A/N: I got some great reviews from you guys, thank you. Not all of them were good, but they were constructive and I appreciate that. For those of you that asked, the section with the flower is a direct scene from the anime about Kimimaro. That was his starting point. I will delve into his changes having grown with Jiraiya as a teacher. He will not be a pervert and will not be as outspoken as Jiraiya is.
Also, in case anybody is confused, the last portion of the prologue is the beginning of the actual story, just in case anybody wonders why I repeated a section here. I wanted to end on something that would give me momentum to continue this.
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Pulse- Prologue
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The Land of Fire
The
Road to Konoha
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Kimimaro's eyed widened at the site of Konoha's gates and the walls surrounding them and turned to his sensei. "Jiraiya-sensei, don't those walls seem a bit like overkill? Those must be 100 feet tall. With the trees so close, there must be dozens of places to hide within 50 feet of the wall, not to mention the shadow of the wall itself. Also, don't most C-class and under fire techniques have a maximum range of 30ft?"
Bursting into laughter, Jiraiya could only respond, "Looks can be deceiving brat. Those walls are constructed from specially mined and prepared stone. They can be climbed using the tree climbing technique, but it take 3 to 4 times the chakra to do so and no ladders will reach so high and still be secure. One ninja with a good supply of weapons and a Fireball technique can hold a stretch of wall against most intruders and it would take a very high class summon to break through. The main purpose though is to drive them towards the gates. It lets us defend the village against nearly all attacks with smaller numbers."
As they arrived at the gates, the two Chunin guards eye's widened at the sight of the famous Sannin. After signing him in, the guard couldn't hold himself in any longer. "Lord Jiraiya? I can't believe I get to meet the famous Toad Sage! Are you here for the festival?"
"What festival would that be?" Jiraiya asked.
"The Kyubi child left the village and is being hunted as we speak! The final act of the Fourth Hokage will finally be completed!" The Chunin answered.
With a growing sense of unease, Jiraiya could only ask. "What child?"
"Well not really a child, the child shape that the Kyubi took when it's power was sealed. Lord Hokage named him Naruto Uzumaki." The Chunin said.
Jiraiya's only reaction was a crushing amount of killing intent as he asked one last question. "Where is Sarutobi?" He asked in a cold voice as Kimimaro looked on in confusion.
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"So... what's yer name?" Asked the Chunin who was still conscious.
Staring down at the figure who had pissed Jiraiya off, Kimimaru said. "Is he going to be alright?"
"Oh Kenji? Yeah, he just pissed himself and passed out. He'll be fine. But seriously, what's your name?" The Chunin asked. "I have to record your entry into the village."
"Ah, I see. My name is Kimimaro, I am Jiraiya's apprentice."
"Apprentice?! To one of the legendary Sannin?! Thats incredible! My name is Kotetsu Hagan, it is truly a pleasure to meet you!" The newly identified Kotetsu took the bone user's hand and shook it in a firm grip.
"You mean he really is legendary? I always thought he made that up..." Kotetsu sweatdropped at hearing this, "Yeah, he is strong, but he is a huge pervert and usually gets injured peeping on the women in pretty much every village we visit..." Kimimaro replied. "Anyways, can I go in now? I am rather hungry and would like to get a bit to eat."
Kotetsu picked himself up off the ground and said, "There is a great ramen stand off the main road past the hospital called Ichiraku's. The food there is great and I know Teuchi could use the business since this whole Naruto thing happened."
Kimimaro paused. "Who is this Naruto? Whatever your friend there said made Jiraiya-sensei angry enough that I'm guessing I can't trust what he said."
"12 years ago, our village was attacked by the Kyubi, the Nine-tailed Fox Demon. Our beloved Fourth Hokage stopped the beast at the cost of his life by dealing the demon inside the body of an orphan child named Naruto. I always thought the kid got a bum rap with how badly most of the village treated him like a demon, but now I don't really know. He always seemed like a nice kid... I guess he had me fooled." Kotetsu said with a sad look on his face.
"A Jinchuriki huh... I have heard of them. From what you say, he is definiately not a demon, but if what you say is true, it sounds like this village may have turned him into one. Thanks for the advise, I will try that ramen stand. Good day."
Kimimaro was is deep thought on his way down the street. 'I wonder how I would act if I were treated the way this kid was. Hell, I was treated that way for the first part of my life until Jiraiya found me. I wonder what happened... maybe I can find out more...' Looking up, he saw a sign that read Ichiraku Ramen over an empty bar.
Bowing to the old man behind the counter, Kimimaro took a seat. "Hello sir, the gatekeper tells me you have the best ramen in the village." He said, exagerating slightly, "May I have a pork ramen?"
Smiling slightly at Kimimaro, the old man nodded. "Of course young man, welcome to Ichiraku's. You can call me Teuchi, I'll have your order up in a moment. What brings you to the village? I don't see a Hitai-Ite so you aren't a Lead Ninja. Are you visiting?"
Kimimaro nodded at the question. "Yes, I am just visiting. I am a ninja, just not of Konoha yet. Whether or not I enlist will be up to my sensei." Pausing slightly, he continued. "If I may Teuchi-san, can you tell me about this Naruto Uzumaki that I am hearing about? So far the two stories I received from the guards are rather conflicting. One called him a demon in human flesh and the other called him a misunderstood boy. May I ask your point of view?"
Teuchi paused for several minutes, his hands doing the work they had done for decades as he absentmindedly mixed the noodles with the broth, prepared the meat and vegetables before placing the near overflowing bowl in front of the white-haired boy and bowed his head for a few moments. "Naruto was a young boy cursed from birth. I don't know why he was chosen for such a burden, but I knew him for most of his life and that boy was no demon. He always put on the happiest face every day because he knew that if he retaliated against the verbal or physical abuse the villagers subjected him to, it would only confirm their beliefs. He ate here almost every single day from the age of 5 when he was kicked out of his orphanage and I would like to think that he did so for reasons beyond the face that most places wouldn't serve him. I don't know what happened or where he went, but I hope he is happy wherever he is." Teuchi finished with a sigh.
Kimimaro was silent as he finished his meal, obviously deep in thought. After placing his money on the counter, he stood up and bowed to Teuchi. "Thank you for the meal and the story. I must say, with a couple of exceptions. it is becoming rather obvious why Jiraiya-sensei stayed away for so long. I must be on my way now. Once again, thank you." He said quietly and walked off, continuing down the road.
Looking around at the still decorated restaurants and roadway, Kimimaro could only sigh as he headed towards the Hokage tower. In his increasingly biased opinion, the four giant faces carved into the mountainside only served to highlight the arrogance of this village. Seeing a lack of giant toads and crumbled buildings, he could only guess that Jiraiya's meeting with the Hokage was more cordial that had been indicated. His growing discomfort with the village made him walk faster towards the heart of the city. Off to the side, he saw what he guessed was the ninja academy, the students were running out, heading home for the evening. He continued past towards the tower.
"May I help you?" A woman with an excessively bright smile behind the desk asked.
"I am looking for my sensei, Jiraiya. I believe he was on his way here when we separated."
The woman's eyes widened. "A student of Jiraiya-sama! Would your name be Kimimaro Kaguya by chance?"
"It is, have instructions been left for me?" Kimimaro responded.
"Yes, Hokage-sama has asked to see you immediately. Please go to the top floor and let the guards on duty know that you have arrived." She said, pointing to the stairway.
Following her instructions, Kimimaro approached the nearest ANBU on guard. "Kimimaro Kaguya, reporting as requested."
The ANBU nodded and opened the door. "Kimimaro Kaguya is here Hokaga-sama."
A voice from inside the office called out. "You may send him in."
Walking into the office, Kimimaro set his pack near the door and looked at the man in front of him, comparing him with the face carved into the mountainside.
"Yes, I have aged haven't I? That was carved when Jiraiya was young. Perhaps I should introduce myself, I am the Third Hokage young Kaguya, welcome to Konohagakure. I expect you have questions for me. I'd off you something to eat, but after Teuchi's ramen, you probably aren't hungry." Sarutobi said, watching the young man's eyes grow wider, while thinking 'I love doing that to people. Gotta love the crystal ball!'
Realizing what was going on, Kimimaro started. "I was being watched, very effective I would imagine. May I ask where my sensei is?"
The Hokage chuckled a moment before responding. "Jiraiya is chasing after his ex-teammate and young Naruto at the moment. I don't expect him back for at least couple of weeks."
Kimimaro re-shouldered his pack. "Which way did he go?"
"I'm afraid he asked me to not tell you. Jiraiya has requested that I have you work with one of our Genin teams to get you used to working in a team environment."
"With all due respect Hokage-sama, I have not seen or heard anything that would recommend this village to me. If you would direct me to Jiraiya, I will be on my way."
"That is not an option I am afraid. You are welcome to get a room at a hotel, but not being a registered ninja of Konoha, you will not be allowed to make use of the training fields or purchase ninja supplies without my authorization." Sarutobi said, folding his hands across his desk, waiting for the protest to come.
Kimimaro however, didn't take the bait, only calmly responded. "Understood, it would appear I have no choice then. Who will I be training with?"
"You will be training under Team 7, with Kakashi Hatake as your sensei. From what Jiraiya did tell me of you, I expect that you may be requested to help train the other two Genin, though that is your prerogative. When you meet your teammates, my meaning will become clearer. If you would allow me to fulfill some bureaucratic requirements. Please perform a Clone, Replacement and Transformation technique for me."
"As you you wish." Kimimaro replied, performing each technique quickly and flawlessly.
"Very impressive. Here is your Hitai-ite confirming you as a ninja of this village. You should be able to find Team 7 at training ground 7. It is in the northern part of the village along the river. Did you have any other questions before you go?"
"Yes sir, I would like to know about Naruto Uzumaki, as I imagine you are well aware."
"What would you like to know?"
Kimimaro took a deep breath trying to keep his temper in check. "Sir, may I speak freely?" At the Hokage's nod, he continued. "You have either had somebody following me and reporting on my conversations or you have been watching me yourself by means of a technique. I believe it to be the latter as my senses are very acute. You are quite aware of what I have been told about this boy and because of these stories coupled with the response my sensei had at the mere mention of his name, I would like to know who this boy is and what his relation is to my sensei."
Smiling at the poise Kimimaro continued to show, Hiruzen decided to stop playing games. "Naruto Uzumaki is the living jailer of the Fox Demon Kyubi. He was despised by most in the village as a symbol of their pain, of those that died in the Demon's attack. He was cheated at the few stores he wasn't kicked out of. The only food he could obtain that wasn't rotten or expired was ramen, thus his visits to Ichiraku. I kept anybody from killing him with an ANBU team monitoring him at all times, but I couldn't punish civilians for inflicting non-lethal damage to the boy without approval from the council, which I did not have. Around a week ago, he broke into this building because he believed that it counted as a second Genin test, which he had failed earlier. This turned out to be a lie told to him by one of his teachers. When confronted in the forest, his life was saved by a difference teach that saw him as a person, not a demon. Due to some unfortunate wordplay, Naruto believed that even this teacher hated to him so he ran. At this point, Orochimaru, a nukenin from Konoha and my former student, killed both teachers. By the time I arrived with two of my ANBU, Orochimaru had wormed his way into the boy's heart, killed my guards and got away with the child."
"..." Kimimaro was overwhelmed.
"The team I have put you on is the team Naruto was to be on. There is only one reason I am telling you all of this. You have Jiraiya's trust, so you have mine as well, at least a little. As you may guess, there are more details to the story, but that should be more than enough for you to get the picture. If what Jiraiya tells me about your skills are true, please restrict yourself to your first dance while in this team unless it become neccessary to do otherwise. Remember, these genin have no had the chance to train under one of the Sannin for 5 years. Now, I hate to rush you, but I am very busy. If you have any more questions, you can ask me later."
Collecting himself, Kimimaro stood and bowed. "Yes Hokage-sama, thank you. I will think on what you have said while I wait for Jiraiya to return." Kimimaro bowed and left the office.
"Remember, you are looking for Kakashi Hatake, he is silver haired with one visible eye." Sarutobi called out.
Kimimaro stopped outside the tower and thought for a moment. 'If I am to appear weaker than I am, I should avoid using Shikotsumyaku. I should probably stock up on weapons now and come off as eccentric with my weapons, rather than reveal my blood limit.' With this worked out, he created a dozen bone knives and 2 short swords. Placing these in his pack and belt, Kimimaro heading down the road, to search for his new team. 'Jiraiya-sensei... you owe me.'
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Two young ninja could be seen on a small bridge. From his vantage point, Kakashi Hatake, the legendary Copy-Nin could only shake his head at the antics of his young charges. One of the genin, a young girl by the name of Sakura Haruno was very slowly chasing he teammate around the bridge. Everytime Sakura came within three feet of her teammate, he would move to the other side of the bridge, as far away from he as possible. The young man, one Sasuke Uchiha, continued this pattern for several minutes before snapping.
"Damnit Sakura, will you back off?! Can't you get a hint?" Sasuke said in an exasperated tone. "You are so..."
Deciding that now would be a good time to make his entrance, Kakashi body-flickered and appeared in front of his team in a burst of smoke. "Yo." Kakashi said with a wave, interrupting Sasuke before he was too cruel.
"YOUR LATE!" Sakura predictably screeched, pointing at her tardy sensei.
"Sorry about that, I nearly crossed paths with a black car and as we all know, that is bad luck. I had to track where that cat had been so I could plan a route here. It took longer than I originally thought." Kakashi said with a straight face.
Coming up next was the just as predictable response. "LIAR!"
Sasuke's only contribution to the conversation was a quiet and arrogant (and just as predictable) "Hnn."
"Now now, don't be that way. We are finally getting a third member to the team. He should be here soon... in fact, from the Hokage's description, I think that may be him!" Kakashi said, pointing down the street at a young man with a light gray gi and long white hair. "Kimimaro Kaguya?" He asked as the boy drew closer.
"Yes I am, would you be Kakashi Hatake?" The teen replied.
Nodding, Kakashi motioned to the rest of the team. "Let's head to the training ground and get to know each other."
Sasuke grunted and walked away.
Sakura squealed and chased after Sasuke
Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.
Kimimaro followed Kakashi.
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The four ninja were arranged in a circle of sorts.
Kakashi started. "Let's do this properly this time, I'll start. Alright... Let's see, My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes ummm, maybe some other time. My dreams are none of your business. I have lots of hobbies. Okay, your turn Sakura."
Sakura rolled her eyes and began her own introduction. "My name is Haruno Sakura! My likes are..." she looks over at Sasuke and giggles. "My dislikes are Ino-pig!... and that demon Naruto! And my dream..." she looks over at Sasuke again and squeals, ignoring Kimimaro's scowl.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha. I have no likes and many dislikes. My hobbies are training and learning new jutsu. I have no dream, rather an ambition. To restore my clan and to kill a certain man." Sasuke said before returning to brooding.
"My name is Kimimaro Kaguya. I enjoy practicing my Kenjutsu. I dislike ninja that refuse to improve themselves. My dream is to grow to be on par with the strength of the Sannin."
'Interesting...' Kakashi thought before speaking. "Very interesting, let us start by sparring. Sakura, you and Kimimaro first."
Sakura blanched and meekly nodded. As the two faced each other across the training ground, she swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat and took out a kunai.
Kimimaro snorted and glanced at Kakashi. "Really? Are you sure?" Ignoring the indignant look now on the kunoichi's face.
"Yes, I need to see your skills and how your style of fighting meshes with the teams."
Ignoring Sakura, who was running at him to attack, Kimimaro sighed. "Alright then, but wouldn't it be better for her to be conscious to watch the next two fights?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Plus we need to see if your arrogance is justified."
Kimimaro did not reply, he ignored the two clones and side-stepped her clumsy lunge and struck Sakura in the back of the neck, dropping her like a fly. "She should wake up soon. Shall we continue?" He said, turning towards Sasuke.
"Let's see how you do against a real ninja." The brooding avenger proclaimed, pulling out a kunai with one hand and a trio of shuriken with the other.
At Kakashi's signal, Sasuke ran forward, throwing the shuriken in an opening strike. Kimimaro jumped up, avoiding the attack and launched a bone knife at his opponent.
Stopping before he could be hit, Sasuke flashed through a series of hand signs and shouted "Fire Style: Great Fireball!" launching a decent sized boulder of fire at the airborne and prone Kimimaro. He smirked as a charred mass fell to the ground before freezing with wide eyes. Now there are two reasons for this drastic change in expression. The first would be that the charred object in front of him was a log. The second would be the white-haired teammate behind him with a knife to his throat.
"I believe this is over." Kimimaro stated, pushing Sasuke forward.
Sasuke snarled and turned around, pulling out two kunai with rage in his eyes.
"Enough!" Kakashi shouted. "The match is over, you lost Sasuke."
Looking around at his team. The calm and collected Kimimaro. Sakura, now regaining consiousness. The brooding Sasuke. 'This may have been a mistake... I obviously need to spend more time training Sasuke... who is this kid?'
"Alright everybody, we will begin missions tomorrow. Sasuke, don't worry, you will do better next time. All of you have a good night sleep and meet me here at 8:00 am sharp." Ignoring Sakura's incredulous look, he waved and vanished in the puff of smoke.
Sasuke walked off in a huff and Sakura chased after him. Kimimaro only sighed, pulled out his two blades and practiced his forms.
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A/N: I'm not quite sure if I like how this went. I'm trying to give the impression of a teenager being forced to play with small children. He is frustrated with having to downplay his own abilities and that he still seems to be so far ahead. Kimimaro is at a much higher level than Sakura and Sasuke, almost on par with Kakashi. He is on a genin team because Sarutobi wouldn't put him at a higher level without seeing how he works with others first. I have some good plans for the wave arc, with some minor interludes to Jiraiya and to Kimimaro's past. Let me know what you think.