Hey everyone! reupdating kuz I felt like it. hehehe. Thanks for all the
reviews but I wonder if I'm updating waaaay too early... hahah it's a
tendency. Once I have a chappie up I just feel like a second should come
after... maybe a bit too fast no? but we'll just have to see...
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
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Okay, just a lil note I wanted to add... I'm thinking of removing a few things but im not sure what you readers prefer... 1) the "previously" thing... I'm sure it doesn't make much of a difference so on to the next one... 2) The point of view notes because I don't really use point of view anyways... I simply don't use anything other than omniscient (am I right?) I just don't do first person POV or anything of the sort. 3) probably that lil section that explains what a "and ' is... I don't think I need that right?
Well on to the reviewers' questions and just stuff I want to comment upon...
Hyper yo yo boy: oh that must really suck. =b blunt but true... hmmm but I do enjoy the classes I take... it's just the other stuff that sucks... which basically is the homework and the constant testing... have to memorize a hundred words a week, who wouldn't want to quit? Hahaha I'm glad you enjoyed those parts... they were a lot more interesting to write so I guess they were pretty interesting to read as well... but what would I know, I'm not the reader. thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter/ficcie.
CanalVorfeed1: hahaha I wasn't sure whether to use "dump" or "hellhole" in that lil part... I guess I put dump kuz its "not a bad word" but eh... hehe its good to hear you liked that section and that you think the characterization is good, but I'm not sure if I should really do so much of it... hahaha I'm forgettin to write the story now... I mean three chapters and Naruto still hasn't met Kakashi, or have any contact with any of the other characters... so I'm a bit skeptical about the amount of time I spend on it... hehe thanks for your review and maybe on this chapter you'll be the first the review this time!
Blaboy: Hmmm... I can't really quite answer that... lets just say it depends... I think I have this thing when I update only during the night (I'm partly nocturnal due to the mass amounts of hmwk I get in skoo lolx) all I can say is for sure, I'll usually update at least once a week, or if I get tons of reviews and in my mirth, I'll go on a lil phase where I wont think about anything but the next chapters of mah ficcie... or maybe when I'm inspired... like after I read another good ficcie, and begin to think like "I want to be as good as its safe to say though, for the time being, I'm addicted and will be updating about every three or four days ... or every 10 reviews... what can I say? They inspire me! I hope you enjoy my ficcie and I also hope to see more reviews from ya!
TomokiG: hehehe! Thanks! I guess I find it ezier writing stuff a bit more realistically.. =b but I'm glad you liked it. and I think it is true that it take a miracle for naruto not to be like comfortable in his home town after a rough childhood... but most stories do put that, but it makes sense with their stories. Hehe either way, thank you sooo much for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Per: First of all, I'm a girl, so I'd have a lot of trouble writing him as perverted... like really perverted... and truthfully, he is perverted... I think it was in the episode with Konohamaru when he took the kid in to look at a porno magazine.... Hehehe. Uhmmm.. thanks for the compliment on mah grammar, ' I guess this lil section is a bit conflicting with what you said... hahahah... well it'd be embarrassing to write mah ficcie in anything other than perfect grammer... for the comments section though, I guess I'm a bit more comfortable writing in slang... or just lazier =b thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter and its grammar as well! =b
Thanks also to the other reviewers. Gotta say, you guys rock!
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Chapter 4 – Ramen: The Healer of Past Wounds
[A/N: heheh, don't you like mah title? It doesn't make sense with this chapter but its still kewl!!]
"Click."
The key still worked. At least they didn't try to kick him out of his old apartment... yet. A panal next to the door read "Room 299 : Uzamaki Naruto."
The blonde turned the knob and the door creaked. He walked into the dark room and then hit the switch for the lights. The lights flickered a bit before they steadied with a constant beam. The blonde looked into the room. Nothing had changed.
'I guess all the people who wanted to buy an apartment at the time while I was gone thought this place was cursed,' thought Naruto, as he smirked bitterly. 'I expected it to be burned down or something after I left. Guess the old man didn't let that happen.'
He looked around the apartment. There was his old bed that was almost rock- hard. He had remembered when he bought it the dealer would only give him that one. And there was the table that was somewhat lopsided and worn-out. It was his best piece of furniture, which was sad. The boy then walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard. He grinned widely. There they were. All his supply of ramen he had left behind because he couldn't carry it all with him in his travels.
'Hmmmm... I could sure use some ramen right now,' he thought, 'even though I just came back from Ichiraku with the Hokage.'
He reached in and rummaged around the stacks of noodles until he pulled out one that read "Beef Flavored." While he prepared it, he reminisced on what the he and the Hokage had spoken about.
Flashback
"One large specialty ramen bowl and a regular chicken ramen please," ordered the Hokage to the man in the stand.
"Right away, Hokage-sama. On the house," replied the man with a smile. He then went to the back of the stand where he and his daughter began cooking.
The Hokage and Naruto were sitting on the barstools in a comfortable silence. Of course, there was still the hustle and bustle of the village outside the ramen stand. The sun was barely setting as the sky became darker, lighting up with the stars in the sky. Villagers were outside, enjoying the cool evening while gossiping about the latest jutsu, or the progress of someone by the name of Uchiha, or about the latest mission. Laughs could be heard by Naruto and his companion.
'They sound so happy when they think I'm not here,' Naruto thought glumly.
A bowl of ramen was then placed in front of his face. Naruto looked up to see the old ramen chef.
He smiled at Naruto and said, "You remind me of this kid who used to come to my stand. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, too. Great fan of ramen, so I would see him often. Hahaha, I wonder what happened to that kid..." His face had an expression of fondness when he was speaking of this blonde, blue-eyed boy.
Naruto smiled.
"Well, enjoy your ramen. You too Hokage-sama."
"Thank you, Teuchi." Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, smiled and went back to cooking.
"So Naruto, how was traveling with Jiraiya?" asked the Third, starting the conversation.
Naruto mumbled something, while slurping up some of his ramen. The old man gave him a look of confusion.
"It was fine," Naruto repeated. He wasn't really interested in telling the Hokage every little aspect of his travels with the frog hermit.
"Ero-sennin and I just traveled around. That's all."
The Third nodded and smiled before he said, "I suppose he trained you as well? You know, at one point in his life, Jiraiya was Yondaime's sensei."
Naruto nodded, taking note of what the other man had said. He knew the whole story of what had happened to Yondaime. To be from Hidden Leaf and not know would be something like a crime. The Fourth died sealing the Kyuubi.
[A/N: remember... Naruto doesn't know about Kyuubi being sealed inside him]
Sandaime started talking about the changes in Konoha while Naruto was gone. They went on like this for an hour or two, while empty bowls of ramen were being refilled and re-emptied.
"Tomorrow I want you to go to the village ninja academy. They're taking the Genin exam tomorrow and since you're going to be here for a while, why don't you consider joining a genin group?" asked the Third.
"Well, I don't know old man... I'm not sure if I'm ready yet..." he mumbled quietly.
Sandaime gave him a gentle pat on the back and said, "I know you're a little worried, but you have to have faith in the people. If I'm not mistaken, I once knew a blonde, blue-eyed boy who wanted to become Hokage. And this kid wouldn't give up. He was quite stubborn about it, but I believed he could do it."
Naruto smiled and looked up to the him as the old man continued, "I still believe that he could do it. He may have to start out small and unknown, but he will become great if he truly believes he can do it."
Naruto faked a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine. If you want me to join that badly. I guess it'll be entertaining for the time being."
End Flashback
[A/N: too long? Not sure... hmmm]
He looked to see the ramen done cooking.
"Well, don't mind if I do!" he said, digging into the ramen. [A/N: whats that word they say when they start eating? Ikaidesumasu? Is that it?]
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The laughter of children his age could be heard all around him. Naruto walked into the school campus, watching the younger kids run around, playing tag or whatever children of ninja did. It was a little before 8 a.m. in the morning and the sun was out in the sky, shining warmly upon the village of Konoha
The blonde was somewhat lost. Naruto had never gone to the academy before, so he didn't know which way lead to where. Not that he would ever need to go to the academy. He probably learned more about being a shinobi from traveling on the road with Ero-senin than what he would have learned from the academy. The bell sounded as the students stopped what they were doing and headed toward the main building.
'Guess I should just follow the older looking kids,' he thought, 'or maybe I can ask that guy. He looks like a teacher.'
"Hey mister! Uhmmm, do you know where they're having the genin exam is?" Naruto asked a man with white, shoulder-length hair.
The man, to his comrades known as Mizuki, was dressed in chuunin attire. He looked at the boy with surprise, before recovering and answering.
"Go to the main building and go straight down the hall. When you get to the end, turn to your left."
"Thanks, mister." Naruto said, walking towards the building at a slow pace, not really sure if he still wanted to do this anymore.
'So, the Kyuubi brat has returned,' thought Mizuki. A wicked smirk tugged at his face as he formulated a plan to finally get out of Konoha with the scroll he sought.
Students who were late could see Mizuki standing in the middle of the playground, smirking to himself before a puff showing the chuunin teacher had disappeared.
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Iruka looked at the scene before him. The twelve-year-olds were in the classroom, gossiping and talking loudly. He could hear "Oh! Sasuke-kun is sooo kawaii!" and "How troublesome" and more so often "I'll be a genin before you do, just watch!"
'I feel a migraine coming on,' he thought, sighing to himself.
"QUIET!!" he shouted rubbing his temples. The class immediately stopped talking as the students fumbled to their seats to wait for the test to commence. The rows of students watched Iruka intently.
"POOF!" A puff of smoke appeared beside Iruka.
"What took you?" Iruka asked the figure, which was apparently, Mizuki. His comrade just smiled at him and replied, "Just making sure the students got to class."
The door opened and a blonde boy walked into the room, nonchalantly. He looked around and saw Mizuki. The teacher smiled and waved at the boy, but the boy had turned away already, looking at the other direction. He frowned at this.
"Hmmm, are you the boy the Hokage said would be joining us for the exam?" Iruka asked. 'So this is how Naruto grew up to be.'
Whispers began to go around in the classroom of their new student, who was wearing another gray shirt with pockets here and there. His black shorts had secret pockets, for holding more weapons and a few scroll and the bandages on this arm and leg were still there. And of course, he had his holster with sharpened kunai and shuriken, sharper than the ones academy students were to hold. Iruka turned to the students to give them a look, hushing them again. He then turned to the blonde. The blonde boy nodded silently, obviously not having anything to say.
"Welcome to the class!" he said enthusiastically. "I am Iruka-sensei! This is the teacher of the other class, Mizuki-sensei."
He sweat dropped when he noticed Naruto was looking elsewhere.
Mizuki walked to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and pulled out an application. He picked up a pen and asked the blonde, "May I have your name please? Then, you may fill out this application for the genin examination."
The blonde nodded and replied, "Uzumaki Naruto." He grabbed the application and pen from Mizuki and began to fill out the form.
"Class, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He will be our new student. Please make sure to make him feel welcome here."
Iruka then turned to Mizuki and said that they should go into the exam room.
"We will be calling your names one by one. Please take out your applications because we will need them," he stated aloud to the class.
"Hai!" chorused the class. Naruto looked up and handed the form to the black haired teacher with the ponytail. Iruka smiled as he took the form and added it to the handful on his desk. He picked up the stack, and the two teachers turned and headed towards the examination room.
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One by one, students went into the room, nervously. But there were still a large number of students to go. They were all gathered in their small groups, anxiously waiting to hear their names. One girl, Haruno Sakura, was with a group of girls who were all arguing who would be the first to marry the class hottie, Uchiha Sasuke. This Sasuke character, however, was sitting in the second row by alone quietly, but sort of in a don't-come- near-me-or-my-eyes-will-shoot-daggers-at-you way. But this only made him more tempting to the girls.
Naruto, who was sitting on the opposing side of the room where Sasuke was sitting, was busy correcting Ero-senin's grammar in the Icha Icha Violence book. The frog hermit, though a great ninja, was terrible in grammar and spelling. Once in a while, the blonde could be seen blushing and giggling, other times his eye would be as wide, staring at the text. But most of the time he was just looking using his red marker, writing little notes on the book. Most of the students just looked at him oddly, for just sitting there, doing that.
'Hmmmm... I wonder what this how you spell this word...' he thought. 'Maybe one of these "students" would know.' He casually got up and started looking around the classroom. His eyes wandered to a boy with a ponytail, but he noticed the boy was sleeping. He then saw a girl with pink hair.
'She has a wide forehead. Doesn't that represent brains or something?'
He walked to where the pink haired girl was standing. She was squealing over some guy's gifted talent.
"Hey, excuse me, girl. How do you spell this word?" Naruto asked, pointing to a word in the book.
The girl looked over and saw the book in his hands. Her eyes widened and she blushed.
"N-Naruto! T-that book is for ADULTS only!!!" she shouted, red as tomato.
One of Naruto's eyebrows rose up as she was shouting.
"Yeeesh! Alright, alright already! You can stop yelling!" Naruto said.
'Gosh you'd think they could be a little more mature.'
He then looked elsewhere around the room. His eyes fell on a boy with a dark blue ensemble that had a red fan on the back. The boy was sitting by himself next to a group of other students. The girl he had been talking to earlier seemed to be staring at this boy, too.
'Seems as if he's the smartest in the class,' Naruto thought to himself. He strode over to the boy and jumped on the table, crouching down. The other boy was surprised, but tried to hide it. His eyes widened for a moment before returning to a cold glare. He looked up at Naruto and said in a cold tone,
"What do you want?"
"Geez what is it with you Konoha students? Whatever. How do you spell this word?" he asked bringing the book to the boy's sight. All the other girls in the classroom were staring at the Uchiha, waiting for his reaction to the perverted book.
When Naruto brought up Icha Icha Violence, a light pink blush tinged Sasuke's cheeks. None-the-less, having the I'm-more-mature-than-you-are attitude, he tried to look casual as he wrote it down for Naruto. Naruto grinned.
A boy behind Naruto then got up, having heard his name being called and bumped into Naruto, knocking Naruto onto Sasuke.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me."
The two wound up in a lip lock. They froze in that position. The girls watching froze as well. The two boys' eyes widened before separating and spitting in disgust. The girls were shocked.
"Ugh!!"
"Yuck! I kissed a boy!! EWWWWW!"
Naruto looked up suddenly. "I sense danger."
And there danger was. All the girls in the class were glaring at him. The pink hair girl spoke first.
"OH MY GOD! THAT BOY TOOK SASUKE-KUN'S FIRST KISS!" A collection of shouts and shrieks were heard from the girls but the two boys were trying to clean their mouths. They began to close in on their prey.
[A/N: Heheheh! Sorry, I just had to recreate that scene. Classic Naruto moment, don't you think?]
"You may be a new student but..." Sakura said in a treacherous tone.
"Uchiha Sasuke!" called out Iruka, as he stepped into the room. He looked at the scene and once again and grimaced as that migraine came back.
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Mizuki turned to look at Iruka, with fake worry in his eyes. His comrade was rubbing his temples with his eyes shut close tight.
"You don't look well, Iruka-sensei. Maybe you should take a momentary breather. We're almost done anyways," Mizuki said.
"Maybe you're right, Mizuki-sensei," replied Iruka. "I'm going to find some aspirin and a glass of water. I'll be back in ten minutes or so."
Mizuki smiled and nodded, thinking, 'Now's my chance.'
And as soon as Iruka left, Mizuki made a hand seal.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!"
He soon made another seal and cried out "Henge!" changing himself to a doppelganger of Iruka. He smirked to himself and had the copy go into the classroom.
"Uzumaki Naruto! It's your turn now," said the copy of Iruka.
Naruto looked up and replied, "Hai."
He followed the clone into the other room, suspicious of it.
Mizuki got up as he saw Naruto come into the room.
"Okay, Naruto-kun. To become a Genin, we must send you off in a mission to retrieve something for us. It's to test your skills as a ninja," explained Mizuki.
Naruto nodded cautiously.
"Go on."
Mizuki smiled and went on to say, "The scroll is a "Scroll of Forbidden Seals." You must be able to retrieve it from the administrative building and inside the scroll; it holds your future as a Genin."
Naruto nodded solemnly and in a puff of smoke, he was gone.
[A/N: See this is where he is a lil overqualified. hehe]
Mizuki then dismissed the clone of Iruka, smirking to himself.
'Once he gets the scroll, everyone will be frantically looking for Naruto. I'll spread the word throughout the village a little more, then I'll get rid of Naruto. I'll make it look like Naruto disappeared with the scroll,' he thought deviously.
Iruka, the real one that is, stepped back into the room, with a smile on his face.
"Thanks for the break, Mizuki. I needed it."
He walked over to the desk where the papers were.
"Hmmmm, it seems we only have one student left to test. The new kid, Uzumaki Naruto."
Mizuki got up and said, "Why don't you sit down and let me go get him?"
Iruka smiled and thanked him. He sat down and waited for his comrade to return with the student.
Mizuki returned looking frantic.
"Iruka! The boy has gone after the village's Scroll of Forbidden Seals!"
Iruka's eyes widened and he said, "I'll go tell the Hokage, immediately! You go look for Naruto!"
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Naruto was breathing heavily as he leaned over to try to even out his heart breathing. If they heard him breathing too heavily and so irregularly, they would immediately know it was him. They were the ninjas who were chasing Naruto when he took the scroll. He had managed to escape them temporarily in the forests of Konoha, but he knew they were coming.
'Geez, this Konoha sure has interesting tests to become a Genin. I would hate to see the Chuunin Exam,' he thought to himself, as he fell over onto the grass.
Flashback
Mizuki smiled and went on to say, "The scroll is a "Scroll of Forbidden Seals." You must be able to retrieve it from the administrative building and inside the scroll; it holds your future as a Genin."
End Flashback
'Hmmm, I guess he was telling me that inside the scroll have something that I need to know.'
He opened the scroll and realized it was a scroll on techniques. Then, something clicked in his head.
"Oh! They want me to be able to learn these techniques to pass, as well as getting the scroll!" he said to no one in particular, but still ebullient that he had figured out what Mizuki had meant.
He looked down at the open scroll and read aloud,
"Let's see... the first skill is... Kage Bunshin?"
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Iruka jumped from branch to branch, looking for the blonde boy who had taken the Scroll of Forbidden Seals.
Flashback
A crowd of chuunin teachers were standing in front of the Hokage's house.
"A student from Iruka's class has returned and stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Seals as a joke!" cried a teacher to the others and the Hokage.
"He won't get away with it!" cried one in the crowd.
"Yes, those are dangerous seals forbidden by the previous Hokage. If used in certain ways, it can cause incredible trouble."
End Flashback
He frowned as he continued to look. Then he saw a figure with his back on the trunk, breathing erratically.
"Ha, ha, ha ha! I've finally found you!" he shouted.
Naruto looked up. He frowned and said "You found me... And I've only learned one skill..."
Iruka frowned and said "Naruto, where did you get that scroll on your back?"
Naruto then calmly got up and said, "Is this some sort of trick question? It's part of the Genin exam right? Mizuki-sensei told me about it and how to get it, too. Why? What's wrong? I still get to pass the exam right? I had figured it was part of the exam to get the scroll and learn its contents."
Iruka looked confused.
'Mizuki? He told Naruto to do this?' he thought to himself.
Naruto's eyes then widened and he jumped and shoved Iruka out onto the floor as a dozen or so kunai flew straight at them.
"What the hell was that?!" cried Naruto, confused.
He then looked toward the direction where the kunai had come from. And standing there on top of the branch was Mizuki, with two large shuriken on his back, leaning on the trunk of the tree.
"Nice job finding him before I did, Iruka-senseeei," he said, stressing the "sensei" as a mock.
"What's going on here, Iruka-sensei? Is this some sort of trick part to the test or something? It's getting a little out of hand," said Naruto.
'I see... so that's what's going on. He convinced Naruto it was part of the Genin exam to retrieve the scroll for him!' thought Iruka.
"Naruto-kun, give me the scroll and then you're a Genin for sure," said Mizuki.
"No Naruto!! Don't let him get at the scroll! Even if it takes your life!" cried Iruka, frantically.
Naruto frowned.
"This wasn't a test was it?" he asked in a low voice.
"That is a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu in it! Mizuki used you to get his hands on it!"
"Naruto, you're the boy who left six years ago, weren't you? Maybe I should tell you the truth to why everyone is always calling you a 'monster,' even though, it is true."
"WHAT? NO MIZUKI! DON'T DO IT!"
"Twelve years ago, you know about the fox demon being sealed right? Since then, it had been a rule not to let you know you are the fox demon in Konoha not to let you know about it."
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto said, with a still low voice.
"STOP IT MIZUKI!" Iruka cried out desperately.
"It means you are the nine tails demon that killed and destroyed the village. You were lied to by everyone. Didn't you find it odd that everyone hated you? That was because it was YOU who killed their family, destroyed their homes and took away their dreams."
Naruto's eyes were shaded over. Iruka was silent and Mizuki was laughing hysterically. Naruto then looked up, his eyes flashing red before turning back into their sky blue color. He glared at Mizuki, who had stopped laughing and was smirking at Naruto instead.
"Guess that explains a lot," he said quietly.
"Well now, I'll ask you again. Hand over the scroll."
"Let's see... Iruka-sensei, if I can beat this guy, would I pass the exam?" asked Naruto, quietly.
"I don't know Naru-" Iruka started.
"Defeat me? Ha! What a bluff!" interrupted Mizuki.
Naruto's fist clenched before they relaxed again.
"Let's see, you're a chuunin, am I right? This shouldn't take much."
And then, in a flash, Naruto ran up the tree and appeared right behind Mizuki.
"Wha-"
POW! [A/N Lame I know]
Naruto punched Mizuki. The teacher flew off and hit the other tree in a harsh impact. Mizuki then coughed up blood before falling out of conscious.
Iruka got up and then walked over to Naruto, surprised he had such... such potential and such skill already.
"Come on Naruto," he started after a few minutes of silence. "I'll treat you to some dinner."
Naruto dusted his gray shirt. Looking up, he smiled before he said, "Can we go get ramen?"
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"Iruka-sensei, did Kyuubi kill your parents too?" Naruto asked.
The two were at Ichiraku and had been eating quietly for a few minutes already. Naruto was still eating some ramen as he looked at his teacher intently.
"Yes, it did. But it's not your fault, Naruto. You had nothing to do with it."
Naruto sat quietly.
"I remember how it was when I was your age too. I was an orphan as well. I know the pain you went through. But it was easier on me than it was on you. But I still know how it feels and I understand why you ran away."
The blonde smiled at his comment and turned to continue eating his ramen.
TBC
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HAHAH! Yes! Finished! Spent the whole day writing this... and what a doozy to write too! I don't understand how people can write twenty pages yet but hahahaha this is a lot for me right now...
Let me make these few notes... 1) I'm sorry I had to put the kiss! I thought it was just to funny to pass on! 2) The whole thing is totally mostly on how naruto finds out about having Kyuubi sealed inside him and learning kage bunshin. He had to learn and I don't think I wanted to have jiraiya teach him the bunshin technique... plus, I didn't want to have kyuubi talking to naruto secretly either so yea...
I really had fun kind of rewriting the story a little; it may be too much but =b
Please R&R and I hope you all enjoyed the ficcie!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
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Okay, just a lil note I wanted to add... I'm thinking of removing a few things but im not sure what you readers prefer... 1) the "previously" thing... I'm sure it doesn't make much of a difference so on to the next one... 2) The point of view notes because I don't really use point of view anyways... I simply don't use anything other than omniscient (am I right?) I just don't do first person POV or anything of the sort. 3) probably that lil section that explains what a "and ' is... I don't think I need that right?
Well on to the reviewers' questions and just stuff I want to comment upon...
Hyper yo yo boy: oh that must really suck. =b blunt but true... hmmm but I do enjoy the classes I take... it's just the other stuff that sucks... which basically is the homework and the constant testing... have to memorize a hundred words a week, who wouldn't want to quit? Hahaha I'm glad you enjoyed those parts... they were a lot more interesting to write so I guess they were pretty interesting to read as well... but what would I know, I'm not the reader. thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter/ficcie.
CanalVorfeed1: hahaha I wasn't sure whether to use "dump" or "hellhole" in that lil part... I guess I put dump kuz its "not a bad word" but eh... hehe its good to hear you liked that section and that you think the characterization is good, but I'm not sure if I should really do so much of it... hahaha I'm forgettin to write the story now... I mean three chapters and Naruto still hasn't met Kakashi, or have any contact with any of the other characters... so I'm a bit skeptical about the amount of time I spend on it... hehe thanks for your review and maybe on this chapter you'll be the first the review this time!
Blaboy: Hmmm... I can't really quite answer that... lets just say it depends... I think I have this thing when I update only during the night (I'm partly nocturnal due to the mass amounts of hmwk I get in skoo lolx) all I can say is for sure, I'll usually update at least once a week, or if I get tons of reviews and in my mirth, I'll go on a lil phase where I wont think about anything but the next chapters of mah ficcie... or maybe when I'm inspired... like after I read another good ficcie, and begin to think like "I want to be as good as its safe to say though, for the time being, I'm addicted and will be updating about every three or four days ... or every 10 reviews... what can I say? They inspire me! I hope you enjoy my ficcie and I also hope to see more reviews from ya!
TomokiG: hehehe! Thanks! I guess I find it ezier writing stuff a bit more realistically.. =b but I'm glad you liked it. and I think it is true that it take a miracle for naruto not to be like comfortable in his home town after a rough childhood... but most stories do put that, but it makes sense with their stories. Hehe either way, thank you sooo much for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Per: First of all, I'm a girl, so I'd have a lot of trouble writing him as perverted... like really perverted... and truthfully, he is perverted... I think it was in the episode with Konohamaru when he took the kid in to look at a porno magazine.... Hehehe. Uhmmm.. thanks for the compliment on mah grammar, ' I guess this lil section is a bit conflicting with what you said... hahahah... well it'd be embarrassing to write mah ficcie in anything other than perfect grammer... for the comments section though, I guess I'm a bit more comfortable writing in slang... or just lazier =b thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter and its grammar as well! =b
Thanks also to the other reviewers. Gotta say, you guys rock!
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Chapter 4 – Ramen: The Healer of Past Wounds
[A/N: heheh, don't you like mah title? It doesn't make sense with this chapter but its still kewl!!]
"Click."
The key still worked. At least they didn't try to kick him out of his old apartment... yet. A panal next to the door read "Room 299 : Uzamaki Naruto."
The blonde turned the knob and the door creaked. He walked into the dark room and then hit the switch for the lights. The lights flickered a bit before they steadied with a constant beam. The blonde looked into the room. Nothing had changed.
'I guess all the people who wanted to buy an apartment at the time while I was gone thought this place was cursed,' thought Naruto, as he smirked bitterly. 'I expected it to be burned down or something after I left. Guess the old man didn't let that happen.'
He looked around the apartment. There was his old bed that was almost rock- hard. He had remembered when he bought it the dealer would only give him that one. And there was the table that was somewhat lopsided and worn-out. It was his best piece of furniture, which was sad. The boy then walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard. He grinned widely. There they were. All his supply of ramen he had left behind because he couldn't carry it all with him in his travels.
'Hmmmm... I could sure use some ramen right now,' he thought, 'even though I just came back from Ichiraku with the Hokage.'
He reached in and rummaged around the stacks of noodles until he pulled out one that read "Beef Flavored." While he prepared it, he reminisced on what the he and the Hokage had spoken about.
Flashback
"One large specialty ramen bowl and a regular chicken ramen please," ordered the Hokage to the man in the stand.
"Right away, Hokage-sama. On the house," replied the man with a smile. He then went to the back of the stand where he and his daughter began cooking.
The Hokage and Naruto were sitting on the barstools in a comfortable silence. Of course, there was still the hustle and bustle of the village outside the ramen stand. The sun was barely setting as the sky became darker, lighting up with the stars in the sky. Villagers were outside, enjoying the cool evening while gossiping about the latest jutsu, or the progress of someone by the name of Uchiha, or about the latest mission. Laughs could be heard by Naruto and his companion.
'They sound so happy when they think I'm not here,' Naruto thought glumly.
A bowl of ramen was then placed in front of his face. Naruto looked up to see the old ramen chef.
He smiled at Naruto and said, "You remind me of this kid who used to come to my stand. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, too. Great fan of ramen, so I would see him often. Hahaha, I wonder what happened to that kid..." His face had an expression of fondness when he was speaking of this blonde, blue-eyed boy.
Naruto smiled.
"Well, enjoy your ramen. You too Hokage-sama."
"Thank you, Teuchi." Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, smiled and went back to cooking.
"So Naruto, how was traveling with Jiraiya?" asked the Third, starting the conversation.
Naruto mumbled something, while slurping up some of his ramen. The old man gave him a look of confusion.
"It was fine," Naruto repeated. He wasn't really interested in telling the Hokage every little aspect of his travels with the frog hermit.
"Ero-sennin and I just traveled around. That's all."
The Third nodded and smiled before he said, "I suppose he trained you as well? You know, at one point in his life, Jiraiya was Yondaime's sensei."
Naruto nodded, taking note of what the other man had said. He knew the whole story of what had happened to Yondaime. To be from Hidden Leaf and not know would be something like a crime. The Fourth died sealing the Kyuubi.
[A/N: remember... Naruto doesn't know about Kyuubi being sealed inside him]
Sandaime started talking about the changes in Konoha while Naruto was gone. They went on like this for an hour or two, while empty bowls of ramen were being refilled and re-emptied.
"Tomorrow I want you to go to the village ninja academy. They're taking the Genin exam tomorrow and since you're going to be here for a while, why don't you consider joining a genin group?" asked the Third.
"Well, I don't know old man... I'm not sure if I'm ready yet..." he mumbled quietly.
Sandaime gave him a gentle pat on the back and said, "I know you're a little worried, but you have to have faith in the people. If I'm not mistaken, I once knew a blonde, blue-eyed boy who wanted to become Hokage. And this kid wouldn't give up. He was quite stubborn about it, but I believed he could do it."
Naruto smiled and looked up to the him as the old man continued, "I still believe that he could do it. He may have to start out small and unknown, but he will become great if he truly believes he can do it."
Naruto faked a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine. If you want me to join that badly. I guess it'll be entertaining for the time being."
End Flashback
[A/N: too long? Not sure... hmmm]
He looked to see the ramen done cooking.
"Well, don't mind if I do!" he said, digging into the ramen. [A/N: whats that word they say when they start eating? Ikaidesumasu? Is that it?]
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The laughter of children his age could be heard all around him. Naruto walked into the school campus, watching the younger kids run around, playing tag or whatever children of ninja did. It was a little before 8 a.m. in the morning and the sun was out in the sky, shining warmly upon the village of Konoha
The blonde was somewhat lost. Naruto had never gone to the academy before, so he didn't know which way lead to where. Not that he would ever need to go to the academy. He probably learned more about being a shinobi from traveling on the road with Ero-senin than what he would have learned from the academy. The bell sounded as the students stopped what they were doing and headed toward the main building.
'Guess I should just follow the older looking kids,' he thought, 'or maybe I can ask that guy. He looks like a teacher.'
"Hey mister! Uhmmm, do you know where they're having the genin exam is?" Naruto asked a man with white, shoulder-length hair.
The man, to his comrades known as Mizuki, was dressed in chuunin attire. He looked at the boy with surprise, before recovering and answering.
"Go to the main building and go straight down the hall. When you get to the end, turn to your left."
"Thanks, mister." Naruto said, walking towards the building at a slow pace, not really sure if he still wanted to do this anymore.
'So, the Kyuubi brat has returned,' thought Mizuki. A wicked smirk tugged at his face as he formulated a plan to finally get out of Konoha with the scroll he sought.
Students who were late could see Mizuki standing in the middle of the playground, smirking to himself before a puff showing the chuunin teacher had disappeared.
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Iruka looked at the scene before him. The twelve-year-olds were in the classroom, gossiping and talking loudly. He could hear "Oh! Sasuke-kun is sooo kawaii!" and "How troublesome" and more so often "I'll be a genin before you do, just watch!"
'I feel a migraine coming on,' he thought, sighing to himself.
"QUIET!!" he shouted rubbing his temples. The class immediately stopped talking as the students fumbled to their seats to wait for the test to commence. The rows of students watched Iruka intently.
"POOF!" A puff of smoke appeared beside Iruka.
"What took you?" Iruka asked the figure, which was apparently, Mizuki. His comrade just smiled at him and replied, "Just making sure the students got to class."
The door opened and a blonde boy walked into the room, nonchalantly. He looked around and saw Mizuki. The teacher smiled and waved at the boy, but the boy had turned away already, looking at the other direction. He frowned at this.
"Hmmm, are you the boy the Hokage said would be joining us for the exam?" Iruka asked. 'So this is how Naruto grew up to be.'
Whispers began to go around in the classroom of their new student, who was wearing another gray shirt with pockets here and there. His black shorts had secret pockets, for holding more weapons and a few scroll and the bandages on this arm and leg were still there. And of course, he had his holster with sharpened kunai and shuriken, sharper than the ones academy students were to hold. Iruka turned to the students to give them a look, hushing them again. He then turned to the blonde. The blonde boy nodded silently, obviously not having anything to say.
"Welcome to the class!" he said enthusiastically. "I am Iruka-sensei! This is the teacher of the other class, Mizuki-sensei."
He sweat dropped when he noticed Naruto was looking elsewhere.
Mizuki walked to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and pulled out an application. He picked up a pen and asked the blonde, "May I have your name please? Then, you may fill out this application for the genin examination."
The blonde nodded and replied, "Uzumaki Naruto." He grabbed the application and pen from Mizuki and began to fill out the form.
"Class, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He will be our new student. Please make sure to make him feel welcome here."
Iruka then turned to Mizuki and said that they should go into the exam room.
"We will be calling your names one by one. Please take out your applications because we will need them," he stated aloud to the class.
"Hai!" chorused the class. Naruto looked up and handed the form to the black haired teacher with the ponytail. Iruka smiled as he took the form and added it to the handful on his desk. He picked up the stack, and the two teachers turned and headed towards the examination room.
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One by one, students went into the room, nervously. But there were still a large number of students to go. They were all gathered in their small groups, anxiously waiting to hear their names. One girl, Haruno Sakura, was with a group of girls who were all arguing who would be the first to marry the class hottie, Uchiha Sasuke. This Sasuke character, however, was sitting in the second row by alone quietly, but sort of in a don't-come- near-me-or-my-eyes-will-shoot-daggers-at-you way. But this only made him more tempting to the girls.
Naruto, who was sitting on the opposing side of the room where Sasuke was sitting, was busy correcting Ero-senin's grammar in the Icha Icha Violence book. The frog hermit, though a great ninja, was terrible in grammar and spelling. Once in a while, the blonde could be seen blushing and giggling, other times his eye would be as wide, staring at the text. But most of the time he was just looking using his red marker, writing little notes on the book. Most of the students just looked at him oddly, for just sitting there, doing that.
'Hmmmm... I wonder what this how you spell this word...' he thought. 'Maybe one of these "students" would know.' He casually got up and started looking around the classroom. His eyes wandered to a boy with a ponytail, but he noticed the boy was sleeping. He then saw a girl with pink hair.
'She has a wide forehead. Doesn't that represent brains or something?'
He walked to where the pink haired girl was standing. She was squealing over some guy's gifted talent.
"Hey, excuse me, girl. How do you spell this word?" Naruto asked, pointing to a word in the book.
The girl looked over and saw the book in his hands. Her eyes widened and she blushed.
"N-Naruto! T-that book is for ADULTS only!!!" she shouted, red as tomato.
One of Naruto's eyebrows rose up as she was shouting.
"Yeeesh! Alright, alright already! You can stop yelling!" Naruto said.
'Gosh you'd think they could be a little more mature.'
He then looked elsewhere around the room. His eyes fell on a boy with a dark blue ensemble that had a red fan on the back. The boy was sitting by himself next to a group of other students. The girl he had been talking to earlier seemed to be staring at this boy, too.
'Seems as if he's the smartest in the class,' Naruto thought to himself. He strode over to the boy and jumped on the table, crouching down. The other boy was surprised, but tried to hide it. His eyes widened for a moment before returning to a cold glare. He looked up at Naruto and said in a cold tone,
"What do you want?"
"Geez what is it with you Konoha students? Whatever. How do you spell this word?" he asked bringing the book to the boy's sight. All the other girls in the classroom were staring at the Uchiha, waiting for his reaction to the perverted book.
When Naruto brought up Icha Icha Violence, a light pink blush tinged Sasuke's cheeks. None-the-less, having the I'm-more-mature-than-you-are attitude, he tried to look casual as he wrote it down for Naruto. Naruto grinned.
A boy behind Naruto then got up, having heard his name being called and bumped into Naruto, knocking Naruto onto Sasuke.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me."
The two wound up in a lip lock. They froze in that position. The girls watching froze as well. The two boys' eyes widened before separating and spitting in disgust. The girls were shocked.
"Ugh!!"
"Yuck! I kissed a boy!! EWWWWW!"
Naruto looked up suddenly. "I sense danger."
And there danger was. All the girls in the class were glaring at him. The pink hair girl spoke first.
"OH MY GOD! THAT BOY TOOK SASUKE-KUN'S FIRST KISS!" A collection of shouts and shrieks were heard from the girls but the two boys were trying to clean their mouths. They began to close in on their prey.
[A/N: Heheheh! Sorry, I just had to recreate that scene. Classic Naruto moment, don't you think?]
"You may be a new student but..." Sakura said in a treacherous tone.
"Uchiha Sasuke!" called out Iruka, as he stepped into the room. He looked at the scene and once again and grimaced as that migraine came back.
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Mizuki turned to look at Iruka, with fake worry in his eyes. His comrade was rubbing his temples with his eyes shut close tight.
"You don't look well, Iruka-sensei. Maybe you should take a momentary breather. We're almost done anyways," Mizuki said.
"Maybe you're right, Mizuki-sensei," replied Iruka. "I'm going to find some aspirin and a glass of water. I'll be back in ten minutes or so."
Mizuki smiled and nodded, thinking, 'Now's my chance.'
And as soon as Iruka left, Mizuki made a hand seal.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!"
He soon made another seal and cried out "Henge!" changing himself to a doppelganger of Iruka. He smirked to himself and had the copy go into the classroom.
"Uzumaki Naruto! It's your turn now," said the copy of Iruka.
Naruto looked up and replied, "Hai."
He followed the clone into the other room, suspicious of it.
Mizuki got up as he saw Naruto come into the room.
"Okay, Naruto-kun. To become a Genin, we must send you off in a mission to retrieve something for us. It's to test your skills as a ninja," explained Mizuki.
Naruto nodded cautiously.
"Go on."
Mizuki smiled and went on to say, "The scroll is a "Scroll of Forbidden Seals." You must be able to retrieve it from the administrative building and inside the scroll; it holds your future as a Genin."
Naruto nodded solemnly and in a puff of smoke, he was gone.
[A/N: See this is where he is a lil overqualified. hehe]
Mizuki then dismissed the clone of Iruka, smirking to himself.
'Once he gets the scroll, everyone will be frantically looking for Naruto. I'll spread the word throughout the village a little more, then I'll get rid of Naruto. I'll make it look like Naruto disappeared with the scroll,' he thought deviously.
Iruka, the real one that is, stepped back into the room, with a smile on his face.
"Thanks for the break, Mizuki. I needed it."
He walked over to the desk where the papers were.
"Hmmmm, it seems we only have one student left to test. The new kid, Uzumaki Naruto."
Mizuki got up and said, "Why don't you sit down and let me go get him?"
Iruka smiled and thanked him. He sat down and waited for his comrade to return with the student.
Mizuki returned looking frantic.
"Iruka! The boy has gone after the village's Scroll of Forbidden Seals!"
Iruka's eyes widened and he said, "I'll go tell the Hokage, immediately! You go look for Naruto!"
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Naruto was breathing heavily as he leaned over to try to even out his heart breathing. If they heard him breathing too heavily and so irregularly, they would immediately know it was him. They were the ninjas who were chasing Naruto when he took the scroll. He had managed to escape them temporarily in the forests of Konoha, but he knew they were coming.
'Geez, this Konoha sure has interesting tests to become a Genin. I would hate to see the Chuunin Exam,' he thought to himself, as he fell over onto the grass.
Flashback
Mizuki smiled and went on to say, "The scroll is a "Scroll of Forbidden Seals." You must be able to retrieve it from the administrative building and inside the scroll; it holds your future as a Genin."
End Flashback
'Hmmm, I guess he was telling me that inside the scroll have something that I need to know.'
He opened the scroll and realized it was a scroll on techniques. Then, something clicked in his head.
"Oh! They want me to be able to learn these techniques to pass, as well as getting the scroll!" he said to no one in particular, but still ebullient that he had figured out what Mizuki had meant.
He looked down at the open scroll and read aloud,
"Let's see... the first skill is... Kage Bunshin?"
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Iruka jumped from branch to branch, looking for the blonde boy who had taken the Scroll of Forbidden Seals.
Flashback
A crowd of chuunin teachers were standing in front of the Hokage's house.
"A student from Iruka's class has returned and stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Seals as a joke!" cried a teacher to the others and the Hokage.
"He won't get away with it!" cried one in the crowd.
"Yes, those are dangerous seals forbidden by the previous Hokage. If used in certain ways, it can cause incredible trouble."
End Flashback
He frowned as he continued to look. Then he saw a figure with his back on the trunk, breathing erratically.
"Ha, ha, ha ha! I've finally found you!" he shouted.
Naruto looked up. He frowned and said "You found me... And I've only learned one skill..."
Iruka frowned and said "Naruto, where did you get that scroll on your back?"
Naruto then calmly got up and said, "Is this some sort of trick question? It's part of the Genin exam right? Mizuki-sensei told me about it and how to get it, too. Why? What's wrong? I still get to pass the exam right? I had figured it was part of the exam to get the scroll and learn its contents."
Iruka looked confused.
'Mizuki? He told Naruto to do this?' he thought to himself.
Naruto's eyes then widened and he jumped and shoved Iruka out onto the floor as a dozen or so kunai flew straight at them.
"What the hell was that?!" cried Naruto, confused.
He then looked toward the direction where the kunai had come from. And standing there on top of the branch was Mizuki, with two large shuriken on his back, leaning on the trunk of the tree.
"Nice job finding him before I did, Iruka-senseeei," he said, stressing the "sensei" as a mock.
"What's going on here, Iruka-sensei? Is this some sort of trick part to the test or something? It's getting a little out of hand," said Naruto.
'I see... so that's what's going on. He convinced Naruto it was part of the Genin exam to retrieve the scroll for him!' thought Iruka.
"Naruto-kun, give me the scroll and then you're a Genin for sure," said Mizuki.
"No Naruto!! Don't let him get at the scroll! Even if it takes your life!" cried Iruka, frantically.
Naruto frowned.
"This wasn't a test was it?" he asked in a low voice.
"That is a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu in it! Mizuki used you to get his hands on it!"
"Naruto, you're the boy who left six years ago, weren't you? Maybe I should tell you the truth to why everyone is always calling you a 'monster,' even though, it is true."
"WHAT? NO MIZUKI! DON'T DO IT!"
"Twelve years ago, you know about the fox demon being sealed right? Since then, it had been a rule not to let you know you are the fox demon in Konoha not to let you know about it."
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto said, with a still low voice.
"STOP IT MIZUKI!" Iruka cried out desperately.
"It means you are the nine tails demon that killed and destroyed the village. You were lied to by everyone. Didn't you find it odd that everyone hated you? That was because it was YOU who killed their family, destroyed their homes and took away their dreams."
Naruto's eyes were shaded over. Iruka was silent and Mizuki was laughing hysterically. Naruto then looked up, his eyes flashing red before turning back into their sky blue color. He glared at Mizuki, who had stopped laughing and was smirking at Naruto instead.
"Guess that explains a lot," he said quietly.
"Well now, I'll ask you again. Hand over the scroll."
"Let's see... Iruka-sensei, if I can beat this guy, would I pass the exam?" asked Naruto, quietly.
"I don't know Naru-" Iruka started.
"Defeat me? Ha! What a bluff!" interrupted Mizuki.
Naruto's fist clenched before they relaxed again.
"Let's see, you're a chuunin, am I right? This shouldn't take much."
And then, in a flash, Naruto ran up the tree and appeared right behind Mizuki.
"Wha-"
POW! [A/N Lame I know]
Naruto punched Mizuki. The teacher flew off and hit the other tree in a harsh impact. Mizuki then coughed up blood before falling out of conscious.
Iruka got up and then walked over to Naruto, surprised he had such... such potential and such skill already.
"Come on Naruto," he started after a few minutes of silence. "I'll treat you to some dinner."
Naruto dusted his gray shirt. Looking up, he smiled before he said, "Can we go get ramen?"
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"Iruka-sensei, did Kyuubi kill your parents too?" Naruto asked.
The two were at Ichiraku and had been eating quietly for a few minutes already. Naruto was still eating some ramen as he looked at his teacher intently.
"Yes, it did. But it's not your fault, Naruto. You had nothing to do with it."
Naruto sat quietly.
"I remember how it was when I was your age too. I was an orphan as well. I know the pain you went through. But it was easier on me than it was on you. But I still know how it feels and I understand why you ran away."
The blonde smiled at his comment and turned to continue eating his ramen.
TBC
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HAHAH! Yes! Finished! Spent the whole day writing this... and what a doozy to write too! I don't understand how people can write twenty pages yet but hahahaha this is a lot for me right now...
Let me make these few notes... 1) I'm sorry I had to put the kiss! I thought it was just to funny to pass on! 2) The whole thing is totally mostly on how naruto finds out about having Kyuubi sealed inside him and learning kage bunshin. He had to learn and I don't think I wanted to have jiraiya teach him the bunshin technique... plus, I didn't want to have kyuubi talking to naruto secretly either so yea...
I really had fun kind of rewriting the story a little; it may be too much but =b
Please R&R and I hope you all enjoyed the ficcie!