The trio came to a rest underneath a large tree in the middle of the forest, and there Naruto spread the huge scroll out for all to see. It was massive – the scroll was almost as tall as Naruto was, and they had no doubt that very, very powerful techniques were written in it. Though the blond-haired boy had yet to notice anything, his two closest friends were already starting to form suspicions at the back of their minds. Something was very wrong here, and they felt that they were being watched.
"Eeeehhhh?! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" Naruto whined as he looked through the first technique listed in the scroll. "Damn, why must the first thing they show in here be my worst skill?" Sasuke peered over his shoulder, curious. This was the first time he had heard of a variation of the Bunshin, and if it was listed here, in this scroll, surely it had to have fairly enormous powers. Sakura, on the other hand, was stunned to hear the name. In her studies, she had come across the technique's name a few times. Kage Bunshin, as she recalled, was a Jounin-level technique, and even then, usually only those from ANBU knew of the existence of it. This was something too demanding of a mere graduation examination. She started to voice her opinion, but Naruto had already gotten to his feet and was trying the technique out.
She turned to Sasuke, hoping that the Uchiha prodigy would pay her some attention, but to her dismay he was already scanning through the scroll for a technique that would interest him. Sighing, and deciding that she might as well seize the opportunity to learn something new, she dropped to her knees next to the scroll and joined Sasuke in looking through it. She noted that Sasuke was generally interested in the section labeled: "Fire Jutsus". She frowned and crossed that section out mentally. Katon jutsus mostly took up a massive amount of chakra, and she was well aware that her chakra reserves were unsuited for such techniques.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing in the forest, but nothing happened. He uttered a swift curse and tried again. He tried to recall what his two friends had always been telling me about creating Bunshins.
Generate a fixed amount of chakra, and mold the chakra into a physical replica of myself.
He recalled the words on the scroll.
The Kage Bunshin… A Bunshin created in a far more complex manner as compared to the basic Bunshin. Breaking a Kage Bunshin down, it is made up of a physical shell molded in the shape of the user, and within that physical shell is a certain amount of chakra, an amount determined by the user's chakra reserves at the time of usage of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
Naruto clutched at his head and moaned; he had almost no idea what the stupid scroll was saying. At the same time, Sasuke stood up from where he was, eager to try out a new fire jutsu the scroll had mentioned. It had no specific name, but scroll referred to it as the Fire Shuriken technique. He performed the seals as mentioned in the scroll, and then drew in a deep breath to provide the chakra he had gathered with the oxygen necessary to ignite it. Then he performed a few more seals as dictated and blew out a mixture of air and chakra, watching as they reacted during the very moment they left his mouth, forming a tiny ball of fire. He frowned as the ball dissipated.
The Fire Shuriken… a variation of the Goukakyu technique. It is, in essence, a delayed version of the Goukakyu no Jutsu. The user concentrates the fireball into one or more highly concentrated and volatile small objects. These objects can take on any shape, but in general most users go for a shuriken or kunai shape, hence the name. The objects then explode upon contact, creating a delayed effect. Be warned, this technique is a high risk one, should the jutsu be performed without the right amount of chakra and chakra control, the fire shuriken will explode upon leaving the user's mouth or along the way to the intended target, which can cause serious injury to the user.
He could recall the words, and he was eager to see the technique in action. Gathering the necessary amount of chakra, he tried again and again, ignoring the little bit of text added by the Hokage beneath the description of the technique.
This technique has ceased being taught because it has resulted in many serious injuries over the years. Only those who have confidence in their chakra reserves and their level of control should attempt to learn this technique.
Sakura read through the scroll, and focused her attention on the sections of Genjutsu and Chakra Control. Something caught her eye, and she read through it. When she was done, she smiled. It was a fairly simple technique – basically it involved using chakra to enhance the bodily functions and muscles of fixed parts of her body. Most people used a simpler version: channeling the chakra such that it wrapped around the part of the body, doing additional damage. It was an obvious technique, however, as the chakra could be easily seen hovering around the person, and an enemy with decent reflexes would be able to dodge the blow easily.
This technique was different. The chakra was channeled and molded internally, and hence could not be seen. In addition to increasing the damage of the user's physical attacks, it would also increase the speed of the user, and hence it was a technique far more difficult to avoid as compared to the simpler version. It was not without any side effects, however… use it too many times, and the muscles would be overstrained, causing the user to have to rest for days to let the muscles heal.
Sakura followed what the scroll said. She first generated some chakra, then focused on flowing the chakra, molding and merging the chakra within her bones and muscles within her hands. Almost immediately, she felt a startling change. She felt stronger, lighter, and she walked up to a tree, unleashing a powerful punch at it.
Ow.
Hissing in pain, she drew her fist back, recalling that the chakra was working inside her body, not outside. There would be no chakra to help absorb the impact of her attack. She looked up, and then her jaw fell open. Embedded in the trunk of the tree was an imprint of her fist, almost a full centimeter thick. Under normal circumstances the tree would be unscathed, and all she would get was a bloodied fist. She quickly returned to the scroll and read through it again. There was another bit about increasing speed without straining leg muscles, and she studied it. It was a more complex version of the technique she had just used.
The one she had just used involved placing a fixed amount of chakra in a certain body part, and was strictly one use only, which meant that after a punch, or a kick, or something else that involved usage of that certain body part, the chakra would dissipate. The more complex version kept a steady flow of chakra going into the body parts, which meant that the chakra would not dissipate after use, and if the user was not doing anything, his or her physical prowess would increase gradually. It was a similar concept to flowing chakra through the body in order to heal it. However, chakra in its natural state would heal simply injuries, and no more, and for this technique the chakra would have to be specifically molded to enhance bodily functions, as she had done earlier.
In other words, a phenomenal amount of chakra control was needed, not to mention that the chakra reserves of the user would be depleted at a rapid rate. Sakura returned to the tree and tried it again, this time concentrating on keeping a steady flow of chakra into her hands. She punched the tree again, but she felt that something was wrong. The flow had been broken – her concentration had weakened when she focused some of it into punching the tree. She scowled; this technique was going to take her some time. She concentrated again, shutting her eyes to help her.
She could feel the chakra flowing within her, strengthening her… She opened her eyes…
And found herself staring into Naruto's face.
"Boo."
"Arrrgghh!" She screamed, unconsciously punching the face away. Then she paled as Naruto sailed through the air with a cry of pain and landed on the ground with a thud. She was just about to run over and check on him when Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke.
What the?
"Sakura, you destroyed my Bunshin." Naruto whined from behind her. She whirled around, and saw the Uzumaki seated on a rock a short distance away from her, a distinct pout on his face. There were no injuries that she could see. But that was impossible… if that wasn't Naruto she had punched, and was a Bunshin… how could it be? It felt solid, and had clearly made a sound when it hit the ground. No ordinary Bunshin could do that.
Kage Bunshin…
"Naruto… you succeeded in doing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" She asked, stunned. A Jounin-level technique, and he had already learned it? Naruto nodded slowly.
"Yeah… sort of, but I can only make one Bunshin so far." He grinned at her. "I'm going to keep trying, though!"
-----
It had already been a few hours since they started practicing their techniques. It was nearing twelve – the deadline Mizuki had set. Sakura had already long ago depleted her chakra reserves, and was resting under a tree. Not long after, Sasuke joined her; he, too, had used up most of his chakra. Only Naruto was left standing, creating Kage Bunshins. His stamina was astounding – although he was winded, he showed no signs of slowing down. He was up to the stage where he could create multiple Kage Bunshins without difficulty, and the scroll had revealed a follow-up to the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
Kage Bunshin – Sai.
What it did was to take the chakra reserve within the Kage Bunshin, and manipulate it such that all the chakra flowed to any one fixed point within the body. The intense ball of chakra would then have to be expanded outwards at such a rapid rate that it resulted in the clone exploding, causing severe damage to the surrounding areas. That was the simpler version of Kage Bunshin – Sai. The more complex version was to expand the chakra to breaking point and leave it there. Once the clone was attacked and its outer shell destroyed, the chakra would explode outwards, injuring the enemy or killing him if the amount of the chakra was substantial enough.
The simpler version already required a fair deal of chakra control, the more complex version was very difficult to accomplish, because the chakra would have to be maintained at breaking point. A slip in the control would either result in the enemy punching the clone and destroying it without anything happening, or result in the clone exploding prematurely.
Naruto had been trying that jutsu for some time now, but he had gotten absolutely no results whatsoever so far. That didn't deter him, however. Sasuke and Sakura both watched as he tried over and over again, amused. Sasuke had yet to perfect the Fire Shuriken; the little kunai he shot out often detonated in midair, though he managed to get it a safe distance away from himself. Sakura had not made any progress on the chakra control technique.
Sasuke froze suddenly. Next to him, Sakura tensed, wondering what was wrong. The Uchiha frowned as she tried to ask him what was wrong. Shaking his head, he put a finger to his lips. He had heard a strange sound, the sound of someone stepping on a tree branch. Was it Mizuki? He got to his feet and tried to get Naruto's attention, but he was too slow. A split second later, a figure leapt down from the trees in front of the blond-haired boy.
It was Iruka.
"What are you doing, you idiot?" Iruka yelled at the boy, and both Sasuke and Sakura took note of the frustration and panic in his tone. Something was very wrong. "Do you realize what you have done?"
"I haven't done anything." Naruto tilted his head to a side, confused. "Mizuki-sensei told me to get this scroll in order to pass the academy exam." Iruka's eyes widened, then they flashed briefly above Naruto. He swore under his breath, and knocked Naruto away just as a hail of shuriken and kunai came flying, embedding in his flesh and slamming him into a tree painfully.
"Mizuki! You…!" Iruka spat as the other Chuunin came into view, standing upon a tree with a smirk on his face. "What are you planning to do?!" Sasuke nodded to Sakura, and the two of them vanished into the treetops, getting ready to attack. Mizuki was obviously a traitor – no Konoha ninja would attack another.
"Since you're going to die anyway, I might as well tell you. I'm going to take the scroll from this brat here," Mizuki casually pointed a kunai in Naruto's direction, "And learn all the techniques in it, then sell it to other countries. I'll be rich!"
"But why?" Naruto was confused. "Didn't you say that I could pass the academy exam if I got this scroll?" Mizuki began to laugh cruelly.
"Silly boy, did you honestly believe that I was going to do that? If you had gotten hold of the scroll, then I would have stolen it from you, killed you and sold it for money. Your death would simply be an unfortunate accident." Naruto was horrified.
"K-kill me?"
"What's the matter? Scared?" Mizuki sneered. "Goodness, you're such a weakling. Completely unlike what you used to be." At those words, Iruka's head snapped up, his eyes wide. Sasuke and Sakura paused. What did Mizuki mean?
"Don't say it! Don't say anything!" Iruka yelled, panicked. Naruto, on the other hand, was growing increasingly confused as he looked from Iruka to Mizuki.
"What I used to be? What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Mizuki grinned.
"Mizuki! Don't say anything!" Iruka struggled to get to his feet. "Don't you dare say anything about it!"
"Or what? What can you do, Iruka-sensei?" Mizuki mocked. He turned to Naruto. "Didn't you know? You're the Kyubi, boy. It's inside of you." Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all froze. That wasn't possible – their history textbooks had all stated that the Kyubi had been killed by the Yondaime years ago when it attacked the village of Konoha.
"Don't listen to all the lies written by the textbooks," Mizuki smirked, as though he had read their minds, "The Kyubi is very much still alive, and it's inside you!" He pointed at Naruto, who involuntarily took one step backwards. "Didn't you ever wonder why the people of Konoha hate you so much? It's because you destroyed their home and killed their loved ones all the years back! And didn't you realize that your birthday falls on the same day as the Festival of the Fallen?" The Festival of the Fallen was a holiday in Konoha, a day where people celebrated the supposed death of Kyubi and mourned the death of those who had died fighting it valiantly. Naruto's eyes were wide and staring, his face pale.
"I… I'm the Kyubi?" He whispered to himself.
"Everyone hates you, Kyubi-brat, and my killing you would simply be a blessing for them! Nobody will mourn you! Even Iruka-sensei here… I'm sure that deep inside, he hates you!" At those words, something inside Naruto seemed to snap. Even Iruka? The one person he looked up to? The one person he saw as a fatherly figure? Even Iruka hated him? Naruto let out a feral growl, and for a moment, his eyes flashed a crimson red. Mizuki and Iruka didn't notice it, but Naruto's two friends did, and they felt a wave of pure, abject terror wash over them.
"Now, die!" Mizuki flung a giant shuriken at Naruto, aiming for his chest. The blow never came, however, as Iruka threw himself between Naruto and the weapon, and it embedded itself in his back. Naruto stared at Iruka, surprise evident on his face.
"Why?" He choked, tears springing into his eyes. "Why?"
"Naruto… ever since my parents died, I've been lonely. I was just like you, always playing pranks, trying to get the attention of the others. It was my way of making me feel like I belonged. I know how you feel, Naruto. It was the Third who saved me from my misery, he taught me to be a respectable ninja, and he brought me up. I want to do the same for you, Naruto." Naruto stared at him, his eyes wide.
"Do you expect him to believe you, Iruka?" Mizuki called. "He's the demon fox! Now, Naruto… hand over the scroll, or I'll kill you, and Iruka!" Naruto clutched at the scroll and narrowed his eyes, shifting himself to stand in front of Iruka. Mizuki scowled, and flung several kunai at Naruto. They never found their target, however, as several more flew out from the trees and deflected them. Naruto, Iruka and Mizuki stared in surprise as Sasuke and Sakura made their presence known by jumping down to the ground.
"You two… students from the academy." Mizuki muttered. "I assume you two overheard what I just said? Why are you defending the demon fox? He probably killed many of your parents' friends, and would have killed your parents too if he hadn't been stopped!"
"Shut up." Sasuke snapped. "You're annoying." Sakura nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, Naruto isn't Kyubi! He's our friend!"
"He isn't the demon fox…" Iruka managed to say, "He's… my student, my pride… he's a proud ninja of Konoha!" At this, Naruto's tears began to run freely. Here were people who accepted him, who believed in him, people he would be proud to defend with his life, people whom he would protect till the day he died. They were the ones who were different from the others, different from those who hated him.
"Fools, all of you!" Mizuki screamed, vanishing from his perch atop the tree. He reappeared next to Sakura, and backhanded her. She cried out in pain as she fell to the floor next to Iruka. Next, he drew his kunai and began to attack Sasuke, who dodged his blows with relative ease. The Uchiha was unable to get in any attacks, however, and all he could do was defend himself. Naruto stared, his eyes wide, as Sakura slowly got up, touching the bruise on her face gingerly. Then his gaze went to Iruka, who was breathing heavily and bleeding profusely as he pulled the weapons out of his body.
Naruto growled, his eyes narrowing and turning dilated. With a burst of speed, he flung himself at Mizuki and punched him across the face, sending the Chuunin flying to the ground. Naruto stood firm in front of the Chuunin, planting the scroll in the soil. Sasuke stared, surprised. Since when had Naruto been able to move that quickly?
"Don't you dare touch my friends… I'll beat you up!" He snarled.
"Ha! What can you do? For a brat like you, just a punch from me would kill you!" Mizuki grinned, getting to his feet. Sasuke tensed, ready to help Naruto, although he wasn't sure how much use that would be. But as he soon realized, Naruto wouldn't need any help at all. All watched as Naruto quickly did some hand seals, and then…
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The entire area was suddenly filled with Naruto clones, hundreds of them, all leering at Mizuki, who was looking about frantically.
"How can this be?" He cried. Everyone else was too stunned by the spectacle to say anything.
Naruto… you… Iruka was shocked. Naruto had just pulled off a Jounin-level jutsu perfectly.
You're awesome, Naruto! Inner Sakura howled, punching the air around her. Sakura simply stared, a faint smile dancing on her lips.
Naruto… just how strong are you? Sasuke wondered, a tiny smirk gracing his face.
"I thought you said you were going to kill me with one punch?" Naruto smirked. "Try it!" And with that, the clones leapt at Mizuki. Moments later, the clones vanished, and the Chuunin slumped to the ground, unconscious from the severe beating he had received. Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"I guess I overdid it."
-----
Uchiha Itachi walked down the corridors of the Akatsuki headquarters silently, brooding. He had been working in the organization for years now, and had been assigned a partner, Hoshigake Kisame, a Missing Nin from the Rain village. From their assignments together, Itachi had realized that Kisame had little loyalty to the organization. As a matter of fact, the only reason he had joined in the first place was because he had guessed that the missions would help him grow stronger, and because he had hoped to find someone to match his abilities. He had found all that and more. In their very first duel, Itachi had utterly defeated him, and Kisame had since a very strong respect for the Uchiha.
But as he brooded, Itachi realized that in the entire Akatsuki organization, he only knew a few people – Kisame, the leader, and…
"Uchiha Itachi…" A soft, venomous voice. Itachi looked up, and saw that he had unwittingly walked into a large chamber. "How would you like to have a duel with me?" Itachi frowned as the owner of the voice stepped into view.
Orochimaru.
Itachi tensed, drawing a kunai and preparing for battle. He was fairly certain of his abilities and he had no doubt that in normal circumstances, he would be able to defeat Orochimaru in battle, however narrowly. But that was the Orochimaru of the past, the Orochimaru who had just escaped from Konoha. He wasn't sure of the capabilities of this Orochimaru, one who had years to train and better himself. He smirked. This would be a good opportunity for himself to measure Orochimaru's abilities, and he was sure that the snake was intending to do the same, though for what reason, he wasn't completely sure.
"Are you ready, Uchiha?" Orochimaru's voice was mocking, and Itachi scowled. Does the snake not take me seriously? He was just about to attack, when suddenly…
"That is enough, Uchiha, Orochimaru." A calm voice floated into the chamber. "Uchiha, the leader calls for you. You have a mission to perform." Orochimaru cursed as the figure stepped into view. This was unexpected. Knowing that there was nothing he could do, and knowing full well that it was suicide to go against the leader's wishes, Orochimaru decided to take his leave.
"We will continue our duel another time, Uchiha." He hissed, and vanished into the shadows. Itachi did not hear Orochimaru's words. He stared at the figure, confused, perplexed and stunned beyond words. For the first time in his life, Uchiha Itachi found himself utterly baffled and unable to explain the sight before him.
"Hyuga… Hizashi."
