AN: Hello, and welcome to the second installation of Naruto of the Five Elements! I'm really sorry that I haven't done anything for so long, so here's an extra-length chapter! 4.5k words in total! Lots o' developments in here, people, and the introduction of some characters (not OCs).
Enjoy!
o-o-o-o-o-o
Chapter 1
Naruto groaned. The sunlight streamed through the window, hitting the young blond directly on the face. He muttered darkly under his breath before turning over onto his other side.
"Well, Naruto, how are you feeling?"
Naruto opened his eyes, his mouth already pouting- why couldn't they let him sleep? - and stared up directly into the twinkling eyes of the Third Hokage.
"Jiji!" Sarutobi chuckled; the boy still had so much energy even after the events of last night. Ceasing his extreme glomping of the Hokage, Naruto looked up and turned his cerulean eyes towards the old man. "Thanks jiji, for saving me! Yeah, you're awesome! I want to be a ninja! I-"
As the young boy continued his ranting, the corners of the Sandaime's mouth turned up in a smile. Surely no other child could possibly posses this kind of energy but Naruto. Seeing the child suddenly cease his babble, he abruptly stopped his thoughts and turned his attention back to the small blond in front of him. As face immediately fell as he realized that Naruto was thinking of the events of the previous night.
"O-ojii-san, w-why did they attack me? I-i, I didn't do anything to them, right?" Sarutobi sighed as the boy's composure went from happy to remorseful and trembling. He mentally cursed the monsters that had done this to the otherwise happy-go-lucky boy: couldn't they see that this was the jailor, the keeper, the hero- and not the demon? He sighed again; sometimes the actions against this child made him question his loyalties to his village…
"No, Naruto, you did nothing wrong."
"B-but, why, Jiji? If I didn't do anything, then why do they-" He was stopped when the Hokage suddenly stood up from his position on Naruto's bed and looked at the boy sadly.
"I am sorry, Naruto, but I cannot tell you until you are older." Seeing the look in the blond's eyes, Sarutobi immediately knew that his answer wouldn't cut it. He knew he himself wouldn't have lived with it: he owed Naruto at least that much. Unfortunately, he knew that the boy had to remain ignorant for his own safety, at least for now. Turning towards the door, he looked over his shoulder at Naruto. "Well, Naruto, it has come to my attention that you want to be a ninja. Is this true?" Seeing the boy nod vigorously, he allowed himself a small smile as he reached into his Hokage robes to pull out a small envelope, handing it to Naruto, who eyed it with a confused look on his face.
"That is an Academy acceptance letter, Naruto. Starting tomorrow, you will join the Konoha Ninja Academy and we'll see if you really are serious about becoming a shinobi." With that, the Sandaime Hokage swept out of the room, chuckling lightly.
Naruto remained staring at the envelope for a few moments more. Silently, he took his small finger and tore through the top of the letter, reaching inside for the paper inside. Perfectly still, he opened the letter and quietly read the inside as within him, an emotion slowly grew within him.
The boy sat there, unmoving for a few minutes until the magnitude of what he had just received reached his brain.
"YATTA!"
Several flocks of birds flew out of the trees as the Hokage continued his walk back to the Tower, a soft smile on his face.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Naruto smiled cheerfully as he bounced away from the Hokage Tower. And why wouldn't he be happy? He had just found out that he was gonna be a ninja, a real one! One with super powerful moves, and a huge reputation, and princesses to save, and-
Wait, scratch that last one. Girls were icky.
Anyway, he continued on his way, not caring even when he bumped into a man who did nothing but glare and mutter "demon brat" under his breath. Naruto frowned. Why didn't people like him? Was he a bad person? His shoulders slumped, before he suddenly looked back up with a grin on his face.
"I know, I'll go to Ichiraku! I'll get some ramen!"
Chattering to himself about the wonders of ramen and momentarily forgetting his troubles, Naruto ran off to his favorite place in the village, Ichiraku Ramen.
o-o-o-o-o-o
As Naruto entered his small apartment, he patted his distended stomach softly. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to eat the eleventh bowl of ramen. Oh, well; he'd be fine by morning.
Walking toward his bed after shutting the door loudly, Naruto walked by his standing mirror when something caught his eye. He turned quickly and looked at his reflection; it looked like he was glowing red a little bit. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The aura was gone. Naruto shrugged- he must have just been tired and imagined it; in any case, it didn't matter.
Stripping and changing into a pair of chibi-fox boxers, Naruto pulled the covers over his eyes and sighed contently. Yup, his life was starting to get exciting.
He had no idea how right he was.
As he closed his eyes and fell asleep, the Uzumaki turned softy as small sounds made themselves known. The wind through the trees, the rustling of leaves, and-
"…the elements…"
Naruto flopped over, groaning in his sleep…
"…fox…"
A breeze blew through the window, fluttering the curtains slightly…
"…fire…"
Naruto stirred as a shadow drifted across the tops of his eyelids…
"…water…"
As Naruto dreamed, a darkened figure slowly walked towards him…
"…lightning…"
The figure solidified into a tall man with dark red hair, staring up at the stars…
"…earth…"
The man looked down at Naruto, his eyes burning with unfathomable emotions…
"…air…"
The man opened his mouth wide and to Naruto's horror it transformed into a gigantic jaw, a huge fox looming over him, laughing malevolently as people screamed and ran. The fox slammed its tails on the ground before rushing towards Naruto, his gaping maw speeding towards him, casting darkness onto the ground. He screamed-
-And Naruto woke up, breathing heavily. He looked around frantically before taking deep breaths, calming himself as he slowly but surely felt his heartbeat begin to subside. It was only a dream, it was only a dream… He felt himself breathe softer as he thought. Jiji wouldn't let anything else bad happen to me, right? With his calm restored, Naruto closed his eyes once more and drifted off into a dreamless sleep, anticipating the beginning of his new life tomorrow at the Academy.
Deep in a cage, two blood-red eyes stared straight ahead as a growl reverberated through the halls of a sewer, five shadowed figures watching silently as the boy slept on.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
As the moonlight shone into the expanse of the Hokage's tower, Sarutobi paced back and forth, thinking of Naruto. The poor boy had done nothing- nothing!- and still the villagers attacked him. A smoldering flame rose within him as he pondered the inhumanity and bigotry of those who would dare beat a child. They are the ones who are the demons, that is for sure.
Still, Sarutobi was glad that Naruto was joining the Shinobi Academy. Perhaps as a ninja at least, the blond would gain bonds and would be able to show himself as a hero and not the Kyuubi; at worst, at least the boy could learn to defend himself.
Yes, Naruto would have to learn to care for himself. But for now…
A fire danced in the old man's eyes as he raised his head to look out at the rising moon.
He had made a promise, and he intended to keep it.
I swear it, Minato…
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The sun rose, beaming its rays onto one young blond's face. Under such scrutiny, Naruto squirmed, flipping onto his sides before yawning and rubbing his eyes. He slowly got out of bed, muttering under his breath while he went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Splashing water on his face, the six-year-old Uzumaki suddenly remembered the letter.
Uzumaki Naruto
You have been accepted into the Shinobi Academy of Konohagakure no Sato. Classes begin daily at 8:30 AM, ending at 3:00 PM. Please come prepared and ready.
Umino Iruka
Suddenly stiffening, Naruto looked over at his clock.
8:20
"KUSO!"
Throwing on his clothes and goggles, the young blond sped out of the apartment, eager to begin his career as a ninja trainee.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Sighing, Umino Iruka, chuunin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and teacher at the Konoha Shinobi Academy, suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. Glancing up at the small children sitting in the rows of seats, chattering excitedly, the scarred chuunin's eyes came to and passed each one of them… until he came to an empty seat. Hmmm… I wonder who could be absent, he thought, looking back down at the attendance list. Getting up, Iruka's eyes wandered down the paper as he viewed the names of his students for the next six years.
Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino… Iruka froze upon seeing the next name. His musings were abruptly cut off as the bell rang loudly and a small, orange and yellow blur sped into the classroom, shouting excitedly. Kuso, cursed Iruka internally.
Uzumaki Naruto, universally despised outcast, and vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, was in his class.
Oh, Kami, what have I done to deserve this? Iruka groaned. He didn't look forward to dealing with the brat for the next six years of his life.
"All right everyone, sit down and be quiet." The children, six-year-olds that they were, did the obvious thing in response to the chuunin's request. They ignored him and went right on talking. A vein on Iruka's forehead twitched.
"ALL RIGHT BRATS, SIT DOWN!" yelled Iruka, performing his patented "demon head no jutsu." Immediately, all of the brats- children, sorry- quieted down, sitting nervously in their seats.
"All right everyone, and welcome to your new lives as shinobi-in-training. For the next six years you will learn here as students to become ninja; following that, you will graduate to genin and will be eligible to perform missions." At this point, Iruka paused and looked around, daring anyone to interrupt. Satisfied at their cowed silence, he continued.
"You will learn many things, not least involving the history of the village, weapons techniques, and the basic "Academy Three." I will be your advisor and aide throughout all of this, but you must learn to take initiative yourselves. Now, any questions?" A student sneezed as another picked his nose. Another sat with his head upon his desk, lightly snoring. Iruka groaned; he had his work cut out for him.
"Now, I will hand out your textbooks…"
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Naruto fidgeted in his seat as his new sensei passed out the books for the year. He glanced quickly out the window, looking at the sun beaming down onto the Academy lawn. It wasn't fair! He wanted to be a kick-ass ninja, not some, some, bookworm! Suddenly seeing a shadow fall across his desk, Naruto looked up to see his new teacher- His name's Iruka-sensei, right? - standing in front of him. He didn't miss the flash of coldness in his teacher's eyes, but by now, he was used to it. Sometimes, he wished he could know why, but Hokage-jiji wouldn't tell him. He could still pretend though, wishing that people would acknowledge him for who he was. He knew that he would do whatever it took to accomplish that.
Little did he know, but Uzumaki Naruto had just made his first promise of a lifetime.
Inclining his head slightly as his teacher slammed the book down on his desk, Naruto stared blankly at the cover. He didn't know how to read, but at this point, he doubted anyone would care to help. Sighing, he opened it up and- of course. The inside was defaced anyway, making half impossible to read. He looked down at the floor, and then looked back up, staring at the board, face set like stone. He knew that they wanted him to cave in, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
A chill draft blew across the room, making a few students shiver slightly in their short-sleeved clothes. Iruka and his assistant, Mizuki raised their eyebrows and looked around in confusion.
Hm. They didn't remember leaving a window open.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
As Naruto walked home from school that day, he skipped happily, a smile plastered on his face. Sure, it was hard, and his sensei didn't exactly like him… but still! He was definitely gonna become a ninja!
Opening the door to his apartment and walking in, Naruto didn't notice as the lights flickered rapidly before he finally turned off the switch, ready for bed.
He didn't notice the shadowy shape that slipped through the gates either.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Looking around the Academy grounds as the students marched towards another day of school, Roshi Han smirked smugly, the sun's morning rays glinting off his scratched Iwa hitai-ate. He glanced upwards quietly, returning to his gloating as he observed the noticeable lack of any ANBU shinobi. Those fools didn't even have anyone guarding the west gates! The idiots!
The life of a missing-nin was anything but glamorous. Scrounging around for food and cash was not fun, and so many nukenin eventually got fed up with it. Some devoted their lives to gaining bounties, trying to earn themselves money to live another day. Others sold themselves off as mercenaries, as Momochi Zabuza had. Still others formed groups who went around destabilizing countries while raiding towns and civilians. However, Han was a special case. It was not often that one was offered the chance to rejoin another ninja village, and he intended to grasp this opportunity with both hands. It was simple: Kumo wished for him to pursue and obtain a target to bring back to Cloud as a show of goodwill.
The target?
Hyuuga Hinata.
Kumogakure no Sato had never truly given up on the ideal of the Byakugan and its powers. Admittedly, with the advent of a younger, more modern candidate for Raikage, things were starting to turn, but, for now, the Sandaime Raikage was still focused strong on obtaining the secrets of the Gentle Fist. Han almost laughed right then and there upon spying his prey: it was too easy! She was right there, sitting off by herself for Kami's sakes! Mentally chuckling over his good fortune and fingering a kunai, Roshi Han began to move.
Unbeknownst to him, a certain hyperactive blond ninja had already begun to move as well, and was moving over to sit with the Hyuuga heiress himself.
And unknown to all of them was that this was a day that would change destiny forever.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Humming happily as he sat down to eat his lunch, Uzumaki Naruto's smile faded somewhat as he looked at the slice of bread that was all he had to eat. Replacing his fake grin, he looked around, wondering if anyone would be willing to share. Suddenly, he spotted a blue-haired girl sitting on her own, near the end of the eating area. Grinning widely, he went over to the girl sitting there.
"Hey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?" Naruto smiled and held out his hand. Unfortunately, Hinata looked up and let out a small "eep" before turning back to her sandwich, blushing furiously.
"Neh?" asked Naruto, poking Hinata on the arm. "I asked you what your name was!" Hinata looked up over her shoulder and saw the grinning blond there, hand still outstretched.
"G-gomen, Naruto-san… m-my name is H-hyuuga H-hinata." Hinata prodded the tips of her fingers together as she looked at the boy in front of her.
"Nice to meet you, Hinata!" Naruto said, his hands behind his head. "Hey… not to be annoying or anything, but… will you share some of your sandwich with me?"
"O-of course Naruto-san."
In the shadows, a figure moved closer to the pair, hidden by the darkness between the trees. Or so he thought. Abruptly, a kunai flew out at him and he halted, standing stock-still. No, I couldn't have been discovered!
"Hey you! Come out of there now!" Iruka eyed the shape in the bushes suspiciously, another kunai cradled in his fingers. Behind him, Mizuki watched, ready to help if need be.
Swearing inwardly, Han moved swiftly out of the brush. He tried to smile non-threateningly and failed miserably. Cursing himself for not retreating as soon as he was discovered, the Iwa nukenin raised his hands slowly. "Hey, no trouble here, right?" Blinking, the teachers' eyes slowly raised themselves to the man's forehead- and froze. The scratched-out Iwa symbol was perfectly visible in the noon light. Iruka held in a breath. There was no way that they could deal with a missing-nin- not here, in the middle of the school day!
"Well, I really must thank you for your hospitality, but I must be off! Doton: Rensa no Tochi!"(1) As he called out his technique, streams of dirt burst from the soil, wrapping themselves around the young Hyuuga before snapping tight. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now." Smirking, the nin picked up the bundle and sped off with Hinata slung over his shoulder. Coming to his sense, Iruka yelled out to Mizuki.
"Get ANBU and the Hokage! This is serious! We need to track this guy, now!" The silver-haired chuunin ran off, leaving the stunned and afraid students behind with Iruka.
No one had noticed that a certain blond student was missing.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Opening his eyes groggily, Naruto woke up slowly. He remember sitting with Hinata-chan- she had been really nice!- and then he remembered something constricting and then everything going dark- He tried to move his arm to push himself off the ground, and found he couldn't. In fact, it seemed like he couldn't move any of his limbs at all. Kuso, he thought bitterly. Turning his head slightly, he saw a strange man sitting by a fire which cast shadows over the walls of the cave that he now realized they were in. Water dripped down the sides of the walls as the firelight flickered eerily over the ground. In the corner, Naruto saw a small, dark bundle- one that was groaning softly. Hinata! Naruto opened his mouth to call her name, but all that came out through the gag on his mouth was indecipherable. Starting, the strange man turned and Naruto saw that the man had a forehead protector. A ninja? Suddenly, the man smiled, a facial expression that Naruto found that he didn't like at all.
"Well, it seems like our little stowaway has woke up." Han's eyes glittered in the dim light as he locked his gaze onto the young Uzumaki. Naruto squirmed uncomfortably. "I had only needed to take the little Hyuuga bitch, here, but imagine my surprise when I found I had brought along a guest for the ride." The smirk was replaced with a frown, the nukenin furrowing his eyebrows. When he spoke next, it was almost as if he spat out each word.
"When I saw you, I of course wanted to get rid of you. But of course, I realized that you'd be more use as a hostage or something. Imagine my surprise, though, when I remembered that, through my observations, there was no one who cared." Naruto's face darkened and he looked at the floor.
"But, then again, this opens up so many possibilities, don't you think?" Han's grin returned, feral and dangerous, as Naruto tried to curl in on himself for protection. "I'm pissed off, after all, that you brats had to be so loud and get the goddamn ANBU on my trail. So, to work off my stress, you and I are going to be… sparring buddies for a little while. How about it?" Laughing as he ignored the widening of Naruto's eyes, Han strode arrogantly toward the young demon container.
"Now, let's have some fun, shall we?"
Chuckling mirthlessly, the Iwa missing-nin picked Naruto up before throwing him against the wall, hard, getting a sharp gasp of pain out of the blond. Han picked him up again and then kneed him in the stomach mercilessly, prompting a sudden flood of bile from the child's mouth. Pausing only to step on or kick him, the ninja proceeded to punch, knee, or scratch the small child into a state of immense pain.
"Hm," said Han, frowning. "I coulda sworn that I hit you harder than that. Ah, well; just means more "therapy time" later, right? Throwing some sand onto the fire, the nin chuckled cruelly as he watched the flames die out.
Naruto twitched a few more times before finally succumbing to his injuries, passing into merciful oblivion.
Naruto-kun, thought one shy, blue haired kunoichi, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
The moon began to set.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
As he ran frantically in the direction that the missing-nin had taken off, Hyuuga Hiashi sweated. Normally a very calm man, he worried of the possible consequences of these actions. The last time that Hinata had been taken, they had risked war and his twin brother had been offered as a sacrifice to preserve the peace. Now, his daughter had been taken again. His daughter.
He had mainly ignored her, seeing her as growing up to be weak and soft-spoken. And looking more and more like her mother. He ignored the voice that whispered in his head as he remembered how he begun to distance himself from her after Hina had died. Unwanted feelings of guilt began to warn their way under his mental defenses.
He would stop to figure out his path later.
For now, he would focus on regaining Hinata.
His gaze hardened as he continued swiftly, face set like stone.
"ANBU-san, where does the path lead now?"
"Northeast, Hyuuga-sama."
Hiashi nodded almost imperceptibly as they sped off into the night.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Naruto moaned a little in his sleep as reality started to return to the boy. He remembered… what? Fear, yeah. And then… pain. Darkness. His memories returned, hitting him like a sledgehammer, as he looked around frantically to look for Hinata, still bound tight.
Seeing her crumpled in that same corner made him wince internally, but at least it seemed that she wasn't hurt.
Silently grateful, Naruto passed out again.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Landing in a small clearing, Han was surprised- and pleased- that he hadn't been caught yet. He attributed it to the general incompetence of Leaf shinobi. Dropping his two parcels unceremoniously on the forest floor, he started to hide his pack. He'd be across the border tomorrow anyway, and he didn't want anyone finding his things.
Coming back to the site, he smirked as he saw the blond brat still struggling, as the Hyuuga girl just lay there, unmoving. He paused for a moment before a smirk grew on his face.
"Well, brats, I'd say that we'll be home free in a day, so, congratulations! You get to experience the wonders of Cloud!" Seeing the confused expression on the blond and the horrified one on the Hyuuga, Han continued.
"Well, I'd say it's about time for a little therapy, wouldn't you agree?" Han asked menacingly, cracking his knuckles, walking slowly to the brat, when-
"NO! Don't hurt Naruto-kun!" Panting from fear, Hinata's eyes grew clouded from fear as the shinobi suddenly stopped and moved in the opposite direction, looming over her.
"Well, little bitch, they did say you had to be there in good condition, but I doubt they'll mind a few scratches and bruises, neh? Especially since you managed to get out of my gag- good job by the way- and interrupt my fun time with gaki over there." Picking her up he threw her against a tree trunk and she let slid down the tree, coughing softly. Han walked closer over to her, smiling evilly. "Well, perhaps I can show you how to have a little fun, huh?" He contemplated laughing as he watched the heiress begin to wiggle and breath frantically, terrified. He lived for moments like this.
Watching Hinata struggle uselessly, Naruto's eyes narrowed as he tried madly to think of a plan to escape and to help Hinata. Anxiously, he could only watch as the nin reached down slowly to grab Hinata, his face dripping with anticipation. Hinata let loose a half-hearted scream before he slapped her across the face, silencing her.
And then something inside Naruto snapped.
"AAUUGGHH!" screamed Naruto as blades of wind tore out from his body, tearing innumerable cuts on his skin but destroying his restraints. Hinata's assailant stopped dead in his tracks before turning around, and eyeing Naruto in wariness.
"Nobody touches Hinata-chan." Naruto stood up straight, the lacerations on his body dripping blood onto the ground. The nukenin could only watch in shock at the small child who had somehow managed to escape his bonds. Not only that but, his eyes… shone with something… some kind of unbridled intensity. He resisted the urge to shudder in fear- it was a damn 6-year old brat after all! - and brought up a kunai to bear.
"I don't know what you are, kid, but it looks like I'm going to have to dispose of you." With that, Han brought out a few shuriken and threw them at the blond, only to freeze in amazement as the kid disappeared in a crackle of heat and energy. Naruto appeared behind him, thrusting his palms out to meet with his captor's back- and then it was over.
Twin streams of fire streamed out of his hands, burning and charring the ninja, who was killed instantly, his body covered in third-degree burns, two blackened handprints on his shoulder blades.
Seeing that Hinata was unconscious but unharmed, Naruto… lessened… and returned to normal, the cuts on his arms slowly healing. He gently closed his eyes, and slipped into unconsciousness once more.
He collapsed on the ground.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Seeing his daughter lying on the ground, blacked out, made Hiashi angry, but seeing her safe and unharmed made him almost let out a whoop of joy. Almost. This is Hyuuga Hiashi we're talking about, after all
Seeing the blond Uzumaki curled up several feet away, the clan head's lip curled in distaste. He had had no idea that that brat had been there, and frankly, if he didn't know that the Sandaime would have killed him if he left him, he would have. Grunting, he made to pick up his daughter- and stopped, gaping. In front of him lay a mangled mass of flesh, burned beyond all recognition. He thought he recognized the remains of an Iwa headband by the corpse. Cautiously, he moved closer, wondering who could have done this.
Peering slightly, he froze when he saw the two charred handprints on the man's back.
"Take my daughter and the Uzumaki. We're getting back to the village."
The ANBU nodded. "Hai."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
AN: Whew! That's done with!
Anyway, I had more fun than usual writing this. Maybe it's because I can actually start getting to the plot. Ah, well. Such is life.
Anyway, between school projects and sports, it's been really tough to get these out, so I'm offering a consolation gift. Expect at least two updates for my other stories as well as some new fics as well. this weekend (Yes, I know I'm too ambitious)
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this.
Hasta!
- SoS