Pre-word: Welcome back.

I don't have much to say this time, as I think this chapter is going to mostly speak for itself. So I'll let you get to it. Enjoy!


Heart Under Shadow

Life and Death


The day of the graduation exam was here.

A day that Naruto had been preparing for over the past month. It wasn't just Kaguya that he had to rely on anymore. Certainly she continued to teach him late at night, just the two of them alone in the forests of Konohagakure no Sato. She praised his progress, often remarking he seemed to be a natural at using the power within his hands. The Rinnegan also wasn't the only tool he had in his arsenal anymore. Kaguya also taught him an ancient and forgotten martial arts style, one that she said would be considered the predecessor to the Hyuga's Jyuken style. In addition to that, he had been learning to fight with the blade she had stolen for him. A blade which Hatake Kakashi showed interest in. He wouldn't tell them why, but he seemed to have some knowledge about the white slash emitted from the blade when Naruto swung it. So in addition to teaching him how to make shadow clones, he instructed him in how to best make use of his sword.

Naruto wasn't only getting stronger, but smarter over the past month too. Studying with Sakura after classes had become an unspoken tradition between the two, Naruto for the first time finding joy in being able to learn about history and even math. Because for the first time he had someone to actually show interest in speaking with him about such things. Even during their weekly written exams, Naruto was slowly beginning to be able to answer the questions even without Kaguya's help. Of course, he was far from caught up to the rest of the class in that area, but compared to before, it was a remarkable improvement.

All of it had been building to this day.

The written tests were over, the practical field exam was complete, and now the only thing left was the Jutsu application portion of the exams. Everything that came before it was pointless in the face of this exam. If you passed this, it didn't really matter how you did on everything else. You could become a Genin. In that same respect, if you failed; that was it. You would never graduate.

"Haruno Sakura; step forward!" Mizuki called. All of the students were lined up in the front of the classroom. Mizuki sat behind his desk, clipboard in hand. Placed on the desk in front of him was a spread of hitai-ate identical to the one on his head.

"Good luck." Naruto whispered to Sakura as she stepped forward to perform the Jutsu that would determine her future career.

"Save some for yourself." Sakura shot back, softly enough for only him to hear. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Him and one other person that happened to have been right next to them.

"When the heck did you two start getting along?" Shikamaru asked, genuinely curious for once. It wasn't a surprise that he hadn't been aware of the change between the two. Outside of the library and everything was business as usual. Which meant they never talked to one another, acting as they always did. Until that little exchange, at least.

"Wanna make a trade for information again?" Naruto joked, smirking sideways at Shikamaru.

"Heh, no thanks." Shikamaru shook his head, but couldn't fight down the slightly rising smile. He didn't know what had happened with Naruto over the past month, but he hadn't just gotten stronger and smarter… but more confident too. As he was now, Shikamaru couldn't say he disliked him. He might even say they could be friends. If it wasn't for the fact that making friends was a pain.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Sakura unleashed her technique, cutting off any further conversation between the two. Three clones popped into existence around her, each and every one of them a perfect replica indistinguishable from the original. The highest number of perfect clones anyone had performed until now.

"Well done, Haruno." Mizuki nodded and gestured to the Hitai-ate on the desk. "You pass. Go ahead and take your official mark as a Genin of Konohagakure no Sato." She stepped forward and grabbed the nearest one, holding it in her hand as she took her spot in line next to Naruto.

"Next up is Uchiha Sasuke!" Mizuki continued down the list. As Sasuke began to walk forward he sent a quick glare in Naruto's direction. One which Naruto all too readily returned. Despite having been hoping for it, Naruto never did get to have his match against Sasuke. So now the time to settle the score for who was best was going to come down to this: which one of them could produce the most clones.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Sasuke unleashed the same technique, producing six perfect replicas of himself. That was double the number of Sakura just before him, who had been the highest score in the class before now. Excited whispers broke out from a majority of the students, awe and shock sweeping through most of them.

"As expected of the Uchiha heir." Mizuki nodded for Sasuke to come forward and take his hitai-ate. It went without saying, but he had of course passed. Everyone knew there was no chance that Sasuke could possibly fail. The same, however, could not be said for the next one to have their name called to come forward.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Mizuki glanced nervously at Naruto as he began to walk towards the center. The hushed whispers from earlier continued. If you had asked them all a month ago, everyone would have thought for sure the dead-last would fail. That had slowly begun to change as Naruto's fortune suddenly seemed to turn around. He was no longer the dead-last that failed every test and lost every match. He was something else now.

What exactly that was, no one could be sure. The bullying had stopped, but that didn't mean everyone suddenly started treating Naruto with respect. It was more of a cautious anxiety, like he was some dangerous animal that had escaped its cage at the zoo. Rumors had started spreading after three in the class had ended up in the hospital and had to be withdrawn from the academy. There was no proof, but everyone suspected it had been Naruto.

The true test of Naruto was now. Despite how much he had changed recently, everyone knew that cloning was the thing he had the most difficulty with before now. If he had managed to overcome even that hurdle, then the old Naruto they thought they knew was truly gone. A thought that terrified most of them, whether they would admit it or not.

Naruto didn't care about any of that anymore. The academy was just a stepping stone for him now. Before, it had been his chance to make friends and become stronger. Neither of those things had happened during his time here. It was only after Kaguya showed up that things had started to change. Now he knew the truth about his treatment and the cause of his suffering. That was why he would pass and then he would join Kakashi in order to get his revenge.

If he had any regrets it would be that he didn't get to go head to head against Sasuke, but that too was fine. Because he was about to upstage him right now.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto formed a hand seal different than everyone else had. There was a surge of chakra greater than everything before and next to Naruto there were six loud pops. From within the bursts of smoke, six clones of Naruto appeared. They all stepped forward, the sound of their feet stepping on the ground making an audible noise.

"Impossible…" Mizuki's clipboard clattered to the floor. All the murmuring from before was gone. Before them, Naruto hadn't just created the same number of clones as Sasuke had, he performed a much more complicated version of those clones. Ones that were real, physical beings. Clones capable of more than just a distraction, but use in actual combat.

Naruto didn't wait for Mizuki to tell him he had passed or failed. He simply walked up to the desk as his clones popped out of existence and grabbed one of the hitai-ate for himself, wrapping it around his forehead. When Mizuki didn't even attempt to stop him, Naruto smirked at his Chunin-sensei. He then walked back, taking his place in line between Shikamaru and Sakura.

"I would say I'm surprised, but nothing really can shock me at this point…" Shikamaru grumbled, rubbing the back of his head and letting out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Guess you didn't need that luck after all." Sakura smirked sideways at Naruto who returned the expression. "Congratulations." She added as an afterthought.

"Heh, you too." Naruto nodded at her before also glancing over to Shikamaru. "Both of you. I know it wasn't much… but I think of you guys as the closest thing to having friends that I got." In the end and he couldn't throw away that part of him that wanted bonds completely. Even now he still secretly hoped for them, even if he would try and deny that part of himself.

"Oi, oi. Don't get sappy on us at the end." Shikamaru adjusted his gaze, unable to look Naruto head-on after his embarrassing confession. "Just so you know… of everyone in class, you were the least of a pain in my ass."

Naruto grinned, letting out a loud chuckle. "That so?" He asked.

"Both of you are still idiots." Sakura shook her head, but smiled all the same. "But sitting next to you guys did make class somehow more bearable so… thanks for everything up until now."

Mizuki cleared his throat, ending any further conversation among the three of them and everyone else in the class. He had collected his dropped clipboard and stood up straight in front of them all now. "Congratulations to everyone for passing the exam. From this day forward, you are all Ninja of Konohagakure no Sato. The next time we meet will be in this room a week from now. At that time, you will receive your team assignments and meet your Jonin-sensei. Until then, dismissed!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Everyone replied. A moment later and all the tension dissipated as the students began conversing casually amongst themselves, making their way to the door as they did. Shikamaru and Sakura also began to make their way for the door, but Naruto held back. Neither one of them seemed to notice, as they were no doubt eager to go outside and meet their parents.

Almost everyone had somebody to celebrate with and show off their success to. Everyone except Naruto and one other. As even Mizuki left the room, those two were left alone. While Naruto assumed at first it was just because they were the only two orphans, it seemed to be Sasuke had intentions other than that.

"Start talking, loser." Sasuke said, leaning against the door and glaring at him. "Where did you get that power from?"

"Figure it out for yourself, jackass." Naruto shot back, starting to stalk forward. Before he could get past the door, Sasuke moved, standing in his way.

"I'll beat it out of you, if that's what it takes." The Uchiha survivor sneered down at Naruto, the hate rolling off of him strong enough to emit its own odor. "Nothing stands in the way of me and my revenge… and if there is something out there able to give you power as fast as you've obtained it, then I need it."

"It's called hard work. Something you wouldn't know about." Naruto reached forward to shove him aside when Sasuke grabbed him by the wrist. He squeezed as if intending to break it, exerting enough pressure that caused even Naruto to flinch.

"I won't ask again." Sasuke was deathly serious, Naruto realized. Which was fine by him. He may have just showed him up with his clones, but he had been looking for an opportunity to kick his ass too. Now it had finally presented itself to him.

"You're gonna have to beat it out of me." Naruto leaned forward, knocking his forehead against Sasuke's. Not terribly hard, but within force to shock the Uchiha and get him to loosen his grip on Naruto's wrist. For a split second, it looked like Sasuke was about to retaliate on the spot, clenching both hands into fists and beginning to wind up.

He caught himself at the last possible second, releasing his pent up breath in a long sigh before nodding behind him. "Not here. Let's go somewhere the teachers won't stop us." Sasuke said. He didn't wait for an answer before turning around and stalking out of the classroom, heading the opposite way everyone else had gone.

"Perfect." Naruto followed after him and the two soon snuck out the back of the Academy, making their way into the forests located behind it. As far as Naruto could tell, no one was coming after them.

"Aruji-sama." Kaguya whispered to him from within the shadow. "This is an excellent opportunity for us to eliminate Indra's reincarnation. This man will one day be trouble for us in the future. It is imperative we make good use of this fortune." Kaguya had been waiting for a chance just like this. Ever since she had discovered the identity of Indra's newest host. So long as he was killed now, and Naruto himself didn't perish, the next cycle wouldn't begin and there would be nothing left with the strength to seal her yet again.

"No." Naruto whispered back, harshly enough to shock her. "I'm gonna kick his ass first and make sure he knows once and for all that I'm better than him. Until that happens, don't interfere." There it was, the curse of the two brother's baring its fangs. Naruto didn't even realize that he was being manipulated by Asura's ghost, who still sought to continue his fight against Indra.

All the same, Kaguya would allow it for the moment. She just had to be patient a little longer. So long as she allowed Naruto to stifle his inferiority complex, she would be able to make her move without any problem. Just until the end of their fight. That was how long she would wait.

"Talking to yourself again, failure?" Sasuke called over the back of his shoulder. He must have noticed Naruto frequently grumbling to himself over the past month, having no idea he was actually speaking to someone within his shadow. Still, it was to their benefit for now that he hadn't realized the truth.

"Just psyching myself up to finally kick your ass!" Naruto retorted, punching a fist into his open palm. He had gotten good at coming up with convenient reasons for why he always talked to himself. Something he wouldn't have to do if he would just learn a more discreet way to communicate with her.

"Hmph, only in your dreams, you loser." Sasuke finally stopped walking, having already led them far enough away from the academy that there shouldn't be anyone to bother them, or accidentally stumble upon their little match. "Now come, I will beat those secrets out of you." He held up his hand, forming the Seal of Confrontation.

"The only loser here is about to be you." Naruto returned the gesture. The moment he did was when Sasuke attacked, closing the distance between them before Naruto even had a chance to lower his seal.

A month ago and Naruto would have been too slow to react to such an underhanded and aggressive assault without Kaguya's assistance by way of controlling his shadow. The Naruto of today was much different than what he had been back then, and such an attack now was all too easy for him to counter.

Sasuke's fist flew at him in a wild haymaker. Naruto simply raised his hand, slapping Sasuke's arm away and deflecting the punch to the side. In the same movement he jabbed at Sasuke with an open palm. Sasuke blocked with his forearm. He then swung his free arm in from the side. Naruto leaned back, dodging the chop by a hair's breadth. Sasuke knocked Naruto's fist back, unleashing a barrage of punches.

Naruto didn't back down from such an assault, catching each fist that flew at him like gunfire, not letting a single one past his guard. As if realizing his attack wasn't working, Sasuke pulled back, spinning around and swinging at Naruto in a low kick. Naruto again simply deflected, sticking his knee out and catching the kick with a soft bunt.

The sudden shift threw Sasuke off balance. Not for long, just a split second. It was enough, however. Naruto pressed in, jabbing Sasuke in the shoulder with an open palm. Sasuke made a grunt, left eye flinching shut from the impact. That was the deciding moment. Unable to see Naruto's wild haymaker coming from this sudden blindspot, Sasuke was also unable to defend against it.

"Guh!" He let out a loud grunt, eating the full weight of Naruto's fist. The Uchiha flew to the ground, collapsing to a heap as Naruto bested him in one-on-one hand to hand combat. Just like that and the match was decided. At least, had this been an academy sanctioned fight. Mizuki would have called such a blow the conclusion.

That was where Naruto made his mistake, assuming that Sasuke would accept this as the end. He bent down towards his defeated opponent, offering him the Seal of Reconciliation. It was at that moment that Sasuke's hand came forward, grabbing Naruto by the wrist and pulling him down.

Naruto didn't even have a chance to realize what was happening. One moment the fight was over and he was giving his opponent a hand up. The next and he was face down on the ground. Sasuke holding his right arm with both hands, his knee placed on Naruto's back with enough force to keep him pinned.

"Now," Sasuke grinned, blood oozing out from his busted lip. "You're going to talk… or I'm going to break your arm." He twisted, not enough to break it just yet, but enough that Naruto knew with just a little bit more pressure it would snap. It would be that easy and this wasn't no bluff. Sasuke really intended to go that far… all in order to find out where his power came from.

Naruto couldn't help it; He laughed. "You really want my power that badly, Sasuke…" He didn't even have to turn his head to see the boy that had him pinned down. The Rinnegan eye on his left hand opened up, pushing aside the fabric of the glove to look back at the Uchiha for him. "Then you can just fucking have it!"

He unleashed the Shinra Tensei. Sasuke was suddenly lifted off his feet, sent flying backwards with enough force that the world around him became nothing more than a blur. It all came to a violent and abrupt stop not moments later, as his back smashed against the trunk of the nearest tree. The wind was knocked from his lungs and he sunk to the ground in a lifeless heap.

It was at that moment that Kaguya finally saw her chance. Before Naruto could say or do anything, she rose out from his shadow, hand already formed into a finger gun pointed at the downed Uchiha.

"Kaguya-chan!" Naruto called too late. She fired the shot, the bullet hitting Sasuke in the chest only a moment later. As he was, dazed from having his head collide with the trunk of the tree, he didn't even have time to realize what happened before he crumbled into ash, becoming nothing more than a gray pile on the forest floor.

Just like that he was gone. The last surviving Uchiha of the village, top student of their class, and Naruto's secret rival for all this time; A pile of ash.

"It had to be done…" Kaguya said simply, not regretting the action for a second. "As does this." While she spoke, Naruto's shadow began to move, bending to Kaguya's will as it became thinner, stretching itself to the limits to slip behind the edge of a nearby tree.

"Eep!" A sudden cry called out from beyond Naruto's sight. He had thought nobody had been following them, but that was wrong. Kaguya had to have known there was someone there from the beginning because of the power of her Byakugan, but she kept quiet this whole time. She had intentionally allowed him to think they were alone, but in reality that wasn't the case at all.

As Kaguya took a couple steps to the side, the intruder upon their battle was revealed, being forced into mimicking Kaguya's movements.

"...Hinata?" Naruto whispered, just as surprised as the girl now caught in his shadow seemed to be. This was the second time she had been caught spying on him as he battled. For what reason, he still didn't understand. However, unlike before, this time she had seen too much. As such, she couldn't be allowed to leave. "Wait!" For the second time he was too slow. Kaguya had already fired the second bullet, this one digging into the Hyuga girl bound by their shadow.

No, no, no! Naruto's brain rushed, trying to come up with some solution. Something that could save her. It was impossible, he knew that. There was no surviving one of those little ashen bullets. If you were hit by it- you would die. That was a determined fact.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata attempted to call out to him, reaching her hand forward. That was the last thing she ever did, that outstretched hand turning to ash and crumbling to the floor just seconds before the rest of her followed after. The tears threatening to fall from her eyes were the last thing of Hyuga Hinata that Naruto ever saw. After that, she was simply a pile of gray ash on the forest floor, the same as Sasuke now was.

He collapsed to his knees, staring at the spot where Hinata had just been moments before. "...Why?" He asked, voice hoarse. "She wasn't going to tell anyone." It was Hinata that had witnessed him before when fighting those boys from class. With her word, he could have just as easily been the one kicked out of the academy. Yet she had kept her promise and told no one it had been him. She had protected him then… Why was it any different now?

"Thou are too naïve, our Aruji-sama. This and that are two different matters. Even if she wouldn't have betrayed thou willingly, leaving her alive would only be a liability." Kaguya answered, her voice taking no pleasure in what she had just done. Aside from Uchiha Sasuke, who had to be eliminated for her own safety, taking care of Hyuga Hinata had been for the sake of her master. Even if he couldn't understand that. Kaguya walked towards Naruto, taking his chin in her hands and turning him to face her. "Thou need trust no one but us. Do thou understand?" She asked of him. Naruto was silent, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks as he tried and failed to comprehend even basic speech.

What she was saying should have been a simple truth. Easy for anyone to comprehend. Yet for some reason, he wasn't able to. Sasuke had been his rival, someone for him to defeat one day in the future. Not like this, struck down before their true match could ever be determined. However, that was something Naruto could forgive. Kaguya had her reasons for wanting Sasuke gone, even if they were beyond his comprehension.

Hinata, however, was a different matter. She had only ever wanted to help him. He understood that now, only after it was too late. What he had mistaken for fear this whole time was something else. What it was he still didn't understand, but that was only because she was the first one to ever look at him that way. He knew though, that Kaguya had just taken his soul-mate away from him.

"We are the only one thou need now." Kaguya repeated her earlier words, stronger this time. It was then that Naruto understood what she was saying.

That was right.

He didn't need rivals, lovers, teachers, parents, or anyone else. For him, in Konogagakure no Sato, there was only Kaguya now. She was the one that would protect him, the one that would tell him the truth and make sure he was taken care of.

Everyone else had their chance before now, but they were all too late.

For Uzumaki Naruto, there was only Kaguya now.


Chapter End


Post-word: Alright, so that happened.

I actually feel pretty bad about it, but I've finally decided to take this story on the darker road that was teased in the prologue. Now that I've made that choice, you could call this the beginning of a dark couple chapters. I'd say from here we're going to be ramping up to what's the conclusion of part one. So for those that are gonna stick with me, I'll see you next time!