A New Nindo
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I would be rich, I don't. If I did own it I wouldn't be counting my pennies like the pauper I am. I have begun to borrow jutsus from another author, specifically Tokehgecko who has given me their permission. I will point out which jutsus I borrowed in the author's notes at the end of chapter. For more information on the jutsus I borrowed from the author visit TokehGecko's There Where When is Now, Book series. This story does not reflect the ability of any authors I borrowed from. In other words if my story sucks it's not their fault, it's mine. This version of the Naruto story belongs to me; most of the characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Summary: What if you died? What if it was a mistake? What if you were given a chance to step out of your normal everyday life and become hero? I'd grab the chance. This is my story.
Author's Notes:
1) Italics include my thoughts as well as other characters' thoughts. Bold is for the Kyuubi's thoughts.
2) Haku is a girl!
3) Once again I do not write Yaoi, don't worry. I have nothing against it but I just don't see it plausible for Naruto.
4) Since Fanfiction(dot)net removed my Naruto's secret jutsu list I have moved it to my author's profile for all to see. I have made an update to Naruto's secret jutsu spoiler list with a modification of Shunshin, since Inane translates it as body flicker I've decided that while the person is teleporting the technique leaves an after image in the last place the user was. I have also put up a new jutsu called Sokushi.
The reason fanfiction removed my Author Note chapters was because it violated some guideline but I am having trouble finding it can someone show me where the guidelines are located?
5) All character bio info is taken from Naurtofan(dot)com.
6) For pairings please vote for Itachi/Tsume/Kurenai/Anko and Kakashi/Kurenai/OC
Tsume is a name I made up for Kiba's sister.
7) I plan to make Ino and Sakura better ninja because right now they are pathetic. They start off as an insult to all kunoichi in the manga/anime. Atleast Hinata, Tenten, and Temari have some use.
8) I'm not sure if I am going to make it Nejihina but they will be close (at least as friends) and there will probably be major fluff between them. For those who are concerned with incest, there will probably be no smut. That should calm some of you down. I understand that people may not agree with the possibility of Nejihina but its my fanfic. If you do not like it then write your own. There are plenty of fanfics that have Neji and Hinata hate each other as well as equal number of people who seem to love them together. For Nejihina lovers please state so in your review as I am leaning towards that possibility. If people cannot handle Nejihina or any fluff between them, regardless of incest or not, please do not read fanfic. I don't need flames. As much as criticism is appreciated flames are not welcome. Criticism is welcome because reviewers are able to do so tastefully and constructively.
Spread the news to any Nejihina fans and have them review, then I'll really consider writing it that way. Right now it's only a possibility.
9) This 20 pages my longest chapter yet Yay!
Reviews
DSecret: I've already begun to read your fanfic, keep up the good work.
TigerWolf: Thanks, I really tried to make the fight surprising or at least interesting.
Maxfic: I understand what you are saying. Please look in my Author's Notes above for more info on the Nejihina situation.
Rhythmic: Thanks for keeping up with reviews. The Uchiha situation will be more story than fighting.
Bunch-o-Nuts: It's getting harder to update with school and all. I'll try to put out one more chapter, but after words it will probably slow down.
Hiro and Angelica: Thanks for pointing that out I fixed it.
Blazer-6: My thoughts exactly, although I was considering an OC for the second girl in the threeway. I'll put up her stats soon in my author's profile but she won't appear in the story for a while.
Third Degree Run: Thanks a lot for your review. I'm glad to see people are appreciating the fluff and my attempts at anime humor.
Naruto and Hinata: I hope people can keep an open mind but I completely understand that people have their own preferences. That's why I didn't post any pairing in the summary.
Blackmamuth: Like I said I don't do yaoi, I don't really care if everyone's happy as long as someone gets to live a fantasy life. Besides if we wanted everyone to be happy I'd have to make tons of female OCs, which I might anyway.
Virgil: Yes I have received permission from TokehGecko and plan to use their jutsus. I have already apologized for the confusion to Maxfic. Our jutsus were created independently from each other. It was in my Author's Note chapter before fanfiction(dot)net took it down. Explanations on Hirameku can be found on author's profile.
Chapter 8: Truth Behind the Uchiha Massacre
Three years later…
I'm now seven years old. The Cloud sent us a copy of their Scroll of Forbidden Seals. However I have a feeling it doesn't have any Kinjutsu in it. The Cloud are only doing this because they want to keep the incident quiet. Having one of their top Jounin, even if he was a "traitor" being defeated by a couple of kids was not something they wanted to spread. Haku and my name had not been publicized due to the combined efforts of the Hokage and Hiashi to keep things quiet.
I've been training vigorously, probably even more than Lee. I can still recall meeting him, even though he wasn't a ninja yet he was already practicing his taijutsu. Unfortunately he had already come to realize his own deficiencies. Being unable to mold chakra properly was a huge blow to his ninja career. Even I had trouble believing that he would turn out to be the same "Konoha's Green Beast" as in the anime. I was inspired when I saw him kicking a log, or when he did any of his other insane exercises. I was completely freaked out whenever I saw him interacting with Gai-sensei. It sent shivers down my spine whenever I heard them and their antics.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
That's my cue to turn around and go back the way I came, translation as far away as possible from those voices. As I walked away I began to think about all my other friends. The Inuzukas were an excitable family. I remember meeting Kiba, he was as brash and easily irritable as in the anime. Akamaru was just a pup and immediately took a liking to Hinata and Haku. His mom seemed like a real slave driver but I never saw his dad too much. He was frequently out on missions with his ANBU squad. I remember his sister Tsume coming home, proud that she was a genin, and then I remember Kiba getting his ass kicked by her for making fun of her. The Inuzukas reminded me of dogs themselves, very fierce and loyal but rough in showing their love for one another.
Kiba was always trying to pick a fight with Neji ever since his sister told him to be respectful in the presence of Hyuugas. He asked why and his sister told him how the Hyuugas were the most respected and strongest clan in Konoha. Neji would easily beat him but entertained Kiba by accepting the numerous challenges nonetheless. Despite the fact that he lost I could tell Kiba had potential. If he didn't let his attitude affect him so easily then he would become a worthy opponent. For now it was only his raw speed that allowed him provide any sort of challenge to Neji.
By now I had already witnessed the extremely fast growth of Neji and could personally testify that he was an unparalleled genius. Infact if it wasn't for all my hard work and Kyuubi I wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Hinata's skills in the Jyuuken were nothing to be ashamed about. Under the support of her family and friends and with the guidance of her father and Neji she became quite an exceptional taijutsu specialist.
Haku's list of suiton jutsus became grater and she began exploring the extent of her bloodline limit along with chemistry. By chemistry I am referring to her interest in drugs and medicine. While her medical jutsu was lacking compared to mine, her developing drugs and medicine showed great promise.
As for me, despite my desire to learn how to kick ass from Jiraiya I still learned from Tsunade. She decided to personally train me as an added incentive. My chakra punches were more destructive and my scalpel was as sharp as any real blade. As much as my offensive jutsus list increased so did my medical jutsus. I was a little apprehensive at first as we had already explored that the Kyuubi could heal me. However we did not know the extent of his healing's potency, also she reminded me that the others didn't have my benefits. That was like lighting a fire under my ass. It was as if a light bulb went off in my head. What would I do if Haku was hurt and unable to heal herself?
Nonetheless I enjoyed learning from the pervert Jiraiya whenever he was in town. That was one of the differences between Tsunade and him, while she constantly watched over me he was inconsistent with his visits. I did hear later on that after he agreed to train me he was seen much more frequently in Konoha but I just said it was because of the women's bath. There was no way I was gonna say I was moved by his actions and he wasn't going to tell me I was like a son to him.
Mastering Rasengan was a real bitch. I don't think Naruto learned it in a week when I watched the anime, I think it took him a week to master it, as in completing the third step. It took me three months to cover all three steps. At the end of it I realized I still hadn't mastered it. Rasengan was still hard to use, it wasn't as easy as Chidori which was a simple stab. In other words I hadn't truly mastered it until I was able to use it effectively in battle. Also my chakra stamina was large even without Kyuubi's help.
Speaking of the Kyuubi… Somewhere in the Sacred Grove…
"Son of a bitch!" I cried as I picked up more trash. "Why can't those punks stay out of the protected areas of the forest!"
Sandaime had already made it a law for people to trespass on Kyuubi's sacred grounds. Most people obeyed but once in a while we had some people break the rules. Among those people most were couples. They found Kyuubi's grounds to be a romantic place to kick back and relax over some sake, which was what I was picking up right now.
I keep telling you kit, humans are stupid. They enjoy the beauty of these sacred lands yet they can't be bothered to take care of it.
"Tell me about it," I said.
Over the years I had personally seen to revitalizing the forest, along with Kyuubi of course. After the authorities had removed the bodies they hadn't even bothered to put things back like the soil. Naturally after all the time we spent together Kyuubi's opinion of me had grown although his view on humans as a whole was still bad. Sometimes I found myself agreeing with him. Don't worry he'd given up his desire for revenge, instead his new goal was to restore the forest to its former glory. If I hadn't seen it in his dreams before I would think that it was impossible to get any better. However his memories proved me wrong. The current scenery before me was beautiful if you discounted all the things humans had done to dirty it. In Kyuubi's memories it wasn't just beautiful it was breath taking. Even though I wasn't there in person I could still tell that there was something spiritual and peaceful about his forest. In his memories Kyuubi had probably spent centuries grooming his forest and it only took decades for people/humans to screw it up.
I learned to meditate and commune with spiritual presences. It was pretty much the same as sensing chakra. While I was in the forest I learned that Kyuubi's mere presence was helpful, although that was because I allowed him to be active within me. By active I mean I allowed his chakra to flow freely from me.
I asked him once if he could teach me jutsus. He looked at me like I was an idiot.
Hey, kid do you think I had time to perform hand seals while I was ravaging the country side?
It was at that moment that I learned that the Kyuubi didn't have many techniques that humans could use. After all our bodies were vastly and fundamentally different. For him, after years of training the mere thought enabled him to perform his magic. I called it magic because most of his techniques could not fall under ninja terms.
That didn't mean he had nothing to teach me, on the contrary it was a learning experience for us both. Together we found out what I could do and what I couldn't. I was frequently disappointed but sometimes I wasn't. In those rare instances I rejoiced. I had begun to develop a style called Shinku Ryu by using the Kyuubi's chakra. I frequently trained my body to handle his chakra which was as vast as the ocean. My first experience made me think I was going to be swallowed up by it. Lucky for me Kyuubi's anger had faded so I wasn't plagued by any uncontrollable bursts of bloodlust. Still my body took on more fox like features the more I used. Although they would disappear when I stopped using his chakra. The latest thing we were trying out was making a contract for foxes. It had never been done before so we were taking our time.
But I am getting off track; let's get back to Konoha's noble families. Although the Akimichi were praised as brave fighters some of the civilians still poked fun at their rather large physique. Chouji was not exempt from ridicule. I met him along with Shikamaru and became friends with them as well.
I learned that the anime accurately displayed Shikamaru's character. He was like an invalid. Everything was "too troublesome" for him to do. I suspected that if breathing wasn't an unconscious act that he would cease to live altogether. Once in a while we could get him to do something but most of the time he liked to relax. Sometimes I thought he overdid it but if there's one thing I learned it was that he didn't get stressed. Maybe that was a good thing.
I learned that the Akimichi clan did not directly own any restaurants but they did have a hand in them, mostly managing, some partnerships, etc. The Naras owned a massive plot of land that they let their deer graze over. Next up was the Aburames.
I have to confess that I don't like bugs, they gross me out. However Shino helped me change that attitude. My motto changed to "as long as they aren't in my house then they have a right to live." Shino himself was a man of few words at first but that changed too. We helped him out of his shell and discovered that the reason why he didn't talk was because he was able to commune his thoughts with his bugs so easily that he thought humans were the same. When they weren't as understanding he became withdrawn until we came along. Still he had that silent characteristic to him but we learned to interpret his gestures pretty accurately. Shino enjoyed going camping and with my authority there weren't too many places we couldn't go. We frequently took everyone along except for Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke.
For Ino and Sakura they just couldn't handle it and when Sasuke heard that we invited them he decided it would be safer to stay home. When Lee and Tenten heard about it they came to join us. Lee because he didn't want to be out done by Neji and Tenten because she liked being around Hinata and Haku. We weren't just relaxing mind you, we were training as well. We mostly trained in stealth and tracking because I told them it was a sacred grove we couldn't go using exploding notes and jutsus.
The Harunos were a normal family and not of any real note, the Yamanakas were known for their flowers and their relations with the Akamichi and Nara clans. The Yamanakas had a large plot of land that they used to grow flowers. It wasn't as large as the Naras but it was still big.
On the subject of Sasuke we must look at his clan as well. I can say it now, they were even bigger pricks than the Hyuugas. The Hyuugas had manners the Uchiha did not. The Uchiha made up the police force and many believed that it was necessary for "superior" ninja to enforce the law on ninjas of the village. The Uchiha lived this up and let everyone know it. I realized from rumors that many believed it to be true outside the village as well. It was at this time that I realized something. The Uchiha may be the most feared but the Hyuugas were still the strongest. The ability to steal techniques wasn't very fearsome when I witnessed the quality of some of the Uchihas. I also realized that they could only copy certain techniques and that many did not have impressive taijutsu. I think that they relied too much on their Sharingan to even the odds for them.
While the Byakugan existed in all Hyuugas, the Sharingan only existed in some of the Uchihas. The reason for this was because the Uchiha clan was not an old clan, their blood wasn't as nearly as thick.
I think they knew it too, that they weren't really recognized as a noble family but just as the police force and many resented it, including Sasuke's dad. Uchiha Kyoji was a proud man with a stick up his ass. I saw the way he berated Sasuke and doted on Itachi. I saw how Sasuke became depressed and Itachi became cold. I felt sorry for Sasuke but I also noticed how arrogant he became when his father praised him. I saw the jealousy in his eyes towards his brother. I then felt sorry for the clan as a whole.
One day I ran into Itachi when I was out with Haku, Hinata, and Neji. He looked bored and was heading off towards the training grounds when I suddenly had an impulse.
"Hey Itachi-san," I said.
I did not just say hi to that psycho!
Kit, I don't think even I can take him on right now in this pathetic husk you call a body.
Naturally Kyuubi was joking, he enjoyed poking fun at my body because he knew I didn't like being in a child's body and couldn't wait to grow up.
He stopped and turned to us. I waved him over. He was wearing the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back of his dark blue shirt. The lines beneath his eyes accented his maturity. He hesitated for a moment before coming towards us. Neji looked at me wondering what I was thinking. He too had heard stories about the Uchiha prodigy. Neji would only admit to me that the guy scared him shitless, more so than any member of the Main House who could kill him with a hand seal.
"What is it?" he asked, not sounding angry or interested.
His entire body language said he was indifferent and I took this moment to size him up. If my memory served me correctly he should only be eleven years old. This meant he was only a Chuunin and that I had two years before he committed mass genocide.
I've got plenty of time.
"Do you want to go with us to the movies?"
He looked thoughtful. I'd encountered him enough times and exchanged pleasantries in or by the Hokage's office. Sometimes he'd sit outside with me when waiting for his superior to finish giving the Hokage a report. I didn't know anything really deep about him but we were good acquaintances so my actions weren't too suspicious.
"I've got to start training, my father says I'm a good candidate for ANBU. I don't have time for this," he spoke with an edge when mentioned his father and ANBU.
It only took me a moment to reply, "Look at it this way…"
He looked me in the eye.
"It'll piss your dad off."
A smirk graced his face and his eyes didn't look so cold. I could tell Neji was shocked, I didn't even need to turn to tell that gasp had come from him.
"What are we watching?"
And with that we were off. I noticed Itachi had performed a Henge into a younger version of himself. I was about to ask why when a horde past us by.
"Where are you Itachi-sama?"
Familiar calls rang out from the teenage female population of Konoha. It would probably the first and last time I saw Itachi shiver in fear. I needed no explanation from him.
"Stupid fan girls," he mumbled.
This time he spoke his annoyance without any real malice or hate. The movie seemed to pass by pretty quickly and I was surprised but even more so by what was said.
"So what's next?" asked Itachi.
I couldn't really tell if Itachi was enjoying himself but I knew he found something amusing because Uchiha Itachi is not one to waste time (not yet anyway). I wasn't the only one surprised, so was everyone else. The girls decided we should go shopping, and Itachi joined Neji and I in our groans. While the girls were doing their thing at the closing store I caught a glimpse of a weapons store. I recognized it as being owned by Tenten's family.
I walked in with Itachi and Neji. We began to browse the weapons individually. Neji and I weren't even Genin yet but that didn't mean we couldn't start training for it. Itachi expertly choose a katana, but he didn't buy it. Instead he went up to the cashier/blacksmith who I assumed was Tenten's dad, Kurosaki Ichigo. He had unruly orange hair and eyes, he seemed to be the exact opposite of his daughter. By that I meant tall and his personality seemed a little rough around the edges. He had his moments, I saw them when he was with his daughter, speak of the devil.
"Hey guys what's up," she said.
Tenten was already somewhat of a tomboy but what else is to be expected of an aspiring kunoichi. She wasn't ready to balance out make up and kunais so she settled on the latter. I personally found it admirable when you compared her to girls like Sakura of Ino who were boy crazy. By keeping herself physically fit and healthy she was able to retain her femininity despite her goals. She didn't look too different from the one in the anime.
"We're just looking around," I said. "If you want, Haku and Hinata are down the street buying clothes and stuff."
"Hmm, maybe I'll catch up with them later," she said after a few moments of deliberating.
Itachi's conversation with Tenten's dad weaved its way to my ears.
"I'd like this katana made with these modifications."
"Are you sure kid?"
"Yes."
"That's a lot to handle for a chibi like yourself."
Itachi released his Henge. Ichigo was shocked for a moment before he regained his composure. It was the first time that I noticed the ANBU tattoo peering out from under Ichigo's sleeve. Tenten brought my attention back to her when she poked my stomach, illiciting a Pillsbury doughboy reaction.
"Isn't that Uchiha Itachi, the Itachi!" she whispered disbelievingly.
"Yeah, so?"
She looked at me like I had grown an extra head.
"He's a person too, geez," I said, not paying any attention to the look Itachi shot in our direction.
If I had looked I would have seen the surprise in his face.
A person… I don't even think my own father thinks of me as a person… But every time I meet this kid, he's… different from what I'm use to. A surprise that he is, Uzumaki Naruto.
Apparently Tenten noticed that he was looking our way so she changed the subject and attention back to me.
"Is there anything I can do for you today?" she said in a cheery cashier mode.
I thought for a second. I remembered Kakashi's blade from the Gaiden part of the manga.
Chakra Blade was it?
"I've heard of Chakra Blades before but I don't what it is, I was kind of interested in that," I answered.
She had a smile when she spoke, "Yeah Chakra Blades are a special type of weapon, not many use them because it takes a while to master."
She went into the back and came back out within moments, carrying a small wooden box about 2 feet long and ½ a foot wide. She beamed with pride when she opened the box.
It looks lot like the one Kakashi used in the manga.
"Chakra Blades allow you to put your chakra into the weapon, thereby allowing you to project a blade of chakra. Don't get excited if you make the blade too long it will become flimsy, also I wouldn't lock blades with the chakra part of it. Even though it extends the blade the chakra is easily broken," she explained. "It's because chakra can't stabilize itself outside of the human body in its raw form. Most people use a limited amount of chakra because it catches the opponent off guard since the enemy can't see it."
Obviously you haven't seen Raikiri or Rasengan.
"It looks a little flimsy," I said.
"Yeah because the larger it is the harder it is to handle, that's why the blade is so long but thin."
"Do you think you could make it bigger, I don't mean the length, that's fine as it is. I was talking about the width, and make it more angular, more curved."
"Yeah but it'll be harder to use. I mean it'll take you longer to master it."
"Hey, what's life without a little challenge."
She smirked at me, seeing the logic and silently admiring me.
"Also could you make it so that it fits my grip."
"Not a problem, just hold on a second."
She reached under the counter and took out a piece of clay. She cut off section and handed it to me.
"Put that in your hand and grasp it like you would a kunai, but not too hard or the handle will be too small."
I did as she asked and she put it in another box and put a piece of paper on it that had my name and order.
"I'll put this near the forge so my dad will look at it first."
"Thanks Tenten."
When I turned back to the other customers I saw Itachi leaning on a wall near me and Neji was buying some expensive shuriken. I recognized them as the lightweight but highly durable kind. I also noticed that they had eight points instead of four.
Geez Neji, your needs aren't cheap.
I looked back at Itachi and he looked up at me from his little nap.
"What?" I asked, slightly unnerved.
It wasn't because he was Itachi, I was a little nervous whenever people stared at me in silence.
"You've got a good eye," he said.
"Thanks."
"Nice modifications too."
"I didn't want it to be too easy, also even if I don't completely master it I wanted something a little more deadly than my kunai."
As multipurpose and useful the kunai was it wasn't as deadly as a katana. It was thin and small, hard to defend with. Mostly used as a projectile with shuriken.
"Different from my brother."
My ears perked up at this.
"You mean Sasuke?"
"Mn, he's always looking for the easy way out."
"What do you mean? He seems to work pretty hard."
"He relies too much on my father and I for guidance. He skips the basics and tries to learn as many techniques as possible instead of mastering any of them."
"Is that why you don't train him?"
"Before he learns teamwork he needs to be able to stand on his own first. Otherwise he will only be a hindrance to those around him."
I was silent as I pondered my own personal evaluation of Sasuke.
"He's a little arrogant too like the rest of the clan."
I looked shocked for a second and wondered if he could read my mind.
"Yeah."
"Yeah what?"
"I knew you were thinking that."
"Sorry," I said shamefully, unaware that my thoughts were so transparent.
"That's okay it's true."
He pushed himself away from the wall and moved towards the window.
"I'm worried that he'll be just like everyone else when he learns the Sharingan."
From what I had seen in the anime his fears would come true. Sasuke seemed a lot more concerned with copying techniques than anything else. There was just one problem, who the fuck is this guy and what has he done with the psycho killer? Well according to math he should be twelve years old now and he murdered his clan when he was thirteen, so I've got one year.
"Hey dad I'm going out with my friends now!" said Tenten as she walked out with us.
The guys mentally groaned when we saw the bags and knew that we would have to carry them. When it was late in the evening we all went home, first we walked Tenten home. Then Itachi left on his own before we made our trek back to the Hyuuga Estate.
Now let's not forget the Hyuugas. Things had really started to lighten up after the incident with the Cloud Ambassador. Hiashi and Hizashi were pleased with their children's advancement in the Jyuken. In the beginning Hiashi and Hizashi continued to throw those hateful glances at each other but after seeing their kids together they eased up. Deep down they knew this hatred between the two houses couldn't go on or someone would snap. Even if the Curse Seal was in place Hiashi never wanted to use it to kill someone of the Branch House. He shuddered at the thought of having to use it on his brother.
A year ago we were all blessed with the presence of two new additions to the Hyuuga family. First off was Hanamori, she was Hizashi and Guren's daughter. I was surprised and wondered what kind of effect her birth would have on future events. Then came Hanabi, Hiashi and Hikari's daughter. I was interested in how she would turn out now. It was obvious that Hanabi was doted on especially by Hinata. In fact because her parents were so busy running the Hyuuga Clan she probably spent more time with Hanabi than anyone else. Probably even more than the nurse. Hinata was absolutlely in love with the baby.
Now as for Hanamori, Neji did his part as oniisan. He carried and took her out to play with Hanabi sometimes. That was just his public face. To show how he felt about her we need to have a flashback… cue flashback…
Naruto's flashback…
I was just minding my own business looking for Neji because I wanted to see if he wanted to train today because I had learned a new technique.
Where the hell is he?
I had checked all the usual spots and decided that I would go see Hanamori.
Maybe he's suppose to take care of her today?
I slid the shoji doors open slowly so as to not wake the baby, it was early in the morning (9 AM, but its always early for babies). What I saw blew my mind.
"Yes now who's a cute little baby," said Neji as he lifted her up in the air by her arms.
To say I was shocked was inaccurate, more like I had a heart attack.
Who the fuck is this guy and what did he do with Neji?
I had never seen Neji so affectionate before, save for a few instances with Hinata when he thought they were alone. Naturally they weren't because Haku was always spying on them.
He continued to lift her in the air as if he was playing with an airplane, he made sure to be gentle though. His expression of bliss was almost the same as the baby who smiled and laughed with him.
"Neji?" I called out, confirming who the impostor was.
He froze.
Yep it's Neji now does he need some mental help or something?
"Naruto?" he asked fearfully.
"The one and only," I said while trying to remove the awkward tension in the air.
He slowly put Hanamori down, the instant she was down he vanished. Only to reappear and pin me against the wall with his demon head out, anime style.
"If you tell anyone I'll kill you," he threatened. "Hey don't laugh I'm serious."
"Okay okay," I answered, mockingly in fear.
Ten minutes later…
Neji's POV…
I stepped out of Hanamori's room and closed the door slowly.
"Ahhh, she's so cute," I said as I saw her drift off into sleep, sucking her thumb.
I made my way to the training halls where I knew Naruto would be. While I walked down the hall and greeted servants nothing seemed amiss. As soon as I entered I knew something was wrong. The silence was deafening, and Haku and Hinata had unreadable expressions on their faces. Suddenly Hinata walked slowly over to me.
"Yes Hinata-sama?"
She was silent for a moment before she answered by fiercely hugging me.
"That's so kawaii Neji-niisan."
My eyes saw Haku's amused expression before I glared daggers at Naruto.
General POV
"Naruto get your ass back here so I can kill you!"
Kunai and shuriken flew throughout the training hall and into the house.
"Don't run, don't run you bastard!"
End Flashback…
"Ah those are good times," I said before tucking myself into bed.
A year later…
Nothing really important happened over the next year, but ever so slowly Uchiha Itachi was changing. I mean that in a good way. He seemed to listen to his dad a lot less and forsook missions and training to hang out with us. It doesn't mean he became a sloth or anything like Shikamaru. It was just that he lightened his work load so he could be a normal person. Even though there was a five year gap between us, Itachi seemed to be having fun with us anyway. I guess his father, no his clan, never really allowed him time for a childhood. He made up all that time with us. He was still a little stoic but like Shino we had learned to interpret his gestures. He was a lot more vocal than Shino and sometimes he seemed like everyone else.
One day we were out in the playground, yes the playground not the park. Itachi and I were sitting on a bench while the others had their fun.
"What's up?" I said, making sure everyone else was out of earshot.
"Nothing," he said.
I could tell from his cold tone that he was pissed.
"Okay."
I also knew that he would tell me anyway because he wanted my opinion.
"It's my father."
No surprise there.
"What did he do this time?"
"He tried to have me assassinated."
He acted very calmly and so did I. I continued to drink my juice but I was a whirlwind of emotions on the inside.
What?
I didn't have to wait long for Itachi to elaborate.
"You remember everything I told you about the Sharingan right?"
"Yeah."
Itachi had told me virtually everything about the Sharingan, and I mean everything. He told me its weaknesses and he taught me how to fight against it. I was honored that as his friend he would take time to train me, because I knew he was busy now as an ANBU commander. I was also touched by him trusting me enough to reveal the secrets of the Sharingan.
I found out that interestingly enough the Sharingan only copied the basics of the jutsu. In other words if I used a jutsu the Sharingan user could use it too but he might expend too much chakra and his attack may not be as strong as mine.
"Yeah well there are things even I didn't know."
Is he talking about the Mangekyo?
He handed me a folder from the folds of his kimono and I took it. As I looked at it I was shocked to the core.
I can't believe his father is so twisted!
"Is this true?"
"Yeah."
I looked at Itachi, he didn't seem very torn up on the outside but his eyes spoke volumes.
"So it's true that your father was trying to pit you against your best friend and have one of you kill the other?"
"That's what it says."
I was silent and waited for Itachi to speak because I didn't know what to say.
"Shisui and I haven't been on very good terms lately and I've heard things about him but I never thought…"
"I can't believe your father would do this for some kind of experiment."
"In the Uchiha it was almost a rumor, a myth, the Mangekyo. I had always heard of its power but I never knew how it was created."
"I guess we know now."
As I looked down at the folder I read Kyoji's (Itachi's father) notes.
The Mangekyo is born from the blood and psychological trauma from killing one's best friend. Best friend is the most accurate term we can use because common sense tells us that one may not be close to one's family because of blood.
With this we will finally have the leverage we need to overthrow the Hyuuga. If that is not possible at least we will be acknowledged as the stronger. Which ever subject survives is of no consequence as long as one of them eliminates the other.
That sick fuck.
You're telling me Kyuubi.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know…"
"Do you want to go to the Hokage?"
He thought before answering.
"I want to clear things up with Shisui first."
"I understand."
When everyone was done I decided I'd have dinner at Itachi's place. Haku wanted to come along but I told her to go home. She looked at me suspiciously so I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she blissfully obeyed me.
When we got there something was wrong. It was way too silent. It wasn't even 9 PM but it seemed like everyone was asleep.
"Tadaima," Itachi said as he shook off his shoes.
I did the same and followed him into the kitchen.
"Kaasan? Sasuke?" he said aloud.
It was dark and nothing could be seen, I could barely see my own hands in front of me. Still we received a shocking answer.
"Don't come in Itachi!" cried his mother.
"Aniki!" cried out Sasuke.
In a speed of a veteran ninja, Itachi blazed his Sharingan as he opened the door and went in with one swift motion. The sight that greeted us was gruesome. His father's body lay mutilated on the floor and his mother was on her knees. Sasuke was near us, by the wall next to the door, too afraid to move. I could tell why. The killing intent in the air was so heavy I could barely move. I couldn't tell if I was pissing myself or not. My whole body was numb.
"Shisui," Itachi said hatefully.
It was at that moment that I remember something my teacher told us. You're lucky if you have one friend you can trust in the world but you're a liar if you say you have more than one.
Apparently Shisui had someone closer or just as close as Itachi because I heard Sasuke scream out in pain.
"Mangekyo Sharingan: Tsukiyomi," said Shisui.
I didn't dare look at his face or even above his waist in fear that I too would fall victim to his dojutsu.
Calm down Kit!
I'm sorry Kyuubi, I don't know how much of this I can take…
Kit! Kit!
I barely registered the fox's voice. Itachi's voice brought me out of my stupor.
"Naruto take Sasuke and go. Kaasan, go with Naruto!" he yelled.
When I looked up I saw him locking his kunai with Shisui's katana. I picked up Sasuke and carried him on my back. He offered no resistance or recognition that he was even alive.
I wonder if Shisui killed him with the Mangekyo?
I walked slowly over to Itachi's mother's side. Kaname eyes' were full of tears but she had long since stopped crying. Now it was almost an involuntary action.
"Why?" asked Itachi.
"You must have read your father's files too," answered Shisui coolly.
His voice was so cold it felt like he could cut through the flames of hell with it. Itachi could barely contain his shock.
I only found out today, how long has he known?
"Unlike you I desire the power behind the Mangekyo. We used to be the same Itachi until you started hanging out with those brats."
Shisui shot me a murderous look and even though I didn't look I paled. I could feel the killing intent radiating off of him, piercing my body like an x-ray.
"I'm your opponent!" shouted Itachi as they plowed through a wall and outside into the streets.
I grabbed Kaname's hand as soon as the tension lifted or at least moved away from me. I ran and ran. I wanted to help Itachi but I knew our levels were too different, I'd just get in the way. I looked back to see Itachi unleash a volley of fireballs at Shisui.
"Housenka no Jutsu!"
Shisui expertly dodged each of them, weaving his way between them as if mocking Itachi instead of jumping a safe distance away.
"Goukyaku no Jutsu!" shouted Shisui as soon as he was within range.
To his surprise Itachi exploded into smoke.
Kage Bunshin?
Itachi appeared behind him and tried to cut him with his kunai.
Clank!
Instead steel met steel.
Their chakras overwhelmed me. I heard the roar of their Ryuuka no Jutsus collide. The night sky lit up with their explosion. The next thing I knew was ANBU and medic-nins were around me. Kaname's hand slipped through mine and Sasuke was lifted off my back. I stumbled to the ground and rested on my knees. Then I felt my body being lifted. I looked up and saw Kaasan staring down at me, trying to hold back her tears.
What happened to you Naru-chan?
I wrapped my legs around her waist and my arms around her neck. I knew it was embarrassing for a seven year old but I couldn't help it. No matter how far I went I could feel their killing intent. It was almost demonic. I could only pray for Itachi as Kaasan carried me home and ANBU headed for the Uchiha residence.
Tsuzuku…
Author's Note: The Uchiha Massacre ends and we all grow from it. I notice changes in the survivors as I train even harder. As a ninja I should expect to have near-death experiences but I didn't expect to have one in the sacred groves. Next time on a New Nindo: Raijin no Ken vs. Raikiri!
If you read this fanfic please review, even if it's just to say hi. My creative talent and engine feeds off of your reviews. Thank you and I hope you enjoy my next installment of A New Nindo.
