Chapter 4: Graduation & Discovery
(5 years later)
A lot has changed since Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had unofficially teamed up five years ago.
Despite what many would point out to be glaring differences between the hyperactive blonde prankster, the dark brooding prodigy and the seemingly delicate yet surprisingly volatile pink haired kunoichi, the three friends were almost inseparable and attempts to keep the prized "Last Uchiha" and the "Budding Blossom" away from the perceived "Demon Child" often failed miserably largely because of the rapport that the three had developed with each other over the years.
Another change was that the blonde Jinchuuriki now had (mostly unwilling) accomplices to help him with his pranks. Of course, they were also the first ones (apart from Iruka) to give him a swift kick to the butt or a knuckle upside the head afterwards even though they DID think his pranks were pretty funny and enjoyable to watch.
Naruto's little circle of friends had also grown. Aside from the inclusion of Sasuke and Sakura, the shy but kind hearted Hyuga heir Hinata was also taken in by the group of friends at the suggestion of Ino who knew of Hinata's huge crush on Naruto.
The group had also befriended an odd little kid named Sai who seemed to enjoy sketching but had mysteriously pulled out of school a few semesters later. They had not heard anything from him ever since then.
Today we find Naruto, Sasuke & Sakura walking towards with Sasuke and Sakura listening to their blonde friend brag about the results of his latest prank which involved the Hokage Stoneface Monuments and eight different colors of waterbased paint.
"You guys should've seen it! It was hilarious to see Ojisan's reaction when he saw his own face on the mountain with makeup and a nosebleed." Naruto narrated with a laugh.
"Oh yeah, we heard." Sasuke answers with a snort. "I think it's pretty hard NOT to notice the grafitti you drew on each and every one of the Hokage Mountain's faces and the fact that you probably had half the chunins of Konoha chasing you around town and incidentally causing a load of collateral damage along the way."
"We also heard that it was still Iruka Sensei who caught you and made you wash it all off." Sakura added, her eyebrow twitching. Then in a fit of anger, drove a knuckle on top of Naruto's head. "WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GONNA LEARN TO GROW UP?! YOU BETTER QUIT THESE JUVENILE STUNTS IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO GRIND YOU INTO PASTE, SHANNARO!!"
Naruto rose from the ground, the top of his head still smoking from the hit he took from Sakura. "Hey! At least give me a little bit of credit. I used water based paints so it was pretty easy to wash off. Besides, a lot of other people thought it was pretty funny too."
Sasuke gives his friend a serious look. "C'mon dobe, you know what we mean. It's already bad enough that a lot of the people in the village hate you for some reason as it is. Pulling these stupid pranks certainly won't help your rep." Sasuke said, clapping a hand to his friend's shoulder.
"Sasuke's right." Sakura chimed in. "Stop doing this to yourself. You're so close to becoming a shinobi of the village Naruto so you can't give them any more reason to distrust you. Being a full fledged shinobi of Konoha is the first step for them to accept you for your merits so you can't afford to screw this chance up."
When Naruto didn't answer, Sasuke sighs in exasperation and said. "Look dobe, at least think about what we said. You know we'll never steer you wrong."
It was true. Of his circle of friends, Sasuke and Sakura had been his staunchest allies even though he had been friends with Ino, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and Chouji for a longer period of time. To Naruto, both were the closest thing he had to a brother and sister.
"Alright..." Naruto grumbles unhappily. "I guess I DO have to tone down on my pranks coz as a shinobi, people will need to take me seriously."
The three genin wannabes arrive in the academy where Sasuke was promptly flocked by his infamous fangirls led by a certain blonde bombshell-to-be.
"Sasuke Kun!! Where have you been? I've been waiting for you!" Ino exclaimed as she practically smothered Sasuke, making Sakura glare at her.
"Hands off Ino-Pig! You know he wouldn't go for swallow blonde bimbos like you!" Sakura growled at her bestfriend/rival. But this only prompted Ino to press herself even closer to Sasuke, much to the dark haired boy's embarrassment.
"What's the matter billboard head? Jealous coz you're too chicken to go after him yourself?" Ino purred as she practically rubbed herself against Sasuke. Of course the grinding motion against his body caused the last Uchiha's face turn tomato red, prompting Naruto to laugh at his friend's plight.
Instead of answering, Sakura forcibly pries Ino away from Sasuke and butts head with her. "You've got no shame Ino-Pig. This is one of the most important days of a shinobi's career and all you think about is getting inside his pants. You're not even of legal age yet!"
"At least I know what I want and I'll do anything to get it. Unlike you billboard head!" Ino shot back.
"And there they go again." Shikamaru mutters as he Chouji, Kiba, Shino and Hinata walks up. Everyone within Naruto's circle of friends knew that Ino and Sakura's constant bickerings stemmed from their mutual admiration of Sasuke. Whereas Ino was very vocal and active in pursuing his love, Sakura was more discreet and protective of him, using the fact that they always hung out together to her advantage without letting Sasuke know of her true feelings for him even though it already was common knowledge.
"Ah leave 'em alone. They've always been this way when it comes to Sasuke Teme." Naruto said then looks at his friend. "C'mon man, can't you see that you've practically got every young girl fallin' for you? Are you dense or something? Just pick one and be done with it already."
"Like you're one to talk." Sasuke shot back, glancing at a blushing Hinata. "You couldn't find a clue even if hits you in the head!!"
"What was that Teme?"
"You heard me Dobe!"
"Now here's another two who seriously needs to get their heads in the game." Kiba stated with Akamaru barking his agreement from his hiding spot inside the Inuzaka's jacket.
"Well they do keep things pretty interesting here in school." Chouji comments as he munched on his chips.
"B-But today's a very important day." Hinata said. "We should concentrate on passing our genin exams."
"They know that better then any of us here." Shino stated quitely. "I'm sure they will be fine. We just have to believe in them."
The argument between Sakura/Ino and Sasuke/Naruto was cut short as their Chunin instructors, Iruka and Mizuki enters the room.
"Alright, everyone settle down." Iruka calls out. "Today is a big day for all of you because it is the day that we see if you have what it takes to join the ranks of Konoha's shinobis." The scarred chunin's practiced eyes rove over the students present, noting the anticipation and in even a little fear in their young faces. "We have taught you everything we know about being a shinobi so now you will have to prove to us that you are ready for the responsibility."
As Iruka's eyes falls on Naruto, he couldn't help but feel proud of his surrogate little brother's progress in the academy. Originally, the scarred chunin didn't know how to treat the boy knowing his tenant was the reason for his parent's deaths. But the blonde's perseverance and will to succeed in the face of overwhelming adversity eventually won him over. Not only did he beat the odds, he defied it.
That plus the fact that Naruto considered him as something of a parental figure.
"Alright. Me and Mizuki Sensei will be testing each and every one of you individually on the three basic shinobi techniques, Kawimari No Jutsu, Henge No Jutsu and Bunshin No Jutsu. When I call your name, I want you to come with me to the next room where we could conduct your tests. First up, Aburame Shino."
Shino nods at his friends as he followed Iruka and Mizuki to the adjacent room and for the next hour or so, members of Naruto's circle of friends took their exams and came back with a shiny new hiate signifying their promotion to genin. Of course, it was no surprise that when Sakura took her exam, she came back with a brand new hiate of her own which she tied on top of her head.
When it was Sasuke's turn to take the exams, he turns and smacks fists with Naruto. "You better pass the exams Teme. I wouldn't want you comin' back here crying to us." Naruto joked to which Sasuke snorts in derision. "Tell that to yourself dobe. I've never had a problem with my grades before." Sasuke stated good-naturedly before waving at his friends as he walks over to the next room. As expected, the Last Uchiha came back with his new hiate tied to his forehead and gleaming in the light. He was being congratulated by his friends when Iruka and Mizuki entered the classroom and called out the last examinee.
"Will Uzumaki Naruto please come to the testing room?" Iruka said, smiling at the enthusiastic blonde.
"Yes!! It's finally my turn!!" Naruto turns to his friends with one of his trademark ear-to-ear grin. "I'll see you guys later." He said as he follows Iruka and Mizuki to the next room.
"Try not to embarass yourself!" Kiba calls out jokingly then turns to Sasuke and Sakura whom everyone knew hung out the most with Naruto. "So how do you guys think Naruto will do?"
Sakura thought about this for a moment before answering. "Well his academics aren't exactly topnotch and his chakra control has always been pretty bad, but even though he may not look like it, he's actually a very hard worker and what he lacks in booksmarts, he more then makes up for it in ingeniuity and practical applications."
Sasuke nods at his friend's observation. "Sakura's right. I hate to say it but if those stupid pranks he pulls are any indication of how smart Naruto really is, then we've got one seriously devious shinobi-in-the-making on our hands. He's also got the most stamina here out of all of us so pulling off or maintaining the three basic jutsus needed to pass the exams should be no problem for him."
"But didn't he have trouble with Bunshin No Jutsu before?" Shikamaru asks.
"He did." Sakura answered. "But like I said, Naruto is a very hard worker. He tenaciously kept training in Bunshin No Jutsu so much that he actually wore himself out."
"We found the idiot passed out in one of the empty training fields just outside the village." Sasuke explained upon seeing the looks of curiosity from the others. "He was late for one of our regular training sessions so we had to go look for him."
"Well now. Who would've thought our resident prankster was THAT serious in this." Ino commented.
"N-Naruto Kun's got something to prove to the village and to himself. That's why he works so hard." Hinata said.
"Yeah. I've seen the looks and heard some of the things the adults had to say to him." Chouji said with a frown. "Most of it weren't very nice. My dad even had to intervene a couple of times when some of them decided to get physical."
"Naruto has suffered much in his life at the hands of others. That much we know for a fact." Shino stated plainly. "Yet he is still one of the loyal and caring individuals we have ever met & I believe that passing the Genin exams will immensely help him gain the village's acceptance."
The others nods at Shino's statement and chatted about other topics as they waited for their blonde friend to return. A few minutes later, Naruto entered the room but his friends immediately noticed that something was wrong.
For one thing, the normally cheerful Naruto was extremely quiet and somber. The next thing his friends noticed was that he did not have a brand new hiate like them. As he quietly sat in a corner, his friends crowd around him.
"Oi dobe, what's wrong?" Sasuke asks, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "What happened in there and where's your new hiate?" Sasuke's questions was met with silence as the blonde hung his head even lower.
"Hey!" Kiba growled, slightly miffed that Naruto wasn't answering. "What's wrong with you man? Talk to us."
It was Sakura who realized first what the blonde's silence meant with a look of dismay. "Naruto... You didn't... Did you?" She asks. Naruto slowly looks up at his friends with a weak smile on his face. "Sorry guys. I failed the test."
Naruto's friends were stunned into silence. Even though they knew that Naruto wasn't exactly a model student, he was still one of the top of his class so his failure to advance was surprisng.
It was Sasuke who recovered first and managed to ask one question. "How?"
Naruto looks at Sasuke first then switches his gaze to Sakura before lowering his head again and replied in a remorseful tone. "Bunshin No Jutsu."
"That's impossible." Sakura replied admanantly. "You worked on that jutsu for quite a while and I know that you can consistently pull that off with no problems like before."
"Well I wasn't able to do it this time around for some reason so Iruka Sensei said I can't pass without performing it." Naruto snapped, not intending his words to sound angry. At that moment, the class bell rang and realizing what he had said, Naruto takes a deep breath and speaks again. "Look guys. It's not like in the end of the world or anything. It's just a temporary setback and I can take the exams again in a years time, right?" Naruto said, sounding more cheerful then he actually felt.
"You mean you're just gonna accept this?" Sasuke asks incredilously. "Doesn't this strike you as being a little strange?"
Naruto then turns turns around and sighs. "I don't really have the energy to find out. And even if I did, they'd probably still say I failed due to some technicality. I hope you guys don't mind but I'm a little tired right now and I kinda wanna be alone and try to sort things out. I'll see you guys when I see you."
As Naruto starts to walk away, Hinata makes a move to follow him but was stopped by Shino who shook his head at her sadly. "We should respect Naruto's wishes and give him some time and space by himself. He will come back to us when he's good and ready."
"Shino's right." Kiba said, scratching Akamaru who was whining sadly in his jacket. "Naruto's stronger then he looks and he'll bounce back from this real quick."
"We've no doubt about that." Shikamaru stated. "But I wonder what troublesome thing happened in there?"
For this, nobody had an answer. Sasuke and Sakura could only watch as their friend leaves the room.
(With Naruto)
"Hey look, it's the demon brat."
"Doesn't look like he passed the Genin Exams."
"Good. We don't have to worry about our kids being in his team."
Even though Naruto could hear the harsh whispers of the adults around him, his mind was simply too preoccupied with what had transpired during his exams to even care.
It had started well enough with him being able to perform Henge and Kawarimi perfectly. But when it was time for him to do Bunshin No Jutsu, for some strange reason he couldn't correctly use the necessary amount of chakra and was left with a rather lathergic and sickly looking clone. Iruka had no choice but to fail him.
Naruto decides to go to the playground and takes a seat on the swing as he thought about his future. Despite what he had said about taking the exams again next year, this fairly had really upset him and seeing the disappointed looks in his friends's eyes was more then he could bear.
"Hello Naruto Kun."
Naruto looks up and sees one of his senseis, Mizuki, smiling down kindly at him. He then takes a seat on the swing besides him. "I'm sorry you failed the exams. I know how hard you've worked to get to where you are right now."
"I know Mizuki Sensei." Naruto said, lowering his head in shame. "I still can't believe I screwed up Bunshin No Jutsu so badly. Now because of that, I may never graduate."
Mizuki looked thoughtful at this then turns to Naruto again. "That wouldn't be right now would it? You've got what it takes to become a great shinobi and it would be a shame to waste talent like yours. What if I told you that there's another way for you to become Genin?"
Naruto's eyes widens at this. "Really Mizuki Sensei? There's really another way for me to become a Genin? Please tell me how!!"
Although Mizuki's smile looked kind and sincere, there was a lot of malice behind it as he thought evilly. "I have you now Demon brat." Maintaining his pleasant facade, he nods at Naruto and said. "That's right. Here's what you have to do..."
(Later that night)
Bang Bang "Hokage Sama! Hokage Sama!"
Sarutobi groans as he grumpily gets up from his bed to answer the insistent knocking on his door. He opens the door to see a female ANBU wearing a cat mask who, judging from her body language, seemed rather flustered. It took him a moment to realize that this particular ANBU is part of the detail tasked with monitoring Naruto. Instantly, he realized that there was a serious problem and was all business as he demanded. "Report. Has anything bad happened to Naruto?"
"No sir. But I regret to inform you that I somehow lost track of Uzumaki Naruto during my shift." The cat masked ANBU said making Sarutobi visibly relax a little. Sarutobi knew that the cat masked ANBU was a newcomer to her detail and was probably still not used to Naruto's abilities and habits so it was was relatively easy for her to underestimate the boy. But her next words shook him deeply to the core. "But there's one other thing Hokage Sama. Somebody broke into the Hokage Tower and stole the Forbidden Scroll. There are unconfirmed reports that the thief's description matches that of Uzumaki Naruto."
Sarutobi curses loudly. If this particular fiasco leaked out to the council, he would have some major problems to deal with. He turns to the cat masked ANBU and issues his orders. "Summon Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru at once. They are to report to me as soon as possible at the Hokage Tower."
The ANBU nods at this and promptly shunshins away to carry out her orders while Sarutobi looks out the window. "Naruto. What the hell do you think you're doing?"
(With Naruto)
Naruto couldn't believe what he was doing.
He had done what Mizuki Sensei had asked and infiltrated the Hokage Tower (which was easy enough since he regularly visited enough plus he knew all the secret doors to the tower) and stole the Forbidden Scroll from Sandaime Jiji's office and brought it to Mizuki Sensei who was waiting in the forest.
But before he could give Mizuki Sensei the scroll, Iruka Sensei appeared asking what he was doing with it. At this point, Mizuki Sensei had unexpectedly started attacking them and only the quick reflexes of Iruka Sensei had saved him. He then screamed for Naruto to escape while he still can which he did.
But it felt wrong.
He realized that Mizuki Sensei had tricked him into believing that stealing the Forbidden Scroll would allow him to graduate and he fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
Now Iruka Sensei was paying for his mistake while he ran away like a coward.
Making his decision, Naruto turns around and starts running back to where he knew Mizuki and Iruka Sensei were fighting to help him. "Iruka Sensei!!" He calls out.
Struggling to keep Mizuki at bay, Iruka risks a look at Naruto and screamed. "I told you to get away Naruto!! Your life is in danger here!!" But before he could say anything else, Mizuki kicks him away, charges at Naruto and starts attacking him.
Naruto was able to avoid the initial onslaught of Mizuki. But the traitorous Leaf nin proved to be too wily and experienced of a foe and eventually overwhelmed the would-be genin. He backs Naruto to a corner then cruelly decides to play with him and mess with his head. "Haven't you ever wondered why the villagers and even the shinobis of Konoha hate you so much brat? No? Well let me tell you as my gift to you before you die."
"Mizuki!! Don't!!" Iruka cried desperately as he attempted to intercept him. But it was already too late for him to stop Mizuki from saying Konoha's darkest secret.
"You, Uzumaki Naruto, are the container of the Kyubi No Kitsune. The same Kyubi No Kitsune which attacked Konoha and killed countless people. Shinobi and Civilians alike." Mizaki cackled madly. "Do you honestly think that the reason why the major clans are being kind to you is because you deserve it? Hell no!! They're afraid that the Kyubi will just get loose and start it's rampage again. Nobody really cares for you. Not even Iruka because his parents were also killed by Kyubi."
"Mizuki, stop it!!" It was already way too late for Iruka to do anything else. Mizuki's revelation had shocked Naruto to a near catatonic state.
"I'm... I'm really a monster?" Naruto mutters to himself as he slumps back against the tree. "…. I… I can't believe it…. Why?" So distracted was Naruto that he failed to notice Mizuki un-sling the large shuriken strapped to his back and throw it at him until it was too late. Naruto closes his eyes hoping his death would be quick when something appears in front of him. He opens his eyes and sees a grimacing in pain Iruka over him. The scarred chunin had used his own body to shield Naruto from the shuriken.
"I-Iruka Sensei… Why?" Naruto choked out.
"Naruto. Whatever it is that is inside of you is NOT you." Iruka said, tears starting to flow from his eyes. "There are many people who truly cares for because of who you are and not because of what you might be. I do this because you're someone precious to me and I will give my life to ensure you're kept safe."
"Now you're being a hypocrite Iruka." Mizuki said with a smirk. "Didn't you say that you hated Kyubi with a passion?"
Iruka painfully extracts the large shuriken from his back and slumps against the tree. "Naruto Kun is NOT the Kyubi. You and the other blind fools in the village should have realized that by now but still insist of living in the past. You even have the nerve to use him for your betrayal."
"Hmmpp!! It's not as if there's anything you can do about it." Mizuki said as he takes out another large shuriken. "But since you chose to get in my way 'Old Friend', then you'll also have to die."
"I won't let you!!"
Iruka's eyes widens as Naruto steps in front of him protectively, making Mizuki laugh in contempt.
"Hahahahahaha!! What can a cowardly brat like you do? You're no match for me so why don't you quietly wait for your turn to die?" Mizuki laughed but as he looked closer at Naruto, he could see that the blonde's normally sky-blue eyes had turned bloody red and an un-natural red chakra began swirling around his form.
"Because just as Iruka Sensei vowed to protect me with his life, I vow to protect him with mine." Naruto said then smirks at Mizuki. "And if you still think I'm no match for you, then maybe a demonstration of a jutsu I learned from the forbidden scroll will change your mind. KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!" Mizuki pales as the woods surrounding him are literally filled with dozens of Narutos glaring down at him. And not just mere Bunshins but solid Kage Bunshins capable of hurting him just as badly as any normal person.
"Here comes the pain Mizuki Teme. I hope you're ready coz this will DEFINITELY hurt." Naruto said, cracking his knuckles. Instantly, the shadow clones all charge at Mizuki and all he could do was scream as they mercilessly pummeled him to the ground. A few minutes later, the clones disperse leaving a severely beaten but mercifully unconscious Mizuki lying on the ground.
"Are you ok Iruka Sensei?" Naruto asked with concern as he knelt down in front of his teacher who smiles up at him.
"Don't worry Naruto. This is just a scratch so I'm fine." Iruka assured his student. "Even though you DID steal the Forbidden Scroll from the tower, you were very brave standing up to Mizuki when you did. And in my eyes, it proves something. But for you to find out what, you'll have to remove your goggles and close your eyes." Iruka said. Naruto complies and after a few moments, Iruka allows him to open his eyes again. When he does, he notices is that the hiate around Iruka's head was now on his own forehead. "You have proven that you're a true shinobi in every sense of the word and I'm very proud of you. Congratulations Naruto."
"I'm a shinobi now?" Naruto asks unbelievingly as he fingers his new hiate then smiles broadly. "Yatta!! I did it!!" He screams joyfully, jumping up and down.
"Indeed you did Naruto Kun. Congratulations." Another voice said. Iruka and Naruto looks back and sees the Sandaime and the three Sanin flanked by ANBUS.
"Looks like you didn't need our help after all kid." Jiraiya said, eyeing the still unconscious Mizuki.
"Are you kidding? Look at that guy! It's a miracle he's still alive in THAT condition. You really did a number on him Naruto." Tsunade said.
"Well he did make our job easier." The Sandaime said, motioning for the ANBUS to retrieve Mizuki then frowns. "But that aside. we have a bigger problem here, don't we Orochimaru?"
"Indeed Hokage Sama." The Snake Sanin said as he turns towards the treelines. "You can come out of there now." He calls out.
At first no one responds. But a few moments later, two individuals slowly walk out into view.
"Sasuke, Sakura." Naruto said almost in a whisper then adds. "Oh shit…."
Author's Notes: Bwahahaha!! Cliffhanger time!! It seems like Sasuke and Sakura have discovered Naruto's deepest, darkest secret. How will they react? As usual, R&R everyone