I do not own Naruto. I do own a Bob Marley bobblehead.
"Alright, well first things first."
Standing in a alley next to the building he was about to enter to buy some new supplies, Naruto frowned considering he would be a customer of one of the assholes who had shunned him. He probably could manage to sneak in later and steal the items without being caught, but the blonde absolutely hated thievery with a passion. Then again, the damned villagers had been thieves in their own right for overcharging him for so long, but he would never stoop to their level. Besides, with the hidden Anbu tailing him he figured it would be too risky anyway. After quickly counting the 700+ ryo he had within gama chan his frog wallet, Naruto scanned the area to make sure no one was looking and decided to try using a half seal to transform instead of the traditional two handed method. It actually proved to be a little difficult it after a few attempts he smiled in contentment at his new appearance. He had turned into a beautiful red haired woman resembling his late mother Kushina who had short hair that fanned out and dark purple eyes. His grandfather had transformed during their day together to show Naruto different Uzumaki members he was very close to, and Naruto never wanted to forget how his mother looked after finally seeing her with his own eyes.
As he walked around the corner and into the shinobi General supplies store, the young man at the counter lifted up his head upon hearing the door bell jingle and his eyes instantly widened. This had to be one of the most gorgeous women in earth in front of him, and stuttering out a greeting with a large blush he offered to help the redhead find whatever she needed. Disgusted but still flashing a false smile at the pathetic guy, Naruto declined his offer and began browsing as the man never stopped staring with drool escaping his slightly open mouth. Seeing this Naruto began thinking maybe he could turn this infatuation to his advantage, and he quickly made his way to back of the store where weapons and clothing were taking in everything he saw and comparing prices. He had learned how to budget his limited income a long time ago, and he would surely be stretching his ryo as far as they could go to suit his needs. Frowning at the lack of orange of any shade, he decided to keep it as simple as possible for the moment and quickly grabbed some black shinobi pants with white bandages that were pretty common in the leaf. He also found a cool black gi too with a large white spiral on the back that was pretty nice. He also found some black shinobi sandals that went high up along the ankles with interlacing black straps that increased functionality. Also getting some new black socks and a shuriken holster, he finally managed to score something with orange even though it was minimal. It was a large black cloak similar to the one the masked had worn, but the inner fabric was dark orange in color instead of purple. It also reminded him of Ashina because of the sleeves that would conceal his hands, and deciding that he had found what he needed he approached the weapons and skimmed the inventory.
He didn't hesitate to grab a new shuriken set since they were easier for him to throw then kunai, and he also got a large fuuma shuriken thinking it would look cool on his back and maybe even offer a little protection. He didn't really know how to use it at all, but whatever. He was still Naruto Uzumaki after all, and looking cool still mattered very much to him, along with standing out. Seeing a large assortment of swords to choose from, Naruto found something quite interesting that was cheaper than a sword set yet very fascinating. There was a low quality double edged blade that at first appeared to be a circular section of bamboo. However, if you looked closely you would find that there was a line in the center of it, and instead of being a single blade it was in fact two swords that were sheathed inside of each other's hilts. It would definitely be a surprising weapon to use, as he could trick his opponent into thinking he either had a stick or only one weapon at the very least.
The blonde also got some ninja wire and a nice calligraphy set in a oak box, and plenty of scrolls to practice like his grandfather had told him to do. He would need perfect handwriting before being able to perform any written seals, and he would be focusing on that primarily before he finally journeyed to whirlpool country. Finishing his shopping, he made his way to the check out counter to pay for his items with a fake flirtatious smile that made the awestruck clerk get very nervous.
"Umm, excuse me handsome, but since I'm a new customer and I have so many things I was wondering if you could give me a discount maybe." Naruto said cutely causing the dumbfounded bastard to blush and stupidly nod his head.
"Sucker." The disguised blonde thought inwardly smirking at the forty percent discount he scored, along with the purchase being tax free. After having his items bagged he smiled and said he'd see the man around, ignoring the thirsty guy who had tried to ask him out with disgust. Dudes were generally just suckers for ass and tits, and despite loving the female form himself Naruto still had an intense dislike for perverts. Exiting the shop the boy swiftly took to the rooftops while dropping the transformation happy that he only had spent around 250 ryo. Now he just had to go to the library and get a book about birds to find out what he was doing wrong with his owl jutsu, but first he wanted to go home and change. He was hungry too, and an hour later he was in his new gear after taking a short shower and eating some pork instant ramen. He thought he finally looked like a real ninja, and he decided to keep his hood down and his cloak open to expose the orange that was inside of it. His swords had come with rayskin straps and he kept it in the small of his back inside of the cloak, concealing it for the most part.
He quickly made it to the Konoha library without anyone noticing him in the darkening evening light, and pausing outside of the double doors it almost appeared as if he was standing at the gates to hell. That's how much he disliked the library, as it reminded him of all the times he was ridiculed for his slow reading in the academy. Taking a large calming breath he then transformed himself again taking on the appearance of his great grandfather Ashina. He just wanted to get in and get out as soon as possible, and placing his hands together in front of him in Ashinas dignified manner he entered gracefully looking serious and confident. The librarian at the check out counter greeted him respectfully as he frowned internally at her different response than before. While he was relieved his plan was working out, he had met this woman before and she had been far from polite, but regardless he was here on business.
"Can you help me in finding a book on different birds?"
"Yes sir, if you go down that aisle there you'll find books on many species of animals, and it should be easy to find. I could come with you if you like."
"No thank you, I'll be fine." Naruto replied already striding toward the information he needed.
As he crossed the library however Naruto looked around wondering what else could he find within its confines, and his eyes nearly popped out upon seeing that there was actually a shinobi section for chunin ranked ninja that was relatively unguarded. There was a single shinobi standing guard and he looked to be quite bored, and realising his opportunity Naruto ducked off into a deserted aisle behind a tall book shelf.
"No.. Way!" He thought growing excited at the possibilities.
He was all business as he focused with all his might and placed his hands in the ram seal, readying a shadow clone jutsu devoid of noise and smoke. He was nearly successful as a doppelganger faded into existence with little noise and smoke, and although a little sound was made no one seemed to notice. There weren't many others in the library anyway, and the other people he had seen were all too busy studying or searching to notice him. Coming up with a plan that he was confident would work, Naruto handed his clone a sealing scroll he had bought earlier and sent it to the chunin while he himself searched for the bird book.
It didn't take long at all to find, and as he heard the sound of something hitting the ground hard he smirked at his ingenuity. The clone had used his recently perfected sexy jutsu to knock the chunin unconscious in a spray of blood that shot from his nostrils, and Naruto decided to go and check out his book while the clone got whatever it could get. While he was against stealing, maybe he would bring the items back later, and it wasn't as if he was hurting someone by taking them. He needed to get stronger if he was to make Ashina proud and defeat Sasuke Uchiha to win Sakuras heart. Thinking about It Naruto decided to ask for a dictionary as well, as he knew he'd probably need it. A book on plants and make swords came to his mind, since Ashina said to truly understand the sword you needed to learn to create one." Always seek to create, not to destroy." The Uzukage he told him showing his wisdom. Naruto already missed the man very much and looked forward to visiting the temple again to try and see him. Getting a book on herbs, poisons, and plant cultivation on top of the bird book and the swordsmithing ones he had, he finished and swiftly exited the library without a word. Heading straight to his apartment as fast as he could, the Uzumaki entered dropping his transformation and creating shadow clones while he waited for to see what he got. Telling them to start studying, he began doing pushups and sit ups for a while until creating a clone to practice arm trapping with. Doing the chi sao and lop sao exercises from Wing Chun for about thirty minutes the clone finally returned with a Shit eating grin that only promised the good stuff. As it poofed away in a small plume of smoke Naruto adopted the same smile once he processed the memories and his hands suddenly found themselves in the ram seal.
He now had scrolls containing the shunshin, underground fish technique, force lightning jutsu( think star wars), wind palm jutsu, the fire style phoenix flower, and the water encampment wall technique. He also had a book on advanced chakra control, basic and intermediate sealing, and advanced shuriken jutsu. Then there was an elemental chakra trading guide, genjutsu theory book, and a book on a taijutsu style called Muay Boran. The picture on the front of it had grabbed his attention instantly, as it showed a warrior jumping off of a man's knee while elbowing him in the head and knee striking him simultaneously. It looked like it was powerful and direct in application, and so it appealed more to the blonde than the academy style. Lastly he got a text on Konoha history and a map of the elemental nations. Now he was set and he knew it, all he had to do make as many clones as possible to study and he'd listen to Ashina who told him write down everything he learned to give to his other clones to learn better and faster. It made perfect sense to Naruto, as he would remember everything better while multiplying the reading material he had.
Everything was set in motion as his clones got to work and he left to go to a training ground and learn the jutsu. He wouldn't waste any time at all, and the boy was looking to push his shadow clone jutsu to the limit around the clock. Since he could even get better while he slept they were truly a gift from kami and he'd push that advantage. It didn't even take him an hour to find an empty ground and began by channeling as much chakra as he could at once and create 100+ clones to split up and learn the jutsu. He himself would be practicing the taijutsu style he had started developing from facing Itachi so many times along with his shadow clones. Naruto had been killed hundreds of times in combat already and now he understood something that Ashina had informed him of. It was better to imagine losing in multiple ways and dying during training in order to strengthen the mind.
It meant that he'd acknowledge his faults while training and add some realism to the possibility of his defeat, which wasn't to be mistaken with lack of confidence. But not fearing death and knowing what it was would make you able to free your mind from worry and fear. It would even increase spiritual energy and willpower, along with meditation which Naruto do himself before he practiced Wing Chun. After sitting still only 20 minutes he could take no more, and the energetic blonde trained well into the night showing complete devotion in improving himself.
~The Next Day Midnight~
Thrashing around in his bed after a long day of training since he admittedly cut class, Naruto was again dreaming about his encounter with Itachi in vivid detail. As the murderer approached him for what could have been the thousandth time with a tanto in hand, Naruto burst into a side kick while using a single handed seal combining his ninjutsu and taijutsu. He had learned the move from Itachi himself after seeing the man decimate the clones the blond was allowed to create within his world. Nothing would work against his impressive speed and reflexive ability, but Naruto had indeed begun learning from experience and clever imitation of the unique sighting style he used. The main things Naruto saw were the side kick which were used simultaneously with kunai strikes from many angles at once, the shoulder grabs which Itachi would use to flip over an opponent and throw him away or cut his throat, and the usage of shadow clones that faded into existence while in the middle of attacking. The Uzumaki had begun combining these tactics while trying and failing to defeat Itachi, and he had slowly been improving after more and more deaths. Itachi had seen this after a while and had even commended him, all though after that praise he was only belittled by the killer. Naruto was repeatedly told of his lack of skill and inferiority which Itachi would then show him by countering everything he tried effortlessly. He had never felt so helpless his entire life, but he still held his determination which couldn't be shaken by the Uchiha prodigy no matter what. Naruto had had his eyes gouged out, his throat cut and ripped out, his ribcage destroyed by brutal slams and powerful kicks, his armpits and wrists cut after swift counters to his straightforward punching, and his guts spilled on the ground during some particular slow deaths. Itachi was merciless, and Naruto did in fact learn what shinobi was.
Be a ninja meant the possibility of an early death, and Naruto didn't want to die. That's why he'd get stronger as quickly as possible, and had only sent a clone to the academy instead of attending it himself. Nothing of interest really happened, but his clone had defended Sakura when some other Sasuke fangirls called her forehead large. One of the girls had happened to be Ino Yamanaka who hardened recognized him at first, but She was surprised to see the new Naruto after seeing that horrendous jumpsuit for so long, and despite her crush in Sasuke she did admit to herself that the boy looked good now. After a large commotion Naruto's clone was dispelled by the abusive subhuman creatures that were fangirls, but not before getting the satisfaction of seeing Sakuras thankful expression along with her confidence rise because of his compliments. After sending another clone to the academy and being reprimanded for being late, the rest of the day was rather uneventful save for Hinata Hyuga staring at him and eventually fainting after he sat next to her. She was really weird to the boy and her shyness was kind of a turn off to him, but he had to say that she was beautiful when she wasn't sick like that. Her face would always get red and she'd pass out, and Naruto didn't know what sort of illness did that but it must of sucked. Since Sasuke Uchiha hadn't shown up that day Naruto had gotten to talk to Sakura chan some more, and after a long day he finally just vanished at the end of class when he bid her farewell. He had succeeded in impressing the pink haired girl with his stunt, and he looked forward to seeing her reaction the next day.
As his unpleasant dream changed from fighting Itachi to kissing Sakura, Naruto rolled over and hours passed until he was awoken by the blaring sound if his alarm clock. The sound had always annoyed him to no end, but this time was different, and he quickly got up and performed his morning hygienic activities. After finishing and preparing ramen and fried eggs, Naruto scarfed the breakfast down and roof jumped his way to the academy, not feeling like wasting his chakra with shunshin. The boy was still worn from using so many clones at once, but at least he had managed the shunshin and wind palm jutsu after a full days training. While he was learning using the two handed seals, he looked forward to using half seals with all of his techniques eventually. He theorized it would allow him to use multiple ninjutsu at once, and perhaps ninjutsu and genjutsu simultaneously.
Arriving in class after a few minutes the blonde saw that he was one of first to show up, the others being Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame, who Naruto knew next to nothing about. After receiving a head nod from the silent boy and being surprised by the gesture, Naruto decided to strike up conversation and said." Hey it's Shino right? Why'd you decide to be a ninja if you don't mind me asking?"
The stoic boy replied in a monotone voice." Why? Because I am the heir if the Aburame clan and as the future leader if my family it is my duty. Why do you ask Uzumaki San?"
Nodding his head Naruto answered saying." Was just curious, and I'm looking for a sparring partner since I've started learning a new taijutsu style. You wanna train later, and just call me Naruto by the way."
The Aburame heir just looked at Naruto a moment and nodded his head replying just as other students arrived." A new style you say. I am intrigued, and based upon your changed appearance and attitude I must admit I would like to see what you're truly capable of. Just don't waste my time if you're not serious."
Beaming at the bug user Naruto was about to say something when he heard an angry outburst from the classroom door.
"You!" Yelled the raven haired boy who was Naruto's one and only rival." What were you doing in the Uchiha compound with those men!?"
Sasuke was almost instantly in front of Naruto who had risen from his desk because of the blatant hostility and anger that the Uchiha radiated. The blonde wasted no time in answering as more and more students arrived as well and took notice of the interesting situation unfolding." I was I just passing by when I was attacked by one of those assholes after I found a dead body. I fought him until he brought me to the house you ran into. He tried to kill the girl but I protected her. Then you showed up."
Sasukes anger slowly began to fade as confusion replaced it and he questioned Naruto saying." Where is she!? I haven't seen her around at all!"
Naruto looked very upset and frowned deeply saying." I...Don't know. I was knocked out right after you were, what happened!?"
The Uchiha heirs face contorted in rage as he spat." My traitor of a brother happened, and I'll avenge my clan if it's the last thing I do. He has to die."
"Yeah well you better kill him before I do cause if I get my hands on that bastard he's finished for what he did to me!"
"Sasuke looked extremely surprised and instantly said." What do you mean!?"
The entire class listened closely as Naruto explained further saying." I'm not gonna go into detail, but let's just say I know what it feels like to die. Thousands of times. That sick bastard needs a taste if his own Shit, so you better get strong enough to annihilate him or I'll do it for you!"
Sasukes eyes widened in recognition knowing that Naruto was talking about the Tsukuyomi genjutsu, and eventually his eyes darkened and he coldly told the blonde." Hn. As if a weakling like you could achieve my ambition. Only an Uchiha can hope to defeat Itachi, and as the last of my clan I will be the one to strike him down."
Getting angry because of being dismissed as a weakling Naruto challenged." Tch...If I'm so weak why don't you prove it prick! Fight me during the spars today and I'll teach you to never underestimate me again!"
Even Shino Aburame looked surprised and Sasuke did as well before quickly composing himself and declaring." We'll see. I'll show you what strength is, and then you'll understand why Uchiha is elite."
The entire class burst out in many different conversations about the upcoming fight and many in the class had already written Naruto off knowing he was destined to lose. They also began talking about the Uchiha massacre a though those discussions were a lot quieter out of respect for Sasuke who sat silently with an ever present scowl. He didn't even try to appear polite to his fan club that vied for his affection, and even though he was callous the fangirls just seemed to get even more obsessive. Sakura was amongst the group, although she was actually one of the two distinguished groupies that displayed some talent. Ino Yamanaka was the other, and the two of them bickered with each other as well as the other banshee like creatures that fawned over the Uchiha.
Sakura did greet Naruto while beaming after she had arrived, and she tried to tell him that Sasuke was too strong and might hurt him as she was worried. This only served to infuriate Naruto, but he didn't lash out or even display his anger at Sakuras words. Instead he just asked her how she liked his disappearing act yesterday, and she then remembered and became very curious about it. Naruto was overjoyed at receiving the attention, and wanting to keep her interested he teased her but never told her how he did it saying a magician never reveals his secrets. It actually was working at first but then Sakura got sucked into the Uchiha subject like everyone else and then their sensei Iruka started class preventing him from talking some more. After a few long hours in which Naruto actually tried paying attention for once, the moment of truth finally came and spars began after the class went outside. Sasuke instantly demanded to be allowed to fight Naruto as the first match, and smirking thinking the demon brat would get a decent thrashing Mizuki agreed smiling.
Jumping to the large square platform that was their stage, Naruto had a determined look that was returned with a equally determined Sasukes focused form. The intensity was palpable as sparks seemed to fly from their eyes as they squared off facing each other, and Kiba Inuzuka tried to get someone to take a bet with only one surprising kunoichi betting on Naruto. The boy was momentarily stunned when Hinata Hyuga off all people actually placed ryo on the Uzumaki after stuttering shyly. Deciding he'd talk to her later Naruto refocused just before Mizuki initiated the battle with a drop if his hand and a Hajime.
Already in the wing Chun stance by standing normally with his arms extended in a triangular shape with his open hands pointing Sasukes face, many were surprised at how the spar quickly escalated. Sasuke rushed Naruto without warning jumping into a crescent kick looking to end him in one blow, and Naruto only barely managed to block although he was still sent tumbling.
"Is that all you have loser!? Pshh, weak."
Naruto was instantly back on his feet as Hinata gaseous in worry and Sakura cringed. Entering his stance again, this time Naruto took the initiative and ran toward Sasuke who readied himself and deflected the low side kick Naruto launched. Sending a low roundhouse that made Naruto's knees buckle, the Uchiha was surprised when the blonde continued forward through the attack and hit him five times in rapid succession using the chain punch technique. The straightforward attack was disrupted by a vicious hook that wrapped over the short straight punches, and Naruto staggered away as Sasuke burst forward angry at getting hit in his face after one of Naruto's punched went through his guard and hit his chin. Naruto realizing Sasuke was coming at the last second launched multiple straight punches again trying to keep him away, but Sasuke sidestepped and uppercutted his ribcage strongly. Naruto winced from the blow but in his desperation he used a technique from Muay Chaiya that he remembered from his studies, and grabbing his opponents neck he tried to knee the Uchiha in his gut in retaliation. Sasuke although somewhat surprised suppressed the attack with open hands that pushed the knees down and he elbowed Naruto's arm causing him to let go. Then sending a doublekick to the boy's chest he did a one handed cartwheel causing many of the girls to gasp in admiration. While Naruto had definitely gotten better, he just didn't stand a chance against their Sasuke kun. Or so they all thought.
Rising from the ground again looking at Sasuke confidently even if respecting his skill, he baited the Uchiha declaring." You're good, but you're no Itachi teme!"
The Uchiha roared in rage and rushed forward recklessly, and Naruto was forced to roll out if the way of the way of the jumping kick punch combination that he angrily assaulted him with. The boys attacks had gotten faster and more ferocious, but they had also now had holes that could be taken advantage of. As Sasuke rounded and sprung into an overextended straight punch that would of knocked Naruto out had it landed, the blonde surprised everyone present with the maneuver he learned form Itachi. Sidestepping the blow by a fraction of an inch Naruto grabbed his shoulder and front flipped as strongly as he could, and as he planted his feet he threw Sasuke away causing his back and shoulder to hit the ground hard before he tumbled. Everyone's jaws dropped to the ground as Naruto stood waiting with his hands at his side's standing like Itachi would in battle. Naruto had learned that the neutral stance was very dangerous since it didn't really give away anything about how you fought, and while he was doing it somewhat unintentionally it still felt more natural than taking a stance.
Sasuke leapt back to his feet as Iruka decided to intervene, but the scarred chunin teacher was forced to evade the large fireball that seemed to accentuate the hatred Sasukes red eyes displayed. The attack was heading directly toward Naruto, and creating a clone with a half seal shocking everyone the boy jumped off it back high into the air performing a front flip while going through handseals. The blonde didn't know how he was doing it all so naturally, but everything seems to flow as he thrust his hand out sending a gust of wind at the Uchiha who was pushed back off of the stage hitting the ground hard as Mizuki intervened restraining Naruto and reprimanding him.
Iruka was livid and thoroughly expressed his anger with Sasuke who was recovering from the attack, but the raven haired boy only seemed to see Naruto at the moment who was glaring at him just as dangerously. The entire class was in awe at what they had just seen, as that had been the most advanced fight they had seen in their short lives. As Iruka led a protesting Uchiha heir away from everyone to tell him off, everyone heard Sasukes cold tone of voice as he stated." This isn't over, Naruto!"
"I know it's not, Dattebayo!"