Title: The Child of Darkness
Rated: M
Category: Naruto
Pairings: None
Summary: A rare power bestowed upon him, tainted by the hate he was surrounded by. He wasn't as idiotic and weak as they thought. No… in fact he was strong, raised by the darkness they left him in. Now he's going to rock the Shinobi World by becoming a world renown SSS-rank ninja... Get ready. Grey!Naruto EventuallyExtremelyPowerful!Naruto DarkFic
XOX
So... I may have died for almost a year... But I'm back! I promise! I just went back and read all the chapters to the story and they made me happy and reignited my passion for this story! Yay! Also *grins*, we have 183 favorites, 22 follows, and as of a few days ago, 100 reviews! YESH! I'm so happy! Seeing someone review saying they were number 100 made me come back and read and I'm glad I did! Given that I had to go back and read and it's my story, I suggest that you guys do the same. It's been so long, I read this like I didn't even write it!
Cenright: (From chapter 10) Yesh! That was my plan! ^_^ They'll still need training but they'll be ahead of your average Genin and some Chunin.
Hades (Guest): Well that's why I said 'of his time'. ^_^ Other SSS-ranked ninja of Minato's time and currently would be the Fourth Raikage, Orochimaru, Hiruzen, and people like that. Minato was the fastest ninja alive and very well-rounded. But you're right, Hashirama and Madara are SSS-ranked ninja. But they're also long gone so they wouldn't be in the Bingo Book.
Demenciae: Ello! And he'll understand the dynamics of Hiraishin but he'll have his own variation, using his kekkai genkai. So I guess you can say he'll learn it but we won't actually perform the Hiraishin.
Evil-Pain: Thank you! Oh well I say no pairing 'cause I want it to be a secret but after this chapter, I might not be too much of a secret. No NaruHina, I can assure you that. I hate that pairing with a passion because it makes no damn sense to me. In the cannon, Naruto was supposedly head over heels for Sakura and got over her after she lied to him, and had nothing to say on Hinata's part after the whole thing with Pein. Besides, if he and Sasuke are supposed to die with each other, he has no time for love. He might not create his own famous jutsu, but he'll have jutsu specific to his kekkai genkai so I guess those can be famous jutsu. And as I said to Demenciae, he'll have his own variations to Hiraishin and a dark version to Rasengan.
Apollymi28: Thanks! And will do!
Super Guestie: Thank ya!
Myrddin767: Maybe. I don't like Sakura. She doesn't have much I can do with her. So the two SSS-ranked ninja will be he and Sasuke. As for Chi and Bikusen, they will have other forms as Naruto gets stronger. ^_^
Prettyflower34: My idea? Well given Kushina's personality, I just thought she'd always have two weapons and from there an imagine of a sword and double ended scythe battleaxe came to mind! ^_^ I think the villagers are biased because they're human. Humans tend to shun what they don't understand, because we don't like change. That's why there's discrimination – treating someone bad because they're different. Yurp, Sakura will remain on Team 7 – I like the way it's set up and I can do so much with them. I'll elaborate later but like Hiruzen, Naruto's kekkai genkai is portrayed as darkness because he's shunned, hated, and lonely. And in the Uzumaki clan, a clan I like to think is very family orientated, loneliness is a path to insanity, because people like the Uzumaki are typically surrounded by positives. And thank you!
S0648960: Thank you very much!
Erching: Thanks! I hope I won't disappoint!
Korne-pokemon-luv: No problem! Yeaaaaaah my mistakes, lol. I seriously need a beta reader.
TigrezzTail: ^_^ This is how imagined Naruto and Sasuke should have been. Or at least how they felt at heart.
NaruCrazy: :D
Joey Ketail: LOL! I love you too! ^_^
Bloody-Asphode11: I saw your review and said to myself, "I should probably go get my macbook and get started. O.o"
I now present to you, Chapter 12 of Child of Darkness! Enjoy!
Posted: January 7, 2014
XOX
Chapter 12: Team 7
XOX
There was darkness all around him, surrounding him, caressing him in a soothingly cool embrace. To others, maybe this scenario would be scary, intimidating, dreadful. But not to him. This was his resting place, his state of lovely unconsciousness. Slowly, the darkness surrounding him started to fade and blurry blue eyes opened, blinking sleepily. The blond yawned quietly and slipped out of bed, padding softly to the bathroom. He went through his morning routine quickly and quietly, not all that awake yet. He plopped down on the bed, staring at himself in the mirror. His bloody red bangs fell messily in his face, making icy blue cat-like eyes standout. The rest of his blond hair fell down to his shoulder blades in a shaggy fashion. Red hair suited him very well. 'Would I be classified as a cherry blond?'
"Ya know, instead of checking yourself out in the mirror, how about you get dress?" With a groan, the blond dragged himself from his bed again, stalking over to his closet. He pulled on a simple black undershirt, a white, hooded, high collared jacket to go over it. Black pants followed, along with black sandals. He pulled his holster up his thigh and strapped his kunai pouch to his hip.
"Are you happy now, mother?" There was annoyed snort but no reply. Naruto smirked and headed out the door, the click of the log echoing into the apartment.
(^_^) The Academy
Sasuke stares out the window, fingers clasped in front his face. He was surrounded by the noises of the other students who were chatting excitedly about their exams. He tuned them out however. 'I swear he takes more time to wake up and get dress than a girl.' As if to add to his annoyance, Kiba swaggered over to him, an air of confidence surrounding him.
"So Uchiha, how do you think you're going to do on this exam? 'Cause I know I'm gonna ACE it!"
Sasuke sighed out his nose, rolling onyx eyes. "Wonderful, Inuzuka. You seem to be forgetting that I'm at the top of our class. This'll be a breeze for me. You also seem to forget that your the third lowest in our class." Kiba growled, crossing his arms.
"I've been faking it the whole time."
"Oh?"
"Yep! If I actually tried, I would probably take your title, princess! So don't be so confident!"
"When I see it, I'll still won't believe it. Now leave – your idiocy is irritating me." Kiba glared once more, leaving to brag to some girls instead. Sasuke let out another annoyed sigh. 'As if he couldn't take any longer...' On cue, Naruto stepped into the room, hood popped over his head. The blond slid into his seat next to his friend, sliding his hood back. Sasuke blinked a few times, letting his hands fall to the table. "The eyes, fangs, and hair are going to take some getting used to." Naruto snickered, his slitted eyes glinting with mischief. "And you take too long to get here."
"Oh whatever. I was out my house by seven o'clock exactly." Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall – 7:33.
"And what exactly took you over a half an hour to get here?" Naruto relaxed in his seat, feet on the table with his fingers clasped behind his head.
"Breakfast and a lovely chat with the locals," Naruto said, a giddy edge on his voice.
"One of these days, those idiots are going to get you." Naruto scooted close to Sasuke, grasped his arm with mock horror.
"Sasuke! Hath thee no faith in me?"
"No. Now get off of me – you look stupid." Naruto snickered, leaning back in his chair again. Both boys, along with everyone else in the room, looked towards the door as they heard yelling in the hallway. Ino and Sakura forced themselves through the door, zeroing on Sasuke instantly.
"SASUKE!" they shouted simultaneously, running over to the young raven.
"Surely you don't want the dobe here right? I mean, you only want the prettiest, smartest, talented young ladies here, right?" Ino chirped.
"And no matter how short, scrawny, and girly Naruto may be," said blond growled at this, "he's still not a girl."
"I am not girly!"
"For once, I agree with the banshee. You are pretty short and scrawny." Sasuke snorted right after.
"With how long it normally takes you to get ready, I beg to differ." Naruto growled, crossing his arms over his chest and sinking in his chair. "Oh would you look at that, you put him in a bad mood. Now no matter what we do, he won't move," the raven said dramatically. "I guess the only way you'll get close to me now is to sit on the other side of Naruto." Sakura's eyes lit up halfway through his sentence and she raced to the seat next to the blond, her smarts coming in handy. Ino grumbled and walked up to the top of the steps, opting to sit next to Amy. Iruka and Mizuki walked into the room, taking a seat at the big desk chosen specifically for the graduation exams.
"Alright then guys! This may be the last time I see some of you so I wish you luck and say that I am happy to be your teacher. As you all know, first we'll start with the written exam..."
(^_^)
The students stood around outside, finishing up their break after the taijutsu and weapon wielding portions of the exam. Iruka and Mizuki returned to the outdoors, each holding a clipboard. The students quieted down, understanding the intensity of this moment. "We are now at the last part of the exam, the jutsu portion. Each of you will have to perform a jutsu specific to your affinity. If you don't have an affinity, then perform five E-ranked jutsu. If you have a clan jutsu you'd like to perform, that is also acceptable," Iruka said. "First student up is..."
Naruto sighed and relaxed against a tree, Sasuke coming to stand next to him. "So, who do you think we're going to be teamed with?" the cherry blond – in his haste to get to the Academy he made the decision that yes, he was a cherry blond – asked his elder friend.
"Geez dobe, we can't even get done with the exams first?" Naruto rolled his eyes.
"We've taken this test plenty of times before. We know who is going to pass and who is going to fail. It happens every time." Sasuke sighed at his friend's impatience.
"Well I know it'll be us two together because I'm at the top of the class and you're at the bottom. Maybe Sakura as our teammate to make up for your supposed lacking in the brains department. As our sensei, we'll most likely get Kakashi because he has the Sharingan. And the fact that he was your dad's student also counts for something..."
"And that's why you're the smart one Sasuke-chan." Said raven scowled the nickname but perked up when his name was called.
"Sasuke!" Iruka called, "it's your turn. Come to the center of the training field. The sole Uchiha strolled out into the field, hands in his pockets. A mass majority of the female population present swooned when the raven flicked his hair out of his face. "Now you only need to perform one jutsu then you can go back to socializing. I know you're of the fire and lightning affinity and those two can be quite dangerous, so nothing too flashy please." The raven nodded and ran quickly through hand signs.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Much like his brother did years ago, he lit up the sky with his jutsu, amazing the females and a few of the males of his class. Others grumbled at him in jealousy, wishing they could get that much attention with a jutsu. Sasuke let the fire die down and sighed, smirking when he realized barely any of his chakra was gone after he used such a large, and usually taxing, jutsu.
"Well done, Sasuke-kun! Would you tell Naruto it's his turn?" He nodded and stalked back over to his friend, thumping him on the back.
"Well then, you heard the man. Hurry up, so we can graduate. I'm tired of this place." Naruto rolled his eyes.
"You know me – I have to go out with a bang, or then it won't make an impression. How else am I supposed to end up in the Bingo Book?" Sasuke shook his head.
"You're crazy." The blond walked over to the middle of the grounds and grinned at Iruka.
"Now Naruto, I know you've having some trouble with your jutsu and chakra control, but if you fail it's okay. As long as you pass the rest of the exam, you'll be okay." Kiba snorted loudly.
"As if. We all know he's the dobe for a reason."
Iruka glared at the teenager, daring him to say something else. "Now if we're done bashing people," he snipped, "we can continue with our exam. Naruto, go ahead." He stood for a moment, causing the whispering to start again.
"Of course, why should we expect anymore of him?"
"He probably doesn't even know how to do any jutsu."
"The idiot."
The blond snorted under his breath, smirking. "Oh come on, you mean you guys have no faith in me?" Amy shook her head.
"Why would we?" He opened his mouth to retort but Iruka cut him off.
"Naruto, if you would please, just, perform your technique." Naruto shrugged. Truth be told, he didn't real have a jutsu to perform. Most of the jutsu he learned in his training with Kyuubi and Sasuke were unheard of and far too advanced for someone in the academy, especially someone who was the dobe of the class. So he used the next best thing – his kekkai genkai.
'I really do need to come up with a name for these shadow techniques, that doesn't sound like the Nara clan's jutsu,' he mused. 'Or else, it's going to be so lame when I perform jutsu.' He moved his hands really quickly in nondescript motions to make it seem like he was forming hand signs and thrust his hands out in front of him. Unconsciously, he imaged a black dome around himself much like in the past, yelling out, "Yamiton: Yami no Domu (Darkness Release: Dome of Darkness)!" The dome came up over him and he stood still. "This dome is impenetrable," he boasted, his voice sounding perfectly clear even though he was shielded. "Even though you can't see me, I can see everyone of you, like this dome isn't even here. Cool huh?"
"Is it really impenetrable or are you just bluffing Naruto?" Ino muttered, shaking her blond head. The other blond smirked, even though no one could see it.
"I assure you. Go ahead, throw some kunai at me." Kiba pushed his way to the front of the crowd, drawing three kunai from his pouch. With a cocky grin, he flung the three knives at the dome and they almost looked they would go through, but three shadowy tendrils separated from the dome, catching them by the holes in the handles. There was shocked silence across the yard, the kind of silence that made Naruto's ego swell like a balloon. He let the dome melt away, shit-eating grin already plastered to his face. He glanced over at Iruka and Mizuki, seeing their obvious surprise. "So, did I pass, sensei?" Iruka shook away his stupor and nodded.
"Yes, Naruto! I've never even heard of that jutsu before. Very good job." Naruto turned away and stalked back over to Sasuke, disrupting the silence over the crowd of students.
"What the hell?"
"Where did he even learn that?"
"Maybe he's not as dumb as we thought..?" The last comment made him snort a little. He settled in his spot next to his friend, content.
"I wouldn't consider that a bang, but rather a swoosh." Naruto's grin fell into a scowl and his eyebrow twitched.
"Sasuke, no one asked for your smart ass comments."
"Well as you said, I'm the smart one. With that title, it is my job to point out things of that nature, Naruto. I'm just following suit to what you said."
"You can be such a fucking priss, sometimes."
"I believe the word you're looking for is 'accurate'."
"Shut the hell up." The raven looked as though he was going to make another comment but laughed, amused by his own wit. Naruto huffed, miffed. The two teens heard the call for the students to come in and stood, shuffling. A sense of satisfaction settled over the blond but he could feel the pair of eyes glaring at him in anger. He glanced behind him, finding Mizuki standing stock still in the yard. He plastered a fake grin on his face. "Mizuki-sensei, are you coming in?" he shouted, gaining the attention of the older man. The look of hate on the Chunin's face quickly disappeared and he nodded. Naruto turned forward and a dark smile overcame his smile – Mizuki was up to something. And if he was correct, it had something to do with him. 'Well bring it on, fucker.'
XOX
The door to his apartment shut silently and he sighed – content was the only word that could describe his mood. The full moon was high in the sky, he had officially made it passed the annoying stepping stone known as the academy, and he had successfully pissed off a whole crowd of people with just a thought and a few fake hand signs. 'Today was a good day,' he thought to himself, shuffling his feet out of his sandals. He pulled his hooded jacket off, dropping it carelessly on the floor. Padding to his room, he plopped on his bed, getting comfortable. He stared out the window, looking at nothing particular. Dark tendrils slowly creeped up from the shadows of the room, wrapping around his body one by one. He didn't know when he shut his eyes but he felt himself drifting into unconsciousness...
Suddenly, blue eyes snapped open, his slumber disturbed by a chakra signature. He could see nothing visually but stretched his senses, identifying one person in his apartment. His cocoon vanished into silent wisps of darkness and he shut his eyes, feigning sleep.
"Heh, he's still asleep. I guess I can't expect any less from a Genin," the intruder muttered to himself. Naruto relaxed, smirking in his head.
'Looks like Mizuki was up to something.' The Chunin creeped into his room and the blond could feel the man's shadow fall over him. He was grabbed roughly by the arm and jerked, snapping his eyes open and looking frantically around the room. "Wha... Mizuki-sensei?" He pulled away from the man, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?" The man smirked, an evil glint in his eye.
"It's about your Genin exam, Naruto." The blond raised an eyebrow.
"The one I passed? Flawlessly, I might add." Mizuki twitched but forced a smile.
"While that may be true, you're still at the bottom of your class Naruto. Iruka and I were going through the results and your grades are bad enough to make it where you can't graduate." While on the inside, Naruto wanted to do nothing but laugh. However his face morphed into a look of horror. "Yeah, I know. But it's okay. I have a way we can boost your grade just enough to get you over."
"Thank you so much, Mizuki-sensei! What do I have to do?" The grey-haired man unclasped a huge scroll from his back and held it in front of the blond.
"First, you have to catch me. And when you do, take this scroll and run far away with it. From there, you have one hour to learn any jutsu from this scroll and then I will come after you. Are you ready?" The blond hopped up, eying the scroll.
'A big scroll with forbidden on it. Looks important. And I'm guessing he's not supposed to have it.' The blond smirked. "Of course I am. Prepare to get your ass kicked sensei!" The Chunin took off out the front door and Naruto casually slipped his sandals and shimmied his jacket on. 'I'll bite.'
XOX
"Hokage-sama!" Hiruzen jerked awake, irritation settling over his being. Who had the audacity to take him up at such an ungodly hour? The wizened leader rose from his bed and opened his door.
"What is it?" The young ninja, a Chunin, panted hard, gasping through his words.
"The Forbidden Scroll! It has been stolen!" Hiruzen's eyes widened.
"What about the ANBU guarding it? Oh never mind. Do we know who took it?" The shinobi's eyes turned cold and a scowled formed on his face.
"Uzumaki Naruto, the little hellspawn." The Sandaime paused, half tempted to question the man on how a new Genin could slip pass a squad of ANBU but dropped it.
"Tell all Chunin that they are to search every inch of this village for that scroll. It is not to be lost, do you understand me?" he clipped. The Chunin nodded.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" With the man gone, Sarutobi leaned his head against the frame of the door.
'Looks like I don't have to go through the trouble of hunting him down now.'
XOX
Chasing Mizuki through the village was hardly a task. With the help of the shadows, he could note every step the man took and which path he was taking. A quick change of direction here or a detour there and soon Naruto was right the Chunin's heels, gliding silently behind him. A tendril from his shadow shot forward, many smaller tendrils branching from it, and they wrapped around the scroll and yanked it away from the man. Naruto quickly changed directions, following a path he took almost everyday. He could feel Mizuki stop his running and pause before taking off back the way he came.
The blond arrived at he and Sasuke's training grounds, the black tendrils disappearing and dropping the scroll to the ground. Naruto sat down and unfurled the scroll. He let blue eyes roam the page, finding a bolded warning. He skimmed it quickly before unfurling the scroll further.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, huh?" he muttered, reading it's description.
The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is a B-Rank technique that allows the user to make tangible copies of themselves. The clones can't be distinguished from the original, even with the use of a doujutsu. Clones may perform their own jutsu and can also bleed but will disperse of struck by a strong enough technique or attack. The clones have minds of their own and will disperse on their own or at the will of their summoner. Anything the clone witnesses or learns will be transferred back to the user when it disperses. This technique divides the user chakra among each clone. Because of this, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is recommended only for ninja with exceptionally large reserves of chakra. If too many clones are made, the user's reserves will be depleted and they shall die.
Naruto hummed, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. 'What do you think foxy? Good enough for your dear little host to learn?'
"It'll make your training a lot easier. I hope you do know the old coot is going to have his pets all over your ass."
'Well aware of it, foxy-chan. Also, I'm a ninja now, making me one of his pets as well.' The beast went silent and Naruto stood, practicing the handsigns. Finally, he summoned his chakra forwards and flashed quickly through the handsigns. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a poof of smoke, the whole clearing was filled with copies of himself. Wish a wide grin, he let them disperse. A searing headache hit him, making him dizzy, and he fell to the ground. "Right," he said. "Have to get used to the memories." He pushed himself up onto his feet as he felt another chakra signature materialize into the clearing. He dusted himself off and greeted the person without looking up. "Hokage-sama. Fancy meeting you here." The older man sighed, shaking his head.
"Naruto, what are you doing with that scroll?"
"Learning." Blue eyes meet aged brown ones and held their stare. "If you're wondering, no I didn't take it. I didn't even know this thing existed until Mizuki invaded my apartment at three in the morning, telling me that if I didn't complete an extra task, I wouldn't pass even though I've already gotten my hitai-ate."
"And what exactly did this 'extra task' consist of?"
"Chasing him down, taking the scroll, learning a technique from it, then probably leaving it here and taking off to find him." Hiruzen hummed. Naruto bent down and rolled the scroll back up, holstering it over his shoulder. He passed it over to the village leader then stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm not exactly sure why he wanted the scroll but if I were to guess, I would think he chose me due to my infamous status."
"He probably intended to come get the scroll while the village was in chaos and escape while everyone was looking for you," Hiruzen said, placing the scroll under his arm. Naruto made a noise of agreement and brushed passed the elder man, leaving the clearing. "Well Naruto, as your first mission I'd like you to find and detain traitor Mizuki."
"Dead or alive?"
"Your call." Naruto paused, glancing over his shoulder, before smirking and taking off. Hiruzen sighed again. "It's going to be a bitch and a half dealing with that boy," he muttered. Making a sign-handed sign with his left hand, he vanished into the night.
XOX
"Good morning class!" Iruka chirped as he entered his classroom. For once there wasn't utter chaos but rather excited chatter as the new Genin settled for their final meeting in the Academy. "It makes me proud to see as many of you here as I do! Today, is the day you get paired off into teams of three with one Jonin instructor to guide you further along your path to becoming excellent ninja that will protect our village. Now then, let us begin..." Naruto glanced over to Sasuke who stared blankly at the front of the room.
"You seem terribly bored and unamused, Sasuke." Ebony eyes swiveled over to him for a brief before returning to their original position.
"That's because I am. I don't know why anyone would be happy about having a maniac, a downright lazy ass, and pink candy floss for teammates. It sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me." Naruto cracked a smile when Sakura peeked over at Sasuke.
"Oh, re-lax. It can't be all that bad. You act as if you're carrying the whole squad on your back."
"...Team 7 – Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura." There was a loud girlish squeal that made Iruka pause before he returned to calling off the teams. Sasuke placed his head in his hands, digging his palms into his eyes.
"She's going to be killed before we know it."
"All the more convenient, Sasuke-chan."
"Why do you insist on calling me that?"
"It annoys you. And that amuses me."
"You are one dark, twisted creature."
"Oh stop it you. You're making me blush," Naruto cooed, making Sasuke roll his eyes. Iruka finished his call and teams were picked up by their new sensei one by one, soon leaving Team 7 alone in the classroom. With a loud growl of impatience, Sasuke let his head hit the desk with a thump, startling his female teammate.
"Sasuke-kun! Are you alright?"
"Just fucking peachy," came the muffled response. Sakura looked as though she wanted to do something to help but placed her hands in her lap and directed her attention elsewhere. Naruto sighed and slid down in his seat, leaning his head against the back of the chair.
'Does our team appease you?'
"Two Sharingan users and some spineless girl – couldn't have gone better," came the grumbled reply. Naruto snorted mentally.
'I have a very strong feeling that you're being terribly sarcastic.'
"Your urge is right."
'Kakashi and Sasuke aren't so bad! Sakura... well I can't really testify for her but I'm sure she'll rid us of her present herself.'
"That girl is an insult to every female in the world. And your two butt-buddies can't be trusted. They'll turn on you in a second."
'Someone is on their period.' Silence was rewarded to his reply and he chuckled aloud. 'You PMS more than a woman, seriously. The Kyuubi is supposed to be some big frightening beast.'
"One of these days, I will kill you. Bet on it."
'Yes, mother.'The presence in his mind faded and he snickered again, opening his eyes to find him on the receiving end of one of Sasuke's ever-so-famous Uchiha Death Glares. "Are you allergic to happiness, Uchiha?" Sasuke opened his mouth to reply when the door to the classroom slid open and in walked a Jonin with grey, gravity defying hair.
"Hello there, my name is Hatake Kakashi and welcome to Team 7."
XOX
So it kind of sucked, especially for a chapter that's been missing for almost a year but writer's block sucks even harder :I Anyway, review, favorite, and follow! Excuse all the spelling and grammatical errors as I was in a rush to get this posted. Ja Ne! (I'm BACK! YAY!)