AN: Yes, I know another story, but hey can't stop the muse. This might actually be the hardest story I will be writing if I am, to be honest, so I hope I can do a good job and keep you interested. I want to give a big thank you to Midnight Lost'sfor helping me with one of the plot points of this story and everyone else in his discord for their input and ideas.
Onwards to the story!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/Bloodline
"Summon"
"Kurama"
Chapter 1:
A young Naruto was hiding in an alley, hiding from an angry mob who were on one of their weekly "Fox Hunts." They wanted to kill him for housing the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, thinking that he was the Fox in human form. However, they never succeed, mostly because they got interrupted by one person in particular: Anko Mitarashi assumed former student of one of Konoha's traitors, Orochimaru the Snake Sannin. While she did save him from getting killed, the beatings took their toll. The once bright and cheerful blonde now withdrew into a shell of contempt and loathing.
This troubled Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 3rd Hokage, especially after what he just heard come out of the Jinchūriki's mouth.
"Become a shinobi? A protector of this shit hole? Why the hell should I protect those who don't give a shit about me? Hell, they'd rather kill me than even tolerate my presence. So, thanks, but no thanks." Naruto said dully with lifeless eyes.
'I have to do something... The village needs him to become a shinobi so we have our War Deterrent.' The old man thought before looking up at the pictures of the former Hokage. He then came up with an idea, one that he wasn't proud of but it was the only idea he had. "That's too bad... You see, your parents' will states you can't learn who they are or receive your inheritance until you reached the rank of Chunin."
"You bastard, that's low..." The blonde glared. "Fine old man, but don't expect me to not fight back against the villagers when they attack me. I'm done being their punching bag."
"I assure you that I will be taking the appropriate actions to minimize the attacks, not to prevent them completely." Hiruzen said professionally, ignoring the well-deserved insult.
"Whatever..." The Jinchūriki deadpanned as he turned to leave the office before looking over his shoulder. "By the way, if you think the village will let me progress to Chunin, then you really are going senile. I'm probably going to be fighting tooth and nail just to become a Genin since there are probably some of my 'admirers' among the Academy's staff."
With that he slammed the door hard enough to knock over some of the paperwork on the Hokage's desk, falling to the floor.
"He does have a point, Lord Hokage." An ANBU with gravity-defying silver hair said coming out of the shadows.
"I know..." The Professor sighed before turning strict. "And where is his protection? I thought I told you to assign your best team to watch over Naruto?"
"It seems there are some within our ranks that feel the same as the rest of the village..." The ANBU said with a sigh.
"Then weed them out! Find a team that will at the very least follow orders! We already have to try to bring back the Jinchūriki's loyalty to the village or we risk losing him!" The Hokage ordered. "And put aside your own grudge. I know you miss Minato, but you know he'd want you to watch over and eventually train his son. Besides... you have enough knowledge in Fūinjutsu to know the difference between the Kunai and the Scroll it's stored in."
"...Yes Lord Hokage." The silver-haired ANBU gritted out before disappearing to fulfill his orders.
"Jiraiya... you really need to come back and start taking care of your godson." The old man said to himself thinking he was alone.
He didn't notice a small snake in the shadow of the potted plant hissing in amusement having heard the entire conversation. 'Misssstresss will want to know about this.' it thought before dispelling.
[Outside the Office]
"I can't believe that damn bastard... holding my heritage and inheritance as leverage to get me to join the Shinobi Forces..." Naruto growled.
"Hey kid, calm down. If he's forcing you to join then I'll train you myself." Anko said with a kind smile. "We both know you can't trust those villagers or any of the Shinobi to train you or even give you the time of day."
"And how can I trust you?" He asked cautiously. "You were always there to keep them from killing me, but raises the question of how you knew about the attacks and if you knew beforehand, why didn't you stop them before they started."
"Smart kid. Only a fool trusts someone wholeheartedly just because they save your life." She said with a smirk. "As for how I knew, it's not really that difficult. Those idiots weren't exactly quiet about it, always planning out in the open... The only thing they left out was the time of their attack. I only find you every time is because they make such a racket when the rest of the village is silent... likely hoping to hear you scream and the mob celebrate when they killed you."
"Then the question is why... Why save me?" The blonde asked with narrowed eyes.
"We're both pariahs, that's why. I'm the former student of one of Konoha's greatest traitors, so everyone thinks I'm a spy." The purple-haired young woman answered. 'Even though they are right. Sensei hates this village enough already... just imagine how angry Orochimaru will be when I report what is happening to Naruto.'
"Alright, I'll be counting you then Sensei." Naruto said gratefully.
[7 years later – Academy Graduation Test]
Over the past 7 years, Anko put Naruto through the wringer, training him into the ground each and every day while taking full advantage of his healing factor. However, due to that he was far stronger than the other Genin, hell he could keep up with her, a Special Jonin, so the clan heirs of his class didn't stand a chance. He didn't care about holding back and once the Chunin Instructors noticed him using the Snake Fist Taijutsu style, they quickly informed the Hokage.
Needless to say, Hiruzen was deeply concerned but couldn't do anything without risking pushing the village's Jinchūriki farther away since he knew Anko was one of the select few he cared about. He had tried to get the Snake Mistress to rebuild the blonde's loyalty to the village only to get shot down. And with good reason, She reminded the old man that once the village learned Naruto was studying under her, he would be an even bigger outcast.
She was right, even though the attacks stopped, that didn't stop them from finding other ways of making his life miserable. If it weren't for the help of Anko, he'd starving and being charged 3 times the normal price for food and essential stuff, and that was because she had the backing of the T&I division.
The fact that he dressed like her didn't help his cause much either, even if there wasn't much that could be done about it. He was wearing a black trench coat with red lining, an armored mess shirt that showed off his toned upper body, and black shinobi pants with black shinobi sandals. This look gave him a few fangirls even if he didn't give them the time of day.
"Alright everyone, quiet down we'll begin your exams." Iruka said getting everyone's attention.
Naruto scoffed as he looked out the window showing his lack of interest. 'What a waste of time. These tests have been dumbed down for the civilians by their parents on the council.'
"Naruto! Pay Attention!" The Scarred Chunin shouted only to get a scoff in return.
Iruka sighed and handed out the tests but when he gave Naruto his written test, the blonde just laughed. "Can you be any more obvious at your attempt to sabotage me?"
"What do you mean me?" The Chunin asked cluelessly.
"This is a test for Jonin hopefuls." The Jinchūriki said dully getting everyone's attention.
Sasuke, who was next to the whiskered male took a look. "I may not know if this is for Jonin as he said, but this isn't anything like my test. It's more advanced than anything we've covered in class."
'Damn it. That Snake Slut trained the demon in more than just taijutsu it seems. That demon is too smart for his own good.' Mizuki sneered.
"I'll be sure to share this with the Hokage. For now, I'll give you a pass since we don't have any spares prepared." Iruka said with a frown.
"Don't worry about it. I'll take this exam... my sensei wouldn't let me live it down if I passed up a challenge." The blonde shrugged. "I was just informing you of your failed attempt."
"Stop showing off Naruto!" Sakura shouted. "You'll never be as cool as Sasuke!"
"Why would I want that...?" He deadpanned getting started on the advanced test. "Someone gets everything handed to them on a silver platter while the rest of us have to beg for scraps and claw our way up from the bottom. Oh yes... very cool."
That shut the pinkette up since most of the class chorused in agreement, even some of the Uchiha's fan club agreed with the point their apathetic classmate made. Part of the reason most of the girls were pining after Sasuke was because it was one way to easy street with his family's fortune.
"That's enough everyone! I will go see the Hokage while Mizuki watches so that no one skips out or tries to sleep through this. You have one hour to finish the test!" the Scarred Chunin said before he used using the Body Flicker Jutsu to vanish.
'Tch like they are going to do anything about it. They'll likely give whoever is responsible a slap on the wrist... and what the hell is Iruka thinking leaving us with Mizuki... It's no secret he hates me.' The blonde thought as he finished up the Jonin level test without much of a problem.
Moments later Hiruzen walked through the door with Iruka and surprisingly Anko, who had a grin that Naruto was all too familiar with, one that promised pain to whomever she was directing that smile at. While the blonde male was observing this, Kiba and every other male were drooling over the Snake Mistress's figure…well all other males except Shikamaru, Chōji, and Sasuke. Shikamaru was sleeping after having finished the test, Chōji was too busy munching on a bag of chips as usual, and Sasuke was being his usual broody self. The girls looked on in envy, wishing they could have that kind of attention and figure, while a certain Hyuuga was wishing that she had the confidence to show off her body like that given that she was an early bloomer. The room erupted into jealousy and disbelief as the purple-haired Special Jonin looked over at the male blonde and gave a playful wink, something he just sighed and waved her off with a nod.
"What's this I hear about an academy student getting the Jonin written exam?" The Hokage asked Mizuki directly after Iruka had explained that it was him who put tests together.
"Forgive me if I'm mistaken Lord Hokage, but that shouldn't even be available to a Chunin Instructor, am I right?" Anko asked with a rather cheeky smirk.
"You are correct Anko." Hiruzen said not taking his eyes off the silver-haired Chunin. "So, where did you get your hands on it Mizuki?"
'Damn it... why is the Snake Whore here?!' The bandanna wearing Chunin cursed while coming up with an excuse. "Sir, Cadet Uzumaki has shown extreme aptitude in these tests, like they were too easy for him, so I spoke with Jonin Commander Nara about getting the Jonin test as a means to see how far our cadet has come."
"Really...? Because it just so happens that Shikaku came to my office this morning saying that his office had been sacked with multiple things missing, including an entire folder of Jonin level tests... Care to explain yourself?" The Old Monkey asked sternly.
Naruto smirked, knowing that Mizuki was done; however, he had to wonder what else went missing. Thankfully, Shikamaru asked the question for him. "Lord Hokage, what else went missing from my old man's office?"
Before the Hokage could answer, Mizuki tried to make a break for it. However, thanks to the quick instincts of Anko, Mizuki was tied up within her snakes, each one ready to sink their fangs into the Chunin's body at the slightest sign of a struggle or if ordered to.
"This village has gotten soft!" Mizuki shouted. "I was able to get into that office and make it out with everything I took without anyone noticing when a place of that importance should have been under heavy guard! But you're too late! I have already handed everything else I stole off to my employer!"
'So, Kabuto already has the patrol routes and names of every Special Jonin and above. Excellent, Sensei's plans are going according to plan. Now to make sure things keep going that way and Naruto is the center of them.' Anko's smirk widened. "You'll have to tell me all about that later at T&I."
"Now then... Naruto have you finished the test?" Hiruzen asked letting the Snake Mistress take the traitor to get more information out of him.
"Yeah, just as you walked in fact." The blonde male yawned as he gestured to the purple-haired woman dragging Mizuki out of the room. "If I took longer, she'd give me shit."
'I don't like how close those two have gotten... but she and the Ichiraku family are the only people keeping him, not to mention wanting to know who his parents are.' The Old Monkey thought tiredly. "Very well, I will grade your test myself. In the meantime, continue with your genin exam."
"You heard him, cadets! Outside to the training field!" Iruka shouted making his way outside.
On the field, Naruto leaned against the farthest tree waiting to be called, knowing he'd be among the last to be called. He watched with amusement as the civilians flopped around like sick fish many of them failing the Taijutsu portion of the exam, he wouldn't be surprised if they never trained outside of the academy. The Heirs and Heiresses all did as expected, all of them passed with flying colors, well except for Shikamaru who did the bare minimum to pass before giving up. Even Ino who was a fangirl held her own knowing her father would give her shit if she failed.
"Alright, Naruto, you're up." The Chunin Instructor said from the ring getting a scoff in return as the blonde pushed off the tree and made his way to the ring.
"Do we really need to do this?" The Jinchūriki asked dully not even bothering to get into a fighting position. "You do know I can keep up with a Special Jonin right?"
"You have to participate just like everyone else." Iruka scolded while slipping into his fighting stance.
"Fine... I just have to land a hit on you right?" Naruto asked lazily getting a nod in return causing him to slip into the Snake Style with a hardened look on his face. One that startled the Chunin.
'This is going to go hurt...' He thought before he signaled for the blonde cadet to start.
However, it was over before he had a chance to defend himself Naruto seemingly vanished and delivered a devastating blow to his stomach that left him on the ground in the fetal position. The genin hopefuls were in shock as they saw the blonde standing there with his fist extended where their sensei's stomach would be before he relaxed and walked away with a scoff, muttering something about it being a waste of his time.
Sasuke in particular was fuming, feeling inadequate even if he knew Naruto was getting personal training by his fellow pariah. The worst part is that he also knew that she wasn't ordered to train the blonde. No, she was doing it because she wanted to, or so he believed.
Next up was the kunai and shuriken test, and with Mizuki having been taken away, there was nothing to keep everyone from doing their best, with the civilians barely hitting the targets, the exception being Sakura who hit 70 percent of the targets. Ino surprised everyone by getting a perfect score with relative ease while the other heirs and heiress' got 80 percent or higher.
'Figures Ino would get the perfect score. She did save Sakura from bullies by throwing flowers as if they were kunai. It's a shame she's squandering her talents as a fangirl for the Uchiha.' Naruto thought before deciding to show off a little by not only hitting a perfect score, but doing so while not looking, and a few of them landed in... uncomfortable spots for the male portion of the class.
"Ummm well done everyone." Iruka said nervously, hiding his manhood. "Let's go back into the classroom so we can do the final portion of the exam."
Inside the classroom, everyone took their seats with Hiruzen sitting behind Iruka's desk looking exhausted.
"Iruka, can I speak to you in the hall?" He asked warily getting a nod in return.
Once the door was closed and a quick hand sign was used to place a privacy barrier around them, the Hokage addressed the Chunin. "I assume that Naruto aced the two physical tests?"
"Honestly sir...?" Iruka said before wincing and grabbing his stomach. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Naruto was trained by Guy rather than Anko... He hits like a truck. I didn't even see him move before his fist was buried in my stomach."
"I was afraid of that. He aced the test Iruka... the only thing that is keeping me from straight advancing him to Chunin or even special Jonin is his lack of experience... that and the fact I'd have to give him the knowledge of his parents... leaving him with nothing to keep him in the village." Hiruzen sighed thinking the last part to himself.
"Well sir, he's going to advance very quickly... making him a Genin seems like a waste. He'd be better off as an apprentice." The Scarred Chunin said honestly.
"I will take that under advisement." The Old Monkey said as he turned to leave. "Let Naruto know his test score. I'd rather not have him visiting me in my office later when dealing with the Jonin instructors."
"Yes sir. I'll do so in private, the rest of the class is already feeling inadequate." Iruka informed his superior getting a slow nod in return.
'He's likely talking about Sasuke. Of course, the other flight risk would feel inadequate after witnessing the results of Naruto's training.' Hiruzen thought as he made his way to his office.
Back in the classroom, everyone was getting impatient, knowing that people were waiting to see if they graduated or not. So when Iruka walked in without the Hokage, they knew they were about to finish the exams.
"Thank you for your patience class." Iruka said apologetically. "Let's get this test over with shall we? I will call you up in alphabetical order by last name."
So, one by one they called up, and unsurprising to Naruto, everyone passed the Ninjutsu portion...but then again the civilians had dumbed down the tests for their children. The fact that no one had an issue with it was laughable.
"Alright Naruto, you're up." The Chunin said in a bored tone, knowing somehow the blonde was about to overshadow everyone yet again.
"Can I use any variation of the Clone Jutsu? I have too much chakra for the standard jutsu." Naruto asked dully getting a sigh and nod in return.
However, before the blonde could do his jutsu, the annoying banshee spoke up. "There is no way Naruto of all people has so much Chakra!"
"...Want a demonstration?" The Jinchūriki asked irately.
"That won't be necessary Naruto..." Iruka stepped in before the blonde destroyed the building. "Sakura, if you remember when we all awoke our chakra in class, Naruto had so much it shook the building. Asking him to give us a demonstration now after 5 years would be like asking him to destroy the building."
"Umm..." Hinata shyly spoke up. "I-I can also attest to Naruto's chakra levels... I-I can't use my Byakugan around him w-without being blinded."
"Thank you, Hinata." The Chunin said ignoring the shocked looks from the class. "Naruto, if you would?"
Without wasting any more time... the Jinchūriki made a cross with his forefingers and filled the room with solid clones while calling out "Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Go ahead, anyone who thinks these aren't the standard clones, give them a touch." He said dully getting Iruka to sigh heavily.
"Well... you did want a Chakra demonstration Sakura. That is a Jonin level skill... and even then most join are barely able to make 10 and I have a feeling Naruto was holding back." The Chunin sighed getting a nod stiff nod from the blonde.
Taking Naruto up his offer, Sakura and a few others poke the nearest clone only to realize that they are solid clones, leaving them flabbergasted. Then Ino went up after being woken up from her stupor, she passed with flying colors like everyone else.
"Well done everyone! Break for lunch while grading your tests, but be back in about an hour." Iruka said waving them off. "Naruto hang back for a moment."
As everyone else filed out of the room Naruto just sat there looking uninterested. Once alone they were alone, the blonde got up and started towards the door as if he already knew what Iruka was going to say.
"Naruto, where are you going?" The Chunin asked.
"Just tell me my score. I know you didn't want to hurt everyone's egos, so just spill it." Anko's student said harshly.
"That attitude isn't going to go over well in teams and with your clients kid. It could even prevent you from getting to your goal." Iruka said sternly before sighing. "You aced the test. Your lack of experience is the only thing keeping the Hokage from making you Chunin now."
"No, the reason he doesn't is that he knows the only thing keeping me in this cesspool is the identity of my parents and I can only get that and my inheritance at Chunin." Naruto said with a scoff. "And don't think about withholding my headband due to me being a flight risk because Sasuke is the same and you know it."
After the hour break, the students filled in while noticing that only 9 headbands were lined up on Iruka's desk causing the blonde male to narrow his eyes as he took his seat. Many of the heirs also were wary about the limited amount of headbands while the civilians were confident they were safe given their parents were on the council.
"Alright, everyone. It's time to announce those who have graduated as well as the top Shinobi and Kunoichi of the year." Iruka said getting everyone's attention. "Top Shinobi of the Year is Naruto Uzumaki who has displayed Jonin level skill and intelligence."
This caused everyone to erupt into disbelief, the Uchiha Fanclub denying it saying Sasuke should have gotten the top spot, some even saying it wasn't fair since the Uzumaki was getting special training from someone from T&I. Naruto merely scoffed.
"If you have a problem, then blame the civilian council for dumbing down the criteria for graduation. During the last war, 75 percent of you wouldn't even make it past the first year without dropping out, especially you fangirls. Even if you did manage to graduate, you'd be the first to die or worse. People like Kakashi Hatake were already Jonin by the time they were our age." He said in a deadpan tone. "So don't blame me for accepting the help from a fellow pariah."
"Now, if we can move on… Kunoichi of the year is Ino Yamanaka who scored second in the written exam, first in the physical exams, and first in the Ninjutsu exam for the girls." The Chunin said not getting a reaction from anyone, knowing she was impressive and didn't get any help outside of her clan. "Now then, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. Congratulations, the 7 of you along with Ino and Naruto, come on up and claim your headbands.
The rest of you train up, study hard, and I will see you after the break for another year."
The new Rookie of the Year smirked. 'That will show the council. The only one who passed, and probably because of her book smarts and her perfect chakra control because of her low reserves.'
"Sensei, how did Sasuke do?" Sakura asked seeing her crush fuming at being outclassed.
"He came up just behind Naruto and you Sakura, came in 3rd among the girls." Iruka sighed.
"HOW DID INO PIG DO BETTER THAN ME?!" The Banshee lived up to her name.
"Because Forehead… Despite my loving Sasuke, my father told me the dangers of being a Kunoichi with my mother, and Anko, who works with my father, enforced that fact. I'm sure Hinata knows this too." Ino said seriously getting a shaky nod from the shy wallflower. "So if I were you, I'd start taking my training seriously. If you're worried about your figure, then just remember how Anko looks. She trains and eats properly but yet she has that amazing figure."
'Huh, so there is hope for Ino after all. Guess we'll see if Sakura takes that to heart.' The Uzumaki thought.
Many others were very impressed by this, and all the fangirls were rethinking their approach as well as realizing the reason they failed was due to neglecting their training. Naruto showed that he was impressed by starting to clap for her, which many people joined in causing the poor platinum blonde to blush out of embarrassment.
"Well said Ino. Kunoichi needs to be especially careful outside of the village… if you get captured, you had better hope for a quick death." Iruka said before grimacing… "Let's just say it's not pretty. I once had a friend that got captured and by the time we found her… she was barely recognizable and completely lost her mind. She never fully recovered, and in the end, she ended her own life. I don't wish for any of you."
After clearing his throat knowing he's scared all the girls in the room except for Hinata and Ino. Some were even considering giving up. The only other one who wasn't phased was Sakura, who thought everyone was just trying to scare her into giving up and losing her chance with Sasuke.
"Anyway, moving on from the dark topic. You are all dismissed. Graduates return to this room in a week for team placements. The rest of you, enjoy your break and I will see you in a month." The scarred Chunin said after clearing his throat.
Naruto got up and left before anyone tried to corner him about his training, not knowing that a certain platinum blonde was watching him. He had always been a mystery and one she was determined to solve. He was always cold and distant but there were rare times there that showed he could be a decent guy, even if they were fleeting. 'What has caused you to become this cold? You used to be so bright and cheery, then one day, you changed… You even helped me protect Sakura that day, even if she seems to have forgotten your involvement.'
[Land of Rice Fields]
In an underground base, we find the Snake Sannin sitting in an exquisite-looking chair with a white-haired teenager kneeling before them. Due to how often they had to change bodies it was impossible to discern their real gender. Most just assumed they were male due to the number of male bodies they have occupied. Only a very select few knew Orochimaru's real gender
"Lord Orochimaru, Mizuki completed his mission and got everything we wanted aside from the Forbidden Scroll." Kabuto said not looking up.
"Don't worry about the scroll, we'll have it in time." Orochimaru said plainly.
"However, I received word that he was discovered and taken to T&I. He tried to give Naruto a Jonin level written exam." The white-haired medic said nervously.
"Oh did he?" The Snake Sannin asked, amusement clear in their voice. "Well, I wouldn't worry about that. We have a person on the inside if you recall."
"But sir! Are you sure she'll be able to prevent him from blowing both of our covers?" The spy asked looking up in shock. "And aren't you mad that he's continuing to try and sabotage Naruto?"
"You should have more faith in Anko. She's the one who has been taking care of my favorite blonde, making sure that he will be ready for our plan in a few months' time. As for your cover, it will be fine, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we get word that Mizuki has passed away during his interrogation." The pale-skinned individual said. "Speaking of… How is Naruto doing? Is his training proceeding well?"
"Y-yes sir, from what Anko told me, he's able to keep up with her and has come close to actually defeating her a couple of times. His potential is astonishing." Kabuto said slightly unnerved by the Sannin's lack of concern.
"Excellent. Return to the village and inform Anko she can have Naruto sign the Snake Summoning Scroll and start training him to use our snake-based jutsu with the condition that he cannot summon anything bigger than an average-sized snake. That means no summoning Manda outside of getting approval from him." Orochimaru ordered. 'Soon Naruto, soon you will be mine.'
"Yes my Lord…" The medic said stiffly as he turned to leave only to be stopped once more.
"And Kabuto?" The Sannin said in a singsong tone tossing the teenager a scroll. "Give this scroll to Anko and tell her to give it to Naruto saying that it's a gift from someone who is very interested in seeing his potential realized."
Kabuto merely nodded and left. 'Why is Lord Orochimaru so fixated on Naruto? This isn't anything like his usual fixation on future bodies… No, this feels almost...parental or at the very least they are related somehow.'
AN: That's it for the Prologue of this new story! Let me know what you guys think in the review section! Before you do, however, keep in mind that Naruto is going to be on the darker side and not afraid to speak his mind. Some of you may say he is coming off as a spoiled brat, my answer to you in that case: I'm not forcing you to read my story. He will be a prick to everyone in Konoha but Anko, Ayame, and Teuchi, the only three he cares about, with one other having the chance to worm their way into his inner circle.
Now, I don't know when I will get back to this since I have so many stories that are highly popular and many people waiting for specific story updates. So I ask for your patience. See you around ladies and gentlemen.