Never Forgotten

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All rights belong to the author, Masashi Kishimoto.

XXX

Naruto lay against a tree, in the same clearing he was usually in. This was his spot. His birthday having been two months ago, he was now six, looking on his past self like a complete stranger. He was the new-and-improved Naruto.

He had met Tsukimi about three months ago, though his encounters with the man were very brief. The Hyuga would over-see him for ten-minutes, give him some help, then leave, or would have a very short sparring match with the boy, usually ending in Naruto utterly defeated. The odd thing though, was Naruto's blow's hurt a HELL of a lot more than a regular Jyuken attack, even from one of the Main Branch member's. His attacks didn't seem to puncture the chakra veins, but rather the body muscles, which shouldn't even be possible!

Of course, his chakra system was still immature, meaning his blows weren't being used to their full affect. So far he was only able to draw out a fistful of chakra and keep it sustained for ten minutes, even with the bandages. The more experienced Hyuga clan member's could draw out an entire forearm worth, and sustain it for almost days, without the gauze.

But Tsukimi, though an enigma among Hyuga, was not an idiot. He knew of the Kyuubi, and could tell Naruto was using its power, albeit unknowingly. When Naruto had learned to harness it fully, he should be able to rip limbs off with a swat of his hand, or smash walls with a single punch.

Whatever the man had taught Naruto, it wasn't Jyuken anymore. It was something else entirely.

Of course, Naruto knew none of the above details. If Tsukimi had inherited one trait from the clan, it was secrecy. He didn't tell Naruto anything about his untold potential. For a six-year old boy to discover he had an incredible power at his fingertips, he may become a cocky idiot. And Cocky + Ninja don't mix.

Naruto usually waited for Tsukimi to arrive before training, but the man seemed to be running late. The blond hopped to his feet, and began his exercises; punching a dummy without Jyuken to train the muscles, punching the tree's with Jyuken to practice chakra control, and tree walking (Which Naruto had tried and failed to do many times.)

"1, 2, 3…" he muttered, advancing in the numeric scale after every punch to the dummy. "156, 157, 158…"

Suddenly, out of no where, Tsukimi appeared in the clearing, looking rather harassed, large bags under his pale eyes. "Hey, kid…" he muttered. The Hyuga began to rub his temple. "Listen, I really can't stay long, so can I just see how you've progressed so far?"

Naruto grinned. "Sure thing, Tsuki-sensei!"

"Don't call me that, it makes me sound effeminate."

"You are effeminate, sensei!"

Naruto laughed as the man glared at him. He headed over to a tree, and began to channel chakra into his bandaged fists. A red aura surrounded his hands. "Right…" he muttered, trying to keep full concentration. "JYUKEN!" he slammed his fist directly into the tree. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, then with the force of a bullet a fist sized log blasted out the other side of the tree, leaving a clean hole in the trunk. Naruto had pushed chakra in a straight line through the tree, causing the wedge of wood to blast out the tree rather like a bullet.

Tsukimi nodded, fairly impressed. "Good work. If you can do that with low concentration, it should be a very effective mid-ranged attack." Tsukimi had informed Naruto how to do this, but didn't actually show him. Mainly because he couldn't. Jyuken had no mid-range abilities, the closest thing to a far range attack being the Kaiten, but even that had low range. Naruto had mastered a new ability all together, and still had to name it.

"Now let's try a short range technique. How about a wide-spread attack with low range." He motioned to a tree. "See if you can make a clean blast into this thing's trunk, and practice nit for one hour. Then try tree walking again."

Naruto nodded, and set to work. Tsukimi had turned the kid into an effective fighter, though he lacked the constant concentration to perform well in battle. It was one thing to do it under calm training conditions, but an entirely different thing to do under an extreme pressure such as battle. But he'd learn in due time.

Suddenly remembering his situation, then man jumped. He had to get back to the compound quickly. "Sorry kid, I've gotta go!" he preformed a quick shuishin, vanishing from the boy's sight.

The Jinchuriki cocked his head, and then shrugged, continuing with his now solo-training. Though he didn't give the boy much time, he truly did care. And that was enough for Naruto.

XXX

"You are an idiot." Snapped an elder, before Tsukimi had a chance to speak. "For three months you make brief disappearances. You leave the clan. That could be considered treason."

The man opened his eyes only for the nearest main-branch member to hold up his hand in a clutching motion. "Itami." (Pain)

Before the words left Tsukimi's lips, he screamed, the mark on his head shining through the pale bandana as if it wasn't even there.

"We do not care for your feeble excuses, Tsukimi." Muttered the eldest branch member, as he rubbed his temple. "The vote is near unanimous. Disappearing from the compound for no reason, without even informing anyone of your whereabouts, is simply unacceptable. We don't know or care about your business, but this does not mean you can go against the laws of our clan."

Tsukimi grit his teeth and clenched his fists. This motion did not go unnoticed by Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the clan. "Juubun-Itami." (Perfect-Pain) He muttered.

At this Tsukimi howled, his entire body feeling like fire. His hands groped helplessly at the green seal, which was glowing a simple jade-green colour.

"Do not disrespect us."

The man smiled weakly. "As you wish, Hiashi-sama."

The head of the family nodded, then folded his arms. "You are sentenced to one month house arrest. If you dare leave the compound, you know what will await."

"Understood…" mumbled Tsukimi.

XXX

"We cannot have a wild card in our midst…" muttered one of the Hyuga council members after Tsukimi departed. "He must be disposed of. You know what he's doing."

"Training the Uzumaki-boy you mean?" muttered Hiashi, wearily. "Yes, I know. But what do you suggest father? We cannot simply kill a branch member with no apparent reason."

Another man smiled. "Perhaps WE cannot. But there is someone who can." He closed his pale eyes. "Gin."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "Him? How can we possibly hire him?!"

The elder Hyuga shrugged. "Gin will deal with anything he is hired for, and do it for a low price. Tsukimi disappears from our minds, and Gin keeps quiet. We cannot have a man divulging our style's secrets, Hiashi. Especially not to that… That… Thing."

The head Hyuga flinched. In truth, he felt no resentment towards Naruto. He honestly just didn't care about the boy, as a trademark Hyuga who frowns on everyone of low birth. But… He is not at fault for what he carries. So though he may not speak for the boy, he would never speak against him.

"Very well." Muttered Hiashi. "Do what you want. It is no longer a concern of mine."

The elderly male smiled. "As you wish, Hiashi-san."

XXX

"I hate you…" wheezed Naruto as he slumped to the ground, groaning. For a six-year old he bore a lot of stamina, but not enough that a dozen or so Jyuken strikes would disable him for ten minutes.

Tsukimi laughed. He'd snuck out in the early morning, taking his free time to spar with the young blond. It pleased him to pass on knowledge and help the boy, even though it put him in a bad spot with the Hyuga elders.

"Say… Tsuki-sensei…" started Naruto, before the man cut him off.

"I told you; DON'T. CALL. ME. TSUKI."

The blond laughed. "Tsukimi-sensei. I've never seen you use any of the moves you taught me." He looked down. "Are… You teaching me something different?"

The Hyuga cocked his head, then sighed. "In truth, yes. The style you're learning is completely different from the Jyuken. But…" he smiled. "It fits you perfectly. Unlike the gentle Jyuken, your style applies and incredible amount of force and range that normal Jyuken does not have. The only thing you lack is speed, which you can easily make up for with training later on."

Naruto smiled happily at this. "So… I'm learning something new! Something never-before-seen! I've got my own style!"

A thoughtful look appeared on Tsukimi's face. "Yes… I suppose you do. It may be a bastardised version of Jyuken, but bears so much potential. Speaking of which, we should probably give it a name."

Naruto grinned, and opened his mouth, before immediately being cut of by Tsukimi.

"Not Chuken, Naruto." The kid groaned. "Let me think… It's stronger than Jyuken, but slower. It deals far more damage… Let me think." He paused, then his face lit up. "I've got it! Rougufu!" (Rough Fist)

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Rougufu? That sounds stupid." He looked at his bandaged fist. "But… It works. It kinda fits me!"

For a six-year old, this kid was bright! "You're going to have to think up names for the techniques you've learned too. They're your own abilities. It's not my place to name any of them." He lay down on the ground, his arms folded, looking up at the still dark sky, speckled lightly with orange from the slowly rising sun.

Naruto lay beside him, and closed his eyes. "Why do you care so much, Sensei?"

Tsukimi cast an eye towards Naruto. "What do you mean, kid?"

"Well… No one else has really ever cared. I lived in an orphanage up until recently, and even the caseworkers there seemed to hate me. Some people glare at me in the streets. And I… Don't know what I've done…" small tears began to well up in his closed eyes. "I'm just a kid. I know it's selfish, but I want to know why they hate me. I've always wanted to know. And…" he opened his eyes, and looked directly at Tsukimi, who was staring back, interested. "… You come along. And you help me. You teach me. You laugh with me. And I feel good." He looked back up at the sky. "Why do you care?"

Tsukimi suddenly began to chuckle, much to Naruto's rage. "Don't ask such stupid questions kid. You're six, not twelve, so don't blame yourself for things. And you wanna know why I care?" he grinned. "Because we're friends."

Naruto stared, confused. "Friends?" he shook his head. "I know what it means. But… I've never understood it."

Tsukimi laughed again. "That's because you've never had a real friend before. But now you do." He smiled. "We will always be friends Naruto. No matter what."

Tsukimi left shortly after, but Naruto continued to lie in the clearing, staring up at the slowly brightening sky, the one word still spiralling around in his head. "Friend."

XXX

"Five thousand ryo for one measly assassination?" muttered the man, gruffly. He had short shaggy black hair, and a Konoha headband with a slit through the symbol tied around his eyes. His arms seemed elongated, sharp fingernails resembling claws jutting out the edge of his fingers.

The Hyuga, wearing a large bamboo hat to disguise himself, nodded.

"Sounds fishy." Muttered the man. "I hate fish."

"Rest assured, the job is easy, Gintoki." The Hyuga held out a small envelope. "Two thousand ryo up front. The rest comes after the job is over."

Gin grunted, snatching the envelope quickly and slitting it open with his feral-like claws, before counting the envelope's contents. "This is the real deal. So who do you want done in?"

The Hyuga smiled slightly. "Tsukimi Hyuga. A member of the branch family. A picture is inside the envelope."

Gin raised an eyebrow. "You mind if I ask why you want this guy killed?"

The elderly man sighed. "The branch family are too wild as it is. If they think they can act freely, the system of our clan may tumble into chaos. Sacrifices are necessary."

Gin sneered, showing his elongated canines. "You really are a heartless bugger aren't ya?"

A chakra charged hand zoomed forward, the middle finer stopping an inch from Gin's neck, pricking the scarf he wore. "Do not mock me, Inuzuka. You are no better."

Gin shrugged. "At least I have principles; I KNOW what I do is wrong. Of course that doesn't stop me. Beggars can't be choosers."

XXX

Tsukimi landed in the clearing, then folded his arms. He was early, which definitely wasn't a good thing, mainly due to his house arrest. This cut his time by a significant amount.

The blond boy suddenly appeared in the clearing, grinning like a Cheshire cat, the previous day's experience obviously forgotten. "Hey, sensei!"

Tsukimi nodded wearily. "Hey kid…" he rubbed his eyes and groaned. "So, you advanced in anyway since our last meeting?"

Naruto frowned slightly, and cocked his head. "Nah… I couldn't do anything with that last technique you described. IT'S REALLY ANNOYING!"

The Hyuga grinned sheepishly. "Well, as I said yesterday, I won't be much help. I'm just the designer, but you need to be the sculptor."

Naruto huffed, and crossed his arms. "That sucks…"

Tsukimi laughed, then suddenly froze. Something was coming this way. Fast. "Byakugan!" veins popped around his eyes, his vision suddenly expanding. Sure enough, he saw a figure, almost upon them, moving too fast to dodge. That only left one option. "JYUKEN!"

He spun round, slamming his fist into the oncoming blow, blocking it. The attacker grinned. "You're better than they said, Hyuga."

"An Inuzuka?" thought Tsukimi, ultimately confused.

Naruto backed away slightly , tripping over his own feet. Though he'd advanced at an astronomical rate in his training, he still bore the courage of an average six-year old, and his sensei could not blame him for such a thing.

"I'm afraid your family ain't so happy with you, white-eyes." Whispered the man, in a dangerous tone. "So they sent me to clean you up, if you catch my drift."

Tsukimi narrowed his eyes slightly, his byakugan still active. "You… You are 'Bloody-fang' Gin, aren't you?"

The man grinned toothily. "So what if I am? What's in a name?" his hand began to vibrate slightly. "You should be more worried of my skills rather than my title." He chuckled darkly. "You'll make lovely firewood. TSUGA!" (Piercing Fang)

Tsukimi grunted hopelessly as the Inuzuka began to spin, with tornado like speed, his claws ripping into the man's arms, sending him hurtling into a tree, which like its previous brethren fell.

Gin cackled and cracked his shoulders. "Come on, white-eyes give me a good work-out! I've been dying out here in banishment!" he suddenly began to sniff the air, and faced in Naruto's direction, the headband blocking out his vision. Grinning slightly, he moved the band above his eyes, revealing the wolf-like irises. "Well, well, lookie here… A fox chew-toy."

A wide grin appeared on his face. "You like bleed much kid?" he asked. "I hope so. I love gushers."

Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers. He was paralysed with fear, unable to move nor scream. The scruffy-haired man was advancing on him, holding his clawed fingers bye his lips, licking Tsukimi's blood off the nails.

"Say nighty-night, brat." Grunted Gin.

"JYU-" Tsukimi blurred into sight behind Gin, whose eyes suddenly went wide.

"Son of a-" started the Inuzuka, before the chakra-charged palm impacted his spine.

"-KEN!!!" roared Tsukimi, a wave of chakra shooting through Gin like a spear. Gin groaned, then collapsed.

The Hyuga smiled wearily. "Sorry 'bout that… Naru… To…" he fell to his knees, and Naruto rushed to him. "Wow… I don't remember ever using that much in one punch. I must've been pretty angry." He grinned.

"Getsuga…" came a weak voice.

Tsukimi's grin suddenly faded. In one swift motion, he pushed Naruto out of the way, showing his back to the now standing Gin, who was grinning like a maniac, his right hand vibrating violently.

"… TENSHOU!" (Moonfang Heaven-Pierce) in a blur of fantastic speed, Gin zoomed forwards, his clawed hand slamming straight into Tsukimi's back, leaving a clean scar right through his body.

The man gave out one short gasp, accompanied with a small stream of blood, before falling to the ground, no breath left in his body.

Naruto stared, his head spinning. Tsukimi was staring right at him, his eyes were open, yet he seemed as though he was… Asleep?

No, he couldn't be. But that meant. "Tsuki-sensei?" There was no reply. "Sensei! SENSEI! TSUKIMI-SENSEI!"

No words came from the man's lips. He was dead.

Gin groaned, and rubbed his now bleeding hand. "Man, I hate using that move. It stings. That was not worth five thousand." His piggy eyes look at Naruto, who had now gone silent.

"Well, might as well finish the job." He strode over to the motionless Naruto, and held his hand above his head, in a chopping position. "Say your prayers kid."

The sound that followed was a sickening crunch… Followed by Gin's scream.

The boy held up a single hand, the entire arm covered in blazing red chakra, Gin's feeble fist all-but-crushed in the boy's vice-like grip.

Naruto slowly turned to look at Gin, whose fear was now piling up. He wouldn't be afraid; he was THE Gin! The person who'd slain his own team! The Inuzuka who'd received banishment! The ruthless mercenary!

Naruto stared at him, with soulless amethyst lilac eyes. "Go to hell."

In a swift, almost enforceable motion, Naruto's fist blurred a few inches from Gin's chest. "Rougufu:" the fist stopped. "Tsukimi!" (Rough Fist: Moon Blade)

A small circular blast of chakra impacted into Gin's chest with the force of a bullet, causing him to double over, his chest crushed. The six-year old got to his feet, and stared down at Gin, an inhuman glare in his eyes. As Gin stared up, he recognised the look Naruto was giving him.

It was nothing but pure raw hatred. "Goodbye." Whispered Naruto.

Naruto made a swift movement with his chakra-charged arm, and Gin's life ended in a flash of crimson-red.

Naruto stared down at his body, his amethyst eyes glaring, and a slight solemn look about them. Slowly, they began to regain their bluish hue. And the blond boy did the only thing he deemed necessary; he screamed.

XXX

Ok, It wasn't that good, but I had to give Naruto some sorrow in his past. Though I hate to admit it, having a sad introduction actually kick-starts the story rather well. (It worked for J.K. Rowling and Lemony Sniket.)

I'm considered sending Naruto out of Konoha to train, and have got some pretty good ideas on how to develop it. I am also considering a bloodline. But I'll leave that top you guys. A poll will be up on my profile, so make-sure to vote!

Naruto Goes away to train (If so, who by?)

Kisame-Has a kickass amount of chakra and a sword that eats people. EATS. PEOPLE.

Other Jinchuriki- Might as well bring one of them into it, it'll make an ideal link to Akatsuki

Himself-Can't go wrong with basics.

Doesn't go off to train-Cause Konoha's done SO much for him(!) (Sarcasm implied at this point)

Bloodline (I've really only got a few right now, so bear with me.)

Jiman no Yami (Pride of the Dark): When no light is focused on his eyes, the user gains the ability to see someone's 'Darkness' or literally the impurities of their heart. Not unlike the Bykaugan, it gives the user a wide field of vision and shows their full body. When light hits the eyes, the users elemental affinity changes to 'void'. Combined with his Rougufu, Naruto's fighting style will reach a whole new level.

Chikikan-Me (Blood Mirror-Eye): Gives user the ability to see the foes veins and arteries. Suiting Naruto's style, this will allow him to destroy the foe from the inside. Yay internal bleeding!

No bloodline (Whoopie…!)