Alrighty! I do not own Naruto at all! All rights and regulations do go to Masashi Kishimoto! Azuna does belong to me however! Ok now to write this fan fiction I did use the episodes and I used all of the actual sentences said from the anime so all of those rights again go to the producers, Madman Entertainment and of course the beautiful voice actors and everyone on the crew. Thanks guys... hope you like it!
Chapter Two: Enter Azuna Momochi! Part Two:
The next day Iruka and Azuna made their way to the academy and Azuna was getting more excited by the second. I may get to graduate! Azuna thought happily. And I will become a ninja worthy to be called Nozomi's sister!
Azuna had to wait in the hallway for a while with the other students before they could go into the classroom and many people were telling each other good luck and Azuna thought that she should do the same. She turned to the person on her left, which happened to be the very bored looking Sasuke and Azuna smiled at him.
"Good luck to you." She said quietly to him before they were all called into the classroom. Naruto came in behind Azuna and they sat together as Iruka stood upfront.
"We will now start the final exam." He said loudly. "When your name is called proceeded to the testing room. The final test will be on the clone Jutsu."
Naruto beside Azuna had a small freak out about this. That's my worst technique! Great! I'm never gonna pass! He thought negatively while Azuna was somewhat glad about there being a clone test, as she was quite good at it.
Names were called one after the other including Sakura and Sasuke and then finally before Naruto Azuna was called. She made her way nervously to the testing room and stood in front of Sensei's Iruka and Mizuki. Azuna performed every test they threw at her perfectly and only had the final test to go, her clone Jutsu.
Azuna held her hands in the right position and concentrated really hard on making at least three clones of herself. She shut her eyes tight and when she opened them she saw at least fifteen perfect replicas of herself.
Both of the Sensei's looked really proud and Iruka handed Azuna her leaf headband and she tied it on the top of her head like a hair band and walked out of the room with a smile on her face. She made her way outside with the rest of class to wait for Naruto. She wished that he passed, she really believed that one day he could become Hokage, he just had to want it bad enough.
Azuna scanned the crowd to look and see who passed and Sasuke stood leaning against the wall his headband tied on his head how most of the ninja wore them – on his forehead - and Sakura was there to her headband tied the exact same way as hers. When her eyes meet Azuna's, she did not look happy.
It was twice now that Azuna had tried to 'flirt' with Sasuke and Sakura could not believe that Azuna had passed since she had only been her about three days. She stomped her way of Azuna and glared at her. Azuna looked confused and took a step back away from Sakura not understanding what she did wrong.
"How did you even pass?" Sakura asked Azuna meanly, intensifying her glare.
"They let me do all the tests in one." Azuna said quietly her eyes growing worried.
"They can't have possibly let you do that! You cannot be a ninja!" She yelled tearing the headband off Azuna's head after Azuna did everything she could to protect it and threw it as hard as she could into the forest. That was for Sasuke. Sakura thought evilly.
Azuna gazed sadly after her headband and after a minute of holding back tears Azuna pushed forward to find her headband, but not before she turned around and gave Sakura a miserable stare. "What did I ever do to you?" She asked Sakura sadly. Before Sakura could respond Azuna started looking in the bushes for her headband.
Why would Sakura do that? Did she somehow find out Azuna was from the Village Hidden in the Mist? Did she not trust her? Azuna didn't know what she did to ever deserve that but she just pushed on forward searching for her headband. She was doing this for Nozomi; she would avenge with death and make him proud. Azuna had to keep his memory alive.
Meanwhile Naruto stood forward determined to prove that he was good, and he was going to pass and become a ninja. Alright get it together Naruto you can do this. Believe it! He thought to himself. He held his hands in the right position and focused as the blue chakra swirled around him.
"Clone Jutsu!" He shouted and from beside him appeared one pathetic dead looking Naruto clone.
Iruka's eyebrows twitched with annoyance as he shouted at Naruto. "YOU FAIL!"
"Iruka Sensei." Mizuki Sensei said. "He's off but his moves weren't bad and he did hang in there and replicate. This is his third try so you know he really wants to become a ninja. We could cut him a break and pass him."
Naruto's face lit up as he stared at Mizuki with awe.
"Mizuki Sensei. The other students created at least three effective replications. But Naruto could only create one, and look at it, it's pitiful. I can't pass him."
Naruto groaned and stomped out of the classroom. Angry and upset about how much Iruka picked on him. One day he would become a ninja. One day Naruto would pass.
Azuna had looked through her seventh bush and she still couldn't find her headband. She sighed sadly and bowed her head feeling completely useless without it. I don't know what I did wrong. Azuna thought sadly.
From behind her Azuna heard footsteps and she whipped around and came face to face with Sasuke who held her headband in his hands. "Are you looking for this?" He said in a mysterious voice.
Azuna looked down at his hands and took the headband from him and nodded. "Yes, thank you Sasuke." She whispered as she tied it on her head the way she had before.
"Don't worry about Sakura; she's not always that mean."
"I know she's probably not, it just seems like I did something really bad to her and I can't think of what I could have done." Azuna said sadly, but she then looked up grinning at Sasuke. "But it's all ok, I have my headband back and that's all that matters, I'll see you around Sasuke." She said before she walked past him further into the forest.
As Azuna turned around she let her smile fall. She was truly happy that she got her headband back but she still couldn't find a reason to really smile. Azuna didn't feel that she would be smiling properly for a long time.
"Bye." Sasuke said softly as he watched Azuna walk further into the forest. He knew that smile all too well. She was faking it. Something was definitely wrong with her – she was really sad and upset inside.
Sasuke could hear her singing sadly as birds flew to her. She twirled once and her eyes met his. She flashed him that smile once more before she turned back around and started singing again as she danced into the forest. Whatever was wrong wasn't his business. Sasuke didn't see her as a threat anymore. She was just a sad little girl.
As she disappeared from his sight Sasuke turned around and headed back into the village. From the corners of his eyes he could see people – girls – watching him, Sakura among them, but he didn't really care. He could also see Naruto sitting alone on the swing, without a headband, that was not surprising to Sasuke. He thought Naruto was a loser anyway.
Naruto felt useless as he sat on the swing alone. He was the only one who didn't pass and Azuna was nowhere to be seen. He heard people talking about him but he didn't care. He just readjusted the goggles on his head and sat alone. Then, next to him someone appeared. Naruto turned to see Mizuki Sensei, the one who stood up for him standing there smiling at him.
"Iruka." Hiruzan the third Hokage said. "There is something we need to talk about." He said mysteriously as the two stood and watch Naruto take off with Mizuki somewhere.
As the sun went down Mizuki and Naruto sat on an open porch somewhere high off the ground and gazed out into the sunset, Naruto was still upset and sat there brooding and angry. "Iruka Sensei is tough but he's not against you." Mizuki said with a smile.
"Then why? Why only me?" Naruto complained shaking his head.
"He wants you to be strong with all his heart but that will never happen if he goes easy on you. He's like you, you know, no parents, and no family."
"But, this time I really wanted to graduate." Naruto said sadly.
Mizuki laughed and gazed over a Naruto. "Then I guess I have to tell you."
"Huh?"
"It's a secret, but I'm gonna let you in on it."
A secret? Naruto thought to himself. What just could Mizuki Sensei have to say to him? What secret did he want to share with him?
Meanwhile, Azuna was out in the forest by the lake practicing her Water Release Jutsu's, the ones her father had taught her long ago.
Azuna, at five years of age, stood ankle deep in the ocean next to her father who was hovering, walking on the water.
"Azuna, concentrate hard, focus on your chakra and fold your hands in the right position." Zabuza, her father told her.
Azuna did as she was told and closed her eyes focusing on her chakra to create a water clone. "Water Clone Jutsu!" She shouted. She heard her father laughing while she was still concentrating and she was sure that nothing happened so when she opened her eyes, she fell over in shock.
There were at least thirty clones of herself standing in the water before her. Zabuza lifted his daughter up as she gazed out in to the ocean amazed with herself.
"Well done Azuna, well done." He said approvingly as Azuna pushed the long blue strands of her hair out of her face.
"I did all that?" She asked gazing up at her father in awe.
"Yes, my darling you did."
Azuna thought back to when she saw her father kill her brother. What had Nozomi done to deserve being killed by his own father? She remembered one of the happiest days she had with Nozomi, the day she turned nine and he being much older than her at fourteen took her to her favourite places in the village, before he had to go on a mission with his squad. It had been the best day she had had in years.
"Nozomi you'll never catch me!" Azuna laughed in a singsong voice to her brother. They were chasing each other around the village and of course Nozomi was letting his little sister win.
"Just you wait sister! I'm coming to get you!" He laughed back and he sprinted forward scooping her up into his arms as she giggled. "Gah I got you!"
Nozomi tickled his sister who sent her into a fit of giggles and tumbling out of his arms onto the floor where he tickled her even more.
"No Nozomi you have to stop!" She said between giggles. "Nozomi!" She cried full of laughter.
"Ok, ok you win little sister you win." He said sitting up.
"Yay!"
"I love you Azuna." He laughed.
"I love you to Nozomi." She said grinning.
Azuna shook away the memory and threw the stones next to her into the river as silent tears slid down her face. "Nozomi." She whimpered falling to her knees. "Oh Nozomi."
In the meantime back at Iruka's house, the conversation that he had with the Lord Hokage was running though his mind. "Iruka." Lord Hokage said.
"What is it, Lord Hokage?" Iruka responded eagerly.
"I know how you feel; you grew up just like Naruto, without knowing the love of a mother and father, the warmth of a family."
Iruka thought back to the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox and how he wanted to fight but he was dragged away and how his parents were killed in that attack. There was a loud knock of the door awaking Iruka forcing him outside.
"What? What is it?" Iruka asked opening the door to discover a frantic Mizuki standing there.
"You need to come to Lord Hokage's right away! Its Naruto, he stole the sacred scroll!" Mizuki said panicked.
"You mean the scroll of sealing no!" Iruka shouted.
Naruto sat in the forest with the scroll. It was nightfall and he opened up the scroll to see what he could learn. "Let's see, the first one is: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Ah not this again it's my worst Jutsu!"
Back at Lord Hokage's, multiple ninja were gathered discussing Naruto and how he stole the scroll. All of them were upset and angry and eventually Lord Hokage agreed with them. "Right, bring Naruto here at once!"
"Sir!" All the ninja said before they took off in multiple directions to find Naruto.
Iruka had been bounding all over the place looking for Naruto, on rooftops, in the streets, his house, where they had ramen the other night but he was nowhere to be seen. Where would he go? Iruka thought to himself as he panted gazing around.
Mizuki, was also bounding around the village, but he wasn't looking for Naruto, well, not in the way everyone else was. Now that I told everyone what Naruto did, I can eliminate him, they'll be glad he's gone and of course I keep the scroll for myself. He thought mischievously to himself.
Iruka found Naruto sitting on the ground, the scroll tied to his back. He was panting hard like he had been running for some time. Iruka walked up to him and bent down a sinister grin on his face as Naruto looked up. "It's all over." Iruka said with a laugh.
Naruto laughed and scratched his head as he stood up. Iruka, who was not expecting this, leant back questioning himself. "Got me already, not bad, your quick Sensei I only had time to learn one technique." Naruto said happily. He's been out here practicing; I can see how hard he's been working. Iruka thought to himself happily surprised.
"Listen Iruka Sensei I'm going to show you this amazing Jutsu and you're going to let me graduate and everything will be ok!" Naruto exclaimed thrusting his arms out as he grinned. "That's the way it works right? Anyone who learns a Jutsu from this scroll passes!"
Iruka's face twisted into confusion as he stared at the gleeful Naruto. "Huh? Where'd you get that idea?"
"Mizuki Sensei told me about it! Believe it!" He said jumping and turning around. "He told me where to find the scroll and this place."
Huh Mizuki? Iruka thought horridly as he pictured his fellow teacher in his mind. Suddenly with his ninja hearing Iruka heard the sound of Kunai knives flying through the air. "Look out!" Iruka shouted shoving Naruto out of the way as the blades flew into Iruka, one stabbed into his leg, the rest pinning his clothes to the wall of the small house out in the forest.
"I see you've found our little hideaway." Mizuki said cruelly.
"So that's the way it is huh? I should have known." Iruka said darkly looking up and seeing Mizuki crouching on a tree branch.
"Naruto, give me the scroll now!" Mizuki said to Naruto urgently.
"Wait a minute, what's going on here?" Naruto said confused as he gazed back and forth between his Sensei's.
"Naruto don't let Mizuki get the scroll!" Iruka shouted as he panted heavily and pulled the Kunai knives out of him. "It contains forbidden Jutsu that can put this village in grave danger! Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself for his own power!"
Naruto suddenly felt deceived, and the look on his face spelt pure confusion, anger, sadness and betrayal. But Mizuki only grinned unkindly; he would try and turn this onto Iruka. He would use the secrets everyone's been keeping from Naruto against him.
"Naruto, Iruka is just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll."
Naruto became even more confused and looked at Iruka, his blue eyes wide and innocent.
"Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you Naruto!"
Mizuki laughed and shook his head. "Oh I'll tell you who's really lying."
"No Mizuki!" Iruka shouted.
"They've been lying to you your whole life Naruto, since the decree twelve years ago."
"What decree?" Naruto asked fully interested in what was going on.
"Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you now; he'd do anything to shut me up!"
"What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?"
"Don't tell him it's forbidden!" Iruka shouted.
"The decree is no one can tell you that the Nine-Tail Fox is inside you!" Naruto's eyes went wide with shock and fear as the words kept pouring out of Mizuki's mouth. "The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Stop it!" Iruka shouted louder this time.
"They've all been sneaking around hiding things from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt! Like they hated you for just being alive!"
"No!" Naruto shouted as his chakra swirled around him a light blue mist. "No! No! No! No! No!"
"Naruto!" Iruka shouted.
"That's right! You'll never be accepted in this village! Even your beloved Sensei hates your guts!"
Iruka held his bleeding leg as he thought back to what the Lord Hokage said about Naruto. "Iruka, Naruto never had a mother or father to care for him. He's shut out of everything and doesn't know why. Most people won't even look at him. How would you feel if everywhere you went people turned their backs on you? That's why he gets in trouble, so people will notice him. It may not show but he's always thinking about the family he doesn't have. He's hurting inside."
Mizuki twirled his Dai Shuriken in his hands fast. "Die Naruto!" He shouted as he flung his blade, directly at Naruto.