My name

XXX

Gen Remake began to cough loudly. Six years ago, after the loss of his prized daughter, Fuu, his world had taken a turn for the worst. The servants, no longer under the threat of a vengeful Nanabi, threw a small rebellion, before leaving the mansion and stripping it of several treasures.

Gen lost his grace with the village of Take also- as he had lost them their only Jinchuriki, not only that, one of the top three! And finally a disease, unknown in origin, had struck Take's borders, confining him to his bed.

"Hisa!" he roared, before coughing. "Hisa! Where's my sake?"

The door to his chambers open and two figures strode in. Neither of them was his wife. "Good day, Gen Remake. It's been a while since I've stood past these walls…" the voice was calm, smooth, but laced with anger.

Gen sent the intruders a questioning glance. The one who hadn't spoken wore a long cloak with a hood covering his face, while the other wore a simple green jacket, dark hakama pants, and strangely a leather cap. Bangs covered one of his eyes. "I've never seen you before- get out of my-"

"T'would be wise not to argue, Remake-san." The hooded stranger cut in. "Nii-san has been rather angry recently…"

The silver haired man grumbled and held out his hand, revealing the black tattoo. "Leave or I burn you."

To his surprise, the cap-wearing intruder laughed. "Such a pity… But to be honest…" he locked eyes with Gen, who was suddenly filled with fear, killing intent pouring off the man in waves. "… I was hoping you'd argue." In one swift movement, Gen's arm was twisted behind his back, broken.

Gen screamed, but was cut short as the intruder's hand grasped his face and squeezed, hard. "I'm going to ask you nicely… Where is Uzumaki?"

XXX

Naruto was woken by a sharp knock on his door, followed by the click of a lock opening. The elderly Hokage walked in, then froze, seeing Naruto lying on the couch staring directly back at him.

"Don't mind me asking- but why are you sleeping on the couch, my boy?"

The blond chuckled, and scratched his head peevishly. "I don't really trust bed's. The couch is closer to the window and door as well; easier to make a quick escape." He flashed the confused man a grin. "So what d'ya need, Jiji?"

A loud chuckle filled the room as the Hokage laughed. "I like this new Naruto- always straight to the point. As I mentioned on your return the genin exams are looming up at the academy. Normally you'd have to spend at least a year at the academy, but seeing as you have been off training…" he smiled warmly. "I'll cut you some slack. You can attend today. The exams themselves occur in three days time, hopefully that should give you some time to settle in and make friends."

The boy snorted, but Hizuren didn't notice. "I've not encountered any Genin on my travels…" he smiled sadly. "It may be worth some enthusiasm after all. When do I start?"

Sarutobi laughed. "The academy starts in half an hour. The graduating class are on the third floor- room 3L, you can't miss it."

A grin formed on the boy's face- before he leapt to his feet and flung on his coat. The 12 year old then proceeded to walk towards a small cup-board which had his scroll beside it. After slinging the bronze tool into the cupboard, he himself climbed in, flashing a smile at the perplexed Hokage. "Good day to you, Jiji…" he closed the cupboard doors.

In an instant, the Hokage was by the cupboard, flinging it open to see what the boy was doing… And all he found was an empty wooden cubby. He winced, before mumbling. "T-that brat…"

XXX

As the blond flew over the buildings of Konoha, he cackled to himself. That little technique was, by far, his favourite exit/entrance. Whenever he preformed it, it scared the living daylights out of most. Of course, it was simply a reverse of his usual Rougufu techniques- instead of hardening the chakra he softened it, pushing it around his body till he simply faded away. He'd named this technique Shirohaku (White-Fade)

In his travels he'd managed to create a number of techniques, but was still a virgin at using them in battle. It would either be over-kill; beating idiotic bandits didn't require a flashy technique, and was nothing short of lazy, or he'd be finished before he had a chance to utilise one, in the case of the four people who'd beat him. One of them was Gen Remake, who'd nailed him with a blow to the head before he knew what hit him. Another was Axel no Chiomo (Axel of the Thousand Faces) And as for the other two- he was wiped out before he'd even seen their faces!

This kind of thing tended to happen when you hung around with a missing nin like Utakata; you encounter unbelievably weak characters, or godlike characters- but never anyone in the middle!

He came to a halt atop an armoury, fully observing where he was. The phrase "Ninja's don't get lost, Uzumaki" sprung to mind, but he pushed it from his thoughts. After a minutes scanning, he finally took notice of a large dome-shaped building with young children surrounding it, symbolising it as 'The Academy' as it was dubbed. Truth be told, 'The Academy' seemed more like a layman's term for 'A rather large school'.

The boy softly descended to the ground before casually strolling up to the gates, flattening the hair over his bandaged eye to make sure the eye-patch was hidden. Some students cast glances at him, but quickly returned to their conversations. He certainly didn't look like anything special. Inside the academy was a large dojo, a huge leaf target set in the middle for kunai-aim. He cast a glance at the directory, thus obtained a brief outline of how the building was spaced out.

Floor 1- Kunai, Shuriken, Taijutsu. Floor 2- Dojo. Floor 3- Classrooms (A-P) Floor 4- Classrooms (Q-Z)

Memorising the small directory, even though he would only be here for three days, the blond calmly strode up the stairs, passing the various classes. Some were empty, others packed, and it wasn't long before he came across the room with the signpost 3-L hanging above the door.

Raising his hand to knock, a sudden emotion began to tug at his chest; the he realised he'd never, not once, been in a normal class with other children. His life seemed to go birth, Tsukimi, Utakata then here. He'd travelled across the continent, and he couldn't bring himself to knock on the door?

Clearing his thoughts emotions, he let loose a long rap against the wooden door.

XXX

The class of 3-L was said to be the most promising bunch of trainee ninja's in a decade. Well, not all of them- a specific number had shown extreme promise in certain areas, while lacking motivation to tackle others.

Eight of the pupils showed this promise. The first, and most promising would be Sasuke Uchiha, the would-be heir to the Uchiha line. His entire clan had been massacred a number of years ago, so he himself had drawn back from the public eye. But he was, by far, the most promising.

The next would be Sakura Haruno, the smartest trainee in class. Her knowledge knew no bounds, but what she had in brains, she lacked in brawn.

And then there were the notorious clan heirs. The Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka heirs, Ino, Shikarmaru and Choji. The trio of clans had a famous relationship featuring the combined effort of their clan techniques- also featuring the Nara's brain, the Akimichi's brawn and the Yamanaka's leadership.

And finally there was the 'recon' team, as they were dubbed, a combination of the Aburame heir, Shino, the Inuzuka heir, Kiba and the Hyuuga heir, Hinata. With a range of abilities, the trio were formidable to say the least.

Among all the candidates his year, these eight had the promise to become legends in the near future. However, even they did not expect a loud rapping noise to come from the door, shortly followed by a blond boy of equal age to the member's of the class. Blond bangs covered one eye, and bandages were wrapped around his fists, up past the knuckles and only stopping beneath the finger tips. A heavy-looking bronze bound scroll was strapped to his back, the strap hanging loosely over his orange and black jacket.

The teacher, Iruka Umino, gave the boy a perplexed look. "Can I help you?"

A small smile appeared on the blonde's face. "Yes, thank you. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I believe I'm supposed to join this class as of today?"

This spelt confusion for the entire class- joining today? But the genin exams were barely three days away!

"Maybe you've made a mistake." Said Iruka, warmly. "The genin exams are occurring in a few days, you CAN'T be joining this class."

Naruto shrugged. "I am well aware of the exams, Umino-sensei. The Hokage informed me I'd be able to graduate as a genin if I joined this class, so he enrolled me the other day. Check if you don't believe me."

Blinking, Iruka nodded dumbly. "Sigh, very well then Uzumaki. Please take a seat next to Miss Yamanaka over there." He waved faintly at a platinum blond girl who was staring at Naruto like a wild animal.

Sending another warm smile in Iruka's direction, Naruto walked over to the vacant seat and sat down, slinging his scroll under the desk and glancing sideways at the staring girl. "Nice to meet you, Miss Yamanaka." He extended his bandaged arm towards her. "The name's Naruto." Nodding faintly, the girl lightly shook his hand before turning straight back to the teacher. "Hm? Must be shy." Thought Naruto, with a shrug.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we'll be assessing your abilities today to construct the rankings board for those who pass the exam. As you know, the exam consists of a written test, a ninjutsu test- featuring henge, bushin and kawamiri, and finally the practical test. However the practical test will only be used for assessment of ranks if you have completed tests A and B."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. They weren't assessing you on practical skills? That couldn't be right- some of the strongest people he'd seen relied on strength alone, not brains or ninjutsu! Grunting, he let his head slump to the desk, causing Ino to squeal in surprise. This was going to be a LONG three days.

XXX

"Nii-san… Shouldn't we stop? Naruto-sama has been gone for six years, it's like finding a specific piece of hay in a hay-stack!"

Ranpu glanced back at his brother, then dropped the bandit he'd just strangled. "North he said. North we went. All we find are these…" he motioned to the mutilated corpses in the corner of the cave. "…vermin. We have been conned by that weasel of a man, Gen Remake. And you would have me stop?"

Yami lowered his head, his face still obscured by the hood. "There is a reason we are bound to the Uzumaki, Nii-san. We are eternally loyal. You have no idea how much we've violated the contract-"

"Don't mention that contract in my presence!" roared Ranpu, spinning round suddenly, his eye blazing. A wave of blood exploded from the corpses, as though they were hit by invisible blades. "You said you would follow me brother- and I agreed. But it's your choice whether you walk, or I drag you in a body-bag!" he regained his posture, and cleared his throat, his voice suddenly gaining an unnerving edge. "What's it to be?"

There was the sound of a sharp intake of breath, followed by a long and heavy sigh. "I'll follow you Nii-san. But please don't do anything rash."

A sneer spread over the ebony-haired teen's face. "Rash?" he glanced over at the cut up bodies, then preformed a single hand seal. At once there was an explosion of blood. No bone, no flesh, just blood. "Who said anything about being 'rash', brother?"

XXX

"Welcome to dreamland, sleepy-head…" sang an eerily jovial voice. The cloak brunette from before appeared in front of Naruto, and suddenly the screaming stopped. His glasses were reflecting the red moonlight, causing it to dance in the air. "I am just a wraith, so pay attention… My techniques are not as flashy as Kurama clans, nor as terrifying as the Uchiha's… However…" that same grin, the wide inhuman one from before, suddenly spread on his face. His entire mouth seemed to have faded into an inky black colour, along with his irises. "Reality, or illusion? You decide." Images suddenly appeared in his head- unknown figures hacking at his friends, murdering them.

An ear-splitting scream cut through the air, laced with a sadistic chuckle. "Good… Scream little boy. Scream for my wraith… Scream brat. Brat. BRAT!"

"Oi, brat!" Naruto was awoken by a sharp tap to the head from an open text-book. He groaned groggily, and glanced up. Iruka was looming over him, a look of pure distaste on his face. "You've hardly been here for an hour and you're already asleep! Wake up, Uzumaki!"

The boy chuckled. "Erm, sorry sensei! The desks are so comfortable, you know!"

A tick appeared on Iruka's head. The whole class were observing the scene now. "Uzumaki! What was the name of the Yondaime's prized technique?"

"Hirashin." The boy instantly responded, followed by a loud yawn.

Iruka turned deadly silent. He wasn't supposed to get that- not that fast at least! "What bloodline did the Shodaime Hokage have?"

"Mokuton."

"What was the Niidaime Hokage's legendary weapon?"

"Raijin."

The scarred teacher winced slightly. Whoever this kid was- he knew his stuff! "Describe briefly the five elemental chakras!"

"Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Lightning. Each has an advantage over a different type and a disadvantage, for example wind has an advantage over lightning but a disadvantage over fire. The elements can be bonded to form sub-elements usually only accessible via a bloodline, such as the Shodai Hokage's Mokuton, which was a fusion of both water and earth." Naruto stated in one breath, still in a rather bored and tired tone.

The room was silent. Iruka didn't even speak, he just stared, jaw wide. That wasn't even on the curriculum, and this kid knew it! "Stay awake in class, Uzumaki!" the instructor shook off his confusion and returned to the lesson on the theory of assassination.

Some of the class were still staring at Naruto who had again fallen asleep. He reminded some of the Nara heir, Shikamaru, who hardly had any motivation at all! Needless to say, the eight potential legends were staring at the bored blond with a combined thought. Had a ninth prodigy appeared?

XXX

Six Years ago…

"Wake up, Naruto!" Naruto screamed, and then suddenly found himself back in the heavily damaged Vein-Mist, Utakata leaning over him. "Get a grip; are you a coward? Can you not tell a genjutsu when you see one?"

The blonde's eyes widened. "T-That was a genjutsu? B-But it was so real… I felt the blood, I s-saw…"

"Axel of the Thousand Faces. He was a terrorist from Earth country. My sources told me he drove a feudal lord insane with one of his Genjutsu. Specialising in fear-related illusions and more notoriously his flawless henge."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Flawless?"

"One glance is all he needs. After that he can transform into them with seal-less henge. He is easily an A-class ninja. However…" he glared at the wrecked corridors that surrounded them. "… He disappeared one day. I heard he'd died. Obviously not." He stood up and took Naruto's hand. "Come on, Naruto. Let's find the others."

He turned, expecting Naruto to follow, however the boy stayed still, his eyes wide. "A flawless henge you said?" he got to his feet and stepped back. "Not so flawless."

Utakata raised an eyebrow. "What are you mumbling about, Naruto?"

Red chakra began to swirl around the boy's fists, and his eyes turned violet. "That stupid teacher of mine…" whispered Naruto. "NEVER CALLS ME NARUTO!"

The brunette gasped, then smirked. "My, my… And I thought you were a naïve child. Turns out I was wrong…" Utakata's features began to melt. The kimono disappeared to be replaced by a black cloak with cloud-shaped markings, and his hair was suddenly tied back in a pony-tail. Glasses seemed to spawn out of thin air, resting on the bridge of his nose. "… It seems you guessed correctly. That was an illusion. It would have been much more entertaining if you'd simply played along…"

He cackled. "Such a pity, eh boya? Maybe I should have gone for something easier…" his features melted again. The chocolate hair became a rustic red, and his bosom suddenly popped out. A grinning Mei now stood before Naruto. "This one was pretty hot, I'm quite glad I caught a glimpse of her." He/she poked one of his own breasts. "Pretty big. I'm amazed she can stand up with things like these." He/she glanced over at Naruto. "After I'm done with you, I'll pay her a visit. I wonder what she'll think of your body…"

With a sickening crack, Naruto's fist slammed into 'Mei's' face, causing her/him to fly into a rocky wall. Some water from the weakened sealing seeped through and drenched Axel, who had transformed back due to shock. Naruto's body was glowing with some weird runic tattoo's, covering his face and arms. Some were even visible through his clothing, shining through his shirt and bandages. "Seals? This kid's being taught in sealing? No…" his eyes widened. "This kid's just got seals used on him." The grin reappeared on the sadist's face. "Interesting… INTERESTING! I've gained a whole new respect for you, boya! Only six-years old too!" he whistled. "Entertain me." From the long sleeves of his cloak, two sharp V-shaped blades, attached to the wrists, became visible.

He was about to speak again when an ungodly chakra erupted from Naruto's figure, causing the walls in the cave to shake, and the water above to ripple. Axel's eyes widened, and he was forced to hold an arm over his face to shield his face from the bright red chakra surrounding Naruto's body. His jacket was shredding itself, while his shirt had completely worn away. "Drawing the energy from inanimate objects…? Isn't that…" "… The forbidden technique… Onikawa (Demon-skin). So that must mean…" he began to chuckle. "A jinchuriki. Two for the price of one."

Naruto's clothes stopped disintegrating, leaving him only in his tattered jacket and baggy torn pants. His bandages still remained. The fire-red chakra still surrounded his fists, but it seemed to have intensified, if that were even possible. "What have you done…?" he whispered. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FRIENDS?"

Axel simply smirked. "That's it! Let anger fill you, Jinchuriki! Let your anger fill you, and entertain me for a while!"

The blond began to grind his teeth together, revealing elongated canines. He got into a crouching position, the red chakra covering his whole body in a blazing cloak. "Answer me!"

With a small chuckle, the brunette stated, quite plainly. "I killed some of them. Don't worry, I'll do the rest later."

Roaring with madness, anger and pain, Naruto pounced at Axel, chakra oozing out of his body causing a long trail to appear in the ground in his wake. His fist met with one of Axel's blades in a lock, and for a moment their eyes met. Axel's face was filled with sadistic pleasure, while Naruto's was stricken with blind rage.

For a moment there was silence. Then two words broke the momentary silence. "Awaton:"

Axel's face fell. He glanced to the side to see a brunette wearing a tattered kimono performing a set of hand signs. "Awatama!" from his mouth a stream of bubbles rocketed towards Axel, the sheer force of their launch sending the Akatsuki member flying.

Naruto was shocked to say the least. For some reason, he felt unbelievably tired. The red energy quickly faded, but before he collapsed he managed to whisper, "Sensei…"

The ex-terrorist wiped some blood from his lip. It had taken all his power and chakra to repel the young jinchuriki and now the legendary bubble-demolition ninja had appeared. "I thought I'd left you with my partner…"

Instead of responding, Utakata held his pipe out, pointing it at Axel's head. "You have raised a hand to my pupil." Aqua-blue energy began to ooze off him, but unlike Naruto's fire-like appearance, it took the form of steam. "For that alone I'll kill you. And for the price of attacking my home…" the silhouette of a slug with six tendrils trailing off its back appeared behind him. "… I'll drag you down to hell."

XXX

Serious block on this chapter. I had to put in some detail of what happened six years ago. After two or three chapters it will only be told in short flashbacks, symbolised by italics. But be warned, in the next chapter and possibly the following I'll have the conclusion to Axel vs. Utakata, and possibly another fight with the mysterious Ooi. Tune in!

XXX kiyomos korner XXX

ME: YO! Wat up mah peeps! I have sent evil cookie monster clones to the IPs of all who refused to review previous chaps.(I found his evil twin but he was uncooperative)

Zorro: You didnt evin look!

ME: thats how I found him.

Alejandro: How can you find something your not looking for?

Kenpachi: cause he's a ninja! Duh.

Reina: Who's a ninja?

Everyone: THE EVIL TWIN!

Reina: STOP YELLING. (*o*)

ME: sorry.

Reina: Its okay kiyo-kuuuun.

ME: ...Why are you humping Alejandro?

Alejandro: Is okay. dis 'appens all time.

Kenpachi: it must be the combination of Russian chocolate plus raw seafood added to Alejandros tanned muscular physique that has caused her to act like a drunk whore that got high.

ME: What are you a shrink?

Kenpachi: only part time.

ME: Kami im surrounded by idiots!

Kami: only because you choose to be.

ME: ...I think Ill delete your part.

Kami: why?

ME: cause when you add in immortal beings that are shaping the universe it gets really complicated... almost as complicated as love.

Shinigami: not even close.

ME: Gah! what the fuck are you doing here?

Both: were bored.

ME: well then why dont get a buch of shit that should never go together and stick it inside some human, like, oh I dont know...Miley Cirus!

Both: we already did.

Kenpachi: ...thats fucked up.

Both: yes, yes it is.

Me: review or my evil clones will get you!