This is just my take on the old "What if Naruto had really been powerful but hiding it all along" cliche. Only, I plan on doing a good job of it! Most likely will be NaruTen, but expect some massive changes one the initial story gets going. I'm creating a forum for any questions you have.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A small boy lay restless on his bed, unable to calm his mind enough to sleep. His mind was racing with the possible outcomes of his plan, and he couldn't find a suitable solution to his dilemma. Naruto pushed up the thin covers of his blanket and sat up. He couldn't sleep anyway, so he decided staring at his feet wouldn't be any less productive.
He looked around his apartment; it wasn't much to look at. The far wall was lined with small cracks and crevices, and the corner had water stains that grew marginally larger every year. The ceiling was low, and he thought that he could see the beginnings of a small network of cobwebs clinging to it. Although nothing in his tiny space was immaculate, nothing was so bad that he would be living in squalor either. He took a good, hard look at everything – took everything in, even the smallest detail. He didn't love this place, but there were a few good memories, and no matter what transpired in the evening, he wouldn't be seeing it again.
Just a few hours before, Naruto failed the Ninja Academy's graduation exit examination for the third and final time; his performance was flawless. Naruto had been prepared for, and capable of, passing the exam since the end of his first year, – he was roughly seven then – but he never did. Too many Jounin instructors would have been willing to see to it that he encountered an unfortunate mission, and so, at the Third Hokage's behest, he agreed to wait a few years to take it. In those few years, Naruto had had his fill of maltreatment and misplaced anger: he wouldn't manage not to hurt some of those pricks if he ever made it as a shinobi; and he decided to forgo the shinobi path altogether.
Although he was on an entirely different level compared to his classmates, Naruto wasn't one to needlessly push his – limited– luck and set out on his own; not when he would no doubt encounter resistance at every turn. He found out fairly early on just why most of the village would never be able to see him in an amicable light, and he knew that he would need to be extremely meticulous about planning his escape, if he was to succeed. The young non-shinobi understood that his skills would need to be nearly on par with that of a jounin's, and to do so, he had to maintain his cover until he was truly prepared.
As his – limited – luck would have it, he was given an extra opportunity to expand his skills before he made his escape. A chuunin by the name of Mizuki approached Naruto directly after his test and offered – more like forced on – him a final chance to graduate, if he could procure a particularly priceless scroll; it was obvious that Mizuki's test was a ploy to ensnare Naruto, but it was a good opportunity for him, and it wasn't as though he was unprepared to handle some average academy instructor.
Still, the thought of what could go wrong left his stomach roiling and his fingers trembling. What if Mizuki wasn't the only one in on this? Despite the persona Naruto let everyone see, he was no fool – far from, in fact. He was a genius, a prodigy and he could handle anything that was thrown his way so far; but this, this was different. He wasn't dealing with angry villagers or ignorant peers, his foe would be highly trained ninjas who had no compunction about killing. One slip up. One miscalculation. One mistake and he was through. It was a sobering thought; twelve years of surviving and planning could end in an instant.
He ran a hand through his hair, sweating and trembling simultaneously; worrying wouldn't solve anything. It was time to go. He quickly made a mental check of his gear, then got up and headed for the door. It was kind of depressing to know that he'd never return, but it wasn't as though he had anyone that would wait for him to come back anyway. He left his home for nearly the last 13 years, and he never looked back.
Naruto slipped through the second story window of the Hokage mansion and into the room that housed his goal – the scroll of sealing. The room itself was quite plain; not that he expected big neon lights and posters pointing out the exact location of scroll, but he would have ventured at least some lavish designs would adorn the place.
He was surprised just how poorly the building was secured, but he couldn't discount the idea that it may be part of the test Mizuki had set up for him. The Third Hokage himself could even be part of this. It wasn't something that he wanted to consider because the Third had treated him fairly well, despite his status; that didn't mean that he wouldn't suspect him, however. Even if the old man had a gentle demeanor and played a huge role in Naruto's growth as a skilled fighter, he was still Naruto's jailor and kept him trapped in the village; if it came down to it, the non-shinobi boy sincerely believed the Third Hokage wouldn't hesitate to put him down.
Much like finding a way in, finding the scroll itself was a cinch for Naruto. It didn't seem as though Konoha put much effort into hiding a scroll that housed some its most powerful – and dangerous – forbidden jutsu. The scroll sat in the middle of the wall farthest from the window, without so much as even a glass case.
Naruto snorted. Either this scroll isn't half as important as Mizuki made it sound, or Konoha is filled with idiots. Neither is that hard to believe.
After he secured the scroll and fastened it to his person, Naruto made his way back to the exit.
Few people could move quietly enough to infiltrate an important area in a shinobi village undetected, but Naruto had trained himself for the last five years for just such an instance where he would need that skill. It didn't hurt that no one seemed to be keeping guard either, but Naruto still convinced himself that it was just because of his unparalleled skill in stealth; it could've been, and it wasn't as though there was anyone to contest him on that point anyhow.
He slumped forward and caught himself using his right hand to grip the outstretched limb of a nearby tree. Luckily, the coppice he found to work in was surrounded by densely packed flora; he mused that Leaf really was a fitting name for the village.
Naruto found that this test's proctor, Mizuki, really had been correct when he described just how valuable the scroll of seals was. The young prodigy also learned that the jutsu in the scroll were forbidden for a reason – much as he was loath to admit; not a single technique contained within was below jounin level. In the two hours he spent poring over the scroll and practicing techniques since he infiltrated the Hokage mansion, he was only able to pick up a handful of jutsu; Naruto was dismayed to find that out of that handful, he could only use one.
Regaining his composure and stamina quickly, a light draft of wind carried with it the scent of two approaching – and familiar – shinobi. Naruto quickly thanked the heavens or whatever supernatural deities – good or evil – that had blessed him with superior olfactory senses; the ability to sense his pursuers was a major boon to any warrior, especially a warrior who would spend a great deal of time fleeing from attackers – like Naruto.
Dealing with two possible opponents would only be an annoyance, so long as they were only chuunin or lower level ninjas; jounin would be more problematic, and if the Hokage himself showed up, there would be no battle: it would be a massacre. Deciding that he had no other recourse but battle, Naruto quickly churned through a few hundred battle plans to met out a quick end to any possible obstacles he might encounter.
He needn't have bothered.
The man who stepped out of the foliage and into his training spot looked more confused and, oddly, worried than anything; he certainly didn't appear battle ready. He appeared to be the kind of person who was forgettable, at best. The kind that left most people hard-pressed to remember him, if they could recall him at all. Brown hair, brown eyes, he wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform, complete with drab brown chuunin vest; his only noteworthy feature was the large scar that ran across the bridge of his – unremarkable -- nose.
It was Iruka, one of his instructors back at the academy. Naruto didn't have a bad relationship with Iruka, or more accurately, it was – like the man himself – nothing to write home about. He didn't seem to harbor any overt anger towards Naruto, but he also never made any effort with the intent of getting to know the boy either. It came as bit of a shock that he looked concerned for Naruto and only exasperated, rather than murderous. Maybe this really was a test...
No, he wouldn't relax just yet. I'm too close to getting the hell out of dodge to ease up so quickly. They might be waiting for me to lower my guard.
"Naruto," Iruka said. "What the hell were you thinking? Stealing that scroll, are you insane?"
Steal...
That set off warning bells in his mind, but it seemed as though the older man really wasn't a part of this, so he decided to play along. For the moment. "Neh, Iruka-sensei, what're you talkin bout? Mizuki-sensei told me that if I took this scroll and learned a jutsu that you would have to pass me! So just stay there and watch me do this really cool jutsu I learned, and then you'll definitely have to pass me!"
"Where in the world did you get that idea from? Wait, Mizuki told you?!" Iruka demanded.
Naruto felt Iruka was genuinely confused based on the poleaxed expression the chuunin wore. Damn, guess he really didn't know. I don't want him to get involved if he doesn't have to, so I'll have to find a way to get him out of here.
"Eh sen–," Naruto was cut off abruptly.
Iruka was frantic. "Naruto, get down!"
Things were happening so quickly that he was caught off guard when Iruka dive-tackled him to the ground and shielded his frame with his own. The sudden onset of vertigo dulled his senses so badly that Naruto didn't notice the monstrous shuriken bearing down on them until it was lodged deeply in his teacher's back. Nothing made sense. Did he just save me? Why?
"Iruka...sensei...why did you do that?" Naruto asked, already feeling the swell of tears threatening to cascade down his face. "No one...no one would do that for me."
A flicker of guilt registered in Iruka's eyes, but despite his desire to break down and cry himself, there were more pressing matters to attend to. "Naruto, listen to me. I don't know what's going on, but whatever you do, don't give Mizuki that scroll!" he said in ragged, clipped breaths.
"Hahaha, that's rich, Iruka! Are you that desperate to play the martyr?"
Mizuki ran a hand through his hair and brushed aside the stray strands than hung over his forehead protector. He stood nearly equal to Iruka, if a bit taller, but that was the end of their similarities. Where Iruka was slim, Mizuki had always been broad shouldered and muscular; and while Iruka sported plain, short-cropped brown hair, Mizuki's own was platinum and fell around the sides of his face, tied down with a bandana. The most important difference between the two, however, wasn't that superficial: Mizuki was ambitious. Ambitious, and willing to get his hands dirty.
Taking his teacher's words to heart, and still frazzled by the whirlwind of events, Naruto slipped out from underneath Iruka's prone form and ran out of the clearing, into the woods. He wasn't sure what to make of everything, and he wasn't quite ready to let Iruka be killed by the traitorous ninja, either. He needed to clear his head and think. Think, damnit!
He hid himself behind a large tree and contented himself to listening for the moment, only planning to interfere if Iruka couldn't manage. It wasn't his fight after all; even with his skills, he wasn't a leaf-nin.
Mizuki called out to him, "Give me the scroll, Naruto!"
"Don't listen to him!"
"It isn't as if you can go back now. They'll kill you for stealing the scroll, Naruto! Everyone would be glad to a see monster like you die, they all hate you!" Mizuki said in a voice laced with malice. "Do you know why they hate you? I'll tell you– ,"
"Mizuki, don't!" Iruka pleaded.
Mizuki pushed on, "Twelve years ago, the Leaf village was attacked by a monster fox! A fox so powerful that it tore even our best to ribbons. You were told that the Fourth Hokage managed to kill it, after a valiant struggle. But they were lying to you! The fox was never killed, it was sealed into a brat that nobody wanted! It was you! You are the demon fox!"
He had always known, and it shouldn't have bothered him. But it did. Knowing about it and having it brought to life by a voice -- other than the one raging inside of him – filled him with emotions that were worlds apart. Before it had been something surreal, something that he never managed to quite grasp. When Mizuki shouted it for the entire world to hear, it became tangible and much more frightening to consider.
Naruto gritted his teeth; this wasn't some incredible revelation to him, so it shouldn't get to him in the way it did. It was something that he carried with him for nearly as long as he could remember – the knowledge of being the Kyuubi reborn. He figured it out early on in life, with little trouble; the clues were just too obvious not to pick up on, and while it had initially came as a shock, that shock turned to relief and acceptance; to him, it meant that he wasn't hated without reason – something that was even more painful than the revelation of who he really was.
Knowing that he'd been responsible for the deaths of hundreds and the one man he'd admired above all others – Yondaime Hokage – helped him to resolve early on that he wouldn't shoot for any kind of revenge, but rather, he would leave Konoha; which is how he wound up in his current predicament.
"You're wrong, Mizuki! Naruto isn't the nine-tailed fox, he's just as human as you. Better even!" Iruka said. "Naruto, if you can hear me, he's lying to you!"
Lying...
"It's true that Kyuubi wasn't killed, but it's not true that you are that monster reincarnated. The Fourth Hokage sealed that monster into you, and while you've never been treated like it, you are a hero, Naruto."
A hero...me? I'm not the fox? But then, why? These bastards...they've treated me like shit for my entire life, and I'm not even the one responsible?
Naruto was seething. He'd spent so many nights crying himself to sleep and praying to anyone who would listen for forgiveness. Forgiveness...for something he hadn't even done.
And even as Naruto's anger nearly boiled over, he couldn't find it in himself to hate Iruka.
He had once heard that Iruka was an orphan left in Kyuubi's wake. Knowing that, he thought he could understand the man a little better. The academy teacher was always hesitant to approach his most notorious student and seemed to shy away from him whenever possible, but despite that, Iruka never once treated Naruto unfairly. Not once did the man make subtle efforts to foul up Naruto's chances at becoming a shinobi; in fact, he was the only teacher that got on Naruto for his poor study habits out of genuine concern that a teacher has for his student.
If Naruto had been in his shoes, he thought that he might have felt the same as Iruka had, and that made it easier for Naruto to forgive him. And maybe the rest of Konoha too.
"Enough of this bullshit! I don't have time for it. I was going to spare you, Iruka, but since you seem to be on that monster's side, I'll just have to kill you now!" snapped the platinum haired chuunin as he descended upon his injured comrade, kunai in hand.
Faster than either chuunin could follow, Naruto parried the traitor's attack and wrenched the kunai from his grasp. Using his opponent's momentary lapse in concentration and pressing his advantage, Naruto drove a savage palm thrust into Mizuki's sternum. He followed through until he felt the bone shatter and give way, throwing his opponent back.
"What the hell brat?!" Mizuki rasped. He was knocked back, the air ripped from his lungs and covered in his own blood, which still spilled freely from his mouth with each struggled breath. Staggering and swaying on his feet, he said, "Che, I knew you were a freak! No academy dropout can move like that!"
Naruto chuckled, "Don't look so shocked; even if I wasn't at the jounin level, I wouldn't have any trouble. There's a reason you're nearly thirty and still only a chuunin. No offense, Iruka-sensei."
"Uh, none taken...I think," murmured the stunned academy teacher.
The prodigious youth continued taunting his opponent. "I won't even have to get serious to kill trash like you."
Naruto had learned early on – through numerous first-hand encounters – that intimidation and bait tactics served well to push – otherwise – rational people into irrational fits of anger; that anger fueled poor judgement and snap decisions, and those often lead to openings for people like Naruto to take advantage of. Although he never considered Mizuki a true threat, he decided it best to err on the side of caution. And, it was damn fun besides.
Mizuki fell for it, hook, line and sinker. The unfettered rage that adorned his visage spoke volumes to Naruto about his state of mind. But, even more than that, his shell-shocked countenance the moment he felt the cold steel edge of a kunai on his neck, and the gurgling sounds coming from the gaping hole in his neck moments later told the entire story: Mizuki never stood a chance.
Kage bunshin? Wha-what just happened? He was so fast that I couldn't keep up?
Iruka wasn't quite sure what had just happened. At least, not exactly. He had seen Naruto save his life and the brutal, efficient way his charge had executed Mizuki; he just wasn't sure he believed it. But everything happened too fast. Mizuki's revelation, Naruto's intervention and Mizuki's death. All too fast...
He was a chuunin and prided himself on being a professional, but even still, he had to fight the urge to sick up. The site of his ex-comrade's grisly end wouldn't leave him for a while he imagined. That probably contributed to his unease though: Mizuki had been his comrade, and he had still considered him a close friend until just a scant few hours before.
Truthfully, Iruka didn't really feel any pity for Mizuki; in fact, his only regret was that it had fallen to Naruto to do the job – his job. He was the chuunin. The adult. Naruto's grimly apathetic countenance while in the midst of so much violence and gore was chilling, but Iruka had an inkling that despite his tranquil demeanor, Naruto was – or would be soon – in a state of turmoil. It had been Naruto's first kill afterall, and those were always hard, unless you were a psychopath or some kind of monster; Iruka wasn't willing to believe either of Naruto, not even having only just being convinced of Naruto's innocence a short time ago.
Still, the tumult of this kind of situation would leave even experienced ninja hard pressed to keep their emotions in check. He had to hand it to Naruto; his face betrayed nothing. The boy had proven quite adept at hiding just who he was and what he felt.
Too adept... Iruka thought lamely. It was at least partly his fault that Naruto learned to hide the truth of himself from the world. If the Leaf found out just how good he was, and that he'd hidden his skills for years...it wouldn't end well. He should have had someone looking out for him...I should have looked out for him. In the end, we were so similar...
You're the same as me. After my parents died, no one ever complimented me or recognized me...
Because I wanted to get everyone's attention...I acted up and screwed around a lot...
I couldn't get anyone's attention when I tried my hardest...so I acted like an idiot...
It was tough. Right, Naruto? You were lonely, right? It was tough for you...I'm sorry, Naruto...You didn't have to feel that way...If I had realized...
Even if Iruka couldn't teach Naruto anything about being a ninja, he would be there for him – this time around.
He probably had nothing to offer Naruto in terms of shinobi related because of Naruto's immense, prodigious skill.
His skill...now there was another can of worms. Naruto had succeeded so completely in convincing the world – Konoha – of his incompetence that Iruka really had no clear idea of how to categorize this new Naruto. He claimed to be on par with those of the jounin rank, and if the ease with which he dispatched Mizuki was any indication, Iruka had no reason to doubt his claim. His speed, precision, use of Kage Bunshin – a jounin level jutsu – and how he defeated a chuunin completely unaided were all signs of jounin level proficiency.
If Naruto truly mastered the shinobi arts to such a level, it raised another troubling question: Why did Naruto purposely fail the final exam? For someone at his level, it would be little more than an annoyance to complete. Did he truly hate the idea of being a Leaf-nin so badly?
I wouldn't be surprised, with the way he's been treated. Man, this is really giving me a headache, just thinking about it...I suppose the best thing to do is ask him outright...
"Naruto, you once told me that it was your dream to be Hokage. The Hokage that surpassed all of the previous Hokages, if I recall correctly. Do you still feel the same?"
Running a hand through his unruly blond hair, Naruto sighed and said, "Then...I mean...when I was younger, I still believed that everyone would accept me if I became Hokage. I've since come to understand that isn't the case. So then, 'Do I still feel the same?' No, I don't."
Iruka's heart clenched. He knew this was a possibility, but he had hoped that something of the exuberant, optimistic boy he remembered had survived the sands of time.
"But, tonight, I learned that there are people who will accept me – regardless of that. And I want to protect them, which is what I think it means to be Hokage: protecting those you love, even if it means protecting those who don't love you. So, if you were to ask me if I want to be Hokage for those people, then I would say yes."
Iruka's heart swelled, and the tears that threatened to fall earlier made good on their threat.
He pushed himself up from his reclined position against a large tree that he used for support earlier and made his way towards Naruto. Summoning a strong resolve to make up for lost time, he embraced the boy in a bone-crushing hug, with a strength that only Tsunade-hime and parents reuniting with their long-lost child are capable of. And maybe children who have only just met their parents for the first time, Iruka thought when he realized he couldn't breath.
He let Naruto go and stepped back, looking at his son for the first time. He knew that his expression must have been bursting with pride, it just wouldn't be possible for him to clamp down on his emotions right then. "Naruto, close your eyes."
He complied.
Iruka slipped his forehead protector off and placed it around Naruto's head, tying it snugly and centering it for him. "Go ahead, open your eyes," he said.
When Naruto did open his eyes, Iruka nodded toward the forehead protector. "Congratulations, you pass!"
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Just yesterday, you were one of my excellent students, but now you are one of Konoha's excellent genin. And the man who will someday surpass all of the previous Hokages."
Wiping away some of the tears rolling down his face, he noticed that Naruto had cried as well. "We're a couple of blubbering crybabies, aren't we?" he chuckled warmly.
"Nah. It's not good to whine, but it's definitely okay to cry when you're happy," said Naruto.
Iruka couldn't help but grin at the youth's words of wisdom. He would take them to heart.
"I guess you're right. C'mon, let's go celebrate. I'll buy you some ramen, and then we'll meet with Hokage-sama and return the scroll."
Naruto hesitated, "I suppose we need to talk, huh?" He was obviously trying not to fidget when he said, "I mean, I know you said I graduated and all, but it's not exactly as though I'm really at the genin level. And I've been hiding a lot of things the last few years...right?"
Not wanting to spoil the good mood, Iruka replied, "Don't worry about that right now. We can talk when we meet Sandaime, and I don't care that you've hidden anything; you've had a pretty good reason I think. Anyway, let's go celebrate!"
Well, that's the prologue at any rate. Let me know what you think. The next chapter will deal with team selection and all of that jazz. But things will be different, I promise.