Hey folks. I'm back with a brand new chapter. Sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you for the reviews, and without further ado, the next chapter of my story.
A few hours after the learning of the summoning technique, Naruto stands battered and exhausted next to a perfect clone of himself. A wind passes through the forest, and the young boy speaks a silent thank you. He had exhausted all of his chakra attempting this single skill. He guessed that with a full chakra capacity that he could possibly produce at least a set of 30 without feeling the exhaustion set in. He fell back on his rear and started breathing heavily. He sent the clone to keep a look out for Mizuki, until he gained a mischievous idea. He'd surprise his teacher by showing off this skill first and then the summoning jutsu, if the Shadow Clone wasn't the right skill.
After a half hour more, Naruto felt his clone puff out of existence, and somehow got the distinct memory of a kunai piercing his skull along with a few other jumbled memories. Naruto began to grow more in panic as he began gathering the thoughts produced to him. He immediately grabbed both scrolls and ran. Mizuki had just thrown the kunai at him if the memories were correct. Although tired he knew that he should at least hide himself better. It wasn't until a moment later he ran into something and looked up to see Iruka, angered beyond anything he knew. He looked up in fear of dying and noticed Iruka reach down to grab him. As he reached down for Naruto, Naruto just gathered all of what remained of his courage, and formed a single hand seal. The seal finished, Naruto just puffed into existence behind Naruto and tripped Iruka, who wasn't expecting Naruto's clone to be real. The element of surprise upon the boy dawning, he bolted quickly. Trying desperately to manage his escape, he looked for any means of escape available to him. He then a kunai slice through his leg as he fell slowly to the ground, knowing that he no longer had any place to run. He looked back to see Mizuki walking toward him a glint of madness in his eyes.
"Demon," the man spat with a sneer of sadistic satisfaction, " you didn't honestly think you could escape me did you? I will admit that you did happen to surprise me by learning that 'Shadow Clone' technique, but what was I to expect from demon spawn such as yourself?" he asks walking up to the boy holding a kunai in his hand and reaches down and picks the boy up by his collar. "But I'll let you know, Kyuubi, that your second life ends here tonight." With a sadistic gleam in his eye, he begins to plunge the kunai into Naruto's chest. As the kunai enters, Naruto feels unconsciousness pull him down into the depths of darkness.
Naruto awakes to a dank sewer cell where he has seen once before. He reaches up to feel his chest, but there is no wound, he looks around frantically to see the huge prison cell with the 'Seal' tag attached to it. He peers carefully into the cell and once again sees the girl with flowing hair that seemed tinted a greenish red. The hair ran all the way to the small of her back, the tip seeming to sway with a melodic wind that Naruto couldn't be sure if it existed. Her figure was that of the women in the village always seemed to want. She seemed a little out of place, but she seemed to make herself fit where she stood in a regal sort of way. Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in, and that seemed to gain the attention of the girl in the cage.
"I see that you're back," the girl states, whirling around quickly, revealing a pair of lovely violet orbs. As she levels her gaze with the boy, she looks at Naruto with a sense of pity and disdain. "I am going to help this one time, boy. Do not expect me to assist you any further until you can make me believe you are worthy of me." With that she waves her hand and a reddish liquid flows from the cage, creeping and spilling toward Naruto faster than he can react. "Now be gone from my sight mortal. I need not your company," she says in a chilled tone as she walks further into the cage, the enveloping darkness engulfing her swiftly.
"Wait!" Naruto says, before he feels his body convulse, but not in pain but ecstasy. His body felt light, his senses heightened, his mind clearer, and his physical self empowered. With it a strange taste for something, but he couldn't understand what. Then it passed, somehow leaving him almost unfulfilled and tainted, as if covered in a thin layer of filth that seemed to crawl around his body. Then pain seemed to wrack his body, all emanating from his chest. The pain made Naruto aware of his surroundings, and he suddenly realized he was still in the forest with Mizuki. Then he realized that the kunai, which had been jabbed into his chest, stood broken off at the tip in Mizuki's hands.
"Demon child," Mizuki whispered in shock.
It took him a moment, but he regained his senses enough to grab another kunai and attempt a repeat performance. To no avail though, as he soon found the Naruto he struck to be nothing but a mere shadow clone. Mizuki then began searching for any signs as to the location of the boy, finding the boy was much better at stealth than he had anticipated. He knew that if this drew on any longer, that Iruka or even worse, ANBU would arrive and steal his chance to make a getaway. He knew now that the only way to draw the boy out was to get him emotionally roused.
"So the demon spawn knows some tricks. Impressive little display, but you'll never impress the villagers enough to make them accept you. You'll never become a Hokage if they have anything to say about it, Kyuubi. They've seen through your innocent child act, and now they'll come to get you. You're slated to die soon you freak of nature, and there's no trick you've got that can stop it," Mizuki says, finishing with a cold, cruel laugh. He tried to sense anything out of balance, and then seconds after felt a rise in chakra, but just enough for what one would use for a single Shadow Clone.
He smirked and threw a kunai in that direction, smirking. He knew the boy would think he missed, but he'd replace himself right behind the boy and finish this in a single stroke. What he didn't expect though was to find his kunai sailing through the air back at him. He just barely dodged, smirking triumphantly at his victory. That smirk lasted all of 3 seconds, as he had to twist midair to avoid a gout of flame. As he righted himself, he found himself on the receiving end of a hail of shuriken. He dodged only to find an explosive note trailing by a string on one of them. He jumped for cover only to find a kunai pressing into the small of his back, preventing escape. As he tried to move forward, he found a large reddish bird with a look of satisfaction and, if he was right, bloodlust in its eyes. He then realized that this was a summoned creature from its chakra signature, and decided it best to surrender. He then remembered the exploding tag and smirked. He then looked at it, and realized it was nothing more than a lighted paper with kanji on it. He had reacted on instinct and it had cost him dearly. "Should have known ANBU would get here sooner than anticipated. Well I guess it's the death penalty for having the brat steal the scroll. Well at least he'll get the penalty as well for being my accomplice."
"You lose, Traitor," the all too familiar voice of one Naruto Uzumaki came from behind a stunned Mizuki. "I may be a demon, but at least I am loyal to those I truly care for. That's something you'll never understand, Mizuki-teme."
Not soon after those words, Iruka walked out of the forest a look of absolute surprise on his face. He had heard the whole conversation, but he was just stunned that Naruto knew not only a forbidden technique, but the Summoning Technique as well, and learned them in under a day. These more than qualified him to be a ninja, but capturing a chuunin as well? Naruto was not only a genius that Konoha couldn't afford to lose, but also a hero for stopping a thief from taking one of the village's most guarded secrets. Naruto had earned his respect. He walked toward Naruto and pulled out some wire to bind Mizuki.
"Looks like you were captured by nothing more than a failed academy student," Iruka explains with a chuckle. "You underestimated him, and now you see why the boy happens to defeat impossible odds. Naruto," Iruka calls to the boy. The boy looks back to Iruka." Take those scrolls back to the hokage. Then explain this incident to the hokage." He then notices an ANBU with a hawk mask drop down from the trees. "Oh good. You're here ANBU-san. I was wondering when you'd arrive. Can you make sure this boy gets to the hokage tower unmolested?" he asks, finishing up the tying of Mizuki's hands.
The ANBU nods once and motions for the boy to grab the scrolls and move forward. They leave the clearing and after a few minutes the ANBU removes his mask, revealing the face of one Mikal Sentra. He smiles with a silent pride at the boy. Naruto immediately wraps the man in a hug.
"Looks like you had a rough night," Mikal states, ruffling the boy's hair slightly. He pulls the boy from him after a few moments. He looks at the boy beaming with pride before saying, "You did exceedingly well, and I am proud of you. You will from here out be a shinobi in my eyes, even if they refuse to allow you the honor. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool for not recognizing your potential."
He places the mask back on his face and continues toward the hokage tower. Naruto was sure that he was still smiling. As Mikal headed toward the tower, he motioned for Naruto to follow him. As Naruto did, he realized that he was a ninja in the eyes of those that he wanted to make proud. Even if they didn't decide to make him an official Shinobi of Konoha, he would find a way to work as one without the title. This was his dream and the path he had chosen. He would find a way, and if there wasn't one, he'd blaze and forge his own path.
Hokage Tower, Half hour later
After a long extended explanation to the receptionist, they had finally made their way into Sarutobi's office. The look on his face was one of confusion and disappointment at Naruto. Naruto found himself shying behind Mikal, who placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. Naruto began to calm a bit, but having one of his precious people giving him a look of disappointment was definitely a horrible feeling that he had no wish to experience. Naruto noticed Mikal pull both the scrolls from his cloak. He tossed the 'Forbidden Scroll' to the old man, but held onto the Fennikusu contract. The old man looked at Mikal, and then suddenly a look of recognition passed his features.
"Sentra," the hokage says in a look of total surprise before he lowers himself into a defensive stance. He looks to Naruto and then back at Sentra. "I don't know what game you're playing at Sentra, but give back the boy. He doesn't need to be involved."
Mikal laughs before turning to Naruto, kneeling before him and stating, "This scroll was to be yours, Naruto. It is the thing I asked you to gather from the Hokage the other day. This was the last piece needed to summon phoenix, but I assume you already know this," Mikal states with a bit of a chuckle.
"You also need to have another scroll that the hokage is supposed to give you with this scroll. I wasn't supposed to be here, but some of my timetables were forcefully pushed forward, and I arrived back here sooner than anticipated. So I figured to check on how Sarutobi here was doing on his end of things. It seems that people here dislike you, treat you as a pariah, and are nearly killed everyday of your life. It seems Sarutobi failed, but that failure has only served to make you stronger," he states looking into Naruto's eyes with a serious expression of concern and pride. "So I believe it is time for you to know the whole truth behind yourself. Wouldn't you agree Sarutobi?" he states not even looking around to face the man being queried.
Sarutobi looked on in defeat, before pulling out a single small scroll with a simple design from his robes. This single scroll though would change this boy's life if his hunch was correct though. Something he was not looking forward to. He was sure that him withholding the truth for so long would come back to haunt him. He was hoping the villagers wouldn't treat him as the demon, but that notion failed him. With a sigh of resignation, he tossed the scroll to Sentra. Sentra caught it without turning and Sarutobi saw his head turn and smile warmly at him.
'How can that man smile when he is about to ruin an innocent child's perceptions of reality?' the aging hokage thought to himself. 'What did he write in that scroll?'
Mikal handed Naruto the scroll and opened it for him. He then looked at Naruto with a serious expression. "What you do with what is learned in this scroll is up to you, but I strongly advise you to think your actions through carefully," he whispers calmly to the boy, making sure that eye contact was never severed. He watched as Naruto opened the scroll and began to read.
Dear Naruto,
I see you have reached the age that you'll be learning from the scroll attached to this one. I am the owner of the contract you now hold, Mikal Sentra. You probably know me as a missing-nin. I suppose that also leaves the question as to why I chose you as the heir to my title. This is because of a few events preceding your birth.
I happen to be a friend/acquaintance of your father and mother. They helped me when I happened to be at a most difficult time in my life. I told them that I would repay their kindness and my debt to them. I chose to pay them with the contract of the Fennikusu and training of their child to become the next Fennikusu Summoner. I would give the title to my own child, but I have no children and my wife died while pregnant. So it is to you I give the contract and title.
I will arrive shortly after I hear that you become a chuunin in the Konoha military. I will train you in private, and ask that the hokage release you into my tutelage. I believe I have enough leverage on the old man that I will be able to accomplish this. I believe though an explanation is in order for who your parents are and why they are no longer with you.
You, Naruto, are the son of the legendary Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and Konoha's Tenshi, Uzumaki Kushina. These 2 are famous in Konoha for their skills and loyalty. It was most likely a sad day when the 2 of them passed on. Their reason for passing on can be summed up in one name. The Kyuubi.
The Kyuubi is a demon of immense power and it is said that it is impossible to kill except by the 7 and 8 tailed demons working together. The creature was awoken and began a rampage toward the village of Konoha. As to the why, I'm not sure, but I'm sure you can ask the demon yourself, as you are the prison that your father placed it into. That's right. You're the container for the most powerful demon in history. You are all that stands between the most powerful demon in history, and the world. If you are surprised reading this, then they have failed to tell you this, and I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Your father died to save Konoha, and for this you should be proud. Your mother died when the hospital collapsed around her. She used her body to shield you. You should feel proud to know that the 2 of them did everything in their power to save your life. They loved you like no one else can or ever will. Know though that you are the son of people who didn't abandon you, but spent their last breaths ensuring your life would continue. I intend to treat you as the son I lost, but realize that I am no replacement for them.
Sincerely,
Mikal Sentra
(P.S.- The Hokage's greatest weakness is in his top left hand drawer.)
Naruto stared down at the paper, tears welling up in his eyes. He clutched the paper tightly, feeling his emotions begin to become maelstrom the further he read. How could people keep this information from him? How could they? He now knew the reason why everyone hated him, he knew the reason for his parents' deaths, and he knew he held back a power that would destroy everything in the world if let loose. Everything just overwhelmed him at once, and he felt his knees buckle and hit the floor. He was the son of a hokage, and not just that, the Yondaime. He was loved, but now he stood alone in the world, the last of his family. Then he realized something. Mikal knew his father, and was his friend. He was now the closest thing to family that Naruto would ever know. He looked at the man and then saw the lack hiaite, and realized that he couldn't stay here. He would be alone once again. He felt his emotional walls crumble, and he began to cry as if he'd never stop. As he began, he felt someone hug him tightly. He looked through blurry eyes and realized that Mikal was holding him. He just cried harder, resting his head on the man's shoulder.
The hokage stood motionless with a look of self-loathing on his face. He had lacked the courage to tell the boy. He didn't want to face what the child would do, nor did he want the only child of the Yondaime to hate him. He had avoided this for years, and planned on telling the boy when he became a chuunin or sixteen, whichever came first. But here was a man willing to face the consequences of a boy faced with a burden he never knew.
"I'm going to take the boy home," Sentra states to the Hokage, The man scoops the boy up in his arms and allowing him to cry on his shoulder. He walks toward the door and opens it. He then turns back to Sarutobi. "I will deal with his failure in the gennin exams when I return. This boy has shown that he is capable, and I'll not have him held back because of his burden and pain. Good night Sarutobi," he states, walking out with the boy in his arms.
A few minutes later, Naruto's Apartment
Mikal walks into the apartment realizing the door was unlocked. He had replaced the ANBU mask upon his face, and looked around the rooms to make sure no one was here with an attempt on his life or the boy's. He walked into Naruto's room, gently kicking aside the mess to get to the bed. He laid Naruto down gently on the bed and pulled over a chair, and placed the objects on it on the floor. Naruto had stopped crying, as he had cried himself to sleep. His eyes were red and puffy, his chest heaved as he took each breath. He was sorry that he had to do what he did, but he knew it was for the best.
'Better he know now, then find out later and have the power to take out his anger. At least now I can be sure I'm here for him. I have a feeling I won't be much longer for this world,' he thought to himself as he watched the child's sleeping form.
After a few moments, Mikal stood and left the room. He glanced once more over his shoulder, with an expression of sorrowful pride. He then let the door click shut, before he turned to face three people. One he knew as the hokage, another as the boy's instructor, and the final he did not recognize. Then it clicked, and he smiled at the red-eyed woman.
"Don't tell me you're here to finish what you started. I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson," the phoenix summoner states with a mischievous grin. "Unless of course you're here because you can't get me out of your head." The red-eyed Kurenai blushed the same shade as her eyes. "You know you're cute when you blush, Miss Kurenai? You'll make some guy happy when you decide to settle down. I'm sure that's not the reason you're here though," he said keeping his grin and then turning to Sarutobi. "Leave the boy be until the morning. His trials tonight shouldn't have had to happen. They did though and there is nothing we can do to change that," he says, grin fading to a calm expression. He walks over to Naruto's table and takes a seat. He gestures to the other seats, in askance of them sitting. They complied.
"First of all," the hokage states, breaking the moment of uneasy silence before it began. "Why have you returned to this village before him becoming a chuunin?"
"A few minor conflicts and a major battle took place in the land of Mist. There was a coup and one of my master's wayward students was helping. She brought to her all of the 'Swordsmen of the Mist' who promised to join her. I went to investigate the aftermath, only to find that the Swordsmen succeeded in the assassination attempt on the Mizukage, but failed the coup. They all survived and escaped to the neighboring land of Wave, and then dispersed from there. I wasn't sure of where, but it does take mention that they separated. I was sent a letter that my master's apprentice was spotted near here," he states, producing a canteen from his pouch and drinking it. Then he placed it back into a holster at his side. "So my reason for being here is to assure she doesn't make trouble and to stop her attempts at doing so. She wants revenge on me and knows I have been here with the Yondaime before. She blames the failure on my unwillingness to join her attempt at the Coup," he states looking at Sarutobi calmly.
"Now I believe I was to have a discussion with you on Naruto's graduation. Now you have 3 options from my perspective. You can have him graduate after passing a second attempt at the exams, saying there was foul play in the first. You can have him stay another year behind to take the test, but have him personally tutored by a Jouunin sensei so that his skills are improved instead of wasting away. The final option is that I can kidnap the boy and make him my apprentice sooner than I had anticipated. You can combine these anyway you want, but they still boil down to these options," Mikal states with a calm tone of voice laced with ice.
"The child will graduate, but I want to mention a small problem," the hokage states after a moment of thought. "We have already picked the teams and there is no way to change them at this point. He can't be placed on a 3-man team, thus disqualifying him for Gennin status," he states as though disappointed. He then gets a smirk. "Though you do have a point about having him wait another year with an instructor. I propose this idea. We have him take the exam again after a year, but to appease the council and my paperwork for a year, we test him tomorrow and place the gennin status on him pending a team becomes available. He can be treated as a gennin for all intensive purposes, but he'll just need to find a team to become available. After a year, the academy will have new recruits and we'll be able to place him in a cell and go from there. Now comes the question of who to place as his Jouunin Instructor. Which is why…"
"Kurenai is here," Mikal finishes, leaning back into the chair, examining the woman. "She'll do fine, and it'll be an experience for when the young lady has children," he says, seeing the blush on her face return full force. "Naruto is a handful, but bright as they come. He takes to knowledge like a fish to water, and the same can be said to making friends as long as they give him a chance. I'll of course be requesting to be teaching on the side about his new contract and some basic tricks he can use in conjunction with it."
"I don't see that as a problem except for one slight oversight," Iruka states calmly, looking down in mock thought. "You're a MISSING-NIN!!!"
"Oh yeah," Mikal says, scratching the back of his head. "Almost forgot about that. Long night," he says with a smile. He draws a deep breath, before continuing with, "I have managed to sneak by your ANBU and many others before, and what makes you think I can't do it continually?" Iruka looks back at the man unable to answer the question. He sets himself back to silence.
"Besides. No one has accused me of any crime other than that of practicing the shinobi arts and not being a part of any military force," Mikal states, getting up from the table and walking to a cabinet. He opens and pulls out a pot and pulls out some packets and places them in the pot and turns on the stove. "Hell. I didn't even break your law about mentioning what was in Naruto. I wrote it to him in a letter before the law was instated."
The hokage smiles at that and nods saying, "That you didn't. I guess you plan well in advance of everyone huh? Then you know that as a Hokage I must do what I believe is best for my village. Just one question about yourself. Why do you fell indebted to Minato?" he asks with a look of curiosity.
"He was the person who saved me from doing something absolutely terrible. Releasing the seals on the Aoi Fennikusu, and saving me from myself," he states, taking the pot and lighting the fire underneath it. His expression seemed hidden from view as he watched the flames with his back turned to the trio. The only indication of his emotion was steam from the fire, as teardrops fell in to be consumed.
Thanks once again. Sorry for the wait, but there have been a few problems with real life. I am also still looking for a beta reader. Apply by PM if you'd like. As details go, I'd like a female, but hey, I'll settle for someone with a sense of humor. Thanks and until next time. Take care and have fun.
"Those with no sense of humor aren't truly alive" me to my boss at work.