Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the characters of the Naruto series, and this is a FanFic.
Now without further ado, Let's get started …
Flashback Warning!
Ch – 3: Sasuke Uchiha:
Sasuke was now familiar with being treated as a royalty in the village as he was the last Uchiha… well technically 2nd last as his brother was also alive. While walking through the village, people would make sure of his wellbeing and even offer him support when needed. But the same was not true for his friend, Naruto. Ice-cold glares and stares which could drill through one's body, common verbal abuse and sometimes even physical threats were what he had observed the blond get from the same people who were so kind to him. What did Naruto do to get such harsh treatment? Was a thought that slipped through his mind now and then. When asked about it, the whiskered blond would steer the topic away. He still remembers how he met the blond for the first time…
Flashback:
In the forest clearing, one could see a wooden mannequin which was being impaled by multiple shuriken thrown by a 11-year-old black haired, blindfolded Uchiha. Behind him stood a 5-year-old Sasuke who was in awe at his big brother's skills. "Wow bro, you sure are awesome!" spoke Sasuke. Itachi Uchiha, the elder of the two Uchiha, took down his blindfold and smiled at his brother, "What are you doing here Sasuke?".
"Come on! You told me that you'll teach me shuriken-jutsu today!" Replied the younger Uchiha.
Itachi, still smiling, gestured to Sasuke to come closer and tapped his forehead with his right index and middle finger," Not today Sasuke, I have to practise for the mission.". Looking towards the bushes near them, Itachi said, "You can come out, Naruto.". From the bushes, a grinning Naruto appeared and asked, "How do you know me?". "I am Kakashi's comrade, and I have come to your place to summon you a few times." Replied Itachi," I guess Kakashi told you to learn from different shinobi's training routines.". Naruto nodded and apologized for sneaking up. Itachi accepted the apology and introduced Naruto to Sasuke.
"You guys can become friends. You need friends of your age, Sasuke. Now go and play something." Said Itachi to his brother. The latter narrowed his eyes on the elder among the three, as he had just broken the promise to Sasuke. Later that day, Naruto invited Sasuke for training with Kakashi, and this would become a routine habit. During the 5 years, they'd train and spar together as they exchanged their knowledge.
It was during this period that they found Hinata tailing Naruto, and they invited her to the party. At first Sasuke was a bit uncomfortable with Hinata joining them as their clans weren't known for becoming friends, but Naruto smoothed the tension between the two and the three would become great friends.
End of Flashback
Sasuke reached his apartment and shouted, "I am home!" to no one in particular. The house, heck the whole Uchiha compound felt silent after the Uchiha massacre orchestrated by his brother Itachi Uchiha himself. Remembering Itachi made his blood boil with fury and vengeance. He still could remember the night that his life became hell…
Flashback:4 years ago
Sasuke was coming back from his spars with Naruto, which had continued through the evening. He was thinking about how Itachi felt uneasy for a while, since they had heard the news of Shisui Uchiha's demise. He knew that Itachi was very close to Shisui. He could even feel the tension growing between his father and Itachi about some clan matters. Whenever He'd ask him, they'd just steer away from the topic.
As he entered the gates of the compound, it felt eerily silent. From his training with Konoha's greatest prankster, Sasuke knew that silence meant danger. Keeping his guard up, he ran through the streets of the compound in his house's direction. While running, he saw many bodies and understood that this was a massacre. The 6-year-old Uchiha started panicking as the ran faster than before to his house. The sight of his clansmen's bodies haunting him.
Sliding open the door to his house, he saw a sight that no 6-year-old should be fated to see, his parents' dead bodies. Behind them in the dark, he could see 2 pairs of blood-red eyes with a swirling shuriken having 3 curved blades and a red circular centre in each eye. He knew without a doubt who the owner of those eyes was.
"Tell…(sob)… me Itachi, (sob) why did you do it?", asked Sasuke, crying to the apparent culprit.
"To test my limits." Replied the elder.
"Then (sob) why (sob) did you leave me?!"
"Because you are weak!" Said Itachi as he walked out of the mansion. Sasuke followed Itachi hoping to stop him. But Itachi disappeared and reappeared behind him and spoke, "When you unlock these eyes, come and challenge me.". He gave a chop to Sasuke's neck, who went unconscious. From that day on, Itachi was branded as an S-rank criminal who slaughtered his own clan.
Sasuke took it upon himself to avenge his clan, and Naruto promised that he'd be there when he faces Itachi. He promised that they'll grow strong together. His friends were the only thing that kept him from falling into the darkness that came with Uchiha blood.
End of Flashback
'Tomorrow I become a genin, first step in achieving my goal.' Raising his fist in air, he motivated himself for what had to come in the future.
Next day, Konoha academy:
The usual chattering was a little bit louder that day, mainly because of the graduation test that was about to be conducted. Everyone looked anxious and excited at the same time, even the lazy bum Shikamaru was awake and the ever-eating Chouji hadn't eaten a single chip today, but Naruto looked different, instead of the ever-energized Naruto, Sasuke could see a very tired Naruto with black circles under his eyes.
"Silence class! Go back to your seats and get ready for the written portion of the exams." Shouted a 178cm tall man, with ponytailed brownish black hair, dark eyes and a scar that runs across the bridge of his nose, he was Iruka Umino, this class's homeroom teacher and one of the few people who cared for Naruto in the village. Hearing the man, the class went silent and reorganised itself. He started distributing the papers to all the students and so, the graduation exam began…
The exam consists of 3 parts, Theory / written exam, Basic physical skills test and Ninjutsu / Gentjutsu test. Being a prodigy, the tests went smoothly for the last Uchiha in the village. The results were up by the evening, and they were as follows:
Rookie of the year: Uchiha Sasuke (Our side protagonist and one of the best friends of Naruto. )
Kunoichi of the year: Hyuga Hinata (The pale-eyed girl, who was introduced in the previous chapter. Even though she trained with Naruto, she faints when he gives her attention. )
3rd: Haruno Sakura (A pink haired girl with a large forehead who wore pink bowtie and pink clothes and was also a prominent member of Sasuke fangirls, only rivalled by Ino. )
4th: Yamanaka Ino (A blond haired, Yamanaka girl, who wore purple top an skirt and was a prominent member of Sasuke fangirls. )
5th: Nara Shikamaru (The lazy pineapple haired Nara kid, who is the most intelligent member of the class and is one of the best friends of Naruto. )
6th: Aburame Shino (a bushy, brown haired boy, wearing sunglasses and sea-green jacket / hoodie with high upturned collar. He talks very less, and people don't go near him usually due to his clan technique which involves bugs and insects, that, live on their bodies. )
7th: Akimichi Choji (a fat boy (don't tell him I said that), with red hair, spiral symbols on his cheeks, usually found eating chips coz, his clan technique requires a high intake of calories. )
8th: Inuzuka Kiba (a boy with purple stripes on his cheeks, messy brown hair, sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, pronounced canine teeth, and nails that he can change into claws. He is always accompanied by a small white ninja hound, like all other Inuzuka members. )
Dead Last: Uzumaki Naruto (Our blond haired, orange jacket wearing protag. )
Sasuke scoffed at Naruto after hearing the scores / ranks from Iruka sensei. ' What are you up-to Naruto…' was the thought that crossed across his mind. Thinking no more, he asked the guy, why he held up his abilities in the test…
"I passed alright… just wait and watch, you'll understand it by tomorrow." Was Naruto's reply. The day went by as Sasuke went home and practised his skills.
The metal headbands with leaf insignia were distributed among the now genins, which indicated that they were officially the genins of the village hidden in Leaves.
Meanwhile, with Naruto
Damn, he knew it was a bad idea using 100 clones for training just before the test. He felt so tired. Walking back home from the academy that day, he could only think of one thing, and that was ramen! As he reached near his favourite Ichiraku ramen, the aroma of the heavenly meal attracted him like a magnet. His hungry, growling stomach also supported the aroma, and so, he found himself on one of the seats in the Ichiraku ramen stand, ordering 10 bowls of meat ramen for himself. The meal was delicious as usual, and since the ramen guy and his daughter were one the few people who cared for Naruto, he felt safe eating there. The toll of using 100 clones, had worn out by the time he ate the ramen, and he went home to prepare for the licensing that was about to take place this evening.
Hokage Tower – 5PM:
A grinning Naruto sat on the chair facing the Hokage, as his photo was being taken for licensing purposes. He was now wearing an orange-blue jacket with a long turtleneck and a red swirl (Uzumaki clan's symbol) on its back, and his forehead protector with the hidden leaf's symbol engraved on it around his neck. The swirl symbol was an integrated part of Konoha, as it was present on the Chunin / Jounin vests. A small boy with short spiky brown hair, blue eyes, and a small chip in his tooth, wearing a yellow T-Shirt with the Konoha's symbol (a leaf with a swirl in its center.), grey trousers and a blue scarf around his neck, sneaked into the room where the proceedings were happening with a stick in his hands. Naruto was sure that the Hokage had noticed the boy but was ignoring him. The boy shot forward, yelling "I'll become the 5th Hokage, old man!". Hokage sighed as the boy tripped on his foot and fell face first on the ground. "Why did you trip me?" asked the boy to Naruto, who squinted his eyes and tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?" asked Naruto.
"There you are!" said a dark-haired man wearing black long-sleeve T-Shirt and pants, sunglasses over his brown eyes. "I'm sorry lord third for this trouble." Apologized the man to the Hokage on behalf of the boy. He turned and saw Naruto seated, ' The demon brat.' Was the first thought that came to his mind. Naruto stood up and walked towards the desk to sign his form, ignoring the drama going around him.
"Don't worry Ebisu, I'm familiar to this drama." Said the Hokage to the man in black dress. The uncaring Naruto accepted the metallic headband from the Hokage with a grin and bowed before turning to leave. As he was walking towards the door, the boy rushed and blocked his way. "Hey, answer to me!" demanded the boy.
The damn brat! Why doesn't he let me leave? Through the previous years, training under Kakashi, Naruto had learned to control his impulses, but there was always a limit up to which he could control them. He walked towards the boy and picked him up by his collar. "What is your problem brat?" He asked in an annoyed tone. Sensing a movement from the man named Ebisu, Naruto side-stepped just in time to avoid a strike aimed at back of his neck.
"Leave the Hokage's grandson alone, you de-… brat!" ordered Ebisu, changing the word 'demon' to 'brat' as it was a rule that no one in the village should speak of the nine-tails. Seeing the smirk that appeared on the annoying boy's face, his thoughts were clear as glass… He thinks that I'd kneel and bow before him for him being the old-man's grandson, but I could care less. Turning to him, Naruto spoke, "I don't care whose grandson you are… You fell by tripping yourself, now step aside and let me go!". Naruto placed the boy aside and walked outside.
The skirmish had caused his stomach to growl in hunger, which meant, Ramen time! Walking towards his favorite ramen stand. Activating his sensory ability, Naruto felt the boy's presence behind him. What does he want this time? Deciding to play along, Naruto acted as if nothing was wrong and continued walking towards the ramen stand.
Konohamaru had heard his grandpa talk about the orange haired boy to his uncle, Asuma. He wanted to know it for himself. After all, that guy had dodged the strike from Ebisu, a Jounin. Naruto led the boy in circles, with the later not even realizing that his disguise was already blown. After a few minutes of wandering, Naruto spoke out loud," I am pissed off due to that brat! So much so that I want to break a rock! A square one in particular." Konohamaru gulped from within the rock like box. Knowing the disguise was blown, he ran straight at Naruto, aiming at his face. Naruto simply stretched his hand and stopped him, by holding his face in midair. "(Sigh!) What do you want, kid? Say fast I am hungry…" said Naruto with a menacing face.
"I want to know how you dodged Ebisu sensei! Teach me and I assure you that you'll be granted a high position after I become the fifth Hokage!" A deep sigh escaped Naruto's mouth as he spoke," There is no such thing as 'Shortcut' to becoming the hokage, coz, you'll have to defeat me before becoming one!"
They were now in the practice grounds near the academy and Naruto was giving a few tips so that the boy would leave him alone. "Found you!" Ebisu's voice came from the nearby trees as he landed near the two kids. Seeing the 'honorable grandson' with the demon brat, formed a tick on his head. I'll show him never to mess with the village again!
"He is a petty loser, honorable grandson! You shouldn't be with the likes of him! Today's lesson will be on the different ranks of Konoha ninja. He is a genin, the lowest rank of ninjas in the world, they are then promoted to Chunin, if and only if they meet the requirements to lead, then there comes the rank of Jounin, it is my rank. (Turning to Naruto) I challenge you, to show that you are worth even the rank of a genin!"
Naruto gladly accepted the challenge as they both stood opposite to each other. "I'll show you your place, you demon!". Charging forward, Naruto went through a small set of hand signs and yelled " Harem Jutsu!" . In a puff of smoke, 20 beauties surrounded Ebisu, who fainted, due to blood loss from his nose. In another puff of smoke, Naruto stood before the now fainted Ebisu and said," Take him back to old-man Third, Konohamaru, and remember that there is no shortcut to being Hokage."
"From Now on, I consider you as my arch rival and my boss!" Replied Konohamaru as he dragged Ebisu's fainted body back to the Hokage tower. "Teach me that awesome jutsu the next time we meet!". Naruto let out a sigh as he waved the kid away. With his stomach grumbling, he ran to Ichiraku's.
Same day – Night: Namikaze Compound:
A series of explosions could be felt coming from the grounds of Namikaze compound as multiple Naruto shadow clones practiced several seals in the basement sealing facility. Namikaze compound had a well-established sealing chamber made for fuuinjutsu practice and specifically to contain the nine-tails chakra for assimilation. It was made as a backup plan if the situation with the demon got out of control. The chamber was made of reinforced stone and wood etched with several seals which could theoretically absorb around 2 Bijuu-bombs worth of chakra. The room was light with orange glowing seals and required the practitioner to imbue their chakra into a switch seal near the entrance. The switch seal only allowed specific chakra signatures and blocked any unwanted intrusions by activating a kage level chakra draining seal, a paralysis seal, and a barrier seal at the entrance of the chamber's level 0. The chamber consisted of 11 levels from 0-10, each level signifying the practitioner's mastery over fuuinjutsu, with level 0 signifying 'foundation level' and level 10 – 'Complete master'. Each level consisted of a well-maintained rack of books scrolls containing the sealing knowledge and history of that specific level.
At the fifth level of the chamber, stood Naruto and his fifty clones, practicing different sealing patterns with a bundle of books and scrolls beside each of them. The original was reading on the instructions for this level's test seal, which he had to decode and apply at the next level's entrance, to gain access. He was amazed at the details of the seals that had been etched on the stone walls and ceilings of the chamber. It took him five years to reach level-5 seal mastery, albeit that he had learned it on his own, by using the resources that his parents had left for him in this compound. The thought of his parents made him emotional. Living with Kakashi gave him some sense of family, but Kakashi could never completely fill the hole that his parents had left. Naruto could get an understanding of his parents only through their diaries, letters and the Konoha archive's documentation on the Yellow Flash and the Red Death of Konoha. He still remembered the day when he first entered the sealing chamber, he had found out about the existence of this facility through the letter that his father had left for him the day he was born, just before he'd gone to fight the masked entity. The Letter had guided him through the registration and the level 0 entrance procedure…
Shifting the emotional thoughts to the back of his mind, he took one of the manual scrolls from his set and resumed practicing seals.
The scroll named ' An Introduction to Chakra Rotation:' read as follows:
"
Chakra plays a vital role in a Shinobi's life. Each and every ninjutsu and Genjustsu are an application of chakra. When a shinobi performs the hand seals for a technique, his / her chakra is guided and molded into the specific place, shape and nature. This is why Every elemental Jutsu's set of hand signs have some common occurrences. This is also the reason behind highly experienced ninja are able to perform techniques without performing all the hand seals in the set.
Chakra Rotation is a technique said to be developed by the great Sage of the Six Paths. The Sage was renowned for his ability to perform techniques without relying on hand seals. Even though this is not a sealing technique, chakra rotation, once mastered can give the required advantage of deep chakra core, easier flow and control over chakra inside your body and may even give you the ability to mold chakra like the Rikudou Sennin. Sadly, it is hard for most of the practitioners to master this technique and only a few have been able to gain profit from it, albeit in the form of better chakra control and not the other advantages. Even though this technique is from the great sage, it has been looked down upon and forgotten. As one of the last remaining practitioners of this technique, I am writing this procedure in the hope that someone in the future may take the full advantage and develop this technique to it's full glory…
The only prerequisite required to dive into this technique is the basic knowledge of how to mend chakra and basic chakra control. Every being has a dormant chakra core, which is activated and developed through training the body and the chakra system. Different clans use different methods to activate a dormant core. The fastest method and the most dangerous method of doing so is by forcefully injecting a high amount of chakra into the dormant core or forcefully extracting from it. That method is not recommended as it can lead to permanent damage to the core or even to death. The most effective, but time-consuming way is for the dormant shinobi to meditate and activate it bit by bit under the guidance of a master. The basic chakra control can be gained through different chakra control exercised like tree climbing, water walking, waterfall climbing, etc.
If you have acquired the prerequisites, let us begin with the instructions for the Chakra Rotation technique:
The technique requires the practitioner to meditate and imagine the chakras core as a spherical me of energy. Imagine the core spinning slowly as the chakra flows outwards, reaching all the parts of the body and retracting the chakra back into the core without disturbing the spin of the core. Practice this as many times a day as possible. Increase the rotation speed gradually as you get familiar with the current speed, such that the pain felt in the core is manageable. The above mentioned way is just one of the many ways in which one can do the chakra rotation.
This method improves the chakra network and enlarges the chakra paths, thus allowing the user to apply more chakra into jutsu while also deepening the core, albeit very slowly. "
The remaining part of the scroll was charred with burn marks, thus it's contents were not recognizable. Letting the information from the scroll settle in his mind, Naruto took a deep breath and started meditation in the chakra rotation method. He clenched his teeth as the pain from his core spinning and the sense of nausea started overwhelming him. Focusing on his breathing, he steadied himself and released all his clones except the one that he had kept as a guard on the ground floor of the compound.
Readying himself for the mental fatigue, he did the hand seals and created 20 more clones as all of them sat down in the meditative stance and practiced chakra rotation. All of them could feel their chakra networks burn as large amounts of chakra flowed in and out in a pattern and their cores ached in pulsating pain as the chakra was practically thrown out and reabsorbed into it. He continued practicing it throughout the night as Kakashi was out on mission and would only come back the next day.
On a foggy, full moon night, Naruto stood in the middle of a forest road as he faced a dark silhouetted man. His heart was thumping as the man's eyes shone blood red and 3 – tomoe marks formed on each eye. " Prepare for your doom, Brat!" Spoke the masked man as he vanished and reappeared in front of him, his hand in Naruto's chest as he felt the deadly pain and shock, as he saw the orange wooden facemask on his assailant's face…
Naruto woke up sweating on the cool wooden floors of the Namikaze sealing jutsu facility, he might have fallen asleep while practicing the technique.. It was another incident. He had been seeing nightmares for a while now and they usually involved Kurama or the masked sharingan wielder. They had started when Kurama had revealed that the man who had attacked the village during his birth had used Sharingan to manipulate his partner into attacking the village. Something about it felt missing to Naruto, as the attack felt like it was more focused towards neutralizing his father than an assault on Konoha. He felt so, because his father had said that the masked man had appeared out of nowhere and he had escaped the fastest shinobi easily even after sustaining an injury to his back, which meant that he could have escaped anytime and could even have avoided fighting his father by threatening him. This made him feel uneasy… why was an Uchiha after his father's life? From the records in Konoha and from Kakashi's story, Naruto had pictured that the Uchiha were on good terms with his father… and even Sasuke's father, the Uchiha clan head, was a good friend of the 4th. He didn't know the reason, but one thing was certain, the masked man would come for him again in the future, and he would be ready for him. He would bring justice to his parents and to those who died in the battle against Kurama.
Seeing that his sleep was disturbed and wouldn't come back for a while, he walked towards the exit to make his way towards Hatake house. Using a small burst of chakra at the control panel near the entrance / exit, he dimmed the active light seals and made his way towards the mansion's gates. Man! The village is still active at this time of the night!? Thought Naruto, as he walked through the village's market district. It wasn't as active as the daytime, but many shops were open and had a few customers here and there. He saw his favorite Smithy in the village, open and took a detour to visit it.
The smithy was a mediocre building, with 2 rooms. The outer room was set up as a shop with several ninja tools kept at display, while the inner room was the actual smithy, were it's owner, Hotaru spent most of his time producing and repairing weapons.
As Naruto entered the shop, the bells attached to the door chimed and a middle aged, well-built man, with broad chest, tanned skin, slightly burned, greyish hair and a charred towel covering his bald head walked in from the smithy. "Oh, it's you, and here I thought, it was some ' real' customer this time." Hotaru spoke in a sarcastic way. "That hurt my heart, Old Man..." Naruto replied, with a fake hurt expression.
Hotaru and Naruto had met 2 years ago, when Kakashi took him to buy some tools for his training. At first, Hotaru treated Naruto like how usually the villagers would treat him, but when Naruto started showing interest in Blacksmithing, his feelings towards the kid started to soothe little by little. For 2 years, he taught Naruto in the ways of blacksmithing and was impressed to see the determination and hard work shown by the kid. Naruto was a Prodigy of hard work, even though he had a hard time learning stuff the book-way, he overcame this by understanding stuff through experiencing the things, more like a kinesthetic learner. Hotaru had a soft spot for hardworking people in his heart, as he too was like Naruto, when he was young. He was bullied and teased in the academy just coz, he was not as good as others when it came to ninjutsu.
"If you are here for the thing that you asked me to make, then I've told you that it won't be ready till next week."
"Come-on Old man, can't this 'disciple' visit his master?" Teased Naruto.
Hotaru's eyebrows twitched at the ' Old man' comment. "All you do is sit there and yap yer mouth. If you really care that much, then move there and help me in the smithy." Pointing towards a pile of boxes he continued, "Take those and place them at their respective positions." With a board expression, Naruto started moving the boxes' contents.
#Few hours later:
Kakashi had just arrived at the Northern gate of Konohagakure. He stood at the gates waiting for the gate guards to verify his papers and ID. During his years as a Shinobi, he had been on duty during nights many times, and had even been into war… the Third Great Shinobi War to be specific. While one of the two guards went through his papers, he noticed commotion in the village. There were many Anbu members blurring through the forest, scanning for someone… This reminded him of the day of the Uchiha massacre, when all the available personnel were dispatched on a manhunt. If this was a similar case, then he had to rush. He snatched his documents as soon as it was approved and rushed into the village. Usually, the documents weren't required, but these days were not safe… there'd been reports from the border patrol about traces of infiltrators near the village, and if they were one of the few missing nins from the village, then even the identification barrier that informed the village Jounins of any infiltrations would be useless, as missing nins' chakra were once registered to the barrier. If the commotion was caused due to this, then… Kakashi stopped the negative thoughts that were surfacing in his mind, this was not the time to panic.
"Did you hear about the incident in the marketplace…?"
"About the fire? One must be blind to not notice all the smoke!"
Kakashi could hear multiple conversations like this as he blurred from one rooftop to another. "It was apparently caused by the de-..." Kakashi's heart froze at the words from one of the villagers. No, this can't be true,... he wouldn't I'm sure of it! These were his thoughts as he neared the crime spot. Kakashi was known throughout the shinobi world for multiple reasons, one of them being his superhuman Olfactory senses, in which he was only bested by the Inuzuka clan. He covered his overly sensitive nose to prevent the smoke from choking him as he closed in on the source of all this commotion. One of the old shops was now burned down, more specifically, it was Hotaru's smithy. He made his way through the crowd of civilian merchants that were gathered in a circle, with few anbu and Elite Jounin in the center investigating the scene. There were two civilian bodies on the ground in front of the shop and there were shards of glass scattered, probably from the broken window from which smoke escaped. The fire had been contained using different water-based jutsu and a barrier had been set up around the smithy to prevent unwanted contamination of the evidence and further casualties due to the weak structure.
Kakashi instinctually made hand signs, pierced his left thumb on a Kunai and smeared blood horizontally on his right palm, slamming it on the ground.
Poof!
A miniature pug like Ninken (Ninja Hound) with light brown fur appeared on the spot, where he'd slammed his hand. He wore a blue Shinobi jacket.
"What is the matter, Kakashi?"
"Hey Pakkun, please help me with the investigation."
Kakashi was a well known shinobi and had even served in the Anbu corps during the past 10~11 years, thus, he was permitted to join the investigation, especially because he was a Ninken contractor similar to the Inuzuka clan. Pakkun moved toward one of the corpses and Kakashi scanned through the other.
The person's face was slightly burned and had ashes on his clothing. The clothes were made of silk indicating that he was of good financial condition, which was further proven by the emblem that he held… The person was a well established merchant who had multiple shops in Konoha and had trade outside the village. The peculiar detail that was noticeable was the claw mark on his chest from which blood had flowed. Kakashi frowned at the detail… the claw marks were larger than any hound or animal seen in the vicinity of Konoha, and thus it was easy to understand that it was made by a loose Jinchuriki. Most would undoubtedly believe this, but Kakashi was different, he walked closer and sniffed near the wound. The smell, it resembles him, but the claw marks, I am definitely sure, this was not the work of Naruto. Kakashi had seen the effects of Kyuubi jinchuuriki. He had seen the work effects of out of control Kyuubi Jinchuriki's claw marks twice, when his Sensei and Kushina Sensei were trying to develop a certain technique by using the Kyuubi's chakra. Furthermore, he'd known that Naruto had been able to establish a deal with the said beast and had even practiced the control of the demonic chakra. The reason why he was suspicious was that the markings were smaller on the merchant and also the fact that the damage was so contained even though the said 'Culprit' was yet to be caught.
"It is suspicious indeed..."
The voice came from a tall man with short beard, brown eyes, olive skinned, short black spiky hair wearing the regular jounin attire with a fire emblemed sash on his waist. He brought his cigarette to his mouth and inhaled the smoke. It was Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Third hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the member of the previous 12 Guardian Shinobi, a group charged with protecting the Fire Daimyo .
"...But the case is confusing as there were eyewitnesses who could confirm the identity of the culprit."
Kakashi nodded and continued his search. Pakkun finished his part and pace towards his summoner. "There are slight traces of Naruto's scent on him."
Kakashi nodded and took a step back. He lifted his tilted head protector, revealing a red eye with 3 tomoe. It was the sharingan due to which he was given the names ' Sharingan Kakashi' and ' Copy ninja Kakashi'. He frowned at what he saw. As soon as he stepped closer to verify his findings, 3 Anbu materialized before him.
"Hatake Kakashi, you have been summoned by the Lord to submit your mission report and will be held for further questioning regarding the current incident." Said the man standing in the middle. In a blur, all the four men disappeared, among them Kakashi had no choice but to follow…
Ribbit… Ribbit…. POOF!
End of chapter…
So,... finally I've written / typed another chapter. Well I can't say any excuses for delaying this, as I took the whole 6 months to write only this much. Well… anyhow, I have a few plans on future ch releases… 1. A whole arc together, so that when they release, you won't feel that bad as it'll be a huge amount of content, OR 2. What I've been continuing. I can't promise on any frequency, as I only type when I get the chance and mood to, plus I have a basic idea on which I build the story, so it is sometimes hard to fill up the chapters in a fluid way.
From this chapter, you might have guessed that this story will be quite different from canon, and I agree as I've planned a crazy (well depends on what you call crazy) ride ahead. This version of Naruto, like many other FF, will become overpowered. And at the end of this chapter, there is a hint of a new character that'll be introduced next… (You probably have guessed it by now). This is the beginning of the first arc, and it'll continue till the Chunin Exams arc. And one more thing, Naruto won't be bound to Konoha in this FF as indicated in this chapter, but it won't necessarily be an evil Naruto.
As my chapters contain 5k words each, I'd like to get some beta readers if possible.
Please Like and Rate this chapter. And I'd be glad to receive reviews and advice.
See you in the next chapter, Dattebayo!