Ten years ago...
He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed—not for lack of trying—but Naruto Uzumaki was intelligent enough to read the atmosphere, particularly the one set the moment he walked out into the open. Of course, when a huge chunk of the populace makes no effort to hide their distaste toward him, the message is clear. A simple walk to the grocery store becomes a perilous trek filled with various hostiles and an even greater amount of discomfort. He couldn't imagine what it would be like in the academy.
"If how the other asshole kids treat me is anything to go by... not that I'd be able to attend the academy anyway."
Yeah, it wouldn't be pretty.
Why the hatred towards him even existed was beyond him. Sure, he's humiliated a good number of the populace through elaborate and well thought out pranks that disturbed the relative peace within the village—not to mention ruin businesses—but these were only in response to their aggression. They started it!
His acts of delinquency were only ever done to distract himself from the loneliness that was usually overwhelming. Plus, it wasn't like there was anyone to tell him otherwise, no one to turn to when his desolate lifestyle reached a breaking point. One of the many disadvantages to being an orphan.
Life wasn't exactly peachy for the young blonde.
In his short life since he attained self consciousness, he thought of himself as smart kid–if those pranks were anything to go by–and he was almost certain that for a six year old like him to receive such awful treatment was anything but normal. None of the other orphaned children he knew were treated the way he was.
Children should be loved, nurtured and protected. All of these he saw in the families that he'd come across in his tiny life. He himself however did not have any of these. He was alone, and he was tired of it all. Who went through shit like this?
Most reasonable people with a working body and a sane mind would've packed their bags and ditched this place in search of a better life.
So then, why was he still here?
Over the last few days this question had been at forefront of his thoughts. Certainly there are other places he could go where he wouldn't be subjected such to bold faced hatred. Then again, he wasn't sure if other villages have a freaking ninja academy! Why does he even wanna be a ninja again?
Oh wait.
Why the hell wouldn't you wanna be a ninja?! Who wouldn't want to climb up walls, spit fire, save the day and maybe get the girl?!
These were pretty damn enticing. But once again, were they also attainable elsewhere?
In all honesty he had next to no ties in the village that would make him think twice if he was to ever leave. Maybe the boy would miss the Hokage who he's taken to call "gramps", but that relationship was strange. He only ever met the Hokage when the blonde's monthly stipend was delivered, not many words are exchanged and when they are they usually create tension between the pair. Doesn't help that their last meeting went awry; at least in Naruto's mind.
While the young azure eyed boy did have a longing for some sort parental figure/s, he was never one to whine or complain about their absence. Like most, if not every orphaned child however, he at least wanted to know the identities of his parents and why they weren't in his life. When he brought this up to the old man during their last meeting, he received less than favorable answers.
"You can't bring back the dead, there's no point in dwelling"
It was obvious the Third knew the identity of his parents and the old fart refused to budge.
"At least I know they're dead"
Picturing the kind of people his parents were was always a doozy. On one hand he wanted to think they were kind and loving people who not only loved the village they clearly sacrificed themselves for, but also loved him very much. Clearly he was looking at this through the rose tinted glasses all orphans use to picture their ideal parents.
On the other hand his parents could have been a pair of dynamic douche-bags who decided he wasn't worth the trouble and ditched him during the Kyūbi attack, then dying and becoming collateral damage.
"Jerkwads!"
He shook the thoughts from his head. The old man was right about one thing, there was no point in dwelling on things that had no effect on his life. Whoever his folks were, whether they loved him or not, he couldn't give a shit because it didn't matter. They were dead, and as cruel as it may sound, he couldn't allow them to mean anything to him, because it would just make him sad or pissed.
So what was next for the orphaned six year old? Was he really willing to leave the only village he's ever known for a free life of traveling the world doing who knows what for fun with the occasional side job here and there to sustain himself.
Sounded tempting.
The fact of the matter was that even with the never ending list of reasons to ditch this dead beat town, there were two main things that tied him to this village.
The brand of ramen that stood above the others within this village was one of greatness, wonder and deliciousness and the only thing better were the people that served it. Old man Teuchi and his beautiful daughter Ayame were the only two people left in this village that could ever get a genuine smile from the lonely boy these days. The father and daughter duo introduced a young Naruto to the greatness that was Ramen Ichiraku, all the while treating him with kindness and fairness. It was obvious why he was a frequent customer, drawn by not only the food but its servers. Leaving the village would mean no more ramen, and more importantly, leaving behind the only three people that have ever made Naruto feel cared for.
That made sense, any lonely orphan that was loved would want to stick with the source of said love. This was one of the reasons why leaving Konoha was gonna hurt.
Now, what was the other reason, the other tie–rather person that kept him here in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Well, he stood before him.
"Have you considered my offer?"
This old man, who's name he still didn't know, was odd. He had approached the blonde completely out of the blue almost a week ago while Naruto was practicing his forms in basic hand to hand combat, alone in the secluded forest within Konoha.
He'd spent that day repeatedly punching the wooden dummy in front of him, hoping to at least knock it down, but to no avail. Again and again, he punched, kicked, elbowed kneed, thrusted and even chopped, nothing.
If his forms were wrong he couldn't possibly know because he wasn't a student in the academy; he wouldn't be aware of how to throw a proper punch in a correct stance. Perhaps, he wasn't strong enough or fast enough yet. Then again, he was a six year old,
"You shouldn't expect much from a child that young"
Is what most non-shinobi would say. Clearly they've never met Kakashi Hatake, who was able to take down chūnin level ninja at the age of 5! Or Itachi Uchiha who made Anbu at 10 and then a Squad Captain at 11!
Obviously youth wasn't always a blockade for those talented enough. A prodigious ninja can bypass what most consider arbitrary things, and in turn, be awesome.
Naruto, unfortunately, wasn't like that. He didn't have the talent to pull off shit like that. The blonde was the kinda kid who had to work thrice as hard if he wanted to reach that kind of level.
For an orphan like him with no parents to tuck him in at night, tell him everything would be okay while encouraging him to try hard, or to even pay for the academy in the first place. No siblings or cousins or clan members to correct his taijutsu stances or show him the proper hand signs for a jutsu. No sensei to teach him jutsu or stances in the first place.
Zero resources, no support. Naruto was alone. It's been that way his whole life.
The boy with the beautiful blue eyes didn't just have to work "thrice as hard", he had to put in tenfold the effort.
Even an untalented dead-last with parents or a clan or both, had far higher chances of succeeding than someone like him. Hell! Even an untalented dead-last without parents or a clan STILL had far higher chances than him
Talk about having the odds against you.
A week ago...
His inhales and exhales were erratic and heavy, his face washed in sweat and fist caked in dried blood. The lonely orphan's shins, elbows and knees were red and bruised, obviously from the clashing with the unusually durable dummy.
"Why the hell is this thing so strong?! I know I'm weak but, c'mon!"
Bending down, he reached for a cloth he'd brought from his apartment–paid for by the Hokage himself–and used to wipe his face.
After three or four swipes, he tossed it aside and went back to it. Applying everything and anything he knew. Which wasn't much.
Fifteen minutes or so went by and well...
"Dammit!"
He dropped to his knees.
"What's wrong with me? Why can't I get it right? There's no way I'm that untalented."
He glared at the ground and with his hands to it, he bunched a patch of dirt into a fist.
"I guess this life isn't for me, that's fine though, It means I can finally get the fuck outta here and find happiness somewhere else," he smirked "I won't have to live in a world of lies anymore and maybe I can–"
"You're stance was incorrect, your elbows were tight and your kicks were unbalanced."
The voice was deep, hoarse and emotionless.
At speeds that even chūnin strived for, Naruto's head spun counterclockwise following the voice.
It was an elder man, a crippled one at that, who had a cane in hand. His looks were nothing to write home about as his hair was black and shaggy, his face was bandaged over the right eye, and he had an x-shaped scar on his chin. Aside from his right eye the thing that made him look crippled was his right arm which appeared to be in a sling under the black robe he wore. It was so long that it dragged over the floor. The old man had this aura about him that just screamed danger, it was freaking Naruto out.
The man stoically stared at him, not a single feeling emitted from him. The man spoke again.
"Why did you stop? Continue as you were."
Something had compelled him to carry on with the man's orders. The how's and why's were non-existent this time around, but the boy with the sapphire eyes didn't know that.
And so, he kept on punching and kicking, waiting for some kind of result to occur.
"You failed again. Not only did you neglect my advice but you repeated the mistake."
The blonde couldn't help but stare in a fearful manner at the bandaged man. The elder's voice was cold, commanding, and merciless. There wasn't a shred of emotion in his words that signalled anything as to how the man with a cane felt.
Naruto was hard pressed to even call him a man. The old fart was more like a machine.
Deciding to apply the man's instructions, lest he hear that voice again, the child went on to correct his stance, based on what little he remembered from the academy book, loosen his elbows, and with the fixed stance deliver the kicks in a slower way. Avoiding a fall in the process.
With a hook kick ready for takeoff, Naruto let it loose onto the insipid wooden dummy that was unnecessarily sturdy. The impact was hard, and the thud was loud. So loud in fact that he actually felt it in his eardrums. It overrode the pain in his shin.
Looking over to the wooden receiver the blonde witnessed a success. In the lower abdomen region of the dummy was a dent so deep and wide that if he were to strike it again it definitely break.
He subconsciously looked over to the man he'd met a minute or two ago in search of approval. Naruto received it
"That kick you threw was exactly what was needed to make the dent."
Naruto beamed at the answer. It wasn't a praise per se, but beggars can't be choosers.
"Out in the field however the enemy isn't going to stall and let you adjust your balance. To be a true shinobi being able to throw a kunai or a kick at moments notice regardless of circumstance is what you need to be able to do."
The blonde just starred quizzically at the man. 'What was with this geezer?' he asked himself. He was cold, demanding and a lot of other things, but ironically enough, the old-emotionless-fart had been miles more helpful than any other person in the village barring the Hokage.
'Don't get it twisted though' he thought to himself. Naruto was infinitely grateful towards the bandaged old-goat. The orphan felt like he had jumped in skill level from absolutely useless to... well, somewhere else.
"Good enough I guess." Naruto muttered to himself.
Present day...
Crack!
The six year old blonde winced in surprise almost falling backwards. It wasn't from the pain on his left heel, he'd already accustomed both of his legs to uncomfortable levels of pain. That's kinda what this entire month had been for. No, he was shocked at the fact that the entire head of the dummy had been broken off by his kick.
A month ago, that would've never happened. a month ago, Naruto had barely cracked the surface of the dummy, now he was tearing large chunks of wood with single kicks.
"Damn. How the hell did that happen?"
It made some sense. Keyword, some, sense.
From the tiny pointer he received, one that some would consider insignificant, Naruto's hand to hand combat prowess had jumped what to him felt like leaps and bounds. So no, to him that tiny hint he got from that inconspicuous old man was not insignificant.
"Not only did you improve your technique but your striking speed, striking strength, and comprehensive strength and speed were all factors that resulted in the power of that kick."
Speak of the devil.
Whipping his head back, Naruto was met with the commonly emotionless face of his... instructor?
"Good morning uhh–Shimura-san! I-it's been a while!"
The bandaged man eyes laid on him for a solid five or so seconds studying him, classifying him. Absorbing anything and everything possible from a stare.
It was creepy.
"It has. Have you considered my offer."
Ah, Naruto had forgotten about that.
"I–uhh, I-i did!"
No, no he didn't. The blonde hadn't thought about the offer given to him a month ago by the veteran shinobi that currently stood before him. Danzo Shimura an elder of the village and a member of the council itself. This guy was important! And he had offered Naruto tutelage, an apprenticeship!
So no. Naruto did not think about that for a second. Why would he? This elder had given him a pointer that had allowed Naruto to improve his kicks massively.
"Maybe I'm exaggerating but c'mon! That super helped!"
Once again though, the orphan did not give that offer a second (or even a first) thought.
He took instantly.
"So, what have you decided child?"
Naruto grinned.
"I'll take it si–uhh–sensei!"
The elder's eyes narrowed unnoticeably, as if he had taken offense to the way he was been referred to. In his mind, this boy need much more than just "training".
"Very well, we'll begin immediately."
The blonde orphan blinked a couple times.
"Already sensei?"
The crippled looking man looked almost appalled, as if he hated being referred to as such. He stared at the boy in an eerie fashion. Again.
"From now on you will refer to me as Danzo-sama, I'm not just a common low skill instructor, you can find plenty of those within our ranks if that is what you wish. I am your master. I'll teach you what it means to be a true shinobi, what it entails and how to live as such. I'll ingrain my methods into your stubborn head until they become part of who you are."
Naruto just looked upwards at the man, mute of any words or reaction. The spiky blonde just had no idea how to react to this.
Even the people who openly despised him were nowhere on this scale. This man Danzo just oozed malicious intent without even trying.
"You've no idea just how important you are to this village. The Hokage himself fails to see just how crucial it is to nurture you from a young age, so instead, I as his equal have taken it upon myself to do so. I will not allow our enemies to have a leg up on us any longer.
"Damn, maybe this was a mistake"
The man who stood before him though looked like the kind who would not take no for an answer. Besides, in a way, he needed this.
In this instance, the saying "beggars can't be choosers" applied to him tenfold.
There was just no other way.
Months later...
For the last hour, the ceiling's weird and dull color had become the most interesting and peaceful thing he'd seen in weeks. The mucus like color of the drywall was calming and soft. It wasn't as pacifying as the splashing sound of a waterfall or the soothing rustling of a moving grass field, but to him, they didn't need to be. This was good enough.
Besides, at the moment, this was all he could afford. Going outside to venture into the beauties of nature was far more trouble than it was worth, no matter how much he wanted to.
This was something that just came along when you lived the life of Naruto Uzumaki.
They say the younger the person, the more malleable they are. With the blonde jinchūriki that was absolutely true. The spiky haired boy had changed. He was the golden ball of clay molded by the dark hands of that old cripple.
For six months. For half a year now he's been under the tutelage of Danzo Shimura learning the arts that are required for one to be a shinobi. Physical training, mental training, espionage, assassination techniques, deception skills, social skills, history, chakra control, shurikenjutsu and bukijutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and of course, ninjutsu.
For the first couple of weeks, he couldn't be happier. This was a super badass deal! Just pay attention, shut up, and do as you're told and in exchange, you'll be rewarded with all of the techniques a hopeful ninja could obtain.
The old chin scarred cripple was a master in these. He'd lived through all of the known Three Shinobi Great Wars and even before the birth of Konohagakure. He'd seen it all and done it all.
The training was harsh. The man would have Naruto spar against whatever subordinate he thought was more appropriate. Always pitting him against whatever Root guy Danzo thought was most compatible.
"You need to start from the ground up, no need for you to spar a jōnin if you're only good enough to compete against genin. You'll just end up hurting yourself."
The more he rose through the ranks, the level of his opponents would also rise, relatively speaking. If he was chūnin level then he'd be put up against a special jōnin. Likewise, when he rose to the capacity of a special jōnin, his one eyed master would decide for him to finally spar against an actual jōnin. This would continue throughout his training, which would go on until Danzo considered him ready to go on a mission.
Considering how far he had come, the orphan had a feeling it would be soon. Laying on his mattress with his arms crossed behind his back, Naruto couldn't hold back a happy grin. Yeah, his ass was handed to him in pretty much the vast majority of spars with his fellow "agents" (or whatever the old cyclops called them), yet he still couldn't believe just how far along he'd come.
His aim with a shuriken and a kunai was now better than anything he had seen from those academy kids he'd spied on. And he now knew a crapton of sick jutsu!
Naruto's grin widened. He couldn't wait to enter the academy and kick major ass. Sadly, as soon as it formed, the smile disappeared. He was an orphan, not to mention poor and as such, could not afford the academy. Danzo had told him that the only way a boy in his situation–minus being a jinchūriki–was for him to receive a sponsorship. From either the village elders, a clan, wealthy members of the civilian populace or the Hokage himself.
Coincidentally, there had been an influx of orphan applicants since the uprise of Minato Namikaze, who would prove himself to be a worthy example of how great a boy from a humble civilian background can reach heights only those with a clan could've ever hoped to have reached. Consequently sponsorships, scholarships and or financial aid was encouraged by the Hokage to root out any and all hidden talent of a civilian background.
"Guess I'm not on that list huh?"
Deciding not to spend to much time in his own sob world, Naruto shot himself up from his bed and made and walked towards the kitchen. Hunger had taken over, and for a growing six year old like himself, that meant lots of food.
As he placed his hand on the stove control panel ready to turn the knob on the heat control, he stopped and dropped his hand down in a sudden motion putting it on standby next to his kunai pouch. Ready to reach in at a moment's notice. He had sensed someone, and they were behind him.
"It seems like Danzo-sama was right, investing in your sensing capabilities was indeed a boon." Inviting a feeling of relief, he relaxed his hand and turned his head slowly in an almost bored fashion. Naruto recognized this hollow voice.
"Panda." One of the orphans personal trainers and a member of Root, which he too was a part of. The azure eyed boy hadn't seen this guy in over a week. Not even in their headquarters.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Danzo-sama has requested your presence for a debriefing, you are to arrive immediately. Bring your gear and equipment." The man didn't allow him the chance to ask a question or two because he was gone at the speed of a Body Flicker.
He pouted in a cute manner. Naruto had questions obviously, he was curious. What was this about? How long would it take? When would it take place? Where?
The whiskered six year old's eyes sparkled at a small but exciting realization. "Is this my first mission?!" Boy would that be one hell of an announcement. Finally! After six months of grueling and painful training, of which he's surprised to have even survived, Danzo-ji-chan finally saw fit to send out into the field.
All of these were questions that could be asked and answered by old cyclops himself. It was only a matter of waiting.
Entering the headquarters was always a puzzle. One could never tell what exactly awaited when you set foot near the well hidden entrance. Some kind of roadblock always stood in your way, a challenge that the old cyclops set up in order to ensure that you were at least aware of your surroundings.
"Last time it was an advanced triple layer maze genjutsu."
With a hand on his masked chin he attempted to decode this headache. Putting his left hand in a half rat sign, he comfortably channeled and released a small burst of chakra. Underneath that fox mask, he frowned. The burst was still uncontrolled and sloppy, at least it would be, in Danzo's mind.
"The old man's gonna get on my case for this. I gotta work on my chakra control."
The now cloaked and hooded masked six year old stood to wait for a split second for the dead end genjutsu to disappear.
"...oh, it's not a genjutsu. At least not a traditional one."
The blonde child soldier walked towards what appeared to be a dead end wall of stone. Except he didn't stop and went right past the bricks as if he had phased through them. On the other side their laid a medium sized badly drawn on seal. The calligraphy was was messy and the ink was starting to dissapate, most likely due to the weathering.
"A Nise Gamen (Fake Screen) seal huh? That's cool! It was only meant to last as long as my trip here. No wonder it was drawn like crap."
He liked all of the ninja arts, in fact he loved practicing all of what Danzo had him learn. This one in particular was a Nise Gamen (Fake Screen). It was the projection of a certain location or thing, usually chosen by the caster, that was casted onto something by a seal that acted as the projector. Similar to the False Surroundings genjutsu, only this one was from a seal and it wasn't three dimensional. If you were expectinging it, ballsy enough to go through it and hoping for the best, or you were just good enough at sensing chakra to the point where you can locate the source of it, then it was typically harmless.
Seals were unfortunately something he couldn't really experiment with. The old cripple just didn't let him mess with them, not even to read a simple book on them. The only seals he was allowed to carry around were the basic stock ones, like explosive tags, portable storage scrolls/tags, and the occasional elemental stamp.
He hated that. To him, seals were one of the most intriguing of the ninja arts. They were like cool little/big drawings that had superpowers! The best part about them were that they had a fairly simple theory behind them. Each array had a different task, and depending on how you arranged them, they performed different things...or something like that.
"That almost makes them sound like a machine."
They were simple, not easy. At all.
So, as per usual Naruto Uzumaki-ness, he decided that he wasn't gonna give a crap and snuck into the village shinobi library intent on finding anything and everything involving the art of Sealing Techniques aka fūinjutsu.
Boy did he find plenty. Things he was expecting and things he wasn't.
It seemed like the entire fūinjutsu section had been quarantined and had a revolving door of chūnin watching guard. He was glad to have had Danzo-ji-chan drill into his head the ins and outs of stealth. The old man had personally praised him for his talent in the field. Thank the Kamis that all of those terrifying hide and seek sequences he had to go through paid off.
Because that night, he went home with a scroll full of copy and pasted manuals, guides and rule books on not just some highly powerful seals, but also on complex theory.
Ranging from novice to master material. All of which he had finessed in one fell swoop. Undetected.
"Like a boss!"
Still, he hadn't even had the time to review or open up any of those manuals as he was almost always in headquarters training, or out in the woods training. He couldn't sit still and attempt to focus on something he didn't even know where to start from. Not to mention actually managing to practice an art he was barred from.
If only he had a way to be able to do two things at once, like a tangible clone instead of the shitty illusionary one that only really served as a distraction. A solid doppelganger that had the ability to do things like you and still somehow transfer the memories and experiences. As if he had been the one to do it.
"Wouldn't that be the jutsu?"
If only he knew.
He did have one lingering thought about that almost-maybe-kinda-burglary excursion he pulled off about two weeks ago. One that stil nagged at him now at this very moment two weeks later. The six year old knew this was gonna bother him again throughout this upcoming debriefing.
Naruto kept seeing that red swirl stamped on a great number of the books he came across while he stol–err borrowed them and quickly sealed them in his storage scroll. At first, that just seemed like confirmation that these books were indeed Konoha property as that was the same symbol stamped in the back of the village flak jackets that all ninja chūnin and above received. To the blonde kid, this just meant he had to be extra careful with how he handled those copies and how inconspicuous he needed to be with them.
It wasn't until the blue eyed six year old decided to open one up the moment he got home from his unofficially library checkout in order to get a small peek into just how difficult the theory in these manuals really were. Choosing one he figured was from the more advanced collection, a book with a red swirl, he began reading all of the notation in the first couple pages. Sources, credits and all of that.
Something Danzo had also told him to always do in order to never miss a detail.
So at that point, he was indoors and unwatched. Which was for the best because he had received the biggest shock of his life.
In the bottom most edge of the page, in black ink lettering that was still somehow pristine and shiny, it read...
Property of the Uzumaki
He didn't even know what to think, he wasn't sure how to process what he had just read. Naruto just stared at the book in an almost blank expression. A huge brainfart had taken place within his.
So after a few minutes, which was what it took to get his bearings back together his mind lingered on two questions. Questions that he knew he probably wasn't gonna get an answers to anytime soon, especially if he asked.
"Who where these Uzumaki? Why do I have their name?"
Just to double-check, he had gone through the other books with the same emblem on them, and those without it. He needed to know just how far along this went. Naruto saw that those without the emblem weren't from these Uzumaki, and that those with them were.
"So they were a clan of some sort? Or ot least a well known family." Ever since that day, that question would always come back to nag him. One way or another.
In this case, a simple look at a seal and his head was now thinking about these Uzumaki.
The blonde shook his head to refocus, he fixed his neck forward and steadied himself. He couldn't afford to distract himself with something he had already resigned to being pointless. Like family.
"Jeez, I wouldn't be surprised if Danzo is now pissed."
Walking forward a few meters he saw the ceiling entrance to the underground facility that was headquarters for Root. Every time he set foot near the edge of this metal canyon, that phrase the old man through around always came around.
"The unseen ones who support the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the earth."
He let out a sigh that went appropriately with his adorable chibi look.
"Old man sure loves his phrases."
With a single bold move, he set one foot over the edge letting it hover in mid-air and let himself loose. He was falling down into the abyss. A fox-like mask covering the grin on his face. Moments later and even more meters later, he prepared for his landing.
Silently and like a true ninja, he landed gracefully on one of the many metal walkway/bridges that connected the underground facility with it's tubular metal interior. wordlessly he continued walking to where he knew his teachers quarters was. As he approached the metal doors, two of his fellow agents appeared at speeds worthy of ninja and opened the door for him.
Behind those doors, was a room. It was dark and dimly lit, There was a single light that only lit a single part of the room. Any all-encompassing light, like the ones in most common places the village, was not here. No windows to let the moon illuminate the place or the wind ventilate it. Which despite it's lack of the most basic ventilation, the room remained cold and airy. Something that made absolutely no sense.
"Unless it's..." A chilly breeze that made him shiver pushed him in a forceful manner. As if urging to walk forward. Which coincidentally enough, was picked up by his chakra sensing technique. "some kind of jutsu."
He had felt the old man's chakra.
Walking forward, over the trailing maroon carpet, Naruto couldn't help but admire the minimalist design and look of the place. Similar yet contrast worthy to his own apartment. His place was modest and basic as well, a lifestyle that implanted on to him by the man he walked towards, as it was taught to him that living with excessive materials and in a lavish was a foolish way to live especially for someone who couldn't afford it like Naruto. Despite that, he still gave himself some freedoms to at the very least enjoy his life.
Things like a fridge had the foods he needed but also the ramen cups he wanted. A poster of a cool band he enjoyed listening to. The drawers and closets filled with cheap quality clothes but also the occasional cool shirt and pants, and for his more...young healthy man side, calendars with pictures of bikini babes and what he considered hot pop-stars and actresses. The Third Hokage(when he could) and his rival(always) had told him to spend his monthly stipend wisely. Which he did, but also using it to enjoy his young life a little.
Snapping himself out of distracting thoughts, he looked ahead to see the man who had made a lot of his most recent development-particularly as a ninja-possible. Sitting in a seiza position within a dark and modest room that was in no way shape or form flashy, sat his master and world renown/infamous ninja. The Shinobi of Darkness, Danzo Shimura.
Only a few meters away, Naruto wearing a fox mask and cloaked in the appropriate brown hooded robes that hid his actual equipment, he kneeled before the man who had been teaching him everything he knew shinobi so far.
"I was beginning to think you'd be late Naruto Uzumaki." The elder's voice was a frigid and candid as always.
"Pfft. Late my ass."
Deciding to not miss a beat and ruin his chances at what was likely a possible first mission, the blonde responded instantly. "Never Danzo-sama."
"See to it that it remains this way." His cold tone spreading over the steamy cup of tea he had over under his lip. Taking a sip, he placed the cup down gently and sifted through a portfolio with a file in it and a scroll that laid on his lap. A moment of silence was shared between the two. One reviewing the files in his hand, deciding on which one to give to his apprentice, and the other waiting for whatever his master needed him to do.
Without any warning whatsoever the half blind man calmly held a file and a scroll before his student, urging him to grab them. Doing so, Naruto quickly and politely retrieved them from his master's hand. Still kneeling, Naruto took a second to observe the, one was a paper folder with various files in it, the other was a basic scroll with the lettering that spelled Nature Transformation: Earth, Fire.
Snapping him out of his thoughts the older man's raspy and rugged voice began. "Save the scroll for your training. It's what's in that file that takes priority." Proceeding with his thoughts, Naruto put the scroll in his coat and opened up the folder. In the portfolio were the files on two distinct people.
It had the image and detailed information on an infamous drug lord taking refuge deep within Hot Water Country. About a couple kilometers southeast of the actual capital. Reading the file, he took note of some of the details that stood out from this not-so-stand-up citizen. He merely went by the name of Jiro, no surname or any personal information like; his age, date if birth, place of origin or the like. He was what was referred to as a boogeyman. His image wasn't clear as it was taken from behind in what appeared to be late at night. The only distinctive features about him were his white coat and a his brown tied back hair. Things that were commonalities with his usual appearance.
The man was marked in wanted lists and had several warrants out for his arrest in lots of countries, particularly the Land of Earth. "Huh, I wonder what he did to piss 'em off that bad?"
The following paragraph gave him his answers. As it turns out, the bastard had also engaged in several human trafficking rings and had sold many of his victims; ranging from all ages and sizes. From young boys and girls to the elderly. Most of which took place within the Land of Earth. The guy was pretty tight lipped as to who was his market but he had no doubt that it was people as equally wretched as him. He grit his teeth and crumpled the paper. This guy was evil, no doubt about it. He was capturing and subjugating people against there will and selling them to Sage knows what kind of creeps! Not to mention he probably used them to maneuver his drugs around the world.
"Don't let anger cloud your judgement. In fact, don't let any emotion cloud your judgement. As I've told you before, they only serve to hinder you and the mission."
The boy in question simply grunted. Angry but also cheerful that his suspicions were correct and that this would be his first mission. It was just that douche nozzles like this Jiro guy pissed him off because of not only what they were doing, but the fact that they were still allowed to roam free, despite the many calls for his head. Everyone was after him, so why has nobody caught him yet?
"As I'm sure you've noticed, you're mission will involve that man, Jiro. More specifically, his assassination." Danzo's voice didn't help to soften the blow as to what kind of mission Naruto would undertake. Only a couple months from being seven years old and the blonde was already on his first assassination.
The masked boy was grateful that he had a mask or else Danzo would've seen the the look of shock in his face. "A-assassinate?!"
Naruto Uzumaki knew that this would come. He wasn't ignorant or naive to the possibility of having to perform these kinds of missions. Danzo made sure he knew of this. Naruto was aware that sooner or later, his master would have him carry out a mission like this. It's just that nobody could've predicted he'd be assigned a mission like this at such an early stage in his career, that this would be his first goddamn mission! Sure, he'd always be grateful to the old goat for taking him in when no one else would and teaching him things that would never be taught in the academy. And also appreciative for the chance to actually partake in a mission in the first place.
To finally be a ninja.
It's just that he six year old blonde wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle this.
"H-how am I supposed to KILL this g-guy"
He was a ninja. The Shinobi of Darkness had made sure of that. But before he was a ninja, before he was a trained killer to suppress his emotions like a machine, he was a desperate scared little boy. And now...
He was just that.
AN: So... howdy! It's been a while I know. What, almost two weeks since I updated this and over a year since this was first released. I work slow, I know. Honestly this chapter was one that I could've posted a day or two ago it's just that my brain kept dividing itself into which story to focus in on. Meaning that yes, I have other stories, and that's what slows me down most.
So onto the story itself. Yes, we're in a flashback, particularly what Naruto's life was like a year to the point where he left Konoha. AND it seems like the hateable warhawk has gotten his hands on him, and has been molding him to be the talented man he eventually becomes. How will Naruto deal with his first mission? You'll see. I'm pretty excited myself to finally put some of these ideas on the site and I hope you guy's will dig em!
Also, I've got other concepts similar to this one, and my Naruto One-Shot "Mother". If you're interested in seeing stuff like that, lemme know.
Anywho...Thanks fur reading! ;)