The Hidden Leaf Village was plunged into chaos. Hundreds of burning buildings lit up with a ghastly light uncountable columns of black smoke, which rose towards the night sky. Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, made structures collapse with every movement of its colossal form, towering over the few nearby structures still standing. Barely a few minutes had passed since the beginning of the attack. Both civilians, only capable of running for their lives, and ninja, supernatural warriors trained and prepared for combat and horror alike, gave everything for lost. It was then that the hero arrived.
From among the ruins, a huge cloud of white smoke arose, and from it, emerged the figure of a toad that rivaled in size with the demon. On top of its head stood the man known as the Fourth Hokage, the village's leader. Only then did the inhabitants of the Leaf allow themselves the luxury of hope. The gigantic toad charged at the Nine Tailed Fox, driving him back beyond the crumbled wall to the south of the village. The mighty amphibian did not stop until the enemy had been carried deep into the great forest that surrounded and protected the Leaf Village. No one ever saw Kyuubi again.
The attack had left more than two thousand casualties in mere minutes, but the night still had to claim another life. The young Fourth Hokage died after defeating the demon. At dawn, the survivors bowed to the Hokage Rock, the mountain on which the faces of the Hokage Lords were carved into, and mourned the loss of their leader. There would never live another like the Fourth.
Twelve years later.
From the top of the Hokage Rock, Naruto could see the entire village through his bright blue eyes. The rising sun bathed in warm light the treetops of the great forest, as well as the red and orange rooftops of the Leaf's buildings, built almost entirely out of wood and stone. The Kyuubi's attack brought in thousands of people from all corners of the Land of Fire, in which the village was located, to assist in the rebuilding efforts and replace the people of the Leaf who had lost their lives. Naruto's parents, unknown civilians, were among those who came to the village to help, but for some reason they abandoned him there. The village put him in the care of the orphanage, like so many other children after the attack. But after entering the Ninja Academy at the age of seven, the village gave him a small apartment in a residential area.
Naruto checked and secured the rope that was tied to the waist of his orange jacket, which was too big for him, and the bucket hanged from his blue cloth belt. Grasping the rope tightly, he lowered himself down the Third Hokage's stony face, located higher up the mountain than the other three.
The boos of the people of the village were soon to be heard when they saw the paintings on the huge faces carved into the stone, but Naruto was at such a height that he could hardly hear them. When he was moving towards the last paint-free face, that of the First Hokage, he noticed several ninja glaring at him from the roof of the administration building, right at the base of the mountain. They seemed furious and ready to pounce at him at any moment, but a figure appeared among them and calmed their spirits. The old Third Hokage wore a long white jacket over a red robe, which almost reached the ground, and the wide conical hat of the Hokage. The old leader did not seem angry despite the fact that Naruto had painted on his sculpture, which portrayed him in his youth, more wrinkles than he would have if he ever lived to be a hundred years old.
The familiar figure of Master Iruka, his teacher at the Ninja Academy, appeared on the roof. He yelled for Naruto to come down before him, but received only mocking in return. The young teacher knelt before the Hokage and in an instant, was gone. Naruto felt a pressure on his chest and a sharp tug, and the world began to spin. When his head finally stopped spinning, he found himself sitting on the roof with his hands bound, next to Iruka, and at the feet of the Third. Iruka wore the standard attire of the Leaf ninja: a tight fitting dark blue tunic and matching pants, in addition to the forest green vest that identified him as chunin, a mid rank ninja. Iruka knelt before the old Hokage once more.
"I apologize again, Lord Hokage. I promise you, at the end of today's lesson I will personally see to it that Naruto cleans the statues until no trace of his vandalism is left."
The Third took a pull on his pipe and simply nodded. He turned and disbanded the other ninja on the roof with a wave of his hand. Iruka led Naruto through the square where the administration building was located towards the Academy, located at one end of it. Before reaching the door, Iruka stopped before Naruto and crouched down to face him.
Iruka had a scar across the bridge of his nose and his black hair was tied back in a high ponytail. Naruto's gaze fell on his teacher's forehead protector. It was a blue cloth headband he wore tied to his head, with a metal plate covering his forehead, on which was engraved the symbol of the village, a stylized leaf.
"You have to stop with this sort of stupidity, Naruto. I thought you were taking becoming a ninja more seriously."
There was more disappointment than anger in his voice. Iruka let out a sigh.
"If you put half as much effort into your studies as you did to your mischief, you would already be Hokage." He gave him a friendly pat on the head, ruffling his spiky blond hair. He untied the rope from his wrists. "Come on, we've already wasted too much time."
Naruto walked into class with Iruka behind him. The other students were staring at him, whispering among themselves without looking away from him.
"Hush, class." Iruka said. "Today we will take the Transformation Technique exam. It's a simple jutsu all of you should have already mastered ."
Iruka led the class into the exam room, larger than the usual classroom. Another teacher from the Academy, Mizuki, was waiting for them seated with a gentle smile on his face. The students formed several lines, waiting to be called. Mizuki, sitting next to Iruka, called out the first student, whom he asked to transform into Iruka. The boy brought his hands in front of his chest and made several hand seals with them. He finished the seals by placing the index and middle fingers of both hands up and the rest gathered, while one of his hands grabbed the other. White smoke covered him for an instant, but he was no longer himself, but Iruka.
"Pretty good, Takeo. Although the texture of the vest is not completely accurate, your vest reflects a bit too much light. You must pay more attention to the details if you want to fully master this jutsu."Said Mizuki, with a kind smile."Still, you have passed. Congratulations."
More students performed the technique with varying degrees of skill, but all of them had passed so far. Iruka called out to Naruto, who approached the teachers. He took several deep breaths and emptied his mind. He visualized the image he wanted to show around him, how it would look from every angle; the texture of each surface and material. He brought his hands before him and made the hand seals. Naruto molded his chakra and released it. Behind the white smoke, a female version of Naruto was in his place, completely naked.
"I call this the Erotic Technique. It's cool, right?"
The class burst into laughter, which Iruka took a few moments to silence. Naruto dispelled the technique and regained his usual appearance. Mizuki, pushing his light hair back from his face, caught the attention of his partner, who stopped his scolding.
"It's clearly not what he was asked to do, and it's certainly not an orthodox way of performing the technique, but I think he has shown he can perform it at a more than proper level. I think he deserves to pass."
"I guess you're right, Mizuki." Iruka turned to Naruto. "You pass this test. But stop fooling around, the purpose of this technique is to go unnoticed, not to bring attention to yourself."
Naruto smiled, satisfied that his variant of the Transformation Technique had made him pass. The remaining students took the test, but Naruto didn't pay much attention to them. At the end of the last test, Iruka addressed the class.
"I remind you all that tomorrow is the final test of the graduation exam. Prepare yourself thoroughly and rest well tonight."
Naruto tried to sneak away with the rest of the students. But Iruka, behind him, already had him by the collar of his jacket, lined with white fur.
"Don't think you're getting away from this one, you've asked for it yourself." Iruka handed him a bucket with several rags inside and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling. "The two other times you applied for the graduation exam you were not prepared at all, not even close. Trying to graduate early, skipping years of the Academy, was not a good idea; but I have admit that this time you really are trying. All you need to do is stop being such a rascal and you'll be a full-fledged ninja before I know it."
The sun was beginning to set to the west behind the trees of the great forest. Naruto had been cleaning red paint from the stone for hours. Iruka had made him recite the exploits of the Hokage Lords while wiping their faces.
Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and co-founder of the village. Leader of the Senju Clan during the end of the Era of the Warring States and master of Wood Release. Winner of the duel against Madara Uchiha, the other founder of the village, during which the intensity of their clash created a valley.
Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. Brother of the First, he took on the mantle at his brother's death and led the Leaf during the last years of the First Great Ninja War. Founder of the Ninja Academy, the Leaf Military Police and the Chunin Exams. He died honorably on the battlefield against a score of elite ninja from the Cloud Village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Apprentice to the Second, he was chosen by the latter before his death, assuming command of the village at the age of eighteen, becoming the youngest Kage in ninja history. He led the village during the Second and Third Ninja Wars and under his rule, the Leaf achieved great prosperity. He abdicated in favor of the Fourth, and upon his death twelve years ago, he returned to his role as Hokage.
And Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. An unmatched, unrepeatable hero in history. A genius the likes of which only appears once every hundred years. He shattered the army of the Rock Village during the Third Great Ninja War and thanks to his actions, the war ended in a favorable position for the Leaf, as they forced the other villages to accept an armistice. When the Nine Tailed Fox attacked the Leaf, only his might prevented the village from being destroyed. He died on that night, saving thousands of lives.
It was almost night when Naruto finished cleaning the last remaining paint, which simulated a bugger, under the stony nose of the Fourth. At last everything was clean, even better than before. He could hardly feel his arms.
"Good work," Iruka said. "I thought we'd be up here until tomorrow."
"I don't care, it's not like I have someone waiting for me at home."
"Yeah, me too." Iruka yawned. "I guess I'll have dinner at Ichiraku. I would invite you, but ... you didn't like ramen, did you?" Iruka said, playing dumb.
"Really? Of course I love it!"
Naruto laughed out loud. He had been subsisting for a long time on rice, fruit and vegetables, milk, some eggs here and there, and occasionally some meat or fish. He hadn't eaten at Ichiraku in weeks. It wasn't excessively expensive, but his allowance as an orphan Academy student covered only what was strictly necessary and he had to save up to be able to afford a good meal at the ramen restaurant.
On the main street, which was the backbone of the village, linking the Hokage Rock, to the north, with the main gate, to the south, was the small but cozy Ichiraku. The restaurant was located on the ground floor facing the street, like most commercial establishments and specialized in ramen: a long noodle soup with an endless number of broths and garnishes to choose from. Sitting at the bar, Naruto wolfed down the noodles; unlike Iruka, who ate calmly.
"I don't understand, you know every piece of information, no matter how minute or irrelevant, about the Hokage." said Iruka." As you listed them, you gave the impression that you even admired them. Why then humiliate their memory like that?"
Naruto stopped eating and stared at his bowl, struggling to find the right words to answer his teacher's question.
"Of course I admire them, all of them are the strongest and most revered ninja in the history of the Leaf. I guess it's kind of a statement of intent. One day I too will become Hokage, and I will surpass them all. The people of the village will have no choice but to recognize my strength and my worth then."
Naruto's eyes shone brightly. His smile accentuated the three fine marks that crossed each of his cheeks, reminding of the whiskers of a dog or a cat.
"Master Iruka, can I ask you a favor?"
"Do you want another bowl? Are you still hungry?" said Iruka.
"No, is not that. Can I borrow your forehead protector? "Naruto said, brandishing his best smile.
Iruka put his hand to his forehead, holding the metal plate of his headband between his thumb and forefinger.
"I'm afraid I can't, Naruto. This is the symbol that you are a true ninja. Tomorrow you can get yours."
"Well ... will you buy me another bowl then?"
With a full belly, something unusual for Naruto, he walked towards his apartment on the outskirts of the village. The caged flames from the streetlights lit the dirt road. After a long walk, he reached his destination. The small apartment, barely occupied by an unmade mat bed, a small stove, a water bucket and a window, awaited for him in darkness. Naruto closed the door behind him and dropped onto the bed. He fell asleep instantly.
Naruto had been preparing thoroughly for months just for this day. He had trained his body and his spirit. He had even read all the scrolls Master Iruka had talked about in class. He couldn't fail. Whatever the final test was, he would overcome it and become a ninja, it was only the first step to become Hokage. Although his grades on theoretical tests were nothing to brag about, in fact he had barely passed them; in the hand to hand combat and weapons tests he had performed better. Naruto had always found he learned best in practical lessons. His overall grades were quite average, but he only needed to pass the final test in order to graduate. Iruka, in front of his students in the classroom, cleared his throat.
"The final test for the graduation exam will be the Clone Technique. Those who perform it successfully will become genin, low rank ninja. To avoid distractions, you will remain in this classroom until you are called to the exam room."
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. If there was one jutsu that could make him fail, it was the Clone Jutsu. He had studied and memorized the seals, the chakra molding; every tiny detail, every little trick that would have made him capable of doing the damn technique. But after five years at the Ninja Academy and months of training exclusively to master the jutsu, he still hadn't been able to perform it correctly even once.
Only the third time he was called did Naruto hear his name. He was shaking and he could feel the sweat that beaded his body from head to toe. The exam room was empty save for a small table, filled with shiny new forehead protectors, behind which Iruka and Mizuki sat. Naruto stood in the middle of the room, closed his eyes and emptied his mind. Only the technique mattered. Only the precise control of his chakra, the perfect performance of the movements of his hands and the molding and release of chakra. Naruto took a deep breath and performed the technique to perfection. He hadn't missed a single detail. He could feel the chakra he had lost in the process and was now at his side.
He opened his eyes with pride, only to see a shape that resembled his own, but devoid of all energy, sprawled on the ground, unable to do anything. Useless.
"You fail." Iruka sentenced.
Naruto closed his eyes, defeated.
"Come on, Iruka. He has passed all the other the tests, and at least he managed to create a duplicate. Maybe we should pass him." Mizuki said smiling.
Naruto couldn't believe it, he still had a chance.
"No way." Iruka said. "All the other students have made at least two clones, and the one Naruto did create can't even move. I cannot pass him."
Naruto left the room without a word. He couldn't believe he was really so useless. Everyone else had done it. Only he was a failure. He had trained so hard, he had really tried this time. He truly believed that if he worked harder than anyone else, he could make it. But it was just a dream. If he didn't graduate, what would become of him? He would never become Hokage, not even a ninja.
In the Academy's courtyard, Naruto watched the other students from a distance; they all wore their headbands. Everyone was happy, celebrating with their family and friends. Even the old Hokage was among them, congratulating the new graduates. Naruto could feel the sidelong glances of many of the adults. He saw them whispering, still looking at him with those eyes he hated so much. He left without looking back and walked aimlessly through the village.
A shock brought him out of his trance. It was Master Mizuki, who said he'd been looking for him. They sat on a stone bench facing the Naka River, which ran through the village. Naruto vented all his frustrations at Mizuki, who was listening attentive. Naruto was on the verge of tears.
"Iruka is a serious guy." said Mizuki."His parents died when he was young and ever since he's had to make a life for himself. It's not that he's hard on you, I think he sees himself reflected in you. Orphaned and alone in the world, trying to make your way in the ninja world. He doesn't want to just give you the headband, but for you to earn it for real. I think you should be able to understand."
"I still wish I could have graduated. This time I had really tried."
Mizuki put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and got close to him.
"In that case, I think I can trust you with a secret."
The full moon was shining in the night sky of the Leaf, lighting up the wooden buildings with a silvery light. Naruto had managed to find the chamber full of scrolls Mizuki had told him about. He had had to wait hidden behind some bushes near the Hokage's residence all afternoon, until he found a small gap during the changing of the guard so he could infiltrate the building. Navigating its halls in complete darkness and complete silence was even more difficult, but he had finally found the room and taken one of the old man's scrolls. He could still become a ninja, but he had to be stealthy and avoid detection at all costs.
"Naruto? What are you doing here at this time?"
Shit. Naruto slowly turned around. The Third, with a candle in his hand, looked at him from behind a wisp of smoke rising from his pipe. He couldn't escape the old man. He was facing one of the most feared ninja in history. He had grown to old age, something very few men with his military background could boast about. The people of the village called him The Professor. It was said that he knew all the techniques of the Leaf. Naruto smiled to himself. All but one. He made the seal and his image disappeared into the smoke, to give way to a young woman with long blond hair and perfect anatomical measurements. The old man never had a chance. Taking advantage of the confusion, Naruto had fled the room before the Third's pipe hit the ground. Running and leaping over the rooftops, he headed for a small grove beyond the village's wall, where he could carry out his objective without distractions.
Too focused on getting to a remote place undetected, Naruto didn't realize someone was already following him.
Lying on his bed and wearing only a light robe he wore to sleep, Iruka tossed and turned in bed. He couldn't stop thinking about the words the Third had shared with him on the morning, after the graduation ceremony. The venerable village leader informed him that he agreed with his decision not to pass Naruto, but also encouraged him not to be too harsh on the boy. He was already the target of resentment of many people in the village, civilian and ninja alike, and this only increased with each and every one of Naruto's mischiefs. The Third and him agreed that Naruto was only doing it to get the people's attention, who would otherwise stay away and ignore him. Naruto might act like he didn't care, but Iruka knew the boy hurt on the inside. The Third warned him that they could not allow themselves for Naruto to get carried away by his emotions and do something foolish; that Iruka should understand his student better than anyone, since he was not very different from him in his childhood.
His childhood. Iruka lost his childhood at age ten, on that night when fire and smoke overshadowed the very stars and the wind carried the scent of suffering and death. He could still feel the terror of the moment he saw the village's wall blow up, as that demon howled furiously and waved its nine tails. His parents stood guard in the southern area, the one closest to the main gate. They could never find even a measly identifiable remnant of them. Like many people after the attack, Iruka had to bury two empty coffins.
Repeated knocks on his door snapped him out of his stupor. It was Mizuki, who was breathing heavily.
"We have to go to the Third immediately. Naruto has gone too far this time, he has stolen one of the First Hokage's forbidden scrolls."
Iruka's heart skipped a beat. It was impossible, Naruto shouldn't even know about the existence of those scrolls, much less their location. Mizuki was right, the situation could be catastrophic. He dressed in a hurry and leapt over the rooftops, traversing the village alongside Mizuki in minutes. When they reached the square under Hokage Rock, several dozen ninja surrounded the Third, who was already briefing them on the situation.
"... details a technique forbidden by the Second, which we cannot allow to fall into the hands of the enemy. We are considering the option that Naruto is working for a foreign agent, with the intention of stealing our secrets, but we do not rule out any other possibility."
The Third seemed unaffected by the seriousness of the matter, but Iruka thought he sensed a certain nervousness behind his iron expression.
"Naruto has been in possession of the scroll for almost an hour, we must find him as soon as possible."
The host of ninja scattered in all directions to search the entire village and its surroundings. Iruka was considering various places where Naruto might have been hiding, but his intuition told him that he would be in a small grove to the southwest of the village, near the training areas past the river. Iruka had followed Naruto there the first time he took and failed his graduation exam, two years ago, and he had seen him head in that direction many times. He had to hurry, if other ninja found him before he did, who knows what they might do to him under the cover of night?
Mizuki couldn't believe how lucky he was. Everything he had planned had gone perfectly, so much that it almost scared him. Any of the scrolls in the Third's chamber would be worth a fortune to any ninja village. They would earn him admission and even a position of importance, but the First's scrolls were by far the most valuable. Any of the techniques detailed in them could make him an elite ninja and defect and join any village of his choosing, or serve a feudal lord as his personal elite guard. No, he could become a lord himself; rule his own country and live like a king for the rest of his days. The world was his. And only an orphan child, alone in a secluded forest at night, whom no one would miss, stood in his way.
Naruto had spent hours putting into practice the teachings of the scroll, written by the hand of the First Hokage himself. When he unrolled the scroll and saw it detailed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he was about to give up and return the scroll to old Hokage, but he knew there was no going back anymore. If he couldn't learn the jutsu before they found him, he might never become a ninja, and that was even more unbearable for him than all the clone techniques in the world put together. Unlike the boring scrolls that Naruto used to have to read at the Academy, the First Hokage was clear and concise in his explanations. His annotations were especially helpful.
He had not yet been able to perform the technique, but he believed he understood how it worked. Unlike a common Clone Technique, which created disembodied copies of the user at the cost of a small part of their chakra, this jutsu used much more chakra and divided the remainder equally between the number of copies and the original. This made the copies acquire physical solidity, making them exact replicas of the ninja who used the technique.
Naruto wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket, which, like the rest of his clothes, was too big for him, so he always wore the orange sleeves and pants rolled up. The sun would not be long in coming out. He needed to hurry up.
After hours of searching the vast expanse of forest that surrounded the village, Iruka found his student sitting on the grass, his eyes closed and his hands forming a seal. Naruto took a few seconds to notice his presence.
"I finally find you, what the hell were you thinking?" Iruka said.
"Master Iruka, I've almost learned the scroll's technique. If I can do it you have to let me pass, right?" Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear.
"What? Have you been studying the scroll?" Iruka breathed in relief. Naruto might be an irresponsible and stubborn kid, but at least he hadn't tried to steal the scroll. He just wanted to show him that he could learn a jutsu so he could graduate. The poor boy looked tired. "Naruto, how could you possibly know about the forbidden scrolls?"
Naruto laughed and rolled up the scroll. He secured it at his waist, between his jacket and the blue cloth belt tied around his waist.
"Master Mizuki told me everything. Now I just have to do the technique and I'll be a full-fledged ninja. Here goes nothing..."
Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He crossed the index and middle fingers of both hands in front of his face, and began to mold his chakra. Suddenly, a blow to the side lifted him off the ground. Not a blow, a push. Naruto opened his eyes to see in horror Iruka with several kunai, throwing knives, stuck in various parts of his body. He had his back against a tree with even more kunai nailed to the trunk. Naruto calculated the point of origin of the kunai and directed his gaze towards the branches of a nearby tree, where Mizuki's figure stood tall.
"Give me the scroll, Naruto." There was no smile on Mizuki's face anymore.
Iruka tore away and wielded one of the kunai embedded in his reinforced vest, which had protected his torso from the knives.
"Naruto ... Whatever happens, don't even think about giving it to him. That scroll contains a forbidden technique, it's very dangerous. Mizuki used you in order to steal it."
Iruka's dark clothing was beginning to stick to his body in the areas he had been stabbed by the knives, returning reddish reflections of moonlight.
"Don't listen to him, kid. Iruka despises you as much as the rest of the village, perhaps even more. Everyone hates you, don't tell me you've never noticed." Mizuki's face had lost all kindness. "Do you want to know the reason for all that hatred against you? I'll tell you..."
"Shut up, Mizuki," Iruka yelled, breathing fast.
"It's time for the boy to know, Iruka." Mizuki turned to Naruto. "Twelve years ago, after Kyuubi's attack, in order for the truth to never reach your ears, the Third decreed a law that you should never have known about. A law that forbids talking about you being the Nine Tailed Fox. You killed Iruka's parents and almost destroyed the village."
Iruka's screams echoed in his head, but Naruto couldn't understand what he was saying. Was he Kyuubi? No, that didn't make any sense. He came to the village weeks after the attack. Or so he had always been told.
"How is that possible?"
"The Fourth sealed the demon within your body. You've been lied to your whole life, kid. That is why everyone in the village treats you with contempt. That's why everyone hates you. That's why no one is ever going to love you."
Mizuki wielded the huge shuriken he carried on his back, a star-shaped throwing weapon, the four points of which were each the length of his forearm. The weapon began to spin in his hand, flowing with the movements of his arm.
Naruto felt the fire of the tears running down his cheeks. He didn't want to believe it, but deep down inside he knew that Mizuki was telling the truth. He was a monster, a murderer. Of course people hated him. How could anyone ever forgive a monster like him?
Mizuki threw the huge shuriken towards Naruto. The young blond closed his eyes. If this was to be his death, he just hoped it would be quick. A monster like him didn't deserve to live. He barely felt any pain. Just a light blow, and his body falling onto the grass. Perhaps in death he could atone for his sins. Perhaps once dead, no one would have a reason to hate him anymore. Something small, warm, and wet fell on his face. Opening his eyes, Naruto saw Iruka's face, bleeding from his mouth. He seemed to be about to collapse. Naruto scrambled back on all fours to avoid being trapped under him.
Iruka had the enormous shuriken embedded into his back, at the level of his left shoulder blade. Unlike the kunai, the huge throwing star had penetrated Iruka's vest, which was being dyed red with his blood. Naruto was unable to understand it. Iruka hated him. He had killed his parents. He should hate him.
"Why?" Naruto said.
Iruka flopped onto his side and Naruto approached him. His teacher looked at him with crying eyes.
"After my parents died, I was alone; with no one to even acknowledge my existence. I wasn't a good student, so I became the class clown. Laughter and mocking were better than nothing at all, but inside of me there was only pain."
Tears overflowed Iruka's eyes and fell down his face. Iruka rested his hand gently on Naruto's.
"I know you know that pain too, maybe if I had been a better teacher you wouldn't have had to endure it alone."
Naruto ran off, leaving Iruka behind, trying to get to the village. But he knew he would never make it before Mizuki caught up to him.
Iruka, lying on the ground, watched Mizuki descend from the trees and advance towards him like a predator towards a wounded prey.
"Even after that sentimental speech, it doesn't seem like you've changed anything inside the boy. He's probably thinking of using the scroll to get revenge on the village. I wouldn't blame him. You've seen him, that kid's got the eyes of a demon."
Iruka struggled to his feet, and with pain, he extracted the huge piece of steel stuck in his back. The great shuriken fell to the ground almost soundlessly, muffled by the grass. Iruka knew that he was at a great disadvantage against Mizuki. The bastard had played his cards very well. Iruka tried to move towards his old friend, if only to be able to delay him for a moment, but his left leg failed him and he fell to his knees. Mizuki laughed out loud.
"When I've killed the boy and recovered the scroll, I will return to say goodbye to you."
Iruka watched helpless as Mizuki leapt through the trees in the direction Naruto had fled.
Hiruzen had made a habit out of imagining all possible misfortunes in order to prepare for them before they ever arrived. In his almost seventy years in this world he had only discovered one absolute certainty: misfortunes always came. He went out before the ninja that were crowding before his door, who were waiting for him with no news of Naruto's whereabouts. He walked slowly, guarded by a man with completely white eyes and a woman with crimson colored fang marks on both cheeks. Of all the Leaf's ninja clans, the Hyuuga and Inuzuka were by far the best trackers. The abilities of both had been key to finding out the location of Naruto and what exactly was the situation they were facing. Hiruzen's presence silenced his men, who watched him and his two companions with great attention.
"We have found Naruto's location. It seems that the boy has not betrayed the village, but has been deceived by one of our own men: the chunin Mizuki.
The surrounding ninja couldn't hide their astonishment from his old eyes.
"Mizuki has betrayed us, and even worse, we believe he has broken the law and told Naruto that which is forbidden to speak about. If that is the case, Naruto must be more frightened right now than we can imagine. We leave immediately, follow me."
His old bones snapped as he jumped hard, landing on the nearest roof. With several dozen ninja at his back, Hiruzen leapt from rooftop to rooftop in Naruto's direction. An extreme panic like the one the boy now felt could break the seal that held Kyuubi prisoner. The chances of that happening were slim, but the elderly Hokage couldn't help but consider that option, and the dire consequences it would entail. Perhaps it was also true that old habits died hard.
The blond haired youth ran through the trees, gasping for air. He stopped by a tree, and leaned on its trunk. Iruka's form emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching him.
"You have to give me the scroll. Mizuki won't be long in finding us."
Several kunai flew from the youngster's hands in the direction of Iruka, who dodged them without too much trouble. The young Academy teacher laughed.
"How is it possible, boy?" A light smoke released from Mizuki's body the false image of Iruka that he had projected with the Transformation Technique. "How did you know I wasn't Iruka?"
Lying against the tree, the image of Naruto vanished into smoke.
"Because I am."
Iruka was exhausted, chasing and trying to locate Naruto had cost him his last reserves of chakra, as well as all his strength. His death at the hands of Mizuki seemed inevitable now, but perhaps he had been able to buy Naruto a few precious minutes. That thought drew a faint smile on Iruka's face. He could die in peace.
Naruto hid behind a tree the very instant he saw himself running through the forest. It was Iruka, who had assumed his appearance and had managed to fool Mizuki, who had assumed Iruka's. It was all very confusing. It looked like they hadn't noticed him yet, but Naruto couldn't move or do anything without giving away his position, just a few meters from the two chunin. Mizuki's laughter chilled his blood.
"You are pathetic, Iruka. To transform into the murderer of your parents, and for what? To protect him? Stupid. The boy is like me. If he can, he'll use the scroll for his own gain. He is probably thinking about finishing what he started twelve years ago."
"Yes, I suppose you'd be right..." Iruka said.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
"... Kyuubi would use the scroll to get revenge on the Leaf. But Naruto is not like that. He may not seem like he is trying all that hard, and he is somewhat clumsy and unruly, but I consider him one of my most precious students. No one accepts him, and he's already known too much pain in his short life; but you're wrong, Mizuki. He is not the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, he is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village. His name is Naruto."
Tears rushed down Naruto's cheeks. He felt a small fire sprout in his chest, it was a warm and comforting feeling. The sun would rise any minute. Naruto could hear Mizuki's growls of frustration.
"I told you I would say goodbye to you after finishing with the kid, but I think I'm going to finish you off first." said Mizuki. "Goodbye, old friend."
Mizuki brandished a kunai and lunged at Iruka. Taking advantage of the surprise factor, Naruto intercepted him and managed to knee him in the face.
"If you touch Master Iruka again, I will kill you."
"Why did you save me, Naruto? You should have escaped." Iruka said.
Mizuki stood up, laughing. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, Naruto's blow had barely hurt him.
"Against trash like you, one hit will do!" Mizuki looked out of control.
Naruto, without losing sight of Mizuki, crossed his index and middle fingers of both hands in front of his face.
"No matter what you do, I'll return any harm a thousand times over."
He molded the chakra as he had never done before, guided by the storm of emotions that thundered within him. The rage against Mizuki. The desperation to protect Iruka. The determination to get to see the new day and fulfill his promise to become a ninja. Naruto performed the technique. Hundreds of replicas of Naruto filled the grove, surrounding Mizuki from all sides. Each of them felt the same rage, all of their minds were one. They all pounced at the chunin. Mizuki managed to defeat several of them, which dissolved into small clouds of white smoke after being injured. But he could do nothing when he was overwhelmed by hundreds of attacks from all sides. The fight ended in seconds. Mizuki lay on the ground unconscious and covered in his own blood. Naruto dispelled the jutsu and staggered over to Iruka, who was staring at him with eyes wide open.
The sun began to illuminate the sky over the treetops, bathing the forest in a soft, warm light.
"I think I'm overdone, I can hardly feel my body." Naruto smiled at his teacher.
Iruka smiled back.
"Come closer, there's something I want to give you." Iruka untied the headband from his forehead and put it on Naruto's hands. "Congratulations, Naruto. From this day on you are a ninja."
Naruto put on Iruka's forehead protector. His forehead protector. He had no more tears to cry. He lunged at Iruka and hugged him tightly, laughing with pure joy. Iruka complained about the pain, so Naruto eased the pressure, but kept hugging him. After a long moment, he helped him up.
The forest was filled with Leaf ninja in an instant, led by the old Hokage.
"Looks like we're late." The Third said, rubbing his white goatee as he gazed at the headband on Naruto's forehead.
A burly ninja tied Mizuki's hands and feet, and carried him on his shoulders, still unconscious. Naruto released the scroll from his belt and bowed, presenting it to the Third.
"I'm sorry I borrowed it without permission, Lord Hokage. Mizuki tricked me so he could steal it."
The Hokage tucked the scroll under his long red robe.
"Yes, that's what we suspected. Perhaps we should have also assumed that you could take care of it, Naruto." said the Third smiling, and winked at Naruto." Let's go back to the village."
Iruka walked towards the village helped by Naruto. Several ninja offered to take him, but he politely declined their offers. Most of the group escorting the Third set out for the village on their own, including the one carrying Mizuki. With any luck, the traitorous chunin would only spend the rest of his days in prison. Slowly, guarded by half a dozen ninja and the Hokage, they reached the village's huge main gate.
"When I get out of the hospital, I'll invite you for lunch at Ichiraku." Iruka said.
"And after my first mission, I'll invite you back." replied Naruto.
He thought about warning Naruto that his journey as a ninja had only just begun, and that the hardships would only increase from now on, but he thought he could wait until after the ramen. They both laughed, walking through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, which was beginning to wake up bathed in the morning sun's light.