A/N: IMPORTANT: Some timeline changes you have to be made aware of:
In canon, Itachi, age 13, massacred the Uchiha clan when Sasuke was 7, one year after Sasuke started the academy. In this AU, Itachi, age 13, massacred the Uchiha clan when Sasuke was 5, one year before Sasuke started the academy, and Sasuke is aware he unlocked the Sharingan.
Hope you enjoy! Please review!
Graduation.
It was a concept that Naruto had known would eventually happen, but never thought much of. But for it to be so close–just a day away–made him… apprehensive, for a lack of a better word. He was to become a genin soon; sent to faraway lands in service of his village.
He'd face bandits, enemy Shinobi, and missing-nin with far more experience. It made him think. Was he ready for it? Was he prepared to potentially have to sacrifice his life or watch his comrades die?
Naruto pondered these questions as he walked through Konoha, with a destination in mind. He contemplated the people living in it, while they subtly glared at him. A few years ago, those looks would bore into him, make him feel smaller than he was. Make him feel ashamed for being who he was. He was an outcast that none wanted to be near.
Was he willing to die for these people? If Konoha asked him to spare his life, could he answer that call?
As the time ticked ever closer for him to give a conclusion to that question, it galled him to still be in doubt.
Would he be willing to bear the burden of being nothing more than a tool? Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. At this rate, he was going to be just like Sasuke–a brooding mess.
His heavy introspection turned to more light hearted thoughts of his often low-spirited friend.
Ever since their intense bout in the academy–and subsequent ass kicking from Sasuke at the Uchiha compound–the two were as thick as thieves. No doubt Sasuke had at first considered him nothing more than a sparring partner, but after Naruto became a common presence in the Uchiha's life, he warmed up to him.
It started with talks about how they could become stronger, then complaining about the incessant fangirls Sasuke had to deal with, to eventually heavier talks. How Sasuke felt that day, how Naruto felt about the village, and how much Sasuke loathed his brother.
But Sasuke never talked about that day–the day that his life turned upside down.
Naruto understood and so never pried further. But they didn't need to, to become close. They had a kindred bond that formed from their similar childhoods. If they had the inclination to, they could talk for days.
Naruto considered Sasuke a brother. One he would gladly sacrifice his life to protect.
But could he sacrifice Sasuke's life to protect Kono–
Naruto resoundingly stopped that train of thought. It was best not to contemplate it. Whatever happened, happened, and he would answer the question when the time came for him to.
For now, he had an altogether different issue…
Should he go up to the Hokage's assistant to ask if the old man was ready for him? From the look she sent him when he first entered the Hokage Tower, she obviously didn't want him to bother her.
Naruto inwardly snorted. She'd just have to make do.
Giving her an indifferent look, he asked, "Hey, can you tell me if the old man–" Her glare increased when he referred to the Hokage so informally. Rolling his eyes, he changed tact. Best not to make her too insufferable, lest she bar him entrance entirely. "Hokage-sama. Can you tell me if Hokage-sama is ready for me now?"
Her eyes quickly roved over a piece of parchment. Seeing that he was actually scheduled for an appointment, she grew visibly crestfallen. He had no doubt it truly hurt her to say her next words. "Hokage-sama is ready for you now, Uzumaki-san." The amount of contempt she was able to pour on just his name was laudable. "He's in his office. Please, head on in."
Naruto chuckled. "I appreciate it. I'll make sure to tell Hokage-sama you were nothing but helpful." He gave his back to her to let her know he wasn't actually interested in speaking with her further.
If Naruto had known the bombshell that would be delivered unto him, he would've taken the girl's hint and just walked away.
Sasuke Uchiha brooded. He accepted this. No matter how much Naruto tried to, "bring him out of his shell," would this fact ever change. It was ingrained in him, in his very Uchiha DNA.
His father brooded, Itachi brooded, and even his beloved mother oftentimes turned moody.
But did Sasuke have to torture himself? No, he didn't. So he couldn't help but wonder why he was willingly lying on his parent's bed.
Why he ever allowed his mind to convince him it was a good idea to be in the same room they were murdered eluded him.
Sasuke sighed. He really should have followed that Yamanaka's advice and gotten himself a new apartment. Living here always caused his thoughts to go down dark paths.
But he couldn't help but stay here and ponder; was it to give himself closure? Was it his mind attempting to bring itself to terms with what happened–with what Itachi had allowed to occur?
He contemplated these thoughts while gazing at the spot his brother had occupied that night.
He had told Sasuke then to embrace the pain he had felt. To allow the hatred that he was feeling consume him. Gain the strength to kill him, Itachi had urged. He even had the gall to implore Sasuke to kill his best friend for power.
The sight of Naruto lying beneath him, bruised and bloody, flashed through his mind.
All he could do was snort. As if Sasuke would ever follow the commands of a madman. Anything Itachi thought was the path to power, Sasuke would avoid. He wouldn't allow himself to fall to those depths of depravity. He would avenge his clan and nothing more.
Once more, Naruto flashed through his mind. Sasuke smiled. Of course, he thought, he would never allow me to anyway. It was just a thought, however.
Speak of the Shinigami and it would appear, they always said. Sasuke knew the true meaning of that phrase when he heard a knock. The only person that ever came here was Naruto, when he wanted to spar.
As Sasuke walked to the front door, he wondered who would win this time. They had originally kept a tally to play to their own ego, but as the spars numbered in the hundreds, they did away with it. They just flaunted their superiority on a case-by-case basis now.
Opening the door, Sasuke was greeted by… a lack of an expression on Naruto's face. That was his first hint that something had gone wrong; the second was that his friend just stared at him.
That was definitely not right. Naruto was the happy-go-lucky guy in their friendship. The yang to Sasuke's yin.
The only times he acted like this were when the two were exposed to the village's disparagement or when Naruto became a melancholic mess of his own and Sasuke was forced to bring him out of his shell.
He wordlessly let Naruto in. By the pace the two walked at, they were in one of the Uchiha training grounds, the usual place for their spars, and sat before a lake.
They didn't say a word throughout this, and when they finally stopped, Sasuke wondered what he should say. Eventually, he decided to just jump the bullet.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Naruto didn't respond, and Sasuke didn't force him to. He did his best–now the ball was in Naruto's court to speak when he was ready.
Ten minutes later, Naruto finally did, his face staying ever blank. "Do you remember how the Fourth Hokage defeated the Nine Tails?" he asked.
Sasuke, confused by the seemingly irrelevant question, answered, "I've… always been told he killed it."
Naruto nodded and quietly said, "I was too, but he never did. Konoha couldn't handle losing both its Hokage and its deterrent," said Naruto. "So he sealed it instead."
Sasuke pondered that for a second, before it hit him. Eyes wide, he gawked at Naruto. "He sealed it into you?"
Naruto just sighed.
"But why? Why did he choose you?"
Naruto just pointed to himself and then the Hokage monument. Sasuke stared at the Fourth Hokage's in particular. He had never seen a picture of the Fourth Hokage. Anytime he asked his teachers for one, they just informed him that, to respect the Fourth's sacrifice, they stopped distributing any photographs of him. It had always confused him, because wouldn't you do the opposite? Wouldn't you want everyone to know who the village's hero was and what he looked like?
As Sasuke gazed at the Fourth Hokage, examining his spiky hair and face, he realized the truth. Turning towards his best friend, he saw the same features. The exact same spiky hair and general appearance.
Sasuke's face softened. "He sealed the kyuubi into his own son, didn't he?"
Naruto trembled. His voice sounded so broken to Sasuke it hurt. "'How could he place that burden on someone else's child if he couldn't do the same to his own?' That's what the old man told me. And I know it's not right, Sasuke, but he should've. I wish he had, so I can live a normal life. I don't want this burden. I don't want people to hate me for something that I didn't have a choice in."
Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, squeezing it in a show of solidarity. Gently, he said, "This doesn't change anything, Naruto. You know that, right? I'm here for you. As annoying as you are sometimes, you're the only person I care about left."
Naruto gave him an appreciative smile, but it didn't achieve what Sasuke wanted. Naruto needed to get out of this funk. With terrible experience, he knew if Naruto continued in this despondent state, his bad mood would only get worse.
Sasuke needed to distract him, to get him to focus on something else. A spar wouldn't work–it would only stave it off temporarily. Naruto would return to his dark thoughts soon after.
When it hit him, he inwardly sighed. But for Naruto, he would do it.
"I was... five, and I had just mastered my first jutsu when I came home. I was so excited to show my father. I had been practicing for weeks to make him proud. To make him acknowledge me and not Itachi."
And so he opened up. About that night, and the horrible things he felt afterwards.
And after all was said and done? After Naruto's shoulders lightened and the day had ended with the two closer?
Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to regret it.
What Kakashi was doing was wrong.
He knew that, objectively, his new students were different. They weren't, no matter how much it hurt to look at them, Team Minato.
It was his cell now. Superimposing his old teammates onto them was not right, but he couldn't help it.
They called the Uchiha a prodigy without peer, much like they did to Kakashi in his youth. The darkness that oozed from his gaze was similar to the same he had felt after his father had killed himself. The quiet introspection mixed with annoyance when his thoughts were interrupted.
Sakura–much like Rin–was a clan-less Kunoichi with middling talent but great potential that was thrust with the duty of being put on a team of gifted Shinobi far above her. Kakashi had gone through her psych examination and even their personality was similar. Sweet unadulterated kindness that hadn't yet been corrupted by the Shinobi world.
Naruto was the worst offender of them all; because Kakashi wasn't reminded of Obito when he saw the boy. No, he was reminded of Minato instead. The man Kakashi had seen as a father figure. The man who had practically taken him in after the rest of their team had perished.
The spark of intelligence that flashed through his face, those quiet eyes that would judge your worth, and those clothes that displayed his utter lack of concern for today's fashion screamed his sensei. Casual gray pants, dark orange shirt, and with a dark blue–almost black–jacket on top. Minato and Naruto seemingly only cared for functionality and nothing more.
Oh, Kakashi knew it was wrong, but he just couldn't help it.
Finally noticing the newcomer to the room, his students turned to him.
It was Sakura that spoke first. "We've been waiting for an hour, sensei. Why are you so late?"
Kakashi slowly blinked in response. "A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way around. You know how it is." Seeing her look that confirmed she very much did not, he ignored it, and said, "No matter. Meet me on the roof for our introduction." With a burst of smoke, he disappeared.
They finally caught up a few minutes later. He took the opportunity to examine them once more.
While, yes, Sasuke did bear his darkness loud and proud, it seemed subdued somehow. As if Sasuke had tamed it and made it his own instead of allowing it to control him. That impression was made more apparent whenever Sasuke conversed with Naruto.
His posture softened up every time. The rigid stance with which he usually held himself relaxed only to return when the two grew silent.
While Sakura held the same background and general personality, she wasn't as… driven as Rin was. Kakashi didn't remember too much of her abilities from the report, but he remembered how disappointed he felt when he saw it. She had the same basic abilities any graduate was expected to, if he recalled correctly.
Whereas Rin had put her heart and soul into Medical Ninjutsu, Sakura put her heart and soul into… what? Fangirling? No, she didn't seem to be as interested in Sasuke as her fellow Kunoichi. While an interest was there, evidenced by the glances she kept sending the boy, it wasn't to the same degree.
Well, that was what introductions were for. He'll find out what her goals were when–
"Sensei, can you stop staring and tell us who you are!"
–the introductions got underway. Which, by the glare Sakura was sending him, and the looks from Naruto and Sasuke, they wanted to happen now.
Kakashi could indulge.
"You're right, Sakura. So how about you start first. Tell me your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies, and dreams for the future," he said.
Sakura, looking flustered that she was chosen first, took some time with her introduction. Eventually, she said, "Well, I like hanging out with my friend, Ino. My dislikes are–" A fire burned in her eyes then. "–when I start falling behind her, so I always train to keep up with her, even outside the academy. I have surprises for her next time we fight, too! And, um, my hobbies are gathering flowers. My dreams are..." To Kakashi's dismay, she sent Sasuke a subtle glance, but thankfully that was it. "I haven't ever thought of one, sensei."
Kakashi gave her an understanding nod. "Not many do at your age. Now, Naruto. How about you?"
Naruto scratched his head in thought. "Well, my likes are anything to do with ramen, and I have a few plants around I like to care for. What I dislike the most are when people are hypocritical but they refuse to acknowledge it. A hobby of mine is sparring. And my dream?" Naruto looked very uncertain and it took him a second to find an answer. Giving a glance to Sasuke–seriously, what was with the fixation on the boy?–he answered, "I… want to make the Uzumaki name known again. Apparently, people hunted us down because they feared us. I'm going to make them remember why."
Kakashi pondered that for a second before smiling. Kushina would be proud, he thought. But to Naruto, he said, "You realize Fuinjutsu is a dangerous art that takes years to master, yes?"
"I'll figure it out," said Naruto quietly.
Nodding, Kakashi looked to Sasuke.
"I hate many things, but what I do like, above all else, is getting stronger. My hobbies are, like Naruto, sparring. And what I have is not a dream. It is a conviction I will fulfill. I will kill a certain someone and rebuild the Uchiha clan's reputation."
Foreboding, Kakashi thought. By the looks Naruto and Sakura sent, they agreed with him.
Kakashi stopped leaning against the railing. "Well, my wayward little genin, this ends our little introduction."
"You haven't actually introduced yourself. We don't even know your name," interrupted Sasuke.
Kakashi tilted his head in surprise. "It seems I didn't. Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake. There are many things that I like, and there are many things I dislike. My hobbies? They exist. I don't sleep much, so not many opportunities to dream."
He gave them all a one-eyed smile. By the glares they sent him, they were not amused.
"All you told us was your name," said an annoyed Naruto.
Chuckling, he said. "You'll get used to it, I'm sure. Now, meet me in Training Ground 7 at eight o'clock. Make sure not to eat breakfast."
With a burst of smoke, he disappeared.
When Kakashi found his genin eating from bento boxes, he was not amused. "I thought I told you three not to eat?"
Naruto nodded. "You sure did, Kakashi-sensei. Well, to be exact, you said not to eat breakfast. After you didn't show for four hours, this can be counted as lunch. Right, Sasuke?"
Sasuke nodded along to Naruto's logic, absentmindedly munching on a rice cake. "Makes perfect sense to me, Naruto."
Sakura was the only one who looked guilty.
Kakashi just shook his head and decided to move on. "Well, it wasn't that important anyway. You have five minutes to finish."
Grabbing Naruto's box from his hand without asking, Kakashi feasted on his spoils of war.
Naruto was not amused. "Hey, that was mine. You can't just take it!"
Kakashi blinked and looked down at his bento box. "But I think I just did, Naruto. Did I not, Sasuke?"
Sasuke nodded along to Kakashi's logic, continuing to munch on his rice cake. "Makes perfect sense to me, Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura was the only one who looked guilty.
A few minutes later, after having been forced to deal with Naruto's incessant muttering about unfairness, Kakashi stood in front of his soon-to-be team. Holding out two bells, he explained the rules of the bell test.
Sakura gasped. "But that's so unfair! We just got done with the graduation exam and now we have to deal with this?"
Naruto just pouted. "You think he cares about fairness, Sakura, after he stole my food?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Forget about it already, Naruto. I can buy you some Ichiraku's if you stop whining."
Naruto's expression brightened and he nodded rapidly.
"Can we please get back to the point? The bell test isn't fair!" exclaimed Sakura.
"In this Shinobi world, you'll soon find that notions of fair or not do not exist. Naruto has just been introduced to that concept, now it's your turn. Two of you must get these bells from me or else." Pulling out his favorite book Icha Icha Paradise: Toxic Dependence, he gave them the command to start.
"Begin."
Immediately they all scattered. Giving them some time to conceal themselves, he focused on his book.
"Oh, Habuza-kun, please train me to be your perfect tool. I want to please you in every way I can, " said his Zaku-chan, looking at him with absolute love and trust.
Habuza didn't deserve a fraction of her admiration, but if she wanted to entrust her dignity to a bastard like him, he'd indulge her. It was not every day you had a beauty begging you to ravish her.
He grabbed her roughly and pressed her against him. He wanted to feel every inch of her–
His reading was rudely interrupted by shuriken wheezing through the air towards him. Grabbing them in midair, he sent them back from where they came. He wasn't bothered for a few seconds and continued with his book.
But when a furious fireball–the likes of which a genin should not be capable of, might he say–roared towards him, he decided to instead split his attention.
Kakashi's body sinking into the ground, he swam through the earth in search of the offender. When he burst out, he was a few feet away from Sasuke, but it seemed the precarious genin was prepared for it.
Sasuke, flashing through hand seals, jumped back and sent a stream of fire blitzing towards him. When Kakashi saw a gust of wind rush through the forest to add to the jutsu he couldn't help but chuckle.
He ran through hand seals and slammed his palms on the ground. A wall of earth met the fire jutsu, smothering its flames.
When Kakashi heard the preparation of a lightning jutsu, he quietly returned his book to his pocket. If these two have already started dabbling in Nature Transformation, then he needed to start taking them seriously.
Kakashi body flickered to Sasuke's side. Before the boy could finish his jutsu, he kicked him in the guts, sending him flying far off into the forest.
Suddenly, five clones of Naruto ran towards him. Kakashi stared at them confusedly. Those were definitely not basic academy clones. Shadow clones? No, the chakra felt weaker. Maybe one of the elemental variants. Of which, he could only guess, but he met them head on nonetheless.
He exchanged a dance of taijutsu with the clones. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to land a solid hit before one of the Naruto's forced him to disengage each time. On and on, this went. He had to commend them for their ability.
But when he started increasing his speed, they could no longer contend with him. With how many hits they were tanking, however, these definitely had to be earth clones. Nevertheless, they soon started crumbling into dust.
When it was down to just one Naruto, Kakashi felt a surge of chakra pool behind him. Seems Sasuke's recovered, he thought. Glancing behind him, he spotted a ball of lightning scream as it blurred towards him.
Focusing back on the clone, he used it as a platform to propel himself upwards.
High atop the clearing they had been battling in, Kakashi had a good view of the destruction that was headed towards him. Sasuke and Naruto were prepared for him jumping in the air and were already flashing through hand seals.
Sasuke was kneeling, right hand making a fist except for his thumb facing upwards and his index finger pointed at Kakashi's exact location. A bolt of lightning sped out of his finger.
Naruto, however, sent a large earthen spear flashing towards him.
Two precise jutsu meant to travel to his destination quickly before he could escape.
Kakashi smiled. He never had quite this much fun against genin before. With his own hasty hand seals, a dome of wind surrounded him. The lightning jutsu was smothered, and the earth jutsu crumpled to dust.
Kakashi landed lightly on his feet, the barrier of wind still covering him.
"Is that really all the two of you have? Certainly, you two are impressive, but I'm a jonin. I deal with this type of stuff all the time. Show me something new if you want these bells," he goaded them.
The two glanced at each other and nodded. Running towards each other, they now stood side by side. Rapidly going through hand seals, they both breathed in. What came from Sasuke was the largest fireball Kakashi had ever seen from chunin. And what poured from Naruto was a burst of wind of similar proportions. The two were even forced to shout their techniques due to the strain.
"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Gale Surge!"
What followed was a brilliant hurricane of flame that reached as high as the training ground's tallest tree.
What surprised him even more, was that–at the same time–a wall of earth formed behind Kakashi, blocking his escape. Now how could Naruto achieve that?
And then he realized the truth. He had to commend Sakura, the genjutsu was subtle, but it would be a few years before he fell for one by a genin. Dispelling it, he glanced behind him. As a precaution, Sakura had still thrown a veritable swarm of ninja tools to prevent him from escaping.
Good. He could tick off teamwork now.
Kakashi formed the Snake and Tiger hand seals and slammed his palms on the ground. A large dome quickly formed out of the ground. He poured as much of his chakra into it as he could. When the flaming hurricane impacted against his dome, it was all he could do to hold on. Every second, more and more layers of his dome were peeling off.
"Thanks for being distracted, Kakashi-sensei," a voice whispered.
He hastily looked at the ground, seeing Naruto burrow back into the earth. A wave of despair suffused Kakashi. Naruto must have grabbed the bells.
Kakashi cursed himself. He couldn't even check lest his dome fail and the hurricane overtake–
That was it!
Kakashi quickly checked his chakra pathways. Seeing an intrusion, he quickly smothered the foreign chakra. As soon as he did, the pressure he had been feeling on his dome vanished. Dear Sage, how could he have fallen for a genjutsu? He was Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan!
Kakashi shook his head. It was his fault–he'd underestimated Sakura. He'd fallen for the folly of many of ninja who died to genjutsu. It wasn't the fireball streaming towards you that you sometimes had to fear, it was the kunai that could be heading for your throat without you even being aware of it.
His dome crumbling to dust, he checked for the bells.
Gone.
Kakashi sighed.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter felt rushed. I wanted to get through all the boring canon bits as soon as possible. Next chapter, things will slow down because it's a training montage for Sakura (gotta up her strength) and the introduction of the Land of Frost Arc. An original arc written by yours truly! Excited for it, because it introduces some important characters.
Fights are still hard, but I'm getting better! Dialogue is coming easier now, and instead of spending hours on the big fight this chapter, it only took me maybe an hour or two to write it. Progress!
Please review! They motivate me to write!