Fate is the intertwining destinies of men and gods. Fate is she who directs, she who controls and she who watches. Fate is a tapestry, showing the order of everything that ever was and ever will be. This is the story of the man who circumvented fate, changed the destinies around him and didn't even know about it.
And Thus began the legend.
Uzumaki Naruto sat glibly at one of the swings on the playground, alone and sad. He had, for the second time, failed the Exams to become genin. He sat there thinking of what to do next. Rare as it might be for young Naruto to think about the future, rarer it is that he can't think of anything positive.
It was a small change, Naruto would have went straight towards the crowd of parents and families congratulating relatives and declared that he would be Hokage. That he would have been the greatest of all.
Instead he went to the opposite direction, prompting different actions... prompting different consequences.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto walked down the road deep in thought. If he was not cut out to be a Ninja how could he become the Hokage? How will people acknowledge him?
"Oomph" Naruto grunted as he bumped into a large well built man. The man was dressed in traveler clothes complete with a backpack that had a bed roll in it. Stumbling backwards from the collision.
"Apologies young man, I was just standing here admiring the sights I didn't notice you." The man apologized.
Naruto noticed that the man had a completely bald head and an honest face. "Yeah I wasn't paying attention myself. Haha." Naruto said scratching the back of his head while his other hand dusted his orange jumpsuit of any dirt that came from him stumbling down.
Squinting a bit Naruto started "Say, Baldy. Are you some kind of Ninja?" He said noting the build of the man. The man looked like someone who could wrestle a cow... or possibly a bull with his bare hands.
"Ohohoho. A ninja I am not young man. For I..." The man trailed off doing a small pose, "Am the great Traveler Oshuki!" The man exclaimed with a more exaggerated pose.
Naruto looked as if he didn't have an idea on who the crazy man was.
"Surely you have heard of me?" Oshuki asked with dismay.
"Err, no?" Naruto asked more than stated. Showing a more than confused face.
"Ah... come with me and I shall tell you the tales of my travel then!" Oshuki said, putting a large hand towards Naruto leading him towards one of the nearby food vendors which just happened to be Naruto's favorite place in the world... Ichiraku's Ramen house.
"Let us sate our hunger first before I begin my tale, eh?" Oshuki said as he sat in one of the seats.
"Yatta! Ramen!" Naruto agreed a few bowls, Oshuki began to tell his stories.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"And that's that. What do you think of my stories, young Naruto?" The traveler asked his young friend.
"Let me get this straight Baldy." Naruto asked seriously.
"You're not a ninja?"
"Yes"
"You can fight Ninja and do flashy techniques?"
"Yes I can."
"You can go anywhere you want to go?"
"Of Course. Ohohoho. For I am a traveler!"
"And you're famous and well respected."
"Aye, I do think that I am."
"Tell me Baldy! How can I become like you?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"Well..."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"So, why do I need an alias?" Naruto asked confusedly.
"An alias will help keep you anonymous, for when you want to stop traveling." Oshuki advised as the two walked towards one of the parks in Konoha.
"Alright then! I'll be called the great and powerful, and brave and strong and powerful and tall and-"
"Why don't you go with a small alias?" Oshuki kindly interrupted Naruto as the words began to sound more ridiculous.
"But that's boring!" Naruto countered.
"Hmm... well let's see, how would I explain this." He paused to think.
"Ah... Naruto... the shorter your alias is then the better!" Oshuki said with mirth, congratulating himself for the idea.
"Eh? How would that work?" Naruto asked honestly confused by the concept.
"Hmm... well who do you think are the strongest people you know?" Oshuki asked setting up his bait.
"Well there's The Fourth! And Jiji!" Naruto said, his face scrunched up thinking of people who are strong.
"Let's go with the Fourth Hokage shall we? The Fourth's alias would be The Yellow Flash isn't it?"
"Yeah?" Naruto agreed.
"Quite simple isn't it? There you go the shorter and the simpler your alias is the better." Oshuki grinned at his logic, sometimes he was just too good.
"Oh. I see! You're really smart Baldy!" Naruto praised the man as he saw the logic behind his statements.
"So have you thought of a new alias yet?" Oshuki asked with a bit of mirth.
"Err... Nothing yet but I'll think of something." Naruto said. "So what are the other things that I need so I could travel?"
-TLON-
"Here's a map to the elemental nations. A cloak for when it's cold and a set of non-orange clothes." Oshuki said as he presented the newly bought gear.
"Why do I need those clothes? I already have my cool jumpsuit?" Naruto protested.
"While I agree that you have good clothes already, you do want to go travel right?" Oshuki asked.
"I don't know. I think I want to travel." Naruto said tentatively. "If I can't be a ninja I guess I'll travel around the place."
"Well that settles it. You're wearing Ninja clothes... so you can't travel. Ohohoho." Oshuki jested.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"What about Jiji? and Ichiraku? If I leave they'll miss me." Naruto said as they reach his apartment.
"Oh why don't you write them a letter then? You can come back here after your travels and show them that you're strong even if you don't become a ninja." Oshuki suggested smoothly.
"Hmmm." Naruto's face scrunched with thought... then he smiled... "I'll do that. Where do you think I should go first?"
"Why don't I show you after you're done preparing? Ohohoho"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
At the gates of Konoha.
"Thank you Baldy! I'll definitely be the most badass traveler ever! Then I'm coming back here to become Hokage! Believe it!" Naruto said with a smile and a thumbs up. "I have a question though. Why are you helping me?"
"It's no problem to help a young man such as you. It's my pleasure, besides if you become famous then I'll become more famous for helping you become famous!"
"Believe it! Thanks again! Make sure my letter goes to Jiji eh?" Naruto said as he exited the village. Never questioning why the guards didn't stop him or ask for his papers.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Back in the village
"Why are you helping me?"
Oshuki remembered Naruto's words, and it kept repeating in his head like a loop.
"Because you needed it Naruto." Turning back, towards the Hokage tower he let his Henge dissolve, revealing a tall white haired man in Kabuki clothes.
He had the feeling that the Hokage would be fairly angry for some time. Perhaps, releasing the new Icha Icha would calm him down some.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Within a few hours of running Naruto stumbled upon his first crossroad.
Naruto squinted at the map, marked by Oshuki. "Let's see, so I go here..." he said pointing at one of the roads. "Which would be here!" He said excitedly going towards one road in particular never realizing that he had the map upside down.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto ran for most of the day to reach the marked spot on the map. He hitched a ride on one of the caravans going that direction and traveled for a good three days. Then ran the remainder even running through rivers and the forest. Tired yet with a feeling of pride as he reached his destination he surveyed the place.
Naruto was in front of what seems like a small compound, much like what he saw the clans in Konoha had. He was interrupted from further thoughts by someone shouting.
"You! Who are you! Who sent you?" Came the shout.
Naruto turned to the noise. Seeing an old man, hunched atop the roof. This old guy wore a simple everyday hakama, he had a balding head, wrinkled skin with more than a few liver spots, a small moustache and a goatee. What drew Naruto's attention though was the man's eyebrows, It was ridiculously long extending far beyond what he had already seen in others, the eyebrows reached the man's cheeks!
"Err... I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Oshuki sent me."
"You lie! A blond Uzumaki? Don't take me for a fool. And most of all... Oshuki is quite dead and have been for a long time!" The old man dashed towards Naruto with a speed that rivaled the wind.
Naruto yelped. He was startled as the old man suddenly was onto him. The old man was going to strike him down but he stopped as sudden as he started.
"Nawaki?" The old man asked with confusion. Taking a hold of Naruto's face all of the sudden to study it in detail. "No. Not Nawaki, but close. There is a resemblance." Letting go all of the sudden, he said. "Come with me. Perhaps you were really sent to me after all." He ordered.
"Blond hair... Tsunade?" He muttered along the way. "No... probably Oshuki's grandkid."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto followed the old man inside to see a fairly kept room. Wooden tiles and some tatami mats. The old man gestured towards the table and said "Sit. I will be with you shortly." Then walked off towards some other part of the house.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do Naruto decided to sit. Impatiently waiting for the old man to come back.
The old man walked back in carrying a large scroll.
"What's that eyebrows-jiji?" Naruto asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Be silent. I'm just checking on something." The old man ordered, as he carefully unrolled the scroll.
"Let's see here. There!" The old man noted with a hint of happiness. "Tell me child. Do you know of your parents?" He asked Naruto.
"What's with all the-"
"Just answer me." The old man insisted firmly. Coughing slightly as he waited for an answer.
"I'm an orphan, I never met my parents." Naruto said sadly.
"Very well, that might explain a thing or two. Give me your hand." The old man ordered.
"What's that for?" Naruto asked suspiciously at the small needle that the old man produced from somewhere.
"I'm just checking on something, If I wanted to hurt you I would have done so earlier... Now, your hand?"
Naruto reluctantly offered his right, and quickly withdrawn it when he felt a prick on his finger.
"Argh!" Naruto yelled.
The old man ignored him as he started to place the blood on a piece of paper. The paper suddenly glowed green and the old man smiled.
"I believe you have several questions? My name is Ganpa Bunmei retainer of the Senju clan, the clan with a thousand skills." The old man offered with pride.
"Why did you do that?" Naruto asked accusingly, gesturing to his already healed prickle.
"Ah... I was just testing." Bunmei answered, then coughed a little.
"Testing for what?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"Lineage of course." Bunmei said patronizingly. "And it does my heart good to welcome you to the clan... Senju Naruto."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"How can you be sure that I'm a Senju Eyebrow-jiji?" Naruto asked after he calmed down.
"Do you know what this is?" Bunmei asked gesturing to the large scroll. "This is the clan name registry. It is where clan members look for names for their offspring. And I have seen your name in it Naruto." Showing the part where the new suggested names were inscribed... Naruto was just next to Nawaki then there was Naburo and Nabito and then the names that started with O came next.
"I can't be Senju just because my names in that registry!" Naruto said incredulously.
"Of course not! That's why I tested your blood! And you came as positive... you're related to Tsunade and Nawaki! I don't know by how much but you are!" The old man insisted.
"So you mean I have a family?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Indeed you have. Young Senju."
"Where are they? Are they here when can I meet them?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"I'm afraid the Senju are dying. There is only Tsunade left... and now you! The hope of the clan! The clan was once known as the masters of a thousand skills and I will teach you as many a skill that I can!" Bunmei declared passionately
"Eh?"
And thus began his training
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Ne, Eyebrow-jiji?" Naruto asked, as he shaped clay in his hands.
Bunmei sighed then asked "Yes young master?"
"Why am I doing this?" Naruto asked gesturing towards the pottery.
"Pottery is a valuable skill, young master. I will teach you as much skills as I can before I expire. Pottery is one of them."
"This won't teach me how to fight. Teach me some cool jutsu."
"I can teach you many things. Jutsu are not one of them."
"Why should I do this then?" Naruto challenged.
"If you wish to learn how to destroy, you must also learn how to create." Bunmei said before going completely silent.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Pffffffffoooot!
"Why am I doing this?" Naruto asked as he rested from playing with the flute. His ear ringing from the noise generated by the flute, or his bad handling of it.
"Should I even answer that, young Master?" Bunmei asked rhetorically "It'll teach you music... recreation, relaxation and calm. Young Master."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Now this is just getting ridiculous." Naruto stated annoyed, as he received his instructions.
"What does breathing have to do with anything?" Naruto whined.
"Everything, young master." Bunmei said with a small cough. "You must understand that with proper breathing comes strength of body. Calm is the way if you want to learn any of my techniques."
Suddenly Bunmei had an Idea. "Why don't you come with me? I'll teach you something else."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"So why am I doing this again?" Naruto asked.
"You are the sole male Senju... and I will be damned if I do not teach you the skills to prosper. You will make the Senju great again!" Bunmei regaled.
"I mean why am I doing this? Flicking a tissue paper around? Can't I learn some cool techniques?"
"But of course we need to start with the basics." Bunmei said. "Now make the flick stiffer... yes like that... Hmmm, why don't I show you why you should learn this?" Bunmei asked after seeing Naruto's half hearted attempt.
"See that training dummy?" Bunmei gestured to the wooden dummy sitting innocently at the end of the room.
"Yeah."
Bunmei approached the dummy and gave a "Hyah!" whipping the tissue around, looking much like a crazy old man caught up by dementia. The results, however was undeniable.
"Awesome! Teach me!" Naruto cheered as he saw the broken and shredded dummy.
"Alas young Master... you do not have the necessary skill yet. Perhaps if you get the breathing exercise right, I will reconsider?"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"That's it young master. Breathe in and out." Bunmei instructed softly. "Rhythm is important. In battle or in life."
Naruto began to twitch, as was his way, he couldn't sit in one place for long. Bunmei noticed.
"If you do this for one more hour, young master, I would cook you a feast of whatever you wish to eat." Bunmei said, knowing a particular weakness that he had seen in Naruto. He furthermore added fuel to the fire by coughing, the cough coincidentally sounds pretty much like 'Ramen'.
If you can't beat discipline into them, bribe them. Such was the way with the young.
Naruto's twitch began to subside and once again he started to breathe in and out, with rhythm.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto sat cross legged as he concentrated on his task. Sweating lightly as he tried to control his chakra.
The task was simple, there were two pots in front of him, one was filled with water and the other was empty. He was to use his chakra to move the water to the other pot... without spills. Too much and the water explodes upward, too little and the water may spill mid transfer.
Only... It wasn't water that needed to be transferred it was ramen broth.
He needed to do it quickly or else the broth will cool, that was why he was so concentrated on his task.
Bunmei chuckled with glee as he saw the concentration on the young master's face.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Why do I need to practice? It's boring!" Naruto said as he began to trace the words in Kanji.
Bunmei sighed, "It will allow you to focus, young Master," He then added quickly "besides that, you have professed to the desire of becoming Hokage, have you not?"
Naruto scrunched up and admitted a slow "Yeah." focusing more of his attention to making the right curve with the brush. He had some practice every day since his arrival.
"Then you need this, what if your ninja read your scroll and couldn't understand it? They'd die, young master." Bunmei explained. Not that calligraphy would be such help in giving orders, it would nonetheless give the young Master steady hands.
"Oh! I'll be the best writer in the world! Be-" Naruto began to pump his fist to the air, sprinkling ink everywhere.
"Ah ah young Master." Bunmei interrupted him. He gave a tired glance at the mess, that would take some cleaning.
"Yes, eyebrow-jiji." Naruto mumbled before going back to his writings.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto sat calmly reading the rolls upon rolls of scrolls around him, never giving a complaint nor a twitch.
Bunmei smiled sadly, before leaving the room. The boy, he was really into reading the clan's memoirs. It was sad, that he was born at the clan's decline but it was fortunate that he was born to save it.
Bunmei shook his head, if nothing else the young Master was very charismatic and Bunmei would be damned if he didn't teach the things the young Senju will need to become Hokage.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"While you have not yet mastered the first technique, young Master I will show you the other techniques that I will teach you." Bunmei said as he arranged various little things on the table, such as... A handkerchief... A small piece of rock... A piece of candy... A potato... "When I'm done, everything will be a weapon."
Naruto's eyes sparkled with interest.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Young Master stay still." Bunmei suggested.
Naruto gulped as he saw the blade in Bunmei's hand.
"Believe me Young master it won't hurt much." Bunmei reiterated
Bunmei made six cuts where the whisker marks in Naruto's face are. Then proceeded to use his other hand which glowed green to heal it.
Inspecting the now whiskerless face he smiled. "There, you look quite dignified now."
"Hey!" Naruto protested. "I was dignified before you know."
"Indeed?" Bunmei asked with a raised brow. "You will represent the clan, grow strong and prosper, get scars from battle not scars from chicken scratches." Bunmei gave a wheezing laugh that ended in a cough.
Naruto pouted in response.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto stood beside the bedridden retainer, putting some warm cloth to Bunmei's forehead. Lately the old man has been getting into longer and louder fits, sometimes accompanied with blood. He had been growing weaker as well, when asked Bunmei simply said that it was a sign of old age.
"Eyebrow-jiji?" Naruto asked as Bunmei tried to get up.
"Young Master." Bunmei rasped. "Let us continue our lessons."
"You can't eyebrow-jiji. You're sick!"
"Nonsense, young master I've still a few years in my bones." As if to prove it he tried to stand up, only to start coughing again, rattling his small and aged frame with each cough. He took the cloth that was on his head and coughed into it.
"It seems I'm mistaken." He admitted. "My body was not as young as it used to be." He added, taking the now bloody phlegm covered cloth and folding it. Placing it next to the bed.
"Eyebrow-jiji! You should stay in bed I'll call one of those healing Ninja from Konoha, it'll only be a few hours away." Naruto informed worriedly.
Bunmei brushed off his concern. "There's nothing to be done, I am at the end of the line."
"But-"
"Nothing to worry about, young Master. I have done my purpose in the world, I am-" He stopped due to coughing. "I am indeed fortunate to have met you."
Naruto started to speak, but the old man gestured him to listen.
"I have thought that all of the Senju has died, yet here you are... before my very eyes." He said, looking into Naruto's eyes.
"I- I'm not sure I am, jiji." Naruto cast his eyes down.
"Nonsense. Being Senju, it's not all about blood. It is about carrying the ideal of the clan. The clan-" Bunmei coughed again, this time the fit lasted for about fifteen seconds. He then continued wiping his mouth with the cloth he placed down. "Peace. The clan specialized in a thousand skills to have peace. Peace through power, peace through violence, peace through words or bargain. It didn't matter, Konoha stands and it is the Senju's symbol of peace."
"Even if I was mistaken, and you are not Senju by blood, young Naruto. I am not mistaken in that you have the potential to be great. Promise me. Naruto... That you will carry the Senju... Ideal?" Bunmei said all the while coughing in between his words.
"I promise Jiji." Naruto cried out as he saw Bunmei rested his head a final time, breath ceasing. It was Naruto's first encounter with death and he didn't like it.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
At Bunmei's Grave
Naruto stood at the grave. It's tombstone a simple slab of rock was engraved Ganpa Bunmei, A true Senju in all but blood. Naruto wiped the tears in his eyes as he remembered the past six or so months of his stay at the Senju clan grounds.
Naruto played a simple yet haunting tune in Bunmei's honor. Tears flowed out of Naruto's eyes as he knelt at the grave whispering, "Eyebrow-jiji... It's a promise."
Naruto stood up and went on his way, but not before looking back and giving one last smile.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Jiraiya winced as he walked in the Hokage tower, It had been six months and still no trace of Naruto. Wherever he went it was not the place he had marked on the map.
The trackers have no luck either, the day Jiraiya realized that Naruto has indeed not arrived at the small town of Jujue he had trackers all over the place. Sadly there was rain and Naruto seemed to have traveled by the caravan routes. His footsteps and scent had vanished.
And now he had to give another report to the Hokage.
Opening the window, that was his usual way in Jiraiya gulped at the severe expression of his old teacher.
"What news do you have?" It was a simple question, yet Jiraiya was afraid of the answer.
Old he may be, but the Hokage knew how to read people. Jiraiya, his student was more or less an open book.
"Damn it Jiraiya." Sarutobi sighed. Massaging his throbbing head.
"I will find him." Jiraiya said with a determination unlike any the old Hokage had seen in his student.
"I hope you do. I also hope that you find him in good health. Go." The Hokage gestured him to leave. Their relationship had been strained because of what Jiraiya did and simply seeing his student... It was best they had minimal contact till the situation was resolved.
"Foolish. All my students are foolish." Sarutobi muttered as Jiraiya left.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-