The moon glistened upon the lake as night's silence echoed. The lack of noise was quickly broken as a loud roar echoed through the forest followed by an explosion. Ignoring the noise two figures slowly lept across the shore. Both were wearing green flak vests over dark long sleeved shirts, common to Shinobi of the the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The only characteristics unusual about the group was the bundle in the shorter persons arms, and the pair of seemingly glowing red eyes. The shorter of the two looked the taller figure.
"Mother, are you sure this is wise? If anyone in the clan found out we'd be ruined. Father wouldn't hesitate to exile us, let alone kill us. You know as well as I do that he only married you to become the head of the Uchiha clan. He doesn't care about us. Yet why do we do this mother, thi-?" the young voice was but a whisper, but went silent when an infant's cry came from the small bundle in the dark haired woman's arms.
The two quickly came to a stop as the young bundle started to move as the little child continued to cry. "There, there little Naruto I know you must miss your mother dearly. But some day you'll understand that the decicision that your parents made tonight tore them apart." Another load roar ushered itself through the trees, she kissed the baby's forehead before looking to her son. "We need to keep going Itachi." The little boy nodded.
Two Weeks After The Test
Naruto coughed, clearing his throat as he blinked his eyes open, the sound of his alarm clock ringing in his ears. After shutting it off he slowly rose up.
After having gotten cleaned up and dressed he knelt at the shrine of his mother's image. "Divine and heavenly goddess, I usually don't believe in prayers but...I've been thinking it wouldn't hurt to have some heavenly grace for once in my damn life. I'm tired of all the bullshit that befalls me. Please give me a blessing something that I can trully find of value in this world. The old man is great...but I can tell eventually he won't be around anymore. After him...I won't have anything left to live for. I still live only because Mikoto asked me to get stronger."
Naruto gave a mirth filled smirk. "With me being a genin and being the owner of the Forbidden Scroll. I own the collective power of the Villages past. I'm strong. Mikoto I've done what you've asked of me." He quickly felt guilty at his words, he could imagine Mikoto scolding him.
"When I said get stronger I meant become all powerful not some runt! Now quit moping."
Naruto chuckled to himself before continuing his prayer. "Kami, just give me a sign. There's next to nothing for me in this realm. I just want to leave and meet mother. to be with Mikoto again." The boy blew his hair up with a pout before standing up. He strangely felt lighter after the prayer.
"Well guess its time to pay my morning tribute to Mikoto's grave site."
Before the massacre of the Uchiha Clan at Itachi Uchiha's hands Mikoto Uchiha had been revealed as hiding the "Demon boy" She wasn't banished or exiled or anything like that. No she was simply stripped of all heritage to the Uchiha name. Besides her very genes she was no longer an Uchiha. Along with that she wasn't buried along with the the rest of the Clan instead being given a random burial plot. While she was disowned. She wasn't a random beggar found dead in an alley. Thus she wasn't given cremation. Every morning Naruto took the money from his D-rank missions with Team 7 and would buy a bouquet of one Halfeti Black rose, Purple/lavender orchids, one purple rose and a few Amaryllis flowers.
And it was always from the same store. He wouldn't risk low quality, and there was only one place to get good flowers...
A bell ringed as the door to the flower shop opened, and the customer was quickly greeted. "Ah! Naruto mah boy so good to see you this morning!" Inoichi's loud and upbeat tone was a typical occurence for Naruto as there was only one Flower shop he visited.
The Yamanaka's.
Naruto smiled lightly as he wave to the blonde salesmen. "Hey Yamanaka-san, good morning to you are th-" He chucked as the jonin pulled out a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"Sure are, I have the Helfeti Black rose - sorrowful loss, " he started as he pointed to the only black rose among the 13 roses. He then continued pointing as he did. "I then have the single Violet rose - Majestic royalty, six purple/lavender orchids - exotic beauty, grace, and elegance. Usually for a mother or grandmother." Naruto's gaze left the bouquet as he stared at the wood floor. Inoichi gave a gentle smile, he knew about Naruto being an orphan and that Mikoto had been there for the child. Just like he knew the flowers were in the daily bouquet for Mikoto, the boy's only mother figure.
"Then theres the 4 Phoenix Amaryllis fresh in this morning just for your order straight from the Botany fields of the Village hidden in the Sand, and last but I'm sure is far from the least...one... Carlavine Meganthium Blood rose straight from the lands of Demon Country. It signifies intense passionate emotions from the user to the reciever, and is never intended for the living. Only those passed away." He looked at the sad face on Naruto. "My boy why do you torture yourself like this I mea-" The blonde man was interrupted as his younger daughter Ino came in. "Who's torturing who daddy?"
She quickly answered her own question. "Oh hi! Wait...Naruto? What are you doing here?" Inoichi new Naruto didn't like his fellow student. Inoichi had both laughed and been angry when he found out why, or in Naruto's words "Your daughter is a disgrace to shinobi everywhere, all she ever does is follow around that insolent fuck Sasuke Uchiha." from there he had apologized for his opinion and told him he respected his work as a member of the I&T department.
"Honey I'd ask if you left Naruto to his vices. He has a morning ritual to follow and this has lasted long enough." Naruto shook his head, waving his hand in disagreement. "No it's quite alright she's not going anywhere soon I suppose." Inoichi quickly frowned. "You sure miss her don't you kid?" Ino raised an eyebrow at that. 'Who is this person there talking about? It's not like Naruto-baka has a girlfriend.'
"Naruto how has Kakashi reacted to you ditching morning training each time. Does he know why?" Inoichi yawned as Naruto shook his head. "No the bastard doesn't really care. But today I plan to putting Sasuke in his place." He raised his hand, the tongue sliding out of his palm licking the crystal gourd on his back. Ino shivered at the sight of his hands. Nobody at the academy liked them, however her disgust was forgotten when she heard his words about Sasuke. "What do you mean put him in the dirt?! Sasuke would wipe the floor with you Naruto-baka!" Inoichi chuckled at his daughter vigor.
"Well Naruto I believe you wouldn't want to keep her waiting any longer? Naruto nodded as he reached into his pocket for some bills he brought for purchasing the flowers. What happened next suprised Ino. "No, its on the house Naruto. As the head of the the T&I I've seen a bit of emotion ranging from primal feelings to well developed emotion tempered through tragedy. I have to say what you've felt, and then what your feelings have grown into for her. I have to say some of it is ignorance due to your age, but the rest of it...I can see it. So this time the flowers are on the house, and don't worry about the price for the Carlavine Meganthium. Infact I hear that when its placed for someone very special sometimes you can even feel their presence around you." At this Inoichi picked up the brilliant bouquet of assorted flowers.
Before he could leave the wooden shop Inoichi handed him one last thing, a seal note. He leaned in to so that Ino couldn't hear. "This should keep those flowers you pay so much lasting longer just set it on the grave stone. It covers a large enough area that those flowers should last a whole week with out falling apart." Naruto nodded and was on his way. Ino raised her hand to her chin taking a thoughtful look, "Dad why, does he come here every morning. Who does he always buy those flowers for? He's done it ever since after the exam finals...Daddy, why does he always look dead inside when he leaves here?" Inoichi simply watched through the clear class of the doors, the young redhead holding a gentle grip on the bouquet.
"Sweetie, I'll tell you one thing. Those flowers that represent love and affection aren't for a girlfriend." He frowned a bit at her next remark. "HA! I knew Naruto-baka could never have a girlfriend!" Then he smiled, "But if alot of them especially the Meganthium were for someone of great love then who could they be...for, wasn't he an orphan too he had no parents..." her fist balled up in frustration.
"Daddy I'm gonna follow him, I want to know about this person he spends so much on. I mean every day, he buys some of the most expensice flowers we have. Those Helfati's are rare, the Phoenix Amaryllis is expensive because of trade restrictions, and purple roses are hard to grow properly, and he buys them each day no changes. I'm dying to know the deal!" Before she even finished the sentence she was out of the shop. Inoichi's arm grabbing only the air. "Damn it, I know he won't take kindly to it."
"But I trust both of them not to do anything too rash." He ruffled his hair in aggravation.
Naruto's red hair swayed as he took gentle steps, deep in thought. He usually left at the first sign of someone else entering the shop, quickly paying his bill and heading out. It was usually Ino's voice that followed after. Sometimes it was other employees asking about something or other.
To be honest if there was one person that didn't aggravate him like the rest of the class it was strangely her. 'I usually just leave, I wonder why I didn't do it today...' He stopped as he saw a shadow cast across his form. "What's with the flowers, eh freak?"
Naruto looked up at the trio of leaf Shinobi all chunin rank. 'I may think I'm all the rage and what not but I can't fuck with three Chunin. I'd get maybe one of 'em then the other two would put me six feet under.'
Naruto glared back at them, "None of you business." Apparently this wasn't the correct answer as the man quickly went to grab the said flowers. This was not the correct action on their part. Naruto quickly pulled them away before any damage could befall the bouquet. He then followed up by unleashing his violet energy as a barrier. When the chunin that started everything went to strike him his right hand was quickly cut off, followed by his head and then his left arm.
Naruto saw this as his chance to get away. But before he could run a firm hand stopped him in his tracks. The hand was connected to a man that was very tall person. If Naruto were to guess he would say he was about 7 feet tall, and packed with muscles. He had dull black hair that spiked out from the back but was combed back at the front. He had a white ANBU mask symbolic of his membership to ROOT. He wore standard ANBU gear. "Naruto-sama there's no need to worry about these cretins, we will have it cleaned up before anyone notices, bless the early morning. Now I believe you were heading somewhere? Don't let this rabble stop you." He then ushered the bow on his way. Leading him in the direction he was headed.
Naruto nodded as he checked that the bouquet was untouched. Finding it was he smiled slightly before he resumed walking. As he passed by he saw two more ROOT ANBU. One was a woman with purple hair and silver eyes complement her dak mocha skin the hair was done up in two pony tails one at the low back and another above that. She wore a shirt under her ANBU vest that had sleeves that hid her hands. on her waist she had two blades on the same side. The last of the trio was a man a bit shorter then the woman, he had pale skin. He wore the standard ANBU vest with a single sleeved short.
As he walked by both bowed with a faint "Naruto-sama" as he passed them.
Ino gave a slight gasp at what she had seen in the morning's slow rising glow. It seemed like Naruto was going to be in a scuffle of some sort, only for three Shinobi to quickly cut down the three leaf shinobi. Then they let Naruto go, but that wasn't the weirdest part they were bowing to him as he kept walking. 'What the hell is Naruto-baka up to? Why are ANBU bowing," Her thoughts were stopped as a rough hand wrapped in metal seal braces grabbed her shoulder. She almost screamed in surprise until another hand covered her mouth. "Silence Ino Yamanaka. I will remove my hand from your mouth. If you scream I will not hesitate to make you disappear."
Ino nodded her eyes full of fear. As he said he would the elderly man removed his hand from her. "Now, tell me why were you following Naruto?" She took a moment to calm her rapidly beating heart before speaking. "W-well I just wanted to find out why he was always coming in early morning, paying so much for rare flowers. He does it every morning. As a person who has been around flowers nearly my whole life I know he shouldn't come back every morning as the last bouquet still hasn't wilted away. Isn't that wasteful?"
The older man just chuckled at her. "Have you ever thought that the person he gets them for is more important to him then monetary gain?" Ino's eyes closed as she thought about it. "But...Naruto doesn't have anyone close to him, he is an orphan and nobody likes him. Even Shikamaru doesn't talk to him much."
Two of the ANBU soon arrived to stand behind the old man, "Sir, we've clea-" the bigger one stopped talking as the elder of the trio motion to be quiet with his hand. "Yamanaka-san, I see in you a strong Will of Fire. You may be young and thus prone to 'love' as you so put it for Sasuke Uchiha but coming from a Clan you will most definitely grow out of it." Ino suddenly felt very uncomfortable around this man. "How do you know I like Sasuke-kun?"
Ino had never met this man.
"Oh do not worry Yamanaka-san, I know plenty. I how...ever...I am in the place to give you training that would make you very strong. You could can the strength to make your dear Sasuke fall head over heels for you." Ino narrowed her eyes. 'Something isn't right here.'
"I am Danzo Shimura and for the last two weeks I have been using a subtle genjutsu on Naruto. It has slowly changed him on a subconcious level. I've made him think of you as a trust worthy person. Someone he could maybe befriend someday. Ino Yamanaka open your mouth." To this Ino gave a startled look at the man.
"It is merely so you cannot speak about this morning unless I allow you to. No I'm not going to cut out your tongue."
'What the hell is going on!' Ino's mind was running a mile a minute trying to figure out why this man was say so many weird things.
"Dear girl. I simply wish to make you the foundation to Naruto's world. Something for him to live for. As I stand here before you I know I am the last thing that keeps him alive. Everything he loved was ripped from him on the night of the Uchiha Massacre." He coughed into his hand and looked up as if listening to something. He then motioned to the pale, short. "Go make sure she doesn't interfer with him." The blunette nodded as he lept to the roof tops.
"Now open your mouth, and stick your tongue out. What I'm about to tell you cannot be spoken of and I'm not willing to risk you spreading this information."
Ino hesitantly nodded to him, before looking at the large and imposing ANBU next to Danzo. 'I'm likely to die if I don't comply.' She stuck out her tongue.
Naruto cursed himself as he realized he had walked right past the other members of Team 7 he ignored them but Sasuke had been following him since he turned the corner. 'He must think I can't sense him following me. pfft as if.' This turn of events had admittedly drawn out Naruto's cruel side, he would lead Sasuke to his Mother's grave.
'And then I will fuck with his head. He thinks he is indestructible.' Naruto passed a corner of a shop that led a view to a wide open plain, stone grave markers littering the land. After a few more minutes of walking, gently holding the bouquet he came to his spot.
Naruto waited till Sasuke was close enough to him to hear his words, he smiled as tears rose in his eyes. "Good morning Mikoto, I brought more flowers today." He heard Sasuke's breath catch in his throat. The redhead smirked, "Isn't it a good morning Sasuke?"
Naruto could feel the ravenette grinding his teeth. "Why are you here loser, you don't belong here. While she was disowned she is still Uchiha blood, you are beneath her. you don't deserve to be in her presence." A chuckle was Naruto's response, the boy slowly placed the flowers among the other bouquets.
"Oh, really? Yet it seems she gave up everything to take care of me...it would look as if she had lowered herself in status, quite willingly if I remember right. Seems that good for nothing clan of ingrates isn't so bad after all." 'Hook, line, sinker.' Naruto leaned to the left, Sasuke's kunai passing by his head. When the single strand of red hair landed on the ground Naruto took action.
Sasuke made a quick jump back dodging Naruto's axe drop kick. The missed blow left a small enough opening for Sasuke to get of a kick jab to Naruto's shoulder. Naruto lost his balance briefly before he leaned back as Sasuke gave a return kick that flew through the air.
A loud thwack was heard when Naruto's fist struck the Uchiha's chin in retaliation. Grunting the Uchiha grabbed the offending fist as he felt a slow drain start on his Chakra. Naruto coughed as Sasuke pulled him into kneeing range and placed said joint into the redhead's gut.
'Shit he hits harder then I thought he would, but...' He uncorked the crystal gourd as he drew his arms forward. A torrent of water burst forth as the gourd was drained of it's contents. "I'M STILL BETTER THEN YOU!" All of the water summoned by Naruto formed into multiple long spears all aimed at Sasuke. Unceremoniously all of the spears started firing at Sasuke, forcing the young genin to leap and dodge to avoid being skewered by the deadly onslaught.
After a few minutes of non stop movement Sasuke was fed up. He rushed through a set of handseals, "Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" The geyser of flames licked the noon sky, boiling the water as it flew through the air. Naruto grunted as all of his water was turned into dense steam. Naruto loosed his violet energy to get a feel for his surroundings. But what he saw amazed him himself. 'I can't see anything, yet, why is everything so clear.'
Naruto cursed, his view had gotten clear enough using his energy that he saw several pouches of some kind flying at him. However they all exploded before he could react. The result was an unspeakable pain as the internal liquid burnt at the teens eyes. This burning pain dropped Naruto's focus of his energy and caused him to fumble to the ground trying to remove the offending liquid from his eyes. "How do you like that loser, its a liquid from the mouth of a venomous snake called the Spitting Cobra, one drop to the eyes and its lights out FOREVER. You can't wash this stuff OUT!" He finished his words with a rough kick to Naruto's side.
Naruto bit his tongue, fighting the pain coming from his eyes as he grabbed Sasuke's leg before the ravenette could pull back his leg for another attack. Using the momentum from the motion he pulled Sasuke over and used his own leg to strike the ravenette in the back as he let go. The Redhead then followed up by reaching out to grip Sasuke's leg, throwing the Uchiha away from him.
By this point in the fight the steam had condensed and small puddles of water showed up. Naruto could feel them as if it were another part of him. "My eyes may be damaged but I can still see you well enough to kill you. You fucked up when you attacked me!" Naruto expelled his energy in a visual manner as he slowly walked towards Sasuke who was still getting up. Naruto however had found a new reason to hate the Uchiha. With his energy he was able to see around him in a fashion similar to that of a Hyuga's byakugan. Sasuke's Fireball had burnt away all of the flowers he had laid for Mikoto. Naruto's voice became a chilling tone as a figure of some sort formed within the energy.
The only thing Sasuke could describe it as was a demoness come to life. "I'm going to kill you now Sasuke. I hope you prayed to your gods this morning because the Uchiha name ends HERE!" Naruto's powers made the water swirl around him twice before he went to launch them at his fellow genin. The water swiftly began to encase Sasuke in its liquid embrace, causing the genin to panic as he couldn't move any longer, he couldn't breath any longer. Naruto went to make a fist as he shouted in anger, "DIE!"
That's when Kakashi appeared, the jonin quickly hit Naruto in the back of the neck rendering him unconscious. Subsequently the water surrounding Sasuke fell away from the boy, dropping him on his rear. He too was unconscious, from not being able to breath for so long.
"Ara, Hokage-sama isn't gonna like this...well I best take them to the hospital first."
"So your telling me, a proud, strong woman like Mikoto Uchiha gave up next to everything she had simply to raise Naruto? Why?" Ino spoke, her arms crossed as Danzo and his ROOT soldier stood next to her. Danzo had explained to her Naruto's early life, his troubles, and his neglect from the Hokage. The entire time using Koto Amatsukami to slowly and carefully leave false thoughts and memories so that she would, in essence belong to Naruto. While Danzo was sure of the genjutsu's abilities he had placed a curse seal on the young kunoichi's tongue so that she wouldn't spill any information.
"Well at first, it had been that Naruto's mother had asked him too. But," Danzo stopped talking as he coughed roughly into his hand. "as time progressed I can only imagine its because she came to see him as her very own son. Or..." He noticed the look in Ino's eyes as she became interested in what he was going to say next. " Well to understand the next possibility. Naruto as a child was always very mature for his age, he was quiet respectful, vastly intelligent. Calm. He was in all regards the perfect child, and oh did he love Mikoto."
Ino raised her eyebrow at that. "You mean like a mother, or sibling right?" Danzo shook his head.
"No, he loved her as if she was the world itself, and if the second possibility she saw him in the same regard. A touch weird if i say myself. But her young life...I won't judge her for her thoughts and feelings after what she went through..." He raised his hand in a dismissive manner at the look Ino gave.
"Not a topic for me to discuss, even Naruto doesn't know about it. However besides her eldest Itachi, and Naruto's mother. Mikoto had nothing going for her. Sure she had the money from her clan. She had a high opinion from the people of Konoha. Until she was found out that is. She truly lost everything that night. Save for Itachi and Naruto. With Itachi in the ANBU black ops as Captain at such an early age she was left alone with Naruto for quite a bit. I assume its during this time when they bonded so much." Danzo sighed as he prepared to continue, the next part had also made him sad but he was no where near affected as much as Naruto was.
"Being as I said they had a very close bond, after she was discovered caring for him she was no longer afraid to take him out to parks. She knew at his age and because of certain reasons...he would never make friends. So she took it upon herself to make his life as happy as possible. Now remember when I said that he was very mature and intelligent for his age?" Ino nodded, at this point she was seeing Naruto in such a different spotlight. She no longer thought of him as the moody and creepy redhead with tongue's for palms, and her thoughts were about to change once more as Danzo continued.
"You know about the Uchiha Massacre, how Itachi Uchiha killed his entire family save for Sasuke? Well Naruto was there when it happened..." Ino's eyes widened at that implication.
"You mean? H-h-he was there and...?" she stuttered in surprise. Danzo nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, Naruto saw the only person he truly, absolutely cared about get cut down before his very eyes. As a child that hadn't even learned how to mold his chakra he didn't have a chance at saving her." He let out a breath as he paused. "Naruto told me he only assumed that he was spared because Itachi new that he was the most important thing to Mikoto. Even more then her own flesh and blood. Naruto told me he cried so much it could of filled his gourd. Oh you don't know about the gourd's importance do you." The blonde shook her head, she didn't but when ever she saw Naruto it was always with him.
"You see that gourd was a gift from Mikoto to Naruto, the very last thing he ever received from her. It is a gift he will never keep more then a few feet from him." Ino nodded at him.
Danzo smirked on the inside. 'It seems she has excepted everything swimmingly. Time to make the final push.'
"So young lady, what is your opinion of Naruto. He isn't so much a loser as you thought he was now is he?" Ino shook her head.
"No not at all. In fact I admire how strong he is to handle the attempts on his life and all of his loss. Actually I want to make sure he is happy. That he never has to experience such heart break again." Her eyes burned with resolve. Danzo put his hand over his eye. 'Its so simply to 'change a person's opinion' with this eye. Now to finish it.'
"What would you do for Naruto, to ensure that nothing bad would happen to him ever again?"
Ino's hands turned to fists as she stood firm, "Everything and anything."
Naruto coughed as he awoke, everything was black. He then remembered the snake venom. He looked around after a few tries with his energy, it didn't take long to figure out where he was and what the colours of the room were. Hospital white. He groaned. Hospital's were dreadful and he hated them. Or rather, he hated the people in them. Twice on separate times people had tried to kill him with poisons. He smiled. Twice on separate times the perpetrators had gotten their head put through the door. Courtesy of one Mikoto Uchiha.
'Oh you insolent little punk. If you aren't dead your going to wish you were. Defiling Mikoto's grave is something that you pay for with your life." Naruto frowned. He hated thinking of her gone. He always missed her. Her smile. Her laugh when he would ask so many questions during supper. Her soothing voice when it was bed time and she would read him a bed time story...
'That she's dead...' Naruto rolled over trying not to think of the past. Luckily Naruto's thoughts were broken for him. The dark skinned ROOT member from earlier walked in. She immediately dropped to her knees, putting her masked forehead to the floor. "Naruto-sama, I'm so sorry about what happened to your eyes!" Naruto went wide eyed at her proclamation. Why would she be sorry she had nothing to do with it.
'Well she's a ROOT member maybe she feels guilty for not being able to protect me?...' He shook his head, "There is no need for you to be sorry." The girl's body noticeably tensed at that before she looked up at Naruto. "I assume you feel some preconceived notion that my concurrent blindness is entirely your fault?" his gaze landed on her masked face as she nodded. "Well, allow me to ease your discomfort, it is most certainly not your fault." He scowled at nothing, "In fact the fault is entirely that of one arrogant, soon to be dead, Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto could see the female looking at him in question. "But I-"
Her words were silenced when the door opened, revealing Danzo and the other two ANBU. "Are not at fault my dear. While yes you could have done as your job entails, you did not. As I asked you not to. Naruto my boy, while not under the best of circumstances to introduce them. These three are you personal guards. Thus is why she was making such a ruckus, she believes she failed you by not eviscerating the young Uchiha. I assure you, it isn't your fault my dear. I asked you not to interfere. While I knew he would prevail in some manner..." Danzo looked Naruto straight in the face, "I expected you to wipe the floor with the boy, not suffer such a wound as blindness. This is a large step back in you succeeding me. It will take much more time to train you now that your blind." The man sighed as he scratched the top of his head.
Naruto chuckled, "No I ain't blind old man, my eyes just don't work anymore. All thanks to my powers."
To prove his point he flooded the room with his energy leaving a very faint pink tint to the air. With the strange chakra touching ever facet of the room he could see it all, compared to his natural vision the energy provided him with a psuedo-omniscient view of the world. As long as his chakra touched it, he could see it. "So it seems, if you believe your vision is truly not impaired then so be it. Now onto formal introductions Naruto, this is Kari Uzishi, the captain of your personal guard. The blue haired one is Tetsuo Kirieta, and the large one is Saijin Kogamaru. They are my strongest ROOT next to Torune and Fuu, and I have charged them with the task of keeping you safe if it comes to it. After today I will have them intervene upon any conflict if you do not order them to stand down."
He turned to walk out of the room. "I gave you today's conflict so that hopefully you would learn a small amount of humiliation, and get any thoughts that nobody can touch you, or that your all powerful. You are not. You are human and can die from something as simple as a broken nose to a measly paper-cut infection. Before I leave you should remember to drop by the Hokage's office, Sakura Haruno was here looking for you, it seems the Hokage is none to happy about you and the young Uchiha's confrontation. These three will be hiding near you at all times except while your inside of our Head Quarters. I will see you later tonight Naruto." With that the Village elder closed the door behind him.
What stood before him was one Ino Yamanaka in black ANBU clothing minus the vest and mask, a short black cloak covering her back and shoulders while parting down the center of her torso, reaching down to the level of her navel. He placed his hand on her shoulder, "You see, he needs someone to be there for him. To be his guardian, and to be his light. No matter the means you are to appease him and keep him sane and out of depression. I would be devastated if the boy fell to pieces at such a young age. While I ask this I want you to realize I do not ask you to love him. But to merely give your being to ensure his own. If he is to ever find true love, do not get in the way." Ino nodded with a firm bow.
"Yes Danzo-sama. My only goal is to make his entire life as grand and enjoyable as possible." Her face showed dedication and a brief glimmer of bliss at the thought of living her live in servitude of her master Naruto Uzumaki, it was quickly crushed with a blank face as Danzo used his grip on her shoulder to have her follow along side him as he walked through the hall of the Hospital. "In due time, but first you must get stronger. I will speak with your father. It is time I spoke to Naruto's Godfather, until then young Yamanaka wait at home. Prepare necessities, for when I come to pick you up."
The young blonde nodded her head as the two rounded the corner of the hall.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking at the report that was written up by Kakashi regarding Sasuke and Naruto's little fight. Sasuke had small lung related issues from chakra damage that was caused by the Uchiha's apparent use of the fireball jutsu. He had overcharged his lungs when using it and had mildly scorched his insides, nothing to damaging that it couldn't be fixed with some concentrated healing and rest.
The Jinchuuriki however, his eyes had been damaged beyond repair, if it had been taken care of he would be able to see slightly well but it had been too long to do anything about it now. 'Doesn't matter all we have to do is prode the bull and open the gate. Salvageable. Now if he was missing a limb, well Konoha's ultimate weapon would be eat an end can't spend time training what can't move.'
The Third smiled as his assistant told him that Naruto was here as he had appointed. "Send him in."
Soon enough the redhead stumbled his way into the office, the headband was now covering Naruto's head like a bandanna, the metal bar resting over his two eyes. "Naruto my boy sit, sit, how are you feeling?" Naruto mentally scoffed, 'Like you really care you bastard.'
The redhead smiled, then frowned. "I'm fine, well as fine as a blind person can be, but I want to rip Sasuke to pieces." The Hokage raised an eyebrow.
"That seems a bit aggressive for simply starting a fight, current blindness not withstanding." This time Naruto didn't scoff mentally.
"If that was all he'd done I wouldn't be tempted to hang him with his own intestines. But that is beside the point what did you call me here for?" Naruto coughed into his hand, clearing his throat slightly.
Hiruzen nodded at the question, "I wanted to inform you that with the Chunin exam's coming up I'm sure you'll want to join it. But as you are it will be even harder for you then it would of been a couple of days ago. I was going to call you here today anyway regardless of your and Sasuke's confrontation. The Chunin exam is about team work, as is the fundamental basics for any Leaf shinobi." The Third paused as he turned to gaze out the window, overlooking the village.
"I ask that you atleast try to get along with your team so that you can partake in the exams."
Naruto faked a sigh of acceptance to the proposition. "Fine, but no more then is required of me." Hiruzen nodded before waving the boy away. "That will be all Naruto."
The redhead nodded before walking out.
The sound of grunting and heavy breathing echoed throughout the dark confines of the underground base, a loud thwack punctuating every few moments.
If one were to walk in, following the sounds they would see the sight of Naruto Sumeragi being brutally beaten by one Danzo Shimura in what the elder of the two would seemingly call "training."
Naruto was to wear weighted bands on each limb and his neck. He would then be only allowed to push his body up with that single limb. While doing so Danzo would lash out with a bokken. Naruto would be forced to either get hit or strain his body to pivot onto a new limb. Sometimes it hurt more to move then get hit.
And one of those times had come up. Naruto let out a pained cry as his arm gave out as he went to flip to his left leg, his face hit the floor and Danzo hit him in the back. HARD.
Danzo nodded at the redhead's efforts, "half an hour better then the last time. It would seem either your talk with Hiruzen has changed your thoughts or your fight with the Uchiha has lit a fire inside of you."
Naruto shook off his weight for lighter ones he wore at all times. "The Uchiha..." Naruto flexed his sore arms as he adjusted the weights positions. "Among other things. Tomorrow, after I join the circus clowns I'll convince Kakashi and Sarutobi to give us a higher ranked mission. Get as much "team work" in before the chunin exams."
Danzo smiled faintly at the boy as he watched the boy try to lift his weakened arms to air quote but only grunted as he dropped his arms to his side.
Naruto sat cross legged as he put his hands into a box of weighted kunai. He then pulled 10 up, one for each finger. Naruto held his arms out at length, only to sound out a curse. "Fuck this. I have nigh perfect chakra control." Naruto then emphasized his point to Danzo by forming multiple black diamonds along his bare arms. "Boy...how did you...?"
Danzo was astonished at what he was looking at, this boy was using his vast reserves of chakra into miniscule points. The act alone wasn't surprising, it was the amount of diamonds. He knew Naruto's chakra control was astounding, how could it not be, he literally controlled water like it was no effort at all. But that raise the question how did he learn of this technique. It wasn't in the Forbidden Scroll.
"Analytical brilliance...?I do my homework...?" Naruto could tell Danzo wasn't buying it. The redhead's hair moved with a sigh as he shook his head. "Well its actually both, during my time in the Academy I rarely paid attention the few times I did was always when a large figure of history showed up, and I rarely asked questions. Tsunade's little diamond mark was one of my inquiries. I asked if it was natural. Mizuki seemed to know what it was, and thus I learn about the Mitotic Regeneration. Concentrate chakra meant for healing into a single point, then when its needed I release it and it forces my cell's to rapidly heal. While my passive abilities, whatever they are from, are proficient enough as it is, this is on a entirely different level."
Danzo could feel a 'but' coming from the boy. "But I have a feeling there is more to the ability then just rapid cellular regen. It requires handseals in the first part other wise im just letting all of my chakra out in a rush, and in the amount I store in each one...well let me just say it's not favorable to the continuation of my arm's well being. Furthermore if I'm correct about basic biology and other scientific bullshit, I can use this more often then Tsunade can as, and this is a mere hypothesis, I being an Uzumaki won't allow me to die in such a way as cells running out because of our natural longevity. I'd simply have an excess of years to rob the cells from so if I used it frequently I'd probably just live a normal life span."
Naruto shook his head again. "Yea not sure how that little bit of fuck all science would work. Now...I will retire for the night after I grab food and drink...and slowly let all of this chakra out..."Naruto turned to face Danzo. "Except these two," the redhead pointed to two teardrop marks under his eyes.
With that the boy turned around picking up his shirt after he left the training room.
Naruto tossed his shirt to the floor as he walked passed the shrine. Before he even took two steps he stopped and turned to face it. "I'll add another candle and incense for Mikoto tomorrow before I get Sarutobi to give us a harder mission...maybe another prayer..." Naruto yawned as he fell over onto the couch. He reached over and tapped the play button on the small radio next to him, the music started up as he lulled of to sleep as the rock music beat on.
Assorted editing as of Sept.14, 2020