A few days ago, Danzo walked out of the council meeting with a slight smile on his face. It wasn't because anything important was said, but because he knew what was next to come. And his plan was about to unfold. He had hired 20 shinobi adept teenagers and told them what the Kyubi did to their parents, and now he hoped his plan would work. Ideally, they would all be massacred by the boy and then he would flee the village, allowing him to track him down with root and capture him. Then, he could have the whole power of the Kyubi at his disposal. Unfortunately, it didn't go quite to plan.
Uzumaki Naruto didn't do anything necessarily, but the fox inside him did. When he massacred the teenagers, he left splotches of demonic chakra behind that would erase any footprints left by him and deter tracking animals. Because of this setback, he theorized that Naruto had entered the desert, which would make him untraceable. This greatly pissed off Danzo, but he could still capture Naruto eventually. He would just need to play off of time.
In the meantime, the village was in a celebration. At the scene of Naruto, Danzo had created a blood clone that took a kunai to the head and was in the center of the bodies. After a few hours, Hiruzen found the body and was devastated. His surrogate grandson, Naruto, had died. For the next few days, an active frenzy took place after Hiruzen took his information core and set them out to see the perpetrator. Anbu had been running through the village frequently, and the citizens were unnerved from this. On the other hand, the village looked like a party.
Fireworks were launched when the news was heard and a parade cascaded through the streets of Konaha, having Kyubi balloons on fire to celebrate the demon eradicated. And this let the secret out of Naruto being Jinchuriki, and things went badly after that. Naruto's fellow students were uneasy about it, especially Sasuke. While most hated the blonde, it didn't make sense for him to be the Kyubi reborn, especially to Sasuke. Sasuke was also not convinced he was dead, he knew that he could beat up 20 teenagers and Naruto was on his skill level. He could also feel the same connection he had been feeling for years, which he attributed to Naruto's chakra, or rather something beyond that. It felt like they were connected by something deeper than he could understand. So Sasuke still trained, if not harder, in order to find Naruto.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen was also in a hard situation with the other villages. Since his death, Naruto was made known as the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. This meant that Konaha didn't have an active Jinchuriki or any Sanin present in the village, making it almost defenseless. Other villages began to send some Shinobi near or inside the Land of Fire for missions, almost disregarding threats. The other villagers were sure that they could win a war with Konaha at the moment, but were hesitant to start one. This ripple effect made Konaha struggle evermore, with food shortages that resulted from increase pricing of goods. Konaha needed to ablidge in order to not anger the other 4 major villages and not start a scuffle. The only two that didn't go for this were the Sand Village and the Mist Village, because one was an ally and the other was already in a war of their own.
Hiruzen originally made a gravestone for Naruto where he and a few individuals would go to pay respects, such as the Ichiraku and Kakashi, but eventually the gravestone was blown up by a paper bomb and derogatory graffiti was sprayed on its remains. Hiruzen began to grow more and more distasteful with the village and tried to hand off the Hokage hat to Jiraya, who had refused and vanished. He didn't feel like anyone else would fit the task and decided to keep it till his grave. The leaf village had certainly fallen from glory, all from the cause of one blonde-haired individual.
In the depths of the Land of Wind
Naruto woke up slowly, his body feeling stiff and tired and his eyes feeling droopy. He tried to move, but bandages held most of his body stiff and still. He didn't feel hungry or thirsty anymore, which was good, but he still felt the injuries from his fight with the scorpion, the slight hole in his back.
A medical shinobi walked inside and helped him up, giving him a checkup and to see if any injuries would need to be taken care of. After the all clear, the mayor of the small town walked inside. He was a tall man wearing bandages along his arms and legs with typical shinobi gear. He was a retired Suna Shinobi who decided to run this small village and protect it.
"Good evening, young man. My name is Asashi Hara, and I am the leader of this small town. I assume you are all healed up." A brief nod from the medical ninja and he continued, "We found you passed out on the edge of town and brought you to this small hospital. However, we need to ask you a few questions, that way we can help you." Naruto nodded at this.
"How did you end up in the middle of the desert?"
"I ran away from my home, they did bad things there." Naruto was trying to be vague, as he didn't want to reveal where he was from. The former shinobi sighed a bit at this, but he couldn't interrogate the kid.
"Where are you from?" "I prefer not to say." Asashi grew a small tick mark at this. Screw it, if he wanted to tell him something, he would. However, the boy wasn't a threat to the town, he didn't see any indication of being from a Shinobi village so he was all clear. "Alright, that's it. I will be near the town center if you need me, and pick up a travel guide of the area at least. Don't get that lost again." Naruto nodded as they both left he building. Naruto wandered through the streets, not getting any glares or stares, just a normal kid. It felt weird in a way, the spotlight wasn't on him, but it was never on him in a good way.
After some searching, Naruto found a map of the Land of Wind and managed to bargain with the owner to grab a map. He found that this town was a small stop for merchants traveling through the middle of the desert, and harbored Shinobi and trader alike. It was a small place with quite a few people. But what caught his eyes was a shrine near the center of town. He decided to check it out.
It was a small building clad in bricks of hardened sand and clay mixed together, giving a red hue to the building. It had various fauna hanging from the top of it, making it look even more ancient. The entrance and building itself was vacant, clearly not visited often. Naruto walked inside and found a singular tablet. What the found next was shocking. The tablet read of a family who could control the scorching winds and their history. It was said that a man in the city of Avte could bend the heat of the desert and combine it with the fierce wind to topple his opponents. It also said he lived in a small abode clad in clay and sand. The man seemed powerful, but Naruto was shocked because that's exactly was he could do with Scorch Release, but to a smaller extent. At least, the technique he was practicing could do that.
Naruto, for the next few days, was spent either trying to find transport or practicing a new jutsu, which due to the climate of the desert, made it easier to master. He named it Scorch Release: Exploding Scorching Shockwave. He basically let out a massive pulse of scorch to burn and dry anyone near him. It required 8 hand sings and a medium chakra cost. And with transport, he currently was on the back of a wagon, sitting peacefully as the desert passed by. In front of him were two merchants, both wearing headscarf's and sunglasses to keep the sun away. But how did he get here, well here's the short story.
Naruto walked into the only food store in the village, which doubled as a pub. Inside was half full of men and Shinobi having a few drinks, whether for addiction or emotion varied between them. Naruto sat down at the bar table, ordering a small meal. He didn't have much money on him, he earned some by doing a few errands for the people of the village. But he had enough to buy some food at least.
Two people sat next to him, ordering a cup of sake each. He could overhear them talking about trade deals, in what city. He listened closer and he heard the name Avte and his ears perked up. "Hey, are you perhaps traveling to Avte?" Naruto asked politely. The two men looked at him and one nodded, "Yup, we have a big trade deal there, and we are leaving tomorrow." "Can I tag along for the ride, I need a way to get over there."
Both men seemed to eye each other for a bit before one smiled a bit. "Listen kid, if you could beat one of us in a drinking game, we'll give you transport for free." Naruto smirked challengingly, not wanting to back down. "Bring it." Naruto was cocky that he would win, but rightfully so. He couldn't get drunk because of the Kyubi chakra, he could outdrink anyone. A few hours later one merchant was passed out on the table while Naruto laughed a bit. He helped the men to their hotel and was given clearance and where to meet them. And now, Naruto found himself looking at the empty desert around him.
The ride there was boring, as little was even alive in the desert, nonetheless visible through the harsh winds and grains of sand littering the air. While on the cart, Naruto was practicing molding his scorch release chakra in his hand and releasing it. He was trying to improve control, and it was easy in a harsh environment like this. This is the area scorch release was made to shine in, literally. The harsh desert winds only fueled it like a furnace. But, near the end, he saw the city of Avte.
It was the dead of night and Naruto was almost asleep. One of the two merchants were already asleep while the other one was sipping on tea to try to keep himself awake. Naruto looked out the front and saw a cluster of lights in the distance. After a few minutes, he saw a desert city that seemed to span the horizon, booming with life in the night. The streets were crowded with tourists and the vendors still sold stuff at this hour. Naruto looked as they passed through the main road in amazement at the people and how life was here.
"Kid, Avte is called the City with No Sleep, and this is why. It's one of the biggest tourist cities in the world, and the people here seem to almost never sleep. It's a pretty cool place." Naruto heard him, but didn't draw his eyes away from the spectacle of lights that was only one street. What an amazing place.
Naruto managed to find a secluded park to sleep in, not wanting to pay for a hotel, and slept the night. In the morning, he would start to search. And morning came, while Naruto was sitting on top of a taller building with a defeated look. How is he going to search a whole city for one guy. He at least knew where he might be. He wouldn't be in the new part of the city, where all the lights were, because the tablet stated he lived in a small abode clad in clay and sand. So, he knew the area he needed to check. But there was one small issue. That area expanded over 2 miles each direction.
And so, Naruto went searching. He hopped from rooftop to rooftop, checking each of the houses for the qualities the stone tablet said they must posses. It was painstaking, and it was incredibly boring. However, while he did that he practiced molding his scorch release to his fingertips and toes, just to get some more control. He kept searching and searching, even asking if anyone knew of a house that fit the description, still nothing. One night, he ventured a little on the outskirts, near a ravine. On the edge of the ravine, his eyes must have deceived him. He saw a red clay and sand brick, small house sitting on the edge of the ravine with lamps lighting inside.
Naruto walked over and knocked on the broad, wooden door, waiting a few awkward second for someone to answer. After a bit, he heard footsteps and a sigh as an old man opened the door, his beard extending to his chest. He wore scrapped up and torn clothes with a faded brown hat. He also had white hair that went down to his lower back. Overall, he looked very old. "Are ya lost, boy?" Naruto ignored the question as he asked one right back, "Are you the man described on the stone tablet?" The man had a small twinkle in his eye as he grinned, "And what if I was. Did you travel here to see little old me." He let out a kind laugh that brought a smile to Naruto's face. "Do you possess the scorch release? If so, can you teach me." For reference, the air around Naruto began to simmer and scorch, and the old man's smile grew wider. Suddenly, he did a weird hand seal and a small sun floated above his head, lighting the night around them. It's heat put fire to shame, and Naruto felt the winds racing around it. Naruto stood their slack jawed at the display of power, then it vanished as it came. "Come inside, we have much to talk about, young boy."
Naruto entered the house, and it was small. It had two rooms, a bedroom and a kitchen. A bunch of stuff was packed inside together and various colored carpets covered the floors. The walls were lined with scrolls, weapons, and other shinobi utility. The old man motioned for Naruto to sit on the couch, which he did. "Well, young boy, I am glad you came. I put that stone tablet in many cities across Suna in order to hope someone would find me that carried my bloodline. I've been meaning to train a successor for years, but my body is too old to search the elemental nations. Now, boy, how do ya have scorch release?"
Naruto debated telling the truth, and decided to trust the old man with the information. He said he doesn't leave the area anymore, so he would tell on him for being out here. "I have scorch release because I am the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. I ran away from Konaha after an incident," He paused for a second, remembering, "and I found the tablet and was hoping you could help me master it." The old man smiled at this. "Well, count yourself lucky kid, because you are now going to refer to me as Sensei." Naruto's eyes went wide as he hugged the old man, who returned it with a heartwarming smile to boot.
Naruto sat back, "So, what jutsu will you teach me, Sensei." His voice was giddy and excited, which made the old man chuckle a bit. "I will teach you two jutsu of the scorch release, but I will teach you how to create new ones. The two I will teach you each will help. The first is Scorch Clone Technique and the Last one is the one I showed you at the door. Here, come outside, I will show you the full potential. Plus I also want to show off a little, its been ages since anyone has seen me to my jutsu." Naruto followed him outside, to see him put his hand out to stop Naruto. "Wait here, don't get to close otherwise you'll get caught in the radius. Scorch release is a very destructive and wide-span kekkei genkai and can harm allies just as much as the enemy if used wrong." He took 20 steps forward and went through hand seals.
"Scorch Release: Prometheus!" Suddenly, 9 suns swirled around the old man and flew up in the sky, disappearing in the clouds. After a few seconds, the clouds parted to reveal 9 boulder-sized suns raining downward, causing a massive explosion that shook the ground. Naruto's eyes left his skull from how amazed he was, and the old man looked back, steam radiating from his body. "Not too shabby, eh. But I could make that at least 5 times bigger back in my prime. Sadly, getting old sucks. Anyways, that was my signature technique, the one that made me famous after I decimated an army of mist shinobi in the second great shinobi war. Let's head back inside and get some sleep, training starts tomorrow." Naruto followed Sensei inside, still in shock. This old man was powerful. Naruto guessed out of all the people to train him, this was the best guy to do it.
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That's chapter 4, hope you like it. Message me questions or suggestions and I hope you have a good rest of your day.