(Standard disclaimer applies)
Ok, apparently I really, really like writing this story, because I couldn't even wait till tomorrow to upload it. Enjoy!
Update: I have included a new scene at the end of this chapter; aside from that, not too much has been edited. Mostly, things have been clarified and made more reasonable.
Rin's mouth was hanging open. Minato's mouth was hanging open. Obito's mouth was hanging open. Kakashi...still had a mask on, but he looked pretty surprised, too.
Their new teammate was incredible.
He'd shown up about the same time as their prank-pulling Uchiha and had promptly announced his preference for the name Naruto. The three of them had looked at each other, wondering what sort of blackmail he had on the blonde. Had to be something good to pull that off. But it was his choice...
Then, Naruto had told them he'd remembered some things about his life-specifically jutsu. Minato insisted on a demonstration.
"Taijutsu first," he'd said. The evil grin on his nephew's face should have told them something was up. However, it looked like she was the only one who'd caught it.
"Will do, Minato-sensei!"
Now, they all stood off to one side as they watched him fight with one of his clones using a style none of them had ever seen before. And it was ridiculous, to say the least. It was like he'd utilized every movement known to mankind, even using various kinds of dancing and a combination of several types martial arts, including what seemed like his own variation of the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist (although his fist was not nearly so "gentle"). Rin seriously doubted the strange-looking and random concoction would work for anyone but the blonde powerhouse.
He'd be spinning on two hands one moment, trying to punch the clone in the knee the next, and then blocking its strikes from hitting not his tenketsu, but rather various pressure points and vital organs. It was interesting to note that neither the clone nor the real deal ever got a single hit in.
"Holy sh-" She quickly put her hand over the Uchiha's mouth, but that didn't mean she disagreed. Their new teammate was easily Jonin level in taijutsu.
Minato's voice was weak as he asked his next question. "Is that all you remembered?"
Everyone saw the grin this time as Naruto shook his head; sweat started forming on their teacher's brow. "No, that was just taijutsu. Would you like to see some ninjutsu?"
Obito was thrilled at the prospect. "YEAAAAH!" The others were scared but nodded anyway out of curiosity. What else could the blonde do?
"Ok, this one was really hard to learn. It took me months of using shadow clones to get the basics because it combines two elements, but it was worth it."
Standing next to his shadow clone, he held out one of his hands, palm facing the trunk of a large tree, and began channeling chakra through it. She looked closely as what appeared to be a small ball of water formed in his palm. Then, his clone placed both of its hands on the backs of the original's, and as soon as their hands touched, a massive stream of spinning water shot out and drilled a hole through the wood...and any other objects behind it for several meters. It had looked like a condensed version of a tornado. And the hole was surprisingly small, meaning that it was an intense, focused attack and could probably be expanded as needed.
And he had done it without any hand signs whatsoever. Or any water nearby. Without breaking a sweat.
Kakashi was the first to regain his voice, although it was a little shaky. "May I ask how you did that?"
"Sure!" he replied with a wide smile. "I just combined the two elements of wind and water, creating what essentially amounts to a typhoon. It takes too much concentration to do without a clone, though, but it doesn't take up as much chakra as you'd think, because the wind gives it more than enough power to make up for it. But it sure was difficult to get the aim down. And the first few times I tried it, I ended up with horrible burns on the back of my hand."
That made sense, considering he was literally shooting chakra through his own body. "How'd you get the water to spin like that?" she asked.
"Oh, that? I don't send the wind shooting straight through the water; I sort of combine the two sideways... Kind of complicated to explain. Anyway, that's how the thing spins like that."
Sensei had one more question to ask. "Did you create that technique?"
The blonde boy thought about it for a moment. "Not exactly. A friend showed me something similar and I just adjusted it a bit." His face had gone to happy-as-a-clam, to contemplative, and finally to sad, all in the space of ten seconds. Rin got the very distinct impression that he was hiding something, something important.
"What about that AWESOME taijutsu!"
"Obito, you don't have to yell. That one's a mash of just about everything I've ever seen that works, plus some of my own inventions. I like to use it because it's impossible for anyone to copy or steal it, but also because it's extremely unpredictable, making it effective against even the toughest opponents. You wouldn't believe the amount of butts I've had to kick..."
Rin caught a hidden meaning behind his words; he wasn't talking about just any opponent. Can't be copied, eh? And it's unpredictable...Aoi-I mean, Naruto, you invented this to use against the Uchiha clan, didn't you? Or was that just a bonus?
Minato-sensei was looking more disturbed by the moment; it wasn't hard to see why. If his nephew ended up being a traitor, he'd be very, very difficult to take down. Unless...
"Naruto, how are you on genjutsu?" Rin asked.
He rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little. "Well, to put it simply, I suck. I know how to dispel them alright-well enough to save my tail, if necessary-but I've never learned to create a single one. Even my transformation technique isn't an actual genjutsu."
Her brow creased in confusion. Kakashi spoke up before she could. "What do you mean? If that's the case, then how can you call it a transformation?"
"Well, for one thing, it's like the difference between a regular clone and a shadow clone. One is an image and nothing more; the other is solid and can be touched and felt as well as seen. That's exactly the difference between my transformation and the regular type."
At that statement, everyone was practically bug-eyed. They wanted to see for themselves. They wanted this guy to PROVE it.
Big mistake.
One tall, nude, blonde woman stood before them with nothing but little wisps of smoke covering her...assets. Rin looked at her sensei in horror to get him to make "her" go away, but he was having his own problems trying to deal with sudden dizziness from loss of blood. Kakashi wasn't any better. Obito, on the other hand...
...was on the ground, rolling as he clutched his stomach and laughed. "Oh, boy, you and Jiraiya-sama are gonna get along GREAT!" he was saying. Rin had to wonder why he was the only one not bothered by "her."
The "female" just sighed and said (in Naruto's voice, surprisingly), "Sorry, I forgot to add clothes." POOF! "There! Is that better?" The "girl" was now wearing an exact replica of Rin's outfit, which included a black, form-fitting tank top with a pink vest covering it and black, jonin-style pants.
How the heck did he do that? But at least those two perverts over there have stopped their nosebleeds. She watched as "the other woman" walked over to Obito and lifted him up by his collar. "See? Solid, not an illusion, or else I couldn't have touched him." (And now the voice was distinctly feminine. Not bad.)
After a certain boy's cries of "TEACH ME, TEACH ME!" had died down, the now-male version of Naruto explained the basics.
"Why would you create such a ridiculous jutsu in the first place?" Ah, Kakashi. Rin loved him, but he was little more than a jerk 90% of the time, even to her.
But the blonde looked away and didn't answer for awhile. When he did, it was almost enough to make her cry.
"I was an orphan. No family, no friends, just a few people who treated me like a charity case. Aside from those few, the people of the village had either pretended I didn't exist or just outright hated me. The more time that passed, the more people ignored me. At first, I thought that was a good thing, but after awhile... You might not understand when I say this, but negative attention is better than no attention at all, especially for someone with ADHD, such as myself. I had to do something with all that energy, but since there wasn't anyone willing to teach me anything, I was forced to watch and learn. By doing that, I saw that most of the men in the village were perverts, and what better way to get back at them than to use the technique they refused to teach me?" He paused and smirked. "You wouldn't believe how many men filled the hospital beds the day after I tried it out for the first time."
"I'm...sorry," said Minato-sensei hesitantly. Rin understood why. How could a person apologize to his nephew for not being there when the man had never even known of his existence in the first place?
But the nephew just brushed it off. "Nah, forget it. After awhile, I found some people who genuinely cared about me and helped train and took care of me. What's more, they kept me safe. No one had ever really done that before. The village leader had tried, but politics always got in the way. In the end, all he could really do was assign a few people as guards, but they didn't really do their jobs..." His voice had trailed off at the end, leaving Rin to wonder what people had done to him over the years and if that was why he had ended up in Konoha. It didn't explain how, of course, but it meant there was a chance that he was an ally rather than an enemy. Maybe, like herself, he had been in need of a better home.
"What happened to your parents?" Kakashi surprised them all by asking the question they'd all been thinking. Less icy today, I see. That's good.
"They both died the day I was born. Correction: one died and the other was killed. Or, if you want to be technical about it, they were both killed." The dark and somewhat bitter tone indicated that they'd asked the blonde enough questions for the day, and as though they had reached a silent agreement, the three chunin left the two relatives alone.
Apparently, he remembered more than just jutsu. They had a lot to talk about.
Naruto stared at his dad. This was going to be interesting. He probably had some questions about last night. Not good. Not good at all. He'd have to be extremely careful about what he told his "uncle." Thankfully, he had a story in mind.
"What you said last night." Geez, no wonder Obito can get you to buy him ramen all the time. Predictable! "You said something about a man with green eyes. What did he do to you?"
As soon as he had mentioned the eyes, Naruto had stilled. Just because he'd been expecting it didn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable to talk about. This particular question was...less than appealing. He looked away.
"Come on, Naruto, talk to me. I mean, you were screaming in a way I've never heard anyone scream before. You didn't even recognize me for several minutes. And on top of that, you've also said that the village hated you and wouldn't lift a finger to help. I want to know...what did they do to you?"
The boy knew he wasn't trying to be nosy and only wanted to help, to know more about his life, why he had left his former home, and how he'd managed to pop up there. If Naruto had been in his place, he would have wanted to know, too. He'd have asked the same questions (albeit a bit more loudly and obnoxiously). Plus, he knew the rules; no one had been able to question him when he'd had amnesia. Now that he'd remembered, he was fair game, and Minato was doubtless trying to make it easier on him.
But how much easier would it be when he would be forced to meet up with Inoichi and maybe even his apprentice, Ibiki? As the next-in-line Hokage, he'd had significant training from the both of them in the future, so he could probably withstand most of their tactics-even torture, if it came to it-but he wasn't so sure about the mind probes of Ino's father. He'd really have to come up with a fancy defense for that one. What a pain. Maybe he shouldn't have revealed his newfound memories so soon, but it was too late now.
So be it. "Have you ever lived on the streets, Sensei?" Minato shook his head and Naruto closed his eyes. There was no way he could get through this if he had to look at him. "Well, I have. I was kicked out of the orphanage when I was about three or four, I think. Couldn't really say. But kids that young who live on the streets...my God. They're not safe from anything-wind, rain, freezing cold, blazing heat, food poisoning, starvation, bullies, thieves, gangs, killers-they're out in the open 24/7. Those that survive all of that usually succumb to predators, both animal and...human. I mean, it's not like a little four-year-old can really do anything about it, is there. That jutsu of mine that I just showed you? It wasn't purely for attention; I just said it was for the rest of the team's sake. It also just happened to be the best defense I had. You might find it perverted and foolish, but it saved my life more than once, which is more than I can say for those so-called guards! Did you know they'd actually lead people to me? That sometimes they'd even stay to watch? Did you know that the first time I was forced to kill another person was because a woman sicced her daughter on me with a kitchen knife!"
Naruto could remember that as clear as day; he'd just run from the girl, but it did little good. A few minutes of panic later, and he found his hand on the knife now lodged in her throat. It was one of the most gruesome things he'd ever seen, not to mention something he'd completely blocked out after the fact. How had he escaped punishment? Did the Council even know about it? Those were questions he'd probably never be able to answer. It hadn't been till he was twenty and had taken a little trip down memory lane that it had come back with such haunting clarity. He looked up at this, expecting to see shame and disgust on his father's face.
What he saw was rage, absolute, almost blinding rage. Naruto found himself scooting back. He'd said far too much. When his father spoke, it sounded more animal than human.
"Who was it."
It was pretty obvious that he wanted to kill whomever had harmed his "nephew." Yeah, that sounded good in theory, but not in reality. Technically, they hadn't done anything yet. Still, it had the unfortunate result of reminding the blonde that, had his father been there, things might have been very different for him growing up. It was on his "List of Things to Change."
"You don't have to worry about it. I left that life behind for a reason, and there's not a snowball's chance in Hell of me ever going back." He stood up, figuring now was as good a time as any to make his exit before he said anything else. "I want to stay here, Minato-sensei. You're the only family I have, and I'm not giving you up. Even if you one day decided to kill me, I'd still be staying." And with that, Naruto Uzumaki disappeared from the world forever, and Naruto Namikaze took his place.
As he walked away, though, he wondered...how exactly would he live once his younger self was born? Yeah, that might be just a little complicated. But he'd be able to work it out eventually, right?
And hey, if nothing else, he could teach the little tike the Sexy Jutsu! Yeah!
Minato needed to talk to someone, and he needed to talk to someone NOW. What his nephew had just told him was horrifying, to say the least. Not to mention humbling. All of that and he was still cheerful. Happy, even. Still, he could barely hold back the contents of his stomach after news like that.
He stood up and headed to a familiar apartment complex, knocked on the door, and waited. And waited. And waited. He banged impatiently and did not jump back in surprise when a gorgeous, red-headed woman opened the door suddenly.
"WHAT!" Then she saw him and her eyes narrowed. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. 'I've got better things to do than to see my friends.' What do you want?"
Minato winced. He deserved that. He'd been avoiding her for months. But still, he was desperate.
"Kushina, I need your help." He watched as one eyebrow arched in irony. "Please, I'm begging you."
His emotions must have shown on his face, because her eyes softened as she opened the door for him. "Alright, but make it snappy. I've got somewhere to be."
The two would talk hours into the night, his frustration with his inability to help his relative fading as Kushina's no-nonsense, blunt manner eased his heart. Minato may not have been able to be there for him then, but he would let nothing stand in his way of being there now.
Naruto sat on the floor of his room. Now that he was here, he might as well make the best of the situation. But how to go about it? It was so awesome before! How could anything ever compare now? he thought to himself as he stared at the paper before him.
She would approve-he knew that immediately. Still, there was something very distinct missing...lacking...and he didn't like it. No, he didn't like it at ALL. On the one hand are all the pros, his mind reasoned as it looked at the words on the left half of the paper. On the other hand, however, are all the cons, the teen continued as he looked at the other half. As much as I hate to admit it, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Finally, and after much deliberation, Naruto sighed, rolled his eyes, and stood to his feet. He had come to an important, life-altering decision.
He wouldn't wear orange on ninja missions...
...mostly.
Actually, he and Hinata had long ago created their own family symbol, complete with the Uzumaki swirl and an altered version of the Hyuuga's markings, and (while he couldn't use some of the designs for obvious reasons) Naruto had come up with something he intended to wear to remind himself of what he was fighting for. Now, to put it on a jacket...
After a bit more planning and drawing, the blonde left the apartment again to head to a clothing store Minato had already taken him to once. He was pretty sure they could personalize the outfits, and his father had given him a little cash for ramen (as in, enough for 25 or so bowls), so there should be enough to spare.
He approached the woman at the counter, trying very hard not to stare at the brown-haired woman who looked shockingly similar to Tenten from his own time. Her mother, I bet! And just like her daughter, the woman had a sweet smile on her face...and an obvious love for weapons.
A somewhat stylized and clearly dangerous dagger hung on a chain around her neck, a green and golden bird with more than one tail-each one seeming to wrap around the dagger many times-decorating the sheathe. The knife itself was small, perhaps five inches long and curved with a handle that seemed to be encrusted in emeralds and small, yellow stones that he couldn't identify. All things considered, it was an exquisite, and definitely expensive, object.
Huh. Never would've guessed Tenten's family to be loaded, but then again, how else would she be able to afford all those weapons of hers? Still, I never did see her with that one in particular. Wonder what happened to it...
But he had time to find the answers to those questions later. Right now, however, he had a self-imposed mission: Get nice clothes.
"Hi, ma'am! I was wondering if you could help me a bit," Naruto said with his biggest I'm-a-harmless-and-happy-idiot smile. It was very useful for putting people at ease. Besides, it was somewhat true.
She smiled back. "Well, just let me know what you're looking for and I'll see what I can do."
"Uh, well, I was kinda wondering if you could personalize a jacket for me."
"Oh, sure! We do that for shinobi all the time! No problem! Just bring your clothing by or pick it out here and we'll make it look however you want," she finished, cheerfully.
Just as he'd thought. No problem! "Great! Then I'll go look for one while I'm here!" Naruto turned to walk away and then paused before turning back around. There was one more thing that he was curious about. "Um...by the way, I was kinda curious about that dagger you have there. What bird is that?"
"Huh?" she replied, confused for a brief moment. "Oh! You mean this? It's a phoenix, my father's clan's symbol."
"Eh? But I thought the phoenix was all red and fiery. Never really heard of a green and golden one before."
But Tenten's mother just gave a small chuckle. "It can be either, really. Some myths even paint it blue, but I like this one the best; nothing says renewal better than the color of leaves in the Spring."
She had a point there, and he was about to tell her so before she interrupted his thoughts.
"You know, in many ways, it's the perfect symbol for the village Hidden in the Leaves. Just like the phoenix, from the ashes of the fire, a legend emerges. That's what my clan believed when we joined the Senju and Uchiha in building this place. And that's what my mother's father believed, as well. One day, I hope to pass this dagger and the Will of Fire on to a child of my own..." A dreamy, wistful expression crossed her face at this, and Naruto couldn't hold back his most sincere, sun-shiny grin.
The design for his wardrobe had just been changed.
By the end of the week, his new outfit would be ready, complete with black, jonin-style pants; a dark blue, chakra-reinforced, sleeveless turtleneck (to hide the scar from cutting his own throat); and a black jacket that could almost be taken as a trench coat. And on the back of said jacket was his new symbol: a green and golden phoenix with twelve tails rising out of a fire of nine tongues of red and orange flames, and in its beak, a sprig of lavender flowers rested.
It was, in a word, perfect.
One day, the world would hear and speak of the legend that would become the Rising Phoenix.
But first, Naruto really needed his daily-if not hourly-ramen fix. He had to keep his girlish figure, after all.
Well, what'd you think? The chapter's not very long, but I think the action more than makes up for it. Anyway, here's Kushina! And why has Minato been avoiding her, anyway? (All the women are probably thinking "Men!")
Not the most cheerful of chapters, was it? But this is some of what happens to children who grow up on the streets alone. Maybe not quite that badly, of course, thank God.
Anyhow, thank you so much for all the reviews and I'm thrilled you like the story!
Update: I added a bit, as you can obviously tell :) One major reason for that was my lack of descriptions of characters and places. I guess a reason for that would be my focus on the psychological characteristics of, well, characters rather than the physical. But both are equally important, no? By the way, I have very little artistic ability, but if someone wants to make an artist's rendition of that symbol on the back of Naruto's jacket, that'd be awesome (hint, hint lol).
(On that note, if you were wondering about the symbolism, the twelve tails represent the Konoha 12-Rookie 9 plus Team Gai- while the lavender represents Hinata specifically, and maybe the Hyuuga clan as a whole, if you want to stretch it a bit. The nine tongues of flame obviously refer to the Kyuubi and perhaps even Naruto himself, while the phoenix represents the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village. Kinda neat, huh?)