By - Desperate Strikes
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto or any other series this fanfiction may touch upon.
Summary:Naruto disappeared on his first birthday. Raised by the female priests of Shangri-La, away from humanity and more importantly men, just how will this new Naruto adapt?
Pairings? NarutoxKakashi IrukaxAnko SasukexSakura
A/N: If you want some music to go with the Naruto vs Neji fight this chapter, look no further than 'My Soul, your Beats' Karaoke version.
/Iruka Chapter One/
I was surprised when I heard the wayward Fox had returned, and from the Fire Temple no less. The fact he thought he was a woman as well was just as startling. I sighed and prepared myself to join Hokage-sama at today's evaluation. Though he may be a good medic, he still needed to be able to fight.
I couldn't count the number of Iryonin who went mad from grief, unable to do a damn thing while their allies were slaughtered. Being ex-ANBU myself, I still had nightmares of pulling a man away from his friend, lover? As he tried to heal the corpse, unable to withstand the thought of losing the other person.
Speaking of odd things, it had been about a week since Sasuke had been rid of his fan club with the exception of one, Sakura, and he seemed better off for it. He was more expressive towards Kiba, who was the only one to get him to show any amount of that legendary anger. I wasn't sure what Hokage-sama had taught the boy, but I'll be damned if it wasn't effective. He no longer went into bouts of rage, no longer risked damaging others.
I felt myself feeling proud of the boy, and smiled.
"Alright class, with only a month until graduation, you'll need to go over your practicals. I have no doubt that'll be the hardest part for most of you." One child piped up about the written portion, and I laughed, "Come now, you all are the brightest students I've had! The written portion shouldn't be a problem, but... if you're so worried, then we'll have a review tomorrow."
The collective groan was music to my ears. I chuckled and performed a shunshin into Hokage-sama's office, where I knew he was waiting for me. I was on one knee in a bow before I had fully appeared, and I heard the Sandaime chuckle at my zeal. I couldn't help it, was being so loyal to the man who saved me from darkness so wrong?
Regardless, I stood on command and made my way to his side as he walked past me.
"Iruka-kun," he began, only after we were outside of the tower, "What do you think of Naruto? Is he a risk? I have no idea what the High Priest was thinking allowing him to be raised by women alone, it's obvious he resents himself for not being female."
I considered it a moment, and then remembered something. "Hatake-san has been working with him on that, actually. Though he could pass as a woman in infiltration, in this village he will need to be accepted as a man. Hatake-san has had him building trust with some of his acquantances, telling them what he is. One of those being Gai himself. There is no doubt that Gai's team already knows the predicament. Neji will most definately poke fun at him today, and that will be how we determine the risk."
Hokage-sama nodded, and we passed into the clearing Team Ten used as a training ground. Right on the money, Neji was making scathing remarks over Naruto's choice of escapism.
The blonde was furious, but saving his energy, this was good.
"Enough, Neji!" Hokage-sama barked, and Neji turned his back on us. "Save your insults for someone who cares to listen, Naruto obviously isn't."
The blonde bowed before us, and I noticed his normally straight hair was held in a low ponytail by an orange ribbon. I felt like laughing. His state of dress was also subject to ridicule, in my mind. He wore a red silk shirt, decorated with various flowers. His lower-wear was equally damning, being a black hakama with geta sandals. I felt like telling him to change into something more appropriate, but a glance from Hokage-sama spoke volume.
'As long as he doesn't endanger others, what he wears doesn't matter.' That's what that glance told me. I settle for a sigh instead, and speak. "Alright, Gai-san, please join us. Tenten, Lee, you too. We'll allow five minutes for this evaluation, I don't see the need for any more than that."
Eventually, the two boys stood about five meters from one another, 'Within range of Divination.' I noted, and didn't expect the fight to last longer than a few seconds.
Once they were in position, and in-stance, I raised my right arm, and then dropped it. "Begin!"
Two things happened at this point. Naruto made three strange, one-handed seals before his outline became somewhat blurry, and Neji activated his Byakugan and performed the stance of Hakke.
"Ninja Art: Reversing Images." Naruto declared.
"It's over now." I commented, but Hokage-sama kept watching, carefully. Taking that he saw something I did not, I watched carefully.
Even as Neji dashed the short distance towards the boy in strange clothes, I noticed that the blonde didn't move an inch. In fact, he wasn't moving at all. Period. His eyes were closed too, as if waiting for something. Then Neji made the first strike.
"Two! Four! Eight! Sixteen! Thirty-two! SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!"
But the boy never moved, not even when struck Eventually the assault tore through the strange barrier over the blonde, but even with thirteen tenketsu sealed, he didn't budge.
"He couldn't know how to do that... not at his age!"
I began to comment on Neji's brilliance, but as the words began to form, there was an explosion of power from Naruto, and I realized it wasn't Neji Hokage-sama was talking about. Neji had in the meantime leapt back to his starting position, and Gai had to hold Lee down from being launched back.
Naruto had undergone a transformation.
His hair was shortened, but still rather long for my taste, his body more muscular, and where once he had a girl's figure, he was now obviously male. His eyes had silver eye shadow and color, marking him as a Sage of some sort.
"Yang Release: Sage."
Then he upon Neji.
Leaning low to the ground, he delivered a kick to his opponent's chin, I expected Neji to go flying, but observation told me that Naruto used his chakra to stick to him, instead lifting him only a few feet. He followed up with a leaping knee to Neji's stomach, before grabbing onto him and with a single spin in the air, began to drive Neji into the ground.
"Kaiten!"
Or he would have, had the dark-haired boy not launched his opponent away like a rag doll. Neji landed on his knees, while Naruto continued to skid across the ground until he stuck to it, bounding up and into the air above his opponent.
"Sage Art: Great Mystic Palm!"
Two swipes of his arms as he fell towards Neji had the older boy back-pedalling from something I couldn't see, either visually or the effect. When Naruto landed he began to lash out at Neji, who blocked each strike with his palms.
There was a visible burst of chakra where they met.
On about the fifteenth parry from Neji, Naruto made a short hop forward, into his opponent's guard.
"Sage Art: Great Wheel!"
It was like a vertical Kaiten, and the Hyuuga really was sent flying. Only to right himself mid-air in spite of the massive chakra burns upon him.
By the time he landed, the timer I had set went off, and I called the match.
Hokage-sama spoke for me. "Impressive, both Neji for standing equal to any type of Sage, and Naruto for being one. Revert into your other form, Naruto, there is much to discuss."
Naruto nodded, and with no small amount of concentration, became his other self, short and girly. I blinked, then huffed. "Hokage-sama, will I be needed?"
"You may take young Neji to the hospital, it looks like he is about to collapse."
Nodding, I moved over to the boy, picked him up and disappeared in a shunshin. I heard Gai say something, but didn't catch it.
Neji was unconcious by the time we reappeared. I shook my head at that. It was no rumor that Gai trained his Genin harder than most Jounin train themselves, but it was something else seeing the fruits of his labor.
I had no doubt that the boy in my arms was Chuunin material. Hell, I doubted I could keep up with him without giving myself away. The nurse at the front desk saw him in my arms and ushered me into Team Ten's personal treatment room.
Then started asking questions about the chakra burns I knew I couldn't answer without Hokage-sama's permission.
It was going to be a long day. Especially since I had to write a report on the fight I witnessed. Sometimes, I hated being an evaluator.
/Iruka Chapter One End/
A/N: See you later, Fanfiction Ninja~
