Authors Notes: I do apologize for taking so long to update this. Life came
crashing down on me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
// // Voices in Naruto's Head
Chapter 2: Training Days 1
"Uzumaki, Naruto." Iruka called.
No answer.
He hadn't been expecting one either. He was worried. It wasn't like Naruto to miss class. As often as he was late, disruptive, and a poor student, he rarely missed a day of class. Sure he would run out if he thought the lesson was boring, but he was always there in case something interesting might have been taught. In fact he taught the entire class a new Jutsu that he wasn't planning on teaching just to see if he would come running in after school demanding to be taught, yet he had not come. For two weeks Naruto had simply disappeared. Yet everyone knew he was still around. He was seen at the Ramen shop, he was seen leaving and returning to his home, but most disturbingly, he had been seen going to and leaving the hospital several times in the past few weeks.
"Where is that boy?" Iruka frowned as he continued the roll call.
Across town, that boy, was lying on his back in one of the many forests used as a training ground. It was remote enough that he was sure nobody knew that he was using it. Panting in exhaustion, he lay there as he waited for his body to catch up. He had been putting everything into his training, and so far he wasn't making much progress. Among the first things he had done when he had realized he was stuck here was test the limits of his chakra. To his surprise he still had his normal store of chakra, which was considerable. However it didn't return to him as quickly. So his foremost effort was working on control.
Creating the Rasengan used every energy manipulation exercise he knew about, gathering the chakra at a certain point like the tree climbing exercise, expelling the chakra like the water walking exercise, gauging how much chakra he was using (although he was still working on a way to figure out how to do that without using pain as his measuring stick), the concentration of that energy on a single point like the leaf on the head, and keeping all that energy under control which was the third step in forming the Rasengan. So he spent hours on end, making and releasing the powerful balls of spinning energy. He wasn't sure if he was improving any, but it was a start. At the very least, he was getting better at creating them. He could properly shape them without the clone now. Although he still needed to use both his hands to make one ball, it was progress. He couldn't be sure he had improved at actual Chakra control or just creating the Rasengan, but it was uplifting to finally see any signs of progress.
He slowly pulled himself back to his feet. Although he went home every now and then to gather supplies, and went to the hospital to get medical ones. Besides the few nicks and scratched caused by debris caught up in the maelstrom of wind created by the Rasengan, He had to bandage both his hands due to the burns caused by the focused chakra. He stiffly flexed his fingers, it felt as if they were going to fall off, but he still prepared himself to try again.
"I can do this." He told himself as he began forming another ball of energy.
//and pigs fly.//
"What do you know?" Naruto snapped as he watched the sphere in his hands form.
//Look at you, you can barely stand. You're not going to get any useful training done this way. You're too obsessed to think straight, and you're too afraid to stop.//
"What do you know?" Naruto snapped as the ball reached completion.
//That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about.//
"Just who the hell are you!?" Naruto screamed as he tossed yet another Rasengan into the air. The energy dispersed in a violent storm of wind, the trees shook beneath its furry, as it died down, Naruto heard the voice one last time.
//Isn't that something you should ask yourself?//
Naruto panted in exhaustion as he lay on his back. Who was he? He was Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf. Wasn't that a dumb question? He had always been himself, and he had always done things his way. He knew who he was. Except... This place wasn't his home. Everyone acted differently now. He wasn't the outcast because of the monster fox, he was the outcast now because he was avoiding them to train. When he usually went seeking attention, he was now avoiding it. Always training to prepare himself, to protect his friends...Friends he hadn't seen at all since he got here. Almost like...Sasuke, how much of that egotistical jerk had rubbed off on him?
"That's not who I am acting like... is it?" Naruto sighed as he stared at his bandaged hands.
//You know, when you stop to think about it, you and Sasuke are very much alike.//
"Don't go there..." Naruto growled as he shook his head in disbelief. "I guess I shouldn't be worrying everybody by being out here so long."
//I'm glad to see you're not as dumb as you look.//
"Just who are you anyway?" Naruto asked.
//You wouldn't believe me. I'm just someone who's concerned about you. Training can come after class. Right now, I think there are people you need to see.//
The voice sounded depressed and tired. It was in that moment Naruto finally recognized the voice, it was his own. He hadn't recognized its tone before as he had never spoken with such a cynical sarcasm in his voice before, however the depression he remembered. So he was talking to himself... or perhaps another part of himself? Whatever the case, for the first time since he had heard it he was grateful.
"You sure you don't want to tell me?" Naruto smirked, "I'd hate to think a part of me is upset about something."
//Huh? Hehehehe.... So you've finally figured that part out huh? Well that's good. We'll talk about this later, right now, I need a nap...//
--------------
"Uzumaki, Naruto."
No answer.
"Just who does that boy think he is?" Iruka frowned.
Elsewhere, that boy was running through the city at a frantic pace. It had been a few days since Naruto had stopped his intense training regimen. He still hadn't been to class yet. Instead, he used his time as an opportunity to see many of the townspeople. As nice as it was to see them, there was also one other thing he had to do, and his next visit was probably the most important one he could think of. Of course, he was getting a few stares as he barged into the chambers of the Hokage.
"Just who do you think you are?" One of the attendants yelled.
"I need to speak with the Hokage!" Naruto yelled back.
"Yeah right, kid! Get out!" The attendant said as he tried to literally throw Naruto out, only to discover he had grabbed a shadow clone. It disappeared before it even touched the ground. The attendant was so surprised that he didn't even notice the real Naruto lock him out of the Hokage's chambers. The third Hokage simply watched with an amused look on his face, as Naruto came running up to him. To him, this was very unusual behavior for the town's biggest prankster.
"We need to talk." Naruto said sternly.
"Hmm? Come to challenge me for the Hokage title?" The Hokage asked innocently.
"No, I'm not like your grandson. I came to warn you about something."
"Oh?"
"In about six months we'll be hosting the next Chuunin examine, right?"
The Hokage blinked, that was news to him. He hadn't been aware the council had already made that decision. Even if they had, it wasn't like the representative from the Fire country's high council to tell him until a couple weeks before the tournament anyway. Naruto went on about how Orochimaru would attack the village, and how he would be stopped when the thirds sacrificed his own life to use a sealing jutsu on him.
"Interesting, and how would you know all this.' The Hokage asked.
"Well it's kinda complicated... I made this wish, and I didn't really expect it to come true, but it did, and now I'm here. There are some other problems I have to worry about, but they shouldn't be anything I can't handle. It's just that I have to do something else that's really important during the examine, and I wouldn't be much help to you against Orochimaru anyway."
"Would you know the whereabouts of Orochimaru as of now?"
"No, I'd imagine he'd be in the sound village though. Everyone who takes orders from him seems to be from there."
"That's interesting...if you were taking the Chuunin examine, I'd imagine you were a part of a team of three. Would you mind telling me who was on your team, and your teacher?"
"Yes, with Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Our teacher was Kakashi sensei."
"I see, do you plan on telling anyone else this story of yours?"
"Not really, I don't think anyone else would believe me. Besides, I don't think most of them will like what I have to say. I know I don't like being told how the future will take shape just because someone thinks it's destined to happen. After all, now that I've told you about Orochimaru, we don't know if you really are going to die fighting him or not, do we?" Naruto grinned.
"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" The Hokage asked.
"No."
"Then you may go now, Naruto. I hope you eventually choose to go back to class. So I won't have Iruka sensei bothering me all the time."
With that Naruto left. A shadowy figure materialized in the corner.
"You don't really believe him do you Hokage-sama?"
"He's hiding a lot, but I suppose it may be for the best." The Hokage mused, "His story seems a bit too far fetched to not be the truth though."
"Excuse me? Too far fetched to not to be the truth? He's just making up fantasies. Of course he'd love to be in a team with the best two students in his grade, and Kakashi. Kakashi would be the perfect teacher for Sasuke. So it's obvious he would be your choice for Sasuke's teacher. He probably found Orochimaru's history in one of the record books and concocted this far fetched story as a prank."
"How many ANBU know that Orochimaru is connected to the sound village? How many people know that there is a sound village? How does he know an advanced kinjutsu? I think there's a lot more to his story then you give it credit for. However, I don't think we know all of the facts yet... Kakashi Hatake is one of our best jounin, and not one who would usually volunteer for a teaching job too. I would probably have had to assign him to it. Even though Kakashi is the only other Sharingan user in the leaf, Sasuke isn't the type to want help mastering his family's style. So there has to be another reason why I put him in that team..."
"He's on assignment right now, and probably will be for the rest of the year. Are you going to pull him off and assign him to watch this Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Perhaps that would be best, it would be familiar for this Naruto, and Kakashi can give me reports on any new developments. Until then I want you to assign someone to watch Naruto, at least until he graduates. I knew this boy would end up being special, but I did not expect this...."
--------------
While the Hokage was having his conversation after Naruto had left, another group was having a very similar conversation.
"So, this Naruto already knows of Orochimaru's part in our plan...."
"Yes, but how much does he know of our plan?"
"Enough that he's in the way..."
"He's also demonstrated a phenomenal improvement in ability."
"Do you think he's the sleeper?"
"Unlikely, but....it's possible."
"I want someone to keep an eye on this Naruto. If he's really from the future, his knowledge may prove to be useful. If he's the sleeper, I want him dead."
-------------
" Uchiha, Sasuke."
"Here."
"Watabe, Ryushi."
"Here."
"Hey! You skipped me."
Naruto's shout had been heard through out the academy, but the next shout was heard clear across the leaf village.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"
// // Voices in Naruto's Head
Chapter 2: Training Days 1
"Uzumaki, Naruto." Iruka called.
No answer.
He hadn't been expecting one either. He was worried. It wasn't like Naruto to miss class. As often as he was late, disruptive, and a poor student, he rarely missed a day of class. Sure he would run out if he thought the lesson was boring, but he was always there in case something interesting might have been taught. In fact he taught the entire class a new Jutsu that he wasn't planning on teaching just to see if he would come running in after school demanding to be taught, yet he had not come. For two weeks Naruto had simply disappeared. Yet everyone knew he was still around. He was seen at the Ramen shop, he was seen leaving and returning to his home, but most disturbingly, he had been seen going to and leaving the hospital several times in the past few weeks.
"Where is that boy?" Iruka frowned as he continued the roll call.
Across town, that boy, was lying on his back in one of the many forests used as a training ground. It was remote enough that he was sure nobody knew that he was using it. Panting in exhaustion, he lay there as he waited for his body to catch up. He had been putting everything into his training, and so far he wasn't making much progress. Among the first things he had done when he had realized he was stuck here was test the limits of his chakra. To his surprise he still had his normal store of chakra, which was considerable. However it didn't return to him as quickly. So his foremost effort was working on control.
Creating the Rasengan used every energy manipulation exercise he knew about, gathering the chakra at a certain point like the tree climbing exercise, expelling the chakra like the water walking exercise, gauging how much chakra he was using (although he was still working on a way to figure out how to do that without using pain as his measuring stick), the concentration of that energy on a single point like the leaf on the head, and keeping all that energy under control which was the third step in forming the Rasengan. So he spent hours on end, making and releasing the powerful balls of spinning energy. He wasn't sure if he was improving any, but it was a start. At the very least, he was getting better at creating them. He could properly shape them without the clone now. Although he still needed to use both his hands to make one ball, it was progress. He couldn't be sure he had improved at actual Chakra control or just creating the Rasengan, but it was uplifting to finally see any signs of progress.
He slowly pulled himself back to his feet. Although he went home every now and then to gather supplies, and went to the hospital to get medical ones. Besides the few nicks and scratched caused by debris caught up in the maelstrom of wind created by the Rasengan, He had to bandage both his hands due to the burns caused by the focused chakra. He stiffly flexed his fingers, it felt as if they were going to fall off, but he still prepared himself to try again.
"I can do this." He told himself as he began forming another ball of energy.
//and pigs fly.//
"What do you know?" Naruto snapped as he watched the sphere in his hands form.
//Look at you, you can barely stand. You're not going to get any useful training done this way. You're too obsessed to think straight, and you're too afraid to stop.//
"What do you know?" Naruto snapped as the ball reached completion.
//That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about.//
"Just who the hell are you!?" Naruto screamed as he tossed yet another Rasengan into the air. The energy dispersed in a violent storm of wind, the trees shook beneath its furry, as it died down, Naruto heard the voice one last time.
//Isn't that something you should ask yourself?//
Naruto panted in exhaustion as he lay on his back. Who was he? He was Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf. Wasn't that a dumb question? He had always been himself, and he had always done things his way. He knew who he was. Except... This place wasn't his home. Everyone acted differently now. He wasn't the outcast because of the monster fox, he was the outcast now because he was avoiding them to train. When he usually went seeking attention, he was now avoiding it. Always training to prepare himself, to protect his friends...Friends he hadn't seen at all since he got here. Almost like...Sasuke, how much of that egotistical jerk had rubbed off on him?
"That's not who I am acting like... is it?" Naruto sighed as he stared at his bandaged hands.
//You know, when you stop to think about it, you and Sasuke are very much alike.//
"Don't go there..." Naruto growled as he shook his head in disbelief. "I guess I shouldn't be worrying everybody by being out here so long."
//I'm glad to see you're not as dumb as you look.//
"Just who are you anyway?" Naruto asked.
//You wouldn't believe me. I'm just someone who's concerned about you. Training can come after class. Right now, I think there are people you need to see.//
The voice sounded depressed and tired. It was in that moment Naruto finally recognized the voice, it was his own. He hadn't recognized its tone before as he had never spoken with such a cynical sarcasm in his voice before, however the depression he remembered. So he was talking to himself... or perhaps another part of himself? Whatever the case, for the first time since he had heard it he was grateful.
"You sure you don't want to tell me?" Naruto smirked, "I'd hate to think a part of me is upset about something."
//Huh? Hehehehe.... So you've finally figured that part out huh? Well that's good. We'll talk about this later, right now, I need a nap...//
--------------
"Uzumaki, Naruto."
No answer.
"Just who does that boy think he is?" Iruka frowned.
Elsewhere, that boy was running through the city at a frantic pace. It had been a few days since Naruto had stopped his intense training regimen. He still hadn't been to class yet. Instead, he used his time as an opportunity to see many of the townspeople. As nice as it was to see them, there was also one other thing he had to do, and his next visit was probably the most important one he could think of. Of course, he was getting a few stares as he barged into the chambers of the Hokage.
"Just who do you think you are?" One of the attendants yelled.
"I need to speak with the Hokage!" Naruto yelled back.
"Yeah right, kid! Get out!" The attendant said as he tried to literally throw Naruto out, only to discover he had grabbed a shadow clone. It disappeared before it even touched the ground. The attendant was so surprised that he didn't even notice the real Naruto lock him out of the Hokage's chambers. The third Hokage simply watched with an amused look on his face, as Naruto came running up to him. To him, this was very unusual behavior for the town's biggest prankster.
"We need to talk." Naruto said sternly.
"Hmm? Come to challenge me for the Hokage title?" The Hokage asked innocently.
"No, I'm not like your grandson. I came to warn you about something."
"Oh?"
"In about six months we'll be hosting the next Chuunin examine, right?"
The Hokage blinked, that was news to him. He hadn't been aware the council had already made that decision. Even if they had, it wasn't like the representative from the Fire country's high council to tell him until a couple weeks before the tournament anyway. Naruto went on about how Orochimaru would attack the village, and how he would be stopped when the thirds sacrificed his own life to use a sealing jutsu on him.
"Interesting, and how would you know all this.' The Hokage asked.
"Well it's kinda complicated... I made this wish, and I didn't really expect it to come true, but it did, and now I'm here. There are some other problems I have to worry about, but they shouldn't be anything I can't handle. It's just that I have to do something else that's really important during the examine, and I wouldn't be much help to you against Orochimaru anyway."
"Would you know the whereabouts of Orochimaru as of now?"
"No, I'd imagine he'd be in the sound village though. Everyone who takes orders from him seems to be from there."
"That's interesting...if you were taking the Chuunin examine, I'd imagine you were a part of a team of three. Would you mind telling me who was on your team, and your teacher?"
"Yes, with Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Our teacher was Kakashi sensei."
"I see, do you plan on telling anyone else this story of yours?"
"Not really, I don't think anyone else would believe me. Besides, I don't think most of them will like what I have to say. I know I don't like being told how the future will take shape just because someone thinks it's destined to happen. After all, now that I've told you about Orochimaru, we don't know if you really are going to die fighting him or not, do we?" Naruto grinned.
"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" The Hokage asked.
"No."
"Then you may go now, Naruto. I hope you eventually choose to go back to class. So I won't have Iruka sensei bothering me all the time."
With that Naruto left. A shadowy figure materialized in the corner.
"You don't really believe him do you Hokage-sama?"
"He's hiding a lot, but I suppose it may be for the best." The Hokage mused, "His story seems a bit too far fetched to not be the truth though."
"Excuse me? Too far fetched to not to be the truth? He's just making up fantasies. Of course he'd love to be in a team with the best two students in his grade, and Kakashi. Kakashi would be the perfect teacher for Sasuke. So it's obvious he would be your choice for Sasuke's teacher. He probably found Orochimaru's history in one of the record books and concocted this far fetched story as a prank."
"How many ANBU know that Orochimaru is connected to the sound village? How many people know that there is a sound village? How does he know an advanced kinjutsu? I think there's a lot more to his story then you give it credit for. However, I don't think we know all of the facts yet... Kakashi Hatake is one of our best jounin, and not one who would usually volunteer for a teaching job too. I would probably have had to assign him to it. Even though Kakashi is the only other Sharingan user in the leaf, Sasuke isn't the type to want help mastering his family's style. So there has to be another reason why I put him in that team..."
"He's on assignment right now, and probably will be for the rest of the year. Are you going to pull him off and assign him to watch this Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Perhaps that would be best, it would be familiar for this Naruto, and Kakashi can give me reports on any new developments. Until then I want you to assign someone to watch Naruto, at least until he graduates. I knew this boy would end up being special, but I did not expect this...."
--------------
While the Hokage was having his conversation after Naruto had left, another group was having a very similar conversation.
"So, this Naruto already knows of Orochimaru's part in our plan...."
"Yes, but how much does he know of our plan?"
"Enough that he's in the way..."
"He's also demonstrated a phenomenal improvement in ability."
"Do you think he's the sleeper?"
"Unlikely, but....it's possible."
"I want someone to keep an eye on this Naruto. If he's really from the future, his knowledge may prove to be useful. If he's the sleeper, I want him dead."
-------------
" Uchiha, Sasuke."
"Here."
"Watabe, Ryushi."
"Here."
"Hey! You skipped me."
Naruto's shout had been heard through out the academy, but the next shout was heard clear across the leaf village.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"