Some points real fast.
Naruto will begin at around the same level Sasuke was at in the anime/ Manga. That means he'll be strong for a Genin but that's it. This story coincides with the start of the series so both Naruto and Sasuke are 13.
I am a bit rusty on my writing skills, so please be forgiving when it comes to grammatical errors; however, feel free to point them out to me at your leisure and I will attempt to fix them when able. Likewise, if you have any plot suggestions feel free to let me know of them and I may even implement them into the plot I have worked out.
Everything else will typically be in the AN (author's note) from this point forward.
I'm going to make a lot of the ninja more balanced in my story than the show has shown. This can mean that a ninja's strength will vary depending on how long they have been a ninja, their skill rank, ect. This could lead to some characters being nerfed and others buffed. The reason for this is that Ninja who are Chunin or Jonin rank shouldn't be easily killed by Genin (within reason).
I'm going to try something that I don't see to often on this site. The thoughts of characters will not have quotation marks. Many of the stories I've read don't have quotation marks around the thoughts and I wanted to see how it read. Please give me feedback on what you think and I'll adjust my editing accordingly
All criticism is welcome, and I hope you enjoy the story.
Anyway, here's the first chapter of Legend of Naruto Namikaze.
"Dialogue"
Thoughts
"Demonic dialogue"
Demonic Thoughts
Important Information
CHAPTER I: Battle in the Forest
Minato Namikaze, 4th Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, sat in his office working on the large stacks of paperwork littering his desk.
Letting out a sigh, He stood from his seat and walked towards his office window. Looking outside he could see the entire village. Many considered the Hidden Leaf Village to be the strongest village in the world, but to him it meant so much more. It meant home, a place he'd gladly die to protect.
As he gazed at the village below, he saw the people go about their business on the streets and the children playing. Seeing their happy and peaceful faces reminded him of why he'd accepted this job so long ago. He held his gaze for a few more moments before reluctantly returning to his desk feeling newfound motivation swell within him.
As he sat back in his chair preparing to once again do battle against his immortal foe, he caught sight of something that gave him pause. As he silently gazed at the lone picture frame that rested on his desk, he was reminded of another reason he had chosen to become leader of the Hidden Leaf.
He stared at the family photo of him and his wife Kushina Namikaze holding their 5 year old son a few seconds longer before returning to his paperwork. Only this time with an ever present smile on his face.
In a forested area near the outskirts of Konoha
Here he comes. Sasuke thought as he jumped behind a tree, barely dodging the kunai thrown at him.
That's right; keep all your attention on me. He smirked, leaping away from the tree and throwing several shuriken of his own in the general direction of his attacker before moving into the center of the clearing.
Drawing a kunai of his own, he took a defensive stance and silently scanned the surrounding trees waiting for the next attack. However, as the seconds dragged on, no attack came.
Cursing under his breath, he dashed towards the wooded area ahead. Sasuke knew that there could only be two explanations for his brief respite. The first would be the attacker gave up, which he knew would never happen and the second was that his attacker had chosen to go after his teammate instead. If true, this meant two more things. 1. His teammate was dead. 2. If he didn't hide quickly, he would be as well.
Sprinting through the forest at breakneck speeds, he finally came to a stop at a giant boulder surrounded by overgrown brush, an excellent hiding place.
As he moved toward the boulder, his mind began flooding with ideas of how to avenge his teammate; however, such thoughts were quickly cut short as he heard a sharp whistle behind him.
Spinning around, his eyes widened in alarm and he quickly raised his drawn kunai to defend himself. It was there that Sasuke stared down the person who had been attacking his team all day.
Tch, so much for making a new plan. He thought bitterly and regained his bearings. Silently he began stepping to the left while his opponent responded by stepping to the right. They continued to circle one another before Sasuke made his move and charged at his opponent, weapon ready to strike.
Meanwhile inside the same area
Where is he? I can't see anything in these woods. Naruto quietly thought, crouched on a tree branch just outside the clearing. Sasuke had just dived behind a tree several dozen yards from him, and despite seeing the kunai being flung at his friend, he still couldn't find where the enemy was hiding. The tree's branches provided great cover from prying eyes but also made finding others that much more difficult.
"That's the point of this exercise, Naruto," A voice stated from behind, causing Naruto to jump slightly only to settle after feeling cool metal against his throat.
"The ability to hide from, locate, and if necessary, neutralize your enemy is critical to a ninja's survival. The element of surprise will decide a battle more times than strength alone. Always remain hidden, quiet, and watchful for your opponent." The voice lectured before tapping Naruto's throat with the knife.
"You're dead." The man calmly stated before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Sighing loudly in aggravation, Naruto jumped to the ground and walked to the clearings edge. Since he was now "dead" all he could do was wait and see if Sasuke had fared any better than he had. Spotting a fallen log, he sat down and watched the surrounding forest for any sign of his dark-haired friend.
A few minutes passed before he finally caught sight of Sasuke walking out of the woods towards him. As the Uchiha drew closer it became clear from his scowling face, which now sported a few small cuts, that he had lost his bout as well.
"He caught me when I was repositioning." The young Uchiha answered Naruto's questioning gaze, before moving to sit next to him on the fallen tree.
As Sasuke took his seat, Naruto spotted Itachi Uchiha; walking slowly towards them from the same tree line Sasuke had come from earlier.
Itachi Uchiha Naruto idly thought as the elder Uchiha moved in front of the two boys who, unlike them, didn't even have a scratch on him. He's been helping us train all day, but we haven't even been able to touch him.
Itachi had often trained with both Naruto and Sasuke during their time at the academy. That training usually consisted of him just watching them spar, do routine chakra and other exercises while offering pointers when needed. Today, however, he said he wanted to test their teamwork, stealth, and combat abilities while serving as their opponent.
After each failed attempt, the elder Uchiha would talk to the boys about their plan to beat him and tell them what they should've done differently. He claimed this would help them strategize for the future, but after several repeated failures; their plans were beginning to become more desperate than strategic.
"So, who wants to go first?" Itachi asked, his voice as calm and monotone as ever.
"It's my fault," Naruto spoke first, breaking his silence a few seconds after hearing Itachi "I'm the reason the plan failed."
"How so?" The elder Uchiha asked.
"We decided to try and lure you out by using one of us as bait. They'd draw your attention and the other would stay hidden and find you. Since Sasuke's faster than me, we decided that he'd be the bait while I stayed behind and tried to find you."
"And what would you have done if you'd found me?" Itachi calmly questioned.
"I would've tried to get behind you and attacked with taijutsu. We hoped that'd surprise you enough to give us an edge or at the very least let me land a few hits while Sasuke rushed to help. We thought that if we kept you off balance then we could beat you.
"And what went wrong?" Itachi asked.
"It went great at first:" Naruto responded solemnly "You started to attack Sasuke when he entered the clearing, as planned, but then I couldn't find you. I was so busy looking for you that I never noticed you getting behind me. The plan fell apart after that, you killed me and then tracked Sasuke down and killed him."
Nodding at Naruto's explanation, Itachi shifted his gaze to his younger brother. "And you little brother," He said forcing the young Uchiha to meet his gaze.
"I thought I had your attention when you threw that kunai at me, so it took me awhile to realize that you'd gone after Naruto instead." Sasuke stated dryly. "That cost me time and made it even easier to find me after I ran." Sasuke finished and shifted his attention from Itachi to the ground, clearly annoyed at their most recent failure.
"Anything else?" Itachi asked.
"I was supposed to keep your attention long enough for Naruto to find you, and since I failed to do that the fault is equally mine." Sasuke finished with a sigh.
"Do either of you want to know what I think you did wrong?" The elder Uchiha asked rhetorically before continuing.
"Naruto" Itachi began, shifting his attention to the young blond. "You hid well but positioned yourself to deep into the woods that you ruined your own vision of the clearing ahead. Stealth is important to any ninja but crippling your own ability to detect other ninja's rarely ends well. In the future try to find spots that offer could cover from others but don't compromise your own ability to detect and track possible threats. You must also learn to focus on your complete surroundings when facing an enemy instead of just one specific part of it. In this case you focused far too much on where I was than where I was potentially going to be. By doing this you allowed me to take you by surprise and kill you. Never forget that it's critical to stay alert and be so focused on something that you leave yourself defenseless to attack." Itachi said and then looked over to Sasuke.
"As for you little brother, once you figured out that I had stopped attacking you, the first thing you did was retreat when your priority should've been helping your teammate. Teammates should strive to help one another, I may be strong, but I would have died several times if my comrades hadn't saved me. A ninja who relies solely on his own power, no matter how strong he may be, will not live long and will have few friends in the short time he does. Instead of trying to save Naruto, you instantly assumed the worse and retreated when you may have otherwise saved him and fought me two on one. In the future don't be so quick to throw your teammates lives away when saving them is still possible. Other than that, you had the same problem as Naruto did in staying alert. You focused more on running then not getting tracked. Had this been a real fight I would've slit your throat instead of giving you a chance to fight me." Itachi finished and looked over the two boys silently.
The silence seemed to drag on for several more seconds with both boys appearing to think on what they had been told; however, this silence was soon broken as the elder Uchiha cleared his throat "At any rate, it's going to be getting dark in the next few hours, so we're heading back to the compound."
"Why?" Naruto asked standing up. "We can still go a few more rounds before sunset".
"Your graduation exams are tomorrow, and nothing would be worth upsetting my parents or yours, by keeping either of you out late." Itachi explained while motioning for the two boys to follow him. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke moved to follow. Instead, Sasuke looked as if he was in deep thought and Naruto appeared to be trying to find a way for them to stay at the training ground longer.
We've never left this early before. Even if it is the day before the exam, we should be able to train at least another hour. Sasuke thought but didn't voice his opinion as he stared at his older brother with questioning eyes.
"Oh, come on Itachi we can train for a bit longer." Naruto pleaded. "If you're worried about the exams, don't. We'll both pass with flying colors!"
Besides. Naruto thought. Everyone knows the academy exam will only cover the basics plus a few random E ranked jutsu for good measure. Me and Sasuke could pass the exam in our sleep.
"I know that you'll both pass but humor me anyway." Itachi stated turning back around. "Besides, I also have an important mission to prepare for. So even if you didn't have the graduation exam tomorrow and could stay longer I can't. Father has made it clear that he doesn't want either of you in this forest without someone nearby, so you're both coming with me." Itachi finished in a tone that left no room for argument and began walking back towards the village.
"Looks like we don't have much of a choice. Let's go." Sasuke told Naruto nonchalantly as he began following Itachi.
Seeing Sasuke walk towards his brothers retreating form, Naruto sighed heavily and moved to catch up with the others.
"I still wish we could have trained for a while longer." Naruto grumbled to himself before running quickly to catch up to the Uchiha brothers.
As the trio walked Naruto and Sasuke broke into small talk about their Graduation Exam tomorrow; however, Itachi chose not to focus on it. For the past few minutes, he'd felt an odd feeling; a feeling that he'd come to associate with danger.
Somethings off He thought, quietly drawing a kunai that he kept hidden in his left sleeve, ready for anything as the two boys continued talking still unware. Then, just as quickly as the odd feeling came, it went. Almost as if nothing had ever been there to begin with. As the seconds passed, the trio continued to walk without incident.
More time passed until Itachi, convinced that everything was at rest, stealthy put the weapon back under his sleeve and idly listened to the boy's conversation but never taking his mind off his surroundings or forgetting the odd feeling he had felt a few moments prior.
Chapter 1 end
Leaf Village Intelligence Division Update: Hidden Mist Village Assessment (Summary)
Despite facing Civil War and several attempted Coups during most of her tenure, it appears that the 5th Mizukage still maintains a firm grip over the Hidden Mist Village. It is believed that most, if not all, of her hardline opposition to her reformist policies have either fled or have been killed off leaving the Hidden Mist Village unified under her rule.
With this in mind, we can expect a resurgence in Shinobi from the Hidden Mist village in area's that have long since been abandoned due to the civil unrest requiring more shinobi to be placed in the Land of Water. A key area that we believe may see an increased Hidden Mist presence is the island of Rorra, which lies just east of the Land of Hot Tea. Rorra's ownership has long been disputed between the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud, but due to the civil unrest that had plagued the Hidden Mist until recently; has allowed the Hidden Cloud to establish several outposts on the island to solidify their claims over the region. If the Hidden Mist attempts to re-take or establish a presence in Rorra then it could result in renewed clashes between the Shinobi of the Cloud and Mist. We have taken the liberty of deploying assets Wolf and Jaguar to Rorra to gather intelligence of the strength of both nations as well as any clashes that may take place. Sadly we lack operatives close enough to either the Mizukage or the Raikage to know exactly how far either will be willing to fight for Rorra; however, it is unlikely that any possible incident will result in a declaration of war in the near future from either side.
We can also expect that security at the border of the land of Rain will begin to grow more lax now that the Hidden Mist is now unified. This will allow our agents easier access into a nation that has long since been difficult to send or receive information from all but a few of the operatives we have inside the war-torn nation.
We can expect trade with the Hidden Mist to increase as they begin to allow more access to their nation, including possible missions from area's previously affected by the civil unrest; however, we should be cautious of the amount of missions we accept from the region until a balance with the resurgent village can be struck. It is also possible that we may receive offers from the Mizukage for joint operations to take place as a way of showing us, and more importantly the Raikage, that the Hidden Mist still has the power to maintain its position as one of the 5 great nations.
The precise strength of the Hidden Mist is unknown at this time due to lack of operatives with access to relevant information. However, due to the prolonged conflict in the Hidden Mist, and considering the amount of Shinobi that the Mist held under the 4th Mizukage before the civil unrest began; we believe that the Hidden Mist has far fewer shinobi than any other hidden village in the 5 great nations (please see full report of Hidden Mist Military Structure, for a complete breakdown of the Hidden Mist current known military force). While it is likely the Hidden Mist has enough shinobi to properly guard its borders, it is unlikely that they have enough veteran shinobi to launch a decisive attack against the Hidden Leaf Village or the Land of Fire at this time. Despite this low threat level it is recommended that we deploy at least 6 more squads to the eastern border of the land of Fire in case the Hidden Mist attempts to probe our defenses in the near future.
ANBU Commander Fang
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Not too much to say on this one except I hope you all enjoyed reading! Have a great day!
Guardian's Blade OUT!