DISCLAIMER: I do not own any rights to Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, any of its characters, theories, or commercial products. Please support the official release.
Chapter III: The Best Laid Plans
Naruto and Kenichi sat in silence in a small room they had been escorted to a few minutes' prior. A single ninja stood guard next to the door beside them. As they sat quietly several minutes passed before the door slid open revealing an elderly man who walked inside carrying a large book. The man sat down behind the desk in front of the boys and opened the book.
Hiruzen Sarutobi Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he watched the man turn a few pages before stopping. Why's the Principal here? He's never been involved with punishments before.
With a wave of his hand the principal dismissed the lone ninja in the room and suddenly Naruto's anger at Kenichi was replaced with dread. Just what was gong on here?
"Ah, here we are." The principal said aloud as he glanced down at his book.
"Naruto Namikaze" The elder man read as he looked up at the boy.
"Yes Lord Hokage" Naruto said respectfully to his father's predecessor, doing his best to suppress his worry.
"And Kenichi Isagawe" The elderly man said looking to Kenichi.
"Y-yes Lord Hokage" Kenichi stuttered nervously, as Hiruzen went back to looking at his book.
"It appears you both have quite a history of causing trouble together." Sarutobi noted tracing his fingers down the page. "Some of these altercations resulted in both of you fighting each other. This trend seems to have escalated in the last 6 months. Is this correct?"
"It's all his fault Lord Hokage." Kenichi suddenly yelled, pointing a finger at Naruto. "He's the one who f-."
"Me?" Naruto yelled back but made no other movement towards the boy. "I wasn't doing anything until you went and st-"
"Enough!" The principal commanded looking up from his book. His voice instantly silencing the two boys.
"This meeting is not to determine why these altercations are occurring" Hiruzen explained as he looked at both boys before continuing. "Rather we are here to determine a proper punishment because of them."
"Kenichi Isagawe."
"Y-yes L-lord Hokage." Kenichi's voice was barely audible as he met Hiruzen's gaze.
"Because this incident occurred during the last day of the academy season, I have decided to withhold your punishment until the academy reconvenes in 4 weeks' time. Until that time you are dismissed." Hiruzen stated.
"Y-yes sir." Kenichi said and stood up to give the principal a shaky bow. He then quickly exited the room, glad to be out of the presence of the legendary 3rd Hokage.
"Now." The principal began, turning his attention to Naruto. "What should I do with you?"
"With all due respect Lord Hokage, shouldn't my punishment be the same as Kenichi's? We both broke the same rules." Naruto reasoned, hoping to get off the hook. Since he just graduated the academy, the principal technically couldn't do anything to him…or at least that's what he hoped.
"That is where you are mistaken Naruto, the rules you broke are far more severe than those broken by Kenichi."
"What?" Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the 3rd's words.
How could I have done something more severe than him? I only hit him once!
"Tell me, what is the primary mission for any Leaf Shinobi?" The challenged, snapping Naruto from his thoughts.
The boy raised a questioning brow before giving a textbook answer. "To protect our village, the Land of Fire, and everyone who resides within it"
"And why do we protect the people within the Land of Fire?" The Third said never looking away from the blond headed ninja.
"We protect the people of the Land of Fire, because of the special relationship they hold to our village."
"And what relationship is that Naruto?" The principal continued, attempting to lead Naruto on his own path of understanding.
"The people of the Land of Fire share a sacred trust with the Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. The people trust the ninja to protect them, their livelihoods', and their futures'. In return they fund our village either through the Daimyo or by commissioning missions from our village, many of the populace also give the village special discounts on the purchase of raw materials and medical supplies. These supplies are valuable in maintaining a constant state of readiness against the other villages. Without the village the people would be defenseless against ninja from other lands, and without the people there wouldn't be a Hidden Village for us to reside in."
"And what is the punishment for those ninja's who break this sacred trust?"
Naruto's eyes marginally widened in hesitation before answering. "Whenever a ninja breaks the sacred trust our village shares with the people of the Land of Fire a wide variety of punishments exist depending on the severity of the offense."
"What punishments can be used in this event?' Hiruzen challenged further, causing Naruto to go silent as he felt bowling ball sized lump in his throat.
"Continue Naruto:" The principal prodded after a few moments of silence.
Taking a shaky breath, the blond boy steeled his nerves and responded the best he could. "These punishments may range from prison time, demotion –in the event of a Genin they are sent back to the academy-, community service, and expulsion from the ninja ranks entirely. Further charges of treason, which is punishable by execution, could also be added in severe cases. It's possible for all of these punishments to be utilized against the offender, or in a combination if deemed necessary by the office of the Hokage or Jonin Council."
"Very good Naruto, you are correct on all of your answers." Sarutobi praised.
"But Lord 3rd, I didn't-"Naruto began.
"Ah, but you did Naruto." The former Hokage responded in a knowing tone; interrupting the young boy in the process.
"A Genin, while the lowest of our Shinobi ranks, is still considered a shinobi nonetheless, while an academy student is considered a civilian." The principal explained. "This is simple fact and cannot be argued."
"But I was provoked, doesn't that mean anything?" Naruto tried to reason.
"Do you not believe that your enemies will provoke you in the field?" The 3rd Hokage questioned, his calm voice suddenly becoming much harder as he spoke. "Do you not believe that they will do everything in their power to get under your skin, force you to make a mistake, or put your life and those of your comrades in danger?"
"N-no Lord 3rd of course no-." Naruto tried to answer.
"And when that time comes will you throw caution to the wind? Will you abandon everything you've learned just because someone insulted your parent, friend, or village? Would you truly put the success of your mission, your life, and the lives of your team in peril over such petty things as talk? If so then tell me know and I will personally ensure you never become a ninja.'
"I-i would never do-"
"Then do not do it here." The 3rd Hokage ended with a tone of finality.
Naruto lowered his head and stared at the bottom of the desk, his mind racing to think of a way out of this situation but finding none. The 3rd Hokage was right, this really was an open and shut case.
"So…what's going to happen to me?" Naruto said slowly attempting to hide his nervousness and fear.
The principal paused to blow some smoke out of his mouth before continuing. "All things considered you are a very lucky person Naruto, had this happened only 3 days from now your punishment would be far more severe."
"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned, as he raised his head to look at the 3rd Hokage.
"You see Naruto, you have yet to officially become a Genin." Sarutobi, his mouth curving upwards ever so slightly as he gauged the young boy's reaction.
"What!" Naruto yelled in shock, completely forgetting that he was talking to not only his principal but also a former Hokage. "How could I not be a Genin? I passed the graduation exam, got a headband, and everything!"
"Quiet down Naruto." The 3rd Hokage stated as he raised his hand to placate the frantic young boy. It took several more seconds before Naruto calmed down enough for the 3rd Hokage to continue.
"By graduating from this academy, you only become a graduate who has the potential to become a Genin." Sarutobi explained, gauging Naruto's reaction with each passing word. " To become a true Genin you must first be placed into a squad headed by a Jonin teacher, that teacher must then register their squad within 3 days' time of the squad's formation. Once that team has been registered with the office of the Hokage, all members of that team who previously held the graduate rank will automatically be inducted as Genin."
Naruto felt numerous emotions hitting him one after the other. Anger at not being a real Genin afterall. Confusion on why this mattered before the feeling gave way to understanding, and finally relief at the realization of how this all came together.
"So if I'm not a Genin." Naruto said as he looked at the 3rd for confirmation. " that means."
"Yes Naruto" Sarutobi nodded his head in affirmation. "Since you are technically not a ninja, none of the aforementioned punishments will be given to you this day."
Naruto failed to hold back a sigh of relief, any of those punishments would have been terrible to deal with. He'd never be able to face those close to him if he were to be expelled from the ninja core or demoted back to the academy. Especially his dad.
"So I'm not getting punished for hitting Kenichi?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Only if you somehow find yourself back at this academy again, in which case your punishment will be the same as Kenichi's." The 3rd Hokage stated, the faintest glimpses of a smile now noticeably forming on his features.
Naruto released yet another sigh of relief of relief at the news, there wasn't any way he was going back to the academy in this lifetime.
"Naruto." The principal stated in a serious tone, grabbing the young blonde's attention. "Just because you are not getting punished today doesn't mean you can continue behaving as you have been in the past. These actions are serious, and you have come dangerously close to getting a far greater punishment. You must promise never to do something like this again."
"Yes Lord 3rd I promise that I won't fight anymore civilians." Naruto said bowing his head in respect.
"Very well, you are dismissed."
Naruto exited as fast as he could get away with and made his way through the doors to the outside world. The light from the outside temporally blinding his vision.
"It's about time you came out." Naruto's eyes widened, as a familiar voice called to him.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Alleyway inside Konoha
"Dammit!" Kenichi roared as he punched the side of the building again, the impact causing far more damage to the boy's hand than it did the hard stone.
Why did that stupid Namikaze get involved? I was so close to passing, so close to making everything be alright.
It was true, Kenichi had failed the exam only by a handful of points, points he would have had if the instructors had chosen any jutsu other than that accursed clone technique. Even if they had only allowed 2 jutsu to be used he would be a Genin right now, but that stupid Namikaze had to get involved!
"Arrgh!" Kenichi shouted in anger as he prepared to punch the wall again only to collapse against it instead, even his anger couldn't stop the several tears that threatened to break out at any moment.
"I failed them. I failed him." Kenichi uttered to himself as he stood back up and clutched his fist, a few tears sliding down his face as he did so.
Becoming a great ninja had been Kenichi's dream since before he could remember. A great ninja just like his father had been, someone his dad could be proud of. Even now all these years later he could still see his dad's face, telling him about all the things he'd teach him. He would tell him every day about all the cool moves he'd show him when he got older. Moves he could've mastered to make his dad proud, moves he would've learned if his dad never got that emergency summons from the Hokage 6 years ago. Even now he could see his dad, dressed in full combat gear as he turned to smile to him and his mom. How he gave them each one last hug with a promise he'd be back soon.
Punching the wall again he felt no pain as more memories flashed uncontrollably before his eyes. A knock on the door, some nameless ninja talking to his mom, her collapsing in tears, and just like that no more promises…no more dad; it happened the a few days before he turned 7 years old but was still oh so clear to him. He had sworn that day that he would honor his promise to his dad, he'd become a great ninja, the best ever. He'd make him proud no matter what, that was his promise to him.
It wasn't easy by any means, his own mom took a long time to convince to not pull him out of the academy, but she came around after he told her why he wanted to remain enrolled. Then the academy work got harder and harder, and he barely managed to make the cut year after year. He worked tirelessly to get where he was while others like Naruto just seemed to fly by with little effort at the top. The same person whose father sent his to die. Who-
"Kenichi!" A voice called out from behind the young boy, snapping him out of his trance.
"Mizuki Sensei?" Kenichi questioned in surprise, hiding his bruised hand behind him as he turned to greet his instructor. "What're you doing here?"
"I actually came to talk to you." Mizuki said motioning towards Kenichi. "I tried to find you after the graduation test but you disappeared."
"Did I do something wrong?" Kenichi asked with worry.
"Actually, just the opposite. I've been talking to Iruka about how hard you've been working these past few months, and we decided to give you another shot at passing the exam.." Mizuki stated with a toothy grin.
Kenichi's eyes widened in shock. "I can still pass the exam!? How? What do I need to do? Mizuki-sensei please tell me!"
"Haha, calm down Kenichi." Mizuki Chuckled while waving off the exited boy. "I'll tell you everything you need to know, but not here. Follow me and we'll go over the details".
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
In front of the Ninja Academy
"It's about time you came out."
"M-mom?" Naruto questioned as he saw his mom lazily leaning against the same tree Sasuke had been at earlier. Her arms were crossed, and a small smile glazed her lips.
"Is dad here to?" Naruto asked as he began to look around the now vacant area.
"What am I spoiled ramen or something?" His mom joked in a mock hurt tone before speaking solemnly. "Your father's still holding meetings inside the tower. He told me to tell you he's sorry, but that he's immensely proud of you and wishes he could be here in person."
Upon hearing this Naruto looked back at his mom with a small smile. "When did you get here?" he asked trying to change the subject, he was happy his mom had made it and focusing on his dad absence would just ruin that fact.
"Just in time to see you and another kid being dragged away by a pair of Chunin." Kushina said as she stepped away from the tree and sighed loudly in irritation. "You know you're not supposed to get into fights with civilians now. Right? That can get you in big trouble ya know?"
"Yeah Lord Third just told me, I won't do it again." Naruto earnestly promised.
"Really?" Kushina's eyes widened as Naruto nodded his head. "So I just spent the last 20 minutes thinking of a great lecture to get the point across for nothing." Kushina pouted with crossed arms and a frown and Naruto could swear he heard her grumble something about stupid old men minding their own business.
He continued to watch silently as his mom fumed before she let out an abrupt sigh.
"Fine, but the next time you misbehave you better wait for me to lecture you first before you promise not to do it again. Understand?" Kushina stated irritably as she placed a hand on her waist and pointed a finger at Naruto.
"Er, yes Ma'am?" Naruto affirmed, still not quite understanding what was going on but also knowing questioning his mom would only get him back in hot water.
.
"That's good, remember that." Kushina nodded her head before smiling again. "Anyway, I bet you're starving after getting through all those tests. What ya say about getting some Ichiraku Ramen with me and tell me all about your day?"
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted with a grin. I haven't had Ichiraku's in forever His smile widened even further as he ran to his mother and the pair turned to walk to Ichiraku Ramen. As they walked Kushina placed a hand on his shoulder and began making small talk with her son.
"You know I got dragged into one of those stupid Jonin meetings to?" Kushina explained as they walked. "Those guys need to lighten up, I bet half of them wouldn't know a joke if it tried to kill them." As his mom continued to talk and poke fun at some of the village's top ninja, Naruto only half listened as he continued looking at this mother with a smile on his face and laughing as she joked about wanting to seal one uptight Jonin into a scroll filled with children's toys. No words could describe how happy he felt at this moment.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
6:00pm somewhere inside Konoha
Two cloaked figures stood in the shadows of an abandoned building; their faces remained hidden as they spoke to one another.
"Have we received confirmation?"
"Yes, it's just as he said it would be. I will have no trouble getting through once I've accomplished my mission."
"And the boy?"
"He's always under ANBU protection. The numbers always vary but there's always one ANBU captain nearby, I attempted to get closer yesterday and was nearly compromised. I doubt we'll be able to get close enough to complete the secondary objective without being detected."
"It doesn't matter, he isn't important enough to risk detection. At least not now. All that matters is the primary objective." One of the cloaked figures handed the other a scroll. "Go to these coordinates. The objective will come to you, once that happens you may accomplish your mission however you see fit."
"I will not fail." One of the figures assured.
"Only because you know the price if you do."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
9:18 p.m. Outside the Hokage Residence
"He should be out of his meeting by now right?" Naruto asked while looking at the living room clock. After they had finished eating, both he and his mom had come back home. Once they got back, she had mentioned that they could go visit his dad at the tower once all his dad's meetings finished, something the young ninja was extremely excited about doing.
"He said around 9:30 if all went well." Kushina responded aloud. "I'd wait a few more minutes past that just in case."
"Can't I go now mom?" Naruto asked. "I won't barge in or anything, I really just want to tell him how everything went at the academy."
Upon hearing this Kushina held back a sigh. She knew the hidden meaning behind her son's impatience and words; not to mention the fact he didn't ask for her to go with him. I want to spend some time with dad alone, and all jokes aside she couldn't blame him. Ever since Naruto was a toddler Minato found it harder and harder to be around. Being a father had been forced to take a back seat to his job as Hokage. That left very few chances to connect with his son; a fact that weighed heavily on them both.
"Fine, but don't have too much fun without me." Kushina finally said with a mock serious tone. "I'm a part of the family to ya know."
"Thanks mom!" Naruto yelled as he got up moved towards the door.
"Don't give your father a hard time." Kushina called out as Naruto left the house. "He's had a tough day!"
Dad might have missed graduation but at least I can see him in his office. Naruto's smile widened as he raced through the village. Taking note of his speed, he mentally calculated that he'd be at his dad's office in around 15 minutes.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
9:23p.m. Hokage Tower
Minato sat at his desk reviewing the reports from Hot Water regarding the recent border raid. The raid had quickly been repulsed and the border reinforced with the enemy falling back shortly before the reinforcements he'd re-routed from the Rice Patty border arrived. Still the Leaf Shinobi present had been completely taken by surprise and had suffered significant losses as a result. Even worse, a preliminary investigation on the incident had indicated that the raid had been launched by shinobi from the Hidden Cloud.
Border raids are common when there's a lot of tension, but the size of this one dwarf anything I'd consider normal. Minato continued to scan over the report. Once more people heard of the incident he'd undoubtedly be assaulted with several calls for retaliation…even war.
What game are you playing A? Minato suddenly turned the page only to see the current list of Shinobi deemed MIA and KIA from the raid. He began looking over the names only to hear his name being shouted from behind his office door.
"Lord Hokage!" A Chunin cried as he barged though the door to the Hokage's office. "You must come quickly!"
"What is it?" Minato asked already rising from his chair and glaring at the panicking Chunin.
"T-the scroll of sealing sir, i-it's gone!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hokage Tower 9:33 pm
Naruto slowed his pace as he approached the outside gates leading to the Hokage's Tower. As he reached the gates he heard the sound of several frantic voices just ahead of him. Moving silently, he hid behind one of the large, wooden gates and peered through the cracks to see a large group of shinobi assembled in the yard between the tower and gates.
"Lord Hokage this is a disaster!" He heard one of the ninja yell as he slowly edged himself even closer to the side of the gate until he could see his father standing on the top steps leading to the tower with an unreadable expression.
This must be bad. Dad looks pissed.
"That scroll contains valuable knowledge known only to our village! Even if he's an academy student, he must be stopped before the scroll falls into the wrong hands!" Another ninja yelled, his words catching Naruto off guard.
Scroll? Academy Student? What kind of scroll could be so dangerous, and who would be dumb enough to try and steal it? Naruto mentally questioned, trying to process exactly what he was hearing.
"Enough!" Minato's harsh voice jolted him out of his thoughts and quieted down all the ninja.
Minato lowered his head slightly, allowing several stray pieces of his blond hair to fall unto his eyes. "Very well" he quietly said to himself before he looked up and glared at the ninja in front of him.
"Go find Kenichi Isagawe and bring him here at once!" Minato yelled out with a fury, instantly causing all the ninja to disappear, run, or jump away as each ran to complete the order's they had been given.
Minato watched the new empty area in front of the Hokage's tower and sighed, he didn't want to send ninja after an academy student, but as the Hokage he had little choice and could only hope the boy surrendered without incident. As he moved to turn around, he felt someone eyes boring into his back, turning quickly he scanned the area only to find nothing.
"Lord Hokage!" A Chunin called out as he ran out of the tower and bowed in respect.
"What is it?" Minato stated casting the Chunin a sideways glance.
"The clan council has gathered as you ordered sir, they await your presence in room 316 on the 3rd floor."
Minato looked back at the gates in front of him for a few seconds longer to ensure nothing was out of the ordinary before speaking. "Very well." he stated as he turned around and made his way back into the Hokage's Tower.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Outside The Hokage Tower 9:36 pm
Naruto sprinted down the streets of the village, away from the Hokage Tower, as fast as he could go.
That Idiot! What's he thinking! Naruto felt his anger at Kenichi spike as he dodged the few civilians still out at this time of night. I don't know what this scroll or whatever is, but when I find you Kenichi I really am going to turn you black and blue.
Deciding he needed a better viewpoint, Naruto leapt from the streets to the nearby rooftops. From there he continued to jump to a higher rooftop until he had a decent view of most of the village.
Come on concentrate. He commanded as he closed his eyes and tried to imagine Kenichi. He'd always had a good gut instinct about finding people, he just had to concentrate and somehow he'd know just where to look.
There! Suddenly Naruto's eyes opened, and he jumped down to one of the main roads that would take him to the Northwestern gate to the village.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Safehouse outside of Konoha
Kenichi finally came to a stop after several long minutes of non-stop running. He'd done exactly like Mizuki-sensei had asked and taken the giant scroll from that weird vault and made it back here without detection.
Now all I have do is learn a jutsu before sensei gets here and I'm home free. He recounted while sitting down and unfurling the scroll.
Might as well learn the first one and work my way down He reasoned as he glanced at the contents of the scroll.
"Gah! You've got to be kidding me!" Kenichi cried out as he looked over the list of Jutsu written down. "Why does the first technique I learn, have to be another clone jutsu!"
He sighed before looking back at the scroll. Oh well, might as well get this over with.
Kenichi never noticed the shadowed figure watching in the tree's behind him, or heard a sound as the figure silently reached behind its back.
END CHAPTER
Author's Notes:
Thanks Everyone who has followed, favorited, or added this story to their alerts. Getting all the popups has really motivated me to finish revising and getting these chapters out. I also wanted to thank Darth Kyuubi Kurama for my first review on the story. I've also gotten a few PM's asking about story details, which is surprising given how it's only been up for a day or so. I've answered most of the questions via PM but wanted to list a few of the question and responses below in a FAQ style thing. I won't do it every chapter but figured it would be a good thing to do.
I've also decided to go with an earlier decision and only have the end chapter reports be every few chapters or when plot demands it. I love doing them because it fleshes out the world and gives a lot of background information; however, doing one every chapter feels too tedious and risks over-shadowing the plot if done more than needed.
Finally, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to read, review, but above all else have fun. Until next time!
Guardian's Blade- Out!
Q: "Does Naruto currently Have Kurama sealed within him?"
Answer: Naruto does NOT have the 9 tails at this point in time. As of right now he's still sealed within Kushina. Whether that'll change in the future or not…well I guess you'll have to read to find our 'smirks evilly'
Q: "Is this a SasuNaru Story?"
Answer: Nope afraid not. Sasuke and Naruto are meant to be friends in this story, nothing more…that being said they will still continue to get on each other's nerves since that's just their personalities and how they clash.
Q: "What are the pairings in this story."
Answer: Who knows…well I do but at this early juncture pairings aren't really on my mind, and are subject to change as the story evolves. Of course, it is also possible that I scrap them all together. I like pairings since it makes the world feel more organic, but at the same time I don't want to risk alienating anyone because of it.
Q: "Why is Sakura and Ino fangirling over both Naruto and Sasuke. What's with that?"
Answer: I've always assumed that Sakura and Ino liked Sasuke more for who he was and how strong he was rather than anything else. It just seemed very superficial for me , at least in the beginning, so it makes sense that they would also be into Naruto for the same reasons since in this story he's the son of the Hokage and pretty powerful himself for a academy student. That being said, I wouldn't worry with it to much. I'm going to develop both of them out of that stage but want to do it in a way that seems more natural. I've always hated the fact that they both stayed pretty one note through most of the series and really don't want anyone to have to put up with that for the entire story. When it does crop up, before they develop out of it, I'll try to use it more for comic relief than anything serious.
Q: "Where is Hinata in this story? I really wanted to see her character!"
Answer: She's around. She's still in the same class as Naruto, but since he didn't notice her or any of the others; she didn't get any dialogue. Don't worry though, I'm planning on introducing all the canon teams in due time. Some of their personalities may be slightly different…or not. You'll have to read to find out. 😊