The next day, at the alloted time, I head on over to the Hokage Tower. I wonder if the Fox is all the Third wishes to speak to me about. In no time at all, I'm standing infront of his desk. Like yesterday, he's not alone.
Shikaku Nara is once again here. He's not alone though. There's a tall blonde man standing there as well. Inoichi Yamanaka. The Head of Torture and Intelligence. I smirk internally.
The Third gets the ball rolling. " Hikaru, I'm sure you're wondering why I've asked you to be here. Sigh. You seem to be the type who prefers no sugar coating so I'll come right out and say it. 10 Years ago when the Fox attacked the Leaf, the Fourth Hokage stopped it. "
" Stopped it by sealing it inside you. You and your brother. It was his wish that you be seen as heroes..." He trailed off there because I snorted. The other 2 men looked at me as well.
" He was the Hokage. If he wished to see us treated as heroes then that means the vast majority of people in this village are guilty of insubordination. Including you Lord Third. "
" We've often wondered why we were refused service by most businesses in this village. Why we were overcharged double and sometimes triple the prices of everyone else. "
" You say he wanted us treated as heroes. In that case, most of you are guilty of spitting in his face. Not that I particularly care about him. Just pointing out. For all that the people of this village venerates him, they're happy to ignore his dying wish. "
" For that, I hold you entirely responsible Lord Hokage. Everything I've read about your predecessors, Lords First and Second, they would not have tolerated such behaviour. "
" The First would have been appalled at the treatment of children of this village, supposed heroes. The Second would not have tolerated such insubordination, so tell me Lord Third, what's your excuse for failing to enforce the Fourth's wishes. "
After my speech the Hokage looks to have aged years. The other 2 men were less expressive, but their bodies were tense. The Hokage sighed. Looking tired. I felt no pity for him.
" You are right on all accounts. The fault lies entirely with me. After almost 50 years of being Hokage, the weight of many mistakes lie heavily on my shoulders. Do you feel resentment towards me? Towards this village?"
I didn't even need to consider it. " No. I don't. This is my home. Despite its flaws, I've seen glimpses of goodness and hope and of it becoming as Lord First envisioned. A vision none of you 4 Hokages were able to bring about. "
" Yes. To be Hokage. That is my dream. A dream where my brother and I are the last children in this village, to lead the types of lives we did. I do have a question for you though Lord Third. "
As I gave my little speech, a myriad of emotions flickered across his face fast. Guilt. Shame. Sadness. Anger. Hope. Pensivenes. He indicated his assent.
" Who are my parents? " You could hear a pin drop in the silence. His face had blanked. I knew he was probably furiously thinking though. I wonder what he'd say.
I was surprised when he decided to tell the truth. " Your parents were Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki...you don't look surprised? "
I laughed slightly. " My brother is the spitting image of my father. " Here I nod towards his portrait. " I didn't know my mother's name ( lie ) but I knew we were actual Uzumaki. "
He looks surprised. As do the other 2. " What do you mean you knew? ". I look him in the eye. " The Uzumaki Mask Storage Temple on the outskirts of the village. Only Naruto and I can enter. I checked. That proves it. "
He seems genuinely surprised. Must've been a long time since he's heard it spoken of. He confirmed my thoughts. " I must admit, it's been decades since I've seen it. It's completely slipped my mind. "
Inoichi speaks for the first time then. " Lord Hokage, what's this about a temple? " The Hokage replies. " It's a temple created by the First Hokage for his wife Lady Mito. It stored masks from her birth clan. The purpose of which I never knew. "
They then look at me. I shrug. " I haven't got a clue. I haven't dared touch the masks though, just incase they're trapped. In any case, if there's nothing else may I be dismissed Lord Hokage? "
Looking pensive he nods his head. As I'm leaving I turn my head and look towards the 2 other men and say " I hope your children grow up to be better people than you are. " They look as if they were struck. I snort.
I spend the rest of the day helping Naruto with his training. He'll probably become a Genin next year. A year earlier than in canon, which makes me think. I've decided that I'm going to take a team next year.
That's if I become a Jounin at the end of this year. Not that I doubt myself. I want to help Naruto realise his potential. Something they left till near the beginning of the 4th Great Ninja War to realise.
I want to be his sensei. Neji's as well. I suppose, to round things up, I'll take Tenten as well. All I have to do is convince Guy sensei to take on Lee as his next apprentice. I don't foresee any difficulties.
The wildcard here though is Kakashi. It's very possible that he could end up Naruto's sensei. Something I want to avoid. He was a terrible teacher.
On the issue of Neji, I have a few ideas swirling around to help him. It's very likely though, that the Advisors will prevail on the Hokage not to put both Jinchuuriki on the same team.
It's very possible. They've seen though, the results of me having a sensei focus solely on me. It's possible that Kakashi could be made to take my brother as an apprentice.
In which case, I'll take Neji as an apprentice. Now I know what you thinking. How well will it actually work, if the sensei is the same age or actually younger than their students.
In most cases, there'd probably be lots of friction in the beginning. He's not a genius for nothing though. A genius in his clan's taijutsu that is. Any notion that he's superior will fly out the window when he sees I'm younger than him but way stronger.
Anyway, as usual time flies by fast. The next day I report to the missions office. There I'm directed to a group of 2 Chunin and 1 Special Jounin. I'm to be part of this squad for the next 3 months.
I'm surprised to note they are 3 familiar faces. Izumo, Kotetsu and to my surprise, Kurenai Yuhi. From what I recall, at the time of canon commencing, she's a newly minted Jounin. I'm sure she won't like the fact I make Jounin before her.
Particularly when you consider our age differences. She's 14 years older than me. But anyway. Kurenai is squad captain. There's no time for small talk though. I'm told to pack for a month. Border duty. Sigh.
In no time at all, we're leaving the village and up into the trees. It will take nearly 2 days at full speed to reach the border. We're taking it slowly though. We'll reach it in 3 days. We travel silently at first but I know when we stop to eat, the questions will start.
I'm not wrong. As soon as the call comes to stop and we're sitting down, Kurenai starts. " Hello. We didn't get a chance to talk properly yet, what with the rush to get ready. You're pretty impressive. I don't believe in gossip though. So tell me a little about your skills, so that I can know what we're dealing with. "
She sure cuts to the chase I think. " Well, I have 2 chakra natures. Fire and water. Fire is my dominant one though. Im currently learning lighting. So far I can only channel a current though. "
" I've created my own nintaijutsu, utilising fire chakra. I can also combine my 2 original chakra natures and use a bastardized form of the vapour style kekkei genkai. "
" Oh and I'm also a level 5 sealing Adept. " Sealing generally is graded from levels 1 to 10. Level 1 is basically a novice. The type that can copy down a basic storage scroll or flash bangs. Level 2 is the ability to make explosive tags, apply resistance seals and make a more versatile storage scroll. Most ninja in this village never go past this level. Level 3 is level ANBU Captains must be at for a minimum.
That level is where low level barrier seals, ones that can stop up to a few C rank or 1 B rank jutsu is. Level 4 deals with higher level barriers. The kind to stop a few B rank jutsu. Its also the level you learn to seal low level malignant entities. IE the curse seals. This is Kakashi's probable level.
Level 5 is the level where the 5 Elements Seal is based at. Probable level of Orochimaru. Level 6 deals with stronger barriers and the beginning of the more esoteric functions. Level 7 deals with the complexities of manipulating medical chakra and the storage of chakra in general. This level is the lowest level of those who are masters of the craft.
Those who reach such proficiency can successfully seal the weaker Tailed Beasts. Probable level of Tsunade. Level 8 deals with high level malignant chakra suppression. Also have the ability to seal the middling level tailed beasts and the beginning level to understanding space-time ninjutsu.
That's Jiraiya's probable level. Level 9 is where high level space-time ninjutsu is possible. It's on this level where it's possible to apply seals simply by touch alone. It's the probable level of my father and the Second Hokage. A level 10 sealing master, is one that has no need for scrolls at all. Simply their will and chakra is needed to create seals.
Supposedly, the very first Uzumaki had such an ability. He raised the island his family would inhabit for over over a 1000 years from the depths of the ocean. In those days there was no chakra though, so his used all of his life force.
I took that story with a grain of salt. But in any case, as I'm describing my abilities, my 3 squad mates look more and more disbelieving. Especially Kurenai. Jealousy makes you nasty Kurenai...
" If you don't believe me, ask Lord Hokage. I'm pretty sure he's one of the few that actually understood what I was doing in the Chunin Exam Finals. "
Izumo nods. " She's right. We saw her using a bit of everything, except seals during her fights. " They then explain their skillsets and Kurenai reluctantly follows. If I were a 1 trick pony like her, I'd feel embarrassed as well.
We report a couple of days later to the outpost. It's not that big. Maybe space for about 6 squads or 24 people all in all. The month passes in no time at all. Nothing really exciting happened except groups of bandits trying to sneak across the border.
I get on really well with Izumo and Kotetsu. They're pretty laid back guys. Kurenai though, is more high strung. I'm not sure whether it's my abilities or the fox, but she keeps things curt.
Not like I care though. Before you know it, the month is over and we're heading back home. Over the next 2 months the 4 of us constantly go on B rank missions. Taking out bandit camps led by missing ninja.
Taking out crime rings, drug smuggling operations and of course human trafficking. Filth like that I take down quickly. I know though, that before long new thugs will take their place. It's how the world works.
Before you know it my time with this squad is over, and I'm told my new 3 month assignment is to help work the missions desk. I'm actually glad. Being in the village for the next 3 months gives me an opportunity to polish my skills.
Turns out, the Hokage rarely personally assigns missions. He only does that with each year's rookie Genin. Unless it's an S rank mission. Those are assigned in his office. I'm glad I don't really have to interact on a daily basis with him.
In this assignment I realise just how many shinobi there are in this village. Thousands. Intellectually I knew this of course, but seeing is believing. Turns out Guy sensei isn't the only village weirdo. There are lots of them.
It's in this time period where Naruto finally masters the second stage of elemental manipulation. I'm very proud. As a reward I teach him 2 jutsu. The wind style wind bullets, which fires multiple small spheres of compressed air ( Danzo uses it in his fight with Sasuke ) and I teach him the water clone jutsu. He's over the moon.
I've already placed the order for 2 sets of chakra metal claws like Sora had. The difference is of course that Naruto's will be sealed into his hands. That way he can keep it as a surprise. As soon as he graduates I'll give it to him. I'll also teach him to channel his wind chakra nature through it. I've also decided to teach him the shadow clone jutsu.
It's very likely he'll end up Rookie of the Year. Just slightly edging out Neji. Naruto is top of the class in ninjutsu, weapons usage and trap making. Neji is top in taijutsu and the theoretical portion. I haven't told Naruto because I don't want it to go to his head, but he's actually stronger than most of the Genin already in circulation.
A few weeks before November ends, I submit my name for the Jounin exams. Guy sensei is sponsoring me. Naturally it makes waves in the village. I'm not surprised by the first person who confronts me about it. It's Kurenai. She's not alone. Anko Mitarashi is with her, she seems annoyed for some reason.
" Hikaru, I know you are talented, for a Chunin, but don't you think you're biting off more than you can chew? " I have to bite off my instinctive response towards that. This bitch.
" Your concern is noted Kurenai. However, don't hold me to the same standards as you. It's clear who the superior kunoichi is here. Instead of trying to hold me back, why don't you focus on improving your own skills. You are a one trick pony after all. "
With that said I dissapear in a body flicker. I see the anger and embarrassment on her face before I go though. Anko's looks ridiculously entertained by the whole spectacle.
On the note of the body flicker though, I don't know if you can remember the fight between Indra and Ashura. When Indra was defeated, he flickered away, but instead of smoke or leaves, lightning was instead left in the aftermath. These past months I've been in the village, I've been working on achieving a similar effect.
Using fire of course. Not only because my summons can teleport that way, but because a fire body flicker would undoubtedly look really cool. Im actually pretty close. Turns out it's not that hard. Most Jounin could probably do it, if they were willing to put in the effort.
The reason nobody has though is probably because it's wasteful. Chakra wise that is. Fortunately, that's something I have in spades. I'm pretty sure that by the time I'm in the exam, I'll have it down pat.
The day's finally arrived. I don't think I've ever been this excited in this lifetime. I'm not the only one. Naruto and Guy sensei are excited as well. Naruto won't be able to watch though. Guy sensei though has promised to cheer enough for 2 people. Likely driving the other spectators crazy.
The exams take place in an area of the village I haven't been to before. Inside a nondescript building, is a fighting area twice as large as the one that's inside the tower in The Forest of Death. There are raised platforms running alongside the walls.
I can feel the hum of chakra, coming from the railings. Likely some kind of barrier seal to protect the onlookers. Unlike say, the Chunin Exams, those looking to be promoted won't actually be fighting each other. In fact we won't have anything to do with each other.
We are called into the room 1 by 1. It seems I'm lucky enough to go first. I don't believe it's luck though, when I see the spectators. All the Clan Heads, the Hokage, Guy sensei, the Advisors and what looks like the ANBU commander. I snort softly.
They all likely want to see if I live upto my hype. With them all here it seems I'll have to go all out and show most of my tricks. Not all though. I walk to the centre of the room and bow to the Hokage. Then I wait.
That's when Shikaku steps forwards and gets the ball rolling. " The Jounin Exam of Hikaru Uzumaki will now begin. We'll begin with kenjutsu, followed by taijutsu, followed by weapons proficiency, followed by ninjutsu, followed by genjutsu, finally ending with sealing jutsu. "
When he finishes a purple haired ANBU flickers before me. Sword drawn. Internally I roll my eyes at the dramatics. With just a thought, my sword appears in my hands. I hear murmuring at this.
Probably because I didn't use blood to summon it out of storage. Only people with a certain skill level in sealing can do it that way. I mentally release 4 levels of my resistance seal. That pushes my speed up to low Jounin level.
In a blink I'm right before her with an overhead slash, I hear more murmuring. We speed across the fighting area clashing. Sparks fly as our swords meet. After about 3 minutes there's a call to halt from the Jounin Commander.
I will my sword to dissapear. Scattered across the area are targets. Over the next 5 minutes I hit bull's-eye with kunai and shuriken. Fairly standard. Except the furious pace of it, that is.
I take a deep breath and start circulating extra chakra through my coils. It the chakra equivalent of stretching. Before me a small whirlwind of leaves appear. When it stops, Kakashi is before me. My lips twitch. The big guns huh.
At the signal to start he goes through lighting fast handsigns, the only reason we finish at the same time is because I only needed a single seal, as his fireball jutsu forms, I mentally command Fire Style Dragon Flame Bomb.
I inhale fast and release a large concentrated blast of fire ( it's the jutsu the 3rd used in his fight with Orochimaru ). Our jutsus connect and mine overpowers his and spreads. I know he's using his jutsu as a distraction but I don't let him.
I purposely overload my jutsu with chakra making it spiral out of control. In moments the entire floor is covered in fire forcing him to leap to the roof. I'm unhurt. I have a barrier made of chakra an inch from my skin.
He can't see my position in the fire so I again make a single handsign Fire Style Phoenix Flower Jutsu. I exhale a larger amount of fire balls than I ever have before. 100 to be exact. The ceiling is soon peppered by fireballs.
I know his game though. He sent a shadow clone up there while he hid underground. I smother the fire raging around with my chakra. Time to spice things up a bit. I leap up and start going through handsigns as fast as I can.
I channel fire chakra through my legs and condense it. At the same time, I gather water chakra in my chest. I hear gasps from the audience. As Kakashi surfaces, he looks flabbergasted. I'm sure he's not alone, because I'm hovering in the air. Jets of fire shooting out of my feet.
It's a good thing I have seals on my footwear else they'd be destroyed. I finish with the signs and think Water Style Water Dragon Jutsu. He quickly counters with a fireball jutsu. When they collide, steam appears and obscures everything below me.
I feel him make another clone though. I can feel that it's slightly different. Knowing him, it's no doubt a lightning clone. I've grown tired of this though. Three handsigns.
Vapour Style Solid Fog Jutsu. A large cloud of corrosive mist joins the thinning steam below. I know I only have a few seconds before Kakashi is forced to leave the mist down below.
I take out shuriken that I've connected to ninja wire and think Shadow Shuriken Jutsu. My 8 shuriken becomes a hundred and I create a type of web above the mist cloud. I'm also channeling a stream of lighting chakra through it.
I hear a popping sound below and see blue light flashing. I was right. A lightning clone. Kakashi leaps up, looking singed and visibly annoyed. Sharingan exposed. I snort internally. Maybe he shouldn't have underestimated me then.
He jumps on the ceiling and crouches. He says something. I pretend I don't hear and say " huh, you say something? " He looks even more annoyed. I can hear Tsume Inuzuka and Choza Akimichi laughing. They're drowned out by Guy sensei's cheering though.
Kakashi notices the trap almost too late. He has to resort to Chidori to destroy the wires and negate the stream of lighting. I can feel though it's not at full power. He rushes me then. Running upside down the roof. No doubt intended to end it with a glancing blow.
Pity for him then. With a thought, my sword appears. I hold it with both hands and channel a bit of chakra through it. The blade is tilted slightly, so he doesn't see a seal appear on the blade, as I activate one of its features.
As soon as his Chidori meets my sword, I quickly draw a slightly larger breath. He gasps. As does members of the audience. His Chidori gets sucked up into my sword. At such close range he can't dodge properly. A spit out a small razor sharp beam of water.
He moves but it still cuts into his left arm. I can see the blood running down. The murmuring is loud over by the audience. The Hokage calls a halt then and I gently reduce the chakra flowing to my legs and land softly.
I look around. Kakashi and most of the audience look stunned. I can't blame them. By all rights I won the little " spar " between us. He huffs then and flickers away. My next opponent appears. A smile appears on my face.
It's not a pleasant one. Before me stands Kurenai Yuhi. She looks slightly smug. Pity for her. As soon as Shikaku gives the go ahead I stomp my left leg. Fire races towards Kurenai. She heads towards the wall. It's only a distraction though. I remove 2 sealing tags. They're both small.
The size of a tea bag in my old life. I place 1 on the outside of my left hand. The other I keep on the inside of my right. I look at Kurenai and she's going through handsigns. I race towards her. She finishes before I reach her though. Not that it stops me.
I appear to be in a meadow. The flowers are trying to strangle me. Unknown to Kurenai, the seal on my left hand glows. The genjutsu breaks and then I'm before her. She tries to engage me in taijutsu. Foolish. Before she knows it I kick her full in the chest, sending her to the middle of the fighting area.
Before she can react I make a single handsign. She freezes up. I smile. I wait. And wait. After 2 minutes and it becomes clear she can't move, Shikaku calls our fight to a halt and asks me to explain. So I do.
That seal on her traps her in a paralysis genjutsu. The murmuring is really loud as I complete my explanation. Then after a few minutes the Hokage speaks.
" Truly you are remarkable. I don't think there's a need to test your sealing proficiency. You're clearly talented. Likewise there's no need to deliberate on your promotion. Chunin Hikaru Uzumaki, I hereby promote you to Jounin. Congratulations. "
After that, the rest of the day passes by in a daze. All I can really remember, is the wild cheering of Guy sensei and of Naruto when we celebrate at Ichiraku Ramen. Finally. I did it.