Chapter 6
[Present]
Naruto looked at him for a moment and said, "That's me. The one and only."
"I heard that you are the dead last of your class. How did someone of your position get into the prestigious Class A?" He quipped with a tilt of his head
Naruto refused to let the comment get to him as he just smiled, "Yep, I am a dead last, but I am working on that. But tell me, where are you from?"
"He is in class B, Naruto-kun," Ochaco sighed
Hagakure crossed her arms under her breasts, "Are you done, Neito? Where's Itsuka? She's supposed to have you on a leash."
"She's busy and I just had to meet the new kid."
"You met him now and it would be nice if you didn't antagonize him."
Naruto gave a light shrug, "It doesn't matter. Words are words."
"Ah? Are you sure, because I heard you blow up at any insult," He said, getting a bit closer
Naruto felt a bit of icy calm fill him as he coldly smiled, "Hmm, who knows? But are you sure you can handle me if I still do? Dead last or not, my reputation as a devilish prankster still remains unchallenged. Are you sure you want to spend the next six months wondering whatever you sit on may explode? Or maybe, you would prefer being a test subject for several pranks I've been thinking about since I've been here? They're rather...uncomfortable at best."
He paled as he felt the air grow cold, making him shiver and caused both of the girls to look surprised.
"N-no. No thank you."
"Hmm...Now, I don't want to cause trouble and I'll gladly be your friend if you wish me to be. However, I am not big on those who insult the people close to me and I've gotten close with everyone in my class since my stay so I would like it if you keep your comments to yourself. Or you may just find yourself in a very unwelcome place. Got it?"
"Yes! I got to go now," He quickly said before fleeing
Once he was out of hearing range, Toru slapped him on the back, "That was awesome, Naruto!"
He gave a nervous laugh, "It was nothing. Thanks for sticking up for me with my ex-classmates."
Ochako smiled, nudging him, "It's not a problem. Come on, I want to warm up for another sparring session."
[Flashback]
"And what do you know about me, Stalker-chan?"
Hinata collapsed to her knees as the girls gave her comfort as everyone could watch as the three left, in various states of shock, anger, or slight fear.
[Present]
Ino was in shock over what she had just experienced, 'Who the hell does he think he is? First, he nicks my ear with a kunai, then he gets me in trouble with my parents, then insults Forehead! The only one who can do that is me! I swear Naruto, I'll find out where you are hiding and make sure you pay for what you've done!'
Shikamaru could only look to where Naruto disappeared with those two girls beside him.
'He's different. He's much different than before. When coldly dismissed Sakura and when he punched out Kiba. Did something happen to him? Ugh, this is so troublesome.'
Hinata was still sobbing over what Naruto said to her, 'Why is he so cold, now? How does he know those two?' Her mind started to swirl with thoughts of where he has been for the past couple of months and what caused him to change.
'Maybe if I could actually talk to him, maybe I could find out why he's mad at me and I can fix it.'
Shino just patting Hinata on the back as he looked at his unconscious teammate and knew that Kiba would be furious by being knocked out by Naruto when he woke up. He could already imagine the ravings about the dead last of the class besting him and he would never hear the end of it.
'This requires more thought.'
Sasuke had his arms crossed as he looked at the unconscious form of Sakura and looked back to where Naruto disappeared with the two girls. If there was any time that he felt anything other than complete apathy mixed with the occasional outburst of hatred he felt for his brother, this would be one of those times.
'Huh. I never would have expected that the dobe to just go cold turkey on his beloved Sakura. Maybe, he grew up a little bit, but he still owes me an explanation on where he has been hiding and paying for my fucking cleaning bill.'
Chouji could only glance at his childhood friend as he snacked on his chips, he was worried about Naruto and could only wonder what caused him to turn so cold as he never acted like this.
'Did something happen?'
After calming Hinata down to where she was only sniffling, Ino dragged Sakura back while Shino carried Kiba on his back toward the meeting point where their teachers where shocked.
Kurenai immediately demanded, "Explain what happened!"
When Ino tried to speak, Shikamaru cut in first, "We met Naruto. Well, Sakura saw Naruto first and confronted him. She tried to lash out him like always and one of the girls Naruto was with, pushed her away. The conversation went sour and ended with the other girl Naruto was with punching Sakura in the mouth, knocking her unconscious. Kiba shot his mouth off at Naruto saying something about his parents and Naruto gave him an uppercut which knocked him out before leaving."
Kakashi just looked at Sasuke who remained apathetic as he listened for the rest of the details along with Asuma and Kurenai before ultimately dismissing the group. Kurenai turned towards Hinata and asked, "Do you want me to walk you back home?"
Hinata rubbed her eyes and shook her head, "No. I'm fine, I just need... some time to think."
She nodded and just watched her leave before turning towards Kakashi continuing to read his book before looking at her and asking, "What?"
Kurenai just shook her head, "Nothing."
She then left the field as Asuma already left with his team, just leaving Team 7.
Kakashi made a shadow clone and had it take Sakura home for the day, leaving just himself and Sasuke.
"Alright, Sasuke now tell me what happened with extreme detail."
[Saturday Afternoon]
Naruto walked around the village in a sleeveless black shirt with cargo shorts and ninja sandals. It was in the middle of the day and he had just finished jogging around the village in gravity weights and he turned them to their lightest setting so he could have a break as he made his way to eat at Ichirakus.
When he arrived, Ayame was manning the front who immediately waved him over and gave him a crushing hug, shoving his face in her developed chest. After several moments, she released him from her tight grip as she observed him.
"I see you are looking better than before."
"Yeah. I am, thanks for standing up for me."
Her cheeks gave up a bit of reddish tint, "Ah, you heard that?"
"Teuchi told me. Remind me to pick out flowers later."
She gave a bit of a laugh, "Well, here is a thank you in advance," She then bent to his height and pecked him on the forehead.
"Well, I have several bowls of ramen with your name on it."
He gave her a warm smile, which she gleefully savored, "You should really smile more, you know?"
"Hmm, only for those who deserve it. Only a handful have and you are one of the first."
"Fair enough. How has your training gone so far?"
"I love it, my teacher is strict but very active in teaching me, he's understanding and isn't late like Hakate. He doesn't tolerate any bullshit, he only pushes me to do better along with the other teachers I have. They're...rather amazing actually."
Ayame just nodded and continued to listen while she fixed his bowls of ramen before setting them down before him. As he ate, he continued, "I can't really tell you all that much, but I can say that I am making heavy improvements in my training."
"Then there is no need to tell me then. All I want is for you to be happy and if you are then that is all that matters to me. If you get the chance, tell your teachers that they are welcome here for a free bowl."
Naruto chuckled, "I'll make sure that they know."
As they continued to make idle chatter, Hanabi watched them from the rooftops, scowling as her mind swirled with questions with no answers. She continued to watch him until he was done before he hugged Ayame once more before he vanished with a salute and a poof of smoke.
'Who are you, Naruto Uzumaki?'
Naruto made his way to a private spot so he wouldn't be disturbed and made to meditate, finding it that it quickly put him at ease, after a moment, he found himself pulled into memories he couldn't recall from where.
Images and scenes of downtown brought multiple emotions he couldn't recall feeling, multiple people smiling at him, there was no malicious intent, but out of all of them, he only recognized Asuka. She was hugging him with a grin on her face as a grin resided on his own face.
'What is this?'
Then the image was replaced with a pearly-white grin of the red-headed man. He could barely feel his eyebrows furrow as the image made him feel safe and at peace. He could almost feel the man's arms wrap around him from behind, but it felt so far away.
He could only scowl, 'Who are you?'
Then as he was brought out of his trance, he saw Iruka was watching him with a smile and his arms crossed.
"Naruto Uzumaki, mediating. I never thought I'd see the day."
Naruto chuckled a bit.
"It's been a while, Iruka."
He nodded, "It has, there are people that have been talking about you and how you resigned from Team 7."
A scowl flittered across his features before it became neutral, then he shrugged, "My new classmates and teachers are better, they don't treat me like a dead last or ignore me. They help and support me while they don't."
The man hid his dismay over not doing more for the boy in the Academy and plastered a small smile on his face.
Iruka made his way a bit closer, "Would you like to talk about it?"
He nodded as he continued to speak, "I'm just sick of them all, really. It wasn't like this before, but now I feel that pieces of myself are missing."
"Missing pieces?"
A sigh left his lips, "Yes. The more I think, the more I meditate, I feel as if something cracked and it's slowly leaking out and I'm not sure it's a bad thing. I don't have to constantly smile big, I don't have to tolerate being made fun of and being the butt of everyone's joke so I can be tolerated. And well, I can be the smart guy for once. I don't know why this is happening, but I..."
"Keep going, Naruto. I'll listen."
Naruto gave him a shaky smile with a thankful look as Iruka took a seat across from him.
"I guess it happened after the Wave mission when I was still on Team 7, we freed the country from Gato, the man who was bleeding the country dry and after the bastard died they were still getting things in order, I was treated like I was human. Like a regular old person who helped them. I wasn't stared at as if I was going to attack them or like I was a damned criminal who should be blessed to breathe the same air as them. I was treated nicely. Parents didn't make their children avoid me or scream me. They greeted me politely, they offered me food even if they had so little, then coming back here to glares and cold words, it just hurt so much. Iruka, it hurt so much, I should have been used to it, I really should have, but being treated so nice by people who were once oppressed, then forced to come back to vile hatred just..." He shuddered as he tried not to cry.
Iruka kept his face neutral as he waited for Naruto to continue.
"Then it was my supposed shit team," He growled, making Iruka wince.
"First, it was Saku-no, Haruno," he spat, "she dares calls me worthless when she did fuck all, just standing around with a fucking kunai and blames me for the Uchiha almost getting killed, she thinks I'm pathetic and a waste of space when the only one who is her! The fucking miserable fangirl!" He hissed
A deep sigh left him, "And as if that wasn't enough, it was the Uchiha and Hakate, the bastards, using me like a fucking measuring stick. I could have been on any other team, but the bastard picked me so I could be the bastard's measuring stick. The other teams probably wouldn't have picked me regardless, considering I'm a dead last and well, I'm the demon brat, aren't I?"
Naruto croaked out with a miserable laugh, his eyes shining with tears he refused to allow to fall.
You are anything but worthless, kit, only they are.
After a moment, he continued, "I couldn't handle being around them and I made to skip, I didn't think I could handle them without exploding, everything welled up inside, it felt like I was drowning without water. It hurt so much, Iruka. It hurt so fucking much."
Iruka felt his eyes begin to burn at the blond's words, 'How long has he been holding this in?'
"Then I went to Ayame, she gave me a break, but then there they were, all of my supposed friends, there at the Ramen shop, shit-talking me. They all told me what they really thought, every single of one of them. Then that was it...I couldn't handle it anymore."
He looked down at his lap as he took in another breath, "Haruno shattered the picture I took with Ayame, I think that's when everything just shattered to bits, including my supposed love for her, but the more I think about it, I think I was an obsession, not really love. I saw her being bullied for her forehead and I thought we could be friends, but she just got worse and worse."
"I don't want anything to do with them, Iruka. I will go through all my mob attacks than to be put on that miserable team again. I refuse to stay where I'm not wanted. But I'm happy now, so don't worry. My teachers are all wonderful people and they don't care about my status as the demon brat, they care and train me like any other student. Along with all my classmates, several of them are helping me catch up with what I missed in the Academy and it's rather interesting. I found out that I like reading more than I thought, especially history."
He grinned with tears running down his cheeks.
Iruka had enough and pulled him in for a hug as he whispered, "I'm so sorry...Naruto. I'm so sorry you had to go through such an ordeal."
Naruto returned the hug, enjoying the man he considered a big brother, even if he scolded him, 'I wonder if this is what it's like to have a bigger sibling?'
The two stayed in that hug for a long moment as Iruka thought, 'I'll make it up to you, Naruto. That I promise.'
After releasing him, "Do you feel better, Naruto?"
He smiled, "Yeah. I had been holding that in for a while, I'm so glad you...you know."
Iruka just patted him on the head, making him laugh.
"Do you wish to talk about anything else?"
Naruto grinned and they made to chat about happier topics until he had to go and Naruto promised to have a more present talk and thanked him for letting him vent.
Iruka just watched the boy leave and wished the young blond nothing but the best.
[Morning]
Naruto woke up from a good night's sleep and jumped out of bed with a yawn and a stretch of his limbs. After removing most of the kinks from his neck and spine he made his way into his bathroom to shower before he put on a pair of black shorts with a dark blue shirt.
He made his way downstairs and greeted everyone who was in the midst of either eating or getting a couple more minutes of rest in the living room.
The blond made his way to sit next to Izuku as he grabbed a plate and they made peaceful small talk as they ate.
Then Aizawa whistled, gathering everyone's attention and said, "Warm-up. Everyone meet at the hill."
After stretching and running, everyone had to go through the obstacle course three times without stopping or falling or they would have to do it again with five-hundred pull-ups as an incentive.
Then, everyone was let go to shower and go off with their teachers or continue on with their missions.
[Training with Midnight]
Naruto and Midnight made their way back to Poppy and Nectar in peaceful silence, once they entered, Midnight softly said, "Wait here for a moment."
"Alright."
He watched as she went into a different room before coming out holding a set of clothes, handed them to him, and said, "Get changed into this. If you need any help, just ask."
"Okay."
He made his way to the bathroom to change, finding the outfit to be a suit and tie. It was rather simple to put on, all except for the tie, after three fruitless attempts, he gave up and exited the bathroom to find Dabi.
He whistled, getting his attention, "Come over here."
Naruto stood before him, "I, uh-"
"Need help?"
He looked a bit bashful, "Yes."
He stretched out his hand, "Give it here."
Naruto gave him the tie and he fixed it so it could be in place. Then Midnight came out wearing a lavender dress with high-heeled shoes.
"Thank you, Dabi."
He cooly stated, "I was just in the mood for it, nothing more, nothing less."
"Regardless, thank you for giving him a helping hand. Come on," She then led Naruto away to place his clothes in the backroom as Dabi continued to go about his usual routine.
Over the course of the day, she taught him how to dance properly to various types of music before it led to a lecture on seduction.
"Naruto, I am sure you know about seduction, correct?"
He gave a soft, uncomfortable hum, "Bits and pieces."
"You don't need to be worried, I'm your teacher, remember? You can ask questions. I am not here to make you feel inadequate, understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now, for seducing a woman, you almost have to set them into a trance, have them focus solely on you, you know killing intent, right?"
He recalled Zabuza's killing intent and how overwhelming it was, how it paralyzed him where he stood. He held back a shudder from the memory and nodded, "Yeah...I have experienced it before when I went on a C-rank upgraded to A-rank."
"Did you now?"
"Yes...My...team and I encountered Zabuza."
"The Demon of the Hidden Mist, now deceased, correct?"
"Yes, he's dead. He was something else. Both Zabuza and his partner."
Midnight smiled as she continued to listen.
"I hope they are in a happier place now."
"They touched you, didn't they?"
He nodded, "And I did to them. They were both really awesome ninjas and deserve to be treated with respect."
"Good, good. Now, I'm going to show you how to produce it and use it in other ways. You came across the most common use of killing intent. A stronger ninja can use killing intent almost as if it's a genjutsu, such as showing the person their own gruesome death."
"That sounds brutal."
"That's the shinobi world, Naru. Brutality is our specialty. I'll teach you how to do that too, but as it can be used to terrify enemies in submission, killing intent can also be used to lower their guard or force submission without alarming nearby innocents or enemies."
"I see."
"Along with that, I'll be teaching you about refined manners."
"For blending in high society correct?"
"Of course, not all of your enemies will be on the frontlines. Sometimes you will need to mingle with people that would make you want to puke just as your enemies on the battlefield, but they will get you what you want. That's where the manipulation comes into play."
"Of course."
The two continued to dance, she explained more and more as he asked more questions until her lecture and instructions were done. After that, she made to hang around with Haruko who just smiled at him. She helped him throughout the days he was training with Midnight with manners and seduction tactics, going back and forth between attempting seduction and trying to resist in a manner that won't give away anything other than a simple refusal with no other motives.
After that, she and Dabi introduced him to various foods and drinks and how different poisons and drugs are embedded in them to get an upper hand.
[Training with All Might]
After leaving and preparing for his next training session, he found a note from All Might, telling him to start running around the village with double his current weight.
He folded the note and made to do as he said as he made to race around the village. After he finished his second lap, he was joined by All Might who wanted him to do three more before they would begin.
After that, it was full-on sparring for as long as possible, All Might made him think on his feet and use his stamina to his advantage. The man truly was an amazing teacher who didn't spoonfeed him anything he made him work and didn't mock his screw-ups. He picked him up and had him practice and do it until he did the moves correctly.
All his advice, tips, and stories he engrained into his mind, it made him relatable and reassuring. After he took a break, Naruto could only look at the sky and wonder, 'I wonder if Dad's like that? Well, mom wouldn't want anyone less than that.'
Alternating between both Midnight and All Might throughout the months helped him, both strength and skill-wise. He would never go back to that vile hell of a Team and he hoped if he ever had to be on a mission with them, he hoped to have someone he could tolerate with as well, he wouldn't be their miserable punching bag. Not again, not ever.
[Night time, after dinner]
Naruto changed into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt as he turned on the light and opened his mother's journal, smiling as he got more invested in her writing.
I just finished my first day of the Academy and I made a fool of myself for blurting out that I was going to be the Hokage. As if the class mocking me wasn't bad enough, some brat kept tugging on my hair! And when I told them to knock it off, they kept doing it, again and again until I just punched them in the mouth. When he cried and ran off to tell the teacher, I got a stiff warning and was moved next to this blond. He had a bit of a dorky look about him and told him not to touch me. He raised his hands up and said, he wouldn't but welcomed me anyway with a smile. I gave him a thank you back, but I don't think he heard it. But I did catch him glancing at my hair. I don't why people are so fixated on my hair, it's just hair.
Naruto skipped forward a bit and continued to read.
I just finished meeting with Mikoto, a girl from the Uchiha clan. She was practicing with kunai and gave me a few pointers. She's really nice and she's not a fangirl, thank the heavens! And she walked me back after training. I hope I can meet her again. I wonder if she likes pranks? Well, I better get started on my homework. I need to get up early to prank Mebuki and her gang of misfits. I swear if she calls me a tomato again, she's gonna resemble one for a year! Why the hell does she want to be a ninja anyway? All she does is drool over the Hyuuga twins and Fugaku!
Naruto blinked and re-read what he just saw, 'Huh, seems like mom had her own Sakura to deal with. But at least she did something about it.'
A shudder escaped him as he silently apologized to Kushina for chasing a fangirl.
Completely worth it! Detention for two months, completely worth it. Should have known better than to call me a damn tomato. As if the pranks I do on Mebuki wasn't warning enough. They had to bother me when I was in a good mood. I am nobody's playtoy, maybe now they'll think before they tug on some girl's hair. As if my hair didn't cause me enough trouble, it's bad enough I could be picked out of a crowd with this, it's just...ugh. No matter, I hate my hair.
He looked a bit sad at that, he glanced at the picture of Kushina he kept on his bedside table.
'But your hair looks great...I bet dad would think so too.'
So I got a different nickname...at least it's not damn tomato-head. The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. I have to say that I like it.
'The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, huh? What an interesting nickname, mom.'
All across Konoha, multiple men and women felt someone walking over their graves.
Naruto then placed her diary back in a safe place and pulled out the last book that Hiruzen gave him. The touch of it felt familiar and when he opened it, he couldn't read it. It was all blurry. He closed it and made to wash his face as he felt a headache slowly creep up before he made his way back to bed, looking over it only for his head to violently throb before he closed the book and placed it on his bedside table.
"I'm just tired."
He then turned off the light, relaxed and before he knew it, he was already in the soft grip of sleep.
[Dream]
Naruto found himself alone in the darkness, he slowly made his way forward, one foot in front of the other before he bumped into something, he touched what felt like glass. He looked and felt around only to stand up straight just as a hand on the other side reached out and touched the same height of where Naruto's own hand was touch.
He flinched and backed up as he saw a person coming into view, that person was himself, but felt so different.
His reflection gave him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry"
"Sorry? Sorry for what?"
"For hiding. You are starting to remember. Remember places laced with emotions you didn't think were possible. People who didn't disregard you and cared as you did for them."
The mirror-like barrier cracked, making Naruto step back as he watched pieces of the barrier fall, and what looked to be a white, multi-colored liquid start to flow out.
"Don't worry and don't be scared. Soon everything will become clear."
"What you mean, just what's happening?"
The reflection shook their head with the same sad smile, "In time, Naruto. In time. Just remember, your loved ones are closer than you think. And be wary of the bandaged one with the scar. You'll become strong enough to take him on and make him pay."
"Him? Pay? For what?"
"Soon you will know."
Then Naruto felt he was falling as he called after the figure, the last thing he saw was the figure crying and mouthing, 'Soon'.
Then he felt himself alone once more, and his body was no longer under his control. Then he was before the red-headed man with the comforting smile. He wrapped his arms around him and Naruto gleefully embraced him in turn.
He was sitting in his lap, he was saying something, but it flew over his head. He placed his hand underneath Naruto's small one. He noted the difference and taught him how to make chakra claws, the knowledge would always be there in his mind. Very little will he not be able to carve through with those.
Then he taught him to roar, those who would hear it would terrify his enemies into compliance, they would let him pass. As he was being pulled away, he felt the man hug him, resting his chin on top of his head.
He spoke, "Even if we lose sight of each other, I will always be there, watching over you."
Then he snapped awake, alert but strangely lonely. His eyes were filled with tears.
"Another dream..." He croaked out.
He didn't have the energy to move, his mind was active but his body was sluggish.
'The bandaged man with the scar.'
[Training ground]
Naruto was standing before Aizawa who cracked his neck and straightened his stance.
"Let's see how far you have gotten."
"Yes, sensei."
The two stood silently for one single moment before Naruto made to attack first, starting with a spinning round-house kick before only to have it blocked before twisting away and made to lash out in a flurry of fists and kicks. Aizawa either avoided and blocked most of his attempts, but he did get in some good hits, but Aizawa made him pay with harder hits in turn in order to not get cocky.
"Always keep your guard up, Naruto. Even if you manage to land a hit on someone, they won't go down easily. Enemies will hardly show any mercy and so, you must follow suit. Now, your taijutsu has improved since you started which is good, but don't let it get to your head. Understand?"
"Yes, sensei."
"Good. Now, I got two fighting styles that will work for you. Toshinori wanted to give them to you, but he's on a mission right now, so I suggest you read them thoroughly."
Naruto took the scrolls and remained fixated on one of them, "There's a fox fighting style?"
"Yes. Although most if not all the books relating to the style were burned due to that night."
Naruto's discomfort barely registered on his face, making Aizawa silently appreciate it.
'Nemuri is doing good work.'
"I see. And the other. Silat?"
"Silat, a rather violent fighting style that would suit you, using both armed and unarmed techniques."
"I'll read them, thank you."
"If you need practice go to All Might or Cementoss."
"Of course. Thank you."
[Early Morning]
Naruto made to enjoy his day off and left the house with a grin on his face and made to cause some mischief, he knew all his old pranks were still active and hidden around the village. Besides, it's been far too long since they got a workout, the ANBU can't be slacking after all.
He made to cause some mischief and set a timer, after that he turned his weights on and made his way to the Hokage's office.
After knocking, Naruto opened the door with a smile, "Hey, Gramps."
"Naruto, how are you?"
"Doing good."
"Did you play a prank?"
"On the ANBU compound? Yes. But only the ANBU compound for now. They should be trying to get out of it soon enough."
"Give or take?"
"I'd say an hour."
"Well, want to play chess with me while we wait?"
"Why not."
The pair continued to make peaceful small talk, going through the simple game of chess before an explosion rumbled through the village, along with screams and curses, making a mischievous smile fall on Naruto's lips.
"Well, an hour has passed already?"
"Time flies when you are having fun."
"And drags when you are miserable. No matter. We will pick this up when you have free time. Also, did you read the last book I gave you?"
"I tried, but it seems that I can't read it. All the words come out as blurry. That's so strange."
Then he moved, avoiding the ANBU that tackled Hiruzen's desk destroying the chess game.
"Seems that's my cue to leave. Later Gramps."
Then the blond jumped out the window.
"Get back here, dammit! Hokage-sama, my sincerest apologies!"
"At ease, soldier."
Hiruzen got a good look, hiding the amusement he found in the situation. The ANBU was wearing a pin-up girl outfit.
"You are dismissed and try not to murder him and repeat that order to your men as well."
He saluted and chased after Naruto as Hiruzen just watched the proceedings from his office. Various ANBU members in different colorful costumes were chasing a laughing Naruto around the village.
He then turned away, a frown slowly building on his face as he thought, 'I hope you can find out who you truly are soon enough, Naruto.'
After multiple hours, they finally gave up the chase, he laughed, it was a rather nice laugh, something he needed to do more often. He made to go on a walk, traveling from training ground to training ground before he stumbled upon Neji training.
"Oh, I'm interrupting your training, my apologies."
Neji stared at him as if he was beneath him to even stare in his direction.
Naruto stared back, unfazed, he felt much worse in his youth than some prodigy who had a stick up his ass.
When he didn't comment, Naruto continued, "So, go about your day, Hyuuga, don't mind me."
He then turned away only to stop at Neji's words.
"I do mind actually, how did a failure like you become a ninja in the first place?"
"Through the skin of my teeth," He commented off-handedly
He gave a mocking snort, "You are simply the dead last of your class after repeated failures. Why do you continue to try?"
Naruto could only snort in turn.
"Is something funny?" Neji quipped as he turned in Naruto's full direction.
Naruto kept his back towards him, "Nothing, I just found it funny. Your fate complex."
"Fate determines everything."
Naruto couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up in his chest, "That's funny. I didn't think a serious guy like you did jokes. You'd make a killing in a comedy club. Fate...how funny."
"Fate is nothing funny."
"Then why do you keep mocking it in turn?" Naruto quipped as he turned to face Neji.
"I do not mock Fate, Uzumaki."
"You're right, you are flipping it off, not that I blame you. Fate is a giant bitch."
Neji's expression darkened.
"You dare to mock Fate?"
"Neji, I mock Fate just by breathing and I will gladly mock Fate until the day I leave this rock we call a planet and beyond that. Don't be a hypocrite, it's not a good look on you."
"What?"
"I mean you flip off Fate as well. Prodigy of the Hyuuga clan."
"I-"
"You do, I mean, you have long surpassed Hinata and Hanabi is slow to catch up since she's really small, but she'll grow in time. But by that time, you will continue to grow, you train yourself violently, I can smell the blood from the wounds on your arms you get from exerting yourself."
"You cannot fight Fate."
"Are you saying that about me or just you?" If so, then why do you try so hard? If nobody can fight against fate, why do ninjas exist? Why do people exist? We fight against those odds. Against fate and against those who want to strip us what we desire."
Neji snorted, shaking his head free of Naruto's words, despite them sticking into his mind.
"Regardless, it doesn't matter what you say. Fate is never to be denied, you will realize it soon enough, besides, you have no experience in pain."
Naruto snorted in turn, "I suggest you zip those lips of yours, Hyuuga. I know pain, pain in various degrees, but I don't use it as an excuse like you to be an ass."
"Who's using pain as an excuse! Only you are! Neji snapped, The only failure here is you, I am not going to this from a dead last orphan who was probably born from a streetwalker!"
Naruto froze before he cracked his neck and he turned to coldly stare at him, a frown on his face before it turned into a smile.
Then the Hyuuga prodigy saw something or rather someone standing behind Naruto with a malicious grin on their face. The figure was something that haunted many, many people all across Konoha and several places across the Elemental Nations. People shivered over the familiar feeling of a woman that has long since been buried.
Then Naruto vanished from his sight only to get punched in the side of the jaw, sending him flying only to get pinned to the ground.
Naruto shook his head at Neji who was reeling from getting punched out of nowhere, "You keep flapping your lips, Hyuuga, that's gonna get you in some deep shit one day and no one will save you."
Neji tried to free himself but he felt as if someone was sitting on his chest, Naruto just gave him a disappointed look as he walked around him only to stop, just before his head.
'What the hell is this? Chakra? Killing intent? But it doesn't feel like anything I felt before. It's smothering and I can barely breathe correctly. What the hell is doing to me?'
Naruto then pulled out a jar filled with insects and parasites, holding it just above Neji's face.
He pulled out a red parasite, holding it just above Neji's face, making him tense up.
"Tell me Hyuuga, what's stopping me from making your life a living hell? Especially with this little guy, well, he'll turn your brain into mush in an instant, well, your eyes will pop out of your skull like that of a snail, then demented from the parasite, you will race away and go to the nearest collection of insects, and be eaten alive. Well, that's if the maggots and man-eating ticks don't get you first."
He turned pale.
"What? Don't think I won't? I have no reason to keep you alive nor do I like you."
The silence was vile, Neji could only stare at the smiling face of the supposed dead last who wasn't supposed to have a mean bone in his body debating on whether to use that vile thing.
"Hmm, but I think not."
He then placed the parasite back in the jar and sealed it away.
"Consider it a gift from Hanabi, although she won't admit it now, she'll mourn the loss of a brother figure despite you being an ass. So, keep your tongue behind your teeth and we will get along perfectly. And trust me, I have many worse things hidden than just this. And well, I really need a test subject. You don't want that to be that poor test subject, do you?"
He now had the ability to shake his head and did so, slowly.
"Wonderful. You be a decent human being for once, maybe have some fun and enjoy life. Remember that Fate is NOT set in stone, if it was, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you."
Then he frowned, "However if you say another foul word against my mother, your ass is mine. It doesn't matter where you go, who you're with, or where you hide, your ass is mine. Get it?"
"I...understand."
Naruto then grinned," Wonderful," He then stepped away, waving Neji off, "Now off with you then. Bye-bye for now."
He then vanished, as Neji raced as far away from the training ground as fast as he could in a dignified manner.
Anko watched the entire scene eating Dango and found herself amused as she made to continue tormenting the poor prisoners that found themselves cursed to be captured. She found herself more and more interested in the blond who showed himself to be an enigma.
'Who are you really, Naruto Uzumaki.'
[With Naruto]
He made his way to Aizawa's office and knocked twice before he heard a stiff "Come in."
The blond opened the door, "Hello, sir."
"Hello, Naruto. It has been several months since you joined us and I've heard that you have made good progress from Toshinori and Nemuri along with your tutoring from Momo and Izuku."
"Thank you, sir."
They continued to talk only for him to be given a set of missions and asked if there was anything special he wanted to do.
Naruto thought about the Uzumaki weapons and said, "I want to search for the weapons of my clan."
"I see...And you plan on learning and using them, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hm. Do you have any idea where they are?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Consider it a background mission."
He grinned, "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome. Now off with you. I expect reports soon about your completed missions soon enough."
"They will be done to your satisfaction."
"Best of luck, Naruto and be careful."
Naruto grinned at him. "Of course sir."
He then made to go about his day and saw ten missions for him to complete.
Hmph, I should have left them earlier, but I have teachers who care. Can't let them down now.
Then Momo came and helped him catch up, she had her own scroll of missions and asked about Izuku. She replied that he was busy with his own and that she was working with him. He was sorry for cutting into her time, but she waved him off, saying it was fine and she didn't mind it. Also, he was catching up a lot quicker than she thought and soon he would be caught up give or take a month or two. He grinned and they continued on with work before parting.
He made to prepare and get more supplies.
'I won't let you down, mom. Watch over me.'
Ending the chapter, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I'm going to still revamp the entire story soon enough. Be safe, everyone! Also, I want to revamp the village, I don't think I ever read a story of Naruto or anyone revamping the village for defense or military purposes. And I want to use Spring's military technology and various other resources to do it. Especially considering the League of Villains and other villains that are in the distance. They won't show now, possible after the chunin exam arc which I plan on adding more enemies, friendly enemy rivals, and well, I want to make the chunin exam arc a literal battle festival, the test and cheating will be for some, but that will be the last time that version of the first test will be done if I play my cards right. The Forest of Death will be exactly that but revamped with more danger and well...revamp survival of the fittest for the third test. Survive and so on.
Thanks for your reviews!
eniox27 - That they do, love is needed for thriving and living and Naruto isn't going to let Kushina down and make her proud of him. But he will go about it in his own way. His old personality is seeping into his new and current one. His dreams about his past are slowly, but surely making him remember and recall everything. In time, he will meet Kurama face to face, but the dreams are enough for now. I can't wait for when it boils over either.
doomqwer - Yep and they deserve it and I'm still working on your challenge. I'm writing about how Naruto is growing with his new parents as of right now. I already outlined it to the point that Junko and her sister meet with him. That's the second chapter. Now, I just need to stop being a fucking pussy and write it.
LoamyCoffee - Thank you and yes, they can love who they love. That and I love a rather bisexual character regardless. Plus, it's my fucking story so, haters can eat crow. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Phoedra135 - Yep, and no capes! God, capes hurt me so much, it would be so bad. And no, he cannot.
Pravus666 - Yep, you wonderful genius you. Konohamaru being the next Monkey Sage would be rather amazing to think about and to write. But I need to chew on the idea more and you got it. I'm glad you don't care and well, I'll make sure to put warnings so you and anyone else can skip over the scenes like that. Naruto will slowly go into it, not just crammed into his character. It will be mostly a discovering just like people discover what makes them tick during puberty. He will find out in time. Also, I'll keep that last part of your review in mind as I need to think about it due to the fact some of them may not be evil while some will. Such is the case with Dabi. But I hope you will enjoy it and I'm sorry for the long wait.
naruita14 - I'm glad you like my story and I'm happy you don't mind that Naruto is bisexual and well, Naruto plans on having lovers, but not a harem. In the end, well, it's still in the wind, but no Konoha girl is in the cards.
AnimeKing211 - Kiba did deserve that punch, should know better than to talk shit about people's families. If they push him, Naruto will only push back harder. They should know better and well, Naruto is not going to tolerate being their punching bag. Thanks for reviewing.
(guest) Eddie - Thank you.
thor94 - I'm glad you enjoyed it and yep, they now know, but will they react? Time will tell. And Sakura thinks her mother is on a long outing, but she'll figure it out when she comes back. For Naruto, it's a mixture of manipulation on Danzo's part and childish nativity back then when he saw her being bullied and wanted to be friends, only for her to wail on him. His supposed love for her was nothing but obsession the more he thinks about it and has now rid himself of that so she has no punching bag.
(guest) Ripster - It's okay.
(guest) Tabaqui - Ino truly did need that ear-nicking, her being a fangirl and trying to attack Naruto only got her in hot water. Naruto and Kurama's father-son relationship fanfics are great and well Kurama truly cares for Naruto. And well, how about threats instead? Although Naruto will gladly kick his teeth in if he pushes his luck. After all, Naruto doesn't want to make waves in his new place, other people outside that circle, are free game.
bladetri - Thank you!
(guest) zero fullbuster - Thank you!
MidnightHunter74 - Thank you and well, Danzo does have the horrible power of just taking a shit on somebody's day. So...*taps the nose*. Shikamaru was always bright, but his laziness will bite him one day, he may figure it out first, but it will take a while. He may forgive him first if he actually works for it, as words are meaningless unless actions are behind it. I hope you will enjoy this update.
(guest) AzureWarrior - Well, his outfits will change, but we will see. No promises. Although the outfit choices are rather cute.
Charles Ceaser - Thank you! Sorry for the long wait.
ZombieEater478 - Your personal choice, have a nice day.
Guest#1 - I hope you will enjoy this chapter, I'm just sorry it took so fucking long.
917brat - I'm glad you enjoyed it and well, he's putting the ANBU to work with his pranks and traps, although it is a rather wonderful idea and to use it for training. I plan on having him use it around Konoha as the ANBU gives him a good workout with training and weights. That and they need to learn how not to slack off. His skill in pranks and traps is very underestimated and something that should have been capitalized in canon.
Guest#2 - It's more of his old personality talking, as Hinata following after him, isn't really a good look, dear guest. Crush, well-meaning or not, it's not a good look.
Guest#3 - I'm glad you love the story and I always wanted to write a bisexual Naruto and well, elements are in the cards, but the way he will manipulate it will be different than how Todoroki can control fire, though. Interesting concept, by the way.
(guest) Delta - Oh, he deserved that and you will see that later on, and well, Hiruzen always needed to put maggots in their place. The old monkey needs to get a move on. He can't slouch and wank off to porn all day. There's a bunch of rot that needs to be swept away.
(guest) Oilcan Harry - Yep, I love the captain and yes, I could see that happening, Izuku tries to end himself after Katsuki brings him to his lowest point, only to be saved and nursed back to health by the captain. He trains him in both mind and spirit and considers the man to be a father figure. A military-laced Izuku with werewolf characteristics, especially Captain's. I like it, I like it a lot.
RedHyudou - Thank you and no, I cannot and won't make Ino one of Naruto's lovers. But thank you for reading, regardless.
AizawaYuuto - Regardless, if you don't like, don't read.
Aguion12 - I wonder if there are more stories of UA in the Naruto-verse instead of vice-versa because I know Naruto being in the UA verse is a sweet story, but I wanted a twist on it.
(guest) zero fullbuster - On it!
(guest) Mean mike - No, you don't unless you want your head ripped off. Who knows...
(guest) Jab - It is a wonderful style and I love how it works, but in time, I want him to discover that specific fighting style as he goes on missions or on breaks to discover and hunt for more things to further his potential as a ninja. However, I want him to have a fox fighting style and Silat fighting style which uses both armed and unarmed techniques, and it's a very violent fighting style. And no, I haven't.
Perseus12 - That they do and well, Naruto would rather face all his mobs than ever go back under Kakashi's leadership and he will make that very clear. I wonder how he'll react to the supposed dead last tearing him a new asshole to shit through. Even more when he finds out his parentage. Not gonna be pretty, I'll tell you that much. I hope you will enjoy this update.
ShadowRealmComics - I'm glad you enjoyed it and yep, her crush on Naruto will die, not yet, but she and all of them will realize he was there at the ramen shop listening to them talk shit later on. It may break her, but broken things can be put back together and she can't use Naruto has a crutch to keep going.
dakotafillnow - I'm glad you enjoyed it and yes, all parts f/m or m/m lemons or limes will have blunt warnings before, so don't worry! Thanks for reading.
Newotouto - I look forward to it, I'm really sorry for the long wait!
Brehze - Thank you!
Guest#4 - Thank you for the long review and thank you for understanding. Also, the clan heads aren't on their bandwagon so to speak, they came because a meeting was called. Not given specifics. Koharu and Homura deserve to face the evil of paperwork and it keeps them out of the way and leaves Danzo without a voice in meetings. Ignorance is bliss, but they will understand where they went later on, but until then, no happy sunshine blond for them! Yep, but it's fitting. Not all of them, some of them either like or are neutral to Naruto, while others don't like him either due to his pranks or his fuzzy problem. I wouldn't say seals, instead of seal and you'd be right with Danzo, Jiraiya, well, is occupied by has to answer to neglecting his responsibility. Well, Ino got what was coming to her and her trying to get back at Naruto is only going to end up badly. I can't wait for his awakening either, I need to get snacks and a comfortable seat for that, I can't wait to write it. It seems fitting for her to be a formal fangirl and I want that clash between Kurenai and Midnight as well. It would seem very fitting some who is more prudish compared to one who is very open with her sexuality. I hope you will enjoy this chapter and the upcoming ones.
(guest) Reggad the knife - I have several fighting styles lined up for Naruto, but I'll check out the fighting style soon enough. Later on, in the story, considering that I'm going to be pushing the chunin exams back a bit. But yes, he will meet other jinchuuriki in the future.
(guest) zero fullbuster - Working on it!
(guest) Gizmo - Oh, he is. But he'll piss off not wanting to face Naruto who has plenty of tricks up his sleeves as a devilish prankster.
KidKissu - I'm glad you like this story and the case with Dabi is on the hero side, while the villains are either going to be good or bad depending on where I place them and where BNHA canon group along with Naruto meets up with them.
(guest) Bones - I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the long wait! And Naruto is icier and threatening in this story, you will see more interactions with 1-B later on, after all, I'm pushing the chunin exams a bit for Naruto to grow and show he's not to be fucked with. Also, don't worry, but I'm thankful for the vote of confidence, trolls, and flamers only want to provoke, they lose all power when people ignore them.
(guest) Kaito kitsune - Who knows, the muse does what it wants. After all, the world is big enough for them.
DblHi5 - Thanks for the advice and sorry for the wait.
(guest) zero fullbuster - Working on it!
bleach103 - I'm working on it, sorry for the very long break on this story.
zero fullbuster - Thank you, sorry for the wait.
hellhound37 - I'm glad you enjoy my story, I'm just sorry I couldn't come back to this story earlier.
Arsao Tome - Who knows, but it be a red herring since it would be too obvious if he was, but if he was, I really wouldn't be surprised.
(guest) Skekmal - No promises.
hopetess - I am, sorry for the long wait!
Guest#5 - I am!
Yasaka - Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
anitamieles55 - I'm updating it, sorry for the wait and well...time will tell.
(guest) Big slammu - The idea is interesting, but I'm not sure I can write it, although the plot sounds wonderful.
yundragonkiba - I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm sorry for the long wait.
~Kourtney Uzu Yato!