlord switched off the gas just to let him suffer from the cold. The blonde sneezed a bit and considered crashing at his friend Anko's place for a few days. She always welcomed him with open arms and was always kind to him, hell she even trusted him to watch over her apartment whenever she went on a mission that took her outside the village.
However, he shook his head negatively, not wanting to take advantage of his friend's generosity and kindness. Plus there were a few major benefits to his apartment… no one else lived in this complex, he never got visitors and thus he had complete privacy for his experiments. For some time now, he had always been struggling in the Academy, though certainly not from a lack of effort.
He had two major stumbling blocks that he had yet to overcome, first and foremost was the Academy Clone Jutsu which had resulted in two failing years. And regardless of how much practice he put into it, he could never pull it off. It didn't matter how much or how little chakra he put into it, it always failed. Even the tiniest bit of Chakra overloaded it.
He had done all the research and knew that the jutsu failed because he was overloading it, though it wasn't necessarily due to a lack of Chakra control, more like his Chakra reserves were so massive that it was virtually impossible for him to properly use such a basic technique. He had attempted to ask Iruka if he could learn a higher ranked iteration of the Clone jutsu, but his 'teacher' dismissed him claiming he 'wasn't trying hard enough' and 'you'll get it with practice'. Bastard. He knew exactly what the problem was and he wasn't doing anything about it.
The second obstacle was that he lacked an edge. Many students had some special skill or talent, mainly the Clan related students who either had clan related jutsu or techniques, or a Bloodline. Sasuke Uchiha being a prime example since he had a number of Fire techniques under his belt and his clan Taijutsu that gave him a clear advantage in class spars. Naruto however had no such gifts or advantages, so he tried to find one… aside from the Kyuubi of course. He didn't want to rely on a singular source of power.
Not to mention he wasn't yet ready to strike a deal with the Bijuu, nor was he certain what to expect when he met it. Truthfully, he was a bit apprehensive about meeting the being that was supposedly and indirectly responsible for his lonely childhood. At any rate, he did indeed find a viable power that could give him an edge… magic. Not just any kind of magic; Voodoo magic.
While it could be argued that Ninjutsu was, in itself a form of magic. Voodoo magic has numerous uses such as accessing supernatural powers that can affect your daily life, in short, it can manipulate your 'luck' allowing things like money, love, success, revenge and so forth to become easily attainable. And most obviously it allowed for powers of Necromancy which is what Voodoo is capable of, and perhaps most famously the usage of Voodoo Dolls that can be used to manipulate another human being.
In fact, Voodoo had a pretty broad range of abilities that most people weren't aware of, and with proper practice and research, it would obviously give him the edge he needed to succeed. But there was a catch, most Voodoo practitioners would have to deal with the Loa, spirits or gods that can provide the needed power to a Voodoo user, usually one would have to make a bargain with the Loa. But if one's will is strong enough, it could be very well possible to subjugate them and make them serve you, although this wouldn't be recommended for the careless or foolhardy. And even less so for First-Timers like himself.
He knew he needed to summon a Loa to learn the deeper secrets of Voodoo since there was only so much that books could teach and show him, and since there weren't any practitioners of the arts in Konoha, or possibly even the Shinobi Nations, barring the occasional Jashinist that used voodoo-like rituals… he would need to learn directly from the source. He had an array of masks set up to provide the Loa a medium to communicate with, he wasn't about to let them fully materialize in the human world after all in case things went awry.
After all… some Loa were more violent than others depending on the type. With his preparations complete, the blonde muttered a small chant as he performed his ritual. Once he had finished chanting, the masks suddenly began to rattle and shake on the floor as they came to life and then floated in the air. The eyeholes of the mask lit up with dull purple colored lights, and they began to move their mouths experimentally, as if testing the medium for a moment to get their bearings.
The masks turned towards a large horned mask that had placed itself in the center, as if silently asking it for guidance. The horned mask seemed to be watching the blonde, almost as if silently enquiring why he had summoned them to the plane of mortals. Clearing his throat, Naruto began to speak "Greetings. I am called Naruto Uzumaki, and I thank you for responding to my summons." He then presented each of the masks some offerings to help appease them, ranging from cigars, alcohol, sweets and so forth.
The Loa masks smiled and were greatly pleased by the gesture and his polite tone, remembering that previous encounters with humans that tried to bind them forcefully… it didn't end well when the Loa broke free. They then nodded to the boy, as if silently asking him what he wanted, he quickly sensed their intent and spoke "I'll try to keep this short, I require your powers and teachings of the Voodoo arts. This village we are in has greatly wronged me and others that I cherish, and I intend to get payback on every last person that has crossed me and/or those I love.
In exchange for your services, I shall give you the souls of those very people and believe me… there is no shortage of corrupt souls in this rotten village." When he had finished speaking, the Loa became curious and seemingly sniffed at the air, and were surprised to see that he wasn't exaggerating. They could smell and sense thousands upon thousands of souls mired in corruption, greed, envy, hatred, and bigotry. This place wasn't just a banquet, it was a literal all-you-can-eat-buffet for them.
More importantly, they could easily sense the raw power coming off their summoner in waves, with him as their proxy, they would be full to bursting from consuming so many human souls. They gave an almost feral series of grins and happily agreed to his deal, the Loa's leader opened its mouth wide and presented the boy a top hat, a black and red tail coat,black pants, a purple sash belt, and a cane with the head being decorated with a silver serpent with jade eyes. He guessed that the outfit was based off of Baron Samedi, sometimes known as the Gravedigger. A very powerful and significant Loa.
Naruto picked up the cane and gave it a small twist, and found that it had a sword hidden inside. He remembered reading that it was possible to strengthen your connection to the Loa if you dressed and acted like them. He quickly put on the clothes and placed the top hat on his head, the Loa looked him over and nodded approvingly to his new attire.
With their bargain struck, Naruto immediately dedicated himself to learning the finer arts of Voodoo magic, beginning with the creation of the infamous Voodoo dolls. He would need to fully understand and be able to utilize it before the next graduation that was but a short time away. While it would be nice to publicly humiliate them, he needed to know if they had any particular skeletons in the closet that would warrant further… punishment. And with the help of his new 'friends' it would certainly be possible to do so.
A few days later.
Tsubaki yawned tiredly as she had clocked out for the day, her usual day job consisting of filing completed missions. It was a pretty cozy job, but it was definitely rather boring, on the other hand it also kept her close to home. She hummed thoughtfully as she thought about her finance Mizuki… knowing full well that he was involved in shady dealings. She felt deeply conflicted, she loved him and hoped he wouldn't go through with it, but at the same time… she was a Kunoichi of Konoha and had an obligation to report him.
But she couldn't bring herself to do it, she couldn't betray him like that. Her thoughts were interrupted when her nose caught the scent of something absolutely delicious, by kami… whatever it was, the scent was utterly divine! So much so her stomach began to roar angrily at her, demanding to fill it with whatever was creating that mouth-watering smell.
She followed the tantalizing scent into a small bar and found it to be surprisingly empty, save for the lone occupant minding the bar who was busy cleaning shot glasses while a pot of gumbo was simmering behind him in the kitchen area. At first, she didn't recognize him… and then remembered that he could only be Naruto Uzumaki. There was after all, only a single person in Konoha with blonde hair and highly distinctive whisker-like birth markings. Was he working here part time or something?
She shrugged as her belly growled some more and she took a seat at the bar and gave it a gentle knock to alert him that she was there. He looked up and smiled at her before speaking in a charming voice "Evening ma'am. How might I serve you tonight?"
She had to admit, he certainly had the attitude to be in the service industry, that easy smile he was giving almost instantly put her at ease "I'll take some of that gumbo you're cooking, and you think you can make a sazerac?" She requested, prompting the blonde to tip his hat and began mixing her drink together with practiced ease.
"Anything for a lady. You're Tsubaki-san right? Mizuki's girlfriend? I've heard him mention you, but he failed to describe just how lovely you are." The whiskered teen spoke with a wink as he served her the alcoholic beverage she requested. She couldn't help but giggle a bit, finding it cute that a teen was flirting with her and she had to admit, it felt nice to be appreciated.
"And you're Naruto Uzumaki. Mizuki mentioned that you were trouble. He never said you were also a shameless flirt. He also described a certain hideous orange getup." She teased and took a sip of her drink, her response making him chuckle a bit as he grabbed a ladle and served her a large bowl of gumbo.
"Guilty as charged on both counts. And that part about my old getup is most unfortunately true, but lately, I think I'm rocking a new style as you can clearly see. Now why's a lovely flower like you all alone right now?" He asked as he continued to clean the glasses, the Chunin woman sighed a bit as she drank more of her booze, hoping to numb the dull ache in her chest.
"Just got off work. Been on the outs with Mizuki after I learned he's been in talks with Orochimaru to steal the Forbidden Scroll." She responded bitterly… and then her face froze in shock upon realizing the exact words that just left her mouth. "Why did I just say that?" She asked more to herself, wondering why she just blabbed her big secret without even thinking.
Naruto chuckled a bit since he had slipped a little something in her sazerac to loosen her tongue. He then held up an open palm and blew some kind of dust in her face, she was about to shout at him in anger but was quickly overcome by a sense of sleepiness and slumped over on the bar in a blissful slumber as she snored quietly.
The Jinchuuriki smirked a bit as he snapped his fingers, causing the bar to fade away and change into a rundown and rotten version of itself. Ever since he had begun learning Voodoo, he had been keeping close tabs on his teachers. Iruka, unsurprisingly was entirely motivated by the loss of his parents hence his bigoted hatred towards him, but more interestingly was the fact he seemed to be showing unusual amounts of favor to Sasuke Uchiha, after using a little magic and some investigation into his bank accounts, it would seem that someone had been paying Iruka every month, bribing him no doubt.
When he went to investigate Mizuki's apartment, the place was surprisingly clean… too clean in fact, barren actually. Suggesting he was either preparing to move someplace… or make a break for it if he were up to something. The blonde decided to question Mizuki's girlfriend to see if she knew anything, and by sheer luck he had struck gold. She was fully aware of his little plot and had just confessed to it.
Naruto drummed his fingers along the half rotten bar and smirked as he got an idea and a plan came to mind. His new benefactors, the Loas were surprisingly patient teachers… or perhaps his diligent studies and promise for souls afforded him their patience, but thanks to prior studies of certain magical arts, he already had a grasp for the basics. But with the Loa's teachings, he could finally and truly utilize Voodoo magic. And he was going to start using it to repay the kindness of an old friend.
A short while later.
"Oi! Anko! Open up!" Naruto shouted as he banged on the apartment door of his fellow pariah, a large burlap sack currently slung over his shoulders as he waited for his dear friend to open her door. Fortunately, he didn't need to wait for very long as it opened, revealing her to be only wearing a bra and panties as she spoke "I knew I heard the voice of my favorite little fox. Gotta say, I love the new outfit… and what the hell's in that sack you're carrying?"
At her question the blonde chuckled and replied "A little something, or rather, someone who's going to help the both of us. Now, would you be so kind as to let me in so we can talk?" At his words, she grinned and nodded, clearly interested in what he had to offer. She stepped aside and allowed him entry, when he entered inside, he dumped the sack to the floor unceremoniously making it thump loudly and the occupant to groan in pain.
While he could have used magic to trap his victim inside a card, he hadn't yet mastered the technique and didn't wish to risk any potential evidence against Mizuki.
"All right, so what're you up to and who did you kidnap? How's this guy gonna help us?" The Snake user asked as she kicked the sack, making the occupant give a muffled yelp.
Naruto smirked as he took a seat on her couch and tipped his hat to her before replying "Our new friend here is privy to a plot to steal the Forbidden Scroll. The way I figure, we can both stand to gain something from this. You can get the credit for busting the culprit, and all I ask in return is that you accept me as your personal apprentice."
The Dango lover had to blink her eyes a few times to wonder if she heard him right, she then replied with a toothy grin "Naruto, if you wanted to be my apprentice, I'd have taken you regardless. But I see what you're going for, you want to give me a little leverage to make it happen."
"Indeed you are correct Anko-chan, a little something to grease the wheels so to speak. I know you've been stonewalled by the Civilian council, claiming you're still connected to your ex-sensei." The whiskered teen spoke as he reached into his tail-coat and pulled out a voodoo doll made in the likeness of one Kizashi Haruno, however it was missing a critical ingredient, a piece of his essence so for now, it was utterly useless.
Anko gave a small scoff and sneered angrily since it was people like that swine that kept her and her precious blonde from reaching their full potential, but it seemed like that was going to change. He then smirked and spoke "Now listen close Anko-chan, I've got a plan, and I'm gonna need your help. I've got some new friends on the other side, but they can only do so much. Since you've been so good to me, I believe we can help each other out a lot, and we can start by digging ourselves out of the pits that we were cast into by those who despise us."
For the next few hours they spoke, with Naruto explaining his plan in great detail that would help propel them to greater heights, and more importantly take their vengeance on everyone that wronged them. He told her of his deal with the Loa, although she seemed to take it surprisingly well since there were a great many mysteries in the Shinobi world, she just hoped he hadn't bitten off more than he could chew.
She promised to teach him some different Clone techniques she knew to blaze through his Academy exam, which was a major boon to him and even if Iruka tried to cheat him out of the exam, he was more than ready for the scarred Chunin since he had acquired a hair sample from his apartment. The blonde wanted to tell Anko he was working on a means of freeing her from the Curse Mark with the Loa's aid, but he didn't want to give her false hope in case it turned out to be a failure.
But once he was ready, he'd give her the good news. For now, he had to focus on what was within his current reach and capabilities. It was time to make his first move. But there was one more thing he needed to do before then. Something he'd been holding off on… talking to the Kyuubi.
After kissing Anko goodbye and leaving Tsubaki in her care, he decided to head home to his apartment. It was time to confront the Nine-Tails.
Later. Mind-scape.
"Wow. Talk about depressing. Then again… given my childhood…" Naruto muttered to himself as he walked through his mindscape which was little more than a sewer, likely shaped by his lonely childhood and his feelings of isolation. However… it wasn't long until he came upon what he believed he was looking for. A large set of gates with the kanji for 'seal' placed upon them.
If nothing else… he at least hoped to get some answers from the Bijuu about that fateful night. He approached the gates and could hear the sounds of loud snoring inside, but then it suddenly stopped as a row of sharp teeth and burning crimson eyes appeared from within the dark confines of the cage. "I've been waiting for you. Naruto Uzumaki. I see you made a deal with the Loa. Most impressive. Would you perhaps be here to cut a deal with me?" The Bijuu spoke with a chuckle, obviously unsurprised by his presence and was undoubtedly aware of everything he saw and did… no surprise since it lived inside his head.
"I might be. I need free access and training in the usage of your chakra and anything else you might know that could help me. Along with any information you may have about the night of my birth. Now… what do you want in exchange?" Naruto asked cautiously, not knowing what the Bijuu may ask for in exchange. At first he was met by silence and then he saw the Kyuubi's large form shrink down rapidly until it was human-sized and it approached the gates.
He let out a long whistle showing how impressed he was by her human form. She had vibrant crimson hair, caramel colored skin, a highly curvaceous body with a set of breasts that could rival the Slug Sannin, long luscious legs, ruby red eyes and whisker markings on her cheeks and nine fluffy fox tails coming from her rear. "Simply put… I want out. I am tired of being tucked away like a toy in a chest. I want to feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, the ability to eat and drink food and booze again, to enjoy the small things."
"That's a fairly tall order." He spoke suspiciously as he glanced up at the seal but guessed that she herself couldn't actually remove it on her own, otherwise she would have done so already. She giggled a bit and booped him on the nose before speaking "Now don't fret my dear. I wouldn't dream of harming a hair on your little head. I hold no grudge against you, it isn't your fault that we're stuck in our current predicament. And I'm sure you and your new allies can find a way to slip me out and around this seal while maintaining our connection."
He raised an eyebrow and found her words a little too good to be true. Sensing his doubt the Kitsune spoke "Okay, okay. How about a token of good faith? Any questions you have about your parents or the night of my rampage, I'll answer for you, no strings attached. You deserve that much at least."
The Jinchuuriki was rather tempted by that prospect, although he found it a bit unusual that she was being so cooperative. He was expecting some angry and cranky kitsune that would constantly threaten him or try to undermine him and his beliefs. "You could lie. Kitsune's are known to be tricksters." He pointed out while crossing his arms over his chest, his words earning a playful smile from her.
"Trickster? Sure, I'll give you that. But I'm not a liar. But we're also known to be guides and faithful companions. And I won't just tell you… I'll show you." She replied and extended a tail to him, swaying it invitingly. The blonde could no longer ignore the temptation since the answers he sought were within reach, and he didn't sense any deception from the Bijuu.
He took her tail in his hand and his mind was flooded with memories about his parents, his lost clan, and the night of the Kyuubi's rampage. He saw the man in the mask, the Sharingan user… it was all his fault. It was because of him that Naruto's parents died, that he had to be the scapegoat for the Villager's grudge, why everyone treated him like a leper. Everything bad that happened from him, was because of this man. Naruto was tempted to throw this man to the Loa, but death would be too great a kindness for him. No… he'd be sure to give the Sharingan user a new definition of suffering.
"Kurama right?" Naruto asked, remembering her name from the memories she showed and then continued "Any idea who the man in the mask was? Not many Uchihas had the power to subjugate you with their Sharingan." He pointed out at the end since, according to history, Madara was supposedly the only Uchiha that was capable of such a feat.
"If I knew, I'd most certainly tell you so you can rip him to pieces. But I can say he wasn't Madara. His Chakra didn't feel or smell the same to me." Kurama replied with a frustrated sigh, she desperately wanted to eat that damned man in the mask… but then she thought against it since the last time she ate some humans it… didn't turn out that well for her.
"I see… still to think that my parents were the Yondaime Hokage and your previous host… then again that makes way more sense on why it had to be me. And I can imagine they would have had a lot of enemies inside and outside of Konoha, hence why my lineage was kept secret… even from me. Less risk of exposure that way in case I blabbed to the wrong people." The blonde muttered quietly to himself since things now made much more sense to him.
He wanted to confront the Sandaime about it… but first and foremost he needed to determine who was and wasn't trustworthy before anything else. One wrong move and it could be lights out. The Shinobi world was an extremely cutthroat one after all. He smiled at the Kitsune and spoke "I certainly appreciate your candor. I'm sure I can find a means to accommodate you in the future, so please be patient until then."
Kurama shrugged her shoulders and replied in a sarcastic manner "I've nowhere else to be. Just don't take too long, mkay?" He nodded in agreement and snapped his fingers, causing the sewer like mindscape to change into a field of wildflowers, trees, soft grass and hills while the seal itself changed and took on the form of a choker around her neck.
"In the meantime, I hope a change of scenery will be sufficient. Be seeing you." The whiskered teen spoke and tipped his hat before vanishing away, leaving the Bijuu to happily sigh as she resumed her natural Bijuu form and enjoyed her new surroundings which were much more comfortable than the cold and depressing sewers. She was definitely looking forward to working with this one.
The next day.
"Okay now. Today's the day. I gotta make sure I got this right." Naruto muttered to himself as he walked towards his classroom, for tomorrow was the Academy exams, and today was his last chance to fine-tune his Voodoo doll magic and make sure it was working properly. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance. Acquiring a hair sample from Iruka's apartment was a simple manner, he just needed to open a window and pluck one from his pillow.
He would need to sneak into the Haruno residence sometime or other to collect hair samples from them. Chiefly Kizashi and his little brat, Sakura who both seemed like they were out to get him. Though in Sakura's case it seemed more like she was trying to use him as her human stress ball due to her failings with Sasuke. And from the memories Kurama showed, Kizashi was an old enemy of his mother since she got him kicked out of the Shinobi corps.
Onto other matters, later today, he had a private lesson with Anko, he was sure he could learn any Clone techniques she had to show him in no time at all so that was covered. Voodoo magic wasn't as exact in nature as Ninjutsu techniques to be honest. He entered his classroom and found that a large number of the seats had yet to be occupied, which gave him plenty of places to choose from.
He took a seat far in the back and discreetly pulled out a doll made in Iruka's likeness. While it wasn't a necessity to make the dolls bear the resemblance of the intended target, a more detailed and accurate representation made the magic and connection between both doll and victim significantly stronger and easier to control. He would only use a plain straw doll for emergency purposes, such as a lack of time for instance.
He couldn't help but smirk as he saw both Chunin enter the classroom, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but from what he could read from their lips it seemed they were chatting about potential team assignments and something was mentioned about the reformation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team. He smirked a bit wider as he quietly muttered an incantation and activated Iruka's doll.
He gave it a quick tap on the shoulder, making the Chunin jump a bit as he turned around to see who had touched him but found nothing there. The scarred man seemed confused but then shrugged and resumed talking to his partner like nothing happened. Deciding to get a bit bolder and wanting to invoke a stronger reaction from the Chunin he pinched the Doll's cheek HARD making the Chunin yell out in pain which surprised his partner at the sudden outburst.
"Uhh, you okay there Iruka?" Mizuki asked as he scratched the top of his head, his longtime partner seemed to be unusually jumpy today for some reason. Did he drink too much coffee or something this morning?
The scarred teacher rubbed his sore cheek tenderly and replied "Sorry about that. Felt like something was pinching me, I could almost swear it was like something was… is it getting hot in here?" He asked at the end as he began to sweat profusely, his face starting to become flushed as if he had a fever. Unknown to them, Naruto was holding a lighter to the Voodoo doll's face, far enough away to avoid burning it, but definitely close enough for Iruka to feel the heat.
Naruto had to stifle his laughter, he was actually enjoying messing with the Chunin and then decided for a little public humiliation as he saw a number of students starting to file inside. "Jeez Iruka, your face is all red like a tomato. You sure you're okay?" Mizuki asked, not that he actually cared, but he still had to maintain his facade until his planned theft.
Sensing an opportunity, Naruto began to whisper something to the doll, which caused Iruka to speak "I'm sorry Mizuki… but I can't contain my passion for you any longer." At his words, the students froze up while in the process of taking their seats as they all turned to the teachers. The white haired man's only response was a confused 'Bwah?'
"Yes! I love you Mizuki! You have always been at my side for every year as we looked after these snot nosed brats, like that arrogant needle-dick Sasuke, or that washboard howler monkey Haruno who is only here to get Sasuke's money like all those other nameless Fan-girls." The scarred teacher spoke, which earned him some very nasty looks from all of the students. Most especially the Fan-girls, Sakura, and of course Sasuke.
"Umm… Iruka? You may want to put a filter on yourself. And… if you're into that kinda thing, well… that's your business but I'm not into guys." Mizuki muttered uncomfortably since he had never been confessed to by another man, and he certainly would never have expected it from his partner… but then had he ever actually dated a woman before? He couldn't remember.
Having seen enough, Naruto whispered his incantation and shut off the flow of magic within the Voodoo doll, rendering it inert for the time being. With Iruka's motor control now back to normal, he stammered uncontrollably, trying to explain himself but he couldn't find the proper words except that he had no idea what came over him… which likely would have made it worse. "Can we just put this aside now? We do have a class to teach." Mizuki pointed out, silencing his partner who could only nod. Feeling utterly humiliated by what just transpired.
And even worse… the entire class seemed ready to tear him to pieces for being called 'snot nosed brats'. The Jinchuuriki felt confident that his Voodoo doll magic was working perfectly. His long hours of study and late night practice and experimentation was paying off in full. He had started out trying it on animals and random Civilians, but he needed to be sure if it would have the same potency on a Shinobi in case they could somehow break free. That didn't seem to be the case in this instance, especially he was unaware of the influence over his body.
But would it have the same effect over a Shinobi that was aware of the doll's influence? He was certainly looking forward to finding out, but that was enough musing for now. He had to focus on making it through the Academy. After today, Anko would teach him the Clone iterations she knew, so that was something to look forward to. He wasn't going to fail a third year, not a chance in hell. And if Iruka tried to pull something… he'd have an accident.
Class went as per normal… except Iruka seemed to be fumbling through his usual history lecture as he withered under the nasty looks he was getting from the students, barely ten minutes in, Mizuki decided to intercede to spare his partner… and himself from further embarrassment and took over the lecture himself. After a few more minutes into the lecture, Naruto took notice that the classroom door was open slightly, and then an object was thrown into the class.
A smoke bomb went off and the sounds of glass shattering and rapid footsteps could be heard with shouts of "GOGOGO!" followed by the sounds of blows landing and screams of pain. When the smoke cleared, Mizuki was face first on the floor and multiple Anbu having their blades trained on him, all aimed at his vital areas. And standing over him was the form of Anko who had a bound and gagged Tsubaki in tow.
"Mizuki. You're under arrest for colluding with Orochimaru and plotting to steal the Forbidden Scroll. Your girlfriend told us everything." The Dango lover spoke with a cheeky grin, and before the white haired man could even speak out, a gag was crammed into his mouth and a black bag placed over his head. The Anbu beat him some more with steel batons and kicking him, before placing the Chakra Sealing cuffs on him and dragging him out the door.
"Class is canceled for the day." Anko announced, sending a flirty wink to her favorite blonde who tipped his hat to her. He was looking forward to training under her soon. Now that his experiment was a success and with her teaching, he was sure to pass this year. Everything was going according to his plans. But before that… Now was a good time to get some samples from some annoyances in his life.
"Well… that was quite the display. Eh?" Naruto spoke as he came up behind Sakura and managed to snatch a strand of her distinctive pink hair from her clothes which came off easily due to its length. The Haruno absentmindedly nodded in surprise since she was still processing what happened.
"And now there's only one teacher left to cater to you, huh Sasuke? Think this might mess with the Academy exam? But then, being the golden boy of the Academy and all, you don't really need to train or study since you'll be passed regardless of your performance." Naruto spoke to the self-proclaimed Avenger who angrily glared at the blonde and got up in his face.
"You'd better watch your mouth, Dobe. It's not wise to mess with an Uchiha elite." Sasuke muttered, feeling insulted that the blonde was insinuating that he couldn't pass without help from the Teachers… make that Teacher now. Singular.
"Point one out to me and I'll be sure to keep that in mind." The Uzumaki spoke in a snarky tone, and managed to snip off a bit of the Uchiha's hair while he was distracted, knowing full well that Sasuke had a multitude of weaknesses, chiefly his own arrogance and apparent inability to see past his nose. Figuratively speaking.
"You might have a new getup and a fancy devil-may-care attitude, but you'll still be nothing but a clanless loser and an orphan." The Uchiha spit back, the blonde's attitude getting on his nerves. If the little brat weren't so close with the Sandaime, he would've slugged the Dobe by now.
"Guess that makes two of us. At least you had something to lose." Naruto replied with a shrug, finding it deeply insulting that Sasuke had the chance to have a family and he wasn't even appreciative for that simple fact. It was a major reason why the blonde never liked the Uchiha prick. He then blew some kind of powder in Sasuke's face making the Uchiha sputter and cough as the Uzumaki walked away, as he made his way out of the classroom, the Uchiha's face began to swell up and itch horribly as he scratched away at it to ease the itching sensation. Some screams could be heard as the Fan-girls got a good luck at the Uchiha's now swollen face making Naruto laugh.
He was definitely enjoying the new powers and opportunities his Voodoo magic provided him. By now, Anko was likely giving her report to the Hokage, so he decided to wait for her and the good news.
In the Hokage's office.
"... and so, thanks to a reliable source that provided me Tsubaki and the intel, with Tsubaki herself confirming it; We were able to quickly arrest Mizuki with no major incident. Mizuki himself is currently being escorted to the T&I division where both Ibiki and Inoichi will work him over and question him for information, and then mind scan him for confirmation." Anko spoke, giving her final report to the Sandaime who nodded appreciatively.
He hadn't expected that Orochimaru would have enlisted a rank-and-file Chunin, an Academy teacher no less to steal such an important artifact like the Forbidden Scroll… or maybe it was precisely because he wouldn't have expected that his ex-student planned this out. The Snake Sannin had a way of getting into people's heads and was as slippery as they came which is what made him so dangerous, even before he reduced his existence to that of a parasite.
"I thank you for taking the initiative and quickly thwarting this plot Anko-san. A suitable reward will be prepared for you shortly." He spoke in gratitude, but was surprised when she shook her head negatively.
"Actually, there's something else I want. I want Naruto placed under my personal tutelage. I want him as an apprentice." She spoke in a stern voice, signaling that she refused to take 'no' for an answer. Hiruzen hummed thoughtfully knowing the two Pariah's were very close and would make a powerful duo.
However they were also known to be highly volatile in nature and without someone to keep them in check, they ran the risk of running out of control. Not to mention it would throw off the numbers and one team would be incomplete, and there were no viable replacements. "I'm afraid that isn't currently possible. But I can make you a joint Sensei for a team. Should Naruto pass, he'll be assigned to Team Seven, along with Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and your partner shall be Kakashi Hatake."
The Snake user grumbled at that, while Kakashi was a competent Shinobi, especially when he got serious, he had almost no prior teaching experience since he failed all other teams assigned to him. She guessed the only real reasons he was placed in charge of Team Seven was because he himself was a member of the previous carnation, and more likely was the only one that could teach Sasuke how to use his Sharingan when it activated.
Not to mention it was plausible the two Sharingan users were likely there to potentially subdue Naruto with their Sharingan in case he tapped into the Kyuubi's powers. Additionally… putting together an Uzumaki and an Uchiha was sure to end in bloodshed. Sakura however had no connection or talents to contribute aside from her booksmarts but had no practical skills to apply them, though it was possible that her father may have pulled some strings to put her on the same team as the Uchiha to increase her chances of hooking up with Sasuke… in spite of how nonexistent they were.
Anko grumbled and knew that she wasn't going to get a much better deal than that, and it wouldn't be wise to argue with the Hokage. "One more thing… keep a close eye on Sasuke Uchiha. I don't trust Kakashi to remain entirely impartial given his past connection and guilty conscience over his fallen teammate who was also an Uchiha. Not to mention Sasuke himself is believed to be a potential flight risk.
I requested that Inoichi have his daughter observe and formulate a psych profile on the Uchiha during his school year… and the results were less than promising. I strongly suspect that if your former teacher were to try and tempt Sasuke with some form of power, that he wouldn't hesitate to take it. That's where you come in. If need be… kill Sasuke should he willingly go rogue." At that, she could only nod since she now had a much better understanding of the situation.
She gave a salute and left the Hokage tower… where outside Naruto was waiting for her as he was flipping through some cards. She approached him and said "Hey Naruto-kun, whatcha doing there?" She asked out of curiosity at the end. The blonde smirked as he flipped over a card and then shuffled them all back together before pocketing the deck.
"Was practicing my tarot reading. Divination isn't the most exact facet in the Voodoo arts. But the cards told me that you have good and bad news. So… let's hear it." The blonde requested making his friend sigh as she told him everything that had been spoken between herself and the Sandaime. The blonde murmured in mild disappoint to the news as he flipped through his tarot cards, though he had to admit… he wasn't entirely surprised to hear about this.
Traditionally, Team Seven was composed of the Top Student or Rookie of the Year, the Top Kunoichi of the year, and of course the Dead-last, the student with the lowest overall grades in the Academy. And failing two prior years didn't help his case. With the teacher's favoritism and Sasuke's clan Taijutsu and his Fire techniques given him an unfair advantage it was no wonder he was nominated for Rookie of the year.
As for Sakura, the Academy curriculum was almost entirely theoretical and relied on academics, which made it entirely possible for the Haruno, in spite of her nature as a Fan-girl to easily get by with book smarts alone. However, she wouldn't last long in the real world as a Kunoichi if she didn't improve herself.
"If nothing else, at least I know for sure you'll be around to help keep me sane." the whiskered teen spoke, making the Dango lover nod in agreement since they would still be together and since they'd be on the same team they'd be able to spend much more time with each other now. Also… now that he had hair samples from his soon-to-be teammates, he had a means of keeping control of them if they ever got out of line. Most especially Sasuke.
With that bit of business closed, the two decided to head for the Forest of Death and assume a little Pre-exam cram training. Unknown to the village of Konoha, the dark shadows of the Loa now loom, eagerly waiting for their new contractor to provide the souls he promised them… and then they heard it. They heard him whisper to them through the use of his Voodoo magic. They could claim the soul of the one called Mizuki who was now in prison.
It would be little more than a sample for now… but they sensed that there would be many more to come. They wondered if the female called Tsubaki would be a tasty morsel and sent a telepathic image of her as if asking if she were on the menu. The blonde denied them, claiming that she may be of further use down the line but they would be given a suitable replacement. The Loa didn't complain… there would be plenty for them to eat in due time.
End chapter one.