Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto—If you like this story please support the official release!
Chapter updated: 9/2/2022
After ditching Sakura at the academy, Sasuke followed Mizuki and Naruto all the way to the edge of the village.
Mizuki led Naruto to a tall building with a panoramic view of the village. They sat on the balcony in silence for a while, until Mizuki finally spoke. "Don't hate him, Naruto," he said.
"Who?"
"Iruka. He lost his parents when he was very young, so he's been alone most of his life. Going through all that has made him a very serious man."
"Pfft! So why does he keep picking on me?" Naruto griped, puffing out his cheeks.
"He thinks you're like him."
"Like him? How?" Naruto asked with surprise.
"You don't have parents either," Mizuki explained. "Iruka wants you to become as strong as he's had to be. Can you at least try to understand?"
Naruto frowned and stared straight ahead. "But I really wanted to graduate," he muttered.
Sasuke saw Mizuki give Naruto a quick, sharp glance. Then his face softened to its usual mild expression. I'll give him this, he's a damn good actor, he thought as Mizuki continued speaking.
"You want to graduate? Then do something to impress Iruak," the chunin suggested gently.
"Like what?"
"I have an idea. Do this, and Iruka will definitely have to let you graduate."
"Wh-what is it?" Naruto asked excitedly.
0O0
The Third Hokage was very old, but he wasn't feeble. In fact, most of his skills were still as sharp as shuriken points. So it was no surprise that late that night, while he was practicing his calligraphy, he heard someone sneak up to his home.
Sasuke watched from a distance as the Third Hokage lowered his eyelids and focused on the intruder. He must not have felt any killing intent, which made sense because Naruto wasn't there to murder him.
"Naruto? Is that you?" the Hokage called out.
A good guess.
The Hokage sharpened his focus until he was sure of the intruder's identity. Then he heaved a big sigh.
Sasuke saw the Hokage's lips moving, but he wasn't close enough to hear what the man was saying. He did see the Hokage get to his feet and walk towards the window Naruto was crawling through.
"What are you doing here?" the Hokage barked, loud enough for even Sasuke to hear.
Naruto squealed and fell through the window onto his ass. The blonde gaped at the Hokage for exactly three seconds. Like he was shocked the strongest ninja in the village had sensed him approaching.
Then he quickly made a hand seal and shouted, "Sexy Jutsu!"
Sasuke sighed as the inevitable happened. The Third Hokage was very gifted. He knew more Jutsu than any Hokage before him and was even rumored to know every Jutsu in the Hidden Leaf. There was no denying it, the Third Hokage was truly a living legend.
But even living legends have weak spots. The last time the Third Hokage had seen a woman—make that a young woman, in all her lush, glorious splendor was probably ages ago.
By sheer accident, Naruto had discovered one of the Hokage's weaknesses—and he had exploited the hell out of it.
Sasuke shook his head as he watched the Hokage fall to the floor unconscious. While he didn't think Naruto's plan would have worked in a real fight, it was still embarrassing for the Hokage.
Naruto looked at the knocked-out leader of the village before smirking and rushing away further into the Hokage Mansion.
Sasuke lost sight of him for a few minutes. Just enough time for Naruto to find the library Mizuki told him about and steal the Scroll of Sealing.
When Naruto crawled back out the window, the Scroll of Sealing tucked under his arm, Sasuke didn't move to follow. Not until the shadow, hidden from view that had been watching the entire operation vanished.
With Mizuki gone, Sasuke pursued Naruto.
0O0
Hours later, in the middle of the forest behind the Hokage Monument, Sasuke stood crouched in a tree high above Naruto.
Naruto was sitting on the ground in a daze. The blonde had been practicing since sunset and was dead on his feet.
Time to get to work, Sasuke thought and dropped down from the tree. He landed between Naruto and the Scroll of Sealing.
Naruto gasped and jumped away. When he realized who had startled him he glared. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
Sasuke ignored him and glanced at the Scroll of Sealing. "So, this is the super secret scroll Mizuki was talking about."
Mizuki had definitely told Naruto the truth, all right. Even with just a quick glance, he could see that every Jutsu in the Scroll of Sealing was totally amazing. Only trouble was it would take years for most people to figure out.
Naruto wound up choosing the Jutsu that seemed sort of easy, at least compared to the others. But even the scroll's easiest Jutsu made the regular Clone Jutsu look like child's play.
He had watched Naruto go through the motions again and again, trying hard to get them right. Now, hours later, the blonde was actually making progress.
"Hey! Don't ignore me, you bastard!" Naruto shouted. "Sasuke! What are you doing here?"
"I overheard some Chunin talking about how you stole the Scroll of Sealing," Sasuke said, lying his ass off.
"What do you care?" Naruto demanded. "Mizuki gave me this test! You already passed the graduation exam!"
"I did, and I'm officially a genin of the Hidden Leaf." Sasuke nodded, reaching up to flick the metal plate sewn into his headband. "This means it's my job to protect the village. And to catch traitors."
"Protect the village? Traitors?" Naruto frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Sasuke grabbed the Scroll of Sealing and he unrolled the scroll even more than it already was. He activated his Sharingan and stared at the complex Jutsu instructions written down. Even just a quick glance at some of them made his brain ache.
"Hey!"
He ignored Naruto's shout and searched for the Jutsu he wanted. When he found it, he took the camera he'd brought with him from his jacket and secretly flashed a picture. With his Sharingan, he should remember what he was seeing forever, but just in case he didn't he at least wanted a copy of the Jutsu he went through all this trouble for.
Considering this was probably the only chance he'd ever get to see inside the scroll, he was tempted to take more, but on the off chance the pictures ever went missing, he didn't want anyone having access to all the Jutsu from the Scroll of Sealing.
"This is the real deal," Sasuke muttered, rolling the scroll back up.
"Of course it's real," Naruto scoffed. "I had to knock out the old man to get it!"
Right, his Sexy Jutsu, Sasuke sighed. He couldn't believe the Third Hokage could be bested by such a juvenile technique.
"Naruto, if this is the real Scroll of Sealing, then Mizukui lied to you. This isn't a test!"
"What?" Naruto looked flabbergasted.
Before Sasuke could explain, a familiar voice echoed through the forest.
"Narutoooo!"
Sasuke looked in the direction of the voice. Iruka landed in the small clearing Naruto had been training in.
"Iruka! I found you!" Naruto shouted.
"I found you, fool!" Iruka yelled back. Then he noticed Sasuke and grew even more agitated. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?"
"Watch this, Iruka!" Naruto said, preparing to perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu he just learned.
"What are you two doing out here?" the chunin asked, frowning. "Naruto, you look dead tired."
"I am dead tired," Naruto admitted. "I've been practicing ninjutsu."
"You—"
Sasuke decided to cut in there. They might not know it, but he was saving Iruka from a lot of pain. "Mizuki told Naruto if he stole the Scroll of Sealing and learned a Jutsu from it he could graduate from the academy."
Iruka stared at him with wide eyes. "Mizuki—what? I don't understand," he stammered.
"Naruto got tricked, by Mizuki," Sasuke repeated. He glanced around at the massive trees surrounding them. "He's probably on his way here now."
Without warning, he shoved Iruka and Naruto to the side. They fell back as a storm of shuriken spun over their heads.
Iruka glared up at a nearby tree. "Mizuki, so Sasuke was telling the truth. I can't believe you'd do something like this."
Mizuki stood on a branch near the top of a tree. Several huge windmill shuriken were strapped to his back.
"I knew you would lead me to Naruto, Iruka," Mizuki said, descending from his lofty perch. "I didn't expect you to be here, Sasuke."
Sasuke stared at his teacher. He had never seen Mizuki look so menacing, the chunin's mouth twisted into a nasty smile.
"Now give me the scroll!" Mizuki said coldly.
"Naruto! Sasuke! No matter what happens, Mizuki can not get the scroll!" Iruka ordered. "That scroll contains dangerous Jutsu! Mizuki tricked you into stealing the scroll so he could get it for himself!"
Didn't I already say that? Sasuke wondered, his body tensing. There was a feeling filling the air. A tension that promised violence. Was this killing intent?
His memories of the Manga had shown him what people looked like reacting to killing intent, but he had never felt it himself.
"You don't need the scroll! Give it to me!" Mizuki demanded.
"N-no," Naruto stammered.
Sasuke felt bad for him. Naruto had just been betrayed, and he was about to have his whole world shattered. He might have been able to stop it and prevent Mizuki from revealing the truth about the Nine-Tails, but he wasn't going to even try.
Naruto deserved to know the truth.
"Why? Because Iruka-sensei said not to?" Mizuki scoffed. "Would you like to know what Iruka really thinks of you, Naruto?"
Iruka suddenly looked horrified. "No, Mizuki! Don't do this!" he shouted.
Mizuki ignored him and focused on Naruto. "Do you know who killed Iruka's parents, Naruto?" he asked.
"Uh, the Nine-Tailed fox, right? That thing that attacked the village," Naruto answered.
Mizuki snorted with amusement. "A brilliant answer, Naruto. Especially coming from you."
"Stop!" Iruka yelled, lunging toward Mizuki.
Mizuki vanished in a swirl of leaves and appeared back at the top of the trees. "A brilliant answer, yet not quite accurate," he continued.
"I said stop!" Iruka shouted again, but Mizuki went on.
"Think hard about my question, Naruto. You as well, Sasuke. I asked who killed Iruka's parents, not what."
"Who?" Naruto asked, puzzled. "You make it sound almost human."
"Because it is, Naruto! The Nine-Tailed Fox has changed its form, but it is still alive."
Sasuke drew shuriken from the holster on his leg and threw them at Mizuki. The attack was useless as Mizuki dodged the shuriken with ease. He just wanted to show Iruka that he understood Mizuki was about to say something he shouldn't and he would try to stop him.
"The Fourth Hokage didn't kill the Nine-Tailed Fox. He sealed it inside a human...and that human was you, Naruto!"
"W-what do you mean?" Naruto choked.
"You killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village!" Mizuki snarled. "That is why the villagers shun you! Hate you! Treat you like dirt!"
"N-no!" Naruto shouted, his body shaking.
"Don't listen to him, Naruto! He's not telling the—"
Mizuki sneered. "The truth, Iruka? The truth is, you hate the Nine-Tailed Fox more than anybody!"
And there it is! Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the shoulders. Mizuki had spilled the beans and now it was time to kick his ass.
"Naruto! We need to stop Mizuki," he said, shaking the blonde. Naruto stared at him. He looked stunned.
That was fair, his entire world had shattered, but Iruka would end up with a massive shuriken stuck in his back if Sasuke let things play out any longer.
"Hey!" he smacked Naruto over the head. "You said you wanted to be a ninja, right? Well, Mizuki betrayed the village and we need to stop him. So if you're angry, make as many Shadow Clones as you can and take it out on the traitor."
It was the perfect thing to say to break Naruto out of his stupor. He already looked ready to explode with rage and now he had a reason to snap.
Mizuki scoffed. "You want to stop me? I'll kill you, Nine-Tailed Fox!" he shouted.
And then he froze. All the blood drained from his face as his eyes darted in every direction.
Sasuke smirked as Naruto started multiplying fast—incredibly fast. First, there were ten Narutos, then twenty, and then...
"There's got to be a thousand of them!" Mizuki gagged.
I should become a jinchūriki, Sasuke thought staring at the army of clones. From his memories of the Manga, he knew that with the amount of Shadow Clones Naruto could make he could be a Hokage-level ninja in a few years.
"What's the matter, Mizuki?" the thousand Narutos asked. "You said you'd kill me, remember?"
The sight of that many Narutos all talking at once was amazing. Mizuki could hardly breathe, let alone speak.
"All right, Mizuki," the Narutos said patiently. "If you won't come to me, then I'll come to you."
The army of Narutos marched toward Mizuki, who cowered like a little baby. Even the strongest ninjutsu he could perform was worthless against a thousand people.
Mizuki was swallowed up in a sea of orange jumpsuits. Soon the sounds of pummeling alternated with pitiful pleas for mercy. The chunin was pushed back, knocked around, and finally struck down. The thousand Narutos disappeared, leaving behind just the original—and he was grinning from ear to ear. Naruto gazed down at poor Mizuki, who was sprawled on the ground with his face bashed in.
"Uh-oh! Guess I kinda overdid it," Naruto said sheepishly.
"You did fine, naruto," Iruka said, and he used some ninja wire to bind Mizuki's hands and legs. "Now, you two need to come with me. We need to report this to the Hokage."
Naruto looked nervous. "H-how much trouble and I'm going to be in?" he asked.
"Don't worry, Naruto," Iruka said, shaking his head. "Mizuki is the one in real trouble. Lord Hokage won't be mad at you. Either of you. Although you shouldn't have come out here alone, Sasuke."
"I'm a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, it's my job to protect the village," Sasuke replied, lying his ass off once again.
Iruka sighed heavily and rubbed the scar across his nose. "I can't believe he would do something like this."
That was the end of the conversation. Iruka hauled Mizuki up on his shoulders and carried the traitor back to the village. They made a beeline for the Hokage Tower where Iruka turned Mizuki over to the authorities before the Hokage called them to his office.
Sasuke felt a hand on his shoulder and the weight of the Scroll of Sealing leave his arms. A member of the Anbu had taken the Scroll of Sealing from him.
After giving a report to the Third Hokage, Sasuke was sent home with a stern order not to reveal what he had learned tonight to anyone.
Once he got back to his apartment, Sasuke collapsed on his couch. He was dead tired, but before he passed out he wanted to check his stats.
"Status."
Name: Sasuke Uchiha
Age: 13
Chakra Reserves: 1.5/5 (Academy Student)
Ninjutsu: 1/5
Taijutsu: 0.5/5
Genjutsu: 0.5/5
Strength: 1/5
Speed: 2/5
Stamina: 1/5
Chakra Control: 0.5/5
A 0.5 gain in the ninjutsu stat.
It wasn't amazing growth, but it was something. And he had only copied the three academy Jutsu so he wasn't expecting any crazy jumps in his stats. Those will come later, he thought and closed his eyes.
Sasuke knew he needed to start training. He only had a week until Kakashi's bell test, but he could barely keep his eyes open and his limbs felt like limp ramen noodles.
Today has been absolutely crazy.
Chapter 2 of A System Ninja!
Leave a review with what Jutsu you think is the "ONE" being mentioned. There are only a few confirmed Jutsu in the Scroll of Sealing so I'm sure someone will get it.
Thank you to everyone who left a review.