Unknown Location
Naruto swung his feet back and forth, sitting on the branch of a tree, staring into the empty space through eyes filtered by an illusion. The days came quickly, sometimes slowly. It depended on the weather, sometimes, the mood, sometimes, the things he had to do. These days, it was a whole lot of nothing. The retrains on him did not blink to permit him a little bit of freedom. That only added to the misery of nothingness. In other words, boredom.
His eyes glanced to the side, ever so narrow, when he sensed a chakra presence. A black swirl, a ripple through space that sometimes reminded him of the Rinnegan, disturbed the flow of air behind him. The space bending that he had watched too many times he could probably count the seconds it took for the man to appear.
Naruto glanced away as the masked man appeared, and landed on the ground silently.
"Zetsu is not trailing you."
This questioning tone, dark and empty. It had never been warm. Not in his lifetime. It had welcomed him when he awoke in a pit of darkness after his meeting with the contemptuous villagers of the Leaf.
"I lost him along the way. I dislike the feeling of having unwanted eyes watching my every move," Naruto responded with nonchalance.
"And the Zetsu spore?"
"Annoying."
Obito didn't react but his lone eye, visible through his mask, shifted slightly as he glanced up to the blond. "We had agreed that Zetsu would keep an eye on you just in case something happens. Konoha has not stopped looking for you. And you move a lot more frequently these days, going to places I never permitted you to visit."
"Don't be a nag, Madara. I don't particularly remember you banning certain places…" Naruto jumped from the tree, landing gracefully without a sound. He placed his gloved hands inside his black pants and took a couple of steps, leaning against the trunk of tree while staring directly at the crimson Sharingan.
Before, that cold look, the danger in that eye that always tried to peered into his soul had frightened him. He could never even peek through the mask. He'd started to assume the man had worn the mask for so long it had become a part of him. Things were different now. He had grown. Became used to that malevolence that on a good day, he too displayed to the giggles of the Bijuu sealed within him.
"I didn't call you for a lecture. I called you here because there is something I want to do."
"Would it have anything to do with your visit to Amegakure? You have been visiting the village a lot more frequently."
"You don't sound happy about that… Nagato is the leader of the Akatsuki… any reason I should not be around my leader?"
The suspicion, though not present in the eye, Naruto could feel its waves blasting through his sixth sense. Why introduce him to people when you were going to become a police whose suspicion has been roused by the stench of criminal activity?
Obito did not respond to this question. "What do you want?"
"Sasori informed me that Konoha is hosting the Chunin exams. I want to participate. I have grown weary of merely sitting around, with nothing better to do. I think this is a better time to reintroduce my existence to the world once more. The Akatsuki is going to be busy anyway."
"Why Konoha?"
Naruto gave the masked man a look, he wanted to ask if he was serious, but he bit his lip. You should never take a piss on the hand that feeds you.
"I am from Konoha. Though my memories are rather painful and I would rather not think too deeply about them, I want to see the looks on the faces of the people who tormented my life and celebrated by supposed death…"
There was that, and maybe because it was simply convenient. There was just a lot happening in the Hidden Leaf at the moment for him to simply observe from the shadows. Boredom could kill a person. Not only that, but sometimes, some opportunities were just too alluring to resist, even when they were surrounded by a pit of flesh eating flames.
"This would not have anything to do with Orochimaru's plans, would it?"
Orochimaru? That lost cause was an irrelevant piece of human trash that Naruto did not care for. Was he even right to consider the snake human? With all the experiments he has done on himself, he no longer qualified as human, even though he paraded as such. Regardless, the snake was merely a side show for bigger things in this world.
"I have no interest in those plans. As far as I am concerned, Orochimaru is an enemy of the Akatsuki. My presence along with his in the Leaf is merely an issue of convenience, on my part, at least."
"You have planned on going, why are you telling me?"
"For your convenience. I would rather you not start looking at me suspiciously for doing things… I have already spoken to Nagato and he is going to send a team of Genin to the Leaf. I will join them and we will partake in the exams. Of course, this decision means that when it becomes known that I form part of the Akatsuki, they will turn their focus on the Rain. But that is no worry. I have hashed out the details with Nagato."
"Anything will only be possible if Konoha even allows you to leave. Regardless of how you were treated, you are still the son of their former Hokage and contain the Kyubi."
The power of a tailed beast. The holy grail. You'd think it granted all kind of wishes with how villages once fought to obtain them. Weapons, that was what they'd been reduced to. Existence as a person denied, and birth of a convenient tool to be used for the protection of humans. It was ridiculous just how containers were treated. If anything, the world would be a lot better without any container.
"There is a contingency for that."
"Do as you like, but, if you come across Orochimaru, kill him and retrieve the ring. And make contact with Sasuke. We want him to join our side. Once he knows about the Uchiha massacre, he will want to join us."
"He is unnecessary for the plan."
"We do not know how long things will take. We are not yet ready to be taking action now. We have yet to even locate all Bijuus."
Was the Akatsuki going to turn into a circus of people with twisted personalities? There was no one in the organization who was sane. Not by any stretch. Itachi massacred his entire clan. Pein systematically erased anyone who so much as looked at Hanzo and smiled. The children, mothers and grandparents related to Hanzo, just to ensure there would be no rebellion to his rule. The other was an immortal zombie with a fanatic believe in his malevolent god who demanded nothing more than human sacrifices for his daily bread. The other was obsessed with money that he looked at people according to the value of their bounty.
And now, this man wanted to recruit a crazed teenager with the mental stability of a mental handicapped person.
There was him. Naruto smiled. He was normal. Just a child dragged into the circus because the world refused to understand him.
He wanted to respond, but, in the same spiraling manner as his mask, Madara's physical presence started to distort, warping away. He observed the warping like a hawk, analyzing just how this powerful jutsu worked.
Konohagakure
Hiruzen released smoke through his pipe, grey as his hair. Sometimes, he felt like an old flower, withering away in a slow and painful pace. There was no end to his misery or the work he'd dragged himself into. But he held on, telling himself, there was no one else who could do it. Jiraiya refused. Tsunade was a lost cause, running wild in the shinobi world with a large cloud of debt following behind her. The other had betrayed him and the village. He'd always known, but parental love was blind to the truth at times. Especially when it was mixed with naivety and denial.
The Third Hokage dropped his pipe on his desk when Jiraiya suddenly burst through the window like he had been hurled. Panic did not hit him like thunder, but the momentarily shock of the entrance had just been so sudden he was pushed off the train of thought as if the was an invader.
Upon recognizing the Sannin, the Third released a short breath and then quickly picked up his pipe before it burnt his paperwork. Looking at the pipe, he realized, over the past years, he was smoking it a lot more frequently that even Asuma worried. It was perhaps what made him age twice his actual days. The thoughts didn't make him throw the pipe in the bin. Instead, he stuffed it between his lips once more and tossed a suspicious glance toward Jiraiya – his only remaining student.
Sarutobi could count the number of times he has seen the Toad Sage in the last five years. He could take out his right hand and the fingers would be more than enough. He just needed to count to one and that was the end. Only when matters pressed did Jiraiya show up. Letters came to him every now and then. Sometimes, a year could go by and there would be nothing. As he would say, 'there was nothing for him in the village.' Konoha should be reason enough to persuade his student to be in the village but the Third Hokage didn't have the energy nor the appetite to lecture Jiraiya.
He leaned on his chair, and pushed it back slightly, before blowing up some smoke. When the smoke dispersed, he saw the serious look on Jiraiya's face. A rare sight that made his aged eyes compress the tiny happiness he felt seeing his student.
"Naruto is coming to this village. I saw him with my own eyes."
Once more, the Sandaime's pipe hit his desk. But this time, the crimson flames licked his papers before he could recover from the punch to the gut. For a moment, every paper on his desk could have burnt and he would not have cared as he stared at Jiraiya's with a dead serious look. Jokes? No, this relationship had become that of a leader and his subordinate. They didn't crack jokes, not even cruel ones meant to incite anger in the other.
Sarutobi could count the number of days, months, and years since Naruto disappeared from this village. He kept a journal after all. And it had a record of all his failures and regrets. But the most glaring one was Naruto. The memory of the blond had him guarding the village at night because he simply could not sleep. He even kept the portrait of Minato in the office, staring directly at him. it was not because Minato was the past Hokage, but because he felt it was only right he work under the gaze of the Fourth, condemning him for failing to protect his son. He'd already had many nightmares of Kushina castrating him. For certain, she was waiting for him in the afterlife, to torture him.
Not that he would not be deserving of the condemnation. What made things worse was that some back seat thought inside of him reasoned that if he explained things to Minato, the man would probably understand that there was nothing he could do. That sad understanding look in Minato's eyes would hurt more than any righteous fury Kushina would dish out on him.
"Forgive me for sounding a little skeptical, Jiraiya, but how certain are you that it is Naruto that you saw?" There was no emotion in his tone, just a hollow voice of a weary old man who had pushed a little too far than his aged permitted.
It had been when the village was reeling from the chilling massacre of the Uchiha clan when it became apparent Naruto was gone. He hadn't even authorized the massacre. It had occurred under his nose. And Naruto disappeared under his nose. If the massacre had been a sucker punch, the disappearance of Naruto was a death blow. It had knocked the oxygen off his lungs, and turned the air around him into a polluted mist that had him coughing as he gasped for fresh air.
Hiruzen could remember that day like it was yesterday. The memory was so fresh that he felt like it was indeed the day before. He'd thought Danzo was responsible, and had ordered the Anbu to ransack the man's place until Naruto was found. But they found nothing. Nearly, he had ripped Danzo's bandaged arm by his own hands. But he had looked at the bigger picture. Naruto was gone. Without a trace. No blood. Nothing.
For the past years, they have searched for him with no success. Not sure he was dead or alive. At some point, even though Jiraiya has said the Toads believed Naruto was still alive, Hiruzen had started to lose hope. Merely resigning to his eternal doom in the hands of Kushina for failing to protect her son.
But the disappearance had certainly dented his standing, yet affirmed his hold on the affairs of the village. After all, he'd turned this village upside down, sometimes personally interrogating spies. None had left, none had gone in. For days after the disappearance, the village was on lockdown, with a wide net cast above the Leaf. But there was no fish that was caught. Just despair.
"I saw him with my eyes!" Jiraiya was now in front of his desk, banging on his desk with his right fist. "I saw him sensei. He is alive and well. There is no way I can mistake him with anyone!"
Sarutobi refused to smile. No, he would not dare give himself the hope of Naruto's survival. A hope that has tormented him for the past years. At least, on the bright side, the village benefited from this. He had taken a rather tough stance on shinobi, because, he didn't want to fail once more. More than anyone, he understood Konoha was not its buildings but its people. Philosophically, even if this place was destroyed, they could still form another Hidden Leaf, as long as the people still remained. But it had been the Leaf that rejected Naruto and disappointedly, had celebrated his disappearance from the village.
After all, to them, he was nothing more than the Kyubi brat. A remembrance of the dreadful night the Bijuu went on a rampage, killing their loved ones. Ironically, anger at the beast that cost them their beloved Hokage.
It sickened Sarutobi that Naruto would never have any good memories of the village. Perhaps that was why he refused to rejoice over the news that Naruto was alive. And the only other reason Naruto would be coming here is because of the Chunin exams to take place. This was no return of a lost child. If indeed truly, it was Naruto, then he had joined another village. And what was worrying. He was after all, the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi.
"Why are you not happy about this, sensei?"
Hiruzen blinked. It had somehow slipped past him that Jiraiya had actually called him sensei. For the first time in years. To this, he managed to smile.
"It has just been years, and I am a little worried about what this means to be too excited. But I am indeed happy that Naruto is alive."
"He is alive! I just didn't talk to him because I know he probably won't recognize me. I only saw him once or twice when he was little. Besides, I didn't want to scare him…" the Sannin slumped onto the chair in front of the desk, allowing a look of relief to spread across his face. All of the sudden, he looked tired, yet elated.
"You did the right thing. He is coming here, so there is no need to be in a rush to do anything. We must observe him…" the Sandaime paused.
He worried greatly, that with how Naruto was treated in this village, and his appearance now, anything could happen. This forced him to be grounded. It was a problem, since even Suna had sent its Jinchuriki. He didn't want to think there was a connection, but it was too much of a coincident to simply let it pass.
"Now, who is he coming with?"
"He was with shinobi wearing a Rain headband…"
"We did send an invitation to the village, but this was because we suspected the village to be over its civil war even though information coming from it says the civil war is still on-going. Danzo has already confirmed that he believes Hanzo is dead as he lost connection with him," Hiruzen paused, and then stood up, folding his hands across his back. He then walked toward the window, glancing down the streets. "How long till he reaches here?"
"Tomorrow morning or noon."
"Just in time for the exams," the Sandaime Hokage said. He snapped his fingers, and a squad of Anbu appeared in a flash. "Tell them his direction, Jiraiya."
The Sannin did so.
"Go, tail him from afar. Once you have confirmed it is him, send me a picture. Do not engage no matter what. You will continue to observe him even after he has arrived in the village," Hiruzen paused, glancing at the Anbu through the corner of his eyes. "You do know, Naruto, yes?"
"It was years ago, but his physical characteristics are hard to miss. Whisker marks, blond hair, and blue eyes. But the most important detail is the whisker marks."
"Good. Get it."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen stared at the streets, just wondering how Naruto would be welcomed. For this village, Naruto brought many deep memories, pain and the ugliness of people's hearts. Jiraiya had already refused to lead this village. He'd said even if he was capable of leading, he wouldn't lead these people. But he would protect them. If there was someone worthy, Sarutobi would have already quit. But even he sometimes, wondered why he still led this village. The Uchiha massacre, Naruto, Minato… he had become nothing but a hollow shell of his former idealist self because of this village. Yet, he simply could not stop loving it.
Perhaps he could now understand why Itachi was willing to lose even his family to the sake of this village. Still, he didn't think that had been necessary. Yet, Danzo had schemed behind him. The last time, he had sworn.
The following day
Naruto stared at the two large gates, welcoming him to the Hidden Leaf–his former home. To him, those were nothing more than the gates of hell itself. Maybe he was merely playing into the fearmongering of Madara, but he could not deny that this village had never loved him.
There was no good memory that came up when he thought of the Leaf. The orphanage he'd been dropped off at by the Sandaime had been nothing more than hell for him. The mental abuse. The glares. The whispers and the loneliness. Not that the latter part has actually been elevated. He was still lonely; the twisted grip of the lonesome demon refused to free him into the embrace of another human.
Notwithstanding his contempt, looking at this bubbling village, Naruto couldn't help but grin–the kind of grin that would make Kyubi proud to be contained within him. He was not a macho, but he was looking forward to the looks, to the glares, the shocked expressions when they see him marching within their streets. Suckers, he wondered what they'd do. In fact, he was hoping to incite something. What about the elders of this villages? Snakes. Danzo would probably be the first to approach him. His most likely approach would be to have him mind controlled or have the Kyubi removed from him. After all, the Kyubi was the perfect weapon for him.
"Are we going to stand here forever?"
Naruto glanced at Ajisai, she had her hands around her waist, staring at him. He smiled. "It suddenly felt a bit nostalgic being here," he said, waving his right hand. "Let us, but we must head somewhere first before we look for lodgings. I'm rather hungry."
"Better than standing here."
They then started moving.
"Halt!" the guards, stopped them. It was two of them. A Hyuga. A little too experienced to be a guard in Naruto's eyes. But who was he to judge? "State your business."
"We are shinobi from the Hidden Rain. We have come here to participate in the Chunin exams." Ajisai responded, handing over the invitation and their papers.
The guard took the papers scanned them and then glanced at them. "Your sensei?"
"Will join us at a later stage."
"I see… you may enter the village."
"Thank you." Ajisai responded and then motioned for the team to follow. After walking for a couple of moments, she halted, glancing back at Naruto who was walking behind. "You are the one who knows this village. Shouldn't you take the lead? Besides, you said we had to go somewhere first…"
"Well," Naruto smiled. "I'm not sure I remember correctly. I was rather too young when I left. Let us just take the road next to us. We will eventually find it. If we get lost, we can always ask."
"Do we have to first get lost before asking for directions?"
"You'll see why I state so."
Naruto hadn't changed much over the years. He could still remember the ragged clothing he had worn when Madara appeared before him, his messy hair. He had grown a little taller. The results of hard training under the watchful eye of cold hearted man who most likely didn't even have a face and then with Itachi. Sometimes, within his mindset, trying to stand against the Kyubi, even when it was all just a hopeless battle. Anyone looking for him needed just to see whisker marks to remember. The dread they always felt when the saw him. The contempt they expressed when they saw the thing that killed their loved ones. It didn't take long for some to recognize him and as he walked, the word spread like wildfire.
'It is him. Has he come to cause us harm again?'
A rather cynical part of him thought that maybe tonight they would gather about, plot to burn the witch. It was better to pin him on a cross and burn him in a mouthful flames, before he got them. Of course, he had no plans. He could simply watch them, whimper in their horror. They'd have sleepless nights while he stood here. They knew their sin. And as long as he was not wearing a Konoha headband, they would learn to fear him, simply because he existed.
"You're not a welcomed person here, are you?" Ajisai asked, eyes dancing around. The contempt directed toward them was unmistakable. She'd never quite experienced anything like this.
"Not at all. They hate me more than anything. My mere presence is enough to make a saint become the devil just to get rid of a social problem. I think their intestines boil when they feel me."
"And yet that amuses you."
"Eh," Naruto shrugged. "From my point of view, it is a little amusing. Just to see that my walking by makes people become red with hatred so much that they'd burst up like a balloon makes me laugh. I'm even holding myself from going up to one of them just to say, 'boom' and see if they really will explode."
Ajisai shook her head. "No starting trouble; you were warned by Angel-sama."
Konan? She did appear to these people like an angel. But she was not. But it was arguable that Nagato was indeed a god. His claim was not baseless. And certainly, looking at it from the angle of certain shinobi who have been branded Gods of shinobi, he stood far above them, because he could do things that they could not do.
"I won't," Naruto came to a halt. "Change of plans. You two can look for our dwellings and then get something to eat. Either way is fine. I'm going to eat alone."
"Why?"
"You see that Ramen stand…" Naruto did not point. But the stand was just in front of them. "Those two people sitting there are the Sandaime Hokage and Jiraiya the Sannin. I assume they are waiting for me. It would be too cruel avoid them."
He was already walking away.
The stool left vacated was sandwiched between the two great shinobi. Naruto didn't waste time hopping onto the stool, stealthily as he did. "Two bowls of Miso Ramen please."
The girl looked at him for a moment before glancing at the two shinobi and then nodded before walking away. Naruto placed his hands on the counter and tapped them, musing silently. He'd come here a couple of times with the Sandaime. As far as he was concerned, the Sandaime Hokage was the only person who had shown kindness to him. But of course, with everything he has learned, he wasn't sure if all that was genuine or just a play. With shinobi, you could never know.
Naruto felt a little giddy sitting in the presence of the two shinobi. The other gained his status by losing. That is what you call the greatest loser. But there was no denying his immense power. The Sandaime, although now looked like a washed up cloth that needs to be shoved six feet under, he was a shinobi worth the respect, at least while he was still alive.
The dead did not tell tales. There was nothing underneath that stood tall.
"Came here for the Chunin exams?"
It was the Sandaime, his eyes a narrow glance. Naruto nodded. "Yes."
"You are not wearing a headband… which village do you represent?"
The Sandaime glanced fully at the blond. There was no doubt now, this was Naruto. His skin looked too good. The result of hard physical practice. There was no doubt he was a strong shinobi. His hair was a little longer, framing both his cheeks. It was just like Minato. He wore a black short sleeved t-shirt, long black pants, black gloves. The t-shirt hand a crimson swirl of the Uzumaki in the front and the back.
There was no doubt in his mind that this was Naruto Uzumaki. He did indeed dress like one, but he didn't speak like one nor did he walk like one. This was different from the child he knew from years ago.
Naruto didn't offer an immediate response, but rather silently waited until his ramen arrived. He clapped his hands, said his players and then dug in.
"I swear, nothing tastes better!" He exclaimed happily. "Where are my manners, is it right for me to even eat before two great shinobi?"
"You know about me?" Jiraiya nearly face palmed the moment he asked the question. Which shinobi didn't know about the great Jiraiya of Mount Myoboku? "Forget it, you have heard the galactic tales of the Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya…" the man said with a wide grin.
Naruto fully glanced at the man, head tilted to the side before turning back to his ramen. "Is it really okay for me to eat like this before the Hokage?" he asked respectfully.
The Sandaime Hokage smiled. "Yes, it is fine," he said.
"What is with that subdued reaction about me?"
"Hmm… I was going to burst your bubble and say I actually don't know you but what kind of a shinobi would I be if I didn't know a legendary shinobi? I said it before, I sit before two great shinobi. I like to think there is no shinobi who doesn't know about the famed 'God of Shinobi."
The Sandaime smiled softly. "That is true… but the young ones these days don't care much about old geezers like us."
"Relics of the past?" Naruto questioned before shrugging. He said nothing farther but continued to eat his ramen in silence. Once done, he said his thanks and jumped away from the stand.
"You sure it was wise not saying anything?"
Hiruzen nodded. "I wanted to know if he remembers anything. We also don't know if those who took him from the village are watching or not. We can't afford to take reckless action or we will lose him forever. We must be happy that he is alive, and we see him. We must plan accordingly how we handle things."
"Does he remember though? Certainly acted normal."
Hiruzen smiled. "Well, the fact that he came here means he at least remembers he came here. If he remembers this much, then we can assume he has his memories of being in this village. He knows how he was treated. We must take it from that angle."
Regardless of the approach at this point, the end result was that Naruto was not going to be allowed to leave this village. Someone stole him from this village. They would simply be reclaiming what belonged to them.
"You'll have to be careful if you ever engage him. But don't do it now. Let us wait until we know more," the Sandaime added. A bit of concerned. That was no child. Naruto was a shinobi through and through. He didn't need to express it in words or any action, but Hiruzen had sensed it.
"Yeah… he is careful with his words. And he didn't answer your question about why he didn't wear a headband…" Jiraiya smiled. "You're losing your touch sensei…"
"Perhaps," the Third kept his smile. "But at least if we get this right, we can correct things, Jiraiya. We must be careful. Minato's legacy hangs in the balance. And both of us we have a lot to answer for if we fail."
The simple thing a man who sacrificed his life for the village would've wished was for the village to take care of his child, but they had failed. Jiraiya had failed. He was the godfather. He knew Naruto had no other family, but he had hardly been around. He only came running when he got the bad news. Failure. He had failed Orochimaru, Minato, and now he was failing his son. At least, there was a chance for repentance, with Naruto alive.
But what was this dark cloud he felt hanging over the village?
A little bit happy, but also concerned. Naruto seemed like a normal child. From what Yugao had seen so far, Ajisai was the leader of the team, but Naruto did as he liked. The kunoichi listened to her teammate while the other was unusually quiet. She couldn't tell all the dynamics, but what was obvious was that they were both capable genin.
Before, she had observed Naruto under the orders of the Sandaime. She had watched the horrors at the orphanage. Sometimes, they didn't give him food, sometimes, they only gave him leftovers. The other children bullied him. The caretakers scorned him. No matter how many times the Sandaime changed people or threatened them, the systematic behavior never changed. He had been thinking of moving the blond away from the orphanage when he was old enough to cook for himself. But it had never occurred. Out of the blue, the blond had gone underground.
Nobody would say it, but being away from this village saved him from more pain and suffering. The little time he had spent in the village streets hadn't been filled with merry showers and laughter, but bitter memories. A sad reality but…
Yugao trailed off, twisting around from the rooftop she sat on. There was Naruto, walking casually with what appeared to be a book on his right hand. His eyes were not on her but his book. She was still, watching him as he settled down, lying on his back, before finally speaking. His voice was not childlike. It was a mature voice.
"Are Anbu supposed to be in the open like this?"
This could not simply be a coincident. But more to that, how had he managed to get in behind her without her noticing? The others don't seem to have taken notice. She glanced back at the hotel room the blond had been sitting with his teammates. He was still there. She flipped back, watched the blond–was it a clone? But the question was, which one was a clone? When had he even switched with a clone? Had they been observing a clone all day?
She tapped her radio and to let her squad know about the situation. She decided, this was probably the original.
"It depends on the mission." Yugao said, after considering whether she should respond to the blond or not. "Did you come here on purpose?"
Naruto pushed his book away, glancing at her. Those eyes looked a bit unnatural. She noticed, he never fully opened them. Sometimes, there was this sharp look about them that made her heart race. He seemed careless, but he was highly observant.
"What do you suppose is the answer?"
Was it really a good choice to engage him? If he hadn't said anything, she would not have bothered, but he had already spoken. The Sandaime hadn't accounted for this kind of scenario.
"The 'Naruto' with the others is a clone, and the one in front of me is the original. I suppose you came here because you knew I was here."
Naruto smiled. "That raises a question, then."
Yugao nodded. "When did you notice my presence?"
"That is on the assumption that I actually came here because I knew you were here. We have not even answered the glaring question of whether what is in front of you is a real one or a clone."
"Kage Bunshin… this is a Konoha jutsu…" Yugao narrowed her eyes. "At this point, whether you are a clone or the original doesn't matter. The fact is you are in front of me."
Naruto pushed his book between his view and Yugao. He didn't say anything until a couple of moments passed by. "That must be true."
"Are you going to answer my question?"
"No… it is less interesting if I tell. You suspect it is the case, but you are not truly sure because you can't confirm it. Even if I confirm it, there is a problem that I might be lying."
This was no simple genin. Was he even a Genin in the first place? If he had sensed her and her teammates, then he was no normal genin, if he was a genin.
"Are you really Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi?"
"If I must be, then I must be."
Yugao knew she was not going anywhere with the conversation with Naruto. He was not going to confirm or deny anything. It was best not to even press any farther since she was not mandated to question the blond. After a moment, Yugao disappeared in a flash, heading to the Hokage tower to report to the Sandaime.
Expressionlessly, Naruto sat in a meditative pose in front of the beast that he was 'mistaken' for by the villagers. Just looking at the Bijuu, Naruto thought perhaps it would be funny to transform into a full-blown Bijuu just to frighten the villagers. No doubt, the panic would have many diving into the burrows and Anbu squads calling all those who have experience from before when the Kyubi went on a rampage 14 years ago.
"Staring at those eyes makes me uncomfortable," Kurama said to Naruto.
He had been twice controlled by the Sharingan and each time he felt his pride take a huge dive off a cliff. The others probably laughed at his nine tails when they heard about it. Worse, he was only half of his former glory because of the cursed seal the Yondaime used to seal him.
"Apparently, the effects of Genjutsu lose their power when in here," Naruto said in a slightly hollow tone. "I've been here for a couple of hours, and the ill intent toward me has already repulsed me. You claim to be hatred, but these people take it to another level. I'm sure if Madara had not saved me from this village, I would have been burnt like a witch."
"You humans are despicable creatures," Kurama paused, staring. "Why do you insist on calling him Madara?"
Friends? No, Kurama wouldn't say he and the blond were friends. Naruto didn't even know his name. They just worked together after Naruto went to the extreme by removing the cage. He said, it was to better control his power without it being filtered by the seal. When it came to him trying to take over the blond, there had been a clear warning, the Sharingan would do its job.
"I have already told you that masked bastard is not Madara."
Was he stupid? No, 'Madara' and everyone else who is not a Jinchuriki do not consider the intelligence of the Bijuu. They go as far as to dismiss them, seeing them as nothing more than mindless beast to be used for their almost limitless chakra. That man couldn't tell. Not that he thought about it. He claimed to be Madara, but the Bijuu inside of him knew Madara's chakra.
"You did but you I do not know the person behind the mask. Besides, he has knowledge of things only the real Madara would know. It shows that he has somehow known Madara. Either way, the moment I question his identity, I might die. It works better when he is Madara, even in my thoughts. I'm not telling myself a lie to continue to believe it but to protect myself from slipping."
"Does it matter? You really don't care much about your life."
"Well, if I didn't care about my life, I would not have labored hard to survive and to be where I am. It is true that I do not belong in this village. He was indeed right about this place. This is not my home. He did me a favor by removing me from this place. And I must return the favor."
Even though Naruto was his container, Kurama couldn't tell his thoughts. He kept most things to himself, yet revealing too many things for all. That just made him a little complicated to deal with. For that masked bastard, maybe it was easy since he knew just how most parts of the blond operated. He did train him and teach many things about life after all. But perhaps the person who knew the blond best was that Uchiha brat. If it was possible, Kurama would have had Naruto be away from the damn Uchiha but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Any other reason you even came to this place? The hatred coming out of this village is enough to excite me."
"A lot of reasons really, but one that sticks out is me trying to understand Nagato and his obsession with the hatred within the shinobi world. This is unpleasant, and if I so wished, I could start a war with the Hidden Leaf. But that is a story for another day. For now, I merely wish to experience," Naruto responded quietly. "I sensed a Jinchuriki in this village. The power can't be more than three tails. I assume that is Shukaku as Suna is already within the village."
Naruto's sensory ability was something to be envied. The blond knew how to distinguish between chakra natures and when he added it with his ability to sense negative emotions, it made him a container worth carrying him, even though he was not truly happy to be holed up in this seal with no chance of escape.
"Is there any other Jinchuriki?"
"If there was, then you'd know."
"I'm still learning. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that there is nothing I cannot miss. If there is a Jinchuriki here, it makes things interesting. To have two Jinchuriki in your village would make you worry. If we both released, I'm certain the Leaf would meet its end. There is no one here with Fuinjutsu skills to seal a rampaging Bijuu. Both Jiraiya and the Sandaime cannot be compared to the Uzumaki masters who once graced this world."
He truly had nothing in this world. His clan, his parents, they were all dead. He had nothing. He had no blood relative alive. The place his parents had died to protect felt nothing but contempt for him. It was truly a sad life. Being with Madara was a fortunate turn of events that saved him from misery and created a different path that would bring him much happiness.
The streets were bursting with activities. Chunin exams brought too many visitors, potential clients and tourists. But it seemed that his presence was the main attraction, at least to the villagers. Or maybe someone was merely spreading the word a little too much. Naruto would not put it past Zetsu to have connived something that sinister. There seemed to be nothing the wizard was not willing to do for its amusement. For people who were willing to deny his existence, they seemed to be willing to quickly acknowledge him, perhaps it was the fear.
Naruto halted within the streets, and then crouched down. He placed his right hand on the ground.
"Hurry it up, will you?" Ajisai said to Naruto. The stares were making her uncomfortable. The people could not stop gawking at them. And some were casting them looks that were threatening. At this rate, it wouldn't even be surprising if someone tried to sabotage their exams.
"I was merely trying to confirm if something annoying was present in this village. With so many chakra presence, it is difficult to get a good grasp of distinctive signatures," Naruto stood up, and then started walking. The direction was the shinobi academy where everyone was supposed to gather.
There was a huge crowd, more than hundred supposed genin gathered in the training grounds. A lot more than what Naruto had anticipated to see. Most of them were not worth looking at but his attention was focused only on two people who deserved his cents. Sensing a huge chakra signature, Naruto grinned.
"Well, this will truly be interesting. I might go wild. Or maybe not."
Hiruzen stood before genin from different villages, wearing his Hokage robes. There were many of them. Much more than he had anticipated. All Major villages had sent their shinobi. Some he knew, had no interest in promoting their shinobi or anything like that but were merely present simply to spy on the progress of this village.
"Welcome to the Hidden Leaves. You have all been sent here to represent your respective villages in this Chunin exam. The exam is going to be a little difficult for some of you, and maybe easy for some…" he said, his eyes wandering around the academy grounds full of genin. "The exam will have two stages. It was supposed to have three stages, but we cut off the first one which was a written exam. In an effort to make it interesting, we took the decision. The first stage, tests your teamwork, endurances, intelligence, leadership, and survival skills. Without any of those, you will not survive." The Third then turned to Anko. "Anko, if you will."
"Listen up you brats! I won't repeat myself to you!" Anko exclaimed loudly. "I will be the proctor of the first stage. You will be given four days to complete it. If you are strong enough, you can do it in a single day. But if you are weak, you won't make it. And you will die."
"Does that mean killing is allowed?"
"We don't condone needless killing of other people. But there are no rules against it. This is a real test of what you will come across as shinobi. If we remove the ability to kill, it makes this safe. You must always know that when you leave your village for a mission, you might die. The first stage will go like this: you are all going to enter the Forest of Death. Each team will be given a map with marked locations. In each location, there is a flag with the symbol of the villages you represent. The flags are proportionate to the number of teams and what they represent. For example, if there is only two teams from the Leaf, there will be two flags.
"Your objective is to obtain and protect your village's flag. However, any team that does protect its flag but leaves a teammate behind, will not pass. You need to make it out as a team." Anko then grinned. "There is a catch though. It is a war game. If you get flags of other villages, you get a point. Only those with a minimum of 10 flags, get to pass. If, a teammate is left behind, and the team manages to get more than 15 flags, you will be exempted from the 'three' rule and will go the final stage. One more thing, even if you have 20 flags, but don't have the flag with your village, you will not pass. Your own flag is the first requirement. For now, wait here and decide if you still want to continue. If not, we will come and collect you in about an hour and lead you to your destination." Anko said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Who even thought of this game? It was ridiculous. Shikamaru was even considering quitting because this meant to pass, they had to defeat nine other teams. Not everyone could pass. It was designed to get people to fail. Only the best would pass. This was indeed war games. Each one would be fighting for the pride of their villages. It was a little provocative. Someone will go home thinking they defeated another village.
Releasing a long sigh, Shikamaru glanced at his teammates and smiled wearily.
"This is bad."
"You don't need to say it," Ino agreed. "But we have already come this far. We can't go back."
"You do realize that realistically, not more than six teams can pass. There are about 60 teams here. Less than that might even pass the exam and the rest will just fade in the forest," Shikamaru said.
"Someone is a little scared…" Kiba said, sneering at Shikamaru. "If you want to quit, you can do so. Real shinobi will handle this."
Shikamaru didn't say anything but glanced at Neji's team. They were most likely to survive. They had the most experienced and most powerful genin team in the Hidden Leaf. They were not rookies – they had missions under their sleeves and experience but this was going to be tough.
"Teme, you hit me on purpose!" Sasuke exclaimed angrily as he got up. Naruto had brushed against his shoulders, causing him to hit the ground on his butt.
Naruto stopped walking, glancing at Sasuke through the corner of his eyes. This was Itachi's brother? He was barely holding himself from attacking him. There was no self-control. And what was that look on his eyes? Were the rumors true about his unstable mind when it came to his elder brother? Naruto wanted to test it, but not here.
"Sorry about that. He didn't see you," Ajisai apologized warmly on his behalf.
Naruto's eyes moved toward her. She was a nice girl. She was always trying to do well. She respected her leaders and wanted nothing more than to make them proud by achieving whatever mission they gave her. She was not that strong, but not everyone could be powerful.
"Do I look like a care about that?"
"Relax, Sasuke…" Sai intervened, stopping the Uchiha from pushing Ajisai to the side. "Do you really want to pick a fight with a dickless guy who has a girl apologize for him?"
Naruto raised an eye brow, smiling. "Now that's amusing. Dickless? Do you want me to show you?" He asked, trying to pull down his pants, but Ajisai stopped him.
"You are making a scene."
"He said I don't have a thing. I wanted to show it to him," Naruto responded flatly. "Besides, I see some eyes were hungrily waiting to see. I see Konoha has a bunch of perverts for Genin…" the blond said, taking a step closer to Sai. He poked the pale shinobi on the forehead, and like Sasuke, he fell on the ground, his face much paler as if he's seen a ghost. Naruto smiled. "Well, that is just boring…"
"What did you do to him?!"
Naruto glanced at Sakura. "Oh nothing," he shrugged, and walked away with no one stopping him. He then halted in front of Shino. "Take your bugs off me," he whispered.
Shikamaru merely shook his head, watching the blond and his teammates walk away. "My advice; that is someone you want to avoid, along with the team from Suna."
Flashback
Naruto was not someone you wanted to expose your weakness to or otherwise, he would brutally carve them out. In his interactions and training with the blond, Itachi had learned a lot, even though he was the teacher. Madara had introduced them. By then, he had been a remarkable child who was very knowledgeable about many things in the shinobi world and the Uchiha. Normally, when he wanted to talk, private things, he used Genjutsu. At least no one would listen.
Itachi had never crossed the line of treachery with Naruto, and even when he hinted, the blond never took the bait. He was not too stupid not to notice – he just chose to ignore it. Still, the blond did make a good companion and a good teammate.
Itachi settled in front of Naruto who sat in a meditative posture, eyes closed, hands clasped across his chest. Slow to act. Patience? Yes, but at times, he showed willingness to jump in without a second thought. It made him unpredictable. Sometimes he showed a whimsical side, doing things based on convenience rather than a well thought plan or an agenda. That meant, even for more, predicting what Naruto would do was merely a guessing game.
"I'm on my way to the Hidden Rain to speak to Pein regarding the Chunin exams Konoha is going to host."
"You're interested in playing along?"
"Yes… seems that a lot is happening and it should prove to be interesting."
Itachi wasn't going to overthink things. There was no saying that Naruto always had a reason for doing things. Sometimes there was a reason, and sometimes, there was none. He was multi-faceted. But at core, he was looking for experiences, to broaden his understanding of the shinobi world.
"I thought you had no interest in going to the Leaf."
He had his personal reasons for trying to get Naruto to see Konoha. Selfish things, really. But Naruto had refused. What he knew, Naruto had no love for Konoha. It was not a case of love lost. There had never been love in the first place. He worried at moments when Naruto showed flashes of contempt, that one day, for his pleasure, he would land before the gates of Konoha, wielding a chainsaw, reading grind the village and everyone within it.
Then, there would be a dilemma. What does he do in that moment?
"It was not convenient when you offered, but now it is. Besides, I have grown weary of always having to hide as if I do not exist. I don't find value in my life if I'm always hiding in the shadows. I want to spread out my wings and exist in this world, even though it has rejected me. Going to the Leaf vacates me from the shadows and takes me into the light where everyone will know Naruto exists."
Maybe this was what Naruto desired, to exist. Maybe not. Itachi could not tell. Naruto was a complicated person. But the important thing was that they got along.
"If you are going to Konoha, then I have a request of you."
Naruto opened his right eye slightly. And then shut it before asking. "Your brother, I suppose."
"Yes. If you participate in the exam, you will have a chance to test him. I want to see how he has progressed in his training. There is no one better to put him in corner than you."
Naruto's eyelids parted, just barely, revealing a fully matured Sharingan.
"I have no problem with that, but, just remember that I am merciless."
End chapter
This is a 'continuation' of my story, to Belong. Just had to rewrite it because the back story left my hands tied on what I could do with Naruto.
Edit/30/3/21
The Omnipresent Sage