A/N: Okay people I'm back! I know this took awhile to come out, sorry. I thought I would have a lot more time to write, but some things came up. The good news is that, this chapter is the longest one yet. This chapter will introduce the rookies and some more character development. I'm sorry if the story is going a bit slow, but I want to take the time to develop it and not rush. I didn't get many reviews, which is understandable given I didn't reveal much plot yet.
Anyways, I'll address what was written in the reviews. First off yes Naruto is an Uchiha, he's as much of an Uchiha as he is an Uzumaki. He did not change his last name to Uchiha yet because of the ramifications that would come if it were to be reveled that he was an Uchiha. And also because he has not yet excepted the Uchiha, even though he is one of them. Part of Musashi's character is meant to be Naruto's tie to the Uzumaki. Musashi was the one who looked after him, not the Uchiha; therefore he is much closer to his Uncle. With his death, the last of the Uzumaki have vanished, and his only family that remains is the Uchiha. But not doesn't easily except them. As far as parings go I haven't got anything carved in stone just yet, The story might become a Mikoto only pairing. I need the story to progress more, to see what fits best. I might take a poll latter to see what you guys think.
Okay enough of that, let's begin! (I DO NOT OWN NARUTO)
Chapter 4 Enter Academy
The sun was high in the sky, its light illuminated the village. The stone faces of the villages beloved Hokage's glowed in the sun.
Just below the monument, the sun's fierce rays were particular strong, and reflected off the large insignia of the land of fire. The grander symbol stood proudly, atop the villages administration building.
Inside the building was a ordinary scene. An elder man with grey hair and goatee; his face was wrinkled. He was seated behind a large desk with the leaf village symbol displayed on its front.
The man wore the standard red and white garbs of the Hokage. This man was Hiruzen Sarutobi, also known as the Third Fire Shadow.
Hiruzen sat in his office with annoyed look on his face, he had sent a team of ANBU to escort Naruto to his office. The problem was that was 30 minutes ago...he knew the boy was good at avoiding his ANBU, but this was getting ridiculous!
This was becoming a common occurrence, whenever he tried to reach the boy, he would show up at his own leisure. He would try to be patient with the boy.
He knew Naruto was dealing with many things, at such a young age. He knew Naruto, wasn't treated well as child; he would try to help him the best he could. Despite this, he asked himself many times if he could of done better.
Naruto, learned to take care of himself, defend himself, without his help. That made his heart ache. He had seen his fair share of young kids forced to grow up fast. He didn't want this for Naruto.
He cast his gaze towards the picture of the Fourth Hokage on the wall, and begged a silent plea of forgiveness. He knew the boy's father would expect better of him...better of the village itself.
He tried to get closer to the boy, but he was always so distant, and would suppress his emotions. The fact that he could do so at as such a young age was astonishing to him. He knew the boy was far head in maturity then his peers.
The boy had his secrets, that much he could tell. He knew the boy suffered a great loss of someone he cared for. He saw it in his eyes, the look of someone who lost a loved one. He had seen this look to many times in his many years. He couldn't hide it from his veteran eyes.
The question was who? As far as he knew Naruto wasn't close to anyone. He thought that it could be his parents, but Naruto didn't know who they were, or anything about them. His connection to them couldn't be that strong yet. Not enough to produce such eyes.
So then who? He knew Naruto would not tell him, he had tried many times to get him to open up but failed. That worried him. Naruto was in contact with an unknown person. Someone he knew nothing about. He knew the boy was smart, and wouldn't put himself in danger with unknowns.
But for the safety of the village, he cursed himself for not knowing who it was. He wouldn't go as far as to bring the boy into T&I, he couldn't bring himself to that to him. What he did know, was that the boy was safe, and he would trust him for now.
He hoped that whoever this person was, at least brought joy to boys heart, even if it was only for a little while. He deserved it more than anyone else.
The sound of steal clanging stretched across the forest. In a secluded area, just outside of the village, two figures stood adjacent each other. One panting lightly, the other sporting a amused smile across his face.
A pair of blue eyes glared daggers at his opponent, who seemed to only smile wider.
"Naruto, maybe you should sharpen those kunai, eh? Not scratch at all!"
The blonde Uchiha let out a growl and quickly released three shurikens into the air. His opponent mimic him, and released his own set of shuriken.
"Clang"
"Clang"
"Clang"
The projectiles flew through the air and met in the middle, canceling each other out. Naruto sighed and looked at the triumphant face of his opponent, who was none other than Uchiha Shisui.
Naruto was avoiding Shisui's constant request to train him for the remainder of the week. It was not that he was against it per say, but he wanted to avoid any attempts to get him to open up by Shisui or Itachi.
Shisui found Naruto training alone, in the forest. How he managed to sneak outside of the village undetected he didn't know. Shisui was getting impatient in trying to crack Naruto so he decided to take a different approach. When he spotted Naruto he decided to simply attack him. The blonde was shocked and annoyed, but it didn't matter it was training he couldn't refuse now right?
"Hey Naruto, hold on a minute; come here I want to ask you something," Shisui yelled out.
Naruto stood still studying Shisui for a moment, before reluctantly walking up to him.
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
Shisui face became slightly more serious. "Your elemental affinity is wind right?" Naruto nodded.
"Have you checked to see what your second affinity is?" Shisui asked
Naruto raised an eyebrow but shook his head "No, I was only focused on developing my wind affinity."
Shisui nodded his head slowly and scratched his chin. "Hmm, I see. Well in that case I'm going to teach you fire style nature manipulation. Naruto blinked and was about to say something but Shisui continued.
"You see, wind is a extremely rare affinity in the land of fire, and even rarer for an Uchiha to have. I'm surprised that you can already channel wind chakra, even if it's just the basics. Wind is one of the hardest elements to control."
"Anyways, as you already know, the Uchiha specialize in fire style nature manipulation. So it should come easy to you" Shisui proclaimed.
Naruto contemplated this, he did think he would develop a fire affinity originally. He remembered how surprised he was when the chakra paper he received from Musashi split in half when he channeled chakra into it.
Shisui didn't wait for Naruto's response and started to explain fire manipulation. "Now the first step, is to gather chakra in your stomach at a steady pace. Once you gather a sufficient amount, you then change the chakra nature."
Naruto became engrossed in Shisui's explanation that he seemed to forget his anger for Shisui's uninvited arrival.
"Envision the chakra turning into flames. You then heat the chakra, raising its temperature as high as you can. You will start to feel a slightly burning, tingling sensation in your stomach. That's when you exhale the chakra through your lungs.
Naruto listened intently making sure not miss any word Shisui spoke. Shisui noticed Naruto's intense focus and inwardly praised him for being a good listener. The look in his eye told him that he understood everything he was saying.
"The air in your lungs fuels the flames, allowing you to exhale a stream of fire for the jutsu. This is the bases for any fire style ninjutsu. From there the shape and power in which the fire is released, depends on the particular jutsu."
"Okay Naruto, I want you to try to gathering chakra into your lungs, then change its chakra nature," Shisui instructed.
Naruto nodded and closed his eyes in concentration. His hands were inter locked in a tiger seal. He started to feel the built up chakra pulse in stomach. "Good now I want you to hold that chakra in for a minute, so you can get use to the feel of it."
Naruto did as he was instructed and held the chakra in. He winced a little when he felt a burning sensation in his stomach. Shisui noticed his expression and spoke "Your probably feeling a slight burn in your stomach right about now. It happens to those who are new to using fire nature chakra, that's why I told you to take a minute to get use to it first. Don't worry it will fade shortly."
Naruto nodded, and after a minute he opened his eyes. "I don't feel the burn anymore" Naruto said.
"Good, you could stop channeling your chakra now" Shisui said.
Naruto cut the flow of chakra and sighed as he felt his muscles relax.
"Now I'm going to show you one of the clans most used signature jutsus. The Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style Fireball Jutsu). This jutsu was not only created by our clan, but also considered a rite of passage to become a true Uchiha," Shisui explained.
"Hm, whatever," Naruto replied irately at the last thing Shisui said.
Shisui noticed his tone but ignored it. "Okay, first gather the chakra in your stomach like before, then change its nature. Then go through these hand signs, watch closely. Shisui quickly went through a set of hand signs ending with the tiger seal.
"Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style Fireball Jutsu)"
Shiusi breathed out a large fireball. The ball of flame scorched the earth and continued into the forest. Naruto watched in a amazement as the fireball exploded destroying a large group of trees.
"As you can see, the more chakra you put into the jutsu, the more destructive it becomes," Shisui explained.
"Alright, I want you to try it. Do you need me to show the hands seals again?" asked Shisui.
"No, I got it" Naruto replied.
Naruto gathered chakra into his stomach, he then quickly went through hand seals Shisui showed him.
"Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu"
Naruto breathed out a stream of fire...but it was insufficient. He tried again and got the same result. He tried once more, this time it was slightly larger but still not efficient. "I don't understand? I did the seals correctly. What am I doing wrong?" Naruto grumbled out in frustration.
Shisui looked amused at the frustrated look Naruto gave him. "Hmm let's see...try it again." Naruto did so with basically the same result. Shisui had a thoughtful look on his face then he smirked.
"I think I know what your problem is!" proclaimed Shisui
Naruto tilted his head "what?"
"You're losing your concentration in your nature transformation." Naruto quickly turned around, that wasn't Shisui's voice, it was-
"Itachi!" Shisui said in surprise.
Itachi was wearing standard ANBU Black-ops attire, which consisted of a grey combat vest, black pants, and steel arm guards. Itachi looked at Naruto and Shisui with a frown on his face.
Naruto noticed the frown on Itachi's face and he had good idea why he was upset, but he paid no mind to that. He was more interested in Itachi's explanation. Though he did rasie an eyebrow at his attire, but he couldn't say he was very surprised that Itachi was in the ANBU given what he knew of his strength.
"Itachi I thought you were going be away on a mission for at least a week?" questioned Shisui.
"The mission was reassigned because I had other priorities," Itachi replied.
Shisui gave him a questioning look, but said nothing.
Itachi narrowed his eyes "The more important question is why are you outside the village Naruto?" Itachi asked in a emotionless tone.
Naruto closed his eyes and turned head "Hm, I was just training in private," Naruto replied simply. But as much as he tried to hide it Itachi could tell he was intimidated by the look he was giving him.
"Is that so?" Itachi asked in a low voice.
This time Naruto did flinch, which made him internally smirk and Shisui grin.
"Hahaha.., Naruto's scared of Itachi" Shisui laughed out.
"Tch, who said I'm scared!" Naruto retorted.
Itachi then looked towards Shisui "And why didn't you bring him back?"
Shisui rubbed the back of his head sheepishly."Well I was eventually, you see Naruto here was begging me to spar with him," he replied happily while pulling Naruto into a head lock and ruffling his hair.
Naruto scoffed and forcefully removed himself from Shisui's grasp.
"Tch, begged? You came out of nowhere and attacked me!"
Itachi gave Shisui a deadpan look. Shisui chuckled "well never mind that, Itachi what are you doing here?"
Itachi sighed and looked at Naruto "The Hokage wants to see you, and has sent some ANBU out to find you" he said seriously.
"Huh? What does the Hokage want with me?" Naruto asked in a irritated tone.
"I'm not certain, but it's best not to keep the Hokage waiting," Itachi replied.
Naruto let out a small growl "Hang on! You were going to tell me what I was doing wrong!" Naruto said defiantly.
"Oh, is that begging I hear now!" Shisui teased while raising his hand to his ear.
"Hm"
Itachi just stared at Naruto for a few moments, before sighing
"The problem lies when your changing the chakra nature to fire. Just before you release the jutsu, you are subconsciously channeling some wind chakra instead of fire. The way you release wind chakra through your lungs is very similar to fire natured chakra."
Naruto had a thoughtful look on his face. Itachi continued "It's the result of you being accustomed to using wind natured chakra. You changed a small portion of the chakra into wind, resulting in-
"An imbalance. Causing the jutsu to lose power," Naruto said finishing Itachi's explanation.
"You got it! Actually it's a surprise you were able to release any flame at all!" Shisui pointed out. Itachi was thinking the same.
"Right, I need to concentrate harder," Naruto muttered to himself and closed his eyes.
Itachi was going to retort, but Shisui put a hand on his shoulder. "Hang on, let him do this, he needs this, he's stubborn like that," Shisui advised. Itachi sighed then nodded.
Naruto continued to try to complete the jutsu, while Itachi and Shisui watched on.
"Damn, learning a second element is harder than I thought," Naruto thought in frustration.
"He's getting frustrated?Most members of the clan, can't even channel fire chakra at this age; let alone yet use this jutsu," Itachi thought dejectedly.
But Naruto had other ideas. To him he needed to prove to himself that he was strong. He wasn't arrogant, he just knew he could do this, he could feel it. He closed his eyes once again in concentration.
"I promised uncle I would be strong" he thought.
Suddenly an image of Musashi entered his mind. Itachi saw that Naruto was still struggling
"Naruto perhaps you should-"
Naruto suddenly snapped his eyes open, his sharingan coming to life.
" Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
He released a ball of fire...this time it was successful. A fireball only slightly smaller than the one Shisui released earlier soared into the forest, scorching the earth with intense heat.
Naruto's watched his jutsu soar into the forest. His red eyes glaring at it, daring it not to live up to his expectations. He watched as the fireball impacted, destroying several trees in an inferno. He sighed, a small smirk appearing on his face.
Shisui whistled "how much chakra did the squirt put in that?"
"Impressive," Itachi thought.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen sat as his desk, getting more annoyed by the second. He heard a knock on the door. "Come in" he commanded.
"Finally after all this waiting!" he thought, relieved.
The door slowly opened, and in came an elderly man. The elderly man wore a black robe and a white shirt underneath, his right arm was tucked inside his robe. White bandages were wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.
Hiruzen, inwardly cursed, this was not who he was hoping for...he had the worst luck. He knew whatever Danzo Shimura wanted would just add to his list of growing problems. The man was persistent, like a virus.
Danzo entered the room slowly, his cane tapping the wooden floor as he made his way into the room. He closed the door then faced Hiruzen. He said nothing and just gave him a calculating look.
Hiruzen sighed in annoyance. "What is it that you want this time Danzo?" Danzo face shifted from emotionless to a slightly angered expression, his lone eye glaring at Hiruzen.
"The Kyubi jinchuriki, tell me, do you know where he is?" Danzo asked.
Hiruzen let out a grunt "Listen Danzo the-"
"Do you know of the boys activities?" Danzo pressed on.
Hiruzen gave him a stern look. "The status of the boy is none of your concern Danzo. And you should stay out of it and let me worry about it.
Danzo took that as a no. He thought Hiruzen was a fool, how uniformed the Hokage was truly laughable. "You are letting an important asset to the village run free, the boy is getting stronger on his own every day. Uncontrolled strength...I don't think I need to tell you how dangerous that is do I?"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, he knew Naruto had to be training but he didn't know the boys progress could Danzo know?
The boy was mysterious in everything he did, but he supposed if someone did know it would be man first-rate when came to knowing everything that goes in the village.
"The boy will be joining the academy. Eventually he will graduate and join our shinobi forces; therefore he will be monitored." Hiruzen replied
Danzo in fact did know of Naruto's potential, in fact he knew that Naruto was the true golden egg of Konoha. An Uchiha who has awakened the sharingan and possess the Kyubi, the strongest of the tailed beast.
Yes, Danzo is well aware of Naruto's heritage and his potential. But how did Danzo know such a thing? Well Danzo was more than just a frail old man. He is a man who feasts on the shadows of uncertainty of others. The czar of the self-proclaimed roots of the tree that is Konoha.
In order to lead in the dark, he needed to know what others didn't. It infuriated him to know that village would waste such talent. He was the only one who could sculpt the boy to be the perfect loyal weapon. After all that was what jinchuriki were made for.
As it stands the boy would get stronger and a dark horse would rise, leaving pompous fools to ponder how they couldn't have seen it. One that was unrestrained, and that had ideas that were contradictory to his ideal Konoha.
Someone who in the future could have the power, both physical and even politically to hinder his visions. There was no way he could turn a blind eye to that. And the Hokage...in his eyes Hiruzen was too weak hearted, and foolish, to lead this village to its full potential.
"Ah yes the academy...well if that's the case, then you should begin his shinobi career under my tutelage, for he-" Danzo was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in," Hiruzen said in somewhat relieved tone.
The door slowly opened and in came Naruto. He was wearing dark blue shinobi pants, a black shirt, covered by a black cloak. He stepped forward, his face covered by the hood of his cloak.
Naruto's eyes roamed to corner of the room and spotted Danzo. Naruto narrowed his eyes, he recognized this man as Danzo Shimura. His uncle had told him stories about Danzo. He told him about his rivalry with the Hokage.
He knew that Danzo was a war hawk who believe that the village could only thrive to through him. Musashi had warned him to stay away from this man. Naruto eyed him carefully, he couldn't help but get a bad vibe from the man's presence.
Hiruzen looked at Naruto with a sigh of relieve. He was finally here! He no longer had to hear more of Danzo's absurd rants.
"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked.
Hiruzen spoke "Yes Naruto, but I ask that you please remove your hood so we may have a proper conversation."
"As you wish Hokage-sama" Naruto said in an almost mocking manor.
Naruto pulled down his hood revealing his spiky blond hair with two bangs framing his face, he had deep blue eyes and three thin whisker like marks on each cheek. At the age of 7, Naruto was built quite well and slightly tall for his age. Hiruzen couldn't believe how much Naruto looked like Minato at his age.
Hiruzen gave Danzo a stern look. "You may leave now Danzo, our conversation is over."
Danzo looked at Natuto with an emotionless look, which was matched by Naruto's own emotionless gaze. Danzo then shifted his attention towards Hiruzen and let out a short grunt before walking out the door.
"That fool Sarutobi is making a big mistake, I can't allow that boy to roam free," Danzo thought. Little did Sarutobi or Naruto know, Danzo had already taken many measures; some extreme to get his hands on Naruto.
With Sarutobi putting Naruto into the academy...it will make it more difficult for him to get to the boy. But he wouldn't allow something like that to deter him.
Once Danzo left the room, Sarutobi looked back at Naruto. Seeing Naruto right in front of him brought back memories of his successor.
Minato was taken away from this world way to early. He couldn't help but feel the village would had been better off, if he had taken Minato's place as a sacrifice instead. He was sure the Yondaime would have done a better job as Hokage then he.
Minato was the most renowned and influential shinobi in the elemantal nation during his time. He was sure he still would be if he were alive today. If only... no he couldn't think like that the past was the past.
He would do his best to make sure the mans legacy would follow the right path and benefit the village. He just wished he could tell the boy who his parents were, it pained him to know he was suffering, but he knew it was the right decision.
"Naruto my boy I was looking for you for awhile now" Hiruzen spoke in a irritated voice.
"Really Hokage-sama? perhaps the ANBU are getting rusty," Naruto replied.
Hiruzen slightly glared at Naruto, was he mocking him? Naruto caught the Hokage's glare and slightly smirked. Hiruzen sighed, he would have to be patient with Naruto.
He knew Naruto has been through a lot but the boy rarely showed it. Naruto was an enigma to him and he hated when he didn't know what the boy was thinking.
"Well I hoped I didn't catch you at a bad time did I?" Hiruzen said.
"Not at all Hokage-sama" Naruto replied with an emotionless voice.
"I see, well then let's get to the reason why I have called you here" Hiruzen said.
Naruto had a good idea what the Hokage wanted but let him continue.
"Naruto, the academy has already started a new semester last week and you will be joining it this time." Hiruzen said.
Hiruzen watched Naruto closely for a reaction but found none. "You were suppose to join last year, but you insisted you could learn by yourself. I'm afraid I can't postpone it any longer my boy" Hiruzen said sternly.
It was true Naruto didn't join last year's academy class because he knew the academy couldn't teach him anything new, but mainly because he was to emotionally distraught to deal with the other students.
"This won't be a problem will it? You do want to become a proud leaf shinobi don't you?" Hiruzen asked with a raised brow.
"A proud leaf shinobi huh?" Naruto thought. He pondered what being a proud leaf shinobi truly meant. What persona did the Hokage consider to be that of a true leaf shinobi. Was it a shinobi who followed all orders of their superiors without question? What about those who question authority and looked beyond the illusions of what is considered right, for the better of the village?
Thinking such things wouldn't benefit him now. "Of course Hokage-sama" Naruto replied.
Hiruzen sighed in relief.
"Well my boy this is the only way, I'm sure you'll adjust just fine, you might even make some new friends.
Naruto sighed, he knew this was unavoidable. "Very well Hokage-sama" Naruto replied.
Hiruzen noticed the still present emotionless look on Naruto's face and frowned. How can someone so young keep his emotions hidden? It reminded him of Itachi who was the same at his age. Comparing Itachi to Naruto was a bit of stretch in his mind. 'Naruto is nothing like Itachi right?" Hiruzen asked himself as if trying to convince himself.
"Alright my boy, be at the academy tomorrow at 6" Hiruzen said.
Naruto nodded and left.
Once Naruto left the room Hiruzen walked over to the window and looked over his village. The sun shined brightly over the village, illuminating it, but Hiruzen knew the future of the village might not be as bright.
Naruto wasn't the only problem he had to deal with, the Uchiha clan was becoming more rebellious by the day. Peace talks were going know where. Danzo was pestering him to pressure the Uchiha and force them to submit to the will of the village.
He knew Danzo to well, to think that he wouldn't take advantage of the political turmoil. He would have to watch Danzo carefully.
With Naruto
Naruto left the Hokage's office and was now leaping on rooftops, making his way to his apartment. Thinking back to his conversation with the Hokage, he could tell he was disappointed with his failed attempt to get him to open up.
The Hokage knew practically nothing about him, and it would stay that way...for now at least.
Even though he didn't show it he respected the Hokage to a degree. To be more precise he respected the 'god of shinobi.' He respected the man who survived through three wars, and was student of the legendary Senju brothers.
The man's who's gaze could make even veteran shinobi flinch. Looking at him now...it was sad really. He was but a mere shell of his former self. He was not the same Hokage who would lead his people and not be swayed by pompous fools on the council. The man has lost his fire.
He actually used to be a lot closer to the Hokage before he meet Musashi. But now he couldn't deny his anger towards the Hokage for not being honest with him. He understood the Hokage's reason for not telling him of his family, but it made him angry that the man didn't trust him.
He didn't have to release his heritage to the entire village, just him. Did he think he wanted to know just to gain some respect or a sense of superiority? Did he think he was not competent enough to understand the consequences, if that information would get out?
What the Hokage didn't understand was that not knowing who brought you into this world and if they cared for you was like missing a part of your identity. Especially for those who are not easily accepted, and have no one left. And those who have no identity become lost in this world.
He didn't need to know to gain recognition no, he needed to know who he was for himself, so he could find peace. His uncle Musashi, understood this, and he was grateful for that. The Hokage kept him in the dark, so he would return the favor.
Was he being childish? He didn't think so...after all he knew one of a shinobi's greatest weapon was deception. Something's were best left in the dark.
When Musashi was alive he had advised him not to inform the Hokage about his presence because he could not be trusted. He agreed, he could have caved in, and informed the council, and they could have tried to keep Musashi, his family, away from him in fear that they might be corrupting their jinchuriki.
His mind drifted to what the next day would bring. He knew he was going to need patience to get through the academy. He would just have to endure it to become an official shinobi. It was just a mere obstacle in the path of his goal.
Next Day
Naruto trekked his way through the village towards the academy. He walked in a slow pace, he was in no rush and just wanted to enjoy the warm summer day. He wondered how to instructors would treat him once they recognized who he was. He doubted they would feel comfortable being near him.
But in all honesty it didn't really matter. After a few minutes of walking he finally reached the academy. He made his way inside the building and found the room number that he was written down on the piece of paper the Hokage had given him.
Naruto opened the door and quickly found everyone's eyes on him. He ignored the class for the moment, and laid his eyes on the oldest person in the room who was clearly the chunin instructor.
The man had brown hair tied in a pony tail, and dark eyes. He had a distinguishing scar across the bridge of his nose. He wore a standard Konoha vest.
Naruto walked up to the man and handed him the note the Hokage had given him. Iruka eyed Naruto curiously and silently wondered who he was, since his face was covered by his hood. Iruka took the note and silently read to himself.
His widen when he read Naruto's name, he looked up at Naruto. "The Hokage is assigning him to me?" he thought with a frown. He decided to cast those thought aside for now and put up a professional demeanor.
"Okay, well then, class it seems we have a new student," Iruka announced.
All the students ears perked up at this. Iruka turned towards Naruto and spoke "can you please remove your hood and introduce yourself to the class?" he requested.
Naruto sighed and reached up and removed his hood. The reaction instantaneously; whispering broke out amongst the class and curious looks were being sent his way. Most of the girls had blushes on their face, finding the blonde to be cute.
Naruto turned towards the class and spoke. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Hinata was seated in the middle of the room and had a large blush on her face.
"Its him from the park," she thought. She was surprised he was joining their class but also delighted.
Iruka waited for Naruto to continue thinking he wanted to say more, but Naruto remained silent, with an impassive look on his face.
Seeing this, Iruka decided to move this along. He coughed into his hand to get Naruto's attention.
"Naruto, you can get acquainted with your peers latter, for now go take a seat so we can begin," Iruka said.
Naruto nodded and scanned over the room looking for a seat. Some of the girls were trying to discreetly get his attention, motioning to empty seats next to them, though it came out more direct.
Naruto shrugged and made his way towards the closet available seat, which was next to Shikamaru and Choji. Choji noticed Naruto's approach and he was a little nervous for some reason. He whispered to Shikamauru.
"Hey Shikamauru, that new guy is coming over here. Do you think he's nice guy?" Choji asked slightly worried about Naruto's stoic demeanor.
Shikamaru had his eyes closed and his head laid on his desk. He opened one of his eyes and looked at his best friend lazily.
"I don't know Choji, most blondes are so troublesome," he replied, while glancing at Ino.
Naruto walked over and took the seat next to Shikamaru. He gave both Choji and Shikamaru a nod as a greeting. Shikamaru gave a nod in return and Choji muttered a small hello.
Sakura and Ino were looking at him intently with small blushes on their faces. They saw that he sat next to Shikamaru.
"I wouldn't mind if he sat next to me." Ino and Sakura both whispered at the same time. They looked at each other and glared.
"What did you say Ino pig!"
"Nothing, I like Sasuke! And besides, there's no way a cute boy like that will ever like a girl with such a huge forehead!" Ino yelled.
"Ha so you admit you think he's cute!" Sakura yelled pointing an accusing finger at Ino.
Ino blush and stuttered a bit.
"L-like you don't" she countered while looking at Naruto.
Sakura blushed. "I-I like Sasuke, and plus I could get any guy to fall for me easily!" Sakura yelled.
They were going to continue but a glare from Iruka shut them up.
"Alright, onto today's lesson! We're going to learn about the Shodai Hokage," Iruka announced.
As Iruka lectured the room began to quiet down, but Naruto still saw that there were a few people who still glanced at him. Shikamauru appeared to have fallen asleep, but Naruto noticed that he would occasionally opened his eyes and observe him from the corner of his eye, but he just ignored it.
Sasuke would occasionally give him curious looks.
Kiba looked at him slightly annoyed, most likely jealous of the looks the girls gave him.
Shino appeared stoic and you couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Iruka continued his lecture, giving a rundown of the accomplishments of the four Hokages. Naruto was already well educated in the village's history and his academics were impressive. Therefore he found Iruka's lectures uninteresting and useless.
Naruto sighed, he didn't have a choice he would have to put up it.
Thirty minutes of more lecture, and it was finally lunch time. Iruka ushered the students to the outside courtyard. Most of them sat in groups at the outside tables. Naruto though, decided that he preferred the silence and made his towards a tree in the shade.
Ino had asked him if he wanted to sit with them, but he declined much to her displeasure.
"Tch, does he think he's too good to sit with us!" Kiba yelled flailing his arms around.
"Huh, troublesome. Just let it go Kiba," Shikamauru said, although he too wondered why Naruto wanted to sit alone.
Hinata looked at Naruto sadly, she wanted him join them, but she was way too shy to ask him.
Naruto sat in silence enjoying his self made meal. He closed his eyes in contempt. He heard Ino and her friends chatting away. He had to admit part of did wonder what other kids his age talked about.
He never had any true interaction with others his age. Musashi had tried to get him to make friends with others his age but he always dodged around it. Was he afraid they would reject him? Possibly, but in truth it was mainly because he thought they wouldn't understand someone like him.
He sighed and contemplated taking Ino's offer, but he was way too comfortable sitting here in the shade. Suddenly an idea came to him. He crossed his fingers and made an unnoticed shadow clone. He decided to send his clone to go and see what he could find out about the others.
Naruto's clone approached the table getting the attention of the others.
"Ha, so you came back!" Kiba blurted out
Naruto looked at him for a moment
"Hm, I decided to take you up on that offer," Naruto said now looking at Ino.
Ino blushed a little at his gaze, but beamed at him happily
"Come sit here next to me Naruto-kun," she said taking his arm and sitting him down.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but let her take him to the seat.
"Why don't we introduce are ourselves to Naruto!" Ino said cheerfully.
"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered.
Ino glared at him
"Fine, I guess I'll go first. My name is Shikamaru Nara he said lazily.
"I'm, munch, Choji, munch, Akimichi," the large boy said.
"Oi, I'm Kiba Inuzuka, and I'm the best here!"
Naruto glanced at the Inuzuka, annoyed at his loud voice. Naruto heard a small voice speak up to his right
"I-I'm Hinata Hyuga," Hinata introduced with a stutter, a large blush on her cheeks.
Naruto merely nodded, already knowing who she was.
"Shino Aburame," Shino said stoically.
Aburame, Naruto figured as much given his strange attire.
"And I'm Ino Yamanka! Nice to meet you!" Ino said cheerfully.
Naruto nodded. He supposed he should say his name again, just to be polite.
"Naruto Uzuamki."
"Naruto huh? I haven't seen you before, do you hang out at the park?" Kiba asked.
"Park?" Naruto thought then shook his head.
"Huh, then where do go for fun?" Kiba asked.
Naruto shifted slightly, uncomfortably. He didn't know how to answer that question or rather didn't want to answer.
Luckily he was saved by Ino.
"Kiba stop pestering Naruto!" Ino shouted.
"What I just wanted to know where he hangs out?" Kiba retorted, and the two began to argue.
"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered.
Naruto tuned out their bickering and looked around the table. "You are all part of major clans." It was a statement not a question.
"Huh?" Kiba and Ino said, stopping their bickering and stared at Naruto along with the others.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
"Yea that's right...how did you know that," Choji muttered.
Naruto didn't answer, and thought "and most likely soon to be clan heirs...interesting."
Ino suddenly remembered something. "Wait, where's Sakura, she's usually here already."
Naruto ignored thinking about this Sakura, in favor of wondering where a certain raven haired boy, he saw the other day with Itachi, was. He thought he would be here.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shout from Choji.
"N-Naruto if your here then who's that!" he said pointing at a tree."
Everyone looked to where Choji was pointing and saw another Naruto sitting by the tree eating lunch.
A few of them gasped and look at Naruto.
"N-Naruto is that you" Ino asked.
Naruto's clone sighed "so they noticed the original me," he thought.
Naruto looked at their question looks and merely shrugged.
They sweat dropped at his nonchalant response.
Kiba growled and was about to shout but was interrupted by a new arrival
Everyone heard footsteps and turned around and looked surprised.
A boy with black hair and black eyes walked up to the table. He wore a blue high collared shirt and white shorts.
"Sasuke-kun!" Ino squealed.
Sasuke looked around at everyone at the table. He then looked between the two Naruto's
Naruto's clone stared back at him blankly, while the real Naruto merely rested against the tree with his eyes closed.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "This is no ordinary clone jutsu, there solid clones...," he said looking at the Naruto in front of him.
"Huh what do you mean Sasuke?" asked Ino.
Sasuke smirked and took out a kunai from his pocket. Naruto's clone narrowed his eyes.
"This kid can use an advanced clone justu already...he must be strong." Sasuke thought.
"So this must be the clone," Sasuke said. He then through the kunai at the clone.
The kunai pierced the clone through the chest, causing it to explode in a puff of smoke. The kunai continued to fly through the air towards the real Naruto, who was almost perfectly aligned with his former clone.
It was a impressive throw for an academy student. The kunai looping slightly through the air to hit the target perfectly.
The others gasped as they watched the kunai pierce Naruto's chest who still had his eyes closed.
"NARUTO! the rookies yelled.
Sasuke froze. He didn't actually expect the kunai to hit, he thought Naruto would dodge or block.
To everyone's surprise, Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Everyone was confused, that wasn't the real Naruto either?
Sasuke's eyes widen. "That was a clone to? Then where is-"
Sasuke suddenly felt cold steel on his neck. He slowly turned his head and looked into Naruto's cold blue eyes. He froze under the steely glare being sent his way.
"H-He got behind me? How? I didn't sense him?" Sasuke thought in shock.
"WOH, did you see him move?" asked Choji.
"He got the drop on Sasuke!" Kiba yelled.
"He's faster than before!" thought Hinata in amazement, remembering when Naruto helped her.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "This guys good, there's definitely more to him than it seems...troublesome." he thought.
Shino expression was hidden behind his coat, but his raised brow could be seen.
Ino's mouth was agape, she didn't think anyone in the academy could get the drop on Sasuke.
But no one was more shocked than Sasuke. He figured the blonde was skilled given his ability to make advanced clones, but not this good! And that fierce glare Naruto was giving him, he couldn't help but shiver.
Naruto stared into Sasuke's eyes, he could see the shock and slight fear in them. Once he saw the kunai leave Sasuke's hand, he replaced himself with another clone and moved on instinct.
Naruto removed the kunai from Sauske's neck and calmed himself. Being alone most of his life made him rely more on his instincts and fast reflexes. Sasuke wasn't a real threat, he was just testing him.
Sasuke felt Naruto remove the kunai and his body slightly relaxed.
Sasuke turned his body fully and faced Naruto. Naruto's glare disappeared replaced with a blank face.
Sasuke and Naruto both stared each other not a sound was heard.
Sasuke was starting to feel unnerved by the silence and Naruto's blank face and spoke up, "That was pretty good, you caught me off guard. You might even be good enough to become second best in the academy, after me of course," Sasuke said with a small smile.
Naruto eyed the dark haired boy curiously , there was definitely some cockiness in his tone, no doubt from his Uchiha pride, but that smile was genuine and held no distaste.
Naruto couldn't help but give a small smile, this Uchiha was to innocent.
"Is that so, Uchiha?" Naruto said.
Sasuke smirked, "so you know I'm an Uchiha, huh Uzumaki? The names Sasuke Uchiha."
Naruto observed him. "So this is the brother of Itachi." Naruto thought. He noticed that Sasuke definitely looked Itachi, but Itachi was totally different.
They heard giggling and whispering to their left, they turned their heads and saw a group of civilian female students.
"Did you see that, he was so cool!"
"Look Sasuke's talking to him! And he's smiling!"
Naruto shook his head.
Sasuke inwardly smirked thinking he could perhaps dump some of his fan girls onto Naruto; although there was also a part of him that was put off with the idea of Naruto stealing his spotlight.
It was true that he did find his fan girls annoying, but he did enjoy recognition; not that he would ever admit it.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke's smirked suddenly disappeared. He recognized that voice anywhere. His biggest fan girl. She was like a bad cold that you couldn't shake off.
"There you are Sasuke, I was looking for you!"
"Sakura? Ha, I should have known you were out chasing Sasuke around!" yelled Ino angrily.
Naruto looked at the newcomer. "So this Sakura" he thought. The first thing he noticed was how abnormally pink her hair was. He wondered if that was her naturally color. He also noticed how loud she was.
The look of annoyance on Sasuke's face told him that he didn't enjoy her presence at all.
"Huh, Naruto is here too?" Sakura said.
"Ha you missed how awesome Naruto was!" Ino said.
"What are you talking about?"
Sasuke growled in annoyance, not wanting to be reminded again of Naruto showing him up.
Naruto noticed some of the other students giving him odd stares, still remembering his little display.
Suddenly all conversation was brought to a halt when a chunin instructor, ordered everyone back into class.
The remainder of the school day consisted of more lectures from Iruka. Naruto was relieved when he heard the school bell, signaling the end of the school day.
The students ran out of the building and were greeted by their parents and siblings, who came to pick them up. Naruto watched on stoically, but inside his heart ached. He didn't actually need to be walked home, but being greeted by waiting loved ones was an precious feeling; he could see it in the eyes of the other kids.
He noticed some of the parents were looking at him with curious and surprised expressions. He guessed keeping mostly of out of public for a few years, caused some of the villagers to not recognize him. But there were still some who did recognize him if the glares were anything to go by.
It didn't matter to him, these people's opinion held no ground.
Naruto was surprised when he saw Itachi appear, and approach Sasuke. He figured Sasuke must be closer to his brother then his parents, given that it was Itachi who had come to get him.
Sasuke leaned by a fence with his hands in his pocket as he silently waited for his brother. He spotted Itachi and smiled.
"Nii-san!"
"Hello Sasuke, how was school today?" Itachi asked.
Sasuke paused for a moment. "I-It was alright," he replied.
Itachi raised an eyebrow. He knew Sasuke had something on his mind, but he would wait for Sasuke to bring it up.
Itachi looked over all the other students. He wished Sasuke would make a better effort in trying to make friends. He noticed his little brother had a hard time connecting with others. He didn't want fathers superiority complex to rub off on his little brother.
Itachi's eyes landed on Naruto and he gave a small smile. Naruto nodded back. Sasuke noticed gesture and was surprised.
"Nii-san, do you know him?" Sasuke asked. He was confused how could Itachi know Naruto?
Itachi merely stared at Sasuke. Sasuke was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer but then he spoke up.
"Sasuke, you should try to be friends with him...it would benefit you both." Itachi replied.
Sasuke frowned. That didn't answer his question. Naruto manage to get the attention of even his brother. Just who was this blonde haired kid? And why would Itachi want him to be friends with him?
"Why would I want to do that?" Sasuke asked.
Itachi smiled and poked Sasuke's forehead. "That little brother, you will have figure out on your own.
Sasuke huffed, he hated when his brother poked his forehead. And he hated when he said stuff like that. Why couldn't he just tell him!
"Come on Sasuke lets go, you don't want to keep mother waiting do you?" Itachi said.
Sasuke gave Naruto one more glance before following Itachi home.
Itachi knew Naruto was mature for his age, but like Sasuke, he was also not very social with others. Itachi didn't want Naruto to grow fast like he did. He wanted Naruto to be like the other students, but he knew that was unlikely.
He didn't know how Naruto felt about Sasuke, being an Uchiha, but he hoped that they would discover similarities between each other and form a bond.
Sasuke needed bonds like this to keep from following in their father's footsteps. And Naruto needed to learn to trust others or he would lose himself.
As they walked Sasuke was deep in his own thoughts as well. He couldn't stop thinking about being bested by the blond enigma. Was he stronger than Naruto or was he just lying to himself. He wanted to be as strong as his brother. He wanted his father to recognize his strength to. He was an Uchiha he had to be the best, father always taught him that.
Itachi and Sasuke were greeted by their fellow clansman as they entered the compound.
"Sasuke go get ready for dinner, were eating earlier today," said Itachi.
Sasuke nodded and left to get ready.
A few minutes later the Uchiha family were all at the table eating dinner. They ate in silence enjoying the quietness. Mikoto though noticed that Sasuke was more quite than usually and had a thoughtfully look on his face.
Surprisingly it was Fugaku who spoke up, he apparently also noticed Sasuke's mood.
"Sasuke what's the matter?" he asked in a gruff voice.
Sasuke was quiet for a moment. Mikoto looked at her son worriedly, before he finally spoke.
"Tou-san, Kaa-chan-Nii-san; I want to up my training, I need to get stronger!"
Mikoto looked surprised, while Itachi seemed to expect Sasuke to say that.
"Oh, why the sudden determination to get stronger?" asked Fugaku curiously.
Sasuke knew his parents could tell when he was lying, so he hesitantly told them the truth.
"The new student in school, he's skilled. He can already use advanced clone jutsu and I-I don't want to fall behind..."
Itachi instantly knew who Sasuke was talking about, and guessed Sasuke must have been egging Naruto on, making him reveal some of his skills.
Mikoto was surprised, and wondered who this new student was that could cause Sasuke to be like this.
Fugaku was confused, a new student that could possibly be stronger than his son? Now Sasuke was no Itachi, but he was still an Uchiha therefore expected to be top of the class. Who could this person be?
"Tell me son, what is the name of this new student" Fugaku asked, irritated.
"Naruto Uzumaki"
Mikoto's eyes widen in shock, she recognized him as Kushina's son. "So the Hokage put him in the academy" she thought.
Fugaku's eyes also widen in shock.
"him" he thought.
Fugaku suddenly stood up from his seat and started to walk out of the room.
"I just remembered an important matter I must attend to, carry on without me" Fugaku said without looking back.
This caused both Itachi and Mikoto to narrow their eyes, while Sasuke just looked confused.
"What could he be up to" they both thought."
END
I start to break more into plot next chapter.
Till next time.