By Smertios
Author's Notes: Chapter 2 is right here. I've got an outline that stretches out to a 17th chapter (but is fairly vague and doesn't complete past the first part of the Chuunin exam, so I've got some work left to do on that.). I didn't really want to deal with the stuff in between Naruto's entry to the Monastery and his exit, but much of it will be covered in flashbacks, just so a background exists. The pairing will be NaruHina, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It'll be a while until Naruto and Hinata are of an age where a stable relationship is feasible.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I make no money off of this Fan Fiction; my only form of remuneration is reviews from readers and a sense of accomplishment. That means it's fair use.
Chapter Two: Runaway Return'There's
nothing waiting, there's nothing imminent,
Nothing forgiven for
the young idea.
There's nothing waiting, there's nothing
imminent,
And nobody seems surprised,
The runaway
returns.
Welcome back.'
- - - - - - - - - - -
The Nakayama Monastery was unquestionably one of the most secluded places in all of the Fire Country. Situated in the valley between two mountains, a good 50 miles from any other form of civilization, the Monastery was known only to those monks who had studied there, and those few shinobi who helped to organize it's defense.
The large valley offered a reasonable amount of farmland. With some terracing; the mountainsides provided enough food for the Monks to eat an adequate, if plain, diet. As a primarily scholarly Monastery, books had to be brought in, but Shinobi were contracted to handle deliveries.
The actual buildings were much more pleasant than the bamboo huts that many monks had to make due with. Modestly sized apartments were placed around a central courtyard, and a large dojo provided a place of practice. Monks who preferred further solitude (usually for deep meditation, or out of respect of a vow of solitude) were granted cells in a separate building.
Naruto had found himself, if not at home, at least well centered in the plain community of Buddhist Monks and Scholars who stayed at the Monastery. It was certainly not an exiting existence (although he had discovered that certain monks were more tolerant of pranks than others), but many of the monks were willing to offer him training in everything from meditation to martial study.
It was not common knowledge amongst shinobi, but the first Shinobi had been warrior monks defending their Monasteries against tyrants. Because of this connection, Naruto had gained access to an invaluable well of knowledge about Chakra control, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu.
As he approached his 11th Birthday, he found that he had burned through knowledge available to him, and surpassed his teachers. It was at this point that the head of the Monastery had chosen to call him into the small administrative office that served as quartermaster's office and chore duty board to the secluded office.
Tayuki Jiro was a dignified old man, approaching his 80th year of life. Even at his age, he still retained superb health and a mischievous glow in his eye. He knelt on the floor beside his pallet, and smiled as Naruto walked in. "Uzumaki-San. I am glad you came so quickly."
Naruto knelt on the other side of the small writing tablet in front of the man, and bowed to him (all in all, it wasn't his style, but he had long since learned that the best way to keep the monks in a good mood was to follow customs). "Tayuki-sensei, what did you want to speak to me about?"
The wizened old man smiled slightly, amused at a rare moment of formal speech from Naruto. "It is drawing closer to the time when you must return to Konoha and take up the life you had before you came here."
"Really? Already?" Naruto's face lit with glee, and his formal mask slipped. "I'll go back there and kick some ass!"
The man gave him a stern look, and Naruto's enthusiasm retreated back behind a formal façade. "We cannot send you to Konohagakure until an escort arrives, but Hatake Kakashi will be here with fresh parchment in a week's time."
Naruto nodded, fighting down the urge to whoop at the mention of his old escort's name. Kakashi had been pretty cool, for an old guy. "Thank you, Sensei. I was hoping to get to see him again."
"Naruto, before you leave, there is one thing we must discuss."
Naruto, who had been hoping to get out soon and return to his kata, suppressed a groan. He gave a cheeky grin and said, "Discuss away."
The old man adopted the traditional posture of one about to tell a tale. "You know, of course, the tale of the Nine-tailed Fox, the Kyuubi. All children learn how the Yondaime defeated the beast, after Konoha's hero sacrificed his life. However, no child knows what method was used.
"You see, Naruto, Kyuubi was a fully-grown Kitsune, and therefore was many times more powerful than any Shinobi. The Yondaime could not have defeated the monster with his formidable strength.
"Yondaime instead chose to seal the monster into the navel of a newborn child, therefore stopping the monster's rampage."
Naruto felt his stomach drop down into his toes. "That child… Who was it?"
The old man's eyes grew sad. "He chose the only child he could find. He chose his own son… He chose you, Naruto."
"That's why the villagers… That's why they hated me… Isn't it?"
Tayuki nodded and gave the boy a sympathetic look. "It was difficult for them to understand the difference between the demon and the child it had been sealed in. They were ordered never to discus the Kyuubi with anyone, but they still hated you. They taught their children that hate as well."
Uzumaki Naruto had never been known for shedding tears. His bright and cheerful attitude was normally contagious, leading more solemn monks to act like they were children again. When the first hint of moisture struck the wood floor of the office, it was the first time Naruto had cried since he was too young to remember. "They're wrong! I'll show them how wrong they are!"
"Naruto… Revenge is not justice. It simply continues the wheel of suffering."
A grim smile appeared on the face of the blonde-haired Jinchuuriki. "Who said anything about revenge, old man? I'll show them that I am better than they will ever be. I will become the Kage of their village, and I won't hate them."
Pride swelled in Tayuki's breast. "It takes great strength of character to overcome anger and replace it with compassion. Now… I have been instructed to ask you if you know what might have caused Brother Yamada's undergarments to turn a violent shade of pink?"
Five minutes later, monks came rushing out of their place of meditation, to see a mischievous young man sprinting away from the head of the Monastery. "Gotcha!"
Heads were shaken, sighs of disappointment echoed through the courtyard, and small smiles appeared on many faces. It was going to be hard to have the Monastery's mascot depart.
- - - - - - - - - -
At a young age Hatake Kakashi had sworn never to have children. After his own childhood experience following his father's ritual suicide, he simply felt he could not force that life off onto an innocent child. The risk of having a parent die, lose their sanity, or simply not be present enough was too great.
At this particular moment he was very glad he had made that decision. "Are we there yet?"
An overexcited blonde was jogging along at his side, looking very bored. "We'll get there soon enough. You asking won't make it any faster."
The blonde pouted for a moment, and then jumped into a new line of questioning. "You're an ANBU, right?"
"Yes"
The boy's eyes lit with enthusiasm. "So you could teach me a really strong jutsu?"
Kakashi looked up from his book, looking very frustrated. "I'll tell you what. I'll teach you a really powerful jutsu… If you shut up."
Kyuubi's container nodded, and went skipping off. Kakashi, glad for a moment of peace, returned to his book. 'Shiro smiled, glad that his girlfriend was as exited for this as he was. "Haruka… You're so –'
Naruto's voice echoed from a bend in the road in front of him. "We're back!"
Kakashi sighed and caught up to the exited young man. Where the path bent, the walls of Konoha became visible in the distance. Naruto bounced up and down in excitement and remarked, "I had forgotten how big the walls were!"
Kakashi placed a hand on the top of the boy's head, and ruffled his hair, earning him a disgruntled glare from the boy. "Welcome home, Naruto."
To his surprise, the boy dashed off towards the walls. "Hurry up, slow poke!"
The ANBU Captain smiled and put on a burst of speed. "You really don't want to just run towards the walls."
"Wh-"
At that moment two ANBU dropped down in front of them. Naruto ran face-first into the stomach of one and tumbled to the ground in a heap. "Halt!"
Kakashi shrugged. "I told you…"
Naruto glared at him, and stood up. While he dusted himself off, one of the ANBU held out a hand. "Identification please."
Kakashi dug through his pack and pulled out the passports he had been given for himself and Naruto. "Hatake Kakashi, ANBU Captain, bringing Uzumaki Naruto back to Konoha after an extended training trip."
The ANBU nodded and checked the passports for confirmation. "Welcome to Konoha, Sir. The Hokage would like to meet with both of you when it becomes convenient."
"Alright."
Naruto and Kakashi walked through the gates of Konoha. Naruto's head was snapping from side to side, excitement clear on his features. "Naruto, I have to report to the Hokage on my mission. Take your equipment to your apartment and join me at the Hokage's office."
"Hai!"
As the boy dashed off along the streets, causing disgruntled pedestrians to glare at him, Kakashi smiled. It was good to see Naruto enthusiastic about his return. The Hokage had worried that the boy would be disappointed at coming back to a place where he was feared and reviled.
- - - - - - - - - -
As Naruto left Kakashi's range of vision, he slowed, and let the mindless smile slip from his face. The act he had been projecting disappeared, and he trudged forward towards his apartment. Naruto allowed himself a measure of satisfaction. Having fooled the ANBU into assuming that he was still the overly enthusiastic boy who had left Konoha had been no easy task.
Naruto didn't want the people of Konoha to know that he was no longer the lighthearted simpleton who had left them. It was important that if he were ever attacked people would assume he was clueless. Being underestimated very valuable.
Until it came time to begin proving himself, he was much safer if he acted the clown. That had been drilled into his skull by instructors on a daily basis.
Konoha hadn't changed all that much. Most stores were identical to the way they had been when he left. The streets had been repaired, but they were wearing down again. Most noticeably, the people glared in the same manner. Whenever they thought he wasn't looking, they cast looks of vehement hatred at his back. 'It's nice to know some things never change.'
He passed Ichiraku Ramen, and resisted the urge to throw himself into the establishment and eat until he was bloated. That particular pleasure would have to wait until late.
As he walked into his apartment building, he tensed, preparing for an assault upon his senses. He had left his room much in the state it had been in when Itachi had assaulted him. There had been laundry piled up to his height, and food sitting out on the counters. There was no doubt in his mind that, assuming there was anything left in the room at all, the stench was going to be overwhelming.
To his surprise, his door had been repaired. The lock was functional, and he was forced to pick it to get in (the only key he had was on top of his dresser). The door swung open with only a small squeal, and Naruto tensed. "Huh?"
Instead of discovering a mildewing pigsty, he had entered a well-cleaned apartment. His laundry had clearly been done, and it now was stacked neatly in one corner. The counters had been cleared and cleaned, the shelves had been dusted and repaired, and his bed had different sheets on it. 'Did the Hokage allow someone else to move in here?'
It seemed unlikely that anyone would have the poor taste to hold onto his old orange jumpsuits (even he winced at the sight of them every morning), but he wasn't going to rule such a possibility out. However, the bed seemed as though it hadn't been slept in recently, and both rooms had the slightly stale smell of quarters no one was living in, so he decided it was safe to stow his stuff in the room for the time-being and move it if someone else had gained possession of the apartment.
His only chair had been reupholstered, and when he sank down in it, it gave a pleasant sigh. 'What should I let on?'
That was the question. Naruto had grown significantly stronger since the time he had departed Konoha. He was perfectly aware of the fact that in terms of power he fell somewhere in between a weak Chuunin and a powerful Genin. However, at age 11 he was expected to be an Academy Student. The difference between a last year Academy Student and a Genin was that a Genin had actual combat experience. Combat experience changed everything about the way a person reacted. New instincts formed in an experienced Genin. Naruto had begun to take the first steps towards Chuunin level, and was evolving away from the very cookie cutter style of a Genin and into his own personal style. All of these things made it important for him to put on a very good act or risk losing the advantage of surprise.
It all came down to the question of where Naruto needed to be. As an Academy Student, he would be hard-pressed to learn anything beyond theory (a subject he had little to no taste for), but he would stay in character. It would provide him with time to pull pranks and do personal training (and he felt the two should be done in combination), but the classes would be a total waste of his time. As a Genin he would be above the rest of his age group, but would receive valuable experience that he would not gain as an Academy Student. His goal of reaching Kage level would be that much closer.
That made the decision much easier. He had a single-minded determination on the subject of reaching the Kage level and nothing, not even tactical advantage in his first few fights, was going to stand in his way.
Flashback
"Naruto-kun, would you please tell the class what the Hokage does?"
A young Naruto nervously stood in front of his class, and cudgeled his brain for answers. "He's the most powerful Shinobi in the Village!"
Iruka sighed. It was clear that Naruto had not done the reading he had assigned. "Does anyone else have more to add?"
Sakura raised her hand. "The Hokage is in charge of all of Konoha's Shinobi. He selects missions for different teams, oversees the training of Students, communicates with the Daimyo and the Village Elders, and keeps diplomatic relations open between Konoha and other Hidden Villages."
"That's boring! Who would want to do that?
"Naruto! The Hokage is the most respected Shinobi in the village! Don't badmouth him!"
Flashback
That was it then. The only way to move onward and upward was to be a genin. However, that didn't mean he had to show all of his strengths. He gave a small smile, and leapt up from his chair. Maybe there would even be time to pull a little prank…
- - - - - - - - - -
"When did you send Naruto to his apartment, Kakashi?"
The Hokage gave a perturbed glance at the clock in the corner of his office. "An hour ago, Sir. Knowing him, he got distracted by Ichiraku's stand and forgot all about us."
Sarutobi chuckled, and reached into his desk to produce a book. "Jiraiya wanted me to give you this. He said that he thought he should reward your dedicated readership."
Kakashi took the book and nodded his thanks. "Naruto hasn't changed all that much. He's still the same loudmouthed, hyperactive kid you sent away from here. I had expected life at the Monastery to mellow him out somewhat."
"I had too. However, there are some fires that even the most intense river cannot quench. I'm glad to see his determination is so strong."
"Hokage-Sama!" One of the Hokage's aides rushed into the room. "That brat just vandalized the Hokage monument!"
Kakashi chuckled. "So much for that."
Sarutobi rubbed at his forehead, wondering for a moment what had inspired him to say something so inviting to the gods of irony. "Capture him and have him brought here."
The man shuffled his feet for a moment, and looked sheepish. "He, um… Well… We can't catch him. He's too fast!"
In the course of both of his terms as Hokage, the Third had seen many strange things. The thought of elite Jounin being outrun by a hyperactive Academy Student, however, was novel to him. "Kakashi, please accompany this man to capture Naruto."
The ANBU Captain, and former student of the Fourth Hokage scowled beneath his mask. 'Why me?'
- - - - - - - - - -
Those who claimed that Uzumaki Naruto's pranks were chaotic or random could not be more wrong. While it might seem that vandalizing the Hokage Monument was, at best, an expression of his frustration with the way the village treated him. Many would argue that the boy just targeted his pranks at gaining attention, or perhaps at harming everything that made Konoha, Konoha. Naruto, however, preferred to think of himself as an artist.
Vandalizing the Hokage Monument was, in Naruto's mind, an example of Modernist art at it's best. As a piece of symbolism, it offered a scathing criticism of the way that the men were set upon pedestal (or, as truth would have it, a mountain), by lowering them to the purely human level. Now, they blushed, grinned like perverts, and had nosebleeds trickling down to their robes. As a piece of social commentary, Naruto felt it was brilliant. It forced Konoha to look at their pre-established biases, and rethink who their heroes and villains were. In his opinion, it was beautiful.
It was a pity that most of Konoha disagreed. "Come back here, you monster!"
Naruto turned and made a face at the Jounin, who was charging after him, and stuck out his tongue. "Why don't you make me?"
He had thus far managed to avoid capture by dodging in and out of crowds, and using his size to put obstacles in the Jounin's path, but his luck was slowly wearing down as they approached the wooded training areas that bordered the main city. As they came up to the trees, he started calculating. 'If I push off the tree there, and use it's momentum to carry me over his head, I can force him to chase me through the village again, and maybe peel him off of me for long enough to find a hiding place.'
With a burst of power, he leapt towards the thick tree that bordered Training Area 12 and crashed headfirst into the chest of Hatake Kakashi, who had appeared in front of him a second earlier. They tumbled to the ground in a pile. "Naruto, I had no idea you were so desperate to see me again!"
The ANBU rose to his feet and dusted himself off. He then proceeded to pick Naruto up by the back of his collar. Naruto flailed for a moment and then pouted. "What do you want?"
"The Hokage wants to see you."
Naruto twitched. This wasn't going to be pretty. "I don't suppose I could convince you to let me walk on my own?"
"No."
The march up to the Hokage's office was carried out in silence, with Naruto quickly giving up on any chance of escape after Kakashi demonstrated his accuracy with a kunai by splitting an apple 100 meters away. The Kyuubi's container opted to spend the time on the way up desperately searching for a way to excuse his actions to the Hokage.
He was rapidly reaching the conclusion that he was screwed when they arrived at the Hokage's office. Kakashi tossed him into a chair and gave him a look that indicated making a break for it was a really bad idea. "Naruto… What am I going to do with you?"
The Hokage gave Naruto a piercing look. "Do you know what you have done? You have vandalized one of Konoha's greatest monuments. The Hokage's are the heroes of this village. To show such disrespect to them is unthinkable."
Naruto struggled for a moment to come up with a decent excuse. "I… I- I'm sorry."
This clearly wasn't going to go well for him, so he might as well get off easy by playing contrite. The Hokage's eyebrows shot up. Naruto had never shown a bone of contrition before in his life. The old man clearly thought it was odd that Naruto would be showing any sorrow for his actions at all. "You will have to clean it off, you know."
"No problem." Naruto grinned slightly. "The paint should start to disappear in an hour or so. I used chakra-based paint."
"Well then we'll have to find something else for you to clean, then." The Hokage said, with a gentle smile. "However, there is a more important issue to address right now. It was the reason that you were brought here in the first place."
"Are you going to make me a Jounin?"
Sarutobi smiled gently. "Not exactly… However, this test does have to do with your rank. We need to know if you are able to keep up in the academy, or if you will need to be moved back a year."
Naruto fought the impulse to laugh. His act was apparently too good. They still expected the incompetent, ill-prepared boy who had flunked every course he took at the academy. Well… They were to be sadly disappointed. "What is the test?"
"The test comes in two parts. The first part is a demonstration of accuracy with a throwing weapon of your choice. The second part is a demonstration of one of the three basic jutsu. Normally we'd test your physical abilities as well, but your dash across town was an adequate demonstration of those abilities."
Naruto pretended to think for a minute. "And there's no way for me to become a Genin from this test?"
Sarutobi looked at him skeptically. "If you pass it flawlessly, I will give you a jutsu to learn. If you can learn it in an hour, I will let you become a Genin."
The Hokage looked satisfied, clearly believing that Naruto would not, could not possibly succeed at his challenge. 'He's in for the shock of his life…'
"Name a target." Naruto smirked. "Make sure it's small."
The Hokage walked to the window and opened it. He pointed to a lone oak tree, about 20 meters away. "Do you see the swing there?"
Naruto nodded. "Strike the knot where it is tied to the tree. If you sever the knot, I will consider it a perfect shot. You may have three tries."
'So he's willing to take me seriously…' Mused Naruto. It had seemed unlikely that the old man would take his challenge seriously, but this was indeed a difficult target. 'Too bad I'm going to succeed in just one shot.'
Naruto stuck a hand in his weapons pouch, and withdrew a senbon-needle. While most shinobi preferred to use heavier weapons; primarily kunai and shuriken, Naruto's time at the Nakayama Monastery had taught him that power alone was not enough. Senbon were lighter, cheaper, easier to carry in bulk, and more accurate than traditional ninja weaponry. An expert could do as much damage with a well-placed senbon as they could with a kunai.
The Hokage made no comment as Naruto sized up the target. It was certainly not a clear shot. At a distance of 20 meters it was going to require that he put some strength behind the throw. The knot was cleanly visible, but there was enough wind that some correction was necessary. Naruto brought the senbon behind his ear and threw.
The shot flew true, striking the edge of the knot. Naruto winced. He had meant to hit the knot dead-on. It was clear his skills were not quite up to the level he had expected. The knot slowly frayed, before peeling apart with a snap, sending the swing plummeting to the ground. The Hokage regarded Naruto with surprise for a moment before nodding his head. "Very well thrown. The next part of the test is to perform the three traditional Academy Jutsu. I assume you have some familiarity with Bunshin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu, and Henge no Jutsu?"
Naruto nodded his assent. "Of course! The monks used those to teach basic jutsu-control to every monk at the Monastery."
Naruto moved his hands into the tiger seal, and focused his chakra tightly. "Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Six Bunshin formed in a large cloud of smoke. The Hokage gestured for him to continue. With a grimace on his face Naruto made the seals for Kawarimi. He pulled a senbon out and threw it in the air. As the needle arced back down towards Naruto's head, he activated the jutsu…
The Hokage's hat was impaled by the falling senbon, as Naruto crouched down upon the skull of the military leader of the Village Hidden in the Leafs. The old man blinked for a moment, before looking at his hat. "Naruto!"
The boy grinned sheepishly before hopping down off of the Hokage's head and passing the Sandaime his hat. 'Henge no Jutsu, eh… He's going to be sorry he asked for that.'
The Hokage nodded for Naruto to continue, and the Jinchuuriki quickly conjured up his chakra. "Henge no Jutsu!"
Naruto transformed into a nude woman, with smoke covering just enough to keep him appropriate. The Hokage fell from his chair, a gout of blood rushing from his nose. "Did I kill him?"
Kakashi glanced up from his book, before joining the Hokage in unconsciousness. Naruto sighed, and reversed the jutsu. He walked over to the Hokage and prodded the man with his toe. "So? Do I pass?"
Sarutobi picked himself up off of the ground and sat back down in his chair. "That was a very… Effective attack indeed. You clearly are at least up to the level of your year in technique and preparation. I will offer you an hour in which to learn a new technique."
"Oh! What is it? Is it a super-huge fireball? Is it an ultimate assassination technique?"
The wizened old man shook his head. "Nothing so dazzling at all. The technique I want you to learn is a forbidden jutsu that your large chakra capacity is perfect for. The technique is the famous 'Kage Bunshin no jutsu'."
The old Naruto would have been disappointed at the mention of a clone technique, rather than a huge explosive. The new Naruto was exited at the strategic advantage an advanced Bunshin might offer. He decided, just this once, that he would deviate from the act, to show the old man he was capable of tactical decisions. "Ok! Let's see it!"
Sarutobi produced a scroll from under his desk, and drew out a large scroll. "A Kage Bunshin is a Bunshin that has had more chakra put into it, making it temporarily solid. It won't stand up to much of a beating, but it is stronger than a plain old Bunshin."
"Sounds easy enough."
Naruto's remark made the Hokage chuckle. "The hard part is that you have to impart enough of your own intelligence into it to make it do more than merely copy your motions. To do this, you have to control the chakra going into the clone so that it focuses into the nervous system."
Naruto nodded. "I have an hour to do this. May I go to a training ground to practice?"
Before the Hokage had even finished his affirmative, Naruto had left the room.
- - - - - - - - - -
Naruto had finished learning Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in about 15 minutes. After ten minutes of practicing the jutsu, Naruto had returned to the scroll that the Sandaime had given him. With 35 minutes remaining he had turned his attention to learning the next jutsu on the scroll. The jutsu was the "Kage Buki no Jutsu", which would create clones of a weapon while it was in flight (when the correct weapon was called). After the Kage Bunshin it was fairly easy, and Naruto still had ten minutes to go back to the Hokage's office.
He walked into the office to find the Hokage in deep discussion with Kakashi. "I felt it was a wonderful book! It was so wonderfully written, and the characters were so convincing… And like most of Jiraiya's books it's er… More adult scenes were vividly written."
The Hokage nodded as Naruto walked in. Naruto fought down the urge to retch. He found the perverted books that the ANBU Captain read to be repulsive. He thought that that sort of book was totally inappropriate for old men. Heck, even little kids should have more maturity than to get their jollies reading that sort of stuff. "Oi! Perverted geezer! I'm back!"
The Hokage case a frustrated glance at Naruto. "Did you learn it?"
"Of course! I'm the next Hokage after all. See?" He quickly made the hand-seals for Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. "It wasn't even difficult!"
The Hokage's eyebrows shot skywards. "I must admit I'm very impressed, Naruto. Clearly your time at the Monastery was very good for you. Congratulations: you are now a Genin of the Leaf!"
"Oh yeah! I'm good!"
The Hokage gave him a smile. "In two weeks the Academy will run the end of the year tests. After that you will be assigned your rookie team. Until then, spend your time training for when you begin missions."
Naruto was still smiling broadly as he walked home, whistling out of key. He was on the path to showing the citizens of Konoha just how wrong they had been about him. The Hokage had even forgotten to punish him for his prank (which was quickly fading off of the face of the monument, making the Hokages look more like clowns in the light of the setting sun).
In fact there was only one thing wrong with the world. The glares.
No matter where he went, the Villagers were glaring at him, hate and fear mixing with their prejudices to make them even crueler than before. He leaned back, his hands behind his neck, and looked up at the sky. 'I wonder… How will they feel when they realize that they were wrong about me all along?'
He pushed back the wave of doubt in his head which was screaming that they never did, and walked into his Apartment. Looking at the unnaturally clean room, he sighed. "Welcome home, Naruto…"
And what a welcome it had been.
Author's Notes: There we go. That's Chapter 2 down. It only took me three times the amount of time that Chapter One did. I'm afraid that updates will occur rarely for a while now, as school is starting up on Tuesday. I'll still write, but I won't have so much free time on my hands. I feel fairly good about the work for the most part, but I think that it might be a bit terse and too quick to move from subject to subject.
Just a couple points of notice:
Naruto may seem unusually, or absurdly strong. This is not the case. He would have been able to make the throw that I described in the original series. In the original series it only took him a few hours to learn Kage Bunshin, and Kage Buki is very similar. All in all he is more powerful, but not significantly.
Kage Buki is not an original jutsu. I just gave a broader name to a series of more specific jutsu we have seen in the manga. The Hokage uses a similar technique against Orochimaru, and Sasuke uses a technique with a similar name against Zabuza (although he, being less powerful, only creates one copy). It is on the forbidden scroll for the same reason Kage Bunshin is: It is a jutsu that requires a great deal of energy.
I've seen the last name Kazama given for the Hokage by a couple credible sources. I didn't make it up. For some time Wiki had it as his name. Hence, it's not my choice.
Other than that, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I want to thank everyone who reviewed the past chapter.
Later,
Smertios