-1 year later-
It had been one year since Jay had come into the village. He had been accepted by the Hokage who was a kind man. He joined the ninja academy and since he already knew all the basic jutsu's he was put into his age group. Shikamaru and Sasuke were also in this class. Jay paid attention and was easily one of the best in his class. Shikamaru slept during class and is practically the dead last. Sasuke stared out the class in dream land. He is the prodigy of the class and the best. The bell ringed for lunch and the teacher left. Jay takes his ramen out to the training ground and climbs a tree. He rests on the trunk ready to eat when he hears a familiar voice yelling. "You think you're so cool and great! I could beat you a hundred times over! Believe it! I'm going to become Hokage!"
Jay sighed. The one who shouted it was Naruto Uzumaki. He's the dead-last of the class and class clown. Naruto always bragged about his ninja skills but in truth he sucked. He always's made a fool out of himself trying to be better than sasuke but never beat him. Naruto was annoying as heck. He was a loudmouth blond and when he said loud he meant it. Glancing to is right he noticed a crowd gathering. It didn't last a second. Naruto was defeated and Susuke reigned supreme. This was the usual. Then came the insults.
"Get out of here Naruto!"
"Ya. Sasuke-kun doesn't lose to loser like you!"
"You're so weak!"
Honestly Jay was tired and annoyed by the insults. He may get annoyed at Naruto but he didn't hate him. In fact he actually respected him, after all he doubted that anybody could get away from trained Chunin at their age. Also Naruto's ridiculous stamina and pain tolerance.
The bell rang and everyone went inside. Everyone took their places and their sensei Iruka came inside. "Okay class! Time for a review of the Hokages!" A sigh.
Time passed with Sasuke not even caring about class. Shikamaru sleeping and Jay thinking. As the end bell ringed Iruka's voice rang out. "Remember to study for graduation next week."
Everyone left class with the exception of Sasuke, Shikamaru, Jay and Naruto. Sasuke left. Iruka glanced up at his work and noticed his three remaining students and sighs. With the flick of his wrist something hits Shikamaru waking him up. "Get out of class already. It's time to go home."
Not bothering to reply Shikamaru yawns and leaves. Iruka then turns his attention to the remaining two. Naruto was looking down for the first time and Jay was being Jay. Iruku worrying about Naruto asks "You okay Naruto?"
Naruto nods but still looks down. "You don't look okay?"
Naruto looks up at him with pleading eyes. "I still don't get how to do clone jutsu. Every time I try I always fail. I don't think I can pass the test."
Jay looks gets his stuff and leaves. Before he exits he stops at Naruto's desk causing them to look up at him. To Naruto he say's "I would probably recommend using that jutsu in front of a Hyugaa."
Not bothering to hear Naruto's reply he leaves. He looked around thinking. 1 year. It's been 1 year since I came to this village. I hope everyone back home is all right.
1 week later
"Alright, everybody line up! We'll call your name and then you'll follow me." Roared the booming voice of Iruka, over the loud students. The chatter quieted down as Iruka called the first student. Following this all the students either came out smiling with a headband on or crying without a head band.
"Hatare Jay!" Quietly Jay got up and followed the chunnin. He went through a door which opened to a bigger room. Iruka sat down with 3 others. "First we would like to you to perform a substitution with the chair."
A small poof resounded and then the young man was replaced by a chair. The chunnin who were in shock at seeing the near perfect substitution without hand signs eyes had widened as they look around the room trying to find the young man, because even though there was a chair there was no Jay Hatare. Or so they thought. Everyone was silent when a sigh cut through the silence. "Jay, will you please come out of that corner." Iruka demanded. To emphasize this point he threw a chalk at a random corner. The chalk stopped before it hit the corner and out of the corner came Jay with a smirk on his face. The instructors in shock that they couldn't even detect the kid and he was in the same room they were in. "Stealth skills. 100 %" said Iruka smiling. The other chunnin weren't able to reply, wondering how someone who wasn't even a gennin yet had evaded them.
"Transformation jutsu, please." Demanded Mizuki a blue-haired chunnin and Iruka's helper.
Jay not knowing who to transform into transformed into Naruto. At the sight of Naruto however he noticed something. 2 of the chunnin eyes filled themselves with hatred and MIzuki's smile became forced and his eyes filled with ambition. Iruka changed too but one into sadness. Why? Naruto is just 16 yet grown men seem to hate him. Narutos pranks aren't that bad. I wonder if Iruka-sensei would tell me if I asked him about it later?
He filled the information for later. "Make clones." Demanded Mizuki, this time without the please. Screw later. I'm going to ask now.
He made 4 successful clones. Iruka and the other teachers nodded. Irukua smiled at him and said. "Congratulations. You are now a genin of the village hidden in the leaves." Jay stepped forward and took his head band. Taking his headband he stares at the symbol for the longest time. Reaching a decision he ties it around his head. Iruka gets up to take him out when Iruka heard. "May I ask a question sensei?"
Iruka surprised because Jay Hatare never asked questions nevertheless he nodded. "Why does everyone people hate Naruto so much?"
Iruka froze along with the other chunnin. MIzuki however smiled. "Well you see my dear we don't hate him. We just disagree on our definition of fun." The other teachers nodded relieved looking pathetic. Iruka didn't answer however, his mind in the past.
Jay however gave them a dead-panned look "I'm a ninja. Not an idiot. I know when you guys are lying and when you're not." Mizuki's eyes twitched as an inner demon of his roared. "How dare this boy call me out? He's going to get it. I will make you pay brat!"
Mizuki smiled "Now why would you think that. We're telling the perfect truth." Mizuki took his shoulder and led him away. Looking back to see the door closed Mizuki drops a paper to the ground visibly. "Oh my I dropped a piece of paper." He said that and left. Grabbing the paper from the ground Jay left out the back door. The piece of paper had instructions on it. 'Meet me at the dark forest at 9:00.' Now Jay was an excellent judge of character and knew MIzuki wasn't exactly the kind teacher he had portrayed himself to be. Growing up in political house he had a knack for these things, but even he couldn't fathom why Mizuki wanted to see him. Well it can't be that bad. I'll just go. Jay decided to go thinking that it wouldn't be that bad. Oh how wrong he was. What he learned that day would change his life.
Tired. That's how Shikamaru felt like. After going through the first and second tests he was exhausted. This is so troublesome. Why did I even agree to be a ninja? He sighed and put his head on the table. His friend Chouji was munching on a bag of chips. Hearing his friends sigh he pretty much guessed what he was thinking and chuckled. Chouji went up first because his last name was Akimichi. Shikamaru had slept through most of the test and it was a wonder that he even made it this far. However Shikamaru was the smartest person in his entire class. He was just lazy. "Shikamaru Nara!" Hearing his name being called he lifted his and sighed. "Tch. So troublesome." He walked over to Iruka and followed him into the room. Iruka sat with the other teachers. "Substitute with the chair." He yawned and poofed away without hand signs. The teachers all except Iruka were shocked at how the person with the second lowest marks could do something like that. Iruka smiled and nodded while he thought. That kid probably was just too lazy to bring his hands up. Iruka was right. Shikamaru walked over and sat on the chair. Did I mention that he slouched while walking?
"Make a transformation please." The request came from Iruka. Still sitting he transformed into his friend Chouji and then poofed back. "Make a clone please." He made 2 perfect clones and walked away with a Headband in hand. He looked at his headband. "So troublesome. I hope I get time to sleep." He exited to backdoor and met up with Chouji. They walked to a silent meadow and stared at the clouds. Shikamaru had his hands behind his head and had closed his eyes. Chouji was munching on his chips.
Uchiha Sasuke was annoyed. Annoyed that he had to take this little test. Annoyed at all his fan-girls who were obsessed with him. However he was annoyed that he wasn't strong enough to kill a certain man. With thoughts of murder on his mind Sasuke was staring cold-eyed with his chin rested on his hands while they were rested on his elbows. He could feel the looks he was being given. From jealousy, to admiration. This was usual to Sasuke however. As the new head of the Uchiha clan everyone looked at him. "Uchiha Sasuke!" He wordlessly followed Iruka. When Sasuke came into the room the instructors had high hopes. If a Nara and a nameless kid could do well then so could the Uchiha genius. He did the work, got his hiatei and left without uttering a single word. Sasuke hated it. Whenever people looked at him they saw an Uchiha not Sasuke. Damn you Itachi. I hate and I will kill you for making me and others orphans. Sasuke's thoughts went to some small kids.
Depression was a norm in the life of the one Uzumaki Naruto. As a young child he was often beat up and hated. He failed the genin exams twice in a row and the villagers glared at him. To top it off he was an orphan with no parents and no friends. The closest people he could call friends was hound-nii, Iruka, the hokage, Shikamaru and Choji (just for the fact that they were the only ones that never teased him). Now however topped everything off, he had just just failed the genin exams and now he would behind his age level. Parents had come to pick up their child and Naruto was staring at them longingly wondering for his own parents. The parents were glaring at him in hate and disgust and muttering around his back. "Isn't that him?"
"Yeah. He's the demo"
"Shut up! Do you want anybody to hear?"
Depressed Naruto did not notice a man behind him. "It hurts doesn't it?"
Naruto whipped his head around at the familiar voice. Standing there was MIzuki who was staring at him kindly. While Mizuki did hate him he made an effort not to. He was kind to Naruto at times and his second favorite teacher. "You shouldn't be so sad. There's always next year."
Naruto's eyes were close to tears. "I know sensei but I wanted to at least pass this year. After this year I'll be older than everyone else."
Mizuki faced changed into a thoughtful and pitiful look. "Well, there is a way you can become a genin. It's old and hard but I think you can do it." Smiling at him and continued. "It's your specialty after all."
Leaning down he whispered something in Naruto's ear. His eyes widened and then set themselves into a determined look.
Umino Iruka was sleeping in his bed deep in thought about something that happened 16 years ago. Images of a younger Iruka being dragged away flashed through. One image however stuck though.
Flash back 16 years ago
Everything was in chaos as Umino Iruka was dragged away from the battlefield. The village was being attacked by a demon in the shape of a nine-tailed fox. Iruka knew that demon. Iruka knew about the tailed beast. Each was strong that a single swish of its tail felled mountains. For 2 fleeting seconds he stared right into its eyes and what he saw stayed with him for the rest of his life. Hate. So much hate into blood-filled eyes.
Flash back end
A knock came taking him out his musings. He opened the door to meet face-to-face with a panicked ninja. "Iruka! Come quickly! The hokage has called a meeting! Naruto has stolen the forbidden scroll."
Iruka was fully awake and was at the hokage tower in less than a minute. "Did you hear, the demon brat stole the forbidden scroll."
"Yeah, why did the Hokage even let someone like him try to be a ninja." Whispers like that were being thrown all around him.
After the Hokage officially informed them of what happened, he ordered them to find Naruto alive.
Iruka set out immediately. Naruto, where are you?
It was time. Once he had become a genin the first thing that Jay had done was go to the tailor and request a pure, black trench coat with a red outline. He had seen a trench coat of this type when he had watched a anime back home called sword art online. He then prepared his shuriken and kunai by putting it in their hoisters. He then bought another hoister for threads and smoke bombs. Finally he put his sword on his back and left.
The way Mizuki asked him to go to the forest of death had been suspicious and Jay just had to prepare for the worst.
When he arrived at the forest of death, he was greeted with the sight of Naruto trying to learn something from a scroll. Wait, isn't that the forbidden scroll. Why does Naruto have it? This is suspicious.
He decided to wait it out and see what was really going on here. He didn't have to wait long, Iruka arrived 2 minutes later.
"Naruto! What are you doing?" He yelled out in anger.
Naruto wasn't worried though. "Wow Iruka-sensei! You found me. One day, you're going to have to tell me how to do it. Anyway, I passed the test. I learnt a jutsu from the scroll, I can become a genin right?"
Test? Is this really a test? Jay thought confused. Then why does sensei sound so angry?
"Ah, iruka. It seems that you've found Naruto?" A familiar voice said. Jay peered around the tree to find Mizuki.
I get it now. It's a set-up, and Naruto fell right into it.
"Mizuki, what are you doing?" Iruka yelled surprised.
"What am I doing? What are you doing protecting that demon." Mizuki asked.
"He's no demon. He's Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha." Iruka yelled, enraged.
"Demon?" Naruto wondered.
"That's right! You're the reincarnation of the nine-tailed fox that almost destroyed konoha. That's why everyone hates you. Now I'll be doing everyone a favor by killing you." He reveled much to the protest of Iruka. Jay who was hidden was shocked as well.
Then Mizuki threw a shuriken half his size straight at Naruto. Naruto just stood there frozen in shock, Iruka pushed Naruto down and stood straight in the shurikens path. He waited for the pain of it entering his body but nothing came.
Jay had finally come out of the open and sliced the shuriken. "You!" Mizuki yelled.
"So, this is the reason you made me come here. Big mistake, cause I'm going to be the one that captures you."
"Is that so? I called you here so I could kill you and blame it on the demon." He yelled angrily at Jay.
"Iruka-sensei, why don't you sit down and let me and Naruto handle this. What do you say Naruto?" Jay smirked.
Naruto had finally gotten his bearings. "I couldn't agree more." He went and stood by Jay's side. "Let me show you my new technique. It's called the SHADOW CLONE JUTSU." Naruto put his right and middle fingers of both hands together to make a plus sing.
In a puff, 20 or so Narutos appeared. The"Is that so? I called you here so I could kill you and blame it on the demon." He yelled angrily at Jay.
"Iruka-sensei, why don't you sit down and let me and Naruto handle this. What do you say Naruto?" Jay smirked.
Naruto had finally gotten his bearings. "I couldn't agree more." He went and stood by Jay's side. "Let me show you my new technique. It's called the SHADOW CLONE JUTSU." Naruto put his right and middle fingers of both hands together to make a plus sing.
In a puff, 20 or so Narutos appeared. They all charged Mizuki, the original and Jay charged him and cries of Mizukis pain echoed across Konoha.
After the fighting was over and everything calmed down, Naruto remembered Mizuki's words. He turned to Jay, with a feeling of dread.
"you know Naruto, I think we went a bit over the top." He told him.
"Why don't you hate me? I'm the nine-tailed fox aren't I?" Naruto asks him. His voice trembled, he was afraid of the accusation that Jay would surely throw at him.
Jay took out a kunai and slashed across Narutos hand, surprising Naruto. Blood gushed out. "You bleed like any other human. You grew up alone, with nothing but the villagers hate. Yet your goal is to earn their acceptance. You have every right to hate each and every one of the people in this village. Yet, you don't and that's enough to prove that you're not a demon. Anyway, I've seen demons in the form of humans, trust me, your not one of them"
"That's right." Iruka agreed. "I saw the nine-tailed fox when I was a kid. In it's there was nothing but hate, yet the only thing I can find in your eyes is happiness. You are not the nine-tailed fox. You are Uzumaki Naruto, a proud genin of the village hidden in the leaves." Iruka then tied his headband around Narutos forehead.
When Naruto heard these word, he was shocked. Tears of happiness rolled down his cheeks and the he broke his own personal record of being silent at any given time other than sleep. Then...
"Yeah! I'm a genin DATTEBAYO." Naruto yelled.
Jay laughed at Naruto's childish antics. Iruka joined in with Jay and they soon left the forest with Jay carrying an unconscious Mizuki over him.
Meanwhile, the Hokage had been watching everything in his crystal glass. He smiled at Jays acceptance of Naruto.
"With this however, the number of genins are uneven. I guess I can put one of them in an apprenticeship."
He then laid out ten pictures. Hiruzen had a good feeling about these genin, although the the Yamanaka and the Haruno were a bit doubtful.
He then put up the pictures of three jounin. Hmm. I'm going to need another one, but who?
"Hokage-sama, I finished my mission." A purple-haired woman with a plain looking trench-coat burst in.
Suddenly, the old man had an idea. He found the pictures of three students and assembled them. No matter how he looked at them, he couldn't find a fault with putting these three in a team. He looked at every possible good and bad thing about putting this particular teacher for these three kids and weighed the positives and negatives(Good that might happen vs. Bad that probably will happen.). The good won. He then looked up at the woman.
Another shout of anger could be heard around Konoha making citizens wonder who could be making this much noise at night.
